The FIFA Women's World Cup which will be hosted by two Countries for the first time will be holding in Australia and New Zealand from 20th July – 20 August 2023. Nigeria is in Group B alongside heavyweights Canada & co-host Australia with the Republic of Ireland completing the group.
The Super Falcons' first game will be against Canada on July 21st at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
In an interview with The Whistle Podcast, Randy Waldrum, the Head Coach has fired a salvo at the NFF, this time in more brutal fashion.
Carlo Ancelotti will become the head coach of Brazil from June 2024! Fernando Diniz has been hired as head coach of Brazil's national team on a 12-month contract 🇧🇷
Executives at the Brazilian Football Confederation have indicated the intention is to wait a season and then bring in Ancelotti to lead the team into the 2026 World Cup 🏆
Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti is set to become the first foreigner in almost 60 years to coach Brazil's national team the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Tuesday.
Ancelotti, 64, has a season remaining on his contract with Real, which he has said he would like to honour, and will take over Brazil in time for the Copa America, in the United States from June 2024.
The Brazilian federation had announced earlier Fluminense's Fernando Diniz would take charge of the team for the coming year.
"This guy (Diniz) is a coach who has a nice style of play," Ednaldo Rodriguez president of the CBF told CNN Brazil.
"His style is similar to the coach whop will assume the role at the Copa America, Ancelotti."
The prize football-mad Brazil will want one of the most successful coaches in European football to deliver is a sixth World Cup trophy in 2026. It would be the first since 2002.
The 2022 edition was especially galling for the Brazilians as they exited in the quarter-finals, beaten by Croatia, and their bitter continental rivals Argentina lifted the trophy.
Tite brought down the curtain on his six years in charge following their elimination.
- 'Decent person' -
Ancelotti's agreement to take over Brazil comes after months of negotiations with Rodrigues, who had the Italian at the top of the list.
Ancelotti had said the Real job would be his last after almost 30 years as a coach, but one of the most glamorous and challenging jobs in football brought a change of mind.
Brazilian hierarchy said they were attracted not only by Ancelotti's record of winning trophies but also by his laid-back character and ability to develop close relations with the players.
"We went after him not only due to his record, but also because he is a decent person," Rodrigues told beIN Sports recently.
"Those who have worked with him say that he is open, cultured, and he appreciates Brazilian football."
One moment his love of Brazilian football was put on hold was when he was assistant coach to Arrigo Sacchi as Italy lost to Brazil on penalties in the 1994 World Cup final.
With Brazil, Ancelotti will have some familiar faces from Real Madrid.
Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Eder Militao have been key players in his latest spell with Real which has resulted in six trophies.
"He is the best coach in the world," said Vinicius, who has developed under Ancelotti and formed a close bond with the coach who supported the 22-year-old Brazilian when he was the target of racist abuse last season.
Ancelotti will be the fourth non-Brazilian to coach Brazil. The last was Argentine Filpo Nunez who was in charge for one game in 1965.
Ancelotti has won the Champions League twice with both AC Milan and Real Madrid.
He has won domestic league titles with Real and Milan, in England with Chelsea, in Germany with Bayern Munich and in France with Paris Saint-Germain.
Ramon Menezes has been in charge of the Brazil team since Tite stood down on a caretaker basis but will now hand over to Diniz.
"Fernando Diniz will lead the Brazilian team for a year, and I'm sure he will do it with great competence, as always during his professional career," said Rodrigues in a video statement.
Diniz, 49, will be in charge of the first six South American qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup this year, including the clashes with world champions Argentina and Uruguay.
"It is a dream, an honour and a huge pride to serve the national team," Diniz said.
Brazil will start their qualifying campaign in September at home against Bolivia and then away against Peru.
Instagram’s highly anticipated Twitter rival is expected to launch Thursday, according to a listing on Apple Inc.’s App Store.
The app, called Threads, will function similarly to Twitter, with text-based posts that can be liked, commented on and shared, according to examples of screenshots on the App Store listing. People will be able to follow the accounts they follow on Instagram and keep their same user name. Instagram, owned by Meta Platforms Inc., declined to comment.
With the launch, Meta is seeking to take advantage Twitter’s problems since the social media service was taken over last year by Elon Musk. Among the issues that have angered users, and spurred them to seek alternative platforms, are Twitter’s loosening content moderation policies, and requiring a monthly subscription fee to be labeled as an authentic account. There are also problems with site reliability. On Saturday, Twitter began temporarily limiting the number of posts users can see.
Twitter’s existing rivals, such as Mastodon and Bluesky, are more nascent and haven’t yet built their networks to be viable alternatives. Instagram has been touting its forthcoming app with various celebrities and influencers for months, aiming to generate a buzz when it launches.
The app is available for “pre-order” and is “expected” on Thursday, according to the App Store listing. There, Threads is described as “where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today, to what’ll be trending tomorrow.”
