4 to die by hanging for conspiracy, armed robbery, others (Guardian)
An Ado- Ekiti High Court, on Monday, sentenced four persons: Ojo Ajaiyi, 22; Matthew Osalade, 23; Adebisi Ogundare, 23 and Busayo Adeniyi, 23 to death by hanging for armed robbery and other offences.
The defendants had, on Aug. 24, 2020, been arraigned before Justice Bamidele Omotoso on a seven-count charge bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery, attempted murder and cultism.
The offences were said to have contravened Sections 516, 402(2) and 320 of the Criminal Code, Cap. C16, Laws of Ekiti State of Nigeria, 2012 and Section 4(1) of the Secret Cults (Abolition and Prohibition) First Amendment Law, No. 6, 2017.
According to the charge, the convicts, on Jan. 1, 2019 at Odo-Ado Area of Ado Ekiti, did conspire to commit armed robbery on Mary Ezeaku, Joshua Ige and Hassan Abdulmalik.
They were also said to have attempted to murder one Olajide Babatunde, aside being found to be members of a prohibited society, called Eieye Confraternity. Read more
Alleged violence: Davido’s cousin Sina Rambo, wife split (Punch)
The marriage between singer Davido’s cousin, Adesina Adeleke, popularly known as Sina Rambo, and his wife, Korth, has crashed, as the latter accused her estranged husband of violence.
On her Instagram stories on Monday, Korth accused Sina Rambo and his sister of violence, as she shared videos, chats, and pictures to prove her claims.
She added that the marriage was over as she refused to succumb to abuse.
Korth also called out her husband, who is the son of the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, for debt, as she asked him to pay back the money he owed her. Read more
Pregnant woman killed in failed attempt to kidnap husband, others
(Vanguard)
A pregnant woman, Mrs Mary Barka has been killed when some kidnappers suspected to be bandits armed with locally made -in- Awka guns invaded Pelachiroma village of Hawul Local government area of Borno state.
The suspects who have since been arrested by the Chairman of Hunters, Mohammed Shawulu Yohanna were handed over to the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Hawul, Habila Lemaka.
According to Yohanna, leader of the vigilante/hunters in an interview with Journalists on Monday said, the incident was reported few days ago, after the suspects attacked the village and attempted to kidnap their targets, but we’re not successful.
He regretted that a pregnant woman, Mary Barka was killed by the suspects who are now cooling off in the hands of police.
” Pelachiroma village of Hawul Local government area witnessed an attack by suspected bandits. I immediately mobilized my team to the village on that night and succeeded in arresting the four culprits who attempted to kidnap Mr Barka Paul Sawa, because, he (Sawa) has given them his cattle to rear for him. Read more
Ex-defence chief’s son denies beating Lagos motorist (Punch)
A naval officer, Kayode Petinrin, has denied assaulting a motorist identified only as Sola, during an altercation in the CMS area of Lagos State.
Kayode was accused of assaulting Sola after he allegedly damaged the latter’s car while manoeuvring on the Bus Rapid Transit lane last Tuesday.
Sola alleged that when he complained about his damaged car, the officer beat him up.
The complainant had lamented that he was planning to take the car to the palace of the Elegushi for blessings when the incident happened. Read more
Lagos generates N1.25b in agric revenue, targets N3bn in 2023 (Vanguard)
The Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, says the agricultural sector generated over N1.2bn as revenue in 2022 in spite of the global food challenges.
Olusanya, who also said that the ministry surpassed its one billion naira generated in 2021, made this known at the 2022 Lagos Food Festival in Lagos on Sunday.
She said that the revenue was generated even under the most strenuous circumstances affecting food production.
“In 2021, we generated roughly a little over one billion naira; this year is tougher obviously due to the election process and what have you. Read more
Banks shut, residents take cover as gunmen break loose in Ebonyi (DailyTrust)
Ebonyi State residents ran for their lives, on Monday, when gunmen suspected to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) invaded Abakaliki, capital of the state.
Markets, banks and filling stations which opened earlier in the day closed down as sounds of gunshot rend the air.
The gunmen, who reportedly wore masks, razed a section of Ahịa Ofú market located along the Abakaliki-Enugu highway.
The action of the group was said to be part of the enforcement of the five days sit-at-home order declared in the region. Read more
3 killed in attack on Imo INEC office (Guardian)
Three gunmen were killed early Monday when police repelled an assault on an election office in Nigeria’s southeast, police said, in the latest violence in the restive region.
The attack on the main office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Owerri, capital of Imo state, followed similar assaults less than three months to next year’s presidential vote.
Nigerians will go to the ballot box in February to elect a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari, a former army commander who is stepping down after two terms in office.
