The 2020 comedy film has broken a four-year record formally held by Kemi Adetiba’s ‘The Wedding Party’.
Funke Akindele and JJC Skillz’ ‘Omo Ghetto (The Saga)’ is now Nollywood’s highest grossing movie of all time.
According to Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN), the 2020 comedy film has so far grossed N468,036,300 after holding the number one spot for its third week in a row.
‘Omo Ghetto’ has officially broken a four year record by knocking off Kemi Adetiba’s 2016 comedy, ‘The Wedding Party’. The movie has been Nollywood highest grossing movie with N453,000,000. In the third place is ‘The Wedding Party 2’ with N433,197,377.
The Bellos’ latest feat is probably the most shocking news in recent times as it comes amid a pandemic that crippled the film industry for months.
Released on Christmas day 2020, the movie which is a sequel to 2010 trilogy ‘Omo Ghetto’, follows the chaotic life of Shalewa aka Lefty (Funke Akindele). Lefty struggles between living a life of wealth and comfort provided by her adopted mother or returning to her ghetto lifestyle.
The comedy stars Akindele in the dual role of Ayomide and Lefty, Tina Mba, Adebayo Salami aka Oga Bello, Chioma Akpotha, Bimbo Thomas, Eniola Badmus, Deyemi Okanlawon, Zubby Michael, Mercy Aigbe, Timini Egbuson, Alex Ekubo among others.
Meanwhile , Funke Akindele and her husband, JJC skillz celebrated the news by sharing the video below;
The suspects were allegedly using a primary school building to commit the act.
The Bauchi State Hisbah says it recently arrested no fewer than six youths who specialized in organising sex orgies and fomenting trouble in Dolam village in Tafawa Balewa local Government Area of the state.
Malam Aminu Idris, the permanent commissioner in-charge of Hisbah and Sharia implementation, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi, on Monday.
Idris, who identified the culprits as Abdurrauf Kabir,25, Dabo Yusuf, 26, Abdurrazak Isah, 24, Habu Umar, 27, Yaron Nuhu-Maikaji, 30, and Abdurrashid Shehu, 31, said they were using a primary school building in the area to commit the act.
The department also recently confiscated and destroyed no fewer than 885 cartons of liquor (image used for illustration) [NTA]
He said the culprits were in the habit of organizing disco parties, locally called Gwaidu, during which they lured young girls into illicit sexual relationships, while at times they used force to intimidate innocent people.
Idris said the attention of his department was drawn by the local Hisbah office in the area, after which the office swung into action and arrested all those involved.
After discreet investigations, the commissioner said, the state Hisbah office summoned the parents of the culprits, counselled them and made them to sign an undertaking against repeating the offence.
Idris said the Hisbah department would, hence forth, not hesitate to prosecute such culprits in a competent court of law, stressing, “As a Lawyer I will do everything possible to ensure that our existing laws were not flagrantly violated.”
He appealed to the state government to hasten the appointment of the state Hisbah Board, as well as provide additional financial and logistics support to the department to enable it perform optimally.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that only recently, the Hisbah department also confiscated and destroyed no fewer than 885 cartons of liquor, as part of its efforts to implement Sharia law in the state.
10 Nigerian nationals were picked up by the police from Uttam Nagar in Dwarka district on Wednesday, January 6.
Three Nigerians have been deported from India for overstaying their visas, bringing to nine the total number of Nigerians expelled from the country since the beginning of this year, Delhi Police said on Monday.
According to a statement released on its official Twitter page, the Dwarka Police said the Nigerians were arrested and deported by officers from Mohan Garden police station, after they were found to be living in India without valid visas and passports.
They were said to be among 10 Nigerian nationals picked up by the police from Uttam Nagar in Dwarka district on Wednesday, January 6.
“#PersistentActionAgainstIlleglstay 3 Nigerian Nationals, who were found living without any valid papers were #deported by the staff of PS Mohan Garden during area #Patrolling duty,” the police said.
Over the years, several Nigerians residing in India have been arrested and deported over illegal stay, internet fraud, online romance scams and drug peddling.
