The president of the Jordan Football Association (JFA) has called for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to carry out a gender test on Iranian women’s goalkeeper, Zohreh Koudaei.
Iran beat Jordan 4-2 on penalties in September, with Koudaei saving two spot-kicks to help her country to qualify for the 2022 Women’s Asia Cup for the first time in their history.
But the JFA have doubts over the ‘eligibility of a participating player,’ and are demanding a gender test on the shot-stopper. They believe Koudaei was in fact a man impersonating a woman.
In response, Iran’s team selector Maryam Irandoost strongly denied the allegations.
Irandoost told sports news site Varzesh3: “The medical staff have carefully examined each player on the national team in terms of hormones to avoid any problems in this regard, and so I tell all fans not to worry.
“We will provide any documentation that the Asian Confederation of Football wishes without wasting time.”
It comes after the President of the Jordan Football Association, Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, tweeted a letter calling for a gender test.
He has slammed the AFC over the ‘very serious issue,’ and fumed at the confederation to ‘wake up’.
The JFA have demanded an ‘independent panel of medical experts’ take a look at the issue.
Part of the letter reads that the JFA: “Understand that gender verification is not mandatory for participating players, however, the article reserves the right for AFC to investigate and take appropriate measures if there is a doubt on the eligibility of a participating player.
“Considering the evidence submitted by JFA and given the importance of the competition,
“We request the AFC to initiate a transparent and clear investigation by a panel of independent medical experts to investigate the eligibility of the player in question and others on the team,
“Particularly that the Iranian Women Football team has a history with gender and doping issues.”
Grace Atinuke Oyelude, the first-ever Miss Nigeria, turned 90 today.
Oyelude was crowned Miss Nigeria in 1957 after beating over 200 Nigerian girls in the pageant.
Oyelude revealed in the past that she became Miss Nigeria by accident.
Her brother who was a broadcaster saw the advertisements for the pageant in the papers and entered her for the competition without her knowledge in Lagos even though she was still residing in Kano.
After she won the pageant, which came with 200 Pounds prize money and a return ticket to London for two weeks, she gained admission into the school of nursing, Ashford Kent, England, and became a state registered nurse in 1961.
She enrolled at the school of midwifery, St. Thomas Hospital, London, where she qualified as a state registered midwife SCM in 1962.
She also attended the Royal College of Nursing, England in 1971 and obtained a Diploma in Nursing and Hospital Administration and in 1976, obtained another diploma from Ghana Institute of Management and Personnel Administration.
To mark her 90th birthday, Miss Nigerian organizers celebrated her on Instagram.
Manchester United and France midfielder, Paul Pogba has taken to his Instagram page to celebrate his wife and mother of his two children, Zulay Pogba.
Sharing lovely photos of them posing inside a mansion full of roses and balloons, the football star wrote: “???? ????, ???? ??????, ?? ?????! Masha’Allah Happy 28th birthday, mi vieja #MashaAllah.”
Remembrance Day bomber Emad Jamil Al-Swealmeen decided to carry out a bomb attack after his asylum bids were repeatedly turned down, it emerged last night.
The 32-year-old blew himself up in a taxi at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Sunday, Nov. 14, after the taxi driver David Perry, 43, locked him up in the car to stop him from getting out to harm others with the bomb. David Perry was injured in the explosion but survived by a “miracle”.
Emad Jamil Al-Swealmeen, who had no known connections with any terrorist groups, blew himself to bits with a home-made ball-bearing device.
He had taken a taxi from his bomb lair home to the local Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
CCTV footage captured the moment the device was detonated seconds after cabbie David Perry pulled up in front of the main entrance at 10.59 am.
Because of Al-Swealmeen’s severe injuries, it took police several hours to establish a potential identity.
It’s been revealed that Al-Swealmeen had mental health problems and was once arrested with a knife.
It remained unclear when exactly the bomber entered the UK but it was understood he had been in a long-term dispute with the Home Office over his application for UK residential status.
And he had not been granted leave to remain in the UK permanently.
A source told The Sun: “One of the issues being looked at is whether this unresolved grievance pushed him over the edge and prompted him to carry out the attack.”
Following his arrival in the UK, Al-Swealmeen lived mostly in Liverpool, where he was supported by Christian volunteers from a network of churches helping asylum seekers.
According to friends, he earlier spent a large part of his life in Iraq, where his mother came from.
It was claimed that Al-Swealmeen had told friends he came from Syria — but The Sun understands he was a Jordanian national.
It was also claimed that motor-racing enthusiast Al-Swealmeen had changed his first name to Enzo in honour of Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari — and to sound less Muslim in a bid to help his asylum application.
He was also said to have converted to Christianity at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral in 2017.
Al-Swealmeen spent eight months living with devoted Christians Malcolm and Elizabeth Hitchott at their home in the Aigburth district of Liverpool.
Former solider Mr Hitchott said: “He first came to the cathedral in August 2015 and wanted to convert to Christianity.
“He took an Alpha Course, which explains the Christian faith, and completed it in November of that year.
“That enabled him to come to an informed decision and he changed from Islam to Christianity and was confirmed as a Christian just before he came to live with us.
“He was destitute at that time and we took him in. The UK asylum people were never convinced he was Syrian and he was refused asylum in 2014.
“He had his case rejected because he has been sectioned due to some mental health incident where he was waving a knife at people from an overpass.”
Mr Hitchott explained: “He was going to put in a fresh asylum claim. Once he had done that, it was possible for him to be housed again by the Home Office and get £35 a week.
“He didn’t want to stay here any more. So he could get the accommodation, I gave him notice to leave. He never talked about Islam, terrorism, nothing.”
Mrs Hitchott said: “I bumped into him in a street, he was doing cake decoration at an educational class, a formal course somewhere, he was very enthusiastic. He showed me the designs he had done and what he was hoping to do in an upcoming exam. He was quite artistic.
“I gave him a sketchbook and pencils. He drew hills, flowers, everything around him.”
The couple said he loved motor racing and would often do go-karting at Brunswick in Liverpool.
The bomb factory where Al-Swealmeen constructed his deadly ball bearing device was yesterday revealed as a bedsit.
Police carried out a controlled explosion at the studio room in a Victorian property in Rutland Avenue in the city’s upmarket Sefton Park district.
Smoke billowed from the house following the 4pm blast, with families having already been evacuated, The Sun reports.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has alerted Nigerians over the existence of an Iranian hacking group called ‘Lyceum’ orchestrating cyber spying in the African telecoms space.
In a statement on Monday, November 15, Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC’s director of public affairs, said the hacking group infiltrates the network of telecoms companies and internet service providers (ISPs).
“An Iranian hacking group known as Lyceum (also known as Hexane, Siamesekitten, or Spirlin) has been reported to be targeting telecoms, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Africa with upgraded malware in a recent politically motivated attacks oriented in cyberespionage,” the statement reads.
“Information about this cyber attack is contained in the latest advisory issued by the Nigerian Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT). The ngCERT rated the probability and damage level of the new malware as high.”
Adinde said that between July and October 2021, Lyceum was implicated in attacks against ISPs and telecoms in Israel, Morocco, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia.
“The advanced persistent threat (APT) group has been linked to campaigns that hit Middle Eastern oil and gas companies in the past. Now, the group appears to have expanded its focus to the technology sector,” the statement further reads.
“In addition, the APT is responsible for a campaign against an unnamed African government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Adinde listed Lyceum’s initial onslaught vectors – by the attackers’ mode of operation – to include credential stuffing and brute-force attacks.
He explained that once a victim’s system was compromised, the attackers would conduct surveillance on specific targets while Lyceum would attempt to deploy two different kinds of malware – Shark and Milan (known together as James).
“Both malware are backdoors. Shark, a 32-bit executable written in C# and .NET, generates a configuration file for domain name system (DNS) tunnelling or Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) C2 communications; whereas Milan – a 32-bit Remote Access Trojan (RAT) retrieves data,” the statement adds.
“Both are able to communicate with the group’s command-and-control (C2) servers. The APT maintains a C2 server network that connects to the group’s backdoors, consisting of over 20 domains, including six that were previously not associated with the threat actors. Advertisement
“According to reports, individual accounts at companies of interest are usually targeted, and then once these accounts are breached, they are used as a springboard to launch spear-phishing attacks against high-profile executives in an organization.
“The report suggests that not only do these attackers seek out data on subscribers and connected third-party companies, but once compromised, threat actors or their sponsors can also use these industries to surveil individuals of interest.”
To guard against this threat, Adinde advised telecommunication companies and ISPs to adopt multiple layers of security and constant network monitoring to protect against potential attacks.
He further advised telecom consumers to ensure the consistent usage of firewalls to help detect and prevent attacks.
“Implement the use of Intrusion Prevention Systems that monitor your network; Create a secure sandboxing environment that allows you to open and run untrusted programs or codes without risking harm to your operating system,” he added.
“Ensure the use of the virtual private network (VPN) to prevent an easy opportunity for APT hackers to gain initial access to your company’s network; Enable spam and malware protection for your email applications, and educate your employees on how to identify potentially malicious emails.”
A man has been arrested by the Talibans for reportedly selling 130 women in northern Afghanistan, after duping them into believing they would be marrying into money.
Officials said on Tuesday November 16 that the man was arrested in northern Jawzjan province late on Monday November 15.
Damullah Seraj, the Taliban provincial police chief, told reporters;
“We are still in our initial stages of the investigation. We hope to find out more about this case later.”
Mohammad Sardar Mubariz, a district police chief in Jawzjan, told AFP the man would target poor women desperate to improve their circumstances.
After saying he would find them a wealthy husband, he would move them to a different province where they were instead sold into servitude. He allegedly trafficked around 130 women this way.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has launched eNaira and they are all excited about it. In Aso Rock and the top echelons of the apex bank. But in the streets, in banking halls, on social media platforms, and elsewhere, everywhere people who understand how digital currencies work and who have no affiliation to APC or CBN are, there are gaps to fill. A lot of them.
There are more questions than answers about eNaira and this is not good. Questions such as how large would the value become tomorrow and how soon are the right questions. People are asking the wrong questions about eNaira.
Which is the first reason I am not impressed.
1. CBN is on a trial mode and denying it
There is nothing wrong with trying out a new policy or idea. But if you are selling this idea as a finished good, you are dishonest or dumb about how the digital world works which is even worse. There are a handful of countries on earth experimenting with Central Bank-backed Digital Currencies, CBDCs.
But we are the only ones not emphasising it.
“We have become the first country in Africa and one of the first in the world to introduce a digital currency to our citizens,” Buhari said at the official launch. It sounded like a declaration of achievement and it is to his government, another feather to their governing cap.
So it wouldn’t make sense to call it a trial. Trails are no achievements. So this is the main thing. CBN did admit on their launch statement that the system would still undergo modifications but this is not an admittance of a beta version because even the best apps still get modified from time to time.
2. ENaira is centralised – a launchpad for disaster
ENaira would operate on the Hyperlegder Fabric, a private blockchain. With this the CBN has full control of what happens in the eNaira blockchain – it is the opposite of what happens with bitcoin. In bitcoin, it is decentralized meaning many entities are permissioned to run it.
With eNaira, there is nothing hidden, the CBN would have every single piece of information about your transaction just moving their mouse on their computer. Banks and fintech would have some information but it would be partial and controlled by the lord up there – CBN. In a real blockchain, even node has equal power and control their part of their end-users.
The privacy cryptocurrencies give their users is now defeated.
But privacy is the least of our problems – security is the big deal. One daring hacker penetrating the blockchain firewalls and everybody’s wallet is exposed.
CBN says they would regularly conduct IT assessment but the facilities and resources to do this are very expensive and CBN, a government agency with all the red tapes would struggle to raise this money, continuously, especially as the eNaira wouldn’t bring plenty of money into the coffers of the government.
Everything is not profit, you say; well, in Nigeria where even WAEC is expected to remit profit, if eNaira doesn’t it would soon run the risk of a loosened guard.
3. The eNaira is not a store of value
The central bank says the eNaira would help lower inflation. They say this because they have an elementary understanding of the cause of inflation to be the availability of physical cash. So they reckon that if they eliminate physical cash, they would reduce inflation.
The low percentage of the use of the internet in the informal sector has removed a huge chunk of pyres in this inflation-reduction fire. But this is not the game-changer. ENaira is not a store of value. It is the same value with paper naira which means eNaira is not affected positively or otherwise by market forces.
