An official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Obasu Godwin was killed when commercial drivers plying Bariga to Oshodi attacked LASTMA officials in the area. Godwin was said to have been hacked to death with machetes. The General Manager of LASTMA,Olajide Oduyoye condemned the incident on Thursday, March 18, 2021, describing it as “senseless and unwarranted”.
Oduyoye also disclosed that another LASTMA officer, Adeniyi Hakeem was assaulted by operators of minibuses better known as ‘korope’ at the Anthony area of the state.null He said, “Obasu Segun Godwin and Adeniyi Hakeem were attacked with machetes and other dangerous weapons by the driver of a commercial bus with registration number FKJ 452 YC, plying Bariga to Oshodi via the Ikorodu Road axis in cohort with some other drivers, after his vehicle was apprehended for contravening the Traffic Law of the State. “The sad fact about the whole saga was that the two officers were in mufti and on their way home, having completed their morning shift and closed for the day before the recalcitrant commercial bus drivers went berserk, seeking any LASTMA officers to attack for carrying out their statutory duties. “Obasu was struck severally with machetes resulting in deep lacerations on the head and his eventual death, while Adeniyi Hakeem, who was also attacked in a similar fashion has been hospitalised and in a coma.” The LASTMA boss added that some senior officers, who were also in mufti and around the area were lucky to escape the mob attack. He warned that “all cultists doubling as commercial bus drivers that any traffic violation or infraction shall be punished or penalised as enacted by the Lagos State House of Assembly”. Oduyoy said seven of the culprits have been handed over to the police while the driver of the bus and others are still at large.
The organisation said West is currently worth less than one-third of that. Forbes has refuted reports that celebrity Kanye West is worth nearly $7 billion, saying such estimates are based on the magical thinking around sales that don’t exist yet.
The organisation said West is currently worth less than one-third of that. On Wednesday, multiple outlets reported that Kanye West is the richest Black person in America, worth as much as $6.6 billion.
The news comes after Bloomberg reported that his sneaker brand Yeezy — as well as Yeezy Gap, which has yet to sell one item of clothing — have a combined value of as much as $4.7 billion. The publication mentioned, without going into full detail, an additional $1.7 billion in assets.
“It’s not true, based on our calculations. Forbes estimates he’s worth less than a third of that, or $1.8 billion. That’s a big jump from last May when Forbes first pegged his net worth to be $1.3 billion, but nowhere near as much as the purported $6.6 billion. Vista Equity’s Robert F. Smith remains the richest Black person in the US, worth an estimated $6 billion, while Aliko Dangote of Nigeria, worth $11.8 billion, is the richest black person in the world.
Kanye West
“The sky high estimate is the latest of West’s attempts to inflate his net worth—in the past he’s said that Forbes was “purposely snubbing me.”
“In actuality, it’s nothing personal. Forbes’ much more grounded number is based on that old-fashioned idea of current revenues — not theoretical future expectations. Yeezy Gap has brought in no revenue, let alone any profits. Who knows if the line will be popular. Maybe another hip-hop star will create the next trendy sneaker in a year or two, and Yeezys will be old news. The same thinking goes for Yeezy Supply, West’s ecommerce platform. He has high hopes to turn it into a fashion destination — as of now, it just shills his shoes.
“As for Yeezy sneakers, they’re selling crazy well. The company’s revenue grew 30% last year. and its most recent limited drop, the 450 in Cloud White, sold out in under a minute. Analysts with whom we spoke agree there’s growth left in the business, and if that occurs, his net worth will continue to climb. But even that’s not 100% certain, so for now, we are sticking with 2020’s numbers,” the Forbes report said.
“Forbes is treating West the same way we do everyone else with similar royalty-based businesses: we take the most recent year’s licensing income and apply a multiple to it to account for the fact that this is an ongoing revenue stream. This is how we value Donald Trump’s licensing businesses and Jay-Z’s music catalogue.
“West’s wildly optimistic approach to his net worth mirrors the approach used by Donald Trump, who insists the value of his name be included in any net worth estimate. Trump, who we value at $2.5 billion, says his brand has an intrinsic value, regardless of actual revenue. West and his camp are making a similar argument for businesses attached to the Yeezy name,” it added.
As Tanzania’s Vice President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, is set to take over as head of state after the sudden death of John Magufuli, here’s a rundown of African women presidents. Liberia: Pioneer Sirleaf Dubbed “Africa’s Iron Lady”, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made history when she became the continent’s first elected woman president in 2005.
