Lagos doctor, Olaleye, convicted for rape appeals judgement (Punch)
The Medical Director, Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, Dr. Olufemi Olaleye, has asked the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment of the lower court which convicted him of rape.
The Lagos Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, Ikeja, had, on October 24, found him guilty of defiling his wife’s 16-year-old niece and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The trial judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi, held that the prosecution proved the two charges of defilement and sexual assault by penetration against Olaleye. Read more
Abuja “one chance” victim not abandoned by hospital, says Wike’s panel (Channels)
Olurunfemi was reportedly thrown out of a fast-moving vehicle by her attackers on September 26 while on her way from work. She died at the Maitama General Hospital in the federal capital, where she was rushed to after the attack along the Katampe-Kubwa Road.
On October 4, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, constituted a nine-member panel to investigate the death.
Two months later, the panel while presenting its report at the Abuja Property Development Company, said that based on investigations, Olurunfemi was brought into the hospital dead. Read more
Kidnappers of Imo Catholic priest, driver demand N10m ransom (Punch)
Those who abducted the parish priest of St. Michael’s Catholic Church Umuekebi in the Osuowerre autonomous community in the Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, Rev. Fr. Kingsley Eze, also known as Father Ichie, together with his driver, Uchennna Newman, have demanded N10m ransom.
Gunmen had on Thursday night kidnapped the two of them at Orieama Junction and robbed shop owners at the scene.
They also shot an onlooker, who was rushed to an undisclosed hospital. Read more
MDCN threatens to shut Abia varsity medical college completely if… (Vanguard)
Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, has threatened to “completely shut down” the Medical College of Abia State University Uturu (ABSU), “if it fails to pass accreditation next week”.
The Registrar of the Council, Dr T.A.B Sanusi, who gave the threat during the maiden induction of Gregory University Uturu (GUU), medical doctors, at Michael Okpara Auditorium Umuahia, said that the forthcoming accreditation “will be a make or mar” for the College.
ABSU Medical College lost accreditation early 2022 following the state of inactivity of the Abia State University Teaching Hospital Aba (ABSUTH), as a result of incessant strike actions by doctors who were then owed for over 24 months. Read more
COP28: NLC will provide social safety nets who may lose their jobs, says Ajaero (Guardian)
The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has said that social safety nets and insurance policies will be provided for workers who may lose their jobs during the global energy transition.
Ajaero made this disclosure at ongoing COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) where the NLC organised a side event with the theme: ‘Justice for workers in the just transition’, which is designed to fight for the rights of workers as talks to move to cleaner energy gains momentum across the world.
He said this as the world commences the move away from fossil fuels with calls already made for a ‘just transition‘ that will leave no one behind. Read more
Information Minister constitutes committee to finalise Nigeria’s Values Charter (Vanguard)
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has constituted a committee to finalise Nigeria’s Values Charter.
This is contained in the statement issued by the Deputy Director of Press in the Ministry, Mr Suleiman Haruna on Wednesday in Abuja.
Nigeria’s Values Charter embodies a social contract between the country and its citizens. Read more
University professor calls for creation of adult daycare to support elderly (Nation)
A Professor of Social Work at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Uzoma Okoye, has called for the establishment of Adult daycare centres to provide the necessary care and attention needed by the elderly for a longer and healthier life.
Okoye, who made the call in Nsukka while delivering the university’s 195th inaugural lecture titled “Aging PLC: A business where everyone is a shareholder but not aware. Can Social Work Help?”, said there is a need to establish Adult Day Care just as Children Day Care to give old people the required care and attention they need to live longer.
She said: “Some people may say Adult Day Care or Old People’s Homes are not part of our culture in this part of the world but we must adapt to the changing world realities.” Read more
Nigeria loses volunteer who chaired Sierra Leone Covid-19 programme (DailyTrust)
The Director General of the Directorate of Technical Aid Corps (DTAC), Hon. Buba Yusuf Yakub, disclosed this on Wednesday during a reception for ten volunteers who just returned from Sierra Leone after the completion of their assignment.