Meta has a long history of borrowing ideas from competitors — and it hasn’t always worked out. But when the company’s copycat products succeed, they can catch on quickly. The feature for posts that disappear after 24 hours, called “stories,” was copied from Snapchat in 2016. Now, far more people use that format on Meta’s apps than use Snapchat. Meta more recently made a short-video product similar to TikTok, called “reels.” In earnings calls, company executives have said reels are driving growth on both Instagram and Facebook.
More than 3 billion people daily used at least one of Meta’s apps — Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — in the first quarter of the year, the company reported in April.
Cornel Osigwe is the Head of Corporate Communications at Innoson Group.
The girl I met doesn't have the brain and capacity to manipulate her result. There is more to this story. A proper investigation needs to be done. Abeg let the poor breath.
We're doing our independent investigation on the issue of manipulation, if we find that the girl in question willfully manipulated her result, we shall withdraw the scholarship, but if we observe she is innocent of the accusation, then the scholarship stands, whether she is the best or not.
It is strange to us because we did our independent verification and found out that Mmesoma Ejikeme actually scored 362, when we printed her result.
When it was claimed that she was the highest, we waited for JAMB to come and clarify it, but they did not and the media was publishing that she was the highest.
We also waited to see if there was going to be a counter claim, but since there was no counter claim, we awarded her the scholarship as the highest scorer.
On Sunday, it was reported that JAMB claimed that she manipulated her result. We are doing our independent investigation as we speak to know if she actually manipulated her result or the fault was from JAMB.
If we find out that the girl actually manipulated her result for obvious reasons, we will withdraw the scholarship.
But if we find out that the mistake was actually from JAMB; that they were the ones that awarded her the score, or probably did a review and found out that her actual score was 249, then our scholarship will still stand.
A panel of judges voted Friday to render far-right former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro ineligible to run for office again after concluding that he abused his power and cast unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system.
The decision, once voting of all judges concludes, will forbid Bolsonaro from running until 2030, upending the 68-year-old’s political future and likely erasing any chance for him to regain power.
Four of the seven judges on the nation’s highest electoral court agreed that Bolsonaro abused his authority by using government communication channels to promote his campaign and sowing doubts about the vote.
“This decision will end Bolsonaro’s chances of being president again, and he knows it,” said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo. “After this, he will try to stay out of jail, elect some of his allies to keep his political capital, but it is very unlikely he will ever return to the presidency.”
The case focused on a July 18, 2022, meeting where Bolsonaro used government staffers, the state television channel and the presidential palace in Brasilia to tell foreign ambassadors that the country’s electronic voting system was rigged.
“Bolsonaro abused the powers of his office by calling the meeting: check. He used government staffers and buildings with an electoral objective: check. And he mixed the country’s interests with those of his campaign: check,” said Márlon Reis, an electoral law expert who helped draft the ineligibility provisions.
Bolsonaro will be able to appeal to the Supreme Court. He also faces other legal troubles, including criminal investigations.
Speaking Thursday to reporters in Brasilia, Bolsonaro was defiant.
“This is an injustice against me, my God in heaven! Show me something concrete I have done against democracy,” he said. “Perhaps my crime was doing the right thing for four years.”
The Indiana Supreme Court ruled Friday that the state's abortion ban doesn't violate the state constitution, removing a major hurdle to enforcing the ban Republicans approved last summer.
The court’s decision overturns a county judge’s ruling that the ban likely violates the state constitution’s privacy protections, which she said are stronger than those found in the U.S. Constitution. That judge’s order has allowed abortions to continue in Indiana since September, despite the ban.
An opinion from three of the court’s five justices said that while Indiana's constitution provides some protection of abortion rights, the “General Assembly otherwise retains broad legislative discretion for determining whether and the extent to which to prohibit abortions.”
All five Indiana Supreme Court justices were appointed by Republican Governors.
Although the court's decision strikes down the injunction blocking the ban, it wasn't immediately clear how soon the ban would take effect. The justices returned the case to the county judge for further action.
Indiana’s abortion ban also faces a separate court challenge over claims it violates the state’s 2015 religious freedom law signed by GOP then-Gov. Mike Pence.
Indiana became the first state to enact tighter abortion restrictions, acting in August, after the U.S. Supreme Court’s eliminated federal protections by overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Most Republican-controlled states have enacted tighter abortion restrictions since U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last summer. All the restrictions have been challenged in court.
In the past year, judges in Arizona, Iowa and South Carolina have ruled that the bans are not permissible under the state constitutions.
Besides Indiana, enforcement of restrictions are on hold as courts decide the cases in Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah and Wyoming. In North Dakota, lawmakers adopted a different ban since to replace the one that was blocked. And in South Carolina, another ban has been put into place – and it, too, has been put on hold by a court.
Democratic-led states, such as Indiana’s neighbors of Illinois and Michigan, have mostly taken steps to protect abortion access.
The Indiana ban would eliminate the licenses for all seven abortion clinics in the state and ban the vast majority of abortions even in the earliest stages of a pregnancy. It includes exceptions allowing abortions at hospitals in cases of rape or incest before 10 weeks post-fertilization; to protect the life and physical health of the mother; and if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, which represented Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinic operators, argued before the Supreme Court in January that the state constitution’s liberty protections provide a right to privacy and to make decisions on whether to have children.
