A group of young people in the French city of Nantes are being hailed for rescuing a family from a fire in an apartment building.
Dramatic footage shows them scaling the side of the building and helping the parents escape their third-floor flat on Sunday afternoon.
Mattresses were brought to the foot of the building and the couple’s six-month-old baby was thrown to safety.
She was taken to hospital in a critical condition but is said to be recovering.
One of the youths involved in the rescue, Tahmid, told the Ouest-France website that the decision to throw the infant from the balcony was “the last possible solution” as smoke billowed from the building in the Bottière district of Nantes.
The fire also spread to other flats in the building and firefighters rescued several other people.
Kenza Zekkar, the leader of local youth organisation Bien-être et solidarité Pays de la Loire, told the BBC that she had organised the family’s rescue while local residents waited for the fire service to arrive.
Her husband was among the young men who climbed the outside of the building to help bring the parents to safety, she said.
Her organisation is now calling for three of those involved in the rescue, who are all migrants, to be given official papers and housing.
The story echoes the case of a Malian migrant who was widely praised for climbing the outside of a building to rescue a small boy dangling from a fourth-floor balcony in Paris in 2018.
Naijapremiumgist presents the personality of the month of March:
Wole Soyinka was born Akinwande Oluwole “Wole” Babatunde Soyinka on July 13, 1934, in Abeokuta, near Ibadan in western Nigeria. His father, Samuel Ayodele Soyinka, was a prominent Anglican minister and headmaster. His mother, Grace Eniola Soyinka, who was called “Wild Christian,” was a shopkeeper and local activist. His father, Samuel Ayodele Soyinka, was headmaster of the parsonage primary school, St. Peter’s. Known as “S.A.,” Wole Soyinka calls him “Essay” in his memoirs.
“Essay”Father, “Wild Christian” Mother and Children
Although the Soyinka family had deep ties to the Anglican Church, they enjoyed close relations with Muslim neighbors, and through his extended family — particularly his father’s relations — Wole Soyinka gained an early acquaintance with the indigenous spiritual traditions of the Yorùbá people. Even among practicing Christians, belief in ghosts and spirits was common. The young Wole Soyinka enjoyed participating in Anglican services and singing in the church choir, but he also formed an early identification with Ogun, the Yorùbá deity associated with war, iron, roads and poetry. A precocious and inquisitive child, Wole prompted the adults in his life to warn one another: “He will kill you with his questions.”
Wole Soyinka as a ten-year-old choir boy in 1946 (Courtesy of Wole Soyinka)
EDUCATION Thanks to his father, young Wole Soyinka enjoyed access to books, not only the Bible and English literature but to classical Greek tragedies such as the Medea of Euripides, which had a profound effect on his imagination. A precocious reader, he soon sensed a link between the Yorùbá folklore of his neighbors and the Greek mythology underlying so much of western literature.
He had his elementary schooling at St. Peter’s School, Ake, Abeokuta, 1938-43; Abeokuta Grammar School, 1944-45 and then proceeded to Government College, Ibadan, 1946-50. His university studies was at University College, Ibadan (now University of Ibadan), 1952-54. After finishing preparatory university studies in 1954, Soyinka moved to England and continued his education at the University of Leeds, Yorkshire. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English literature in 1958. (In 1972 the university awarded him an honorary doctorate).
After graduating from the University of Leeds, Wole Soyinka continued to study for a master’s degree while writing plays drawing on his Yorùbá heritage. His first major works, The Swamp Dwellers and The Lion and the Jewel, date from this period. In 1958, The Lion and the Jewel was accepted for production by the Royal Court Theatre in London. Beginning in the late 1950s, the Royal Court was the major venue for serious new drama in Britain. Soyinka interrupted his graduate studies to join the theater’s literary staff. From this post, he was able to watch the rehearsal and development process of new plays at a time when the British theater was entering a period of renewed vitality. His own next major work was The Trials of Brother Jero, expressing his skepticism about the self-styled elite of black Nigerians who were preparing to take power from the British colonial regime.
Wole Soyinka and Sister
AWARDS His numerous awards include: Dakar Festival award, 1966; John Whiting award, 1967; Jock Campbell award (New Statesman), for fiction, 1968; Nobel Prize for Literature, 1986; Benson Medal, 1990; Premio Letterario Internazionalle Mondello, 1990. D. Litt: University of Leeds, 1973, Yale University, University of Montpellier, France, University of Lagos, and University of Bayreuth, 1989. Fellow, Royal Society of Literature (U.K.); member, American Academy. Named Commander, Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1986, Order of La Legion d’Honneur, France, 1989, and Order of the Republic of Italy, 1990; Akogun of Isara, 1989; Akinlatun of Egba
Soyinka and Gordimer
CIVIL ROLE Soyinka also played a prominent role in Nigerian civil society. As a faculty member at the University of Ife, he led a campaign for road safety, organizing a civilian traffic authority to reduce the shocking rate of traffic fatalities on the public highways. His program became a model of traffic safety for other states in Nigeria.