Yakub said the late Dr Adejayan was so exceptional that the government of Sierra Leone had to engage him at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The DG who observed a minute silence for the departed Medical Doctor said, “One of our excellent volunteers, who served in Sierra Leone during the Covid. Because of his excellent performance, the government of Sierra Leone appointed him as the Chairman of the Covid programme. He did very well but unfortunately, we lost him.” Read more
Selena Gomez is TikTok’s most popular music artist of 2023 (Variety)
Selena Gomez had TikTok users engaged the most over the past year, according to a report released by the social video-sharing platform.
Gomez, who has almost 60 million followers, was crowned TikTok’s most popular artist in the United States. The multi-hyphenate, who regularly posts using the viral sounds du jour, leads the pack of musicians who made the top 10, joining Ice Spice, Natalie Jane, Lizzo, Ariana Grande and more. She also was the second-most popular artist worldwide, only second to Kim Loaiza and above Blackpink, Shakira and BTS. All credit goes to Gomez herself, whose February video of her getting ready for a 6 a.m. flight accrued more than 24 million likes and ranked fourth on the top U.S. trending videos. Read more
Adam Driver responds to Chris Wallace’s question about his appearance (People)
When appearing on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, Adam Driver faced a difficult question about his physical appearance, with the host wondering whether the actor’s looks had made his path to stardom harder than it might have been.
“The New Yorker also called me a ‘horse face’, so I don’t — I take it with a grain of salt,” Driver noted. “I remember reading one reviewer: ‘His agent probably doesn’t know whether to put him in a movie or the Kentucky Derby’.”
“So I take it, you know, if you believe the good thing, then you have to believe the bad thing,” Driver added. “So I try to not absorb anything.” That was the point at which Wallace asked Driver whether his physical appearance had been a “hindrance” to his career. Read more
Mali and Niger simultaneously denounce double taxation agreements with France (AfricaNews)
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the military regimes of Mali and Niger announced that they were denouncing their double taxation agreements with France, continuing the unraveling of ties with Paris and the tightening of their relations.
In the statement, the governments of the two Sahelian countries cited “France’s persistent hostile attitude against our States” and “the unbalanced nature of these agreements, which cause a considerable loss of revenue for Mali and Niger”.
The agreements will expire “within three months”, they say. Read more
Sir Rod Stewart and Jools Holland give surprise musical performance at London train station (Standard)
Sir Rod Stewart and Jools Holland treated London commuters at a train station to a surprise performance of tracks from their newly announced swing album.
The duo are set to release Swing Fever on February 23 via Warner Music. The 13-track collaboration will feature classic songs such as Ain’t Misbehavin’, Frankie And Johnny, Sentimental Journey and Lullaby Of Broadway.
Both model railway enthusiasts, St. Pancras International was a fitting place to launch their new project. They were joined by an 18-piece band on Tuesday for the musical treat within the station’s main Arcade and in front of the magical St. Pancras Christmas Tree. The performance follows in the footsteps of world-famous performers including Elton John, Ed Sheeran, John Legend, and Jeff Goldblum, as well as the public day-to-day. Read more
Hollywood actors ratify contract, formally ending strike (RNZ)
Members of the SAG-AFTRA actors union approved a three-year contract with major studios on Tuesday (US time), formally ending six months of Hollywood labour disputes that halted film and television production.
SAG-AFTRA said 78 percent of those who voted supported the deal with Netflix, Walt Disney and other members of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
Just 38 percent of eligible SAG-AFTRA members cast a ballot, the union said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. SAG-AFTRA represents roughly 160,000 actors and other media professionals. Read more
Wes Ball: ‘‘Legend of Zelda’’ movie won’t be like The Lord of the Rings (FarOut)
When director Wes Ball announced his forthcoming Legend of Zelda movie adaptation, some fantasy fans suggested that we could encounter the next Lord of the Rings. Ball has now commented on such conjecture, asserting that his movie will differ from Peter Jackson’s lauded trilogy.