The state attorney general’s office countered that Indiana had laws against abortion when its current constitution was drafted in 1851 and that the county judge’s ruling would wrongly create an abortion right.
A separate court challenge to the ban is ongoing as another county judge in December sided with residents who claim it violates the state’s religious freedom law, which Republican legislators pushed through in 2015 and sparked a widespread national backlash as critics argued it allowed discrimination against gay people.
The state Supreme Court in January turned down a request from the attorney general’s office that it immediately take up the religious freedom lawsuit. The state’s intermediate Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments over that lawsuit on Sept. 12.
Marion County Judge Heather Welch in December agreed with five residents who hold Jewish, Muslim and spiritual faiths and who argued that the ban would violate their religious rights on when they believe abortion is acceptable. For now it only directly affects those plaintiffs — legal experts say anyone else claiming religious protections of their abortion rights would need their own court order.
Supreme Court STRIKES DOWN Biden's $400 billion student loan forgiveness: Justices rule president does not have authority to cancel debt of millions in another landmark ruling
The Supreme Court has struck down President Joe Biden's $400 billion student loans forgiveness plan in another bombshell decision.
The court ruled against Biden's controversial plan to wipe out debts for around 20 million Americans, which the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked in October.
The landmark ruling on the final day of the Supreme Court's term comes 24 hours after the justices decided colleges could no longer use race as a consideration in admissions in a case that sparked backlash from Biden.
The plan would have eradicated $10,000 in debt for borrowers earning less than $125,000 and up to $20,000 for those with Pell Grants.
But it was challenged by six Republican states and two borrowers who argued Biden should have sought approval from Congress for a plan using substantial taxpayer funds.
Millions of Americans haven't had to repay their loans for three-and-a-half years because of a COVID pandemic freeze. Borrowers will have to restart their payments in October, and interest will start recurring in September. Biden's loan forgiveness has been a cornerstone of his presidency, and the ruling will be a massive blow to the administration that has fought against the piling debt.
For months, Biden's student loan blueprint has been at the center of a legal tussle with six Republican-controlled US states and two borrowers.
Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina said he had no legal authority to go ahead with the plan without the sign-off from Congress first.
Biden used the post-9/11 HEROES Act as justification for the program. It stipulates the Department of Education can waive student debt during a national emergency.
The COVID national emergency in the eyes of the government came to an end in May.
The program has been on hold since November after a federal appeals court in St. Louis issued an injunction, pausing applications and payouts.
That forced the U.S. government to seek the intervention of the Supreme Court justices.
The six conservative justices expressed their skepticism of the plan during oral arguments in February, and gave an early indication of their decision.
Announced last August, the administration vowed to cancel some $10,000 in federal student debt for students earning less than $125,000.
Officials also promised to axe an additional $10,000 for students who received what are known as Pell Grants.
These financial aid payments are awarded to students with exceptional financial needs.
But most Republicans say those who took out loans need to repay them without a bailout.
They have also argued that taxes paid by Americans who didn't attend college shouldn't be used to fund those who did.
The Supreme Court has struck down President Joe Biden's $400 billion student loans forgiveness plan in another bombshell decision.
The court ruled against Biden's controversial plan to wipe out debts for around 20 million Americans, which the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked in October.
The landmark ruling on the final day of the Supreme Court's term comes 24 hours after the justices decided colleges could no longer use race as a consideration in admissions in a case that sparked backlash from Biden.
The plan would have eradicated $10,000 in debt for borrowers earning less than $125,000 and up to $20,000 for those with Pell Grants.
But it was challenged by six Republican states and two borrowers who argued Biden should have sought approval from Congress for a plan using substantial taxpayer funds.
Millions of Americans haven't had to repay their loans for three-and-a-half years because of a COVID pandemic freeze. Borrowers will have to restart their payments in October, and interest will start recurring in September.
Biden's loan forgiveness has been a cornerstone of his presidency, and the ruling will be a massive blow to the administration that has fought against the piling debt.
For months, Biden's student loan blueprint has been at the center of a legal tussle with six Republican-controlled US states and two borrowers.
Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina said he had no legal authority to go ahead with the plan without the sign-off from Congress first.
Biden used the post-9/11 HEROES Act as justification for the program. It stipulates the Department of Education can waive student debt during a national emergency.
The COVID national emergency in the eyes of the government came to an end in May.
The program has been on hold since November after a federal appeals court in St. Louis issued an injunction, pausing applications and payouts.
That forced the U.S. government to seek the intervention of the Supreme Court justices.
The six conservative justices expressed their skepticism of the plan during oral arguments in February, and gave an early indication of their decision.
Announced last August, the administration vowed to cancel some $10,000 in federal student debt for students earning less than $125,000.
Officials also promised to axe an additional $10,000 for students who received what are known as Pell Grants.