POLITICAL ACTIVISM Soyinka is also a political activist, and during the civil war in Nigeria he appealed in an article for a cease-fire. He was arrested for this in 1967, and held as a political prisoner for 22 months until 1969.
Meanwhile, Soyinka continued his criticism of the military dictatorship in Nigeria. In 1994, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named Wole Soyinka a Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of African culture, human rights and freedom of expression. Less than a month later, a new military dictator, General Sani Abacha, suspended nearly all civil liberties. Soyinka escaped through Benin and fled to the United States. Soyinka judged Abacha to be the worst of the dictators who had imposed themselves on Nigeria since independence. He was particularly outraged at Abacha’s execution of the author Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was hanged in 1995 after a trial condemned by the outside world. In 1996, Soyinka published The Open Sore of a Continent: A Personal Memoir of the Nigerian Crisis. Predictably, the work was banned in Nigeria, and in 1997, the Abacha government formally charged Wole Soyinka with treason. General Abacha died the following year, and the treason charges were dropped by his successors.
Now considered Nigeria’s foremost man of letters, Soyinka is still politically active and spent the 2015 election day in Africa’s biggest democracy working the phones to monitor reports of voting irregularities, technical issues and violence, according to The Guardian. After the election on March 28, 2015, he said that Nigerians must show a Nelson Mandela–like ability to forgive president-elect Muhammadu Buhari’s past as an iron-fisted military ruler.
When asked What advice or encouragement would you give to your grandchildren? What would you like to leave behind as a verbal footprint, the literary icon echoed ” That question comes up again and again, and I say that I don’t really know. I think it’s up to people to decide what they want to extract from what I’ve done, or left undone. But the advice I always give to my young children, or to young writers, or those who want to be activists in some way, who come to me and say, “What shall we do about this situation? How can we contribute?” I just say, “Follow your instincts.” Don’t feel you have to follow the paths of others, because you may not be temperamentally fitted for it. And so you’ll just harm yourself and your cause and others. But just follow your instinct, and don’t ever pretend to be what you’re not.”
A new video has surfaced online of an altercation between former couple Quavo and Saweetie less than two weeks, after their breakup was confirmed via social media.
According to a report from TMZ on Tuesday (March 30), which contains the surveillance footage, the Migos member and the Bay Area rapper are seen having a scuffle inside of what appears to be an apartment building. Saweetie is seen swinging at Quavo as he grabs her into an elevator. The “Tap In” rhymer was initially holding an orange Call of Duty suitcase, which she drops to the ground after Quavo shoves her to the floor of the elevator. As the video continues, Quavo is seen standing in the elevator, which is likely moving to another floor as the doors are closed, while a portion of Saweetie’s body is in the frame of the clip lying on the ground. Although the Quality Control Music artist looks over at Saweetie, he doesn’t offer her any assistance. At one point, the elevator doors open and a man is seen standing, appearing to be waiting for the elevator, but he doesn’t get on. Instead, the doors close.
When the elevator doors finally open, Quavo exits with the orange suitcase in his hand while Saweetie pick herself up and appears to limp out of the elevator.
According to a report from TMZ on Tuesday (March 30), which contains the surveillance footage, the Migos member and the Bay Area rapper are seen having a scuffle inside of what appears to be an apartment building. Saweetie is seen swinging at Quavo as he grabs her into an elevator. The “Tap In” rhymer was initially holding an orange Call of Duty suitcase, which she drops to the ground after Quavo shoves her to the floor of the elevator.
As the video continues, Quavo is seen standing in the elevator, which is likely moving to another floor as the doors are closed, while a portion of Saweetie’s body is in the frame of the clip lying on the ground. Although the Quality Control Music artist looks over at Saweetie, he doesn’t offer her any assistance. At one point, the elevator doors open and a man is seen standing, appearing to be waiting for the elevator, but he doesn’t get on. Instead, the doors close.
When the elevator doors finally open, Quavo exits with the orange suitcase in his hand while Saweetie pick herself up and appears to limp out of the elevator. It is unclear what sparked the incident, but it looks like the couple could have been fighting over the suitcase or perhaps the contents inside of it.
The outlet reports that they were in an apartment complex in North Hollywood, which Saweetie was reportedly renting at the time. TMZ also notes that the incident reportedly took place back in 2020.
Saweetie first confirmed her breakup from Quavo on March 19. She tweeted, “I’m single. I’ve endured too much betrayal and hurt behind the scenes for a false narrative to be circulating that degrades my character. Presents don’t band aid scars and the love isn’t real when the intimacy is given to other women. I emotionally checked out a long time ago and have walked away with a deep sense of peace and freedom. Excited for this new chapter of elevation ??.”
