A new law decriminalizing same-sex sexual relations went into effect Wednesday, Feb 10, in Angola.
The new law overturned a colonial-era “vice against nature” provision that was seen as a ban on homosexual relations. The changes were passed in January 2019 by Angola’s parliament, but was not signed into law by the country’s president until November 2020. It went into effect on Feb 10, 2021. The new law also prohibits discrimination based upon a person’s sexual orientation.
The changes came from the first rewriting of the country’s penal code since gaining independence in 1975. Angola had previously been a colony of Portugal, and the amended laws had been a remnant of the colonial-era rule that encouraged discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. According to Human Rights Watch, the previous laws on same-sex sexual relations had been rarely prosecuted, but served as a basis for undue scrutiny and discrimination. The new law includes imprisonment of up to two years for discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Breonna challenged herself from the start of highschool year to write applications into 50 Universities and get accepted into them. That’s a big and long term goal to set. A lofty goal. A lay man may see it as setting up one’s self for disappointed, but Breonna knew what she wanted and went ahead to get it.
Ranging from John Hopkins University to Georgia State University to St. John’s University and Iowa State University. She got all their acceptances to become a member of their school.
The Cherry on top is that she didn’t just get acceptances, she also received 17 different scholarships to study any course of her choice and is currently going viral for her good job.
One Mohammed Sani, 30, has been apprehended by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Nasarawa State for allegedly defiling a 12-year-old girl in the Angwatashi area of the Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa state.
Parading the suspect at the state headquarters of the NSCDC in Lafia on Tuesday, the Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Saraju Muhammed, said Mohammed lured his victim into a secluded place on the pretext of buying sachet water from her and had carnal knowledge of her.
It was gathered that when the victim came home, her parents reported the incident at the Angwatashi Police Station and the suspect was arrested.
Recounting her ordeal to our correspondent in an exclusive interview immediately after the suspect was paraded, the victim said Mohammed threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident to anyone.
The NSCDC image maker told our correspondent that the suspect had earlier confessed to the act and would be charged as soon as the command completed its investigation.
Police said that an elderly Maltese woman fell victim to the fraud after engaging in an online relationship with who she thought was an American soldier deployed in Afghanistan. The soldier was supposedly returning to Malta once his deployment ended.
One of Malta’s most prolific Nigerian footballers, Sunday Eboh, has been charged with four others in a romance fraud case.
Eboh, Maltese national Alexandra Pace, Nigerian nationals; Collins Eguavoen, Marvis Iyeke and Tony Ogbonna, were arrested late Monday night to be charged with money laundering, according to a report by MaltaToday.
Police said that an elderly Maltese woman fell victim to the fraud after engaging in an online relationship with who she thought was an American soldier deployed in Afghanistan. The soldier was supposedly returning to Malta once his deployment ended.
Despite never meeting with the soldier, the woman took the relationship seriously and transferred €58,000 to the person who allegedly asked her to pay for his expenses.
Investigations by the police revealed that the alleged fraud was being carried out in the country by a group of people who saw that the money was deposited in several local bank accounts. The money was being transacted in small amounts and laundered.
The police were able to identify who was behind the scam and arrested five individuals aged between 28 to 58 years of age.
Police suspect Ogbonna is the mastermind in the operation, although no account was traced back to him.
Eboh has played for a host of Maltese teams, namely Marsa, Birkirkara, Victoria Hotspurs, Marsaxlokk, Floriana, Naxxar Lions, Birzebbugia, and Pembroke. He also played for Greek side Apollon Smyrnis.
Magistrate Doreen Clarke refused bail after the prosecution raised fears that the accused could tamper with evidence or approach the vulnerable victim.
This is the first case which will see people being charged for online fraud through a virtual relationship.
The prosecution was led by lawyers Karl Muscat, Sean Xerri de Caro and Abigail Caruana Vella from the attorney general’s office. They were assisted by Inspector Sarah Zerafa from the Paola district and Inspector Claire Borg from the Economic Crimes Squad. Lawyers Leontine Calleja, Robert Anthony Piscopo and Charles Mercieca appeared for the accused.
Donald Trump committed the “most grievous constitutional crime” of any US president when he incited supporters to storm the Capitol last month, Democratic prosecutors said Monday on the eve of his Senate impeachment trial. In their final filing before the Senate’s 100 members sit in judgment of Trump, the nine House impeachment managers prosecuting the Republican leader also insisted the case should not be dismissed. Trump’s lawyers pushed for a dismissal in a document released hours earlier, saying the Senate “lacks jurisdiction” to try Trump, who left office on January 20, because he is no longer a sitting president.