The economist, a former international civil servant and finance minister, won a second term in 2011 and the Nobel Peace Prize the same year. She stood down in 2018 at the end of her second mandate. Sirleaf managed to maintain peace in the troubled West African country ravaged by civil wars, but her economic record was less strong and extreme poverty persists. Malawi: Joyce Banda Joyce Banda became Malawi’s first female president in 2012, stepping up from vice president to the position after the death of Bingu wa Mutharika. She left the country in 2014 under a cloud, having lost the presidential election and facing questioning over a corruption scandal known as “Cashgate”. She later returned to Malawi after four years in exile. Central African Republic: Samba-Panza The lawyer Catherine Samba-Panza was elected in 2014 as transition president when the country was in the grip of a civil war. She held the post until 2016. She ran in the 2020 presidential election but lost to the incumbent. Ceremonial presidents In Mauritius the world-renowned biologist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim was elected by the National Assembly in 2015, becoming the first woman to hold the largely ceremonial role in the archipelago. Implicated in a financial scandal, she resigned in 2018. In Ethiopia, the diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde was elected president in 2018 by parliamentarians, also making her the first woman to hold the honorary role. (AFP)
A 14-year-old student of Reverend Kuti Memorial Grammar School, Isabo, Abeokuta, Ogun State, had been beaten to death by three boys, said to be her classmates. It was gathered that Waliat Keshinro, who was in JSS 2 alongside the three boys, was attacked on her way home from school on February 24th. DAILY POST learnt that the boys severely beat and assaulted the deceased girl, leaving her with “internal injuries”.
But, the poor girl, it was said, managed to return home that day, pretending not to have been physically attacked and assaulted. However, a few days after, she became ill and was taken to the State Hospital, Ijaye, from where she was later referred to the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba, all in Abeokuta. Our correspondent gathered that the teenage girl died in the course of treatment at the hospital. Her father, Ajani Keshinro, said his daughter died while she was about to have an X-ray, saying he had spent a lot of money to keep her alive.
Speaking, Waliat’s mother, Iyabo Keshinro, expressed sadness that her daughter did not inform her that she was attacked by her classmates on her way home, narrating amidst tears, how she would miss her dear child. Iyabo said the deceased spoke up when things had gone out of hand, adding that she mentioned those who beat her before she died. The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, has confirmed the incident. Oyeyemi said the three boys mentioned have been arrested by the police for investigation.
According to him, Waliat was beaten and threatened not to tell anybody about the incident. “A student from Reverend Kuti Memorial Grammar School, Abeokuta, had a fracas with some of her classmates and she was seriously beaten by three or four of them. They threatened her not to inform anybody about the incident.
After the beating, she fell sick and was taken to FMC Abeokuta, where she was undergoing treatment. I think after about three days, she revealed what happened to her parents. Unfortunately, not quite long after the revelation, she gave up the ghost and the parents came to the station to report.
“The police are on top of the situation. Investigations have commenced. Those she mentioned when she was about to give up have been apprehended. The necessary medical report that is needed has been applied for and once we can establish that she died as a result of the beating, the case will be charged to court,” Oyeyemi said.
Gold deposits have been discovered along the Abuja, Nasarawa axis through the National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development. Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, disclosed this while playing host to the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, in Abuja. In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by his media aide, the minister, Ayodeji Adeyemi, told his guest that the FMMSD would develop the mineral resources in Nasarawa. He said his ministry had resolved to avoid a repeat of the Zamfara experience (where bandits were mainly in charge of the gold mining) in Nasarawa State. He added that the NIMEP project, which had cost the ministry N15bn, generated many geoscience data that got foreign investors excited about the mining prospects across the country. Adegbite was quoted as saying, “Nasarawa State is the home of solid minerals in the country. We had an earlier discussion about the recent discovery of precious minerals in the Nasarawa, Abuja axis. “As you might be aware, we have been talking about this for a while. There is a programme we call NIMEP, executed by the ministry where the government has put about N15bn into exploration for minerals, one of which is gold. “We have done this exploration across the country and we have discovered a very nice track of gold deposits, especially between Abuja and Nasarawa, where we share borders.”
Adegbite allayed the concerns of the Nasarawa State Government about the menace of illegal gold mining snowballing in the state due to the large deposits of gold in the state. He said the ministry was working with relevant security agencies to avert such unwanted activities from happening. On his part, the governor of Nasarawa state said his state was prepared to work with the ministry to prevent the snowballing of illegal mining in Nasarawa. Sule stressed that his administration was indeed concerned about the threat of illegal mining and its associated vices. He noted that despite experiencing some form of illegal mining of gold in the area called Ukai, the area had attracted some respectable companies who were mining legally in the state.
Kanye West has become the richest Black man in U.S. history, as it’s revealed he’s now worth a whopping $6.6 billion.
The 43-year-old’s worth is led by his Yeezy line which is now in partnership with Adidas AG and Gap Inc, with the business valued between $3.2 billion and $4.7 billion.
According to Bloomberg, the upcoming collaboration between Yeezy and Gap – which is set to hit stores this summer “could be worth as much as $970 million of that total” with additional income coming from his music catalog, cash, stocks and business investments such as estranged wife Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS underwear brand.