Two Nigerians – a male and a female – were deported on January 11, 2021 while two Nigerian males were deported from the country on January 13, 2021.
Another two were expelled back to Nigeria on January 21.
The Biden administration has said it will seek to push forward a plan to make anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman the face of a new $20 bill.
image captionHarriet Tubman was a spy and a nurse for the Union during the US Civil War
A note featuring Ms Tubman, who was born a slave in about 1822, was originally due to be unveiled in 2020.
The US Treasury said she would replace former President Andrew Jackson, a slave owner.
But the effort was delayed under former President Donald Trump, who branded it “pure political correctness”.
Now President Joe Biden has revived the project, with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki telling reporters the Treasury was “exploring ways to speed up” the process.
The move would make Ms Tubman the first African American to appear on a US banknote, and the first woman for more than 100 years.
“It’s important that our notes, our money – if people don’t know what a note is – reflect the history and diversity of our country, and Harriet Tubman’s image gracing the new $20 note would certainly reflect that,” Ms Psaki said on Monday.
image captionA mock-up of the new $20 note
The women last depicted on US notes were former First Lady Martha Washington, on the $1 silver certificate from 1891 to 1896, and Native American Pocahontas, in a group image on the $20 bill from 1865 to 1869.
However, given the complexities of redesigning and producing US banknotes, the bill is not expected to be released any time soon.
In 2019, Mr Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said the redesign would be delayed until at least 2026. At the time, he said he was focused on redesigning bills to address counterfeiting issues, not making changes to their imagery.
Mr Trump, an admirer of his populist predecessor Andrew Jackson – whose portrait hung in his office – expressed opposition to the redesign.
While campaigning in 2016, Mr Trump suggested that Ms Tubman be put on the $2 bill instead.
Who was Harriet Tubman?
Born into slavery in about 1822, Ms Tubman grew up working in the cotton fields in Dorchester County, Maryland. She was the fourth of nine children born to two enslaved parents, Benjamin Ross and Harriet Rit.
As a teenager, she was hit in the head by an iron weight thrown by an overseer, leaving her severely injured.
She escaped from a slave plantation in 1849, fleeing north to the neighbouring state of Pennsylvania.
In the years that followed, Ms Tubman returned multiple times to Maryland to rescue others, conducting them along the so-called “underground railroad”, a network of safe houses used to spirit slaves from the south to the free states in the north.
She is estimated to have made some 13 missions to rescue more than 70 enslaved people, including family and friends, using the network.
Later, she became a spy for the Union Army during the Civil War, a prominent supporter of the women’s suffrage movement, and a famous veteran of the struggle for the abolition of slavery.
After the war, Ms Tubman toured eastern cities giving speeches in support of women’s suffrage, drawing on her experiences in the fight against slavery.
She died in 1913, aged 91, surrounded by her family
A further 20,089 coronavirus cases have also been recorded.
The prime minister is leading a Downing Street press conference with England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty and NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens.
Mr Johnson told the briefing he was “deeply sorry for every life that has been lost”.
He said: “The years of life lost, the family gatherings not attended and for so many relatives, the missed chance even to say goodbye.
“I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who’s lost a loved one.
“Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and the many grandparents who’ve been taken.”
Mr Johnson continued that “we will come together as a nation to remember everyone we lost and to honour the selfless heroism of all those on the front line who gave their lives to save others” once the country is through the pandemic.
Prof Chris Whitty described it as a “very sad day”.
But he said the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK “has been coming down” and the number of people in hospital with Covid has “flattened off”.
“It looks as if it’s coming down very slightly in some areas, including London, and the South East and East of England, but there are some areas of the country where it is still not convincingly reducing,” he said.
He said the number of pe ople dying “will come down relatively slowly over the next two weeks – and will probably remain flat for a while now”.
“We will still unfortunately be having additional deaths to add to that very sad total that the prime minister talked about,” Prof Whitty added.
A jealous Mexican woman identified by the police simply as Leonora R, has been arrested in the municipality of Cajeme, Sonora, after she allegedly stabbed her husband, Juan N, multiple times.