It is like being on an airplane but your speedometer is controlled by your twin brother’s Keke Napep. You won’t go far.
If the CBN had allowed the eNaira to grow on its own unaffected by its inferior paper naira, it would rise really high and may go on to challenge the dollar. It would help the naira in the sense that the digital version can challenge the dollar.
More and more Nigerians would resort to using the e-version of the naira to reduce the brutal cost of the paper naira.
It is only as a store of value that eNaira can grow. But the way it is, it is just another cashless gimmick, and Nigerians who are used to bank transfers and the POS don’t have any reason to join the platform. Why should I open myself to all the hassles and risks for the same value of the dirty naira in my back pocket wallet?
4. Enaira as a cheap means to transfer money into Nigeria is not advantageous
We have Paystack, Flutterwave, and Western Union as a means to receive money in Nigeria. CBN is saying the SWIFT is too costly and their platform would eliminate all these costs and make it seamless for cross-border transfers.
This is not true.
There are three tiers of eNaira wallet. The first has 50K as the daily transfer limit, the second 200K, and the third one million naira. 50 thousand naira is the tier for users without BVN. So your uncle in Texas who does not have a bank account in naira cannot send you more than 50K at a go.
Even Nigerians with BVN abroad, you have to fund your Nigerian bank account with naira in order to send eNaira to Nigeria. If you are allowed to use your dollar card to buy eNaira, I don’t know if this is allowed, if it is, you would have to work with CBN’s exchange rate.
Let’s do the maths. With 100 dollars, I will purchase 41 thousand eNaira and send it home. But if I send 100 dollars directly to Emeka, he can withdraw it via Western Union or Ria and sell it 57 thousand naira to the Hausa guys in Ogui Road. The difference is 16K. The difference is huge.
It doesn’t pay either the sender or receiver to use eNaira. The only winner is CBN’s ego.
5. It is a gateway for money laundering
To control inflation, CBN would burn some eNaira from time to time. Burning is the equivalence of removing a certain amount of paper money from circulation. Today, the CBN says it has “minted” 500 million eNaira. To control inflation, they may burn 100 million eNaira tomorrow.
Let me rephrase: They would say they have burned 100 million eNaira. Not the banks/fintech in the second stage of the ladder, not the end-users in the bottom rung can ascertain that indeed 100 million digital nairas have been burned.
CBN has full control of the system and you just have to take their words for it. ENaira would become an avenue for money laundering. E-laundering.
Other problems with the eNaira include the fact that the central bank says it would aid taxation which is another word for multiple taxations.
They said it would be easier for FG to reach Nigerians for welfare programmes such as the Covid-19 palliative distribution. The question is what information would eNaira give the authorities that BVN does not already have?
And if the spread of smartphones and the use of digital platforms would play a part, then there would be more southerners using the Speed eNaira app. Do you see the Nigerian government controlled by the Hausa-Fulani hegemony using a platform dominated by southerners to pay palliatives?
Senator Andy Uba Campaign Organization has rejected the result of the just-concluded Anambra state governorship election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Ambassador Jerry Ugokwe, the group alleged that the candidate of the APC “Senator Andy Uba is a victim of widespread electoral fraud and manipulation by INEC in cohorts with the Willie Obiano regime and the security forces deployed to oversee the Anambra State Governorship Election.
The statement in part read
“The elections were characterised by widespread irregularities, intimidation and voter suppression in order to clear the path for the inglorious ‘victory’ of APGA in the polls.
For instance, in polling units where the Biometric Voters’ Accreditation System malfunctioned, INEC went ahead to conduct the elections manually. There were numerous cases where votes announced by INEC exceeded the number of accredited voters in polling units.
Another clear manifestation of collusion between the Obiano Administration and INEC was the publishing of results on the Social Media handles of APGA even before official announcement by INEC. Yet mysteriously, the votes announced in advance by APGA always corresponded correctly with the official figures released by INEC.
It is inconceivable that our candidate, who polled over 200,000 votes in the APC primary election would be allocated a slightly above 43,000 votes by INEC.
It is surprising that APGA that lost almost 80% of its stalwarts through defection to the APC before the election came out ‘victorious’. A sitting APGA Deputy Governor, seven members of the House of Representatives, 10 members of the Anambra State House of Assembly, the APGA party’s member of Board of Trustees, many serving SA’s, SSA’s, in addition to a serving PDP Senator all defected to the APC very timely before the election, yet APGA emerged ‘victorious’. This is quite ridiculous!”
According to the statement, the only people remaining in APGA at the time of the election were Governor Obiano and his household and a few staff of the Government House as well as Prof. Soludo and his household but majority of the electorates in Anambra state have moved to the APC.
“There was definitely no way the carcass of APGA could have defeated the APC without the active collusion and manipulation by INEC and the Obiano Administration.
What happened on November 6, 2021 fell far below the acceptable standard of a free and fair election and can best be described as an electoral fraud perpetrated by the INEC, Willie Obiano Administration and the security forces.
We have noted that starting from the appointment of INEC Adhoc staff, who mostly came from Calabar, to the distribution of electoral materials and the retention of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, who supervised the second term election of Governor Obiano, it was crystal clear that the game plan was to overturn the popular wishes of the people of Anambra State in the biggest electoral heist of all time in Nigeria’s political history.”
The campaign group appealed to the APC supporters to remain peaceful and calm, saying “we will not relent in pursuing our stolen electoral mandate to the limit of the law through all the constitutional means available as the facts on ground did not in any way reflect the outcome of the elections as announced by the obviously compromised INEC.”
The FCT police command says it has ordered an autopsy to be carried out on the body of the lady identified simply as Susan, who was allegedly electrocuted at the Hustle and Bustle club owned by businessman, Obi Cubana, in the Aminu Kano Crescent area of Wuse, Abuja on Saturday, November 13.
The management of the club has since shut down its operations following the unfortunate incident.
“We’re closed till further notice. This is due to the loss of our esteemed client. We are deeply saddened by this situation and need time to heal from it. Our prayers are with the families of the lost soul; may her soul rest in peace. We sympathise with the family on this unbearable loss.”
Reacting to the development, the spokesperson of the FCT police command, DSP Josephine Adeh, said an investigation is ongoing and that the police would conduct an autopsy on the corpse.
“The case was reported to the police. This is a case of sudden and unnatural death, which investigation is going on. We are going to carry out an autopsy to determine the cause of death. I cannot tell you the cause of the death now until the investigation and autopsy are completed.”she said
Alhaji Ahmed Matane, Secretary to Niger State Government has raised an alarm of Boko Haram insurgents being in control of 5 communities in the state.
Matane who addressed journalists, said Boko Haram insurgents are fully in charge in Hanawanka, Madaka, in Rafi LGA and Kurebe, Gussau, Farina Kuka in Shiroro LGA.
He stated that the terrorists move freely in the affected areas, wielding sophisticated and menacing weapons. Matane added that this has forced residents of the communities out of the area to safer places.
The SSG said;
”We have spent over N2 billion on the security agencies in the ongoing fight against banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities in the last two years.
“We will continue to accord priority attention to the welfare of security personnel deployed to enable them wipeout all those involved in the illegal acts for peace, progress and political stability.
“We equally appealed to residents to volunteer reliable information on movement of bad characters to the nearest security outfits for security action.
”We have also reached out to traditional and religious leaders as well as stakeholders to mobilize residents to support the effort of the government in the ongoing fight against criminal elements.”
The bomber killed in the terrorist attack outside the Women’s Hospital in Liverpool on Sunday, Nov. 14, has been named by Counter Terrorism Police North West as 32-year-old Emad Al Swealmeen.
Al Swealmeen was killed after a homemade device went off in the backseat of a taxi.
The taxi driver who has been named as David Perry noticed the device and locked the cab with Al Swealmeen inside.
The device then exploded, killing Al Swealmeen and injuring Perry, who had to be taken to hospital, but has since been discharged.
According to the Daily Mail, Al Swealmeen goes by the name Enzo Almeni and was born in Syria but raised in Iraq.
The senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Meeks said: ”Our enquiries are very much ongoing but at this stage, we strongly believe that the deceased is 32-year-old Emad Al Swealmeen. Al Swealmeen is connected to both the Rutland Avenue and Sutcliffe Street addresses where searches are still ongoing.
“We believe he lived at the Sutcliffe Street address for some time and had recently rented the Rutland Avenue address.
“Our focus is the Rutland Avenue address where we have continued to recover significant items.
“We continue to appeal for any information about this incident and now that we have released his name any information that the public may have about Al Swealmeen no matter how small may be of great assistance to us.”
In a conference on Monday, November 15, Merseyside Police first revealed their belief that Al Swealmeen was responsible for the bombing, but that his motives were “yet to be understood”.
Counterterrorism police also announced that four men aged 29, 26, 21 and 20, had been arrested in the Kensington area of the city in connection with the blast.
The Lagos state judicial panel has shared a list of people killed and declared missing after the shooting at Lekki toll gate during the #EndSARS protest in October 2020.
The panel in its 309-page report which has been made public, listed 48 names as casualties of the October 20, 2020 Lekki tollgate shooting. 47 victims are said to be males, while one is female.
According to the panel, it was alleged and corroborated that soldiers picked bullet shells on the night of October 20 and policemen followed up in the morning of October 21 to pick bullet shells.
The panel also said that several unidentified bodies were removed by security agencies and LASEHMU (Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit) and deposited at various hospital mortuaries in Lagos state.
It was further noted that the denial of ambulances by the soldiers, which could have assisted in the prompt and effective treatment of injured protesters, was cruel and inhuman and it contributed immensely to the large number of deaths and casualties
The report read;
“It was alleged and corroborated that the soldiers had their vans parked at the Lekki Toll Gate and removed as many bodies and corpses of the fallen.
“One of the protesters who was shot and taken for dead, Olalekan Sanusi, who eventually escaped to narrate his ordeal and experience stated that 11 corpses were in the van where he was placed in and presumed dead.
“Miss Dabira Ayuku also corroborated the above by stating that she saw about 7 dead bodies placed in one of the military trucks at the Lekki Toll Gate on the night of 20th October, 2020.
“It was alleged and corroborated that soldiers picked bullet shells on the night of October 20 and policemen followed up in the morning of October 21 to pick bullet shells.
“Several unidentified bodies were removed by security agencies and LASEHMU (Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit) and deposited at various hospital mortuaries in Lagos state.
“Three (3) trucks with brushes underneath were brought to the Lekki Toll Gate in the morning of October 21st October, 2020 to clean up the scene of bloodstains and other evidence.
“There was abundant evidence before the panel that the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) indicated in its Twitter handle that it had effectively cleaned up the Lekki Toll Gate scene immediately after the incident of October 20, 2020.
“The denial of ambulances by the soldiers, which could have assisted in the prompt and effective treatment of injured protesters, was cruel and inhuman and it contributed immensely to the large number of deaths and casualties on the part of the protesters, especially those from the Lekki Toll Gate.
“The panel finds the cases of death or injured protesters as credible and uncontroverted.”
See the full list of casualties published on page 297 of the report below……………………….
The Trump Organization has reached a deal to sell the rights to its Washington DC hotel for $375m (£279m), according to the Wall Street Journal.
Miami-based investment firm CGI Merchant Group is in contract to acquire the lease for the Trump International Hotel, the newspaper reported.
The hotel is in a historic building a few blocks from the White House that the Trump Organization leases from the US government.
The hotel has been a popular gathering spot for Trump supporters and foreign dignitaries.
The newspaper said CGI intends to remove the Trump name and has reached an agreement with Hilton Worldwide Holdings to have the property managed and branded by Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria group.
Last month, the US House Committee on Oversight and Reform said newly obtained government documents raised “troubling” questions about the hotel.
According to the Democratic-controlled committee, Donald Trump reported that the hotel earned him more than $150m (£112m) during his time in office but actually lost more than $70m (£52m).
The committee found that the hotel received more than $3.7m (£2.76m) in payments from foreign governments – equal to more than 7,400 nights at the hotel, raising a potential conflict of interest.
The hotel is in the city’s second-tallest structure after the Washington Monument and the building previously housed the US Post Office Department headquarters.