These financial aid payments are awarded to students with exceptional financial needs.
But most Republicans say those who took out loans need to repay them without a bailout.
They have also argued that taxes paid by Americans who didn't attend college shouldn't be used to fund those who did.
Donald Trump froze student loan payments in March 2020 as Covid-19 spread worldwide.
They are set to restart at the end of August as part of the recent debt ceiling deal between the administration and Congress.
Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a motion to repeal Biden's loan forgiveness plan, but the president has already said he will veto it.
Over 26 million people have already applied for the program, with as many as 16 million having already been provisionally approved for debt relief, according to the Department of Education.
Student debt is the second-largest kind of consumer debt in the U.S. behind mortgages and other home loans.
Nationwide, 45 million Americans owe $1.6 trillion in borrowed cash that they used to pay for their college education.
Swedish police said they have granted a permit for a protest where the organiser plans to burn a Koran outside Stockholm's main mosque on Wednesday, the start of the Muslim three-day Eid al-Adha holiday.
The police said in the written decision that the security risks associated with the burning "were not of a nature that could justify, under current laws, a decision to reject the request."
The green light came two weeks after a Swedish appeals court rejected the police's decision to deny permits for two demonstrations in Stockholm which were to include Koran burnings.
Police had at the time cited security concerns, following a burning of the Muslim holy book outside Turkey's embassy in January which led to weeks of protests, calls for a boycott of Swedish goods and further stalled Sweden's NATO membership bid.
Muslims are outraged by the destruction of their holy text and similar acts have in the past sparked violent protests.
Police argued the January protest had made Sweden "a higher priority target for attacks".
Turkey, which has blocked the country's NATO bid due to what it perceives as Stockholm's failure to crack down on Kurdish groups it considers "terrorists", took particular offence that police had authorised the January demonstration.
Police then banned two subsequent requests for protests involving Koran burnings -- one by a private individual and one by an organisation, outside the Turkish and Iraqi embassies in Stockholm in February.
The appeals court in mid-June ruled that police were wrong to ban those, saying "the order and security problems" referenced by the police did not have "a sufficiently clear connection to the planned event or its immediate vicinity."
- 'Burn it' - In granting the new protest permit, police said that "in light of this judgement," the "security risks and consequences" it expected in connection with the protests were not enough to warrant them denying the request.
The request for the Wednesday demonstration was made by the same private individual who had his previous request blocked.
"I want to protest in front of the large mosque in Stockholm, and I want to express my opinion about the Koran... I will tear up the Koran and burn it," Salwan Momika, 37, wrote in the application, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
Speaking to newspaper Aftonbladet in April, Momika -- who fled to Sweden from Iraq -- said his intention had not been to sabotage the Swedish NATO bid, and had considered waiting to stage his protest until after Sweden had joined the alliance.
"I don't want to harm this country that received me and preserved my dignity," Momika told the newspaper.
Police said Wednesday they had called in reinforcements from across the country to maintain order.
An AFP correspondent said several police cars were already parked near the mosque early Wednesday.
Swedish police had granted a permit for the January protest, which was organised by Rasmus Paludan, a Swedish-Danish activist who has already been convicted for racist abuse.
Paludan also provoked rioting in Sweden last year when he went on a tour of the country and publicly burned copies of Islam's holy book.
Swedish politicians have criticised Koran burnings, but have also adamantly defended the right to freedom of expression.
PUTIN IN APPEAL TO RUSSIANS: THANK YOU FOR RESISTANCE, UNITY AND PATRIOTISM
An armed rebellion would have been suppressed in any case, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an address."
“I emphasize that from the very beginning of the events, the most necessary decisions were immediately taken to neutralize the threat that had arisen, to protect the constitutional order, the life and security of our citizens. An armed rebellion would have been suppressed in any case,” Putin said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his address, suggested that the Wagner fighters conclude a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, return to relatives and friends, or leave for Belarus.
"I thank those soldiers and commanders of the Wagner group who made the only right decision - they did not commit fratricidal bloodshed, they stopped at the last line. Today you have the opportunity to continue serving Russia by signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense or other law enforcement agencies, or return to to their relatives and friends. Whoever wants to can go to Belarus. The promise I made will be fulfilled," Putin said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude to President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko for his contribution to resolving the situation with an attempted rebellion in Russia.
“I am grateful to the President of Belarus Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko for his efforts and contribution to the peaceful resolution of the situation. But I repeat, it was the patriotic mood of the citizens, the consolidation of the entire Russian society that played a decisive role these days. This support allowed us to overcome the most difficult trials for our Motherland together. Thank you for this. Thank you," Putin said during his address.
On Saturday night in Rostov-on-Don, the headquarters of the Southern Military District was captured by the Wagner PMC. This happened against the backdrop of statements by Yevgeny Prigozhin about allegedly inflicted by the Russian Armed Forces missile and bomb attacks on the camps of PMC "Wagner" - this was refuted by both the Ministry of Defense and the FSB. A criminal case was opened against Prigozhin for organizing an armed rebellion. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the actions of the rebels a criminal adventure, a stab in the back of Russia and a betrayal, which led to exorbitant ambitions and personal interests.