As well as having $1.7 billion in other assets, ‘Ye has $110 million from his music catalogue and $122 million in cash.
West currently has full ownership and creative control of the Yeezy brand by himself after he previously signed a 10-year agreement to design and sell clothes under the Yeezy Gap label last year, Bloomberg adds.
Citing the document obtained by their outlet, Bloomberg noted that the new Gap line is expected “to break $150 million in sales in its first full year in 2022.”
Kanye West
News of Kanye’s worth comes days after his 22nd Grammy win for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for his LP Jesus Is King.
It also comes amid his split with estranged wife Kim Kardashian, who filed for divorce last month. The couple share four children: daughters North, 7½, and Chicago, 3, and sons Saint, 5, and Psalm, who will turn 2 in May.
Brazil is experiencing a historic collapse of its health service as intensive care units in hospitals run out of capacity, its leading health institute, Fiocruz, has warned.
Covid-19 units in all but two of Brazil’s 27 states are at or above 80% capacity, according to Fiocruz.
In Rio Grande do Sul state there are no intensive care beds available at all.
The warning came as the country registered its highest daily death toll yet with 2,841 dying within 24 hours.
“The analysis by our researchers suggests it’s the biggest collapse of the hospital and health service in Brazil’s history.”
Health officials in Brazil’s most populous state, São Paulo, which on Tuesday also registered a record daily death toll, have called on the new health minister to consider imposing a national lockdown.
Marcelo Queiroga – who will be formally appointed as health minister later on Wednesday – is the fourth person to hold the office since the pandemic began.
image captionMarcelo Queiroga will take over from General Eduardo Pazuello as health minister on Wednesday
He was given the job on Monday by President Jair Bolsonaro, who has faced widespread criticism over his handling of the pandemic.
President Bolsonaro has consistently opposed quarantine measures introduced by state governors, arguing that the collateral damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the virus itself.
Lockdown ahead?
In remarks to the media on Tuesday, Mr Queiroga urged Brazilians to wear masks and wash their hands but stopped short of endorsing a lockdown or even social distancing measures.
The cardiologist told CNN Brasil that while “lockdowns were used in extreme situations, they could not be government policy”.
image captionIn São Paulo, lockdown measures imposed by the state governor triggered protests
That drew a strong response from João Gabbardo, the head of Sao Paulo’s Covid-19 emergency body.
A man has graduated from University as an amputee after he was allegedly hit by a stay bullet while taking part in the End SARS protest.
The man was reportedly protesting with others at Auchi when a bullet hit him in the leg. As a result, one of his legs had to be amputated.
A photo of him, taken immediately after his final exams, shows him on crutches as his friends sign on his shirt with a marker.
The caption on the photo reads: “Few months back before ENDSARS he was with his 2 legs and now he’s graduating with 1 leg after a stray bullet from Army hit his leg in Auchi during the Protest. My heart bleed after seeing this. Don’t give up bro, you destiny will never be wasted.”
Police in the US state of Georgia have identified four of the eight people who were killed in mass shootings at three massage parlours in the Atlanta area.
Officials say it is still too early to know whether the attack, in which six Asian women were killed, was racially motivated.
Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said the suspect may have been a patron and claimed to have a “sex addiction”.
The attack comes amid a sharp uptick in crimes against Asian-Americans.
Four of the victims have been identified as Ashley Yaun, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Xiaojie Yan, 49; and Daoyou Feng, 44. Elcias R Hernandez-Ortiz was identified as having been injured.
What did police say?
In a news conference on Wednesday, investigators said suspect Robert Aaron Long admitted to the shooting spree, and said that he denied that the attack was motivated by race.
“He apparently has an issue, what he considers a sex addiction, and sees these locations as a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate,” said Capt Jay Baker, adding that Mr Long was caught with a 9mm handgun and did not resist arrest.
Massage parlours are known to sometimes provide prostitution services, but authorities say there is no indication yet that this is the case at the targeted locations.
“These are legally operating businesses that have not been on our radar,” said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who added that the city would not engage in “victim shaming, victim blaming”.
Police also noted it is still too early in the investigation to definitively state a motive and that the suspect appeared to have been acting alone.
Ms Bottoms said that he was on his way to Florida, possibly to commit more shootings, when he was arrested.
The suspect’s parents helped to identify him, officials told reporters.
According to CBS News, the suspect told investigators that “he loved God and guns”.
What do we know about the shootings?
The first happened at about 17:00 (21:00 GMT) on Tuesday at Young’s Asian Massage in Acworth, Cherokee County.
Two people died at the scene and three were taken to hospital, where two more died, sheriff’s office spokesman Capt Baker said. He later confirmed the victims were two Asian women, a white woman and a white man, and said a Hispanic man had been wounded.