In a statement on Tuesday, the police said officers had responded to a ‘domestic disturbance call’ and on arrival at the apartment, found out that Leonora had stabbed her husband after finding images on his cell phone that showed him having sex with ‘another’ woman, not realizing that the pictures in question were actually images of herself and her husband from when they were still dating.
“When officers arrived at the apartment, they found that Leonora’s husband had been stabbed several times on his legs and arms.
“Without giving him time to explain himself, Leonora began stabbing Juan over and over again, while hurling insults at him,” the police said.
The statement added that Juan was eventually able to wrestle the knife out of his incensed wife’s hands, and asked her what photos she was talking about.
“He then explained to her that the photos were actually of him and Leonora taken years earlier when they were just dating.
“Leonora didn’t immediately recognize herself because the woman in the images was younger, thinner and wearing make-up.”
Juan told police he then explained to his wife that he had recently found the images in an old email and saved them to his phone. Leonora was immediately taken into custody and remains behind bars pending charges.
An article of impeachment against former President of the United States of America, Donald Trump has been presented to the Senate for his (Trump’s) trial on accusations of inciting the deadly January 6 attack on Capitol hill.
The article of impeachment was delivered on Monday by members of the House of Representatives thus setting the tone for Senate trial against the former United States president, which is expected to start next month.
The article charged Trump with “incitement of insurrection” in relation to the deadly storming on January 6 of the US Capitol building in Washington, DC by a mob of his supporters.
It was read out loud to the upper house yesterday by Representative Jamie Raskin, a constitutional scholar and one of the House managers.
“President Trump repeatedly issued false statements asserting that the presidential election results were the product of widespread fraud, and should not be accepted by the American people, or certified by state or federal officials,” Raskin said.
Trump’s impeachment trial will begin on February 8, making it the first time a former president will face such charges after leaving office.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who announced the schedule last Friday evening after reaching an agreement with Republicans in the Senate, said the delay in commencing the trial was to give Trump a chance to organize his legal team and prepare a defense on the sole charge of “incitement of insurrection” emanating from the Capitol Building riots on January 6.
One of the houses of Sunday Igboho in Soka area of Ibadan has been burnt by unknown people. This happened following the fulani herdsmen saga in Oyo town
Recall that Sunday Igboho disclosed that angry youths were involved in the burning of the house of the fulani herdsmen leader, ” Seriki” in Oyo town.
The CEO of a casino company valued at nearly $2bn (£1.6bn) has quit after he and his wife were charged with misleading authorities to get a Covid vaccine.
Rod Baker, of the Great Canadian Gaming Corp, and his wife Ekaterina had travelled to the remote northern Yukon territory for the jabs.
The region, home to many indigenous people, has a faster vaccination rate than in the rest of Canada, data shows.
The couple had posed as motel workers.
They were only found out after asking to be taken to the airport straight after the vaccination last week in the small community of Beaver Creek, on the border with the US state of Alaska.
“I am outraged by this selfish behaviour,” said Yukon’s Community Services Minister John Streicker.
“We had not been imagining that someone would go to this sort of length to mislead or deceive,” he added.
Meanwhile, White River First Nation Chief Angela Demit, leader of the local indigenous nation, wrote on her Facebook page: “We are deeply concerned by the actions of individuals who put our elders and vulnerable people at risk to jump the line for selfish purposes.”
Mr Baker and his wife were also later fined for failing to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving in Yukon from the city of Vancouver.
The Biden administration has renewed Trump-era Covid-19 travel bans on non-US visitors from Brazil and most of Europe, including the UK and Ireland.
The White House also imposted a new ban on South Africa over its virus variant.
Former President Donald Trump had ordered the bans to end on 26 January as one of his final acts in office.
The new travel restrictions came as Minnesota recorded the first US case of the Brazil variant from a resident who had recently travelled to that country.
The unnamed patient lives in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area, said the department.
With the national coronavirus case count above 25 million cases, the US is seeking to ramp up its vaccine rollout.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed the decision to continue the restrictions on foreign travellers on Monday.