Shortly after, Quavo responded with a Twitter message of his own. He wrote, “I know you want to make this into a show so I’ll play my part just this one time. I don’t normally put my business out there, especially my personal life. I feel the need to address this so there are no false narratives.”
Later adding, “I had love for you and disappointed you did all that. You are not the woman I thought you were. I wish you nothing but the best ??.”
Quavo and Saweetie were together for nearly three years before parting ways.
Barack Obama’s step-grandmother, Sarah Obama, has died at a hospital in Kenya at the age of 99.
Affectionately called Granny Sarah by the former president, Mrs Obama defended her grandson during his 2008 presidential campaign, when he was said to be Muslim and not born in the US.
Her home became a tourist attraction when he was elected as the first black US president.
Sarah Obama was the third and youngest wife of Barack Obama’s grandfather.
She died early on Monday at a hospital in the western town of Kisumu, her daughter Marsat Onyango told Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper.
A family spokesman said Mrs Obama had been unwell for a week, but did not have Covid-19.
She will be buried later on Monday.
“We will miss her dearly,” Barack Obama said, “but we’ll celebrate with gratitude her long and remarkable life.”
Before her grandson became a household name, Sarah Obama was well known for the hot porridge and doughnuts she served at a local school, AFP reports.
She became more widely known when Mr Obama visited Kenya in 2006. At the time he was a senator from the state of Illinois, but a national celebrity in Kenya, and his grandmother spoke to the media about his rise in politics.
He returned in 2015, becoming the first sitting US president to visit Kenya, meeting Mrs Obama and other family members in Nairobi.
Mr Obama visited his step-grandmother’s home in the village of Kogelo in 2018, after leaving office, joking he had been unable to visit earlier because the presidential plane was too big to land at the local airport.
image captionAfter leaving office, Barack Obama visited his grandmother’s village of Kogelo in western Kenya
Sarah Obama was born in 1922 in a village on Lake Victoria, according to AFP. She was a Muslim and part of Kenya’s Luo ethnic group.
For decades, she ran a foundation in Kenya to help educate orphans and girls, something she felt strongly about as she couldn’t read herself.
She was the third wife of Hussein Onyango Obama, President Obama’s paternal grandfather.
Her husband, who died in 1975, fought for the British in Burma, now called Myanmar, and is reported to be the first man in his village to swap goatskin clothing for trousers.
Beyoncé was the victim of a heist, and the thieves reportedly made away with more than $1 million worth of valuables.
Three L.A.-area storage units filled with Beyoncé’s belongings were hit twice by thieves earlier this month. According to TMZ, the burglars made off with goods including her expensive handbags and dresses.
They returned within a week, and robbed three more storage units in the same facility, leaving with handbags, kids toys, and photos belonging to one of Beyoncé’s stylists. The storage units are being rented out by Beyoncé’s production company, Parkwood Entertainment, but the missing items from the first heist reportedly all belong to the 28-time Grammy winner.
Beyonce
Beyoncé is the latest celebrity to have her storage units burglarized. Thieves recently stole clothes, family photos, and mementos from Miley Cyrus’ storage space in Los Angeles, while other units were also targeted.
The LAPD is still investigating the Beyoncé robbery. No arrests have been made yet.
image captionMusicians around the world have been unable to perform at large concerts for months
In Barcelona ticket-holders were only permitted to enter the stadium once a negative result code was sent to their phones. Temperatures and IDs were checked at the door.
Staff from a local hospital and event promoters teamed up to carry out rapid testing in booths within tents at three local venues.
“We expect it to be completely safe. Over the next 14 days we will look at how many of the audience test positive for Covid and will report back,” doctor Josep Maria Llibre told AFP news agency.
“I’m so very, very excited. It’s been 18 months since we’ve been on stage and one of us up here is in tears!” lead singer Santi Balmes shouted to fans from the stage.
“We really wanted to do something different, to take a step towards normality,” one guest told AFP. But Marina Crespo, 25, added that she still tried “not to get too close to people”.
The pandemic has devastated the live music industry along with many other cultural activities. The European music industry lost 76% of its income in 2020, according to a study by Spain’s Music Federation.
A magistrates’ court in Ikeja has arraigned a 23-year-old sales representative, Qudir Afolabi, for stealing.
Mr Afolabi who pleaded not guilty was accused of stealing cartons of beer worth N4.6 million from his employer, Fafem Haulage Nigeria Ltd.
The prosecution counsel, ASP Bisis Ogunleye charged Mr Afolabi with conspiracy and theft. He noted that the offence contravened sections 287 (7) and 411 of Lagos’ Criminal Law, 2015.
Mr Ogunleye added that the defendant also stole six truck tyres worth N750,000.
The magistrate, Ejiro Kubeinje, who adjourned the case until April 14, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum.