Donald Trump
The Democratic managers directly rejected the argument and said there is “overwhelming” evidence of impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors. “His incitement of insurrection against the United States government — which disrupted the peaceful transfer of power — is the most grievous constitutional crime ever committed by a president,” they said. “The article of impeachment properly alleges an impeachable offense under the Constitution, is not subject to a motion to dismiss (and) is within the jurisdiction of the Senate sitting as a Court of Impeachment,” they wrote.
Researchers from Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center, Israel , have developed a new coronavirus drug that cured most volunteers who received it between three to five days.
The team at the hospital said 29 out of 30 people suffering from moderate to severe COVID-19 recovered within three to five days in the Phase 1 trials of the drug called EXO-C24.
They said all the volunteers also survived.
The hospital conducting the Phase 1 trial described the development as a ‘huge breakthrough’.
EXO-CD24 is a medication delivered directly to the lungs, to help prevent the immune system dealing with COVID-19 from overreacting and causing complications.
Prof. Nadir Arber, the researcher who runs the lab said the preparation is inhaled once a day for a few minutes, for five days.
He said, “The preparation is directed straight to the heart of the storm — the lungs — so unlike other formulas which selectively restrain a certain cytokine, or operate widely but cause many serious side effects, EXO-CD24 is administered locally, works broadly and without side effects.”
The drug uses exosomes, tiny carrier sacs that shuttle materials between cells , to deliver a protein called CD24 to the lungs.
The protein works to help calm the immune system and prevent cytokine storm . A cytokine storm is the name given to a worsening reaction to COVID-19 that can result in multiple organ failure and death.
The risk of a cytokine storm is particularly prevalent in older and at-risk groups.
One of the researchers involved in the study, Shiran Shapira, said the protein is located on the surface of cells and has a well known and important role in regulating the immune system.
The production of treatment for coronavirus would help massively in the fight against the disease.
The drug will move to the next phases of research, for additional information on its effectiveness and safety.
EXO-CD24 , like vaccines will have to receive emergency authorization before it can be used as a COVID-19 therapy
A Japanese submarine has collided with a commercial ship as it attempted to surface off the country’s Pacific coast.
Three of the submarine’s crew sustained minor injuries in the crash which occurred on Monday, government officials said.
The Soryu submarine suffered damage to its antenna mast along with its communication equipment forcing the crew to use a mobile phone to report the incident.
Japan’s defence minister said the collision off Kochi prefecture was “extremely regrettable”.
Nobuo Kishi said the Soryu was on a training exercise when the incident occurred. The submarine saw the vessel through its periscope but was unable to move in time.
The Soryu is a diesel-electric submarine that has been in service since 2009.
The 84-metre (275ft) long submarine was still able to continue sailing as the damage was not major, officials said.
The impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump which begins on Tuesday, February 8, is set to be an historic event in the politics of the United States as no president has ever been impeached twice or put on trial.
The trial is seen as an “undertaking like no other in US history” as the defeated former president is being charged with inciting the violent mob attack on the Capitol Building on January 6, to overturn the election in what prosecutors have argued was the “most grievous constitutional crime,” likened to a coup.
Trump’s lawyers have insisted that he is not guilty of the sole charge of “incitement of insurrection,” saying his words to the protesters were mere figures of speech, even as he encouraged a rally crowd to “fight like hell” for his presidency.
Trump, who is the first US president to face charges after leaving office and the first to be twice impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors while in office, has continued to challenge the nation’s civic norms and traditions even in defeat.
Security remains extremely tight at the Capitol as the Senators begin proceedings. And while acquittal is likely, the trial will test the US’s attitude toward Trump’s brand of presidential power, the Democrats’ resolve in pursuing him, and the loyalty of Trump’s Republican allies defending him.
Trump’s defenders are also preparing to challenge both the constitutionality of the trial and any suggestion that he was to blame for the insurrection. They suggest that Trump was simply exercising his First Amendment rights when he encouraged his supporters to protest at the Capitol, and they argue the Senate is not entitled to try Trump now that he has left office.
House impeachment managers, in their own filings, asserted that Trump had “betrayed the American people” and there is no valid excuse or defense.
His incitement of insurrection against the United States government, which disrupted the peaceful transfer of power, is the most grievous constitutional crime ever committed by a president,” the Democrats insisted.
