Politics, World News

APC never sought for I and my wife’s consent before adding us to its Presidential Campaign Council – CAN member

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A member of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam has said that the All Progressives Congress never sought his consent and that of his wife, Prof.

Funmi Para-Mallam, before including their names in its Presidential Campaign Council list.

Para-Mallam in a statement he released, stated that he and his wife are not card-carrying members of any political party in the country.

He added that he also respects CAN’s stance on the Muslim-Muslim ticket being flown by the APC.

The statement read;

“My attention has been drawn to a list in circulation which indicates that I (or my wife – Prof. (Funmi) Para-Mallam) have been nominated to serve in the APC’s Presidential Campaign Council.

Neither of us is aware of this nomination and our consent was not sorted.“Nigeria is a great country; our present setbacks notwithstanding.

But I believe that Nigeria will be great again. I love this country. I am not a partisan politician. I am a clergyman and a social justice peace advocate. I am non-partisan. I am also not a card-carrying member of any political party in Nigeria today (not that it would be wrong, but I am not at moment).

“Besides, CAN has taken a position against any Muslim-Muslim ticket and any Christian-Christian ticket. I respect that decision. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious country.

This contextual reality needs to show in the way our political parties play their politics through fair internal party politics.

“Accepting to serve in the APC’s Presidential Campaign Council will negate this fundamental reality of what we are as a multi-religious country. Politics of inclusiveness should override politics of exclusion not just in 2023 but beyond.

“I, therefore, wish to distance myself from membership of any campaign team of any political party in the forthcoming 2023 elections. I have some respected and close friends in all the major political parties.

I will continue to work to promote political harmony and peaceful co-existence in Nigeria. May God give Nigeria peaceful 2023 elections.

“God bless Nigeria and guide both the parties and Nigerians as the campaign season commences.”

World News

Balenciaga officially cuts ties with Kanye West over anti-semitic comments

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Luxury fashion label, Balenciaga, has officially cut ties with Billionaire rapper and long time collaborator, Kanye West following his recent string of antisemitic and offensive remarks.

Balenciaga began distancing itself from West following his controversial appearance on the podcast Drink Champs released last week, where he falsely claimed that George Floyd wasn’t murdered but killed by fentanyl.

On Oct. 17, the fashion giant issued a statement saying West’s runway look from Balenciaga’s Spring 2023 show at Paris Fashion Week had been deleted from Vogue Runway, as well as the Balenciaga website.

Additionally, Balenciaga said it had removed a section on its website dedicated to the three Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga collaborations, which launched earlier this year.

Those items were also no longer available on other online retailers.Following its third-quarter earnings report Thursday, October 20,2022, the fashion label’s parent company Kering said in a statement to WWD, “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist.”

With Balenciaga severing ties, West has lost one of his closest and oldest partners in the luxury fashion world.

The two have been entwined for years, largely thanks to West’s long-standing relationship with the fashion house’s creative director Demna Gvasalia, which dates back to around 2014, when Vestments — the label Demna founded with his brother, Guram Gvasalia broke through in the fashion world.

In 2015, the Gvaslia brothers consulted West on his Yeezy Season 1 line, and by the end of the year, Demna was signed to head up Balenciaga.

West and Demna’s relationship really solidified in 2019. The two texted constantly and eventually started working together again, with Demna serving as the creative director on West’s Donda listening parties in 2021.

“With Ye, I have something that I don’t really have with other people, where anything is possible,” Demna told The Times last year.

“For me, talking with him is like going back in time to the 8-year-old me who doesn’t have all these barriers and filters. We spent like two and a half hours talking about buttons.

Those kinds of conversations help me to evolve as a designer because I think: ‘Yeah, why do we do it like this? Why buttons? Why packaging?’ I never thought about that before.”

World News

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss Resigns

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British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her resignation on Thursday as Conservative Party leader after just six weeks in power and said her successor would be elected by the end of next week.

“I recognise that given the situation I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.

I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party,” Truss said.

A leadership election for MPs to select her successor will be “completed within the next week,” she added.