Later, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, in agreement with Putin, held talks with Prigozhin, after which Lukashenko's press service reported that the head of the PMC accepted his proposal to stop the Wagner movement in Russia and take further steps to de-escalate. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Prigozhin would leave for Belarus, and the criminal case would be dropped. The Kremlin said that the guarantee of this is the word of the President of Russia.
Wagner fighters are patriots who were used and deceived.
The courage and self-sacrifice of the fallen heroes-pilots saved Russia from tragic consequences, said Russian President Vladimir Putin."
"The courage and self-sacrifice of the fallen heroes-pilots saved Russia from tragic, devastating consequences," Putin said, addressing the Russians.
Any blackmail and confusion are doomed to failure, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an address to the Russians."
"This civic solidarity has shown that any blackmail, an attempt to create internal unrest is doomed to failure," he said.
Message from the press service of the President of the Republic of Belarus.
This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed his Belarusian counterpart about the situation in the south of Russia with the private military company Wagner. The heads of state agreed on joint actions.
In the development of the agreements, the President of Belarus, having additionally clarified the situation through his own channels, in agreement with the President of Russia, held negotiations with the head of the PMC, Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Negotiations lasted throughout the day. As a result, they came to agreements on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloodbath on the territory of Russia.
Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the proposal of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, to stop the movement of armed personnel of the Wagner company on the territory of Russia and to take further steps to de-escalate the tension.
At the moment, on the table is an absolutely convenient and acceptable solution to the situation, with guarantees of safety for the fighters of the Wagner PMC.
JAMB Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions approves Minimum Tolerable Score for 2023 admissions: University -140, Polytechnic -100, Colleges of Education -100
A high-level African delegation was preparing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, a day after its calls for talks between Moscow and Kyiv were rebuffed by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
The diplomatic team had gone to Kyiv on Friday to voice the concerns of a continent that has suffered from the fallout of Russia’s invasion — in particular rising grain prices — with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa insisting “there should be peace through negotiations”.
But Zelensky ruled out that possibility during a joint press conference with the delegates, telling reporters: “I clearly said several times at our meeting that to allow any negotiations with Russia now that the occupier is on our land is to freeze the war, to freeze pain and suffering”.
Shortly after the African leaders’ arrival, air raid sirens sounded across the country as Russian missiles were detected, forcing the delegates to take shelter in the capital.
Zelensky said the strike on Kyiv during the delegation’s visit showed that Putin either did not control his army, or was “irrational”.
Ramaphosa, however, took the barrage as evidence that both sides needed to stop fighting.
“It is precisely that type of event that we saw today… that makes us call for de-escalation,” Ramaphosa said, quoting Nelson Mandela several times on the need for peace.
In a statement, Zelensky said he had called on the leaders to set out their views on how to stop the “crimes committed by Russia”, and how to work towards food security.
“But first of all, we must restore the full force of the UN Charter and stop this brutal Russian aggression and free our land,” he added.
The African delegation had gone first to Bucha, a town outside the capital that has become synonymous with alleged war crimes carried out by Moscow.
The group includes four presidents: Ramaphosa, Senegal’s Macky Sall, Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema and Comoros’ Azali Assoumani, who also currently heads the African Union.
The leaders of Uganda, Egypt and Congo-Brazzaville pulled out of the visit at the last moment and sent representatives instead.
The meeting came as Ukraine announced gains in a new counteroffensive, but Putin claimed on Friday that Kyiv’s forces “stand no chance” in the sectors where fighting has intensified.
– ‘Clear message’ –
Following Friday’s attack on Kyiv, the Ukrainian Air Force said it had shot down 12 missiles, including six hypersonic ones.
There was no reported damage inside the city, but seven people including two children were wounded, the regional police said.
“With what happened today, it’s very obvious also to the African leaders how sincere Putin is about stopping the conflict,” said Peter Stano, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Ukrainian officials were also quick to call attention to the strike.
“Russian missiles are a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
The African leaders were set to meet Putin in the northwestern Russian city of Saint Petersburg on Saturday.
“In our view it is important to listen very carefully to what both countries have to say, and tomorrow we are now going to listen to President Putin,” Ramaphosa said.
Japanese lawmakers on Friday adopted legislation to raise the country’s age of sexual consent to 16 from 13, an age limit that had remained unchanged since 1907 and was so low that it made Japan an outlier in the developed world.
The change came as a part of an overhaul of Japan’s laws on sex crimes. The new laws were prompted by growing public outcry over repeated acquittals of sexual abusers and increasing instances of people taking sexually exploitative photos and videos without consent — including footage of girls.
Advocates of stricter sex-crimes laws welcomed the changes, but said more needed to be done to ensure greater protection of women and girls in Japan.
“It is still far from the reality of sex crimes and only really scratches the surface. I really hope that the laws will catch up to the reality imminently,” said Ikuko Ishida, founder of sexual violence survivors group Be Brave Japan.