With senators gathered as the court of impeachment, the trial will begin with a debate and vote on whether it is constitutionally permissible to prosecute the former president, an argument that could resonate with Republicans keen on voting to acquit Trump without being seen as condoning his behavior.
Under an agreement between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican leader Mitch McConnell, the opening arguments would begin at noon on Wednesday, with up to 16 hours per side for presentations.
After that, there will be hours for deliberations, witnesses and closing arguments. The trial was set to break on Friday evening for the Jewish Sabbath, but Trump’s defense team, concerned about the delay, withdrew the request, and now the trial can continue into the weekend and next week.
The former President of the United States of America, Donald Trump has been blamed by accused rioters who invaded Capitol Hill on the 6th of January for ‘inspiring’ the action.
Brandi Harden, the lawyer of one of the accused identified as Emanuel Jackson, who court filings describe as a “recently homeless”, wrote in a filing on Monday calling for pretrial release stating that Trump “roused the crowd by telling them ‘we will stop the steal’ and ‘you’ll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength, and you have to be strong … if you don’t fight like hell you are not going to have a country any more’”.
As such, “the nature and circumstances of this offense must be viewed through the lens of an event inspired by the President of the United States”, Harden wrote.
Other defendants who accused Trump of inspiring the invasion include; Jacob Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli, the “QAnon Shaman” who donned a horned headdress and face paint during the attack, and Dominic Pezzola, a member of the Proud Boys right-wing group who is accused of shattering a window in the Capitol with a stolen police shield so rioters could enter.
This came days after the newly elected President of the United States of America, Joe Biden said in a US media interview that Trump should not continue to receive intelligence briefings normally available to former presidents because of his “erratic” behaviour.
The Kano State Government said it has prosecuted no fewer than 200 residents for violating the COVID-19 safety protocols. The State Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, made the disclosure in a statement in Kano on Monday.
Mr Garba said the violators were arrested and prosecuted by the mobile courts attached to the joint team of security agencies and COVID-19 marshals established to ensure compliance. He said 102 of the violators were fined N5, 000 each, while 25 others had been remanded in prison by the 21 mobile courts set up to deal with non-compliance to safety protocols.
Mr Garba explained that compliance to the protocols had been a huge challenge in Kano and it hindered the efforts of the government in curbing the spread of the virus. The commissioner said the enforcement measure became necessary to preserve public safety and ensure full compliance with the Coronavirus prevention protocols, particularly the use of face masks.
According to him, the enforcement, led by the state Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), included personnel of the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Department of State Security Service and the COVID-19 marshals. The joint teams, he said, were spread at strategic locations where violators were arrested and instantly prosecuted by the mobile courts.
The commissioner, however, pointed out that the decision was in response to the new variant of the virus, which called for caution and adherence to safety measures.
A computer hacker gained access to the water system of a city in Florida and tried to pump in a “dangerous” amount of a chemical, officials say.
The hacker briefly increased the amount of sodium hydroxide (lye) in Oldsmar’s water treatment system, but a worker spotted it and reversed the action.
Lye is used in small amounts to control acidity but a large amount could have caused major problems in the water.
Oldsmar Mayor Eric Seidel said: “There’s a bad actor out there.”
No arrests have yet been made and it is not known if the hack was done from within the US or outside.
A computer controlling Oldsmar’s water treatment system was remotely accessed on Friday.
A plant operator saw an attempt to access the system in the morning but assumed it was his supervisor, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
But another attempt was made early in the afternoon and this time the hacker accessed the treatment software and increased the sodium hydroxide content from 100 parts per million to 11,100 ppm.
The operator immediately reduced the level to normal.
Sodium hydroxide is the chief ingredient in liquid drain cleaners. It is very corrosive and can cause irritation to the skin and eyes, along with temporary loss of hair.
Swallowing it can cause damage to the mouth, throat and stomach and induce vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said: “I’m not a chemist. But I can tell you what I do know is… if you put that amount of that substance into the drinking water, it’s not a good thing.”
But he added: “At no time was there a significant adverse effect on the water being treated. Importantly, the public was never in danger.”
The Oldsmar plant provides water to businesses and about 15,000 residents.
The remote access programme to the water system has been temporarily disabled.
Two of the victims of the marauding kidnappers, who spoke with SaharaReporters, recalled their horrendous experiences in the hands of the assailants, noting that it was” “a journey of life-and-death.”
Residents of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have expressed worries over the rising spate of kidnapping in the country’s capital, saying the menace calls for urgent action by the security agencies and the government.
Two of the victims of the marauding kidnappers, who spoke with SaharaReporters, recalled their horrendous experiences in the hands of the assailants, noting that it was” “a journey of life-and-death.”