Less than an hour later, police were called to a “robbery in progress” at Gold Spa in north-east Atlanta.
“Upon arrival, officers located three females deceased inside the location from apparent gunshot wounds,” police said.
While there, officers were called to a spa across the street, called Aromatherapy Spa, where they found another woman shot dead.
Investigators who had studied CCTV footage then released images of a suspect near one of the spas. Police said that, after a manhunt, Robert Aaron Long, of Woodstock, Georgia, was arrested in Crisp County, about 150 miles (240km) south of Atlanta.
image captionRobert Aaron Long was taken into custody
Authorities in South Korea said they were working to confirm the nationalities of the four women of Korean descent.
What has the reaction been?
Though authorities say it is too early to know if the victims were targeted because of their race, many online have criticised a recent rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, which activists have linked to rhetoric blaming Asian people for the coronavirus pandemic.
The advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate, which tracks attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders acknowledged a motive was unclear, but said “right now there is a great deal of fear and pain in the Asian American community that must be addressed”.
It called the shootings “an unspeakable tragedy” for both the victims’ families and the Asian-American community, which has “been reeling from high levels of racist attacks”.
“A motive is still not clear, but a crime against any community is a crime against us all,” Mayor Bottoms said in a statement, adding that she had been in communication with the White House.
Mr Biden said he had been briefed on the shootings. Ahead of his meeting with the Irish prime minister, the president acknowledged that “Asian-Americans have been very concerned” but would not speculate on the gunman’s motive.
“I’ll have more to say when the investigation is completed.”
Vice-President Kamala Harris, the first Asian-American to hold the office, said during a Wednesday meeting with Irish officials: “I do want to say to our Asian-American community that we stand with you and understand how this has frightened and shocked and outraged all people.”
Ben Crump, a leading civil rights lawyer, also took to Twitter, saying: “Today’s tragic killings in #Atlanta reaffirm the need for us to step up and protect ALL of America’s marginalised minorities from racism.”
image captionTwo of the spas were across the road from each other in Atlanta
Atlanta police said they were increasing patrols around businesses similar to those attacked.
The New York Police Department’s counter-terrorism branch said that while there was no known connection to New York city, it would “be deploying assets to our great Asian communities across the city out of an abundance of caution”.
The police department in Seattle also said it would increase patrols and outreach to support its Asian-American community.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp praised law enforcement officials for their response to the shootings, and said: “Our entire family is praying for the victims of these horrific acts of violence.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the shootings ahead of a meeting with his South Korean counterpart on Wednesday. “We are horrified by this violence which has no place in America or anywhere,” he said.
“We will stand up for the right of our fellow Americans, Korean Americans, to be safe, to be treated with dignity.”
US President, Joe Biden has labelled Russian president Vladimir Putin, a ‘killer’ and promised that the Kremlim will “pay a price” for interfering in the 2020 U.S. elections.
Since Biden took over the White House in January 2021, he has pledged to take a hard line against the Kremlin, which has a history of attempting to assassinate and imprison dissidents and political opponents.
The U.S. intelligence community released a report on Tuesday March 16, assessing that Putin authorized election influence operations aimed at denigrating Biden’s candidacy, supporting former President Trump, undermining public confidence in the election and sowing divisions.
The U.S. also sanctioned seven senior Russian officials earlier this month over the poisoning and jailing of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who is currently serving out a sentence in a remote Russian labor camp.
In a Wednesday, March 17 interview with ABC Wednesday Biden said that he believes Vladimir Putin is a “killer,” while asding that it’s possible to “walk and chew gum at the same time for places where it’s in our mutual interest to to work together” — addressing his decision to extend the New START nuclear arms control pact earlier this year.
When asked how the U.S. should respond to Russia’s election interference, Biden said.
“He will pay a price. We had a long talk, he and I. I know him relatively well and the conversation started off, I said, ‘I know you and you know me. If I establish this occurred then be prepared,’
Joe Biden & Vladimir Putin
Referencing President George W. Bush’s famous comments about getting a “sense” of Putin’s “soul,” Biden told ABC: “I said, ‘I looked in your eyes and I don’t think you have a soul.’ He looked back and said we understand each other.”
“Look, the most important thing in dealing with foreign leaders in my experience, and I’ve dealt with an awful lot of them in my career, is just know the other guy.”
Recall in a 2017 interview with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, former US leader Trump said that he has “respect” for Putin and asserted that the US was guilty when it comes to killing.
O’Reilly said “Putin is a killer,” to which Trump responded: “There are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers. Well, you think our country is so innocent?”
He said there are factors to consider before the agitation for self-determination of the Yoruba nation can be pursued.
The paramount ruler of Iwo, Osun State, Oba AbdulRasheed Akanbi has said that only the council of traditional rulers in Yorubaland can decide if there will be Oduduwa nation or not.