The changes are a part of a gradual modernization of laws that protect victims of sexual crimes. In 2017, Japan revised its Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure for the first time in more than a century to clarify what constitutes rape and to remove the stipulation that only women can be victims of forced sexual assault.
Japan is a male-dominated society with vast underrepresentation of women in positions of power. Its government — run by a mostly older, conservative and elite group of men — has been slow to adopt changes that concern the welfare of women and girls.
An opposition lawmaker resigned in 2021 after public outrage over his comment that it would be “strange” if he were arrested for having sex with a 14-year-old “even if there was consent.”
Human rights advocates and experts say Japan’s weak laws on sexual crimes, especially when it comes to protecting the youth, have exacerbated the fetishization of young Japanese.
“The very fact that the age of consent was set at 13 created the societal mood that teenagers starting at 13 can be exploited sexually and be viewed sexually,” said Hiroko Goto, a law professor and expert on sexual violence at Chiba University.
“It has created a culture and mood where everyone assumes that teenagers have the ability to make decisions around sexual consent, and therefore people don’t question their sexual exploitation,” she said.
Japan’s military ignored her sexual assault claims, so she went public
At 13, Japan had the lowest age of consent among the Group of Seven advanced economies and among the lowest in the developed world. The age of consent is 16 in Canada and most states in the United States; 15 in France; and 14 in Germany and Italy.
Japan’s laws regarding sexual consent came under the spotlight in 2019, when a string of defendants charged with sexual crimes was acquitted.
The most shocking case was in Nagoya, where a man was found not guilty after raping his daughter when she was between the ages of 14 and 19. Prosecutors had to prove that the daughter was unable to resist and therefore raped, but the court rejected their argument.
Hundreds of people protested the acquittal, leading to a nationwide movement of “flower demonstrations” expressing solidarity with sexual assault survivors and demanding changes to sex crimes laws.
Prosecutors appealed and the man was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Advocates also noted that had the girl been younger than 13 when she was first sexually assaulted, the court would have automatically ruled her case as rape in the first hearing.
Japanese law requires two conditions for a crime to be punishable as sexual assault: nonconsensual sex and proof that it was “significantly difficult to reject” the sexual attack, either due to physical violence or threat of such violence.
The second condition is ambiguous and burdensome on victims to prove that they could not reject the attack, proponents of change say. The requirements exclude people who could not outright repel an attack, such as when they are in shock or too frightened to fight back, or are being groomed by people close to them, such as family members or educators.
In Japan, abortion is legal — but most women need their husband’s consent
As a result of these requirements, Japan “still fails to meet international rape legislation standards,” according to Human Rights Now, an NGO based in Tokyo.
They called on Japan to clearly state that all nonconsensual intercourse is rape. But the changes adopted Friday fell short of such wording.
Japan has now identified eight scenarios that could be criminally punished as “forced sexual intercourse,” including sex with victims who could not reject sex because they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“There is definitely progress we are seeing, but we are still disappointed,” said Chisato Kitanaka, member of a citizen’s group of lawyers and organizations supporting sexual crime survivors. “We recognize the fact that the reform this time has definitely broadened what constitutes a sex crime, but it still isn’t enough because it doesn’t clearly stipulate what we have been asking for, which is to say: ‘Sexual intercourse without consent is a crime.’”
Kitanaka and other experts say raising the age of consent from 13 is long overdue, but that the change also needs to come with a more robust effort to educate teens about consent as a part of their sexual education programs, which are currently focused on reproduction and biology.
Japan is hostile for LGBTQ people, but attitudes are shifting. Slowly.
“In Japan, there is a saying, ‘Don’t wake someone sleeping,’ which is often used around sex education — meaning that if someone isn’t sexually active, there is no need to teach them about sex and awaken them to it,” said Goto, the law professor.
Issues of consent may be addressed at the university level, but there are few opportunities to teach such curriculum to younger students, she said.
Other newly adopted changes include a crackdown on “photo voyeurism,” making it illegal nationwide for people to take, distribute or possess sexually exploitative photos taken without consent. Until now, such crimes were governed through local ordinance, which led to inconsistent enforcement.
Arrests of people taking surreptitious photography — including of underage athletes in changing rooms, up women’s skirts or at bathhouses — have increased in recent years. In 2021, there were 5,019 such cases, or about three times the figure in 2010, according to the National Police Agency.
Japan will now also penalize grooming and lift the statute of limitation for rape to 15 years from 10 years.
Banks being told that supply and demand will determine rates
Nigeria resets monetary policy after sacking central bank head
Nigeria is on the verge of making a decision to allow its local currency to trade more freely against the dollar, three people familiar with the matter said.
A discussion on letting the currency trade more freely is ongoing at the central bank, a senior banking official said, asking not to be named because the deliberations are private. Directives on the currency could be issued later today or latest tomorrow, the person said.
Nigeria has officially floated its naira currency after years of sticking with a hard peg that spooked investors and drained dollars from the economy.