Naomi Elaine Campbell was born on 22 May 1970, in Streatham, South London to Jamaican-born dancer, Valerie Morris . She is an English model, actress and businesswoman. Discovered at the age of 15, she established herself amongst the most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s, 1990s and earlier 2000s, including modern day.
Naomi Campbell was one of six models of her generation, declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press. However, Naomi Campbell spent her early years in Rome, Italy, where her mother worked as a modern dancer.From age three, she attended the Barbara Speake Stage School and at 10, she was accepted into the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, where she studied ballet. Naomi also attended Dunraven School.
Campbell was 7 in 1978, when she made her first public appearance in the music video for Bob Marley’s “Is This Love”. At the age of 12, she tap-danced in the music video for Culture Club’s “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya”. She had studied dance from age 3 to 16, and originally intended by to be a dancer. In 1986, while still a student of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, Campbell was scouted by Beth Boldt, head of the Synchro Model Agency, while window-shopping in Covent Garden. Her career quickly took off—in April, just before her 16th birthday, when she appeared on the cover of British Elle.
Over the next few years, Campbell’s career progressed steadily: she walked the catwalk for such designers as Gianni Versace, Azzedine Alaïa, and Isaac Mizrahi and posed for such photographers as Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts, and Bruce Weber. By the late 1980s, Campbell with Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista, formed a trio known as the “Trinity”, who became the most recognisable and in-demand models of their generation.
In addition to her modelling career, Campbell has embarked on other ventures, including an R&B studio album and several acting appearances in film and television, such as the modelling-competition reality show “The Face” and its international offshoots. Campbell is also involved in charity work for various causes.
In 1998, Time declared the end of the supermodel era.Campbell continued modelling, both on the runway and, more frequently, on print. In 1999, she signed her first cosmetics contract with Cosmopolitan Cosmetics, a division of Wella, through which she launched several signature fragrances. In November of that year, she posed with 12 other top models for the “Modern Muses” cover of the Millennium Issue of American Vogue, shot by Annie Leibovitz.The following month, she appeared in a white string bikini and furs on the cover of Playboy. In October 2001, she appeared with rapper Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs on the cover of British Vogue, with the headline “Naomi and Puff: The Ultimate Power Duo”. In 2007, she walked the catwalk for Dior’s 60th-anniversary fashion show at Versailles. In July 2008, she appeared with fellow black models Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez and Jourdan Dunn on the gatefold cover of a landmark all-black issue of Italian Vogue, shot by Steven Meisel. In September of that year, Campbell reunited with Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Stephanie Seymour for “A League of Their Own”, a Vanity Fair feature on the supermodel legacy.
In 2011, Campbell appeared with Liya Kebede and Iman on the cover of the 40th-anniversary issue of Essence. She also starred as Duran Duranfrontman Simon Le Bon in the band’s music video for “Girl Panic!”, with Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen, Eva Herzigova and Yasmin Le Bonportraying the other band members; they appeared in the November edition of British Harper’s Bazaar in an editorial titled “The Supers vs. Duran Duran”. Campbell performed with Kate Moss and other supermodels in the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games, where they modelled haute couture to represent British fashion. Campbell wore a design by Alexander McQueen—a staggered hem gown with a train speckled with flecks of gold.
In March 2013, Campbell graced the inaugural cover of Numéro Russia. Campbell also became involved in reality television through the modelling competition The Face and its international offshoots. In the U.S., she served as a coach and judge, along with Karolina Kurkova and Coco Rocha, on Oxygen’s The Face, hosted by photographer Nigel Barker. She also hosted the British version of the show, which aired on Sky Living later that same year, and The Face Australia, which ran on Fox8 in 2014.
In 2014, Campbell covered the May issue of VogueAustralia, the September issue of Vogue Japan, and the November issue of Vogue Turkey; the latter two were special editions celebrating Campbell and fellow supermodels. Naomi Campbell also covered the Vietnamese, Singaporean and the 35th anniversary Latin American edition of Harper’s Bazaar. In 2014, Campbell was named TV Personality of the year by Glamour Magazine. The award was presented at the annual Glamour Women of The Year Awards in London.
The following year, she closed the Fall/Winter Zac Posen show at New York Fashion Week and featured in Spring/Summer 2015 campaigns for Burberry and lingerie retailer Agent Provocateur.
Naomi Campbell
Campbell has walked the runways for Marc Jacobs, Yves Saint Laurent, Chloé, Diane Von Furstenberg, Prada, Chanel, Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Zac Posen, Blumarine, Karl Lagerfeld, Gianfranco Ferré, Versace, Helmut Lang, Christian Dior, John Galliano, Ralph Lauren, Jean Paul Gaultier, Tommy Hilfiger, Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors, Anna Sui, Louis Vuitton, Hermés, Marchesa, Roberto Cavalli and Valentino.