The Austrian government has ordered a nationwide lockdown for unvaccinated people in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19 in the country.
Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg on Monday confirmed that millions of citizens would be placed into lockdown from tomorrow amid a worrying trend in infections.
The move, which will affect about two million people in the country of 8.9million, prohibits unvaccinated individuals from leaving their homes except for basic activities such as working, grocery shopping – or getting vaccinated.
It will not apply to children under the age of 12 because they cannot yet officially get vaccinated.
It comes after hundreds of Dutch protestors had a water cannon turned on them by police last night after they objected to the partial return of lockdown introduced by The Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Earlier today hundreds of people descended upon the streets of Ballhausplatz in Vienna during an anti-vaccination rally.
Protesters held placards in their hands reading ‘no compulsory vaccination’ as they walked through the streets.
On Sunday, Mr. Schallenberg told reporters in Vienna: ‘It’s our job as the government of Austria to protect the people.
‘Therefore we decided that starting Monday … there will be a lockdown for the unvaccinated.’
The lockdown will initially last for ten days and police have been asked to check people outside to make sure they are vaccinated, Mr. Schallenberg said.
Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume has raised an alarm of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists regrouping in the Lake Chad axis.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army made the claim on Sunday November 14, while reacting to Saturday’s attacks on Askira in Borno by ISWAP fighters.
Ndume who commiserated with the Nigerian Army over the incident and hailed Brig-Gen. Zirkusu as a gallant soldier who took the fight to the terrorists, stated that the intensity of the attack on Askira is worrisome as troops had taken out key ISWAP commanders in Borno.
The lawmaker urged other security agencies to give the Nigerian Army the needed support. He also also urged residents around the Chibok area to be calm and not relocate, as the Nigerian Army has what it takes to take the fight to the insurgents.
He said;
“I want to express my condolences to the Nigerian Army over the death of the General who died along Chibok road.
“ISWAP terrorists attacked a town there. They know that the General was the major obstacle to their operation. They laid an ambush and rammed a bomb-laddened car into his vehicle.
“He was a gallant soldier. He took the fight to the terrorists. His death has sent panic to people in that area.
“I am aware that some people around that Chibok area have started thinking of relocating.
“Some want to go to Mubi and other places. We are trying to urge them to remain there. The insurgency is coming to an end.
“This is not the end, but the beginning of the end of terrorists. I know that the Army has what it takes to take the fight to them.
“There is a need to urge other security agencies to give the Army the needed support. We also need to urge vigilante groups to assist them.
“For now, we will assume that it was an isolated case. But the intensity with which they came is worrisome.
“They came with more than 10 gun trucks. They are also regrouping around Borno North. That’s the Lake Chad axis.
“The military is aware and the Air Force is providing surveillance in the area. It was a revenge mission. The Army has been taking out key ISWAP commanders and they had their revenge.
“Last week, for instance, they abducted relatives of the Emir of Askira. They also abducted some passengers along that road. If the Army sustains the temple, we will win this insurgency.
“The equipments are arriving gradually. We are monitoring. As a committee, we will go and see what had been brought into the country.
“This is an improvement. The Army is very rapid in responding. The Army is involved in about 33 states now. They’re under pressure.”
A taxi driver is being hailed a hero after a vehicle exploded outside a hospital in the northern English city of Liverpool on Sunday, Nov. 14.
The taxi driver, who has been named locally as David Perry, is said to have thwarted a tragedy on Remembrance Day by locking a suspect inside his cab before a bomb the man was holding exploded outside a hospital in Liverpool.
Perry allegedly pulled up outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Sunday morning and after “noticing the device” jumped out of the cab and locked the man inside.
The car exploded just seconds before the nation was to fall into silence. As a result, Perry suffered from non-life-threatening injuries and is currently being treated at a local hospital.
The suicide bomber died in the explosion.
Perry stopped the car just outside the maternity ward of a local hospital, less than a mile from the reported intended target of a Remembrance Day service at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral.
Present at the service the suicide bomber was targeting were military personnel, veterans, and civic dignitaries.
Police cordons remained in place in areas of Liverpool in the early hours of Monday, Nov. 15, after the car explosion at the hospital, which killed one person and injured another.
Perry’s action also led armed police to arrest three others in another part of the city, as part of a probe into the incident.
Hours after the blast, police raided a house and arrested the men in their 20s. Police are also still present outside the hospital, and asking people not to show up unless they have confirmed appointments.
The identity of the bomber has not yet been revealed, and the city is still on high alert after the incident.
In his update, Prime Minister Boris Johnson didn’t mention Perry by name, instead saying, “My thoughts are with all those affected by the awful incident in Liverpool today. I want to thank the emergency services for their quick response and professionalism, and the police for their ongoing work on the investigation.”
It’s believed Perry is from Kirkdale, a district of Liverpool.
A friend of Perry’s told Daily Mail that the taxi driver was just going about his day on Sunday when one passenger changed his life forever.
The friend said: “The passenger asked David to go to the cathedral so we believe that was the intended target. But they got stuck in heavy traffic so the passenger asked to go to the hospital instead.”
Just outside the hospital, it is reported Perry noticed the passenger had explosives and was behaving suspiciously throughout the trip, so he quickly locked him in the car and escaped.
The resulting explosion also appeared to injure Perry, with another person noting on Facebook, “He’s in a bad, bad way. He’s a fellow driver on delta. He’s had his ear sewn back on, got burns and shrapnel wounds, and other pretty serious injuries.”
Right now, there’s still a lot of confusion regarding the event, with police still investigating.
Merseyside Police chief constable Serena Kennedy said, “So far we understand that the car involved was a taxi which pulled up at the hospital shortly before the explosion occurred. Work is still going on to establish what has happened and could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything.”
A joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA), World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations Children and Education Funds (UNICEF) has predicted that 12.1 million Nigerians will go hungry through out December 2021, as a result of insecurity and COVID-19.
The report known as Cadre Harmonise, revealed that about 19 percent of the families that will be affected by the hunger would come from Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.
The report disclosed that the analysis involved 154,008,198 people, out of whom 12,135,318 in the participating 20 states plus the FCT are currently experiencing Crisis and emergency food insecurity.
The hunger situations in Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Edo, Enugu, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Lagos, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and FCT were also analyzed.
“Already, an estimated 228 707 people in the emergence phase wherein, even with humanitarian aid, at least one out of five households is either facing extreme food deficits, resulting in a very high acute malnutrition or excessive mortality, or an extreme loss of assets relating to livelihoods, causing deficits in food consumption in the short term.
“This number is projected to increase to 3.5 million at the peak of the 2022 lean season between June and August,with the number of people anticipated to be in the Emergency phase’ doubling to 459,847.
“In addition, 13 551 people are anticipated to experience catastrophe-like conditions in some of the most inaccessible localities, if access to life-saving and livelihood support interventions are not sufficiently scaled up,” it read.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins said;
“it costs only 5,000 Naira to prevent a child from becoming malnourished, while it costs 50,000 Naira to treat a malnourished child.
“We need to invest in preventing malnutrition in children by improving the diets of women and young children, ensuring supplementation – including with Vitamin A and Iron Folic Acid – and expanding nutrition counselling services to caregivers.
“By doing so, we can change the narrative of the Cadre Harmonize analysis and ensure that children survive and thrive. But we must all work together to achieve this, especially during the challenging times we are now facing.”
A woman has been laid to rest in a casket designed in a form of a man private part.
Ghanaian media practitioner and lawyer, Gabby Otchere-Darko shared the video and further revealed that he was told the deceased had 10 children with different men hence the male organ shaped casket.
It was also learnt that the burial ceremony took place in a Ga community. He wrote;
“I am told this was the final funeral rites with the casket of an amazing woman who died leaving behind 10 children from 10 different men here in Ghana. May she rest in p……”
“This african man called Jibril is an immigrant in Valencia, Spain. Jibril picked an envelope containing €4,250 (Over N2.5m) on one of the streets in Valencia few days ago.
Jibril then chose to play a hero and decided to take the envelope containing the money to the police and handed it over to police officers.The officers and everyone around were surprised.
The police officer in charge then asked Jibril who is also an illegal immigrant to make a statement and its at that moment that they asked him to present his personal papers (ID)The police officer then discovered that Jibril did not have a residence card (ID) to prove that he was legally living in Spain.
He was then immediately detained.Sadly, Jibril was last week deported back to his home country in Africa and banned for years without ever stepping a foot in Spain!”
A Primary school teacher, Mallam Aliyu Ibrahim from Danbatta Local Government Area of Kano State had hot water poured on his body targeting his private part.
“Since the time I told her about my plan to marry another wife, I did not see any change of attitude from her and we had been living together peacefully.”
“Last night after I returned home, I bought some meat for them. I met her boiling the water, but I had no idea she was going to use it for me.”
Actor, Will Smith has revealed his mother once caught him having sex in the kitchen when he was a teenager.
In his new memoir, Will, the actor has been so candid with his life experiences revealing how he nearly killed his dad for battering his mum and now he has now spoken about an award sexual encounter when he was a teenager.
The Hollywood superstar, 53, explained that he was ‘deep in the throes of reckless lovemaking’ with his then-partner Melanie Parker on the kitchen floor at 4am when his mom Caroline walked in.
Hd recalled being ‘deeply and totally in love’ with Melanie, who he met at Overbrook High School.
Explaining that his girlfriend had moved into Will’s family home after her aunt kicked her out following a fight, he explained that the condition had been that Melanie would stay in the basement and there would be ‘no sex’.
But Smith broke the rule and was caught by his mother less than three months after she moved in.
The incident happened when his mom went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee in the early hours of the morning.
Will wrote:
‘And wearing slippers far too quiet to defend her delicate sensibilities, she approached the threshold of the family kitchen.
‘Still innocent, she flipped the light switch as she had done tens of thousands of times before. But this time, her eyes landed upon her eldest son and his girlfriend deep in throes of reckless lovemaking.’
He added: ‘As a teenager, outside of physical injury, you cannot feel worse than having your mother catch you and your girlfriend doggy-style on her kitchen floor.’
Will revealed his mom stormed back to her bedroom and Melanie later moved back in with her aunt, as he continued:
‘I’m still not exactly sure why I did what I did that night. To this day, I have no idea what I was thinking.
‘Of all the experiences I am sharing in this book, this is the individual moment of personal behavior that makes the least sense to me.’
In the self-titled memoir, Smith also revealed how he turned to drugs when his marriage broke down, clashes with his children and falling in love with his co-stars.
A woman has accused her house help of allegedly locking her in the bathroom before making away with her valuable items in Lang’ata area in Nairobi, Kenya.
In a post shared on Tuesday, November 9, Felgona Atieno claimed that the help identified as Judith Achando, 34, locked her inside the bathroom on November 2.
Atieno said that the househelp did all this while her six-year-old son who was in the house watched. She said that the son would not alert her as Achando had allegedly threatened him.
“She locked me inside the bathroom as I was bathing before stealing my laptop, phone, cash and assorted clothes,” Atieno claims.
She said that she did not fight with the househelp neither did she tell her if there was anything wrong she had done to her.
Atieno said that she has been having a good relationship with the house help and wondered why she had to pay back in such a manner.
The woman said she realised what Achando had done after she finished bathing. She said at first, she thought that it was her son who had locked the bathroom’s door.
“On inquiring what had happened, my son told me that ‘aunty ameenda na simu na laptop’ (aunty has gone with your phone and laptop),” she said.
On checking what had happened, Atieno said that she found her laptop gone and the househelp’s bedroom was empty.
Atieno said she reported the matter to the police after efforts to trace Achando proved futile.
It was gathered that as soon as Achando left Lang’ata, she had already secured a job in Mombasa under a new boss.
The matter was reported at Lang’ata station under OB number 66/02/11/2021 under the subject stealing by a servant.
Lang’ata Police boss B Mwanthi said that the matter was under investigation and police had already launched a manhunt for the suspect.
“The matter is being dealt with by our officers and we are certain that the suspect will be arrested,” Mwanthi stated.
A US appeals court has temporarily denied a bid by US Capitol riot investigators to access ex-President Donald Trump’s White House records.
The court ruling comes two days after a lower court ordered the documents to be turned over to the congressional committee leading the inquiry into the January 6 Capitol mob riot.
The lawmakers are trying to find out if Trump had prior knowledge of the riot.
Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building on 6 January as Congress was meeting to certify the election result after Trump refused to acknowledge losing the election to President Joe Biden last year, making claims – without evidence – of mass voter fraud.
The inquiry is being conducted by a committee set up by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Democrats.
The panel wants to see phone records, visitor logs and other White House documents that could shed light on events leading up to the attack on Congress.
The US Court of Appeals in Washington has now placed a temporary hold on a lower court’s order to hand over the trove by Friday.
The appeals court said it will schedule a hearing for 30 November. The case will be heard by three judges who were selected at random, according to US media. All three were appointed by Democratic presidents.
Trump’s lawyers had said in their emergency filing to the appeals court that their client could “suffer irreparable harm through the effective denial of a constitutional and statutory right to be fully heard on a serious disagreement between the former and incumbent President”.
Trump – a Republican – has argued his White House communications were protected by executive privilege, under which presidential documents can be kept secret. Biden has waived executive privilege on the files.
Actress Annie Idibia turns 37 today, November 13, and according to her, all she wants is peace.
In a post shared on her Instagram page, Annie used the occasion of her birthday to tender an unreserved apology to her husband, her mother, her mother-in-law, family members, and all who might have been let down following her outburst on social media in September this year.
Recall that Annie called out 2face for hanging out with his baby mama, Pero Adeniyi, while he vacationed in the US. This caused a lot of drama online with Annie, 2face’s brothers and her brothers going for each other’s neck. 2face had to apologize and sue for peace.
In her birthday post, Annie said it was so unwise for her to throw her husband out like that and apologized for the mental stress the whole incident put him through. She mentioned that she allowed her emotions make her act on something that wasn’t true because she was kept in the dark.
Her post reads;
”It’s A Brand New Chapter For Me … And Would really Love To Start It On A Clean Slate . This Year Has Been A lot … Soooo Much Blessings And Pain.
My Hands Are Shaking As I Type This ….I Let A lot Of pple down ..Especially The Pple Close To Me… The Last 10Weeks Have Been The Worst Of My ENTIRE Life , Yes The Worst Since I Was Born … I have Gone From Being So Angry To being So Broken And Back To Anger .. And Then Sadly ,Which I Am Ashamed To Admit – Suicidal! I Have Acted So Badly In A Way I Am Not Proud Of , I Allowed My Emotions Cloud Me. , I Allowed My Emotions To Lead Me Into Making Bad decisions , Allowed My Anger n Emotions ,To Make Me Act On Something That’s Wasn’t True Cos I Was Kept In Dark !
Instead Of Remaining Calm .. Before Acting … I Want to Apologize To My Husband , Inno .. I Am So Sorry I Threw You Out There Like I Did , (so unwise ) That Isn’t The Kind Of Woman You Married, Totally Sorry For all the Mental Stress And Heart Break It Caused You , So Sorry I Put Both Our Families Out There I, The Way I Did I still Bi Your Smallie oo*
To My Beautiful Mothers .. My Amazing Mother And My Beautiful Mother In- Law .. I am Sooo Sorry I Let Both Of You down .. No Mother Should Go Through The Kind Of Pain That You Both Felt .. I Am Really Sorry (I am still your baby) I am Far From Perfect, But I Have Decide To Choose Peace . And I Wanna Do Better , Given The Chance .
To Both My Families- The Macaulays And The Idibias , I Am Sorry For All The Pain And Disrespect Towards Both Familes… Pls Forgive Me .Una No Fit Throw Way Una Pikin ooo
To all my 7.1 Plus Family out here .. Thank you for still standing n supporting me and my brand
To All the brands That are working with us – thank you for still sticking with your NKOYO ooo.. To The ones We Are In Talks With , I appreciate To My Big Brother And Friend @efeomorogbe I Am So Sorry To My Manager- @phadekemi Thank you for your patience n for sticking by
To My “Online Inlaws “Wey I carry my Mata come give – thanks for all D love,D bashing n rebuking I have learnt ooo.. I No go do am again o All I wan 4 my bday is PEACE
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Command, have arrested one Precious Ofure Omonkhoa for an alleged bitcoin investment scam.
Omonkhoa was arrested on November 8, 2021 in the Ikoyi area of Lagos, following credible intelligence received by the Commission about his illegal activities.
A statement released by the antigraft agency says Omonkhoa allegedly posed as Moshem Cnich, a Swedish national, to defraud unsuspecting victims of their hard- earned money by claiming that he runs a bitcoin scheme, where people invest money to make huge returns.
”Preliminary investigation also revealed that the suspect engaged in a dating scam and had defrauded two victims in Canada.
Upon his arrest, the suspect confessed to have laundered the proceeds of his fraudulent activities by purchasing a piece of land worth $150,000USD (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars) through bitcoin from CASA-Cubana, a project being run by the Cubana Group.
Upon his arrest, the sum of $50,000USD was found in his bitcoin wallet.”the statement read
Relatives are awaiting post-mortem results to establish what caused the death of three children who fell ill and died after eating noodles in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Tori Me reported that the children, Sinothando Ngwendu, 11, Olwam Ngwendu, 7, and four-month-old baby boy, Athenkosi Ngwendu, left with their grandparents to visit a family in New Brighton.
The oldest child was sent to a local shop to buy a packet of noodles, which they cooked and ate.
But when they arrived back home in Motherwell on Sunday, November 7, the older siblings complained about stomach cramps and nausea.
The children’s grandmother gave them water to drink. But their conditions quickly deteriorated, and they were rushed to a clinic.
Tragically all three died before doctors could help them.
The incarcerated founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has been granted permission to marry his partner, Stella Moris, at Belmarsh prison in the UK.
The couple received permission to marry inside the high-security prison where Mr. Assange has been lodged since 2019 after the US took legal action to extradite him.
“Mr. Assange’s application was received, considered, and processed in the usual way by the prison governor, as for any other prisoner,” a Prison Service spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Associated Press on Thursday.
Ms. Moris told the PA news agency: “I am relieved that reason prevailed and I hope there will be no further interference with our marriage.”
Assange, 50, met his future wife in 2011, while he was living in the Ecuadorean embassy in the capital.
Ms. Moris is a South Africa-born lawyer and was on his legal team. She has been in a relationship with him since 2015 and has been fighting for him to be released on bail.
The couple got engaged in 2017 and have two children, Max, two, and four-year-old Gabriel, both of whom are British citizens.
Mr. Assange has continued to fight a long-drawn-out legal battle to avoid extradition to the US, where he could be questioned over the activities of WikiLeaks.
He is facing 17 charges of espionage over his role in obtaining and disclosing national defence information following WikiLeaks’s publication of thousands of documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
The leaked documents included footage from April 2010 that showed US soldiers shooting and killing civilians from a helicopter in Iraq.
If found guilty he could face up to 175 years in prison.
Sergio Aguero is considering his playing future after suffering a heart problem whilst playing for Barcelona recently.
The Argentine, who was forced off the pitch, may yet retire with the issue more complicated than was initially expected, reports a Catalan radio station.
Aguero recently underwent tests following the heart problem and it has shown that continuing as a professional would not be favorable.
The 33-year-old was forced off 42 minutes into his first home start for Barcelona against Alaves last month and was taken to hospital due to breathing difficulties.
The former Manchester City star was visibly struggling towards the end of the first half, laying down after clashing with an opponent in the penalty area. He was able to get back to his feet swiftly and walked off.
El Chiringuito presenter Jose Alvarez Haya later reported that his heart rate was much higher than it should have been.
Barcelona issued a statement following the incident that read: “The player Kun Agüero has undergone a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure by Dr. Josep Brugada.
“He is out and for the next three months the effectiveness of the treatment will be evaluated to determine his recovery process.”
Aguero said after he was taken to hospital: “I am well and in good spirits to face the recovery process. I want to thank you all for so many messages of support and love that make my heart stronger today.”
Aguero’s issue comes just months after Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch whilst playing for Denmark at Euro 2020.
The playmaker stopped breathing after suffering cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the pitch before being rushed to hospital, where it was eventually confirmed that he would need to be fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
He will not play for club side Inter Milan in Serie A this season.
At least 15 people, including three housewives, were killed by bandits at Binnari and Jab Jab villages in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State on Wednesday, November 10
It was gathered that the villagers attempted to fight back in Binnari but were overpowered by the bandits numbering over 50.
The bandits attacked the two villages in retaliation for the killing of some kidnappers by vigilantes in the area a few weeks ago.
Seven bandits were killed during the encounter while the bandits who survived the attack escaped with the corpses of their gang members.
During the retaliatory attack on Jab Jab, the gunmen were said to have killed many people and set houses ablaze.
Spokesperson of the State Police Command, DSP Usman Abdullahi, who confirmed the attack said policemen had been deployed in the area.
“The police are now on the ground and are making effort to restore normalcy and we have no casualty figure for now,” he said.
Steven Gerrard has been appointed as the new Aston Villa head coach on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The former Liverpool midfielder left his role as Rangers manager to replace Dean Smith, who was sacked last weekend after a run of five successive defeats.
Compensation of between £3.25-4m agreed with the Scottish champions for Gerrard and his assistant Gary McAllister.
Gerrard said: “Aston Villa is a club with a rich history and tradition in English football and I am immensely proud to become its new head coach.
“In my conversations with Nassef, Wes and the rest of the Board, it was apparent how ambitious their plans are for the club and I am looking forward to helping them achieve their aims.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everybody associated with Glasgow Rangers for giving me the opportunity to manage such an iconic football club.
“Helping them secure a record-breaking 55th league title will always hold a special place in my heart. I would like to wish the players, staff and supporters the very best for the future.”
Gerrard, 41, had been in charge of Rangers since June 2018 and led the club to the Scottish Premiership title last season, ending Celtic’s nine-year reign as champions.
Villa sits 16th in the Premier League table, two points above the relegation zone after 11 games of their campaign.
Gerrard’s first match in charge is set to be the Premier League match against Brighton on November 20.
A student has been convicted of the murder of his 94-year-old step-grandmother three years after an inquest ruled she was the victim of an accidental house fire.
Mary Gregory was discovered under a table in the conservatory of her smoke-logged bungalow in Heysham, Lancashire in the early hours of May 28 2018 and died four days later in hospital.
An investigation by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service concluded the most probable cause was a dropped or carelessly discarded cigarette and ruled out any third-party involvement, which later led to a coroner recording a verdict of accidental death.
However, police reopened the case in May 2019 following comments made by her grandson Tiernan Darnton, 21, during a counseling session in which he said he killed Mrs. Gregory – his stepfather’s mother – by using a lighter to set a curtain on fire on at the address in Levens Drive.
During the inquiry, it emerged that Darnton had made a similar confession several weeks after Mrs. Gregory’s death, during a game of Truth or Dare with two friends in which he revealed his “darkest secret”.
He told the pair: “I have a secret I haven’t told anyone. I may have killed someone.”
When pressed, he said he started the blaze because he did not want Mrs. Gregory, formerly from Nuneaton, Warwickshire to suffer any longer from dementia, Preston Crown Court heard.
Darnton’s friends did not believe him and he persuaded them to keep quiet, but he told a counsellor in May 2019 about a friend “who could send me to prison cos of what he knows”.
He added that he had felt “powerful” at an event involving a person who had died – thought to be Mrs. Gregory’s funeral – as he “knew what had happened and everyone else in the room didn’t”.
The female counsellor ended the session by saying to him “I’m not really clear what you’re saying but I think you’re trying to tell me you’ve killed someone”, to which Darnton mouthed “Yes”.
A week later he told the counsellor and his stepfather, Chris Gregory, 66, that he had started the fire and the matter was later passed to the police by the counsellor, the court was told.
The defendant closed his eyes briefly after the jury foreman returned the unanimous verdict and his stepfather rushed out of the courtroom as other members of the family, who were sitting apart from Mr. Gregory, broke down in tears.
Darnton, a former student at Kendal College and Lancaster & Morecambe College, was arrested at his family home in Combermere Road, Heysham, in May 2019.
Examination of his mobile phone and laptop found internet searches made after the fire including “I’m a murderer”, “I’m a monster and I’m going to hell”, “I want to cause evil” and “Urge to kill again”.
A month before the fatal blaze, when Darnton was 17, he also searched “Under 18 murder”.