Recent attacks on INEC offices, particularly in the southeast where separatist groups are active, and violence by armed criminal gangs are raising concerns over electoral violence. Read more
Kidnapped Abuja lady, pastor freed after ransom (Nation)
Two of the seven victims kidnapped at last Tuesday night’s attack on Kubwa extension II Relocation Estate along Arab Road area of Abuja have been released by bandits after ransom.
The freed victim, Adenike, is an ex-corps member, who completed the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme in November.
The second victim is a cleric identified as Pastor Timothy.
Findings showed that an undisclosed sum was paid to the bandits to effect Adenike and Timothy’s release from their den. Read more
EU corruption charges ‘very serious’, says Von der Leyen (BBC)
Arrests over allegations a European Parliament vice president took bribes from a Gulf state are very worrying, Ursula von der Leyen has said.
The European Commission president said corruption charges against four people were of the “utmost concern”.
Among the arrested was European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili – believed to be one of those charged.
Prosecutors suspect a Gulf state – reportedly Qatar – tried to influence parliament by donating money or gifts.
Qatar has denied misconduct. Read more
Mariah Carey joined by 11-year-old daughter at 1st Christmas concert post-pandemic (NME)
Mariah Carey performed her first post-COVID Christmas concert over the weekend – and was joined by her 11-year-old daughter.
The singer played a show at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada on Friday (December 9), sharing a host of Christmas classics.
For a duet on the classic ‘Away In A Manger’ Mariah was joined by daughter Monroe who shares the same aptitude for singing as her mother.
“This is my baby girl, here,” Carey said when introducing Monroe to the stage. “Eleven years ago, I got the greatest gift. Read more
BTS member Jin unveils dramatic transformation as he prepares to join military (Mirror)
BTS member Jin has unveiled his dramatic hair transformation as he prepares to enlist in the South Korea military.
In South Korea, all able-bodied men must serve 18 to 21 months in the military by law and while there can be exemptions, it seems even one of the biggest K-Pop idols on the planet didn’t want the rules changed for him.
It was recently announced that Jin, 30, would be heading off to enlist in the military, and he’s now revealed his new look.
Those heading off to serve have to shave their heads before they arrive, and Jin shared a selfie on fan social media site Weverse with his cropped look. Read more
Golden Globes nominations: The Banshees of Inisherin tops film categories (NBC)
Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” a darkly comic tale of feuding friends, led the pack of nominees for the 80th Golden Globe Awards announced Monday morning, picking up eight nods.
“Banshees” stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as drinking buddies living off the coast of Ireland in the early 1920s whose tight bond grows increasingly frayed.
The film is vying for the best musical or comedy film prize along with “Babylon,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and “Triangle of Sadness.”
In the best drama film race, the contenders are “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Elvis,” “The Fabelmans,” “Tár” and “Top Gun: Maverick.” Read more
Elon Musk gets viciously booed by stadium crowd at Dave Chappelle Show (Gizmodo)
Elon Musk, the billionaire who wants nothing more in life than to be adored by legions of fans, was loudly booed by a crowd in San Francisco on Sunday night after he was invited onstage by comedian Dave Chappelle. And the footage is pretty rough, even if you don’t particularly like Musk.
“Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for the richest man in the world,” Chappelle said near the end of his set at the Chase Center.
The crowd erupted into a mixture of cheers and boos, before the boos clearly won out, according to footage posted on Twitter. [Update, 6:40 a.m. ET: The footage appears to have been deleted from Twitter for some reason, but you can still watch it below.] The booing got louder as Musk wandered around onstage with a microphone in hand. Musk started pacing and waving, clearly unsure what to do about such a negative reaction.
“Cheers and boos, I see. Elon…” Chappelle said.
“Hey Dave,” Musk responded, prompting another wave of boos from the crowd. Read more
Ukraine’s Klondike wins top prize at revived World Film Festival in Bangkok (Variety)
The World Film Festival of Bangkok wrapped up its comeback 15th edition on Sunday with an efficient prize ceremony and double-bill screenings of Belgian film “Close” and local title “Arnold Is a Model Student.”
The festival ran Dec. 2-11, 2022, after a five-year hiatus, seemingly caused by a lack of funding and political will, and the death this year of its dynamic founder Kriengsak ‘‘Victor’’ Silakong. Artistic directing duties were taken over by local producer and film critic Donsaron ‘‘Don’’ Kovitvanitcha.
In what it said was a unanimous decision, the jury gave its top prize to “Klondike,” Mayna Er Gorbach’s anti-war drama from Ukraine.
The best director prize, worth THB 100,000 ($2,850) was awarded to Serbia’s Dusan Zoric and Matija Gluscevic co-directors of “Have You Seen This Woman?”. Read more
Fire engulfs another Moscow mall, 2nd such fire in 4 days (ABC)
A massive fire gutted a shopping mall on Moscow’s eastern outskirts on Monday, the second such blaze in four days.