She took office only six weeks ago after Boris Johnson’s resignation.

Of late, Truss battled to stabilise her position after an economic crash forced her into humiliating U-turns on tax reforms.

World News

Nigerian student killed by propeller of private plane he rented for dinner date in America

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A Nigerian student schooling in the US was killed by a propeller of the private plane he had rented for a dinner date.

Sani Aliyu, 21, died on Sunday night, October 16, in a freak accident after walking into a spinning propeller of a small plane on the way back from a date.

The Georgia Southern University student was returning to the plane, which was piloted by his two friends, when he was hit twice in the head at Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport.

Mr Aliyu and his date were heading to nearby Savannah, which is around 55 miles of Statesboro from the main campus of the university, where he was studying.

Bulloch County Coroner Jake Futch told Statesboro Herald:

“They flew to Savannah to go on a date, flew back, landed at the Statesboro Airport, and the young lady got off the plane, and he got off the airplane and walked toward the front of the plane. “And when he did, the propeller hit him.”

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the accident happened when the aircraft had “taxied onto the ramp area” and was left stood still around 10.35pm on Sunday.

The single-engine Cessna was carrying four passengers on the plane, the pilot, the co-pilot along with Mr Aliyu and his date.

No one else was injured.

A spokesperson for the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, Todd Hutchens, said the incident was an accident and no one was at fault:

“Nobody is really at fault of anything. It was an accident.” Georgia Southern University have paid tribute to Mr Aliyu, who was a management major.

World News

Two Nigerian nationals arrested in Malawi over alleged illegal entry

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Two Nigerian nationals have been arrested by police in Mulanje, Malawi over alleged illegal entry into the country.

Mulanje Police Deputy spokesperson, Leah Kambalame, who confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, identified the duo as Kingsley Mwachuku, 25 and Vincent Onyeneka, 27.

Police arrested them on the night of October 17, 2022 after receiving a tip-off from residents that there were suspicious people staying at Mathambi village.

Upon receipt of the information, police rushed to the scene and arrested them. They both have no proper documents allowing them to stay in Malawi.

The duo has been charged with illegal entry which contravenes section 21 of the Penal code and will appear in court soon.

Kambalame said the police wishes to appreciate the community for the partnership in ensuring a safe and secure country.

World News

Former NFL player Antonio Dennard shot dead outside a bar

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Former NFL cornerback Antonio Dennard was shot and killed outside a bar in Reading, Pennsylvania, over the weekend.

32-year-old Dennard was pronounced dead at 3:15 AM on October 16, after being transported to Reading Hospital for a gunshot wound.

TMZ Sports reported that Berks County Coroner’s Office ruled the former NFL player’s death as a homicide and police are currently investigating.

Prior to his death, Dennard spent time in the NFL with the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars over the course of his career.

An autopsy for Dennard is scheduled for Tuesday, October 18.

World News

Singer dies after collapsing on stage in Paris

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A Haitian singer, Michael Benjamin popularly known as Mikaben, has died at the age of 41 after collapsing on stage.

Mikaben was reportedly performing onstage in Paris with the Haitian konpa band CaRiMi when he reportedly collapsed.

A video footage from the concert shows Mikaben walking offstage when he suddenly collapses to the ground.

The incident unfolded live on Twitter, with Frantz Duval, editor of a Haitian newspaper, first alerting fans that something was wrong.

Singer Mickael Guirand, then told fans to clear out. “End of the concert. We must evacuate the room,” Guirand said. “It’s very complicated. We need prayers.” The venue was cleared while he was being tended to, with reports indicating that he was given CPR.

Mikaben was a respected singer, composer, guitarist, and producer whose hit “Ayti Se” touched millions in the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake.

He was born in Port-au-Prince and began writing at age 15. Mikaben released multiple albums, formed the group Krezi Mizik, and also worked as a producer. He was married to Vanessa Fanfan, and the couple had a daughter and another child on the way. Mikaben also had a son from a previous relationship.