He said there are factors to consider before the agitation for self-determination of the Yoruba nation can be pursued.
Akanbi told SaharaReporters in an interview on Wednesday while reacting to a publication that quoted him as saying whoever from Yorubaland that does not vote for Bola Tinubu in 2023 is a bastard.
He said, “About endorsing Tinubu, I’m not a politician, so I don’t endorse people to vie for political seats. All I was trying to say was that Yoruba people should unite to vote for our own people if the opportunity presents itself. If you look at me very well, I have always wanted the unity of the Yoruba people.”
Reacting to the rising agitation for the self-determination of the Oduduwa nation, he argued that Yoruba will think of resources to sustain them among other issues before venturing into the process. He stated that only Lagos State has the capacity to be financially independent.
“Have you thought about the allocation of the civil servants? Have you thought about how to generate revenue to pay them? Have you thought about how to be financially independent? For instance, in Osun State, about N2 billion is needed to pay civil servants, have you considered that?
“Then, you will think of other states. We have six states in the South-West, it seems only Lagos State has the capacity. This agitation for self-determination calls 7for wisdom and consideration.”
About the relentless effort of the socio-cultural organisations at the forefront of the agitation, Oluwo of Iwo accused some of the members of pursuing their own selfish interest.
“The Afenifere has been politicised. It is only a few members among them that have the interest of the Yoruba at heart. Ask them if they have carried the traditional rulers along. In Yorubaland, if they truly know history and culture, they should know that it is the paramount rulers that have the final say.
“In their agitation for Oduduwa nation, have they carried the traditional rulers along? They have to adhere strictly to the decision of the traditional rulers in Yorubaland. I’m talking about the council of Obas in Yorubaland. There is only one council of traditional rulers, and whatever their decision is, is final.
“It is when the paramount rulers have come together to say this is where we are going. Unfortunately, the traditional rulers are not united. You will discover that this one says this, the other says that. We cannot achieve anything tangible with that. It is when the traditional rulers unite and unanimously speak, that is when we know that the Yoruba nation is ready.”
Lagos Red Line Rail will become operational latest by the fourth quarter of 2022, the managing director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Abimbola Akinajo said. Akinajo made this known at a ceremony where cheques were given to some employees of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).
Akinajo presented cheques to 21 NRC employees whose residential quarters at Ikeja would be pulled down because they were in the way of the rail project. She said that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu resolved to provide the workers with cash to hire temporary accommodation pending the construction of new residential quarters for them by the Lagos State Government.
“In other areas to be impacted by the rail project, we are currently carrying out verification exercises to determine the quantum of compensation to be paid. “We do not wish to remove any building without paying compensation to both the house owners and the tenant. “The contractors to implement the rail project had been mobilised and had promised that barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Red line rail project will commence passenger operations by the last quarter of next year.
She disclosed that the drawing of new staff quarters for the affected staff members had been submitted to the NRC management for consideration. The Managing Director of NRC, Mr Fidet Okhiria, who was represented by the Director, Administration and Human Resource, Dr Monsurat Omotayo, described the Red line rail project as part of the state government’s vision for development.
According to her, this is a project that will bring greater good for Lagos residents. Omotayo said that the project was in tandem with the Federal Government’s vision of providing transport infrastructure that best supported the aspiration of the citizenry. The Lagos Red Line rail project is a 37 kilometre rail route from Agbado to Marina.
Entertainment industry players like Davido and dance queen Kaffy have lauded
Nigerian music star, Oladapo ‘D’Banj’ Oyebanjo and Bankulli for settling a two-year-long social media rift.
D’banj and Bankulli had a hot exchange on social media over the latter’s claim on how the former met American rapper, Kanye West, at an airport.
The back and forth between the two music stars degenerated further with fans joining in the hot exchange and further drifting the erstwhile buddies further apart.
However, D’Banj and Bankulli seem to have buried the hatchet to rekindle their once bloomy friendship.
Earlier in the week, D’Banj and Bankulli met and broke the final straw of their rift in Accra, Ghana.
The two music entrepreneurs not only let go of their grievances to embrace peace but also shared the good news with their fans on social media.
In an Instagram post, Bankulli shared a picture of himself and D’banj with the caption “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. Osinawata Buruogaraya 1 cc @iambangalee.”
Other industry heads that have also lauded the reconciliatory moves include international artist manager, Vanessa Amadi, May D, Iyanya, Sesan Ogunro, and music producer, Shizzi.
Also, present on the occasion was D’Banj’s brother, Kayswitch.
Four men who gang-raped a married woman in front of her husband whom they had tied up, were executed on Monday at the Mashhad Central Prison in Iran after a court had sentenced them to death.
Iran International TV reports that the men had gang-raped the woman who was a mountain climber in front of her husband after they tied his hands and feet together before attacking his wife in front of him.