Giving evidence at his trial, Darnton said the case was “all a big misunderstanding” and his confessions were false.
He said he only wanted to impress his “edgy” friends in the Truth or Dare game and felt he had to say something believable, although he knew it was “messed up”.
Darnton said his comments to the counsellor that he had killed somebody were “attention-seeking” but denied saying he had set his step-grandmother’s house alight.
He claimed his Google searches were related to his interest in killers and true crime, and said he did not even understand at the time the true definition in law of murder.
An investigator from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service ruled in August 2018 that the probable cause of the fire at Mrs Gregory’s home was a cigarette and told the jury his opinion was unchanged.
However, a fire examination expert for the prosecution said the chances of that were “extremely remote” and he believed the blaze was most likely started by naked flame ignition near the front bedroom window of the property.
The Crown said attempts were also made to hamper any escape by Mrs Gregory, with a table placed in front of the conservatory doors, the unplugging of a phone cable and the dismantling of a smoke alarm.
A packet of Tunnock’s teacakes and a can of Coca-Cola, bought by Darnton from a nearby service station less than two hours before the fire, were discovered at the scene.
Evidence shown to the jury also included drawings found at Darnton’s home address, outlining the floor plan of Mrs. Gregory’s bungalow. They contained labels including “good hiding place” and “quick exit”, as well as references to needing a “good alibi”.
Mr. Gregory, giving evidence for the defence, said Darnton – whom he home-schooled – had been suffering from depression for a number of years and was “plagued by intrusive thoughts which were very, very disturbing”.
He told the jury he would have taken Darnton to the police himself if he believed he had hurt his mother in any way.
Following the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Zoe Russo, from Lancashire Police said: “Darnton regularly visited Mrs Gregory’s home after her son took him under his wing at a young age. Darnton would spend time at Mrs Gregory’s bungalow and not only took advantage of Mrs Gregory’s kind nature, he also used his access to her home to meticulously plan his murderous act.”
Libya has overtaken Nigeria as Africa’s top oil producer after the country’s crude oil production fell further last month amid lingering supply disruptions.
In a new report by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, it was gathered that Nigeria’s oil output fell to about 1.23 million barrels per day in October from about 1.25 million bpd in the previous month.
OPEC noted that Libya which overtook Angola as the second-biggest producer on the continent in December last year, saw its oil production rise to 1.24 million bpd in October from 1.16 million bpd in September based on direct communication.
OPEC uses secondary sources to monitor its oil output, but also publishes a table of figures submitted by its member countries.
Nigeria’s production is said to have declined by 45,000 bpd to 1.35 million bpd in October from about 1.40 million bpd in September, and it is reported that this is the second biggest drop in output in October among its peers in OPEC, after Iraq, based on direct communication. The country’s production fell the most in the month, according to secondary sources.
Secondary sources also revealed that the 13-member oil cartel said its total crude production averaged 27.45 million bpd in October, higher by 220,000 bpd month-on-month.
The sources said;
“Crude oil output increased mainly in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, the UAE, and Kuwait, while production in Nigeria, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea declined.”
OPEC hinged the supply disruptions in Libya and Nigeria on crude differentials of light and medium sweet crude which rose in the Mediterranean and West African markets in October on good buying interest from European buyers and strong refining margins.
OPEC said;
“However, soft demand from Asian refiners for Atlantic Basin crude amid unfavourable west-to-east arbitrage capped the rise. Crude differentials of Bonny Light, Forcados, and Qua Iboe rose firmly on a monthly average in October by 70¢, $1.06, and 75¢, respectively, to stand at premiums of 10¢/b, 27¢/b, and 4¢/b.”
London-based economic research firm, Capital Economics also revealed that the increase in OPEC’s oil output in October was below its target of 400,000bpd. It was also claimed that the issues are unlikely to be resolved soon, as OPEC would probably continue to undershoot its planned increases in output in the months ahead.
Capital Economics said;
“Once again, Angola and Nigeria were largely responsible for this undershoot. Operational issues brought about by a lack of investment in oil-producing facilities continue to plague output in both countries, while Nigeria is also grappling with recurring militant attacks on key pipelines.
“This will do little to alleviate the signs of undersupply in the oil market. For example, the price spreads between front-month futures and longer-dated futures are now as negative as any time in recent years, which normally indicates a lack of near-term supply.
“Despite persistently undershooting its target, we doubt OPEC will make any major changes to its output policy at its next meeting on December 2. Admittedly, external pressure on the group has continued to grow, with the US now reportedly considering a release of oil stocks from its strategic reserve.”
Paris St Germain midfielder Aminata Diallo has been released by police following her arrest on Wednesday November 10.
PSG had confirmed Diallo was taken into custody on Wednesday morning by the Versailles Regional Police Service “as part of the proceedings opened following an attack on the club’s players last Thursday evening”.
French daily L’Equipe reported that Diallo’s fellow PSG and France midfielder Kheira Hamraoui was attacked in the street by two masked men on Thursday, November 4.
The club’s statement released on Thursday said: “Paris St Germain take note of Aminata Diallo’s release after police custody.
“The club remains alongside its players to enable them to overcome this ordeal and quickly regain serenity.
“Paris St Germain reiterates its confidence injustice to shed light on the events. The club thanks everyone for showing restraint, respecting the presumption of innocence and the privacy of the team.”
It was gathered that authorities were working on the theory that Diallo hired goons to put her talented rival out of action so she could take her place in PSG’s team.
Police have yet to identify the masked men who carried out the beating.
Hours before the attack took place, all PSG players and staff had attended a ‘bonding’ inner at posh restaurant Le Chalet des Iles, located on an island in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris.
After the meal Diallo had offered to drive Hamraoui and another player – Sakina Karchaoui – home to the nearby department of Yvelines, where all three live.
Diallo had just dropped Karchaoui off at her home around 10.30pm when the masked attackers approached the car and dragged Hamraoui out.
One of them allegedly shouted abuse at Hamraoui and beat her legs with an iron bar, while the other ‘detained’ Diallo but did not harm her.
The attack lasted ‘a few minutes’ before both of the men fled.
Hamraoui immediately contacted the head of security at PSG and the team’s assistant coach before going to hospital, where she received stitches.
She then missed team training sessions and an important Champions League match against Real Madrid on Tuesday night – with Diallo starting in her place.
At 6 am the morning after the match, Diallo was arrested at her home in Marly-le-Roi and taken into police custody.
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a pastor identified as Chris Onyebuchi Amadi who allegedly strangled his wife to death during an argument in Aluu, Ikwere Local Government Area of the state.
Amadi, the pastor of a new generation church, Shalom Mercy Ministry located in Aluu, attempted to flee after he allegedly killed his 30-year-old wife, Evangelist Solution Amadi, who is also a pastor and marriage counsellor in the church.
Spokesperson of the command, Nnamdi Omoni, who confirmed the arrest to Punch on Thursday, November 11, said the deceased’s corpse was retrieved from the scene of the crime and has been deposited in a morgue.
Omoni said the suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal and Investigation Department on the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Friday Eboka.
“I can confirm the arrest of one Onyebuchi Amadi who had a misunderstanding with his wife on November 8. It was alleged that he (Onyebuchi Amadi) strangled her to death. So far, we have evacuated the corpse of the woman and taken it to the mortuary. The CP has ordered that the suspect be transferred to State CID for further investigation.” he stated.
Family sources told newsmen that the incident happened on Tuesday, November 9, in their home at Mbodo Community, Aluu after a disagreement over school fees payment in his wife’s school.
It was gathered that troubled started when his wife confronted him for driving some of her pupils from school for failing to pay on time, without first checking with her.
Her elder brother, Odinaka Opurum, said his sister felt embarrassed when affected parents started calling to complain about her husband’s action.
The school, Solution International School was reportedly established by the deceased before she got married to the pastor in 2012. Their marriage was blessed with four children, two boys and two girls.
“The husband went to the school (Tuesday November, 9) and started driving pupils away for failing to pay school fees. When parents now called the wife to ask why she drove their kids away even after paying, she appealed they should not be angry that she will find out from her husband,” Odinaka narrated.
“When she got to the house, they started quarreling again and the husband started beating her. He then started to strangle her to the point she collapsed and became unconscious
“When he saw she was no longer responding, he rushed her to a clinic close to their house, the clinic confirmed her dead and referred him to UPTH to be sure. Instead of taking her to UPTH as they advised, he took her to the house, covered her with wrapper, packed some clothes in a bag, locked all the doors and attempted to run away.”
Odinaka further said the incident was not the first time the pastor would beat his sister. He said it has been recurring and his sister out of love and the position of Marriage counsellor which she occupies in church, decided to endure in order not to set a bad example for young girls.
An unvaccinated mum said she does not regret rejecting Covid vaccines in the wake of the death of her newborn third child.
22-year-old Katie Leeming had baby Ivy-Rose Court delivered by caesarean 14 weeks prematurely after she fell ill with coronavirus. A week after the emergency birth on October 13, doctors discovered the child Ivy-Rose had also contracted the virus.
The tiny infant, who was born weighing just 2lbs 3oz, was also suffering from prematurity complications including a pulmonary haemorrhage and a brain haemorrhage. She died just nine days old on October 22, according to Metro UK.
Speaking for the first time, Blackpool mum Katie said she did not get vaccinated after hearing ‘horror stories’ about the effects of the jab on mums-to-be on pregnancy forums online.
Katie said: ‘One lady said she had received the vaccination and that her baby was stillborn the week after.
‘There obviously could have been other reasons for this, and the vaccine might not have caused it, but it scared me and put me off.
Just hearing the horror stories about women having miscarriages made me not want to take the risk.
‘I don’t know if it would have made a difference or not. I had thoughts in my mind about it – what if I’d had it? Would she still be here today? What if it’s my fault? But my midwife told me I can’t afford to think like that.
‘I could have still caught Covid-19 after the vaccination, or worse, if I did have it and something happened anyway, I would have blamed the vaccine.’
Katie and her partner Lee Court were given a few hours with Ivy-Rose at the Royal Preston Hospital neonatal unit after doctors said ‘the kindest thing to do would be to let her go’.
On the pain of losing a child, she said: ‘Every hour is different. I have been through all the stages of grief and back again.
‘I’ve gone from feeling completely numb, feeling as if nothing has happened and expecting to feel the baby’s movements – because I should still be pregnant with her – to completely heartbroken about how it all happened. I’m devastated.’
The Chinese communist party on Thursday, November 11 held a key meeting where they approved a rare “historical resolution” that will ensure Chinese leader, Xi Jinping stays in power for the rest of his life.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, the landmark resolution places Xi alongside former leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.
With the resolution, Xi Jinping joins the two other leaders as the only leaders to have presided over such a resolution in the party’s 100 year history.
Experts say the “historical resolution” will pave the way for Xi, 68, to secure an unprecedented third term in office next year — and potentially rule China for life.
The move came at the end of the closely-watched sixth plenary session of the party’s Central Committee, a mostly male group of more than 300 top leaders. It is the last major meeting before a party congress next year .
He is only the third leader to have a historical resolution adopted during his presidency, after Mao and Deng.
Xi’s political philosophy — called “Xi Jinping Thought” — is already being interwoven into Chinese society, added to educational textbooks from primary school to college. The historical resolution will further entrench his personal leadership as the defining characteristic of Chinese politics for years and possibly decades to come.
The resolution is Xi’s “attempt to further consolidate his power and to define his historical legacy in the history of the party,” said Jinghan Zeng, a professor of China and international studies at Lancaster University in Britain ahead of the plenum.
Weeks before the meeting, state media praise for Xi was more effusive than usual.
An article in People’s Daily, the party’s flagship newspaper, called Xi’s leadership the “most critical condition in the face of major historical junctures and tests.”
Safeguarding Xi’s “core position” and the party’s overall authority, it said, were “the fundamental guarantees for winning new victories” in China’s modernization drive.
Former leaders Mao and Deng both used their historical resolutions to criticize what had come before: Mao, in 1945, asserting his dominance as ruler at the birth of communist China, and Deng, in 1981, carefully criticizing Mao’s mistakes and paving the way for greater economic liberalization.
Xi’s resolution is expected to be more about praising what Chinese state media has called “the major achievements and historical experiences” of the party’s 100-year rule — and by extension the past decade with him in charge.