World News

Selena Gomez and Ex-Boyfriend Justin Bieber’s Wife Hailey put feud rumors to rest as they pose for photos

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Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber presented a united front as they posed for a photo. For years, fans of Selena have dragged Hailey because she married Justin Bieber just months after he and Selena separated after years together.

Recently, Hailey granted an interview to deny reports that she began dating Justin while he was with Selena.

She said she respected Justin and Selena’s relationship while it was going on, and didn’t interfere at all.

Selena also went on TikTok to call her fans to order, begging them to stop spreading hate.

Both women met on Saturday night, October 15, at the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles and they posed for a picture.

World News

Female driver crushes pregnant woman and two passengers to death in Lagos

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A female motorist reportedly crushed three passengers, including a pregnant woman and a girl, to death in Agege area of Lagos State.

The accident happened on Iju-Ishaga Road around 4pm on Saturday, October 15, 2022, when the woman’s car hit a tricycle conveying the passengers inward Agege.

According to Punch report, all the passengers including an elderly woman lost their lives while the tricycle rider sustained injuries and was rushed to a hospital.

An eyewitness, Mayokun Oluwadara, said commuters had shouted at the motorist to reduce her speed.

“A woman was driving a private car at top speed. People were shouting at her to slow down. The area is usually clumsy with people and traffic.

Unfortunately, that road was clear that day and the woman saw it as an opportunity to race through. She hit the tricycle from behind,” he narrated.

Oluwadara said good Samaritans rushed the pregnant woman and the young girl to the hospital, hoping that they could be saved.

“People were very particular about the pregnant woman and the small girl because of the pregnancy and the girl’s age. They were evacuated immediately. Some people said the pregnant woman and the girl might still be breathing. But they were dead because some of us saw that they were not moving at all,” he added.

It was further learnt that the female driver sped off towards the Agege Underbridge after the accident.

Residents were said to have alerted park operators in the area to stop the car. She was eventually intercepted at the Agege Underbridge and handed over to the police.

Spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the incident however, said the police had a record of one passenger, who died on the spot.

World News

Police launch manhunt for man who raped another man in a park

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The Metropolitan Police in the UK has launched a manhunt for a man in his 50s who allegedly raped another man in his 20s in a park.

Officers released an e-fit of the man, showing him of slim build with a short grey beard.

He was wearing a black thin-rimmed glasses, a blue top, blue shorts and a luminous yellow cap.

Commenting on the manhunt, Metropolitan Police detective constable Hannah Saunders said;

“We have released an e-fit image of the man we want to speak to.“Given the detailed description provided I hope someone may recognise him – if you do, please get in contact.”

World News

Nigerian sprinter, Tobi Amusan nominated for Women’s World Athlete award

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Nigerian sprinter and World Champion, Tobi Amusan, has been nominated for 2022 Women’s World Athlete of the Year.

The 25-year-old, who is the current world’s record holder for 100m hurdles, made the list alongside nine others.

The World Athletics (WA) said on Wednesday that the list was compiled by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas.

Other contenders for the prize are the Jamaican duo of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, Chase Ealey of the US, and Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela.

Others include Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas, Sydney McLaughlin of the US, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh, and Kimberly Garcia of Peru.

WA said the five finalists will be determined by “a three-way voting process.” Votes from fans on social media and the federation’s ” family” each hold 25 percent of the result.

The remaining 50 percent count of the vote goes to the World Athletics council.

The voting will close on October 31 while the winner of the grand prize will be revealed in December.

“The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the World Athletics social media platforms.

Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube this week; a ‘like’ on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote,” WA wrote.

“The World Athletics Council’s vote will count for 50% of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25% of the final result.

“Voting for the World Athletes of the Year closes at midnight on Monday 31 October. At the conclusion of the voting process, five women and five men finalists will be announced by World Athletics.

“The winners will be revealed on World Athletics’ social media platforms in early December.”

World News

Nigerian man arrested in Cambodia for allegedly defrauding woman of $5,000 on Facebook

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A 37-year-old Nigerian man has been arrested in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for allegedly defrauding a woman of $5,000 on Facebook.

