The house of a pastor attached to the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Adebun Area of Ado-Ekiti was set ablaze by angry youths after a missing seven-year-old girl was found dead there.
Reports say that the lifeless body of the girl, identified as Demilade, was found in the pastor’s house on Tuesday, Dec. 7.
The victim had gone missing around 8:00 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 6, after she was sent on an errand to buy pap for her parents and siblings.
When she didn’t return home, her parents raised alarm and some residents started searching for Demilade in the area, all to no avail.
Her parents then reported the incident to the nearest police station.
It later emerged that the girl was allegedly waylaid and butchered by the daughter of the pastor who is said to be mentally deranged. She is alleged to have murdered the teenager after which she ran away on Monday night.
A source told Guardian: “After their effort proved abortive, the incident was reported at the nearby Police Station by the parents and family friends.
“A search party was launched for the girl by her parents and some residents and she was never found before her corpse was found this morning (Dec. 7) at the residence of a Redeem Christian Church Pastor in the neighbourhood.
“So, it was, later on, we heard the Pastor and his wife had gone to the State Police Command to report his mentally ill daughter’s act. I even heard the girl had once matcheted her father’s head.”
After the body of the victim was found, youths armed with petrol and cutlasses stormed the pastor’s house on Tuesday, Dec. 7, and burnt the house.
The suspected killer of the young girl has been apprehended in Ado Ekiti.
She was caught in Adehun area of Ado Ekiti while trying to commit another crime.
Police patrol deployed to the area rescued the suspect from the mob who were trying to kill her.
Police Public Relations Officer in Ekiti, Mr. Sunday Abutu, stated that the arrest was effected based on the information given by the suspect’s parents. He added that the suspect is in detention at the police headquarters in Ado Ekiti.
International news agency, Reuters has reported that up to one million COVID-19 vaccines are estimated to have expired in Nigeria in November.
Two sources with direct knowledge of vaccine delivery and use, told Reuters that the expired doses were made by AstraZeneca and supplied via COVAX from Europe.
A third source with knowledge of the delivery was said to have also mentioned that some of the doses arrived within four-to-six weeks of expiry and could not be used in time, despite efforts by health authorities.
A source was quoted saying;
“A count of the expired doses is still underway and an official number is yet to be finalised.”
Another said;
“Nigeria is doing everything it can. But it’s struggling with short shelf life vaccines. Now (supply is) unpredictable and they’re sending too much”.
Spokesperson for the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) told Reuters that the number of vaccines received and used is still being tallied and that it would share its findings in the coming days.
Responding to an inquiry by the international news agency, the World Health Organization admitted that some doses had expired but declined to give a figure. It said 800,000 additional doses that had been at risk of expiry in October were all used in time.
WHO said;
“Vaccine wastage is to be expected in any immunization programme, and in the context of COVID-19 deployment is a global phenomenon.”
WHO added that vaccines delivered with “very short” shelf life were a problem
Reality show star, Kim Kardashian thanked her “ex-husband” Kanye West last night, while accepting a fashion award at 2021 People’s Choice Awards.
The 41-year-old mogul was recognized for her mass influence at the 2021 People’s Choice Awards, where she was presented with The Fashion Icon award.
In a skin-tight black jumpsuit, gloves and sunglasses, Kardashian West walked down a long runway to accept the honor from last year’s winner, Tracee Ellis Ross.
Addressing Tracee, Kim said;
“To receive the award from the fashion icon herself, I am so honored. Thank you.”
Tracee wasn’t the only subject of Kim’s gratitude. She also praised her “ex-husband”, Kanye West.
She said;
“To Kanye, thank you for really introducing me to the fashion world. I fell in love with fashion and I’m so inspired by so may people but again, this is like a dream that I get to wake up and wear these amazing clothes and try new things and take a risk. I’m so humbled.”
A source told PEOPLE at the time that Kim is still closely collaborating and getting advice from ex Kanye when it comes to her outfit choices.
The source said;
“Even though Kanye is not attending tonight, his presence will be felt on the carpet. It was Kanye who introduced Kim to Demna [Gvasalia, creative director of Balenciaga] and was instrumental in the newly formed relationship between her and Balenciaga.”
He also supported his ex-wife in embracing her new approach to dressing. The source added;
“This look on Kim is like a new subculture and fashion statement.
“No logo, no face, but everyone knows it’s her. Kanye gave her the courage to push creativity and people’s imagination through art. It’s the ultimate confidence.”
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, lead counsel for the embattled Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has claimed that the Department of State Services has refused to obey court orders granting his client maximum comfort in detention, change of clothing, amongst others.
Ejiofor in a statement titled ‘Update On Today’s Visit To Our Indefatigable Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu At The Headquarters Of The Department Of State Services (DSS) Abuja’ and released on Tuesday December 7, alleged that the secret police has “unrepentantly continued to treat the orders of the court with greatest disdain”.
Maintaining that Kanu has not been convicted for committing any crime and is still presumed innocent, the IPOB leader’s lawyer also revealed that they will be approaching the court.
The statement read;
“We were informed by our client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu that none of the pronouncement made by the Court on the 2nd of December 2021 has been obeyed by the lawless DSS. They have unrepentantly continued to treat the Orders of the Court with greatest disdain.
“Our client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu further informed us that he had not eaten anything since Sunday, apparently being punished because we dared to complain to the court about the harsh condition under which he is being held in custody. But, very, unfortunately, this should be the height of their reckless affront to the orders of court.
“At the time Her Lordship made these far-reaching orders in open court, I did not mince words in bringing to the attention of the court that the operatives of the DSS will flout these orders, pursuant to which the court specifically directed me to come back to her with these facts if her order is flouted by the detaining authority.
“The detaining authority (DSS) is an Agency clearly established by instrumentality of the laws and should operate within the confines of the same laws establishing them, and should not be seen as a lawless entity, which unfortunately is what they represent in practice.”
The plumber who found cash and checks in the wall of Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church has reportedly received $20,000 from Crimestoppers.
ABC7 reports that the plumber, who is only known as “Justin,” was declared a “Good Samaritan” by Crimestoppers and given the reward.
He found the money on Nov. 10 while doing repair work at the Houston church.
The discovery came seven years after the church reported that $600,000 in cash and checks were stolen from a safe in 2014 between March 9 and March 10.
Police were investigating whether the money found in the wall was connected to the money that was stolen.
According to ABC7, the stolen funds were fully insured and some of that money has since been paid back to the insurance company.
At the time of the theft, Lakewood Church gave Crime Stoppers $20,000 to offer as a potential reward for information in the case. By 2016, Lakewood decided to shift that supplemental reward into a charitable donation to Crime Stoppers of Houston in support of its ongoing public safety work in Houston and beyond.
Crime Stoppers CEO Rania Mankarious confirmed the good samaritan has been gifted the fund.
“Crime Stoppers of Houston is a public safety organization that thrives on the public safety of all communities. We believe that it takes all of us, working together, to keep Houston safe and thriving. In 2014, Lakewood Church gave us $20,000 to work on this case. In 2016, they chose to gift us those funds for operations. Today, we are gifting that same amount of money to this Good Samaritan and wishing he and his family a wonderful holiday season,” said Mankarious.
A man has killed himself, his wife and three young girls after he faked a Covid-19 vaccine certificate and feared his children would be taken away when it was discovered.
Police found two adults, both 40, and three children aged four, eight and 10 dead from gunshot wounds in a family home in Koenigs Wusterhausen south of Berlin, Germany on Saturday, December 4.
In a long farewell note found by police, the man, named as Devid R, said he forged a vaccination certificate for his wife named Linda.
According to prosecutor Gernot Bantleon, Devid’s wife’s employer found out, prompting the couple to fear they would be arrested and lose their children Leni, Janni and Rubi.
Police were called to the house after being alerted by witnesses who had seen lifeless bodies in the house on Saturday.
In Germany, having a fake Covid-19 vaccine certificate is a criminal offence and is punishable by either a fine or a years jail term.
Investigators suspect that the man killed his wife and children and then himself. They found a gun in the house, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether it was the weapon used to fire the fatal shots.
They found no indication that anyone else was present at the time or that anyone forced their way into the house.
Precious Chikwendu has narrated how she was allegedly unable to consummate her marriage for 6 years because former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode allegedly had erectile dysfunction.
In a lawsuit filed before a Customary Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Precious said the four children she had with Fani-Kayode were conceived via artificial insemination.
Alleging that the former minister did not perform any rites before their marriage nor paid her bride price, the mother of four further claimed she was forced to be celibate during the time they were together as a couple.
She said;
“At every attempt, the petitioner made to have sexual intercourse with the respondent, there was never erection of the respondent’s penis/manhood and penetration was frustrating.
“During such periods of frustration and sexual desire, the petitioner would be left with the choice of merely rubbing herself on the respondent, to have the slightest bit of relief.
“The petitioner then insisted parties should seek medical help for the respondent, and on visiting the family doctor, the respondent claimed he was diagnosed of having a cyst on his penis/manhood, which is not allowing the respondent to have erection and or perform sexually,
“The respondent was supposedly placed on cyprotab and the doctor suggested that the respondent should go and decide when he wishes to remove/untangle the cyst.
“Few days after the visit to the doctor, the respondent informed the petitioner that he had discussed with Regina and she had prayed over it, that the respondent should not do the operation, else he would die.
“The respondent never took the cyprotab medication, but any time the petitioner tried to engage the respondent in sexual activities, the respondent would claim his penis/manhood was paining him and then drink the medication.
“The petitioner bought sex toys for the respondent, but the respondent refused to use it and warned the petitioner never to suggest it again.”
Precious who alleged that FFK assaulted her during their time together as a couple and also lied to her that his marriage to his third wife had ended, asked the court to declare that she was never married to the former minister.
In suit no FCT/CCK8/01/043/2021, which was filed by her counsel, Mr Abiodun E. Olusanya, Precious sought for the following reliefs;
“An order declaring that there was no customary marriage between the petitioner and the respondent (despite their six-year cohabitation) under the Nanka, Orumba North, Anambra State of Igbo native law and customs.
“Alternatively, assuming by the evidence during the trial the court finds that there was a customary marriage between parties:
“An order dissolving the customary marriage between the petitioner and the respondent forthwith.
“An order granting the petitioner access to and custody of the four children of the cohabitation between parties especially during their academic calendar.
“An order ordering the respondent to be continuously responsible for the academic, medical, clothing and welfare of the four children of the cohabitation.
“An order ordering the respondent to release and return the Petitioner’s property.”
Some of the properties she is asking for include her certificates and documents, trophies from the United Nations pageantry, Red Range Rover SUV registered under her foundation’s name and the foundation’s certificates, her photos, her mother’s burial videos and souvenirs, her mother’s certificates and documents, her clothes and personal belongings including gadgets, sewing machines left at the children’s play area and her refrigerator and kitchen gadgets for her food company, Mommy Pee Food.