She has appeared in advertising campaigns for Fendi, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Chloé, Versace, Givenchy, Blumarine, Yves Saint Laurent, Isaac Mizrahi, Tommy Hilfiger, Valentino, La Perla, Dennis Basso, Philipp Plein, Mango, Thierry Mugler, Balmain, Nars, Roberto Cavalli, David Yurman, Alessandro Dell’Acqua, DSquared2, Express, H&M, Bloomingdale’s, Dillard’s, Macy’s, Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, Gap, Avon, Revlon and Victoria’s Secret.
In 2015, Campbell signed on as a recurring character in the Fox drama Empire as Camilla Marks, a fashion designer and love interest to Hakeem Lyon, portrayed by Bryshere Y. Gray. In October 2015, Campbell was featured in a two-episode arc in American Horror Story: Hotel, as a Vogue fashion editor named Claudia Bankson.
In 2016, Campbell appeared in the music video for Anohni’s single “Drone Bomb Me”. In September 2017, Campbell appeared in Versace’s Spring/Summer 2018 show celebrating the late Gianni Versace, alongside Schiffer, Crawford, Christensen and Carla Bruni and also featured in the campaign for the collection. In February 2018, Campbell and Moss returned to the runway and closed Kim Jones’ final menswear show for Louis Vuitton. In April, she featured on the cover of British GQ alongside rapper Skepta.
In June 2018, Campbell received the Fashion Icon award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. In 2019, Campbell received the first beauty contract of her career, with NARS Cosmetics.
In the spring of 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Campbell began her own web series on YouTube, No Filter with Naomi, in which she conducts conversations with various guests. Her inaugural guest was Cindy Crawford, while subsequent guests ranged from Marc Jacobs, Adut Akech, and Christy Turlington to Ashley Graham and Nicole Richie.
In October 2020, Campbell and Apple TV+ announced a documentary about Campbell and fellow supermodels Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, directed by Barbara Kopple. The documentary, named “The Supermodels”, comes from Brian Grazer’s and Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries.
In January 12, 2021, She was appointed Magical Kenya International Tourism Ambassador by Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife. In March 2021, Campbell was named as the face of the relaunch advertising campaign for streetwearbrand Hood by Air.
Who is Laila Johnson Salami? Laila Johnson Salami is a journalist,feminist, media personality , public figure and a career woman.
As a young girl, Laila Johnson Salami had a keen interest in politics and this dream made her study Politics and International Relations in the University of Westminster,United Kingdom . The passion also gave birth to an empowerment initiative for young women called the We-Rise Initiative. She currently works at Arise TV. Being a feminist and advocate for women/girl child , Laila spoke with the global citizen recently, on the collective power and constant drive of Nigerian women.
Laila Johnson Salami
Speaking about her skin tone, Laila Johnson Salami said; “Society entrenches benefits to those who simply do not have an overabundance of melanin in their skin pigmentation. I was born with extremely fair skin, and although my ethnicity is Black, I have always been made conscious about the vulnerability of my skin tone as well as the privileges that come with it. I grew up in Ibadan, one of Africa’s largest cities in its most populous black nation, Nigeria. I went to an American school and developed friendships with my peers from several different backgrounds. This exposure allowed me the opportunity to gain an understanding of diversity within my school setting. I was also fortunate to have parents who educated their children through travel, so I increased my knowledge of different cultures during my teen years. Still, my mother always reminded me that I am vulnerable in Nigeria because of my skin tone, and the older I became,the more I experienced this for myself. Recently, I received a phone call from a friend who cautioned me about ritual killings for which my skin tone would make me a target. I laughed – not because what he said was absurd, but because it wasn’t the first time I’d heard that people with “yellow skin” are often targets for rituals; your body parts are basically worth more if you are ‘white’. Albinos are often the main targets for rituals as it is believed that they are ‘special’ people who are ‘marked’ by God. It all sounds grimy, right? But unfortunately that is the reality right now in certain parts of Nigeria. More striking is the common knowledge that there is a hierarchy in society, and that white people are considered as more worthy in most societies, especially in the West. We rather subconsciously support this remnant of colonialism and allow the subjugation of Africa to endure. This is a general and pervasive mindset that only succeeds in denouncing the already downtrodden. I have witnessed moments that have instilled immense pride in my fellow countrymen. Having queued for passport control, I watched four European men trying to barge past Nigerians in the security queue. A Nigerian immigration officer set them right, unreservedly embarrassing them by sending them to the end of the line. Everyone definitely felt a sense of pride and belonging thanks to the officer’s no-nonsense approach, but more importantly in the motivation to take their rightful stance as first class citizens.”
Vladimir Putin has been vaccinated against Covid-19, partly to encourage other Russians who remain deeply reluctant to get the jab.
Although he has previously been filmed on horseback, ice skating and flying with Siberian cranes, he chose to be vaccinated behind closed doors.