“On advice of our administration’s medical and Covid team, President Biden has decided to maintain the restrictions previously in place for the European Schengen area, the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and Brazil,” Ms Psaki told reporters.
“With the pandemic worsening and more contagious variants spreading, this isn’t the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel. And in light of the contagious variant, B1351, South Africa has been added to the restricted list.”
All international travellers must also present a negative test within three days of air travel to the US.
President Joe Biden looks up after singing an Executive Order reversing the Trump era ban on Transgender serving in military, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The attack by the soldiers was said to be a reprisal after members of the ESN engaged them in a shootout last Friday.
Operatives of the Nigerian Army on Monday again attacked residents of Okporo, Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, killing about five persons.
SaharaReporters gathered that many persons were also injured when the soldiers stormed the community suspected to be the operational base of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) security outfit, Eastern Security Network (ESN).
The attack by the soldiers was said to be a reprisal after members of the ESN engaged them in a shootout last Friday.
SaharaReporters gathered that one person died at the community market square during the security operation last Friday.
Also, about 10 buildings, including a church, Blessed Holy Trinity Sabbath Mission, were allegedly set ablaze by the soldiers.
“They came back today and started killing our people, I can’t confirm the number of casualties now but they are more than five. They were here last Friday and killed one person at the market square. About 10 buildings were also burnt by these masked security agents on Friday.
“Imo State is not safe presently; Governor Hope Uzodinma shouldn’t allow soldiers to kill all his people,” a source told SaharaReporters.
IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, had in December 2020 launched ESN to protect the people of South-East and South-South regions from terrorists and bandits allegedly trooping in from the North.
Kanu described the outfit as a replica of the Western Nigeria Security Network, also known as Amotekun, earlier launched by the governors of the South-West to curb insecurity in the region.
“The sole aim and objective of this newly formed security outfit known as Eastern Security Network is to halt every criminal activity and terrorist attack on Biafraland,” Kanu had said.
“This outfit, which is a vigilante group like the Amotekun in the South-West and the Miyetti Allah security outfit, will ensure the safety of our forests and farmland which terrorists have converted into slaughter grounds and raping fields.”
He added that the establishment of the security outfit became necessary following what he described as the “failure” of the governors of the South-South and South-East to put in place measures to protect the people in those regions.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Nigerian Army had deployed combat helicopters, gun trucks and soldiers to search some forests in the South-East states where the ESN was suspected to be camping.
SaharaReporters reported that the military search had been ongoing for days, and had no time frame, as the army was acting on “orders from above.”
From drones and hidden cameras believed to be installed by the ESN, a video captured the Nigerian Army helicopters and their vehicles and soldiers searching for the camp of the ESN to make arrests.
Recently, it was learnt that some Nigerian soldiers resigned and joined the ESN, on the grounds that the ESN, being funded by both international and local donors, had better welfare packages for its officers than the military.
“The Kanu ESN boys are not a bunch of rookies and untrained fellows brandishing guns. I personally know five guys from my hometown in Anambra State who left the Nigerian Army to join the ESN. Two of them were formerly serving in Operation Lafiya Dole, Borno State, before they quit.
“We are being reliably informed that there are other soldiers, particularly of the South-East extraction, who will soon leave for other various reasons and they are likely to be recruited into the fold,” a military source told SaharaReporters.
In July 2012, about 356 soldiers in the North-East and other theatres of operation had resigned from the army – some on voluntary retirement, while others cited loss of interest as their reason for disengagement.
The soldiers had written to the army chief, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, on July 3, 2020, under Reference NA/COAS/001, quoting the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service soldiers/rating/airmen (Revised) 2017.
The approval of the voluntary disengagement of the 356 soldiers was contained in a 17-page circular from Buratai, AHQ DOAA/G1/300/92, signed by Brig Gen T.E. Gagariga for the army chief.
Again, this January, another batch of 127 soldiers resigned from the Nigerian Army and are due to leave by May.
They comprised one Master Warrant Officer, three Warrant Officers, 22 Staff Sergeants, 29 Sergeants, 64 Corporals, seven Lance Corporals and one Private.