Precious who insisted that there was never a marriage, alleged that FFK “continuously behaved in such a way that she cannot reasonably be expected to continue to live with the respondent any further or formally enter into any form of traditional marriage with him.”
She claimed that their relationship was filled with “woes, lies, deceits, quarrels, assaults, battery and domestic violence, lack of trust and absence of love, public disgrace and shame, and absence of sex due to the inability to sexually perform and intolerable behaviour of the respondent.”
The mother of four added;
“From the inception of the cohabitation, the Respondent has been a violent person who attacks the Petitioner and her family members at will without provocation.”
Precious revealed that she found FFK’s marriage certificate with his third wife, Regina, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raided his house in 2016.
She disclosed that he allegedly confessed to not being divorced from Regina after she confronted him and demanded to see their divorce certificate.
The mother of four added that after she walked out of the cohabitation with the respondent in August 2020, she has continuously been denied access to her children and her children have been continuously deprived parental motherly care and protection.
She also claimed that Fani-Kayode was in the habit of not paying his domestic staff/workers/nannies, “which leaves the workers angry and they could unleash and or transfer their anger on the children, they may kill any of the children any day, if the children are left with the respondent.”
Precious added;
“Most of the domestic staff/workers/nannies that are not paid their wages, usually resign and run away without informing anyone and considering the security situation, the workers could kidnap any of the children.
“Currently the respondent is in court with some of the former domestic staff/workers for noa payment of salaries and abuse.”
A woman who lost her twin brother to coronavirus has shared the final text message he sent to her before dying from Covid after refusing the vaccine.
Bodybuilder John Eyers, 42, thought he would only suffer from a “mild illness” if he caught the virus and had a “belief in his own immortality”, his twin Jenny McCann said.
Unfortunately, the virus made him suffer organ failure and an infection.
The construction expert from Southport, Merseyside, died within a month of testing positive, leaving behind a daughter aged 19.
Jenny spoke to her “fit and healthy” brother on the phone before he was induced into a coma and told him she loved him.
She said he was not well enough to reply but sent her a text afterwards which read: “Don’t let them give up on me.”
Tragically, that was the last message she received from John. He died before his family arrived at his bedside.
Jenny said that in his final days, John expressed his regret that he didn’t get the Covid vaccine.
She said her brother was “the fittest, healthiest person” she knew and believed he would be ok if he caught the virus.
“He was climbing Welsh mountains and wild camping four weeks before his death,” she wrote in a series of tweets.
“The only pre-existing health condition he had was the belief in his own immortality.
“He thought if he contracted Covid-19 he would be OK. He thought he would have a mild illness. He didn’t want to put a vaccine on his body. His was pumped full of every drug in the hospital.
“They threw everything at him. But eventually the bedfellow of Covid-19, infection and organ failure, claimed his life.
“Before he was ventilated he told his consultant that he wished he had been vaccinated. That he wished he had listened. His death is a tragedy.”
Jenny said she wanted to share John’s story in the hope it would “save another life”.
A Chinese couple whose son was abducted 14 years ago, when he was just 4, have reunited with him.
They were reunited with the now 18-year-old in Shenzhen, Guangdong province on Monday, Dec. 6.
Sun Zhuo, 18, was abducted in the city of Shenzhen in 2007.
His father, Sun Haiyang, and mother, Peng Siying, sold properties to fund their search, and offered a reward of up to $31,000 for information on his whereabouts, Chinese state media reported.
The search for the boy even inspired a hit movie.
“Dearest,” a 2014 film by Hong Kong director Peter Chan based on Sun’s story grossed more than $50 million at the box office, according to IMDb, and brought the pervasive issue of child abduction and trafficking in China into the spotlight.
Sun Haiyang had traveled to nearly every region of China in search of his son.
Authorities tracked down Sun in the eastern province of Shandong after police used facial recognition technology to help them identify a suspect, surnamed Wu, who they accuse of abducting the boy, according to a website run by the Ministry of Public Security.
Sun’s identity was confirmed by DNA analysis, state media reported.
Wu has been detained in connection with two child abductions, including that of Sun, police said.
The couple who adopted Sun were bailed pending trial, state media reported.
Meanwhile, Sun has told state media that he would stay with his adoptive parents because they had raised him for more than 10 years and he was previously unaware of his true lineage.
Due to China’s one-child policy, families have been giving up infant girls for adoption while paying to adopt male children as they viewed boys as more able to provide for the family and carry on the family line. This has driven a black market for infant boys and increased the rate of abduction of male children.
Donald Trump’s businesses made a whooping $1.7b during the four years he spent in office.
This is according to Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist David Cay Johnston who calculated how much money flowed through Donald Trump’s businesses while serving as president.
CNN’s Brianna Keilar interviewed Johnston about his new book, The Big Cheat: How Donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched Himself and His Family, where he made the revelations on Tuesday, November 30.
“A new book is pulling back the curtain on how much former President Trump enriched himself and his family while he was in office, finding that nearly $1.7 billion in revenue flowed through him and his organizations during his four years as commander-in-chief,” Keilar reported.
She described the book as “the most complete picture we’ve seen of this.”
“Tell us how much Donald Trump profited — and how you were able to get to this number,” Keilar asked.
“Well, Donald Trump had to disclose his finances as president, all top federal officials do,” Johnston replied.
“Now, several of them filed very incomplete and misleading forms. Donald, in fact, asked through his lawyers if he could file financial disclosures without signing under penalty of perjury. He was told, no, you have to sign under penalty of perjury.”
He explained that of the more than $1.7 billion, much of it came from American taxpayers.
“Donald did everything he could to make sure the taxpayers were putting money into his businesses,” he noted. “Hundreds of millions of dollars.”
In addition, Trump has also received large amounts of donations.
“You know, you also talk about it, just before the 2020 election and on his way out the door with stop the steal fundraising, he rakes in $500 million,” Keilar noted.
“He spends less than $9 million on lawyers, the rest of that money, he can use how?”
“Oh, he can spend it on himself,” Johnston replied.
“I expect that once he is indicted in Manhattan and perhaps other jurisdictions, a lot of that money will go to criminal defense lawyers,” he explained.
A black couple from California are suing a real estate company after their home went up in value by nearly 50 per cent when their white friend posed as its owner.
Paul, 45, and Tenisha Tate Austin, 42, who are black and from Marin City near San Francisco had their home valued at $989,000 in January.
They purchased it in 2016 for $550,000.
But they said they got a different agency to check the value of the house only to find the home’s value increased by a further $500,000 after they removed all signs of their identity, and asked a white friend to pose as the owner.
Paul, and Tenisha Tate Austin, believe race was the reason their home in Marin City was undervalued.
The couple have now filed a fair housing lawsuit against agent, Janette Miller, her firm Miller and Perotti Real Estate Appraisers, Inc. and national appraisal company AMC Links, LLC in the $487,500 discrepancy over the two valuations they received.
AMC were tasked with handling the couple’s home valuation, and were also behind the second valuation which saw a dramatic increase in price, the lawsuit alleges.
The couple say the January estate agent was an older white woman – Miller – who used coded phrases like ‘Marin City is a distinct area’ when she valued the property which they believe was race-related.
For the second appraisal, the pair decided to run an experiment to see if their suspicions were right and got a white friend to pose as the owner.
They hid photographs and art work and replaced it with their friend’s photos.
‘We had a conversation with one of our white friends, and she said. ‘No problem. I’ll be Tenisha. I’ll bring over some pictures of my family’. She made our home look like it belonged to her.’
‘There are implications to our ability to create generational wealth or passing things on if our houses appraise for 50% less,’ Tenisha added.
The couple say they carried out $400,000 worth of significant renovations in the five years since buying the home including a brand new floor which added 1,000 sq feet of space, a fireplace, new appliances and an outdoor deck.
‘I read the appraisal, I looked at the number I was like, ‘This is unbelievable”, wife, Tenisha said to ABC7.
‘We did our homework,’ Austin told the Reparations Task Force in a panel on the racial wealth gap in October, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
‘We believe the white lady wanted to devalue our property because we are in a black neighborhood, and the home belonged to a black family.
‘My stomach hurt, my head hurt, just because of what we went through,’ Austin said. ‘I don’t wish that on anybody.
‘I want to see a change. I don’t want to see my children have to deal with this,’ he added.
Marin City, where the Austins live, is a historically black community.
‘There are definitely things about this complaint that are uniquely strong,’ said an attorney for the couple, Julia Howard-Gibbon, to the Chronicle. ‘They erased themselves from the home, essentially.’
‘Marin City has a long history of undervaluation based on stereotypes, redlining, discriminatory appraisal standards, and actual or perceived racial demographics.’
Jessica Lautz, from the National Association of Realtors’ vice president of demographics and behavioral insights, said the couple’s case was not unusual.
‘We know discrimination is in nearly every aspect of that home buying process,’ she said. ‘We need to be addressing it as an industry.’
In the US, only 44 percent of black Americans owned their home in 2020 compared to 74 percent for white Americans according to areal estate firm Redfin.
Lionel Messi has reportedly been ordered to demolish his £26million luxury hotel in Spain after receiving a court order.
The Argentine had bought the building, which has 77 rooms, for €30million (£26.01m), back in 2017.
The building is situated close to the beach and seafront promenade of Sitges, 40km from Barcelona.
However, according to reports in Spain, Sitges Town Hall had already approved the building’s demolition before the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner had even purchased the building.
According to El Confidencial, the hotel’s balconies are too big and do not meet planning requirements. Any attempts to make the balconies smaller could result in the collapse of the hotel in any case.
There are other issues with the building, with the building’s fire plan also failing to meet local standards.
It is understood Messi was previously unaware of the order to demolish the building until recently.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has said that Omicron is driving the fourth wave of Covid-19 infections in the country following a five-fold increase in daily infection rates over the last week.
Speaking on the situation, which he says is “concerning,” he explained omicron is dominating new infections in most provinces and nearly a quarter of all Covid samples have now come back positive compared to two weeks ago.
“As the country heads into a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections, we are experiencing a rate of infections that we have not seen since the pandemic started,” Mr Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter.
Mr. Ramaphosa said authorities have been “preparing hospitals to admit more patients,” and trying to secure medications for the treatment of coronavirus, while scientists are investigating the impact of the new variant.
“As we enter the fourth wave, and as the country gears up for the festive season, the urgent priority is for more people to get vaccinated. Scientific evidence shows that vaccination is the most effective means of preventing the spread of new infections and that vaccines reduce severe illness, hospitalization, and death,” he added.
Stressing on the importance of vaccines, the president said: “South Africa now has sufficient supplies of vaccines, … vaccination is essential for our economic recovery because as more people are vaccinated more areas of economic activity will be opened up.”
Mr. Ramaphosa said they are keeping a “close eye on the rates of infection and hospitalisation.”