“The Legend of Zelda” is a classic Nintendo video game series but is now set to be adapted for the big screen in association with Sony Pictures. Since the franchise was partly inspired by the fantastical universe of JRR Tolkien’s books, it would be safe to assume the movies won’t be worlds apart.
However, speaking to Entertainment Weekly in a new interview, Ball revealed that, unlike The Lord of the Rings, Zelda will be more akin to Hayao Miyazaki’s work but in a live-action setting. Read more
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Saudi Arabia and UAE (LBC)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun a trip to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, hoping to shore up support in the Middle East from two major oil producers allied to the US as his invasion of Ukraine grinds on.
Mr Putin landed in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms now hosting the United Nations’ Cop28 climate talks.
It marked his first trip to the region since before the coronavirus pandemic and the war – and as he faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over the war in Ukraine. Read more
Aina wins Nottingham Forest’s November Goal of the Month award (Guardian)
Nigeria’s Super Eagles right-back Ola Aina has won Nottingham Forest’s Goal of the Month award for November.
Nottingham Forest announced Aina as the winner on their X handle on Wednesday.
Also, the club posted a video of Aina’s goal, which was voted for by the club’s fans.
The goal was Forest’s opener in a 2-0 home win against Aston Villa in the Premier League. Read more
Sports Minister holds strategic meeting with NFF, Peseiro over AFCON (Independent)
Senator John Owan Enoh, the Minister of Sports Development, convened a high-level meeting on Wednesday with the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and coach of the Super Eagles, Jose Peseiro, to deliberate on strategic plans and preparations towards the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The collaborative session, held at the minister’s office in Abuja, focused on fostering synergy and solidifying a comprehensive roadmap to ensure optimal preparations and success for the Nigerian national football team at the highly anticipated tournament.
Senator Enoh reiterated the government’s unwavering support for Nigerian football and emphasised the significance of meticulous planning and cohesive strategies to propel the national team to victory at the AFCON. Read more
Arsenal could suffer 2-month selection blow over injured Takehiro Tomiyasu (Standard)
Arsenal face the potential prospect of possibly being without Takehiro Tomiyasu until February.
Standard Sport understands that the versatile defender is facing between four to six weeks out with a calf injury suffered in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Wolves in the Premier League.
As reported by talkSPORT, Tomiyasu is also expected to be unavailable to the Gunners in January as a result of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, which was pushed back until the New Year. Read more
Bayern Munich to sign Spain winger Bryan Zaragoza from Granada at the end of the season (DailyMail)
Bayern Munich is signing Spain winger Bryan Zaragoza from struggling La Liga team Granada, with the deal set to go through in July.
The German champion said Wednesday that the 22-year-old Zaragoza would sign a five-year contract running through to 2029 when he joins Bayern at the end of the season.
No fee was disclosed but German magazine Kicker reported the deal involved an initial fee of 13 million euros ($14 million) plus possible add-on fees. Read more
Emma Raducanu faces agonising Australian Open wait as former world No.1 given wild card (Mirror)
Emma Raducanu has missed out on an initial wild card for the Australian Open – but former champion Caroline Wozniacki will do battle in next year’s first grand slam.
Raducanu has a protected ranking of 103 due to her lengthy absence from the tour following operations on both wrists and one ankle. But that isn’t enough for the 21-year-old to land a spot at next month’s tournament.
Now she faces a waiting game to see if she is included in the second batch, but while her status as a former grand slam champion, and one of the most high-profile female players in the sport, counts in her favour, most wild cards usually go to home players. Read more
Hamilton lays down Mercedes W15 demand for 2024 car (RN365)
Lewis Hamilton has urged Mercedes to ensure that its W15 2024 car is “not a replica” of the troubled W14.
Doubling down on its zero sidepod concept at the start of the year, Mercedes quickly discovered that it had got the wrong idea, and brought upgrades of a more conventional sidepod design in Monaco.
While progress was made by the team as it finished second in the Constructors’, it failed to win a race for the first time since 2011 and scored 409 points to Red Bull’s 860. Read more