The suspect identified simply as ‘Kel Chi’ was arrested on Tuesday morning, October 11, 2022 by the light criminal police department of the Ministry of Interior and sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for legal action.

According to local media, the 24-year-old victim, Un Srey Net, was approached with a Facebook account named Don Richard in August 2022.

In September 2022, Don Richard’s Facebook account told the victim that he wanted to send some supplies and money from Korea to the victim by air.

The victim then received a phone call from a man claiming to be a customs officer at Phnom Penh Airport, saying that $10,000 was needed to pay tax on the imported items.

The family of the victim sent $5,000 via a remittance service but then became suspicious and contacted authorities, which resulted in the arrest of Mr Chi.

World News

Cholera kills 233 in 31 states, 173 die of Lassa Fever – NCDC

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has revealed that a total of 10, 217 suspected cases of cholera, including 233 deaths, have been recorded in 31 states this year.

Speaking at a ministerial briefing where he gave an update on COVID-19 response and development in the health sector, Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa said on Tuesday October 11, that there’s a 47 percent increase in the number of new suspected cholera cases in August epidemiological week 36-39 (4017) compared with July epidemiological week 31-35 (2151).

Adetifa also said there’s been 933 confirmed cases and 173 deaths from Lassa fever as at Week 39, from 25 states. Out of all the confirmed cases, 71 percent were from Ondo, Edo and Bauchi States.

He also said that out of 18,545 confirmed measles cases, 234 deaths were recorded as at week 39 in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Out of 1,180 suspected Monkeypox cases, 481 cases were confirmed and seven deaths have been recorded this year.

Adetifa also said that COVID-19 cases had continued to decline in various countries, and case trends in Nigeria have varied.

Entertainment, Lifestyle, World News

Actor Tom Cruise forced to hire heavyweight bodyguards after string of death threats from former employee

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American actor and producer, Tom Cruise has reportedly hired a security team after he and director Christopher McQuarrie received a series of threats from a former employee.

The A-list actor, 60, and the Mission: Impossible filmmaker, 53, acquired the services of the security team after a stunt producer was let go, which led to ‘angry protests’ and ‘fears of further reprisals,’ The Sun reported.

An insider with the film told the outlet, ‘Tom and Chris are still working on Mission: Impossible 8, mostly in the UK, but things have got increasingly unpleasant with a former crew member and now it’s a case of taking no chances.’

‘It’s a bit of art imitating life, on set it’s all about heavy protection and threats and now the same thing is going on behind the cameras.’

According to the outlet, the employee had been assigned to find filming locations for scenes – including one depicting a train crash – but his plans were not put into motion in the film.

The Top Gun: Maverick leading man ‘is used to having security teams around him most of the time because of his fame,’ the insider said, ‘but for Chris it’s a very new thing,’ as ‘nobody is taking any chances.’

The employee who was let go has began litigation toward Cruise, McQuarrie, and Paramount Studios, the outlet reported, and has made accusations about Russian oligarchs financing Cruise’s work and a related FBI investigation into Paramount over the financing.

The source noted that while ‘it’s all turned very n*sty … those involved in the films are confident everything is totally fine, he’s just an angry ex-staff member.’

Lifestyle, World News

Man sues former NFL star Antonio Brown for allegedly selling him a fake Richard Mille watch for $160,000

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NFL free agent, Antonio Brown is being sued for allegedly selling a man a fake $160,000 Richard Mille watch.

A man named Ryan Kane has filed a lawsuit in Broward County, FL. where Brown resides alleging the former football star ‘knew [it] was a fake but represented [the watch] to be genuine.’

In the lawsuit, filed earlier this week, Kane is suing the ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout for fraud, among other things. The plaintiff is seeking $160,000 plus interest for his troubles.

Less than two months later, Kane reportedly took the watch for appraisal in Miami, only to learn it was a fake and that Brown had purchased it from Dubai, alongside three other Richard Mille fakes for less than $500 a piece from a dealer.