The Kremlin has not specified which vaccine Mr Putin received.
The aim was to underline “all three Russian vaccines are absolutely reliable, very good and effective,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Speaking to the BBC, he brushed off the suggestion that showing President Putin getting a shot in the arm would help persuade the sceptical majority of Russians to follow suit.
As for believing the president actually had the jab, he said people would just have to “take our word for it”.
There’s likely to be a limited increase in the slow pace of vaccination as a result.
The president’s own daughter took part in the Sputnik V safety trials, but he’s seemed oddly cautious given how highly he recommends the jab for others. Mr Putin, who is 68 years old, initially claimed he was waiting until it had been deemed safe for the over-65s. Later he said he’d wait for autumn when his doctors could fit the Covid shot in his “vaccine schedule”.
Mr Putin also told a gathering of Russian news editors that he wouldn’t be a “performing monkey” and get vaccinated before the TV cameras, surprising many with his sudden camera-shyness.
Mr Putin revealed on Monday that 6.3 million Russians had so far received one dose of a Covid vaccine since he became the world’s first leader to announce a “large-scale” vaccination back in December. That’s only around 5% of the adult population.
image captionMr Putin, 68, was back at the Kremlin ahead of his jab on Tuesday
His target is to protect 60% of adults by July – sufficient for “collective immunity” to stop the virus spreading. But that would require boosting the current vaccination-rate from just a few thousand to more than 700,000 every day – and that’s just a single dose of the vaccine.
Despite Russia touting its most widely available jab, Sputnik V, as the world’s first and best, interest at home is low and falling.
A Levada-Center poll suggests the number of Russian opposed to getting it rose to 62% in February, with most citing concerns over possible side effects despite the fact Sputnik proved safe and almost 92% effective in trials.
Many also see no urgent need for protection. There’s been no lockdown here since spring 2020, the number of new infections is currently falling and the death toll from Covid is barely mentioned.
The daily count has reached 95,818, though the number of excess deaths recorded so far is some four times higher.
The popular comedian and Hollywood actor, Kevin Hart, surprised his eldest daughter with a gift to remember on her 16th birthday.
The 41-year-old dad gave Heavens, his teen daughter, a black Mercedes SUV worth $85,000 during her birthday bash.
Heavens’ mum, who is now Kevin’s ex-wife, was also present at the party. Although the couple got divorced in 2011, the woman was graced her daughter’s wonderful bash. The birthday girl was very thrilled as she posed with her parents in the SUV.
Friends have thrown a survival party for a Nigerian lady, Dorothy Etim Edet who was rescued after she attempted suicide on her birthday.
Dorothy, a popular activist took to her Facebook page to a suicide note, after she and her two roommates were raped by four men who entered their residence. Meanwhile, before now the young lady has been a rape victim more than 5 times.
It was learnt that the other two ladies reportedly committed suicide while Dorothy tried to be strong, however, frustrated and depressed, Dorothy took to her Facebook page on her birthday, to beg for death.
Migos rapper, Quavo reportedly didn’t take back the Bentley he gifted to his now ex-girlfriend Saweetie for Christmas in the wake of their messy break-up.
This comes after MTO reported on Saturday that Quavo had her white $350,000 Bentley convertible repossessed after Saweetie announced their split on Twitter last week.
A source noted that the action was taken due to the 27-year-old rapper announcing the couple’s breakup on her Twitter account, which Quavo viewed as inappropriate.
But later on Sunday, a source told TMZ that the car was not repossessed and there’s no evidence that it ever took place.
The pair first sparked breakup rumors when they unfollowed each other on Instagram.
Bolanle Ninalowo, also known as Nino and Makanaki by many, is a Nigerian actor , film producer , influencer, author and model .He was born on May 7, 1980 to Nigerian parents in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria. He was born as the second child of eight children, and spent the first 15 years of his life in Nigeria. Thereafter, he relocated to Chicago, USA and spent another 15 years.
Bolanle attended DeVry University in U.S.A and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. Subsequently, he bagged a Masters degree in Marketing at the Keller Graduate School Management, USA.
Before Ninalowo’s attempt into the Nigerian movie industry, he first worked as an accountant in a bank in the United States of America, then relocated back to Nigeria, where he worked with Guaranty Trust Bank. Ninalowo’s first attempt into the Nollywood Nigerian movie industry was as a movie producer. He produced his first movie titled ‘Rebirth’.
Bolanle Ninalowo
He has starred in numerous films, some of which includes; What’s Within ( 2014), Ordinary People (2014), Desperate Baby Mama (2015),Spotlight( 2015), Road to Yesterday (2015),3 Is Company (2015), Dark (2015), Husbands of Lagos (TV Series, 2015-present), Miscellaneous (2016), Shoot to Kill (2016), Wife for Rent (2016), Picture Perfect (2016), The Personal Assistant ( 2017).