The attack was said to have taken place while the woman and her husband were climbing a mountain in the Khorasan Razavi province in north-eastern Iran.
According to the Justice Organization for the area, the four rapists were later arrested by police following a report by the woman and her husband.
The rapists whose names were given as Ruhollah Javidi Rad, Mohammad Sayadi Baghansgani, Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Watandoost, were identified by the city of Fariman’s police force and charged with the “kidnapping and rape of a woman and with threats of violence towards a man.”
The Criminal Court of Khorasan Razavi sent the case to the Supreme Court where the four men were sentenced to death by hanging.
While the men were sentenced in this case in Iran, rape victims are said to often face counter charges of adultery, indecency or immoral behaviour once they report a sexual assault to the police.
In the country’s legal system, consensual sex outside marriage is punishable by flogging, so a victim can be prosecuted if the authorities don’t believe her.
The threat of being charged with adultery, indecency and immoral behaviour in Iran for reporting sexual assault is said to often deter many women from reporting rape crimes against them.
Commenting on the number of assaults against women in Iran, a legal analyst at Iran International TV, Nargess Tavassolian said:
It is hard to say whether these types of crimes have increased in Iran but because of the widespread use of social media, these crimes are being more exposed.”
Iran is one of a handful of countries in the world to execute people found guilty of rape, and the Iranian regime executes more people per capita than any other country.
A report by a Stockholm-based research institute, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), has named the United States of America of being responsible for 36% of global arms sales from 2015 to 2019.
The report, which came out on Tuesday, adds that US accounted for almost half of the conventional weapons sales during the period, increasing by 23% on the previous five years, following a more than 20% growth for the past five years.
The figure puts the US far ahead of Russia which is the second biggest arms trader, who saw an 18% fall in its share of world arms sales for the same five year period.
The remainder of the five biggest arms dealers, China, France, and Germany, accounted for roughly 19.2% of arms sales.
SIPRI also revealed in the report that world arms sales were 20% higher than in 2005–2009, raising concerns that current weapons trading is close to that seen towards the end of the cold war.
A senior researcher with the SIPRI, Pieter Wezeman said in an interview with the BBC:
It is too early to say whether the period of rapid growth in arms transfers of the past two decades is over.
“The economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic could see some countries reassessing their arms imports in the coming years.
“However, at the same time, even at the height of the pandemic in 2020, several countries signed large contracts for major arms.”
The US was responsible for 73% of all arms imported by Saudi Arabia, a country accused of human rights abuses, for the five year period, according to SPRIRI.
It was thought to include deals for combat aircraft and other weapons that were signed-off by former president Barack Obama as far back as 2010.
Saudi Arabia, as well as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan, were more recently the beneficiaries of action taken by former US President Donald Trump, who stopped Congress from blocking $8.1 billion (£6.9 billion) worth of “emergency” arms for the three Middle Eastern countries.
While the regions reliance on the US and other western countries for arms imports could also prove to be a leverage point for the Joe Biden administration in future, the White House reportedly froze its deals with Saudi Arabia and the UAE while a review is carried-out into the sales in January. Of concern are the implications of the United States’ arms sales to authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, which recorded the fastest growth in regional arms imports.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has set new charges payable by customers using USSD services for their financial transactions.
The apex bank said the transaction fees are effective Tuesday, setting a flat rate of N6.98 per transaction.
This was contained in a statement released on Tuesday and signed by the apex bank’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Osita Nwanisobi; and Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, Ikechukwu Adinde.
The announcement was released in a statement titled, ‘Joint Statement By Central Bank Of Nigeria and Nigerian Communications Commission On Pricing Of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) Services’.
The document reads;
“Effective March 16, 2021, USSD services for financial transactions conducted at DMBs (Deposit Money Banks) and all CBN-licensed institutions will be charged at a flat fee of N6.98 per transaction. This replaces the current per session billing structure, ensuring a much cheaper average cost for customers to enhance financial inclusion. This approach is transparent and will ensure the amount remains the same, regardless of the number of sessions per transaction.
The new rates come after the meeting held by the banking sector and telecommunications under ALTON on Monday to discuss and resolve the N42 billion debt owed mobile operators by banks.
The federal government had last week asked telecommunication operators to suspend their threatened withdrawal of USSD services over a N42bn debt owed by banks, a move that stood to affect estimated 40 million consumers, who rely on the short codes as opposed to internet services.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, had convened a meeting with financial institutions and mobile network operators on Monday.
Finnish telecoms giant Nokia is to axe between 5,000 and 10,000 jobs worldwide in the next two years as it cuts costs.
It is unclear where the bulk of the cuts will fall, but it said about 96 jobs in the UK were under threat as part of the €600m (£518m) cost cuts.