The president would convene a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council to review the state of the pandemic and said “this will enable us to take whatever further measures are needed to keep people safe and healthy.”
Former CNN star anchor, Chris Cuomo is preparing to sue his former employer for $18 million left on his contract, claiming that the media company’s President Jeff Zucker (pictured top left) knew about his involvement in his brother’s sex scaandal probe.
CNN fired Cuomo, 51, on Saturday, December 4, citing his role in defending his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, against multiple sexual harassment allegations.
Cuomo says CNN President Jeff Zucker knew about the cooperation between him and his brother , claims that the network have denied calling it ‘patently false.’
Cuomo was fired from his position on Saturday after New York Attorney General Letitia James released a trove of documents revealing that he had called his ‘sources’ about planned news reports regarding his brother as he tried to dig up dirt on at least one of the former governor’s accusers.
According to the New York Post, Cuomo has now hired lawyers and is preparing to file a suit against CNN if it does not pay him the remainder of the four year contract he signed last year, under which he receives $6 million a year.
According to the NY Post, sources say the network has ‘no intention of paying Cuomo a penny,’ noting that ‘if he gets a settlement, there would be an uproar.’
Legal analysts believe the documents released by the NY Attorney General gave the network legal grounds to fire Cuomo but that accusations that he sexually harassed a former co-worker at ABC was the final straw that led to his firing.
Cuomo joined CNN as a field anchor in February 2013 following stints at ABC and Fox News. After rising through the ranks, he was tapped in March 2018 to host Cuomo Prime Time.
His 9pm show was CNN’s highest rated broadcast. It drew an average of 774,000 viewers during November, when it ranked No. 25 among all cable TV news programs – right behind Anderson Cooper’s sho
Nnamdi Kanu’s brother has alleged that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is being denied food in the facility of the Department of State Service (DSS).
Kanu is currently detained by the DSS on the order of Justice Binta Murtala Nyako-led Federal High Court in Abuja on the treasonable felony charges preferred against him by the federal government of Nigeria.
His brother, Prince Kanu Meme, who paid him a visit, took to Facebook to allege that Nnamdi Kanu is being subjected to ill-treatment by the DSS.
He also claimed that the secret police has denied him his medical report after taking his blood more than 21 times.
Prince Kanu wrote: “Just visited the Alpha Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, at the Department of State Security Services Abuja. During my interaction with him, he told me that he has been denied food since yesterday.
“As if that wasn’t enough, DSS had also denied him his medical report after taking his blood for more than 21 times. They have continuously disobeyed all the court orders.”
A 44-year-old father of three, Gabriel Anthony Patrick has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja for ingesting 96 pellets of cocaine, which he excreted in the custody of the Agency.
Director, Media & Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, who made the disclosure in a statement on Sunday, December 5, said that Gabriel, a native of Nike in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu state, was arrested on Friday 26th November during an outward clearance of Turkish Airline at the boarding screening area of the airport enroute Abuja-Istanbul-Madrid.
“He had travelled to Germany in 1996 for two years on asylum after which he relocated to Spain in 1999 where he currently holds a residence permit and works as a driver in a food manufacturing company. He claimed he came into Nigeria on 17th November to sell cloths and car spare parts he shipped to Lagos earlier,” the statement reads.
“He however said he couldnt sell his consignments, which cost him 4,000 Euros excluding the cost of shipment because they were priced below the cost price at Ladipo market in Lagos and he needed to travel back to Spain to resume work after the expiration of his annual leave.”
“This, he said led him to accept an offer to traffic the drug for which he would be paid 1,500 Euros when he successfully delivers the consignment to someone in Spain. He claimed he left Lagos for Enugu to see his family members, and then travelled on 25th Nov to Onitsha, Anambra state where he was picked from Upper Iweka park at night and taken to a house where he was given the 96 pellets of cocaine to ingest before leaving for Abuja to board his flight to Madrid the following day.”
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos have arrested one Okorie Godwin Onyeribe over his attempt to export 21.85kg of cannabis concealed in foodstuff to London, UK. He was nabbed at the NAHCO export shed of the airport on Friday 3rd Dec.
Five students of American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa and University of Maiduguri, Borno state are among suspects arrested for drug offences in raids operations across nine states in the last week.
Two of the students; Emmanuel Thlama and Jonah Joshua were arrested with 16.750kg cannabis in the night of 30th Nov when operatives raided a settlement opposite Gate 4 of the University of Maiduguri.
The other three, all AUN undergraduate students: Ekene Asher; Daniel Alkali and Emmanuel Smooth, were arrested at 11:30pm on Thursday 2nd Dec. after taking delivery of Loud, a strong variant of cannabis ordered by Ekene for them to smoke.
Earlier same day, operatives also intercepted a motorised concrete mixer truck used to conceal 2000.6kg of cannabis, loaded at Ogbese, Ondo state. Two suspects arrested with the drugs; Matthew Donuwe and Friday Nborgwu claimed they have spent a month on the road from Ondo state hoping to deliver the consignment in Mubi, Adamawa before they were arrested at Girei in Girei LGA of the State.
In Oyo state, operatives intercepted 608.40kg of Cannabis sativa concealed in a black Toyota Sequoia SUV with registration number Lagos MUS 553 GN and parked around toll gate area, Ibadan-Ife expressway, Egbeda LGA, Ibadan on Friday 3rd Dec.
The following day, operatives equally seized 85.90kg cannabis recovered from the boot of a Nissan Primera car, Lagos FJK890DZ and in one of the rooms of an apartment where search operation was carried out at Adegbayi area, Alakia, Egbeda LGA. Those arrested in connection with the seizure include: Benson Uzoka, 46; Kafayat Adeyemi Uzoka, 40; Ndidi Uzoka, 39 and Christopher Uzoka, 42.
While the duo of Praise Emmanuel and Aminu Aliyu were arrested with 228kg cannabis in Kano, operatives in Taraba stormed cannabis farms in Changso village, Kurmi LGA, located on the mountains between Nigeria and Cameroon, evacuated 364kg of the illicit drug and set the rest on fire. Equally, ThankGod Danladi who has just finished a jail term in October was arrested on Wednesday 1st December with 67kg cannabis in another raid in the state.
In Niger state, operatives intercepted a commercial bus with 215kg cannabis concealed in a false bottom and side door of the bus, along Mokwa – Jebba road. Two suspects; a driver and his conductor arrested claimed they loaded the consignment in Ogere, Ogun State and were heading to Sokoto as their final destination.
In Delta state, a lady Tina Ujene was arrested in Ibusa with 1.1kg cannabis while a follow raid on her suppliers home led to the recovery of 54.7kg of the same substance. Different quantities of Cannabis, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Heroin, Diazepam and Exol-5 were seized in raids at AP- Eleme and Garki, Oil Mill areas of Port Harcourt, as well as Lewe and Kadiri in Gokana LGA, Rivers state on Friday 3rd Dec. In Ondo state, a 72-year-old Emmanuel Akanbi was arrested at Odofin camp, Uso, Owo LGA with 2,050kg cannabis.
Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has commended the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, Adamawa, Borno, Taraba, Niger, Oyo, Ondo, Kano, Rivers and Delta commands of the Agency for their recent efforts.
He charged them along with their colleagues in other commands to constantly focus on raising the bar of their achievements until the last gram of illicit drug is taken away from every community in Nigeria.
The European Union has revealed details of a €300bn (£255bn; $340bn) global investment plan, described as a “true alternative” to China’s Belt and Road strategy.
China’s Belt and Road Strategy is China’s mega investment plan where they build projects in different countries and are paid back in form of loans. The Chinese investment scheme has been criticized as too stringent on poor Nations as they are saddled with debts they can’t pay.
On Wednesday, December 1, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU’s ‘Global Gateway’ scheme should become a trusted brand.
The Commission chief said countries need “trusted partners” to design projects that were sustainable.
The EU is looking at how it can leverage billions of euros, drawn from member states, financial institutions and the private sector. This will largely take the form of guarantees or loans, rather than grants.
Mrs von der Leyen said the EU wanted to show that a different, democratic approach could deliver on projects that focused on tackling climate change as well as global health security and sustainable development for developing countries.
An EU official told the BBC that Africa would be a major focus of the scheme as most African countries are beneficiaries of huge investment from the Chinese government.
“When it comes to investment choices, the few options that exist too often come with a lot of small print which includes big consequences, be it financially, politically but also socially.”said the Commission’s president .
The Nigerian Police Force has been ordered to pay N15m fine to seven suspected members of Boko Haram who were unlawfully detained for three years without trial.
The applicants, Ajiri Dungus, Gudja Giddah, Adam Mohammed, Wardi Dungus, Fanami Mustapha, Mohammed Abba and Makinka Dungus, were reportedly arrested inside a Maiduguri market were allegedly “dumped” at the detention facility of the Special Anti-Robbery in Abuja.
Justice M. O. Olajuwon of the federal high court in Abuja who delivered the judgement, held that the fundamental human rights of the applicants were violated, contravening provisions of the 1999 constitution on human rights.
Justice Olajuwon who also ordered that the seven applicants be released to their families, stated that the police acted in bad faith by keeping the detainees beyond the period required by law, especially when there was no cogent and verifiable ground of indictment of the applicants for any offence.
Two Ugandan men now face seven years in jail for selling roasted grasshoppers on a Uganda Airlines plane.
Paul Miburi will now be prosecuted after a video of him selling a local grasshopper delicacy known as Nsenene aboard Uganda Airlines, went viral on social media platforms. His friend, Hajib Kiggundu who recorded and uploaded the video on TikTok, has also been arrested. The two men deal in electronics, cellphones and accessories.
Security officers arrested Mubiru and Kiggundu on Sunday November 28, when they arrived from Dubai aboard Uganda Airlines flight 445.
As some passengers were boarding, Mubiru, in a video that went viral on social media over the weekend, was seen selling grasshoppers from a big blue polyethene bag on board. He would scoop a handful of grasshoppers and pack them in a transparent polyethene bag at 10,000 Shillings (US$2.80).
Spokesperson of the Uganda Police Force, Fred Enanga said the two businessmen have been charged with three counts of common nuisance behaviour, negligence, and refusal to follow lawful inflight instructions.
Paul and Hajib are being charged with “negligence act” likely to cause the spread of an infectious disease, namely COVID-19 contrary to Section 171 of the Penal Code Act, 1950, and common nuisance, contrary to section 160 of the Penal Code Act behaviour while on board. They are also accused of refusing to follow lawful instructions while onboard, contrary to Civil Aviation security regulations, 2012.
Enanga also confirmed the video was recorded by Kiggundu, who later shared it on Tiktok and other social media platforms, drawing criticism and praise from the general public. He noted that while passengers can carry roasted grasshoppers, Mubiru acted illegally by selling the grasshoppers on board. Mubiru and Kiggundu also allegedly refused to follow inflight instructions.