SaharaReporters had recently reported the case of a Punch newspaper journalist, Victor Nnodim, who was kidnapped alongside two of his neighbours by gunmen in his house at Kubwa, Abuja.
On Sunday, barely days after, gunmen also abducted one person and shot at three others in Abuja’s Pegi community when the victims were returning home from work.
This was the same period that a retired Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, Alhaji Abdulahi Idris Rakieu, was kidnapped in Abuja alongside his wife, another family member and one Olushola Agun.
Location of F.C.T
In a chat with SaharaReporters, one of the freed victims, who did not want to be identified for security reasons, stated that the kidnappers refused to feed him for the days he spent with them.” “They tied my hands backwards and also my two legs. At that point, it was more difficult for me to breathe or to walk. For days, I was asked to lie on the dusty ground. I was abducted from my house. There is no food in the forests and no sounds. Just cold, darkness and all the terrible things any mortal can imagine.” “My kidnappers were beating me all over the back. As I cried, they put me on the phone so that my family members could hear my agony and they also could have heartbreaks.
“It was a terrible moment in my life. I paid a ransom of N5million before I was released. The attackers had demanded N10million from my poor family” one of the victims said.
Speaking with SaharaReporters on Monday, some Abuja residents noted that it was true that kidnapping was now rampant but added that the abductions could not extend to the city centre, where a respondent claimed” “is very safe.”
The FCT is segregated into three partitions – satellite towns, City Centre and neighbouring cities. Chima Obi, a resident, thinks the kidnap occurrence happens in the neighbouring towns close to the highways already notorious for harbouring bandits.
“I have not heard of kidnapping in the city centre and the satellite towns. The much I have heard of kidnapping are people travelling from Abuja down to Kaduna or any of these neighbouring Northern states. These are the places the abductions take place.
“Within the city centre, there are no many incidents of kidnapping. Almost every political office holder in Nigeria lives in Abuja,so that makes the city centre very safe because they don’t play with security” he opined.
Another resident of Abuja, Chinedu, said he is more concerned than scared about the situation. He believes the rise in kidnap incidents in the FCT should make anyone concerned as no one knows who the next victim might be.
He said,” “As a resident, I am concerned about the incident but not so scared because this used to be one of the safest places in the country.”
Chioma Ruphina buttressedChinedu’ss view, saying kidnapping is more common on the highways linking Abuja to some Northern states.
President Joe Biden has rekindled the United States’ interest in promoting LGBTQ rights on the global stage, particularly in countries perceived as intolerant to sexual minorities. Scaling up a presidential memorandum ratified by the Obama administration in 2011, which had sought to advance the rights of the queer community, Mr. Biden in a new memo last week directed all U.S. embassies and executive departments to “promote and protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons everywhere.”
The newly inaugurated U.S. leader explicitly instructed the country’s foreign agencies to combat the criminalisation of LGBTQI+ status or conduct abroad. “Specifically, I direct the following actions, consistent with applicable law:
“Section 1. Combating Criminalization of LGBTQI+ Status or Conduct Abroad. Agencies engaged abroad are directed to strengthen existing efforts to combat the criminalization by foreign governments of LGBTQI+ status or conduct and expand efforts to combat discrimination, homophobia, transphobia, and intolerance on the basis of LGBTQI+ status or conduct,” Mr. Biden’s memo seen by Peoples Gazette directed.
President Joe Biden
Nigeria’s anti-gay laws have been increasingly censured by global rights groups, which have categorised the country as overtly homophobic. Amidst international pressure, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act in January 2014, prescribing between 10 to 14 years in prison for cohabitation between same-sex sexual partners, public show of same-sex relationship, registration, operation or participation in gay clubs, societies and organisation, amongst others.
BUA Group has announced it purchased one million doses of Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccines to be distributed in Nigeria.
In a tweet on Monday, the group said the vaccines would be delivered next week.
It would be the first set of vaccines to be delivered since the onset of the pandemic.
The one million doses are “fully paid for”, the group added, as part of its corporate social responsibility.
“BUA commits to purchasing 5 million doses through the same arrangement in partnership with CACOVID/Afrexim Bank.”
BUA Group is one of the largest privately-owned conglomerates, with diversified interests in mining, manufacturing, food and agriculture.
In a statement, founder of BUA, Abdul Samad Rabiu, thanked the president of the Afrexim Bank, Benedict Oramah, for making the purchase possible and the Nigerian Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, for coordinating the process through the CACOVID Private Sector partnership.