SaharaReporters had also reported how a cross-section of Nigerians criticised the Nigerian Army for deploying aircraft and gun trucks to locate Kanu’s ESN camp, saying it was a misplaced priority in the security challenges facing the country.
Watch video below!
Nigeria soldiers are killing people (Biafrans) in Orlu local govt area of Imo state of Biafra land.
A few others, however, supported the military saying the ESN could become a regional security threat since the South-East governors had also dissociated themselves from the outfit.
On Twitter, several Nigerians believed that the military action was a misplaced priority and such enthusiasm and energy were not seen in the North-East against the Boko Haram terrorists nor against the bandits in the North-West.
Some people were having to shelter in public buildings or out in the open as temperatures fell below zero, it said.
One child has reportedly died as a result of the harsh weather conditions.
image captionSome 6.6 million people are internally displaced across Syria
Children and women make up 80% of the region’s 1.5 million camp residents.
More than 12 million Syrians have fled their homes since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad almost 10 years ago. Some 6.6 million are internally displaced, while 5.6 million have sought refuge abroad.
image captionAfter snow fell in western Aleppo, children cleaned the roof of their tent to prevent it from collapsing and to stop water leaking insideimage captionSome displaced people are having to shelter in public buildings or out in the open as temperatures drop below zero
Care’s country director in Turkey, Sherine Ibrahim, said humanitarian organisations were rushing to provide emergency relief to the thousands who had lost their homes in Aleppo and Idlib, but that reaching them had been made difficult by the flooding of access roads.
They are also concerned that the situation might contribute to the rise in Covid-19 infections, she added. As of last Wednesday, health authorities in north-western Syria had recorded 20,000 confirmed cases and 379 deaths.
image captionMost camps in the region are located in flat orchards, suitable for agriculture rather than constructionimage captionThe ability to repair affected tents is limited during the winter, and floods are likely to reoccur with renewed rainfall
“With inadequate shelter and increasing hunger for displaced Syrians in the north-west of the country, they are running out of coping strategies to keep themselves and their loved ones safe,” Ms Ibrahim warned.
“Zainab”, a woman living at a camp in Idlib told Care: “The water came into the tent where I live with my grandchildren, covering the ground. We cannot live in it now. Look at how our situation has become. We do not have blankets, food, or any other supplies.
image caption”Zainab” and her grandchildren were living in one tent at a camp in northern Idlib
“The water has destroyed everything; there is nothing left. These are difficult times,” she added.
“Abu Ali”, who was displaced last year, said his family had not had any clean drinking water for more than a week because there was no way for aid agencies to deliver it to their camp.
image caption”Abu Ali” does not have dry clothes, mattresses, or blankets to keep him and his children warm at night
The Syria Civil Defence, whose first responders are known as the White Helmets, said on Sunday that it was continuing emergency operations despite the rainstorm ending. It was also providing services and assistance to more than 3,200 affected families in more than 225 camps.
Last week, the Syria Civil Defence reported that a six-year-old boy was killed in Idlib after a brick wall built around his tent collapsed on top of him.
Amidst the move by governors to douse the rising tension over quit notice to herders, some Yoruba leaders have asked the six South-West governors not to negotiate with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).
The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) met with MACBAN leadership in Akure, Ondo State following the expiration of the quit notice given to herders to vacate Ondo forest reserves by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
But Yoruba leaders under the aegis of Yoruba World Assembly said herders should not be allowed to remain in Ondo forests to guarantee the safety of the state and by extension the South-West zone.
Secretary-General of YWA, Dr. Victor Taiwo, who spoke on behalf 9f the group which represents 15 other Yoruba also warned the Federal Government against arresting Sunday Igboho who on Friday chased away Fulani herders in Igangan Ibarapa, Oyo State after giving them seven-day ultimatum.
He said arresting Sunday Igboho was tantamount to assaulting the entire Yoruba nation.
Taiwo who spoke with newsmen ahead of a security summit fixed for Ibadan next month called on all governors in the zone to see the issue as a collective struggle devoid of political coloration.