Liverpool’s Mo Salah has been voted the men’s Player of the Year in a poll of 400,000 supporters, after netting 32 goals and counting, in all club competitions this calendar year.
The Egyptian international was named the best performer in 2021 at the Football Supporters’ Association Awards on Monday.
Salah held off competition from Chelsea’s Mason Mount, Man City pair Phil Foden, and Rúben Dias, West Ham United’s Michail Antonio, and Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans to claim the gong.
Last season, Salah, 29, netted 31 times in league and cup matches. He is the fourth Liverpool player to scoop the award in 11 years and the first to win the award on two occasions.
It adds to an extraordinary list of personal achievements, with 50 awards already stuffed into his trophy cabinet and that’s before one adds the player and goal of the month accolades and the Premier League, Champions League, Super Cup, and Club World Cup-winning medals he has claimed with Liverpool.
‘There’s no doubt Mohamed is having another incredible year, the number and quality of his goals have once again lit up English football and contributed to Liverpool’s title push,’ said Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters Association.
‘As well as his on-field ability, Mohamed’s character has won support from fans across the game and he was a clear favourite among the voting public.’
The Pope has condemned the treatment of migrants in Europe
Speaking on the Greek island of Lesbos, where he met dozens of migrants, Pope Francis said they were being used for political propaganda. He called the neglect of migrants the “shipwreck of civilisation”.
He urged focus on the causes of migration, such as “forgotten wars”, instead of punishing those who feel their effects. He also criticised the building of walls to keep people out.
“In Europe there are those who persist in treating the problem as a matter that does not concern them – this is tragic,” he said.
“History teaches us that narrow self-interest and nationalism lead to disastrous consequences.”
While the coronavirus pandemic had shown that major challenges had to be confronted together and there were some signs of this happening on climate change, there was little sign of such an approach to migration, he said.
“It is easy to influence public opinion by instilling fear of the other,” Pope Francis said.
“The remote causes should be attacked, not the poor people who pay the consequences and are even used for political propaganda.”
The Pope cited war, economic agreements “where the people have to pay” and the flow of weapons as factors leading people to seek a better life elsewhere.
Last month 27 people died when their inflatable dinghy sank in the Channel between France and the UK. Several people have died in freezing temperatures attempting to cross into Poland from Belarus.
And 1,650 people are recorded by the International Organization for Migration as having gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean this year.
Francis said he understood that there was a lot of “fatigue and frustration” over migration that had been exacerbated by the pandemic, but warned that without change there was a risk that civilisation itself would find itself “shipwrecked”.
“Let us eradicate the prevailing mentality revolving around our ego and personal and national egoisms which determine every decision we take,” he said.
The pontiff was speaking at a temporary camp housing about 2,000 asylum-seekers, which replaced the overcrowded Moria camp that was destroyed in fires last year.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who was accompanying Francis, said the migration issue was the responsibility of all Europe, not just Greece.
Greece is building closed camps on several islands to house asylum seekers until their claims are processed. It denies that Greek coast guards push back migrants at sea, insisting that they are saving lives.
Two hippopotamuses have tested positive for Covid-19 at Antwerp zoo in Belgium.
Imani, aged 14, and Hermien, 41, have no symptoms apart from runny noses, but the zoo said they had been put in quarantine as a precaution.
“To my knowledge, this is the first time in this species. Worldwide, this virus has been reported mainly in great apes and felines,” the zoo’s vet, Francis Vercammen, said.
The coronavirus is thought to have jumped from an animal to a human, and it is proved to have passed from humans to animals. Pets including cats, dogs and ferrets have become infected following contact with their owners, and zoo cases have been reported in big cats, otters, primates and hyenas. The disease has also spread in mink farms and to wild animals such as deer, Guardian reports.
Antwerp zoo is investigating the causes of the outbreak. None of the zookeepers had recently shown Covid symptoms or tested positive for the virus, it said.
Donald Trump has announced that his new anti-censorship social-media site has attracted a further $1 billion in investments.
Making the announcement of the cash injected into his upcoming site TRUTH Social, Trump said: ‘$1bn sends an important message to Big Tech that censorship and political discrimination must end.
‘As our balance sheet expands, Trump Media & Technology Group will be in a stronger position to fight back against the tyranny of Big Tech.’
The 45th President of the United States previously explained that his plan for TRUTH was to allow users to post ‘without discrimination on the basis of political ideology’.
The capital raise highlighted the former US president’s ability to attract strong financial backing seizing on his personal and political brand.
Trump is working to launch TRUTH Social during the first quarter of 2022.
The former President, who has hinted he might seek reelection in 2024, said TRUTH Social will be an alternative to Silicon Valley internet companies that ‘are biased against him and other conservative voices.’
The 75-year-old was banned from Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube after the January 6 insurrection in which a mob of Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol over his repeated false claims that the November 2020 election was stolen from him.
TRUTH Social is the first of three stages in the Trump Media plan, followed by a subscription video-on-demand service called TMTG+ that will feature entertainment, news, and podcasts, according to the news release.
The $1 billion sum would be in addition to $293 million that Digital World Acquisition Corp raised in an initial public offering in September, taking the total proceeds for TRUTH to about $1.25 billion.
Russia is reportedly planning a possible military invasion of Ukraine involving an estimated 175,000 troops that could begin as soon as early 2022.
An unclassified intelligence document, obtained by The Washington Post, showed satellite images of troop and equipment build-up around the border with Ukraine.
Photos taken in June around Yelnya, near the northern border between Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, showed empty land. By November 9, five Battalion Tactical Groups (BTGs) were in place, the photos showed.
In 2014, similar scenes were replicated along the Russian-Ukrainian border near Crimea before Russia seized the strategic port on the Black Sea.
‘The Russian plans call for a military offensive against Ukraine as soon as early 2022 with a scale of forces twice what we saw this past spring during Russia’s snap exercise near Ukraine’s borders,’ an administration official told the paper.
‘The plans involve extensive movement of 100 battalion tactical groups with an estimated 175,000 personnel, along with armor, artillery and equipment.’
Ukrainian assessments have said Russia has approximately 94,000 troops near the border, but the U.S. believes the figure is closer to 70,000.
However, US officials expect an increase to 175,000, and warn that there will likely be significant movement of battalion tactical groups to and from the border ‘to obfuscate intentions and to create uncertainty.’
‘Equipment may be left behind at different training ranges to enable a rapid, final buildup,’ the document adds.
Leaving the White House for Camp David, President Joe Biden said: ‘We’ve been aware of Russia’s actions for a long time and my expectation is we’re going to have a long discussion.’
On Thursday, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
Blinken warned Moscow of the ‘severe costs’ Russia would pay if it invaded Ukraine, urging his Russian counterpart on Thursday to seek a diplomatic exit from the crisis.
Blinken delivered the warning to the Russian Foreign Minister at what he called a ‘candid’ meeting in Stockholm, and said it was likely that Biden and Vladimir Putin would speak soon.
‘I made very clear our deep concerns and our resolve to hold Russia responsible for its actions, including our commitment to work with European allies to impose severe costs and consequences on Russia if it takes further aggressive action against Ukraine,’ Blinken told a news conference after the meeting.
‘It’s now on Russia to de-escalate the current tensions by reversing the recent troop buildup, returning forces to normal peacetime positions and refraining from further intimidation and attempts to destabilize Ukraine.’
Lavrov, speaking to reporters before his talks with Blinken, said Moscow was ready for dialogue with Kyiv.
‘We, as President Putin has stated, do not want any conflicts,’ he said.
Blinken, before the meeting, stated: ‘We don’t know whether President Putin has made the decision to invade.
‘We do know that he is putting in place the capacity to do so on short order should he so decide.
‘We must prepare for all contingencies.’
The new intelligence finding, published on Friday, estimates that half of the Russian personel are already deployed along various points near Ukraine’s border, according to a Biden administration official who spoke to Associated Press.
Former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Cardinal John Onaiyekan has expressed fear of Nigeria splitting before the 2023 general elections.
Onaiyekan who pointed out that Nigerian leaders always want to remain in office even after their tenure because of “greed, wickedness and stupidity”, added that one of the issues in the country is that incumbent governments do not want free and fair election.
He added that insecurity might also be one of the reasons the country will split. Onaiyekan told Saturday Punch;
“There is no reason why the spate of insecurity should continue like this till 2023. There is no reason why we should not be able to finally settle this problem before the year 2022 is over.
“If it is not over, it means we have failed as a nation and the question will no longer be whether we can have election or not, but whether it makes sense even having an election because we don’t have a country; the matter is serious.
“As for the election, we are not even sure whether Nigeria will be one country or whether we would have an independent country. So, those are issues we must face now. As for holding election, it is not a big deal really. Election is a normal practice and in a democratic environment, if the environment is really democratic and peaceful, the election will come by its own.
“All of it; greed, wickedness and stupidity. Not only in Nigeria; go abroad, our next door neighbour, Cameroon, Paul Biya has been there for more than 30 years. Cameroon is not moving and he is not moving, why is he sitting there? So, they are worse than us.’’
A 50-year-old man in Italy tried to pass off a silicone arm as his own at a Covid-19 vaccination clinic in an attempt to get a vaccine certificate without actually getting vaccinated.
The cunning act was spotted by a nurse, Filippa Bua, as she was about to administer the vaccine in Biella, Piedmont on Thursday, December 2.
“The color of the skin was anomalous, much lighter compared to the hands or the face of the patient,” Bua said to CNN.
After inspecting the area of the arm, she said she realized that the arm was fake, made of silicone.
“I first felt sorry for the man, thinking that he had a prosthesis and wondering if I had somehow forced him to give me the wrong arm,” Bua said.
“But then he admitted he was wearing the fake arm on purpose to avoid getting the vaccine!”
Bua, who has been a nurse since 1987 and has administered thousands of jabs, said the man’s admittance of deception brought about a range of emotions for her.
“At the very beginning I was surprised, then I was angry, I felt professionally offended, he showed no respect for our intelligence and our profession,” she said. “I would never expect such a thing in my life.”
The Piedmont regional government condemned the man’s attempt to cheat the system.
“The case could be classified as ‘ridiculous,’ except that we are talking about a gesture of enormous gravity, unacceptable for the sacrifice that the whole community is paying for the pandemic,” a joint communiqué from the Piedmont region’s President and health councilor reads.
The President of the Piedmont regional government, Alberto Cirio, said the incident was “an offense to the region’s health system, that is among the first in Italy for vaccination capacity and for booster doses.”
The Italian government last month signed a decree making a Covid-19 “super green pass” mandatory in bars, restaurants, theaters and other indoor entertainment venues.
Under the new measure, only those with full vaccination or proof of recovery from coronavirus are allowed entrance to such venues.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said barely three per cent of Nigeria’s population has been vaccinated against COVID-19 largely due to poor access to the vaccine by developing countries.