“BUA decided to secure these 1million vaccines by paying the full amount for the vaccines today because these vaccines became available only last week through AFREXIM.
“We expect the vaccines to be delivered within the next 14 days and hope priority will be given to our frontline workers who have committed their lives to managing the pandemic.
“In addition to this, BUA is committing to purchase 5 million doses for Nigeria as soon as they become available through this same arrangement,” Rabiu added.
More than 24 people have died after heavy rain flooded an illegal underground textile factory in Morocco, authorities say.
A further 10 people were rescued from the workshop, located in the basement of a house in Tangier.
It’s not known how many people were in the building at the time of the flood. Rescue workers are still at the scene and an investigation has been launched.
Morocco has been experiencing heavy rains in recent weeks.
Blocked or poorly maintained drains often worsen flooding in Morocco’s cities.
Videos from Tangier over the past few days show cars completely submerged in water.
Local media reports say water poured into the basement of the building where people were working.
Many of those trapped inside were rescued by a local man who used a rope to bring them to safety, AFP news reports.
One government official said those killed were all aged between 20 and 40.
Morocco’s textile and leather industry is heavily reliant on informal operations including unregulated factories leading to unsafe conditions for workers.
It was horrific on Monday in Edo when kidnappers attacked a Lagos-Enugu funeral convoy and seized the deceased’s younger brother. The gunmen also fired shots at the convoy, badly damaging the ambulance and killing the driver of the vehicle behind the ambulance. The incident occurred along the Benin bypass, very close to Ahor, which recently gained notoriety for frequent kidnappings.
Driver of the ambulance with registration number Lagos KRD 782 GO, Mr. Salami Orijiwa, said he and others left Lagos at 6 am to make the journey early to Enugu. He said: “When I sighted the men on the road, I thought they were policemen because one of them was holding a gun on his right hand while another on the left side held a cutlass.
“Suddenly, I saw another man in front of the vehicle, who pointed a gun at us and shot. I quickly bent down but I lost control, veered into the bush and fell into a ditch. The bullet hit the vehicle behind me and the driver died on the spot.” The Nation learnt the kidnappers later contacted family of the victim, demanding N5 million ransom. Edo Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chidi Nwabuzor, a Superintendent of Police (SP), could not be reached for comment as at press time.
Angry villagers have set ablaze two robbery suspects allegedly caught robbing a woman of her Android phone in Akuma Community in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State.
The incident occurred Sunday evening, February 7, at Afor Akuma Market square, where the woman had gone to buy something.
It was gathered that the three-man gang, who allegedly operated on a motorcycle stopped in front of the woman, pointed a gun at her and ordered her to hand over the Android phone to them. But she refused and instead raised an alarm which alerted villagers.
The villagers, most of who were watching football from a nearby viewing center, mobilized against the robbers and attacked them.
While one of them managed to escape, the other two were caught, beaten to a pulp and taken to the market square where they were set on fire by the mob.
According to the villagers, the suspects were said have operated from Umutanze Community in Orlu Local Government Area and were notorious for robbing a Bet9ja outlets and other business centers in the community of huge sums of money in recent months.
No fewer than 10 persons were feared dead with two others seriously injured in a fatal auto crash that occurred on Ishiagu-Axis of the Okigwe-Afikpo highway.
Mr Jeremiah Aja, an eyewitness told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the accident occurred when a bus belonging to Abia Line Network coming from Umuahia to Afikpo lost control due to excessive speed, killing almost all the passengers on board.
Aja, who witnessed the incident while working on his farm narrated that the bus was moving at an excessive speed and could not negotiate bend.He said:
“The driver could not negotiate a bend due to high speed and he lost control and somersaulted multiple times inside the bush, we were able to rescue two persons before the bus caught fire and we ran away.”
Chief Onyebuchi Ogbadu, the Ivo Local Government Area chairman, brought water tankers and put out the fire. Also, the police and officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) teams quickly moved the two persons alive to a nearby hospital, where they are now receiving medical treatment.
“More than ten bodies burnt beyond recognition have been evacuated to the mortuary by FRSC officials,” Aja said.
When contacted, Mrs Loveth Odah, Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the accident but noted that she is yet to be fully briefed on the cause of the accident and number of casualties involved. “We have received information about the fatal accident which happened today along the Ishiagu axis of Okigwe-Afikpo highway but the Divisional Police Officer is currently at the scene of the crash.He will give us a clear picture of the incident but for now, I can’t confirm to you the actual number of casualties or the cause ,” Odah said.
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