The blaze at the mall in Balashikha that trades in construction items and home decoration materials first erupted at a storage area and later spread to part of the building. A guard was hospitalized after inhaling toxic fumes from the fire.
Fire-fighting teams managed to localize it to an area of about 9,000 square meters (97,000 square feet) and prevent it from engulfing the entire mall.
Officials said the fire was caused by a short circuit that came amid heavy rain in Moscow. Read more
Rivers United get Asec Mimosa in CAF Confederations Cup group stage (Channels)
Nigeria’s only representative in continental club football competition this year, Rivers United have been drawn in the Group B of the CAF Confederations Cup.
Drawn into the Group alongside the Nigerian League champions are Asec Mimosa of Ivory Coast, Diables Noirs of the Republic of Congo and DC Motemba Pembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Group A, USM Alger of Algeria will compete for the top spot with Marumo Gallants South Africa, Al Akhdar Liberia, and Saint-Eloi Lupopo of the Republic of Congo.
Pyramids Egypt, ASKO Kara of Togo, Future of Egypt, and FAR Rabat Morocco will slug it out in group C. Read more
Pepe discusses Portugal’s World Cup exit after discovering he played with broken arm (Mirror)
Portugal defender Pepe has discussed the feeling around the national team following their elimination from the World Cup at the quarter-final stage after defeat by Morocco.
Hopes were high for Fernando Santos’ side coming into the tournament and Portugal enjoyed some remarkable moments, such as their 6-1 drubbing of Switzerland during the round of 16. However, the overriding feeling is one of regret after Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. fell short against a side many would have expected them to beat.
Pepe addressed reporters at the airport after touching back down on Portuguese soil from Qatar, explaining: “I want to thank everyone. Unfortunately, we didn’t achieve the goal we wanted, but the affection they showed here, and also during the World Cup, is very rewarding. We tried to give everything to honour our country.”
The former Real Madrid man was pressed for comment on whether he would be calling time on his international career in the coming days, but he kept his cards close to his chest as he replied: “The most important thing now is not to talk about whether it is Pepe’s last World Cup, but to thank all the affection.” Read more
Joey Barton calls for Gareth Southgate to resign after England’s World Cup quarter-final exit (DailyMail)
Joey Barton has called for Gareth Southgate to leave as England manager, claiming that the FA have got to ‘stop rewarding failure’.
Southgate is believed to be pondering his future in the role after the Three Lions heartbreaking exit from the World Cup at the hands of France on Saturday.
The 52-year-old has been in charge of England since 2016, after he took over from Sam Allardyce when the former Bolton and West Ham boss resigned after just one game in charge.
Since then, Southgate has won 51 of his 81 games in the hot seat, and overseen three positive tournament experiences. Read more
Max Verstappen doesn’t want Lewis Hamilton talks 1 year on from Abu Dhabi controversy (Express)
Max Verstappen has no interest in discussing the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton, one year on from the dramatic climax to the title battle with his Mercedes rival. It is 12 months since perhaps the most tense finish to a title race in F1 history, as Verstappen and Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel in the final lap of the season in pursuit of glory.
Hamilton was famously coasting towards the race win and an eighth world title as Mercedes found a crucial advantage over Red Bull in the season finale at the Yas Marina circuit.
But the incredible drama unfolded when Nicholas Latifi’s crash brought out a safety car in the closing laps and former FIA race director Michael Masi controversially set up a one-lap showdown for the world title.
Cars between Hamilton and Verstappen were told to unlap themselves, clearing the track for the Dutchman to snatch his maiden title with fresh tyres, as he lunged past his helpless rival to take an astonishing victory. Read more
Serena Williams comeback hopes thwarted by former rival Wozniacki (Eurosport)
Caroline Wozniacki does not expect Serena Williams to return to play professional tennis.
Williams, 41, retired after the US Open in the summer, saying she is “evolving” away from the sport. She has since teased that she could make a comeback and the chances of her playing again are “very high”.
But former world No. 1 Wozniacki thinks it is unlikely that her long-time friend Williams will return to the tour.
“I don’t think so. If she plays an exhibition I think that would be lucky but I don’t see her back playing on tour. There are just so many things going on,” she said on Tennis Channel. Read more
Southgate future in focus as England digest World Cup exit (Guardian)
England crashed out of the World Cup against an all too familiar backdrop of heroic failure and agonising over yet another crucial missed penalty in a major championship.
But as the Three Lions packed their bags on Sunday there was much about the circumstances of their exit that felt like a break from the past.
No anguished wailing about tactical failings or technical ineptitude. No demands for a root-and-branch review of English football, and no calls for a change of manager.
Instead, a growing consensus that Gareth Southgate should — if he wants to — be allowed to continue for at least one more tournament. Read more