Speaking on Sunday, December 5, in Madrid, Spain at the 24th General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Lai warned that lack of vaccination by developing countries would provide a fertile ground for the virus to mutate and thus threaten the progress already recorded in developed countries.
He said most developed countries had already vaccinated 60 per cent and above of their population, most developing countries were below five per cent.
Mohammed noted that many developed countries had used the advantage of their enormous resources or relationship to sign agreements with manufacturers to supply their countries with vaccines ahead of making them available for use by other countries.
“Even before the clinical trials were completed, millions of doses of the most promising vaccines have been bought by Britain, U S, Japan and the European bloc countries. Some of these countries bought doses five times the size of their population.
“There are fears that these unilateral deals will deprive the poorest countries of access to these life-saving commodities,” he said.
A 14-year-old girl was imprisoned for several hours by community police after she ran away to avoid an arranged marriage.
The girl, identified as Anayeli “N”, was supposed to marry a 16-year-old neighbor in Mexico’s Guerrero state whose family had offered a sum of 200,000 pesos (about $9,300 USD) to buy her hand in marriage.
Anayeli’s mother had accepted the payment, and the neighboring family had hired a band, slaughtered a cow, and prepared a marriage feast to take place last Monday, Nov. 29. The would-be groom’s parents reportedly spent around 56,000 pesos (2,600 USD) on wedding preparations.
The bride-to-be initially thought her elder sister was the one getting married. When she discovered early on the morning of the wedding day that she was the one to be married off, she escaped from her family’s house in the village of Joya Real, in the municipality of Cochoapa el Grande, one of the poorest in Mexico.
She took shelter in the nearby home of her 15-year-old friend Alfredo “N”.
When the police found out, Anayeli “N” and the friend who provided her shelter Alfredo “N” were both arrested.
Abel Barrera Hernandez, director of the Tlachinollan Mountain Human Rights Center, explained that Anayeli was kept in jail for 14 hours.
Both minors were eventually released after a dialogue was established between community authorities and lawyers from the Tlachinollan Center, supported by personnel from the state prosecutor’s office, elements of the national guard and the local defense attorney.
After the controversy, Barrera Hernández asked municipal and state authorities “to give protection of the two minors”.
Once a girl is bought in the name of marriage, she is “treated as an object” by the family that paid for her, Barrera said.
“She has to work, she has to cook the food, she has to do the cleaning, she has to go to the fields, and if she gets to work as an agricultural laborer, the money is not going to be paid to her, but to her father-in-law,” Barrera added.
Marriage between minors in Mexico was prohibited by law in 2019. However, in indigenous communities of Mexico that are governed by customs, these unions are still allowed.
A 73-year-old Kenyan man has moved to court seeking to have his son surrender 20 per cent of his earnings for his maintenance.
Gideon Kisira Cherowo, from Biirunda in Trans Nzoia County, claims that his 48-year-old son Washington Chepkombe Cherowo abandoned him despite having contributed to his education until university level.
In the papers filed at Kitale High Court, Mzee Cherowo, stated that his son does not send him any upkeep even though he is currently working at the Kenya Airports Authority.
Among his four children, Mzee Cherowo said, Washington is the only one who is currently employed.
“I used all the resources I had to enable the defendant to be in a good position so that he can help us. Right now, my wife and I are in a horrible state yet we have a son who is working,” the plaintiff said in a civil suit at the high court.
“I sold my land in Cheptais, Bungoma, to educate him from primary to university. I also gave him a quarter of an acre. I even went ahead to pay dowry for the defendant’s wife, which cost me four cows and some amount of money, whose sum I cannot recall.” the aggrieved father said.
“I pray that since he has a good salary, I request 20 per cent of his salary to be given to me as the father,” Cherowo pleaded with the court.
The case could develop into a precedent-setting affair as upkeep is normally reserved for minors and there is no clear-cut directive on how children, who become adults, should take care of their parents.
Mzee Cherowo, in the November 17 petition he filed personally, attached a testimony from one David Masyek Cherowo, another one of his sons, who also maintains that his brother should relinquish a part of his salary for his father’s upkeep.
“The defendant deserted his parents after he got a job. It is now 17 years since we saw him. He does not come or send any assistance to us. We are leading a very horrible life after the defendant consumed the very thing our father had, so as to take him to school,” Masyek said in the statement.
“I met Sylvester Mumba in 2012 when I went on vacation in Africa. Sylvester used to sell things made out of wood at a park. He was a talented woodcarver.
He used to make nice looking decorative crafts out of wood.I got his phone number after I asked him to make a wooden map of United States Of America with my names written on it. From that day, he became my friend and we started communicating even when I came back to USA.
I was 23 years old and single when I met him. I just did not feel happy. I was basically lonely and I would call Sylvester whenever I felt lonely. We would chat for hours non stop. He had broken english but I understood everything.He used to tell me that we were meant to be because only I understood his bad english.
We then started dating six months later. I started saving enough money working as a Host in at a SteakHouse. I went to a travel agency booked a plane ticket and was off again to Africa.But this time not to see the Victoria falls but to see Sylvester.
The ticket was $1,357 dollars at the time round trip. I stayed in Zambia for a month and we quickly got married. Then after the wedding, i left him in Zambia and flew back to USA.Back home in USA, I paid an Immigration lawyer to help me with visa paper work for Sylvester.
To make the long story short, Sylvester was finally given a green card and that’s how he came to USA in May. We did another wedding in USA. We were so Much in love.All was well in our marriage. I even helped him get a Job at Target Store and helped him buy a car to ease his movements.
He slowly started adapting to the American culture and his English Improved. He also met some Zambians living in USA and together they became one family.We started attending functions organised by the Zambians in USA. I was even there in Florida to support Zambia National Soccer Team when they took on Japan. And after the match there was a party where we interacted with the Soccer players and other people.
I have attended many independence functions organised by the Zambian community in Atlanta. I started noticing one thing, the Zambians in USA like Gossiping and do not like to see their fellow Zambians (Friends) prosper in Life. Sylvester’s Zambian friends, Women inclusive would call and tell me that Sylvester did not marry me because he loved me, but because of poverty and papers.
They would tell me that he was going round the Zambian community telling people that he was just using me to become a citizenThey told me that he will leave me once he is given a green card valid for 10-years. Some of his Male Friends would call me asking me to divorce him and marry them instead, and some would call asking me for sex.
I did not care about what people were telling me.I loved him so much and he meant my world to me. Up todate I do not understand why some Africans in diaspora are jealous of each other. My step sister is married to a Nigerian man and the Nigerians are so supportive of each other. Sylvester and I then decided to isolate ourselves from all the Zambians in USA because their gossip had started affecting our marriage. We were happy once again until in June this year when Sylvester was arrested for being in possession of drugs.
That day, he had gone drinking with some of his trusted Zambian friends. After around midnight, they all decided to call it a day. Sylvester was the only one driving so he had to drop his friends at their various homes. And after dropping his friends on his way back home, he was stopped by a police patrol car. His friends had planted some drugs in his car and called the police.
And that’s how he was arrested in June and was deported back to Zambia Three weeks ago. I tried to fight his deportation for 4 months but it couldn’t work out as you know our immigration laws are tough. People get deported for minor offences. And the sad part is that his friends were asking me to date them since the time he was detained.
My husband Sylvester was deported back to Africa and 3 weeks later on Friday 24th November he sadly committed suicide. Sylvester was laid to rest on 27th of November 2018 at his parent’s village in Northern part of Zambia.
Tech company Apple Inc., has reportedly cut production of the iPhone 13 after the demand for the device slumped.
According to Mail Online, many shoppers who originally wanted the phone, the most expensive model at $1,599, are said to have given up as ongoing supply chain issues lead to shortages.
Others are said to be holding out for the iPhone 14. It will debut in fall 2022, and will likely have far more dramatic updates than the 13, which is a tweaked version of the 2020 iPhone 12.
Apple had reportedly cut its goal for the year by as many as 10 million units, down from their target of 90 million, due to a global chip shortage. They had hoped to ramp up production again next year due to the current global supply chain crisis.
The company, however, have informed vendors that the orders look unlikely.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said in October that the supply chain crisis, which had affected the chip shortage, had cost the company $6 billion in sales in the fourth quarter.
‘We’re doing everything we can do to get more (chips) and also everything we can do operationally to make sure we’re moving just as fast as possible,’ Cook had told Reuters.
Cook also said he expected a year-over-growth for Apple for the quarter ending in December. Analysts had expected a growth of 7.4 percent to $119.7 billion.
‘We’re projecting very solid demand growth year over year,’ Cook said. ‘But we are also predicting that we’re going to be short of demand by larger than $6 billion.’
Aaron Adjetey Akrong, a former member of the LGBT community who gave his life to Christ has been ordained as a Pastor.
Akrong was a gay man for almost twenty years amid bouts of drugs until he gave his life to Christ in September 2018.
His ordination took place on the 27th of November 2021 in Alabaster End-Time College Ministry in Ghana’s capital Accra, where he received his certificate as a recognised pastor called by God to ministry.
Sharing news of his ordination, Akrong wrote;
“Joseph became a prime minister at the age of 30. David was ordained King at the age of 30. Jesus began his earthly ministry at the age of 30.
“I’m here, O God please let YOUR WILL be done!!! Use me!! Prophetic Ministry Age …. Milestone Age
“For it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him’”
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday ordered the Department of State Security (DSS) to allow the detained Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu to practice his religion and change his clothes in its detention facility.
The order was given by Binta Nyako after Kanu’s emergency scheduled trial today.
The Court also rejected the plea by Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyers that his trial be shifted within December 2021 instead of the earlier adjourned date of January 19 2022.
Analysis by Dr Nicholas Davies, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), suggests there were around 60 cases already in England by November 28, yet only 22 have been reported by the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA).
A science advisor to the government has also warned that Omicron cases in England are likely to already be triple the official number.
WHO experts reiterated calls for a rethink on travel bans against southern Africa, given that omicron had now been reported in nearly two dozen countries and its source remained unclear.
“South Africa and Botswana detected the variant. We don’t know where the origin of this could have been,” said specialist Ambrose Talisuna. “To punish people who are just detecting or reporting… is unfair.”
Omicron accounted for 74 per cent of the 249 virus genomes sequenced in South Africa in November, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), which is collecting data as part of a wider national network for genomic surveillance.
News.band has reported that the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, was present in the Netherlands earlier than previously thought.
It was identified in two test samples taken in the country between 19 and 23 November, which is before the variant was first reported by South Africa.
It is not clear whether those who took the tests had visited southern Africa.
It was previously thought that two flights that arrived from South Africa on Sunday had brought the first cases of the variant to the Netherlands.
Fourteen people on the flights to the capital, Amsterdam, tested positive for Omicron, among 61 passengers who were found to have coronavirus.