He said the same method used in 1840 when Fulanis from Ilorin were repelled by combined Yoruba forces, drawn from all supporting towns of Oyo power, in line with defence arrangement perfected by Yoruba leaders led by Alaafin Atiba should be adopted.
Taiwo said, “It is too late to cry when the head is off. We have had enough of Miyetti Allah people. We don’t think anything good can come out of it.
“They have killed us, messed us up enough. We have had enough patience in the land. Brigands come killing, maiming our people. To now come and say you’re meeting with Myetti Allah is a concession that they are the ones causing mayhem.
“The only way forward is to protect ourselves. These people are incorrigible because they have godfathers who are propping them. They have given them license to do whatever they like.”
Open grazing of herdsmen have been banned in South West states, Nigeria. Oyo state governor, Engr Seyi Makinde revealed this via his tweets as follows;
” Today, the SW governors held a security stakeholders’ meeting in Ondo State. The meeting was attended by our brother governors from Kebbi and Jigawa States; security chiefs, SW zone led by the AIG Zone 11 and leaders from the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria.”
“Collectively, we resolved to ban open grazing in all parts of the south west. In Oyo State, we already have a law against open grazing which will continue to be implemented by our security agencies.”
Governor Seyi Makinde.
“I restated that we will not permit criminality as a response to criminal actions. Instead we will continue to support our security agencies to do their duties. Also, we will work with our people to face our common enemies – the criminals; kidnappers, armed robbers and bandits.”
Mr Austin, a retired army general, spoke of the need to rescind the ban during his Senate confirmation hearing last week.
“If you’re fit and you’re qualified to serve and you can maintain the standards, you should be allowed to serve,” he said.
Mr Trump announced on Twitter in 2017 that the country would no longer “accept or allow” transgender Americans to serve in the military, citing “tremendous medical costs and disruption”.
The ban took effect in April 2019. Trans personnel who were already serving were allowed to continue, but new recruits were locked out.
Jim Mattis, the then defence secretary, refined the policy to limit it to individuals with a history of gender dysphoria, or when a person’s biological sex and identity do not match.
President Biden has repeatedly said he plans to overturn the ban.
Prior to the inauguration, a memo from Ron Klain, now the White House Chief of Staff, said Mr Biden planned to use his first full week as president “to advance equity and support communities of colour and other underserved communities”.
He has already signed orders halting construction of the Mexico border wall, overturning a ban on travellers from several predominantly Muslim countries, and launching an initiative to improve racial equity
Moderna’s Covid vaccine appears to work against new, more infectious variants of the pandemic virus found in the UK and South Africa, say scientists from the US pharmaceutical company.
Early laboratory tests suggest antibodies triggered by the vaccine can recognise and fight the new variants.
More studies are needed to confirm this is true for people that have been vaccinated.
The new variants have been spreading fast in a number of nations.
They have undergone changes or mutations that mean they can infect human cells more easily than the original version of coronavirus that started the pandemic.
Experts think the UK strain, which emerged in September, may be up to 70% more transmissible.
Current vaccines were designed around earlier variants, but scientists believe they should still work against the new ones, although perhaps not quite as well.
For this study, researchers looked at blood samples taken from eight people who had received the recommended two doses of the Moderna vaccine.
The findings are yet to be peer reviewed, but suggest immunity from the vaccine still works against the new variants.
Neutralising antibodies, made by the immune system, stop the virus from entering cells.
The blood samples that were exposed to the new variants appeared to have sufficient antibodies to achieve this neutralising.
UK regulators have already approved Moderna’s vaccine for rollout on the NHS, but the 17m pre-ordered doses are not expected to arrive until Spring.
The vaccine works in a similar way to the Pfizer one already being used in the UK.
More than 6.3 million people in the UK have already received a first dose of either the Pfizer or the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Nine Chinese miners have been found dead a day after 11 of their colleagues were rescued after two weeks trapped in a gold mine in Shandong province.
The mayor of Yantai city was quoted by state broadcaster CCTV as confirming the deaths. One miner remains unaccounted for.
The miners became trapped in the Hushan mine when the entrance to the tunnel collapsed after a blast on 10 January.