Nino is an award winning actor , he won several awards which includes; Revelation of the Year, Best of Nollywood Award, 2010. Best Supporting Actor of the Year ‘English’, City People Movie Award, 2017. The Best Actor in a Leading Role ‘English‘ Picture Perfect’ Best of Nollywood Awards (BON), 2017. Best Actor of the Year ‘English’ City People Movie Award, 2018. Best Actor of the Year ‘English’, City People Movie Award, 2018.
Ninalowo is married to his spouse , with whom he has two children , male and female. Nino converted from Islam to Christianity , after he found remedy to his troubles in the Bible , which he says has become his life manual.
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has said the actions and inactions of Federal and State Governments is responsible for the untimely deaths of senior citizens in the country.
The union lamented the delay in the implementation of the consequential adjustment of monthly pensions following the approval of N 30,000 national minimum wage in April 2019.
Addressing journalists at the national secretariat of NUP in Abuja during the weekend, the union’s President, Dr Abel Afolayan, alleged that a report of the committee set up by Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission has been missing since November 2020.
“It is disheartening to note that for almost 2 years running, pensioners are still awaiting the approval of their own consequential adjustment of monthly pensions in compliance with the constitutional stipulations.
“It is to inform you that the committee set up by the Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, having completed its assignment, submitted the committee’s report to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) since November 2020 for onward transmission to the President for his assent,” he said.
The union, however, commended the federal government on the payment of the 10 months residual arrears of pensions to its members through PTAD.
They said, ‘You are a savage and dangerous woman.’
“I am speaking the truth. And the truth is savage and dangerous.”
So wrote Nawal El Saadawi, who has died at the age of 89, according to Egyptian media reports.
The pioneering Egyptian doctor, feminist and writer spent decades sharing her own story and perspectives – in her novels, essays, autobiographies and eagerly attended talks.
Her brutal honesty and unwavering dedication to improving the political and sexual rights of women inspired generations.
But in daring to speak dangerously, she was also subjected to outrage, death threats and imprisonment.
“She was born with fighting spirit,” Omnia Amin, her friend and translator, told the BBC in 2020. “People like her are rare.
Born in a village outside Cairo in 1931, the second of nine children, El Saadawi wrote her first novel at the age of 13. Her father was a government official, with little money, while her mother came from a wealthy background.
Her family tried to make her marry at the age of 10, but when she resisted her mother stood by her.
Her parents encouraged her education, El Saadawi wrote, but she realised at an early age that daughters were less valued than sons. Later she would describe how she stamped her foot in fury when her grandmother told her, “a boy is worth 15 girls at least… Girls are a blight”.
Nawal El Saadawi
“She saw something wrong and she spoke out,” says Dr Amin. “Nawal can’t turn her back.”
One of the childhood experiences El Saadawi documented with uncomfortable clarity was being subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) at the age of six.
In her book, The Hidden Face of Eve, she described undergoing the agonising procedure on the bathroom floor, as her mother stood alongside.
She campaigned against FGM throughout her lifetime, arguing that it was a tool used to oppress women. FGM was banned in Egypt in 2008, but El Saadawi condemned its continued prevalence.
image captionEl Saadawi, pictured in 1986, was a fierce critic of religion
El Saadawi graduated with a degree in medicine from Cairo University in 1955 and worked as a doctor, eventually specialising in psychiatry.
She went on to become director of public health for the Egyptian government, but was dismissed in 1972 after publishing her non-fiction book, Women and Sex, which railed against FGM and the sexual oppression of women.
The magazine Health, which had she founded a few years earlier, was closed down in 1973.
Still, she continued to speak out and write. In 1975, she published Woman at Point Zero, a novel based on a real life account of a woman on death row she had met.
It was followed in 1977 by the Hidden Face of Eve, in which she documented her experiences as a village doctor witnessing sexual abuse, “honour killings” and prostitution. It caused outrage, with critics accusing her of reinforcing stereotypes of Arab women.
Then, in September 1981, El Saadawi was arrested as part of a round-up of dissidents under President Anwar Sadat and held in prison for three months. There she wrote her memoirs on toilet paper, using an eyebrow pencil smuggled to her by a jailed sex worker.
“She did things that people just didn’t venture to do, but for her it was normal,” Dr Amin says.
“She wasn’t thinking about breaking rules or regulations, but telling her truth.”
People may need to wear face coverings and socially distance for several years until we return to normality, a leading epidemiologist has predicted.
Mary Ramsay, the head of immunisation at Public Health England, said basic measures could be in place until other countries successfully roll out jabs.
She also said a return of big spectator events required careful monitoring and clear instructions about staying safe.
Dr Ramsay said restrictions such as face coverings in crowded places and social distancing had become accepted by many and still allowed the economy to function.