That includes the Mao era, which Xi has previously defended despite the millions of people who died of starvation in the Great Leap Forward, Mao’s disastrous attempt in the late 1950s and early 1960s to rapidly industrialize Chinese society, and the brutal purges of the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution.
“Sixth plenums are not usually necessarily the most important annual meetings of the Communist Party,” said Steve Tsang, a professor and director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London. “But this particular sixth plenum is very, very important indeed.”
“The only thing that can stop Xi now is internal resistance within the upper echelons of the party, if he stumbles or makes some other big mistake,” he said.
These plans come amid China’s surging power internationally. The country is set to become the world’s largest economy within a decade. Its coal consumption will determine the global fight against climate change. And it remains locked with the United States in disputes over everything from trade and intellectual property to human rights and the status of Taiwan.
Physically disabled Zimbabwean motivational speaker, Sinikiwe Kademaunga, has shared photos from her wedding.
26-year-old Kademaunga, who was born without hands, knees and feet, took to Instagram on Thursday, November 11, to share her wedding photos few months after she showed off her man, Reuben. See more photos below…
A Chinese tennis player has vanished a week after accusing the country’s former vice-premier of sexual abuse.
Peng Shuai, 35, a former Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion, on Tuesday accused retired Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of pressuring her into having sex, according to screenshots of a since-deleted post from Peng’s verified account on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform.
In the post, which reads as an open letter to Zhang, she alleges a relationship over an intermittent period that spanned at least 10 years. Peng says she opened her heart to Zhang, who is now 75 years old.
“Why did you have to come back to me, took me to your home to force me to have sex with you? Yes, I did not have any evidence, and it was simply impossible to have evidence,” she wrote.
“I couldn’t describe how disgusted I was, and how many times I asked myself am I still a human? I feel like a walking corpse. Every day I was acting, which person is the real me?”
During a press conference on November 3, a spokesman for Beijing’s foreign ministry refused to be drawn on the subject, saying flatly: ‘I have not heard of it and it is not a diplomatic question.’
Zhang was a vice-premier in Beijing and served on the ruling party’s powerful seven-member standing committee of the Politburo.
The post was taken down within 20 minutes of being uploaded to Weibo, which is heavily monitored by the Chinese state.
For a time Peng’s profile appeared to be disabled, and was not showing up in searches on the site.
Attempts to post about Peng or Zhang on Weibo also show up an error, even when the posts themselves do not mention the alleged affair.
The error message says the post violates ‘relevant laws and regulations’ without elaborating further.
China’s foreign ministry has denied all knowledge of the matter and Zhang has also not responded to requests for comment.
A Nigerian national escaped the gallows after the Federal Court set aside his conviction and death sentence for drug trafficking by the High Court and the Court of Appeal in Kuching, Malaysia.
The Nigerian, Jonas Chihurumanya was arrested for allegedly trafficking 158.3g of methamphetamine in a car park at Jalan Canna at about 12.05am on June 7, 2016.
He was charged under Section 39B (1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) 1952 and punishable under Section 39B(2) of same Act, which carries a death sentence or imprisonment for life and with whipping, upon conviction.
He was found guilty and sentenced to death on Jan 30, 2018, by the Kuching High Court. His counsel appealed the High Court’s decision to the Court of Appeal but was dismissed on Oct 23, 2019. He subsequently appealed to the Federal Court.
A three-member panel led by Datuk Seri Mohd Zawawi Salleh together with Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan and Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli unanimously discharged and acquitted Jonas Chihurumnanya after allowing his appeal in Zoom proceedings on Thursday, November 11,2021.
The Federal Court found that the circumstantial evidence did not irresistibly point towards Chihurumnanya having knowledge of the alleged drugs in the boot of the car he was driving. In the absence of knowledge, the panel held that the element of possession as required under the law was not established by the prosecution.
The Federal Court also held that there was a serious missdirection by the trial judge in invoking the statutory presumption under Section 37(da) of the Dangerous Drugs Act and at the same time relying upon Section 2 of the same Act to prove the element of trafficking, which prejudiced the appellant in terms of the burden of proof placed on him.
Chihurumnanya was represented by Satinder Singh Sandhu, Muhammad Izayyeem Azim and Lim Vui Seng while deputy public prosecutor How May Ling represented the prosecution.
A man accused of stabbing a pit bull dog more than 50 times, and then trapping his body in a suitcase is now pleading guilty, four years after he said he was innocent.
Brendan Evans, 35, from Florida will now serve 10 years in state prison on two counts of animal cruelty, his defense attorney Michael Gottlieb said Tuesday, November 9 according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
In October 2017 a stabbed and badly bruised dog named Ollie was found stuffed inside a blue suitcase near Hollywood, Florida by a couple who had gone out for a late-night walk.
They called the police, and the dog was turned over to Grateful Paws Dog & Cat Rescue.
The crime went viral as outraged animal lovers across the globe criticized the action. A GoFundMe page raised more than $40,000 to help with the dog’s care, but Ollie didn’t survive and died of cardiac arrest two days later.
After he died, the money was added to a reward used to help locate his attacker, which totaled nearly $60,000 — including $31,800 from anonymous donors.
Later in 2017 Hollywood police arrested Evans in November of that year, after linking his DNA to the suitcase.
When investigators searched his apartment they found an 18-inch machete, a knife covered with blood and fur, and another knife with a broken handle and blade in a dog bowl. His oven was covered with blood and fur, according to police.
“There were also kittens & rats who were tortured [in the apartment] and never made it out,” according to “Justice for Ollie,” a Facebook page created to bring the perpetrator to justice.
Evans, who was 31 at the time, was charged with aggravated animal cruelty. He’s been behind bars since Nov. 15, 2017.
He was initially charged with 17 counts of animal cruelty but 15 counts were dismissed in exchange for the guilty plea, according to Gottlieb.
On Friday he has a different hearing related to another case, a probation violation in Hernando County, for which he faces up to 15 years.
Mindy Moffatt, the animal rights activist behind “Justice for Ollie” wrote on Facebook Tuesday that she hopes that “the other case gives him more time on top of this charge because he needs to remain in prison for a very long time!”
“It scares me to think of the day he walks free,” she added.
Karim Benzema will still be available for France selection, even if he is found guilty of blackmail charges against his former teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
France Football Federation president Noel Le Graet made this known as he insisted that Benzema’s selection will be decided on sporting merit alone.
The Real Madrid striker has been in sensational form since returning to the French fold following a five-year hiatus, taking his place in the Euro 2020 squad and also being a key member of their recent Nations League success.
Benzema is accused of attempting to persuade Valbuena to agree to the sum of money being extorted from him by blackmailers, thus making the striker complicit in the crime.
However, even if he is found guilty, with prosecutors seeking a 10-month suspended sentence and a €75,000 fine, this will not affect his availability for France.
‘The coach will always remain responsible for his selection, and Benzema will not be excluded in relation to a possible judicial sanction,’ Le Graet told Le Parisien in an interview.
‘Even if he receives a penalty, a suspended prison sentence, he still has the possibility of appealing a conviction.
‘So his selection, or not, in the coming months will not be linked to this judgment.
‘I will never intervene to say that we do not take him. After that, it is up to Didier [Deschamps] to consider whether, on a sporting level, he is fit to play with les Bleus.’
Boeing has reached an agreement with the families of the 157 people who died in the Ethiopia 737 Max crash in 2019.
The plane maker accepts liability for their deaths, according to court documents in Chicago and in return, families of the victims will not seek punitive damages from the company.
Lawyers for the victims’ families said Boeing would still be held “fully accountable”, welcoming the agreement as a significant milestone.
The agreement opens the way for families outside the US, in countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya, to claim compensation through the US courts, rather than in their home countries, which might result in lower compensation.
At the time of the crash, the 737 Max was Boeing’s best-selling plane.
But two fatal accidents within five months – the Ethiopia Airlines flight out of Addis Ababa and before that a Lion Air jet that came down into the sea off Indonesia – signalled there were serious faults with the aircraft.
The planes were grounded for 20 months, while investigations took place. However they have since been allowed to return to operations after the firm made significant changes to their software and training.
Mark Pegram in the UK, whose son Sam was one of the victims, said: “The main positive for us is that Boeing is admitting liability, and not diverting blame onto Ethiopian Airlines or the pilots… we wanted them to hold their hands up.”
Sam’s mother Debbie told the BBC: “All we are looking to do with any compensation is set up a charity in Sam’s name. It’s what we want to do and it’s what Sam would have wanted us to do.”
Prior to the admission of responsibility, Boeing faced criticism for appearing to deflect blame elsewhere by questioning the abilities of the pilots.
But Wednesday’s agreement provides some protection, by removing the possibility of relatives seeking potentially very high punitive damages and by making it unlikely current or former executives will be called to testify in court.
“Boeing is committed to ensuring that all families who lost loved ones in the accidents are fully and fairly compensated for their loss,” the plane maker said in a statement.
“By accepting responsibility, Boeing’s agreement with the families allows the parties to focus their efforts on determining the appropriate compensation for each family.”
Lawyers for the victims released a statement saying that under the agreement, Boeing admitted “that the 737 Max had an unsafe condition, and that it will not attempt to blame anyone else” for the crash.
“This is a significant milestone for the families in their pursuit of justice against Boeing, as it will ensure they are all treated equitably and eligible to recover full damages under Illinois law, while creating a pathway for them to proceed to a final resolution, whether through settlements or trial,” the lawyers said.
Bruce Fein, an American lawyer representing Nnamdi Kanu in the United States has threatened to file a petition before the International Criminal Court over an alleged violation of his client’s rights.
Fein who was denied access to the courtroom after turning up on Wednesday November 10 to monitor the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), disclosed that this is the fifth time he’s being subjected to such.
The American lawyer stated that this is in violation to court order which allowed Nnamdi Kanu access to three persons. He also revealed that he will be going United States Congress and urging that sanctions be considered against Nigeria for gross violations of fundamental human rights.
Fein said;
“Today was the fifth time I was told I could not enter the courtroom despite the court’s previous order that Nnamdi could have access to any three persons he wants to.
“I had the chance to talk briefly to him on my way to the courtroom. It is clear that I am the target in particular. That’s the reason why this proceeding did not transpire today.
“And I’m here to tell Nigerians and the international community that I’m taking this to international tribunals. It is clear that the Nigerian tribunals are compromised.
“I will petition the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Geneva, the International Court of Justice in the Hague, the ICC in the Hague and I’ll be going to the United States Congress and urging that sanctions be considered against Nigeria for gross violations of fundamental human rights”.
“I’m here not to be an irritant but there are huge international law issues that are present in Nnamdi Kanu’s case. I’m here because I’m an international expert to provide more enlightenment on what legal issues are present here.”
Nnamdi Kanu’s lead counsel here in Nigeria, Ifeanyi Ejiofor has also debunked claim of he and his team staging a walkout in court. Ejiofor stated that the legal team did not walk out of the court, but were locked out.
He said;
“What happened in the court today is the height of travesty of justice. We have more than 50 lawyers who are here in solidarity so we were outside trying to resolve it.
“When we came to the court, they still insisted that they could not allow the maximum of five persons to have access to the court. And there is space in the court for us to sit.
“We were still trying to resolve it when the judge came in and we were all locked out. When attention was called to the fact that we were outside the court protesting about what happened. Instead of the court calling the attention of the lead counsel to find out what is going on, the court discussed with our client.”
A Manhattan jury has cleared Jay-Z in a lawsuit that claimed he breached an endorsement deal for a “Gold Jay-Z” cologne brand by failing to properly promote it, allowing the superstar to avoid $67 million in requested damages.
At the end of a three-week trial over the soured product deal with Parlux Fragrances LLC, the jury heard arguments from Jay-Z’s attorney that asked “why on earth” the star would have put his name on a product that he wanted to fail.
Wednesday’s verdict awarded nothing to Parlux but also declined to award any money to Jay-Z, who had sought roughly $6 million in royalties he said he was still owed under the deal.
“You failed to prove your case, they failed to prove their case,” Justice Andrew Borrok said to an attorney for Parlux after the verdict was read aloud in court. “You’re excused.”
In a statement to Billboard following the jury’s verdict, Jay-Z said: “I’d like to express my gratitude to the jury, especially during these difficult times.”