Brown allegedly told Kane the watch was an RM 011 model worth ‘in excess of $400,000.’

The watch Kane thought he had purchased was released in 2007 in conjunction with Formula 1 driver, Felipe Massa.

The former NFL star is yet to comment on the matter.

World News

Oil thieves are Nigeria’s biggest enemies – Ahmad Lawan

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Senate President Ahmad Lawan has said that oil thieves are Nigeria’s biggest enemies.

Lawan said this during the 2023 budget presentation in the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, on Friday October 7.

The Senate President who revealed that Nigeria loses between 700,000 and 900,000 oil barrels per day, which has translated to 35% loss in oil revenue, thanked the president for timely presentation of the budget, adding that it would give the National Assembly enough time to consider and pass it.

Lawan said;

“The oil theft in the country has taken a monumental dimension. Nigeria now loses between 700,000 and 900,000 barrels per day, which has translated to 35% loss in oil revenue.

“The oil thieves are worst enemies of the country and have declared war against the country. So, drastic action must be taken to tame the activities of the thieves.”

He concluded by saying that the 2023 budget should target the completion of the ongoing project, especially the legacy project.

Lifestyle, World News

WHO warns against 4 India-made cough syrups

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned against taking four cough syrups made from India.

BBC reported that the drugs manufactured by an Indian company, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, could be linked to the deaths of 66 children in The Gambia.

The International Health Agency said the company failed to provide guarantees about the safety of patients who might have taken it.

WHO said;

‘’The syrups have been potentially linked with acute kidney injuries and 66 deaths among children”

Maiden Pharmaceuticals is yet to react to the development.

Lifestyle, World News

Former WWE wrestler, Sara Lee dead at 30

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Former WWE wrestler, Sara Lee, has died at the age of 30.

Lee, who in August 2015 won the sixth season of WWE’s reality show competition Tough Enough, posted a photo of herself in gym clothes the day before her death.

‘Celebrating finally being healthy enough to go to the gym 2 days in a row – first ever sinus infection kicked my butt,’ she wrote.

Lee’s mother Terri announced the news on Facebook but did not say how she died.

‘It is with heavy hearts we wanted to share that our Sara Weston has gone to be with Jesus,’ she wrote.

‘We are all in shock and arrangements are not complete. We ask that you respectfully let our family mourn. We all need prayers, especially Cory and her children.’

Lee is survived by her husband Cory Weston, who went by the wrestling name Wesley Blake, and three children.

Born in Hope Township, Michigan, Lee was a competitive powerlifter in high school and went on to study medical sonography at Delta College in Bay City, Michigan.

She entered the WWE reality TV show and was declared the winner by a fan vote, with the prize of a $250,000 contract for a year with WWE.

In 2016 she left the franchise and has since then trained in Orlando, Florida, with Team Vision Dojo.

Lee and Weston married in December 2017, and are parents to daughter Piper, aged five; three-year-old son Brady, and a baby boy born in August 2021.

World News

Ethiopian Airlines will no longer issue visas on arrival to Nigerian citizens

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Ethiopian Airlines has said it will no longer issue visas on arrival to Nigerian citizens and those of other African countries.

According to a document sent by the airlines and made available to The PUNCH, the aviation company stated as thus,

“Please be informed that effective immediately, no more visa on arrival for Nigerian Citizens.

”The circular explained that “passengers are to obtain their visa at the Ethiopian embassy in Abuja before travelling.”

It was earlier reported that the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed that Ethiopian Airlines emerged a core investor in the Nigerian National Carrier, Nigeria Air, following a bid.

Sirika, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, said Ethiopian Airlines won the bid with a consortium and would have 95 controlling shares in the airline.

Speaking on the latest developments, an expert in the industry, Olumide Ohunayo, noted that Ethiopia’s decision was not in fair interest of its partnership process with Nigeria.

“I doubt if Ethiopia has given us some respect. Here is an airline that is trying to partner us as a national carrier, who already has about three points of entry into the country using the Togolese national carrier.”

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