Sources familiar with the matter told BusinessDay Wednesday that a market rate based on a willing buyer and a willing seller is currently being quoted by banks who sent out emails to some customers confirming the change.
The I & E window is now quoting a range of between N750 -N755/$.
The rate could go as high as N800 by the end of today, according to some bankers, who say the next move now should be to prioritise supply of dollars to support the naira float.
Former Chelsea man Victor Moses is still in Russia playing for Spartak Moscow. Victor Moses has been at Spartak Moscow since 2021 Moses, 32, still remains a key part of Spartak’s side after he opted to remain at the club despite the country seeing a host of foreign stars terminate their contracts over the past year.
The 38-time Nigerian international played ten times and scored twice in the Premier Liga during an injury-hit 2022/23 season which saw him miss half of the season after undergoing surgery on his Achilles' tendons.
Russia has seen an exodus of foreign players over the past year since FIFA allowed foreign players playing in Russia to terminate their contracts after the Russian government launched their invasion into Ukraine.
An emergency call to temporarily change transfer regulations to allow those Russian-based players to find new clubs for the remainder of the 2021/22 season was also launched.
But Moses saw a reported move to Burnley blocked by the Premier League to uphold ‘sporting integrity’ with the potential move coming late on in the Clarets’ battle to survive relegation, which they ultimately succumbed to. Moses scored in the Europa League against Leicester City for Spartak Moscow Victor Moses won the Premier League while at Chelsea Spartak’s head of press service Dmitry Zelenov has since replied to Russian outlet Sport Express regarding rumours that Moses is set to depart the club, saying: “Victor is a Spartak player, he wants to help Spartak. He proves it in word and deed.”
Moses’ current contract is set to expire next June meaning he’ll remain a Spartak player next season unless a deal can be made for his services. Victor Moses lifted the FA Cup with Chelsea in 2018 The Crystal Palace youth product was signed by Wigan Athletic in 2010 and was soon snapped up by Chelsea who he played 128 times for and registered 31 goal involvements whilst playing as either a winger or wing-back.
He lifted the Premier League under Antonio Conte in 2017 and won the FA Cup and two Europa Leagues during his time at Stamford Bridge. Moses also spent time on loan at Liverpool in 2013 Moses also spent time on loan at Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham in England before joining Fenerbache and Inter Milan on other loan deals.
He moved to Spartak in 2021 permanently after enjoying a season on loan at the Otkrytie Bank Arena the year before.
Silvio Berlusconi, the flamboyant media mogul whose reign as Italy’s longest-serving postwar prime minister was plagued by sex scandals and allegations of corruption, has died, according to Corriere della Sera. He was 86.
Berlusconi was hospitalized in Milan on Friday just three weeks after being released from a previous treatment. He had a history of heart ailments, including a malfunctioning valve that surgeons replaced in 2016, and was hospitalized for a lung infection in 2020 after contracting Covid-19.
A 5.0-magnitude earthquake has struck the South African city of Johannesburg, waking up people and causing damage to some buildings, seismologists and residents say. Shaking was widely felt across the city and the region as a whole.
The earthquake happened at 2:38 a.m. on Sunday and was centered just 6 kilometers south of Alberton, or roughly 16 kilometers southeast of central Johannesburg, according to seismologists.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.0, while South Africa’s Council for Geoscience put it at 4.7. The quake struck about 10 kilometers below the surface, which is very shallow.
People said the shaking was strong enough to wake them up and some homes suffered relatively minor damage, but there were no immediate reports of injuries. “The whole house shook for about 40 seconds,” one resident in Alberton said.
If you felt the earthquake, let us know where you are and what you experienced by sending us an email: tips@bnonews.com
This is the strongest tremor in the Johannesburg area since March 2019, when a 4.9-magnitude earthquake hit near Soweto. In 2017, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit near Stilfontein.
Archbishop of Canterbury's Statement on the Church of Uganda 09/06/2023
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby, said today:
“I have recently written to my brother in Christ, the Primate of Uganda, Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba, to express my grief and dismay at the Church of Uganda’s support for the Anti-Homosexuality Act. I make this public statement with sorrow, and with continuing prayers for reconciliation between our churches and across the Anglican Communion. I am deeply aware of the history of colonial rule in Uganda, so heroically resisted by its people. But this is not about imposing Western values on our Ugandan Anglican sisters and brothers. It is about reminding them of the commitments we have made as Anglicans to treat every person with the care and respect they deserve as children of God.
“Within the Anglican Communion we continue to disagree over matters of sexuality, but in our commitment to God-given human dignity we must be united. I have reminded Archbishop Kaziimba that Anglicans around the world have long been united in our opposition to the criminalisation of homosexuality and LGBTQ people. Supporting such legislation is a fundamental departure from our commitment to uphold the freedom and dignity of all people. There is no justification for any province of the Anglican Communion to support such laws: not in our resolutions, not in our teachings, and not in the Gospel we share.