Nokia is playing catch-up on 5G, and also plans to invest in cloud computing and digital infrastructure research.
The company currently has 90,000 employees around the world, and has cut thousands of jobs since 2015.
“We currently expect the consultation process in the UK to cover an estimated 96 roles,” a Nokia spokesperson said.
“At this stage, however, these are only estimates. It is too early to comment in detail, as we have only just informed local works councils and expect the consultation processes to start shortly, where applicable.”
Last year, Nokia employed almost 40,000 people in Europe, 20,500 in the Asia-Pacific region, 13,700 in China, 12,000 in North America and 3,700 in Latin America.
In Finland, the company’s base, about 300 jobs are likely to go, mainly from its Helsinki headquarters, a union representative said.
France, where the company slashed more than 1,000 jobs last year, will be spared in the latest round of cuts.
Chief executive Pekka Lundmark said: “Decisions that may have a potential impact on our employees are never taken lightly. My priority is to ensure that everyone [that will be hit] is supported through this process.”
After taking the top job last year, Mr Lundmark has made changes after product missteps under the company’s previous management hurt Nokia’s 5G ambitions and dragged on its shares.
The restructuring is intended to boost Nokia’s performance against rivals such as Sweden’s Ericsson and China’s Huawei.
Nokia was once the biggest handset manufacturer in the world, but it failed to anticipate the popularity of internet-enabled touchscreen phones such as Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy and was spectacularly knocked from its perch by rivals.
After selling its handset business to Microsoft, which the software giant later wrote off, Nokia concentrated on telecoms equipment. It also later went into a licensing deal for Nokia-branded handsets.
The Duke of Edinburgh is said to be in good spirits on leaving hospital after a month-long stay for treatment.
Prince Philip, 99, was admitted to King Edward VII’s hospital in central London on 16 February after feeling unwell.
He later underwent a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at another London hospital – St Bartholomew’s.
The duke has now returned to Windsor Castle.
In a statement on Tuesday, Buckingham Palace said the duke was discharged “following treatment for an infection and a successful procedure for a pre-existing condition”.
“His Royal Highness wishes to thank all the medical staff who looked after him… and everyone who has sent their good wishes,” the statement said.
Prince Philip left through a side entrance of the hospital in a wheelchair and was helped into the rear passenger seat of a waiting car.
Speaking during a visit with the Duchess of Cornwall to a pop-up vaccination centre in London, Prince Charles, who visited his father during his stay in hospital, told reporters it was “very good news” and he was “thrilled” that his father had gone home.
He also confirmed that he had spoken to the duke. Prince Charles said it was “very good news” that the duke had left hospital
Prime Minister Boris Johnson “continues to wish Prince Phillip a speedy recovery,” his spokesman said, adding the PM was “of course” pleased to see the duke return to Windsor.
Prince Philip and the Queen, 94, have spent the most-recent lockdown in England living at the Berkshire residence with a small group of household staff, nicknamed HMS Bubble.
The couple, who have been married for 73 years, received their first Covid-19 jabs in January.
The exact reason for his initial admission to hospital was not disclosed, but the Palace said at the time it was not related to coronavirus.
image captionPrince Philip returned to Windsor Castle where he has been living with the Queen during the recent lockdown
The Queen performed her first face-to-face event of the year last month when she knighted a royal aide during a private socially-distanced ceremony at Windsor.
She also attended numerous virtual meetings, including with scientists, members of the armed forces, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and kept up her weekly audience with Mr Johnson via telephone.
Prince Philip’s hospital stay coincided with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which allegations of racism and a lack of mental health support were levelled at the Royal Family.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement afterwards that the issues were concerning, and while “some recollections may vary”, the matter was a family one that will be dealt with privately.
In the interview, Meghan told Oprah that she phoned the monarch directly “just to check in” after hearing the duke had been taken to hospital.
US TV presenter Gayle King said on Tuesday that she had spoken to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and was told discussions between Harry and his brother, Prince William, and father, Prince Charles, were “not productive”.
Ms King told CBS This Morning that despite the talks not bearing fruit, the couple were “glad” that conversations had begun.
She added: “I think what is still upsetting to them is that the Palace keeps saying they want to work it out privately, but yet they believe these false stories are coming out that are very disparaging against Meghan still – no one in the Royal Family has talked to Meghan yet.”
One mother, whose name was withheld to protect her identity, said her eldest child had been beheaded near where she and her other children were hiding.
“That night our village was attacked and houses were burned,” she said.
“When it all started, I was at home with my four children. We tried to escape to the woods but they took my eldest son and beheaded him. We couldn’t do anything because we would be killed too.
Another woman said her son had been killed by militants while she and her other three children had been forced to flee.
“After my 11-year-old son was killed, we understood that it was no longer safe to stay in my village,” she said.
“We fled to my father’s house in another village, but a few days later the attacks started there too.”