Wednesday’s verdict came after nearly six years of litigation over “Gold Jay-Z,” which the superstar launched in 2013 through a partnership with Parlux, which had previously launched licensed fragrances with other major artists like Rihanna.
Parlux accused Jay-Z and his S. Carter Enterprises of failing to promote the fragrance, breaching the terms of their business contract and costing the company millions. The lawsuit said he refused to appear for events like Good Morning America and then refused to approve later iterations needed to keep the brand relevant.
Jay-Z denied the accusations, saying he fulfilled his obligations under the agreement despite numerous missteps from Parlux that threatened to damage his personal brand. He countersued, saying he was still owed millions in royalties.
A jury trial kicked off on Oct. 18, featuring two days of heated testimony from the star himself.
At the Closing arguments, Jay-Z lawyer Alex Spiro, of the firm Quinn Emmanuel, argued that the entire case was “misunderstanding” and that Parlux had actually breached the deal first by how it had conducted itself.
Meanwhile, Parlux attorney Anthony J. Viola, of the firm Mintz Levin, said Jay-Z had “thrown sand in the gears of what Parlux was trying to do” when they disagreed over how to promote the product. He also accused Jay-Z and his company of destroying evidence by deleting certain emails, and asked the jury to award a total of $67.6 million in damages.
Parlux is certain to appeal the verdict, first by asking the judge to overturn the verdict and then by taking the case to a state appeals court. The company could argue that the judge unfairly allowed certain evidence, or that jurors could not legally have reached their conclusion based on what they heard.
In a statement to Billboard, Parlux said that it “believes it presented a strong case and is disappointed that the jury rendered a verdict today finding that neither side proved breach by the other.” The company said it “plans to pursue all legal options available to it.”
A member of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, Abdulsalam Adinoyi, has been sentenced to death by hanging by a high court in Ekiti state.
Adinoyi was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on armed robbery, murder, terrorism, and unlawful possession of firearms.
In the charge, Adinoyi, an indigene of Okene, Kogi state, was said to have attacked and robbed Gana Jiya, a police sergeant, and other police officers at a checkpoint in Oye Ekiti. While Jiya was killed on the spot, other police officers on duty sustained gunshot wounds. He was also accused of carting away two AK-47 rifles and launching a “terrorist attack” on the people of Ekiti state and its environs. All these were said to have happened between December 22, 2016 and March 20, 2017.
In his confessional statement, Adinoyi said members of his group named Abu Uwais and Aminu (a.k.a. Idi-Amin), now at large, were planning an operation when police officers came to his house, which was searched and the AK-47 rifle was recovered, among other items.
Five witnesses, including police officers who were at the scene of the incident, were called by the prosecution during the trial.
Items tendered as exhibits before the court by the prosecution team include an AK-47 rifle, statement of the defendant, photographs of the victims, compact discs containing Boko Haram training activities, five SIM cards, flash drives, empty bullet shells, medical reports, among others.
While delivering judgment in the case on Wednesday, November 10, the presiding judge, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The sole issues for determination are accordingly resolved in favour of the prosecution. The defendant is hereby found guilty as charged. He is accordingly sentenced to death by hanging on counts one, two and three. May almighty God have mercy on his soul. He is also sentenced to 20 years imprisonment on count four, and 10 years imprisonment on count five with N10,000 as an option of fine.”
A man has been handed a suspended jail sentence and a heavy fine, after he deliberately chopped off his own legs to claim a £2.4 million insurance payout.
The defendant named only as Sandor Cs. due to strict local privacy laws, was found guilty of purposely lying down in front of a train so he could pocket the cash in 2014.
The shocking incident meant both his legs were amputated from the knee down and he has been using prosthetic limbs and remained wheelchair-bound ever since. The 54-year-old resident of the Hungarian village of Nyircsaszari is claimed to have climbed onto the tracks so a train would run over both of his legs.
Cs. claimed that he took out the policies after receiving financial advice telling him returns are better on insurance policies than savings accounts. After the incident, his wife applied for the payouts but the insurance companies refused to cough up saying that they suspected he had inflicted the injury on himself.
Cs. however insisted he was innocent and that he stepped on a shard of glass which resulted in him losing his balance and falling in front of the train that was just departing the station, according to reports.
The long-winded investigation concluded that he should receive a two-year suspended prison sentence and an order to pay £4,725 in legal costs.
Blikk reported that Cs said;
“I find the ruling very peculiar, naturally it isn’t what I expected, I am disappointed.
“I need to see this through to the end because, as is, this is not right, and the court must feel the same way.”
Though it has not been confirmed whether Sandor will be able to appeal the decision, it was however learnt that before the incident, he worked in the thermal energy sector and installed boilers at home and abroad.
However losing his legs ended his career and he now claims the injury and the legal case have bankrupted him.
Cs. who claims he is now studying law and hopes to one day help people who have been abused by big companies, still has several insurance claims pending but they are unlikely to pay up following the court’s decision.
A man has shared his handwritten response to a man he caught in bed with his wife .
He shared the letter on Reddit.
He titled the post: “Came home to my partner in bed with someone else! Pretty sure I struck the right tone?”
The Husband addressed his letter to the “other” man and said: “Hey, just wanted to let you know that you’re sleeping with someone who’s married and we’re not in an open relationship so you shouldn’t really be doing the dirty with her.
“I appreciate things can get lonely so don’t mind you popping over for a brew temporarily whilst I’m out but in the future could you give me a heads up so I can move my car for you please.”
The Husband signed off sarcastically, writing: “Cheers, no.86.”
Reddit users found the letter funny and described it as “passive aggressive”.
A 31-year-old man who allegedly stabbed his girlfriend to death has died in a car crash while trying to conceal her body in South Africa.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said the boyfriend of another woman who had helped hide the death is in a critical condition following a head-on collision which occurred along the R23 road in Standerton, Mpumalanga, on Tuesday morning, November 9.
Brig Mohlala said when police arrived at the scene of the accident, they found three dead people and a survivor. One of the deceased, a woman, had been stabbed.
“Police are investigating a case of murder after three (3) people died in a horrific accident on R23 road near Standerton and one injured person was admitted to Standerton Hospital,” Mohlala said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Earlier on it was believed that it was indeed just an ordinary accident however upon intensive investigation by a team of Detectives, the evidence proved otherwise as it was discovered that, the couples were having party at one of the couple’s flat
“Then the second couple was allegedly involved in an argument and as a result a 31-year-old man stabbed his 33-year-old girlfriend to death. The other couple assisted him to load the dead body in the motor vehicle of the deceased with the intent to conceal the body
“While they were driving on the R23 they collided with a truck and the female who assisted to load the deceased died while her boyfriend was critically injured and transported to Standerton Hospital
“The 31-year-old man who allegedly killed his girlfriend also died. Police are investigating cases murder and culpable homicide” the statement concluded.
A Pastor of a new generation church, Shalom Mercy Ministry located in Aluu, Ikwerre Local Government Area, Chris Simon Amadi is now cooling his heels in police custody after he allegedly strangled his 30 years old wife, Solution Amadi to death and allegedly attempted to run away.
Family sources told Newsmen the incident happened on Tuesday in their home at Mbodo Community, Aluu after a disagreement over school fees payment in his wife’s school.
Findings revealed that troubled started when his wife, now deceased confronted him for driving some of her pupils from school for failing to pay on time, without first checking with her.
Her elder brother, Odinaka Opurum, said his now deceased sister felt embarrassed when affected parents started calling to complain about her husband’s action.
The school, Solution International School was reportedly established by the late Mrs. Solution Amadi before her marriage to the pastor in 2012.
“The husband went to the school (Tuesday November, 10) and started driving pupils away for failing to pay school fees. When parents now called the wife to ask why she drove their kids away even after paying, she appealed they should not be angry that she will find out from her husband.
“When she got to the house, they started quarreling again and the husband started beating her. He then started to strangle her to the point she collapsed and became unconscious.
When he saw she was no longer responding, he rushed her to a clinic close to their house, the clinic confirmed her dead and referred him to UPTH to be sure. Instead of taking her to UPTH as they advised, he took her to the house, covered her with wrapper, packed some clothes in a bag, locked all the doors and attempted to run away.”
Her brother also said, the incident was not the first time the pastor would beat his sister. He said it has been recurring and his sister out of love and the position of Marriage counsellor which she occupies in church, decided to endure in order not to set a bad example for young girls.
Her family is currently seeking justice.
The marriage between the pastor and the deceased, which was solemnized in 2012 was blessed with four children, two boys and two girls.
Aminata Diallo, a PSG women’s team player has been arrested after they said she allegedly paid some men to break her teammate’s legs so that she can have more playing time.
⦿ Diallo has been arrested following an assault on her teammate, Kheira Hamraoui ⦿ Hamraoui was dragged from her car and assaulted by two masked men with iron bars – she needed stitches in her legs and hands ⦿ Diallo was driving the car Hamraoui was dragged out of ⦿ PSG have now released a statement
Both players compete for the same position for both club and country..
As a lady, you are expected to get serious with life the moment you cross twenty five years old. I personally don’t expect a 25-year old lady to be playing games because the truth is that you no longer have enough time on your side.
At age 25 and above, a lady should calm her head down and start thinking of how to settle down with a man she would spend the rest of her life with. Ladies should make sure they don’t enter any of these ten (10) kinds of relationships:
1. A Toxic Relationship
This is the kind of relationship some ladies find themselves in where the guy beats them at every slightest opportunity. At age 25 and above, don’t try to manage a man who raises his hand to hit you and don’t even think he will change if he gets married to you because that is his true nature.
If you don’t want to cry later when you get married to him, it is better you call it quit now and look for a man who will never raise his hand to hit you no matter what.
2. A Relationship Heading Nowhere
At age 25 and above, I don’t expect a lady to still remain in a relationship that is undefined. If you notice that the relationship is heading no where probably because he does not say anything about marriage, I will advice you to sit down and carefully as yourself this question: “Should I keep on waiting for him to talk about marriage when I am above 25 already?
3. A Relationship Full Of Pretence
It is very easy to know if your relationship is full of pretense; if the affirmation of love seems not to come from his heart, just know the relationship is full of pretence and I will not advice you to keep on wasting your time in such relationship.
4. A Relationship Without Mutual Respect
I have seen cases where a guy insults his woman publicly and vice versa. At age 25 and above, if there is no mutual respect in your relationship, just know that you are not doing the right thing.
This mutual respect also involves respecting one’s personal decision.
5. A Relationship Not Rooted In Love
If the foundation of your relationship is not rooted in love, I will advice you to have a rethink because whatsoever you accept now is what will be accepted later. Every good relationship or even marriage should be rooted in love and nothing else.
6. A Relationship Where The Guy Asks For Pleasure All The Time
If at 25 and above all your boyfriend wants is to have a feel of your body, just know that the relationship is not worth it. At 25 and above, you are expected to be with a man who sees you as his future wife, not the type that sees you as a ‘pleasure toy’.
7. A Relationship Not Leading To Marriage
Just like I said before, at age 25 and above you should make sure the relationship you enter is well defined and is the type that will lead to marriage.
8. An Ungodly Relationship
Do you want to spend the rest of your life with a guy who doesn’t have the fear of God? If your answer is NO, then I will advice you not to waste your time in any ungodly relationship.
9. A Relationship Founded On Lies
The lifespan of every relationship founded on lies is transient and I will advice you not to waste your time in such relationship. If he is the type that lies to you all the time and you are aware, don’t manage the relationship hoping that he will change with time.
10. A Relationship Where You Don’t Have Joy And Peace Of Mind
Dear ladies, please ensure you are in a relationship where you have joy and peace of mind and if these two things are absent, what then are you enjoying in such relationship?
It is peace of mind that makes a woman looks younger than her age when she is married so if you want to be ageless, enter a relationship where you have joy and peace of mind.
After what seemed like an almost impossible feat, the gubernatorial election in Anambra State has been concluded and a new governor has been elected.
With a powerful margin, the Anambra People have chosen Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo as their new governor.
Professor Soludo ran on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the current ruling party in the state.
While the APGA elected candidate is not new to the political circle, there are many who still don’t know much about him and his journey within the political realm.
It is on this premise that we have come up with nine things people need know about the newly elected governor of Anambra State.