However, while the two new samples reveal Omicron was in the Netherlands earlier than thought, they do not predate the cases in southern Africa. The variant was first found in a specimen collected on 9 November, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Related Posts
Early evidence suggests Omicron has a higher re-infection risk. But scientists say it will take about three weeks before it is known how the heavily mutated variant impacts on the effectiveness of vaccines.
The United Kingdom HSA said it was developing a rapid new genotyping test to allow local labs test specifically for omicron without the need for full sequencing, but could not say how widely it would be rolled out, or when it would be available.
Full sequencing can take up to 48 hours, so if samples must be sent away to be checked, it is possible that people will not know they need to self-isolate in time.
However, although cases are rising in South Africa, which experts suspect is being driven by omicron, in Botswana cases are falling, even though cases were detected there from mid-November.
A further nine cases of omicron were identified in England on Wednesday, taking the total in the country to 22. The variant has now been found in the East Midlands, East of England, London, South East and North West.
A further case was also reported in Scotland, bringing the total to 10.
President Joe Biden has backed off travel quarantine to combat the omicron variant, as the US announced tougher pre-departure testing for all passengers.
The US administration is expected to announce on Thursday that it will require all passengers to present either a negative antigen or PCR test taken within one day of their departure for the US irrespective of whether they are vaccinated or not.
The move follows the US recording its first case of omicron with a fully vaccinated American in California who tested positive seven days after returning to the US from South Africa on November 22.
The new regime reduces the time allowed for pre-departure testing from the current 72 hours for jabbed passengers, which could increase costs if they have to request accelerated results.
A dad and his girlfriend have been found guilty of the killing of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.
Emma Tustin was found guilty of murder following Arthur’s death from unsurvivable brain injuries after he was found with 125 areas of bruising on his body.
She was accused of taking a photograph of the boy on her mobile phone as he lay dying in the hallway following a brutal assault.
Her partner Thomas Hughes, 29, was convicted of manslaughter after Coventry Crown Court heard of the campaign of cruelty the little boy was subjected to.
Distressing video of the “starving” little boy had shown him crying “nobody loves me” and struggling to carry a duvet hours before he died.
He is said to have been deprived of food and made to stand in a hallway for 14 hours a day.
Speaking after the verdicts, Arthur’s maternal grandmother, Madeleine Halcrow, described the couple as “wicked” and “evil”.
She described the couple’s behaviour as “unfathomable” after hearing Tustin poisoned her grandson by force-feeding him salt-laced meals.
Huges and Tustin were named “utterly ruthless, unthinking and pitiless” by prosecutors.
The court heard how Arthur had his head banged “repeatedly against a hard surface” at the hands of Tustin in Solihull in June 2020.
She took 12 minutes to call 999 and then lied that he had “fell and banged his head and while on the floor banged his head another five times”.
The stepmother later claimed he must have thrown himself down the stairs, despite evidence he was barely strong enough to stand.
Jurors heard how Hughes encouraged his son’s killing, sending a text to Tustin 18 hours before the fatal assault saying “just end him”.
Hughes later allegedly told his son: “Watch you little c***, I’ll bury you six feet under.”
Before his death, Arthur told his father: “I am in danger with you, dad.”
Both Tustin and Hughes had denied murder and multiple counts of child cruelty.
Jurors also convicted Tustin of two counts of child cruelty, including salt-poisoning and withholding food and drink from Arthur.
She had already admitted two other cruelty counts; wilfully assaulting Arthur on three occasions and isolating him, including by forcing him to stand in the hallway for up to 14 hours a day as part of a draconian punishment regime.
Hughes, who had denied any wrongdoing, was also convicted of the cruelty offences which Tustin had admitted – but cleared of withholding food and drink, or of poisoning his own son with salt.
Below are videos of Arthur crying “nobody loves me” and struggling to carry his duvet after sleeping on the floor.
Germany has announced new restrictions for people who have not received the Covid-19 vaccine.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday, Dec. 2, that unvaccinated people will be barred from many public places, including non-essential shops and events, unless they have recently recovered from Covid-19
Merkel said: “Culture and leisure nationwide will be open only to those who have been vaccinated or recovered.
“We have understood that the situation is very serious and that we want to take further measures in addition to those already taken.”
Merkel also said a nationwide vaccination mandate could be imposed from February 2022, after it’s been debated in parliament.
Facebook has removed 500 accounts used by China to spread fake Covid-19 claims and anti-US propaganda.
Parent company Meta removed a total of 524 Facebook accounts, 20 pages, and four groups, as well as 86 Instagram accounts, that were linked to the propaganda network.
According to Mail Online, the company did not directly attribute the network to the Chinese government. But it noted employees of Chinese state-run companies, and the country’s state-run media worked to amplify the misleading claims, which were soon the subject of news headlines in China.
The report said the operation began in July when a Facebook account was created in the name of Wilson Edwards, a self-professed Swiss biologist.
That same day, the account user claimed, without evidence, that US officials were using ‘enormous pressure and even intimidation’ to get scientists to back calls for renewed investigations into the origin of the virus.
Within hours, hundreds of other accounts – some of which were created only that day – began liking, posting or linking to the post. Many of the accounts were later found to be fake, with some of the users posing as westerners and others using likely fabricated profile photos.
‘In effect it worked like an online hall of mirrors, endlessly reflecting the original fake persona and its anti-US disinformation,’ according to Ben Nimmo, who leads investigations into disinformation at Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook said it found links between the accounts and a tech firm based in Chengdu, China, as well as to overseas employees of Chinese infrastructure companies.
Within a week of the initial post, media outlets in China were reporting on the claims of US intimidation as if they had been made by a real scientist.
The operation was exposed when Swiss authorities announced in August that they had no record of any biologist with Edwards’ name. ‘If you exist, we would like to meet you!’ the Swiss embassy in Beijing tweeted.
A 35-year-old Pastor, Izuchukwu Anoloba has been arrested alongside others for kidnapping a Catholic priest, Fidelis Ekemgba.
The suspects held Ekemgba for over seven days and reportedly forced him to pay a N5m ransom to them.
Imo state Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Hussaini who paraded the suspects, described them as a deadly gang. Hussaini said the 45-year-old Catholic Priest in charge of St. Peters Catholic parish in Umunohu Amakaohia in the Ihitte/Uboma Local Government Area of the state, was double-crossed and whisked away by his abductors.
He added that they were arrested in Lagos following intelligence gathering by men of the anti-kidnapping unit of the command. The police chief further stated that they would continue to make the state uncomfortable for criminals.
The Pastor who spoke to newsmen, revealed that he got N1.5m from the ransom the priest paid them.
Anoloba said;
“I am a pastor with Apostolic Church of Christ in Lagos. I got N1.5 million from the kidnap of the priest. I never knew I will be arrested. I regret my actions because I am now a disgrace to the body of Christ and my family.”
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba has lamented over lack of befitting accomdation for over 90% of police officers in barracks.
In his speech at the quarter four 2021 public private partnership units consultative (3PUCF) meeting organised by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) in Abuja on Thursday December 2, the IGP who was represented by Zanna Ibrahim, deputy inspector-general (DIG), logistics and supply stated that the police force is in dire need of befitting accommodation to enable them tackle the art and act of policing the nation optimally.
Baba said;
“It will surprise you to know that with a workforce of over 350,000 in staff strength, the NPF has less than 10 percent of its personnel quartered in befitting barracks accommodation.
“The state of disrepair and integrity failure in our barracks need no emphasis and we are really in dire need of befitting accommodation to enable us tackle the art and act of policing the nation optimally.
“Suffice to add that there is an ongoing initiative to recruit 10,000 constables for the next six years annually, thereby increasing the housing needs for police officers.”
The IGP also averred that in spite of the decay in police infrastructure, negative maintenance culture, years of neglect due to poor budgetary allocation, destruction of police facilities resulting from the #EndSARS protests, banditry, Boko Haram/IPOB activities, the force remains resolute in following due process based on extant laws in the pursuit of infrastructural development through PPP.
Baba also called for collaboration with critical stakeholders towards revamping, improving and sustaining a better security architecture for the nation
More than 50 people in Norway have been infected with Covid after a Christmas party that is likely to prove the world’s biggest outbreak of the new Omicron variant.
One of the party-goers has tested positive for the omicron variant, and more cases are expected to follow, Oslo’s authorities said on Thursday.
“We are working actively with contact tracing to limit the spread and prevent bigger outbreaks,” the city said in a statement.
Doctors said between 50 and 60 people tested positive for coronavirus after the party last week at a restaurant in Oslo, according to the Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.
The doctors said the infections were not delta variant cases, and that there were “clear clues” and a “strong possibility” they were all the omicron variant.
Tine Ravlo, the assistant chief infection control doctor in Oslo’s Frogner district, said a preliminary screening of the cases’ samples showed it was likely it was omicron.
One of the people at the party had reportedly been to South Africa recently.
There have so far been at least three confirmed omicron cases in Norway.
On Friday Norway imposed a quarantine on any travellers arriving from South Africa or neighbouring countries, following a similar decision by its neighbour Denmark and many other countries around the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo could face questioning as part of the ongoing investigation by Italian authorities into Juventus’ financial and transfer dealings.
The club’s offices in Turin and Milan were raided by police last Friday with player contracts, invoices, and financial statements taken as evidence.
The operation was carried out over claims that Juventus falsely recorded the values of transfers between 2019 and 2021 to enable them to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
Italian authorities took documents relating to transfers, invoices, and financial statements with six Juventus officials – including club president Andrea Agnelli and vice-president Pavel Nedved under investigation, as well as Juventus itself.
Fabio Paratici, who was Juve’s sporting director before taking up a similar role with Tottenham last summer, is also under investigation. A probe by Italy’s football watchdog COVISOC and finance regulator Consob has already been opened.
In a report by Sportsmail earlier this week, the £47million deal for Cristian Romero to Tottenham in August, the same day he left Juventus for Atalanta for just £13.5m, is one of 42 transfers being scrutinised by police amid claims of false accounting.
Now Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has claimed the Turin Public Prosecutor could question Manchester United striker Ronaldo as part of the probe.
Its alleged prosecutors are looking into a ‘secret’ agreement Ronaldo struck with Juventus during his time there that could relate to the amount of salary he deferred at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic or severance pay he received before leaving for Old Trafford this summer.
Reports in Italy claim there are recordings of phone calls where Juventus directors talk about a ‘document that should not have theoretically existed’ in relation to Ronaldo, but investigators are yet to find the document in question.
The Juventus directors who have been questioned by prosecutors so far have also reportedly failed to explain the nature of the deal that was struck with Ronaldo, who scored 101 goals in 134 appearances for the Italian giants.
The prosecutors in the case are willing to speak to Ronaldo about the matter in the hope the forward can clear up the ‘secret’ agreement and are considering summoning him back to Italy through his agent – GestiFute’s Jorge Mendes.
Nnamdi Kanu’s trial has been rescheduled from January 19 to January 18, 2022.