There was joy on Sunday after the 11 were brought to the surface.
“From Sunday afternoon to this afternoon, rescue workers have not stopped searching, and found a further nine trapped miners who unfortunately all died,” Yantai Mayor Chen Fei told a briefing on Monday.
“Along with one miner who died on Thursday, the bodies of the nine deceased miners were all lifted out of the mine.”
Rescue efforts had been expected to take weeks, but took a “big step forwards” on Sunday morning when “a huge obstacle blocking the well suddenly fell to the bottom of the shaft,” lead rescue worker Du Bingjian told the state-run Global Times.
image captionThe surviving miners wore blindfolds to protect their eyes after spending two weeks in darkness
The first man to be rescued had been trapped in a different part of the gold mine to the main group of 10.
TV footage showed him being lifted out as emergency workers cheered. He was blindfolded to protect his eyes from the light and was immediately taken to hospital for treatment, with his condition described as “extremely weak”.
About an hour after his rescue, 10 more miners were brought out from a different section of the mine. CCTV said one of them was injured.
Several others were seen walking by themselves, supported by rescue workers, before being transported to hospital
The burnt bodies of 19 people have been found close to the Mexican border with the US, according to officials from Tamaulipas state.
Police found two burnt-out vehicles on Saturday and initial findings indicate the people were shot and then set alight.
Violent drug gangs operate in the area, where migrants also try to cross into north America.
An official said the victims may be undocumented migrants, reports AFP.
The north-eastern state of Tamaulipas is known for violent killings and disappearances, often linked to powerful drug cartels who battle for territory.
The Mexican government is fighting what it calls a war on drugs, and its security forces have previously been accused of detaining suspects who later go missing.
In the latest incident the bodies were found near the town of Camargo which borders the US state of Texas.
Autopsies are underway, but the Tamaulipas state prosecutor’s office said that the poor condition of the remains was complicating the procedures.
An investigation has begun to determine if the people killed were migrants travelling from Guatemala to try to reach the US.
Officials have contacted the Guatemalan consular authorities in Mexico “to provide the necessary information and try to identify some of the people believed to be Guatemalan migrants,” an official told AFP news agency.
Every year thousands of people from Central American attempt to make the long journey, often on foot, to the US through Mexico, many fleeing poverty and violence.
image captionSome people, like Maria Guadalupe, remain stranded on the border waiting for asylum in the US
Drug gangs often extort money from migrants travelling through their territories, and run people smuggling operations that take advantage of people’s desperate wish to reach north America.
In 2019 24 corpses were found in neighbouring town Miguel Aleman, 15 of which were burnt.
Nearly 500 migrants from Central and South America died in 2019 near the US-Mexico border, according to the UN.
Travellers ‘attacked’ and some allegedly kidnapped by unknown men along Benin-Ore Road .
An empty bus with the doors open wide was found in the middle of the expressway along Benin-Ore Road.
According to locals, the occupants of the bus were attacked and kidnapped, leaving behind the vehicle and luggage of the victims.
Footage shows that the windows of the bus were broken during the alleged attack on the travellers.
Locals who claimed to witness the attack said the kidnappers came out of Fulani herdsmen bush.
Other travellers that witnessed the alleged attack abandoned their vehicles and ran in different directions.
A particularly moving moment in the video shows a little girl rejoicing when she finally sighted her father after everyone started coming out from their hiding places when they were sure the attackers had left.
American singer/rapper, Trey Songz has been arrested over a violent altercation with Police at Kansas City Chiefs vs Buffalo Bills game on Sunday January 24. The Back Home rapper was taken into custody after he was recorded getting into a physical altercation with a police officer at the AFC Championship Game.
In a video obtained by TMZ, Songz can be seen punching the officer in the head and tries to get him into a headlock before getting detained.
According to TMZ, witnesses claim Songz was being taunted by others in the stands and asked them to be quiet. The witnesses also said a police officer allegedly got physical with the rapper without provocation and that the alleged altercation was self-defense on Songz’ part. TMZ reports that Songz was arrested and accused of trespassing, resisting arrest, and assaulting a police officer.
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