S/N
LGA
APC
APGA
PDP
YPP
REMARK
1
AGUATA
4,773
9,136
3,798
1,070
APGA
2
ANAMBRA EAST
2,034
9,746
1,380
559
APGA
3
ANAMBRA WEST
1,233
1,918
1,401
357
APGA
4
ANAOCHA
2,085
6,911
5,108
868
APGA
5
AWKA NORTH
755
1,908
840
381
APGA
6
AWKA SOUTH
2,595
12,891
5,498
919
APGA
7
AYAMELUM
2,409
3,424
2,804
407
APGA
8
DUNUKOFIA
1,991
4,124
1,680
1,360
APGA
9
EKWUSIGO
1,237
2,570
1,857
727
APGA
10
IDEMILI NORTH
2,291
5,358
2,312
902
APGA
11
IDEMILI SOUTH
1,039
2,312
2,016
752
APGA
12
IHIALA
343
8,283
2,485
344
APGA
13
NJIKOKA
3,216
8,803
3,409
924
APGA
14
NNEWI NORTH
1,278
3,369
1,511
6,485
YPP
15
NNEWI SOUTH
1,307
3,243
2,226
1,327
APGA
16
OGBARU
1,178
3,051
3,445
484
PDP
17
ONITSHA NORTH
3,909
5,587
3,781
682
APGA
18
ONITSHA SOUTH
2,050
4,281
2,253
271
APGA
19
ORUMBA NORTH
2,672
4,787
1,847
655
APGA
20
ORUMBA SOUTH
2,060
4,394
1,672
887
APGA
21
OYI
2,830
6,133
2,484
900
APGA
TOTAL
21 LGAs
43,285
112,229
53,807
21,261
APGA
Total Registered Voters
2,466,638
Total Accredited Voters
253,388
Total Valid Votes
241,523
Total Rejected Votes
8,108
Total Votes Cast
249,631
1. Aguata Born
Soludo hails from Isuanioma which is within the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Born on July 28, 1960, Soludo lost his mother at a tender age. However, the loss did not stop the young lad from doing excellently well in his studies and his flair for academics would eventually see him do his mother’s memory proud a few years after her death.
2. Erudite scholar
Staying true to his genius, Soludo graduated with First Class Honours in 1984, obtained an MSc Economics in 1987, and a PhD in 1989, winning prizes for the best student at all three levels. A prolific macroeconomist, he obtained his three degrees and then a professorship at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, Enugu State.
3. Teacher extraordinaire
By 1999, Soludo became a visiting professor at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA, he was also a lecturer at Oxford, Cambridge, and Warwick University. He has also been a guest scholar at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the the Brookings Institution.
The Aguata-born economist has worked as a consultant for a number of international organisations, including The World Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and the United Nations Development Programme.
Professor Soludo has authored and co-authored several books, most of which lay emphasis on multi-country macro-econometric modelling, techniques of computable general equilibrium modelling, survey methodology, and panel data econometrics, etc.
4. Revolutionary CBN Governor
Based on his wealth of knowledge Professor Soludo was invited to serve his country in 2003 as the Chief Economic Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Planning Commission of Nigeria. On May 2004, he was made governor and chairman of the board of directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
As CBN Governor, Professor Soludo is credited with refocusing the Central Bank as an effective monetary authority, successfully implementing a fundamental restructuring which is said to have led to unprecedented consolidation of the Nigerian banking system.
According to a statement on the CBN official page, Soludo championed the establishment of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), a continental, private -sector driven, investment bank.
Due to his good work while in charge of the CBN, Soludo got an appointment from President Mohammadu Buhari, to be part of the newly formed eight-member Economic Advisory Council (EAC) on September 16, 2019.
5. Dogged Politician
In 2009, the economics professor announced his intention to contest for the Governorship seat in Anambra State, he was chosen as a consensus candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The gubernatorial bid was eventually unsuccessful as he lost to Peter Obi. Resigning from the PDP on July 17, 2013, Soludo joined the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in preparation for the November 2013, Anambra state governorship election.
However, he was dealt another sore blow as in mid-August 2013, he, along with five other qualified aspirants, were disqualified by the APGA Screening Committee.
Soludo would again declare his intention to run for the position of Governor on the APGA platform and this time, after a heated legal tussle, the former CBN governor was officially declared candidate of the ruling party in the state.
6. Father of Six
Not so much focus has been thrown on Soludo’s private life in recent times, however, the professor is married to Mrs Nonye Soludo and they have been blessed with six children.
7. Multi-Award Winning Academic
Professor Soludo is the recipient of a plethora of awards and recognitions from various institutions and organisations. Most notable amongst these is the recognition by the Financial Times of London, as a ‘Great Reformer’.
Also highly noteworthy is his winning of the ‘Global and African Central Bank Governor of the Year, in 2005, 2006 and 2007 by different international media institutions including The Banker Magazine which is published by the Financial Times of London. In 2006, he received a Global Banker’s Award in London.
He has also been conferred with Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) – Nigeria’s third-highest national honour.
8. Jolly Good Fellow
In addition to his myriad of accolades, Soludo is a member of the International Advisory Group for the UK Department for International Development (DFID). He is also a member of the Chief Economist Advisory Council of the World Bank, as well as a member of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD). Soludo is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and a fellow of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES). He is also a member of the British Department for International Development’s International Advisory Group.
The former CBN governor has a D.SC (Honoris Causa) from the University of Calabar and the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi. In 2018, he received Red Cross awards for his contributions to the development of society.
9. Visionary
In 2008, Soludo made his mark as an economist with great vision during a speech to the Nigerian Economic Society, he predicted a consolidation in the private banking industry.
“By the end of 2008, there will be fewer banks than there are today. The restructuring of the banking industry has been attracting funds from local and foreign investors, which have increased banks’ ability to lend to customers,” the professor declared.
In his speeches, the scholar has always expressed a hope to see Nigeria become Africa’s financial hub, and he considers microfinance an integral part of the federal government’s economic policies.
A 10-year-old boy was killed by a pet dog while visiting a friend after school.
Police were called after screams were heard coming from a house where children were playing on Monday afternoon, Nov. 8, in the village of Penyrheol, near Caerphilly, South Wales.
The boy was mauled to death at the scene by the dog which was then shot dead by a police marksman.
The dog, believed to be an American Pitbull, had bitten a customer outside a nearby shop at the weekend.
It had recently been brought into the area and a family volunteered to look after it for a few hours as a favour to the owner, According to Dailymail.
Shop worker Tarjit Sandhu, 67, said: “The little boy who died was at the house with his little friend when the dog attacked.
“It is a fighting dog, an American pit bull, it hasn’t been in the village very long.
“A few days ago, it was tied up outside the shop where I work when a man customer bent down to stroke it.
“The dog bit him on the arm, it was quite a nasty bite.”
Mr Sandhu said the attack had left the community in a state of shock and disbelief.
“It’s a dreadful thing to happen,” he said.
More than a dozen emergency vehicles were outside the family’s home at 4pm in a street called Pentwyn, in the middle of the village.
Gwent Police said they were called to an address in Pentwyn, Penyrhoel, at around 3.55pm after receiving reports the boy had been attacked and armed officers were sent to the scene.
Paramedics from the West Ambulance Service attended but the boy – who has not been named – was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
One neighbour said: “He was with one of his friends who was shouting that the dog was biting his leg.
“One of the neighbours tried to get the dog off but it was impossible. It was crazed.”
Police with 12 force vehicles sealed off the road shortly after the attack took place and dozens of officers have remained at the scene.
A California couple is suing a fertility clinic for giving birth to a stranger’s child after being given the wrong embryo by the clinic during in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
IVF is a procedure during which a woman’s eggs are fertilised by man’s sperm in a laboratory before the embryos are implanted into a woman’s uterus.
Daphna and Alexander Cardinale say they gave birth in September 2019 to a girl that looked nothing like them.
After a DNA test, they found the stranger couple that carried their own daughter to full term, and together decided to swap the girls.
The couple are now suing the Los Angeles-based fertility centre, the California Center for Reproductive Health (CCRH), as well as In VitroTech Labs, an embryology lab alleging medical malpractice, negligence and fraudulent concealment.
In an emotional news conference on Monday, November 8, Mrs Cardinale said her family’s “heartbreak and confusion can’t be understated”.
“Our memories of childbirth will always be tainted by the sick reality that our biological child was given to someone else, and the baby that I fought to bring into this world was not mine to keep.”
Mrs Cardinale said she was “robbed of the ability to carry my own child”.
According to the lawsuit, the couple sought help from the fertility clinic in the summer of 2018.
Mrs Cardinale gave birth the next year to a child they thought was theirs.
In the delivery room, Mr Cardinale had expected “a fair child”, like their firstborn, but he was surprised to see the baby girl “came out with much darker skin”, says the lawsuit.
“It was so jarring that Alexander actually took several steps away from the birthing table, backing up against the wall,” reads the lawsuit.
Nearly two months later the family decided to take at-home DNA tests, which ultimately determined they were not biologically related to the infant.
“The room shrank and got really dizzy and everything just went numb,” Mr Cardinale said, recalling the moment the DNA results came back.
The CCRH then helped them find the California couple who had carried their daughter and had given birth to another healthy girl a week apart. The Cardinales’ daughter was around four months old when they first met. After several meetings, the couples agreed to go through the legal process of formally exchanging the babies, which happened in January 2020.
“Instead of breastfeeding my own child, I breastfed and bonded with a child I was later forced to give away,” Mrs Cardinale said at the news conference.
She added that the incident has been hardest for the couple’s seven-year-old daughter, who has struggled to understand the swap.
“The horror of this situation cannot be understated,” says the lawsuit.
Mrs Cardinale and her husband have sought mental-health treatment for “symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD”, says the legal action.
Adam B Wolf, a lawyer representing the Cardinales, said the other family in the IVF mix-up also plans to sue, but will remain anonymous.
Four newborn babies have died after a fire broke out at a children’s hospital in India, officials said.
The blaze swept through the neonatal unit at the Kamla Nehru Children’s Hospital in Bhopal, which is in the Madhya Pradesh state in central India.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has ordered an investigation after the incident on Monday night, November 8. He announced a compensation of 400,000 rupees ($5,400) for the family of the victims.
“The untimely departure [death] of children from the world is an unbearable pain,” Chauhan said on Twitter, offering his condolences to the families affected.
At least 40 children were in the unit, out of which 36 were rescued, medical education minister Vishwas Sarang said.
He said he arrived at the hospital within 10 minutes after the incident.
While an inquiry is still ongoing, authorities told the Press Trust of India that a short circuit may have caused the fire.
Hospital fires have killed at least 70 people in India this year, including 11 last weekend in the COVID-19 care unit of a hospital in Maharashtra, a state neighboring Madhya Pradesh.
Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai has tied the nuptial knot.
The 24-year-old girls’ education advocate and Nobel Peace Prize winner announced her marriage to her partner Asser Malik on Tuesday November 9.
The Pakistani activist who was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 after angering them with her campaign for girls’ schooling, said a small service took place at her home in Birmingham and it was attended by family and friends.
Pictures showed her in a pink dress, while her partner wore a matching tie. She wrote;
“Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead.”
Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead. 📸: @malinfezehaipic.twitter.com/SNRgm3ufWP
Asser also confirmed the news by posting photos from their wedding shoot with a heart emoji. A nikkah is an Islamic marriage contract.
Back in July, Malala revealed her thoughts about marriage during an interview with British Vogue. She said at the time;
“I still don’t understand why people have to get married. If you want to have a person in your life, why do you have to sign marriage papers, why can’t it just be a partnership?”
She added;
“My mum is like…‘Don’t you dare say anything like that! You have to get married, marriage is beautiful.'”
Malala also revealed that her views on getting hitched began to change after seeing her peers making a lifelong commitment.
She said;
“Even until my second year of university, I just thought, ‘I’m never going to get married, never going to have kids–just going to do my work.
“I’m going to be happy and live with my family forever. I didn’t realize that you’re not the same person all the time. You change as well and you’re growing.”
Malala was 15 years old when she was attacked by a Taliban gunman on her way home from school in Pakistan. Once she moved to the United Kingdom to receive treatment in Birmingham, Malala began campaigning for human rights and helped co-found the Malala Fund, an organization that aims to help girls all over the world receive education.
The 2013, 2014 and 2015 issues of Time magazine featured her as one of the most influential people globally, and she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University in 2020.