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja rescheduled Kanu’s trial on Thursday, Dec. 2.
The shift in the trial date followed the abridgment of time granted by the judge following a passionate plea to that effect.
Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, had approached the court with an application seeking an order of the court to accommodate the trial in November and December this year as against the earlier fixed January 19.
Shuaib Labaran, who stood for the Federal Government, however, told the court that a counter affidavit opposing the request by the government has been filled and served on Kanu.
Justice Nyako however cut in and informed Kanu’s lawyer that the application for time abridgment cannot be considered because there is no judicial time for such an issue.
In the drama that ensued, the case diary of the court was read to the lawyer to establish that the court has other cases to attend to.
However, following the insistence, Justice Nyako agreed to shift other cases slated for January 18 to accommodate the trial which will last till January 19 and 20.
Justice Nyako ordered DSS to allow Kanu to practice his faith, change his clothes, and be given the maximum possible comfort in the detention facility.
More than 100 former Afghan security forces have been killed by the Taliban or have disappeared since the militants seized control, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.
According to HRW, an amnesty promised by Taliban’s leadership to former special forces didn’t prevent local commanders from targeting the former soldiers and police.
HRW accused the leadership of “condoning” the “deliberate” killings.
Recently, a Taliban spokesman recently denied any revenge killings were taking place in Afghanistan.
Remember that the militant group seized control of Afghanistan in August as the US withdrew its last military troops after 20 years of war, deposing the government of Ashraf Ghani.
The Taliban assured former government staff that they would be safe under a general amnesty towards those who had worked for the police, army, or other branches of the state.
The Taliban is widely held responsible for a ruthless campaign of assassinations in the 18 months between early 2020 and their takeover of the country in August. The victims included judges, journalists and peace activists.
According to the HRW report, published on Tuesday, November 30, the targeted killings have continued under the Taliban administration, with more than 100 people being killed or having disappeared across four provinces – Ghazni, Helmand, Kunduz, and Kandahar.
The charity said the Taliban had directed members of surrendering security forces units to register to receive a letter guaranteeing their safety, but instead used the information to detain and execute or “disappear” individuals within days of their registration.
The Taliban have also used employment records left behind by the former government to identify people for arrest and execution, HRW said.
“The Taliban leadership’s promised amnesty has not stopped local commanders from summarily executing or disappearing former Afghan security force members,” said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at the charity.
“The burden is on the Taliban to prevent further killings, hold those responsible to account, and compensate the victims’ families,” she added.
Taliban Prime Minister, Mohammed Hassan Akhund, in response to the report said;
“When the Taliban took over, they announced amnesty for all. Has there been any example of this?” he said, referring to retaliation. “There is no problem for anyone.”
A surgeon in Austria has been fined after amputating the wrong leg of a patient.
The elderly patient’s right leg was removed instead of his left by a female surgeon, with the mistake only discovered two days later in a tragic event that happened in May 2021..
On Wednesday, December 1, a court in Linz, Austria found the 43-year-old guilty of gross negligence and fined her €2,700 (£2,296).
The widow of the patient, who died before the case came to court, was also awarded €5,000 in damages by the court.
The mistake was identified during a routine bandage change after which the patient was told he would have to have his other leg amputated as well.
At the time of the incident, the hospital said the mistake had occurred as a “result of a sequence of unfortunate circumstances”.
In court, the surgeon said there had been a flaw in the chain of command in the operating theatre.
When asked why she had marked the right leg and not the left, she said: “I just don’t know”.
Some Jewish teens were subjected to ‘anti-Semitic’ attack on Oxford Street in central London, on the second night of Hanukkah.
A video shared online showed a gang of men shouting threats, hurling abuse and trying to smash the windows as shoppers watched. Inside the bus, passengers were heard yelling ‘We are Jewish’ and ‘Go, go, drive’ as one of the attackers took off his trainer and began hitting the glass.
As the vehicle drove off, some of the men chased after it and made obscene gestures. Metropolitan Police confirmed the footage originally shared by the Jewish Chronicle, adding that it is being investigated and will be treated as a hate crime.
The ‘vile’ scenes were condemned across the Jewish community on Wednesday, December 1. A spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which monitors anti-Semitic incidents and provides security support to British Jews, said;
‘London is a city where Jewish people must be able to celebrate our festivals and enjoy an open, confident Jewish way of life.
‘This disgusting incident goes against everything this city stands for and should be condemned by all.’
London’s mayor Sadiq Khan also shared a message of support, saying;
‘We take a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism in London.
‘Police are rightly investigating this vile incident on Oxford Street as a hate crime.’
The attack was also condemned by Councillor Rachael Robathan, leader of Westminster City Council.
She said;
‘Deeply disturbing scenes of what appears to be an anti-Semitic attack against Jewish teenagers in Oxford Street.
‘We utterly condemn this scenes and I will be raising this with @metpolice UK. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish community’
The Women’s Tennis Association has announced “immediate suspension of all tournaments in China” amid concern for Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai.
The safety of Peng Shuai has become a matter of international concern after she made sexual assault allegations against a former China vice-premier Zhang Gaoli a month ago.
Immediately after her allegations which trended on Chinese social media site, Weibo, she went ‘missing’ while the Chinese government wiped off every trace of her allegations from social media platforms in China.
Later in November she appeared at a dinner with friends and at a children’s tennis tournament in Beijing and photographs and videos were published by Chinese state media journalists.
But the international community still doubts her safety.
On Wednesday, December 1, WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon said in a statement that the safety of players is of paramount concern.
“When on November 2, 2021, Peng Shuai posted an allegation of sexual assault against a top Chinese government official, the Women’s Tennis Association recognized that Peng Shuai’s message had to be listened to and taken seriously. The players of the WTA, not to mention women around the world, deserve nothing less,” Simon said.
“From that moment forward, Peng Shuai demonstrated the importance of speaking out, particularly when it comes to sexual assault, and especially when powerful people are involved. As Peng said in her post, ‘Even if it is like an egg hitting a rock, or if I am like a moth drawn to the flame, inviting self-destruction, I will tell the truth about you’. She knew the dangers she would face, yet she went public anyway. I admire her strength and courage.
“Since then, Peng’s message has been removed from the internet and discussion of this serious issue has been censored in China. Chinese officials have been provided the opportunity to cease this censorship, verifiably prove that Peng is free and able to speak without interference or intimidation, and investigate the allegation of sexual assault in a full, fair and transparent manner.
“Unfortunately, the leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way. While we now know where Peng is, I have serious doubts that she is free, safe and not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation. The WTA has been clear on what is needed here, and we repeat our call for a full and transparent investigation – without censorship – into Peng Shuai’s sexual assault accusation.
“None of this is acceptable nor can it become acceptable. If powerful people can suppress the voices of women and sweep allegations of sexual assault under the rug, then the basis on which the WTA was founded – equality for women – would suffer an immense setback. I will not and cannot let that happen to the WTA and its players.
“As a result, and with the full support of the WTA Board of Directors, I am announcing the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong. In good conscience, I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault. Given the current state of affairs, I am also greatly concerned about the risks that all of our players and staff could face if we were to hold events in China in 2022.
“I have been gratified by the massive amount of international support the WTA has received for its position on this matter. To further protect Peng and many other women throughout the world, it is more urgent than ever for people to speak out. The WTA will do everything possible to protect its players. As we do so, I hope leaders around the world will continue to speak out so justice can be done for Peng, and all women, no matter the financial ramifications.
“I very much regret it has come to this point. The tennis communities in China and Hong Kong are full of great people with whom we have worked for many years. They should be proud of their achievements, hospitality and success. However, unless China takes the steps we have asked for, we cannot put our players and staff at risk by holding events in China. China’s leaders have left the WTA with no choice. I remain hopeful that our pleas will be heard and the Chinese authorities will take steps to legitimately address this issue.”
Authorities in the UK found Cocaine with an estimated street value of up to £78 million when police responded to reports that people were stealing from a lorry.
Police arrested three men and a woman, who have since been released on bail following last Friday’s seizure of drugs at a depot on Northampton’s Brackmills Industrial Estate.
The haul was discovered after police received reports of a theft from a goods vehicle making a delivery at a depot.
Police are not yet certain who is responsible for importing the drugs to the UK and where they were to be distributed.
It is the largest ever drugs seizure in Northamptonshire.
Northamptonshire Police said in a statement: ‘On arrival, officers discovered holdalls filled with blocks of cocaine and a short time later, with the aid of ANPR, traced a dumped van which contained further bags full of drugs.
‘In total, 18 holdalls were recovered.
‘An investigation has been launched to establish where the cocaine came from and who was transporting it.’
Detective Superintendent Emma James, said: ‘This is the biggest seizure of Class A drugs by Northamptonshire Police.
‘In total, we’ve recovered 780kg of cocaine which, following forensic analysis, has been moved out of the county.
‘This was a large-scale transportation of Class A drugs and our investigation will be looking at who was responsible for bringing it into Northamptonshire and what their plans were for distributing it.
‘We’re urging anyone who has any information about the people involved in organised crime or drug dealing to contact us online, by calling 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.’
A US police officer who shot and killed a suspected shoplifter in a wheelchair, hitting him nine times in the back and side, has been fired from the police force.
Police in Tucson, Arizona, said off-duty officer Ryan Remington was working as a security guard in a retail area when 61-year-old Richard Lee Richards allegedly stole a toolbox from a Walmart supermarket.
Disturbing footage released by the department shows Mr. Remington meters behind Mr. Richards, asking him to stop. When Mr. Richards refused to stop his motorised wheelchair, Mr. Remington opened fire, shooting the suspected shoplifter in the back and the side.
Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus said a Walmart employee had called Mr. Remington for help.
“According to the employee, he (Mr Remington) caught up with Mr. Richards outside as he fled the store and asked to see a receipt for the toolbox,” CNN quoted Chief Magnus as saying.
“Instead of providing the receipt, Mr. Richards brandished a knife and said, ‘Here’s your receipt.'”
Chief Magnus told a press conference he was “deeply disturbed” by his officer’s actions.
“His use of deadly force in this incident is a clear violation of department policy and directly contradicts multiple aspects of our use of force and training.
“As a result, the department moved earlier today to terminate Officer Remington.”
CNN quoted Mr. Remington’s attorney Michael Storie as saying the video did not tell the whole story.
Mr. Storie said Mr. Remington “attempted to de-escalate the situation” but Mr. Richards’s actions left him “no choice but to use deadly force”.
At least five staff of Borno State Ministry of Work have been abducted by Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
According to Daily Trust, the victims, who were supervising the construction of Chibok-Damboa road, were abducted on Wednesday morning, December 1, near Wovi, a remote village in Chibok Local Government Area.
A top official who confirmed the incident told the publication that one of the abducted staff, a driver, escaped unhurt.