Chance Briggs, Save the Children’s country director in Mozambique, said the reports of attacks on children “sicken us to our core”.
“Our staff have been brought to tears when hearing the stories of suffering told by mothers in displacement camps,” he said.
The United Nations special rapporteur on extra-judicial executions described the militants’ actions as “cruel beyond words”.
Who are the militants?
The insurgents are known locally as al-Shabab, which means The Youth in Arabic. This reflects that it receives its support mostly from young unemployed people in the predominantly Muslim region of Cabo Delgado.
A group with a similar name has existed in Somalia for more than a decade. It is affiliated to al-Qaeda, unlike the Mozambican group which allied itself with the rival IS movement in 2019.
IS sees the insurgents as being part of what it calls its Central Africa Province. It released images last year showing fighters in Cabo Delgado with AK-47 rifles and rocket propelled grenades.
This alarmed counter-terrorism experts, as it suggested that global jihadists were exploiting a local insurgency for their own gains.
What do the insurgents want?
Some analysts believe the insurgency’s roots lay in socio-economic grievances, with many locals complaining that they have benefited little from the province’s ruby and gas industries.
image captionMozambique has a Muslim population of about 18%
In a video last year, one militant leader said: “We occupy [the towns] to show that the government of the day is unfair. It humiliates the poor and gives the profit to the bosses.”
The man spoke about Islam and his desire for an “Islamic government, not a government of unbelievers”, but he also cited alleged abuses by Mozambique’s military, and repeatedly complained that the government was “unfair”.
Mr Briggs told the BBC World Service it was difficult to determine their exact motivations as they did not have a manifesto.
“They co-opt young people in to joining them as conscripts and if they refuse they are killed and sometimes beheaded. It’s really hard to see what is the end game.”
After visiting Cabo Delgado’s capital Pemba last year, a delegation from the South African Bishop’s Conference said that “almost everyone spoken to agrees that the war is about multinational corporations gaining control of the province’s mineral and gas resources”.
What is Cabo Delgado like?
Cabo Delgado is one of the poorest provinces in Mozambique, with high rates of illiteracy and unemployment.
Discoveries of a huge ruby deposit and a giant gas field in 2009-10, raised hopes of jobs and a better life for many local people, but those hopes were soon dashed.
It was alleged that any benefits were being taken by a small elite in the Frelimo party, which has governed Mozambique since independence in 1975.
image captionThousands in Cabo Delgado have been forced to flee their homes
New Islamist preachers, both East Africans and Mozambicans trained abroad, established mosques and argued that local imams were allied to Frelimo and its grab for wealth.
Some of these new mosques provided money to help local people start business and create jobs – and the Islamists argued the society would be fairer under Sharia.
This proved attractive to youth, who form the backbone of the insurgency.
What has been the government’s response?
Its main focus is on seeking a military solution, but its army is poorly equipped to combat the insurgency.
image captionNearly a million people face hunger because of the conflict, Save the Children says
On Monday, US embassy officials in the capital, Maputo, said American military personnel would spend two months training soldiers, as well as providing “medical and communications equipment”.
The European Union also announced last year that it would provide training to Mozambican forces.
Five miners and two rescuers have died of suffocation after a methane gas fire broke out at a Pakistani coal mine in Balochistan, located in the southwest of Pakistan, making it the second such disaster in the region in a week, officials have confirmed on Tuesday.
The fire took place at a mine in the Tor Ghar area of Harnai district, about 170km (105 miles) west of the provincial capital Quetta, a government official, Sohail Anwer Hashmi, said.
“The coal miners entered inside the mine to fill the cracks caused by the fire, but they died of asphyxia caused by the deadly methane gas.
The coal miners were working 1,400ft (427m) deep inside the mine when the incident was reported. The bodies of the seven miners were recovered after rescue operations,” Hashmi said.
The accident was the second coal mine disaster in Balochistan within days, after six miners were trapped and killed in a methane gas explosion in the Marwar coalfield on Thursday.
A month earlier, four miners had been killed by an explosion inside a coal mine in Harnai while in 2020, 99 coal miners and labourers were killed in 72 incidents in Balochistan, according to government data.
“Unfortunately, the poor coal miners are not well-trained to handle any emergency-like situation and they don’t have adequate safety equipment,” said Hashmi.
Shafqat Fayaz, chief inspector of the provincial mines department, also blamed the accident on a lack of training.
“The five coal miners entered into the mine but forgot to open the ventilation which filled the mine with methane gas. Later, two rescuers also died in attempt to extract the trapped miners,” Fayaz said.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated region, is rich in minerals and natural resources such as coal, natural gas, copper, sulphur and other reserves.
The province is also Pakistan’s poorest and regularly ranks at the bottom of the country’s socio-economic indicators on healthcare, education and population welfare.
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