She said “people have got used to those lower-level restrictions now, and people can live with them, and the economy can still go on with those less severe restrictions in place”.
“So I think certainly for a few years, at least until other parts of the world are as well vaccinated as we are, and the numbers have come down everywhere, that is when we may be able to go very gradually back to a more normal situation,” she added.
Warning it was “very important that we do not relax too quickly”, Dr Ramsay said any circulating virus would inevitably pick on those who are vulnerable.
“We have to look very carefully before any of these restrictions are lifted,” she said.
Prof Chris Whitty, the UK government’s chief medical adviser, told MPs earlier this month that it was hoped “simple interventions like washing hands, face masks where appropriate, test-and-trace, and above all vaccines” would keep the virus controlled beyond the summer.
Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, has also said face masks could be needed in certain situations if the number of infections rises in the winter, but that it was possible people will naturally behave in a way that promotes social distancing.
A group of government scientific advisers said last month that “maintaining a baseline of policies which reduce transmission” will be necessary for some time to come.
Those experts said these could include continuing test-and-trace, self-isolation, and public messaging that encourages “voluntary actions to reduce risks”.
A Nigerian lady with the name, Ego Oyibo has publicly celebrated the end of her marriage as she’s said she’s “ready to party” after the finalization of the divorce.
Ego took to her Twitter page on Friday, March 19, to announce the completion of her divorce proceedings. Sharing dancing gifs, Ego thanked the Lagos State High Court for being instrumental to ending her marriage while adding that she is now ready to party.
Nollywood actress, Nkechi Blessing, has disclosed why she kept her marriage and childbirth off social media.
In an exclusive interview with The Punch, Nkechi about her greatest fear, marriage and son.
“My marriage is the part of my life I wanted to be quiet about. I know that I have always been loud about all my relationships but I also like and deserve privacy too. I only show people what I want them to see. It is my marriage and everyone should not know who I am married to. My husband does not like social media. Before some people bombard him with messages on social media, looking for what is not lost.
He does not even comment on my Instagram posts. I know I am a loud person but even spiritually, it is advisable not to always have too much buzz around everything one does. I gave birth and no one knew until they saw my child. Everything is possible as long as one has people who are not selling one out. It is one’s friends that often sell one out, and once one cuts that down, one’s secret would be safe.
“My husband knows what I can do and he is not bothered about gossips he reads online. He is what people call the ‘ginger partner’.
He knows the truth about me and that is why I can be unapologetic of my actions. I think it is important for one to marry an understanding partner.” The bubbly actress also stated that her greatest fear was losing her mother. She said, “Of course, I have fears and down moments. My greatest fear is losing my mum. I don’t ever want to lose her. In fact, if it is possible to keep her for life, I will do that. I also do not have any insecurity. I am always confident in myself. I don’t entertain any insecurity.
The only time things get to me is when false claims are peddled about me. Most of the things that go viral about me are not true. But, I always resist the urge to give a detailed explanation to defend myself. I also wonder why rumour mongers do not allow me to be. Why would people twist a story to entertain their audience. But, this is the life I signed up for and I had already prepared my mind for it. I have also learnt from some of the people I am close friends with. I know and see what they have also been through at the hands of bullies and trolls.”
The Indian city of Mumbai is to roll out mandatory coronavirus tests in crowded places as the country grapples with a rise in infections.
The local government said rapid tests would be done randomly in areas such as shopping centres and train stations.
A refusal to be tested will “amount to an offence”, it said.
India recorded 40,953 new Covid cases on Saturday, the biggest daily jump for nearly four months. A total 159,000 people have died with the disease.
It has seen more than 11.5 million cases of coronavirus infections so far – and the number has been steadily climbing for weeks as the country scrambles to vaccinate its population and identify highly contagious variants of the disease.
In Mumbai, a coronavirus hotspot in the western state of Maharashtra, 2,982 people have contracted the disease in the past 24 hours.
How will the tests work?
The rapid tests will be mandatory in crowded places such as shopping centres and train stations from 22 March, city officials said.
The tests will be carried out for free – except those at shopping centres, where the costs will be covered by individuals.
Mumbai officials did not specify what action would be taken against those who refuse to have tests.
The local authority said it would use rapid antigen tests (RATs), a type of test that detects the presence of proteins unique to the coronavirus.
But research shows these tests are less reliable than other types and sometimes produce incorrect results.
What’s the coronavirus situation in India?
India has recorded the third-highest number of infections, and the fourth-highest number of deaths, of any country in the world.
Infections started to dip at the start of 2021, but doctors have blamed a fresh wave on poor adherence to restrictions.
In recent weeks Maharashtra, which has long been a virus hotspot, has accounted for the majority of new infections.
Seven other states – including Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh – are also reporting a resurgence of Covid-19.
Some regions in India have brought back restrictions, including lockdowns and restaurant closures, while more are believed to be considering similar moves.
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