“Yes, it is so sad and we are worry about this latest developments. The abductions came as a shocker to us. I can confirm to you that they were abducted this morning.”
Commissioner for Works, Hon Architect Yerima Saleh, who confirmed the incident, said the abductors also went away with three trucks used in conveying sand to construction sites.
Parag Agrawal, the new Twitter CEO, has been hit with racism claims after a 2010 tweet resurfaced in which he appears to call all white people racist.
In the tweet shared on October 26, 2010, Parag Agrawal, an Indian-American, wrote: “If they are not gonna make a distinction between Muslims and extremists, then why should I distinguish between white people and racists?”
The tweet was apparently quoting comedian Aasif Mandvi, who had appeared in an episode of The Daily Show in a segment pitting black people against Muslim people.
The tweet resurfaced on Monday November 29, after Agrawal, 45, was named the new CEO of Twitter as Dorsey officially announced he is stepping down from the company.
Reacting to Parag’s old tweet, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, wrote: “This is Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s new CEO and the person who’s going to be deciding what kind of speech is allowed on Twitter.”
Mia Cathell, a news editor for the Post Millenial, commented that Parag apparently does not know how to scrub his tweets after the tweet resurfaced.
The European Union has demanded China gives it “verifiable proof” that tennis star Peng Shuai is safe and well after she went missing for more than two weeks.
The former number-one-ranked doubles player raised major concern for her well-being when she accused Zhang Gaoli, the country’s former vice-premier, of sexual assault on social media.
She made her allegations in a post on Chinese social media site Weibo on November 2, but it was swiftly removed and her name and the word ‘ tennis ‘ were censored for a time.
Peng was not seen in public for more than two weeks in the aftermath, and concerns began to arise regarding her wellbeing – with tennis stars such as Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams expressing their worries.
Chinese state media have since released several pieces of proof of Peng’s safety, including an email supposedly written by her, photos of her wishing fans a “happy weekend” and footage of her allegedly at a tennis tournament, but it has done little to quell concerns over her safety.
She also took part in a 30-minute video call with International Olympic Committee chair Thomas Bach, in which she said she was “safe and well”.
But even after that call the WTA said it did “not alleviate or address concerns” and that more believable evidence needed to be provided.
The EU has now joined the women’s tour in calling for more proof, and for a genuine investigation into her claims of sexual assault at the hands of a prominent former Communist Party member.
“Her recent public reappearance does not ease concerns about her safety and freedom,” an EU spokesperson said.
“The EU joins growing international demands, including by sport professionals, for assurances that she is free and not under threat,” the body added.
“In this spirit, the EU requests the Chinese government to provide verifiable proof of Peng Shuai’s safety, well-being and whereabouts.
“The EU urges the Chinese authorities to conduct a full, fair and transparent investigation into her allegations of sexual assault.”
Meanwhile, the Chinese government recently dismissed public concerns over Peng’s safety as “malicious hyping”.
Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said the situation was “not a diplomatic matter”, when asked about it at a press briefing last Tuesday.
“I believe everyone will have seen she has recently attended some public activities and also held a video call with the IOC [International Olympic Committee] president, [Thomas] Bach,” he said.
“I hope certain people will cease malicious hyping, let alone politicisation.”
A lawsuit challenging the qualification of Chukwuma Soludo as a candidate in the November 6 Anambra state governorship election, has been dismissed by a federal high court in Abuja.
The plaintiffs, Adindu Valentine and Egwudike Chukwuebuka in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/711/2021 alleged that Soludo provided false information in the affidavit (Form EC9) that he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and should be deemed unqualified to stand for election.
It was also alleged that Soludo and his running mate, Onyeka Ibezim, flled in different elective positions in their nomination forms. They claimed the governor-elect stated that he was contesting the Aguata II Constituency seat, while the deputy governor-elect stated that he was contending for the Awka II Constituency seat in the forms they submitted to INEC.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo however on Wednesday December 1, dismissed the lawsuit on grounds of being “unnecessary”. He held that the plaintiffs failed to establish that they had a reasonable cause of action.
Taiwo said;
“I have carefully perused form EC9 for the third defendant (Soludo) and I can see that the third defendant marked that he was contesting the position of governor.
“He stated his constituency in the affidavits in support of the particulars. He also clearly stated that he was contesting the post of governor, his constituency is Aguata 2 Anambra and the name of his political party. All other information as to his person is also in his affidavits which were deposed to on the 1st of July 2020.
“I see that the fourth defendant marked the post he was contesting for and also stated same in the affidavits in support of his particulars for that office.
“The question is, how is it brought to the plaintiffs that the third and fourth defendants are not contesting for the governorship and deputy governorship election in Anambra state. Were there other elections held in Anambra state for which the 1st defendant had called for elections? How has the plaintiff been misled by the information contained in the affidavits of personal particulars?
“The plaintiffs have failed woefully to convince the court that the second, third and fourth defendants supplied false information to the 1st defendant which they knowingly accepted.
“I am yet to come to terms with the purpose this suit if I must say is meant to serve.
“The rule of law must not be abused and the rule of law must not be used as an instrument to choke democracy from breathing freely.
“The case of the plaintiffs must fail and I pronounce same as failed. The issues for determination are resolved against the plaintiffs and the reliefs being sought are totally rejected. This suit is not necessary and it has wasted the time of this court.”
The court also awarded a sum of N2 million against the plaintiffs, in favour of APGA, Soludo and Ibezim.
Barbados has officially removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and became a republic.
In an overnight ceremony on Monday, November 29, in the capital of Bridgetown, Dame Sandra Mason was sworn in as president in the ceremony coinciding with the country’s 55th anniversary of independence.
Singer Rihanna, who is from Barbados attended the event alongside the Prince of Wales, Charles, who represented the Queen.
In a speech, Prince Charles acknowledged the “appalling atrocity of slavery” the Caribbean island suffered while stating it was time for the Island to move ahead as a republic.
Speaking as the guest of honour at the event, Prince Charles reiterated the continuing ties between the two nations despite the constitutional status change.
He described the moment as a new beginning before being awarded the prestigious Order of Freedom of Barbados by the new president.
The Queen sent the country her “warmest good wishes” for “happiness, peace and prosperity in the future” and said the nation holds a “special place” in her heart.
To signify the official change of power, a final salute was made to the British monarchy and the British Royal Standard flag was lowered and replaced.
Dame Sandra Mason, 72, the island’s governor-general since 2018, was named as president-elect of the nation following a vote in parliament last month. She now replaces the Queen as the head of state.
“Vessel Republic Barbados has set sail on her maiden voyage. May she weather all storms and land our country and citizens safely on the horizons and shores which are ahead of us,” she said after being sworn in.
She later announced that pop star Rihanna would be named a national hero by President Mason. The artist and businesswoman, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, was previously named an ambassador by her home country in 2018.
“May you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honour to your nation,” Ms Mottley said, in reference to one of Rihanna’s songs.
Barbados announced its plan to become a republic last year, but it says it will still remain within the Commonwealth.
Barbados was one of England’s first slave colonies. English settlers first occupied the island in 1627 and, under British control, it became a sugar plantation economy using enslaved people brought in from Africa.
Slavery was abolished in Barbados in 1834 and the country became fully independent in 1966.
Before Barbados, which has a population of about 285,000 people, the last nation to remove the Queen as head of state was Mauritius in 1992.
On Tuesday night November 30, celebrities came together to celebrate the ‘life and legacy’ of Virgil Abloh by attending a presentation of the late fashion designer’s final Louis Vuitton collection in Miami.
Kim Kardashian and her estranged husband Kanye West, who were close friends with Abloh, were seated front row as they attended the runway show with their eight-year-old daughter North.
The couple, who separated in February after nearly seven years of marriage, were later pictured posing together.
Abloh tragically passed away at the age of 41 on Nov. 28 after a private battle with a rare form of cancer. He served as men’s artistic director for Louis Vuitton from 2018 until his death.
Virgil’s Spring-Summer 2022 runway collection was showcased during the tribute presentation, titled VIRGIL WAS HERE, that commenced at 5:30PM Eastern Time.
Kanye and Kim’s outing come after the rapper vowed to restore his relationship with the reality star amid her new romance with Pete Davidson.
Last month, the 44-year-old rapper spoke about his marriage to Kim Kardashian while attending the Los Angeles Mission’s Annual Thanksgiving event in Skid Row. During his speech, Kanye expressed his desires for him and Kim to get back together and needing “to be back home.”
“The narrative God wants is to see that we can be redeemed in all these relationships. We’ve made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve publicly done things that were not acceptable as a husband,” he says in a video shared by PageSix.
“But right now today, for whatever reason, I didn’t know I was going to be standing right here. I didn’t know I was gonna be in front of this mic, but I’m here to change the narrative.”
Kanye then continued by expressing that he wasn’t going to let E!, Hulu and Disney, networks that work with the Kardashians on their reality shows, “write the narrative of his family. I am the priest of my own home.”
“I have to be next to my children as much as possible. So, when I’m out the house, I’ve got a house right next to the house. I’m doing everything to be right next to the situation, But I need to be back home.” he said
“If the enemy can separate Kimye, there’s going to be millions of families that feel like that separation is OK… but when God brings Kimye together, there’s going to be millions of families that are going to be influenced to see that they can overcome the work of the separation,” he continued. “Of trauma the devil has used to capitalize to keep people in misery while people step over homeless people to go to the Gucci store.”
Kanye and Kim also share three children together, Saint, 5, Chicago, 3, and Psalm, 2. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star filed for divorce from the rapper in February, after seven years of marriage.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday November 30 took former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, into custody over allegations of fraud.
FFK was taken to the EFCC office shortly after his trial at the Federal high court in Lagos on alleged money laundering was adjourned till January 2022. The former Minister was in court in continuation of his trial in an alleged N4.6 billion fraud.
Recall that on November 23, FFK was quizzed at the Lagos zonal command of the EFCC over allegations of forgery. He came out to confirm he was interrogated by EFCC operatives but was granted bail afterward.
The hearing of the case against him today couldn’t continue due to the absence of Ferdinand Orbih, counsel representing the first defendant, Nenadi Usman.
Shortly after the case was adjourned, EFCC investigators walked up to FFK and escorted him to their office for further interrogation.
The Lagos State Government has released the White Paper on the #EndSARS Panel of Inquiry report.
In the report, the state government says of the 32 recommendations by the panel, it has accepted 11, accepted 6 modifications, and rejected one.
The state government added that 14 of the recommendations fall outside the powers of the state and will be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration.
The state government describes the panel’s conclusion that nine persons were shot dead at the tollgate as assumptions and speculations. The state government has recommended disciplinary action against two military officers who refused to honor the panel’s invitation.
Details of what the recommendations are, are however, yet to be made public.
A leaked version of the report had indicted the Nigerian Army and the Lagos state government in the killing of unarmed protesters and a subsequent cover-up of the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.