“The Church of Uganda, like many Anglican provinces, holds to the traditional Christian teaching on sexuality and marriage set out in Resolution i.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference. That resolution also expressed a commitment to minister pastorally and sensitively to all – regardless of sexual orientation – and to condemn homophobia. I have said to Archbishop Kaziimba that I am unable to see how the Church of Uganda’s support for the Anti-Homosexuality Act is consistent with its many statements in support of Resolution i.10.
“More recently, at the 2016 Primates Meeting in Canterbury, the Primates of the Anglican Communion "condemned homophobic prejudice and violence and resolved to work together to offer pastoral care and loving service irrespective of sexual orientation." We affirmed that this conviction arises out of our discipleship of Jesus Christ. We also “reaffirmed our rejection of criminal sanctions against same-sex attracted people” – and stated that “God's love for every human being is the same, regardless of their sexuality, and that the church should never by its actions give any other impression.”
“These statements and commitments are the common mind of the Anglican Communion on the essential dignity and value of every person. I therefore urge Archbishop Kaziimba and the Church of Uganda – a country and church I love dearly, and to which I owe so much – to reconsider their support for this legislation and reject the criminalisation of LGBTQ people. I also call on my brothers in Christ, the leadership of GAFCON and the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA), to make explicitly and publicly clear that the criminalisation of LGBTQ people is something that no Anglican province can support: that must be stated unequivocally.
“As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to honour the image of God in every person, and I pray for Anglicans to be uncompromising and united in this calling.”
Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is stepping down as a member of parliament with immediate effect.
Johnson made the move as he hit out at an investigation by the House of Commons’ privileges committee, which is examining whether the ex-prime minister knowingly misled parliament about COVID rule-breaking parties held in Downing Street.
The resignation of Johnson, the Tory MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, will trigger a by-election in a seat he held in 2019 by 7,210 votes.
In a statement, Johnson said the committee — whose findings have yet to be published but which can recommend a suspension from the Commons — has “still not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled” MPs.
He added: “They know perfectly well that when I spoke in the Commons I was saying what I believed sincerely to be true and what I had been briefed to say, like any other minister. They know that I corrected the record as soon as possible; and they know that I and every other senior official and minister — including the current Prime Minister and then occupant of the same building, Rishi Sunak — believed that we were working lawfully together.
“I have been an MP since 2001. I take my responsibilities seriously. I did not lie, and I believe that in their hearts the Committee know it. But they have wilfully chosen to ignore the truth because from the outset their purpose has not been to discover the truth, or genuinely to understand what was in my mind when I spoke in the Commons.
“Their purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts. This is the very definition of a kangaroo court.”
Ukraine is seeking to restore and strengthen its relations with Africa and will open 10 new embassies on the continent, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
Ukraine wants to build agricultural and military relations with Africa, Kuleba said on a conference call with African journalists on Wednesday.
A school district in the US state of Utah has removed the Bible from elementary and middle schools for containing "vulgarity and violence".
The move follows a complaint from a parent that the King James Bible has material unsuitable for children.
Utah's Republican government passed a law in 2022 banning "pornographic or indecent" books from schools.
Most of the books that have been banned so far pertain to topics such as sexual orientation and identity.
The banning of the Bible comes amid a larger effort by US conservatives in states to ban teachings on controversial topics such as LGBT rights and racial identity. Bans on certain books deemed offensive are also in place in Texas, Florida, Missouri and South Carolina. Some liberal states have also banned books in some schools and libraries, citing perceived racially offensive content.
The Utah decision was made this week by the Davis School District north of Salt Lake City after a complaint filed in December 2022. Officials say they have already removed the seven or eight copies of the Bible they had on their shelves, noting that the text was never part of students' curriculum.
The committee did not elaborate on its reasoning or which passages contained "vulgarity or violence".
According to the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper, the parent who complained said the King James Bible "has 'no serious values for minors' because it's pornographic by our new definition", referring to the 2022 book-ban law.
The Utah state lawmaker who wrote the 2022 law had previously dismissed the Bible removal request as a "mockery", but changed course this week after calling it a "challenging read" for younger children.
"Traditionally, in America, the Bible is best taught, and best understood, in the home, and around the hearth, as a family," Ken Ivory wrote on Facebook.
The district's ruling determined that the Bible's content does not violate the 2022 law, but does include "vulgarity or violence not suitable for younger students". The book will remain in place in local high schools.
Bob Johnson, the father of a primary school student in the Davis School District, told CBS News that he opposes the Bible's removal.
"I can't think of what's in the Bible that you would have to take out of it. Its not like there's pictures in it," he said.
The district is not the first in the US to remove the Bible from its shelves.
A Texas school district last year pulled the Bible from library shelves after complaints from members of the public opposed to conservatives efforts to ban some books.
Last month, students in Kansas requested to have the Bible removed from their school library.
Real Madrid C. F. and Eden Hazard have reached an agreement by which the player is disassociated from the club as of June 30, 2023.
Eden Hazard has been part of our club for four seasons, in which he has won 8 titles: 1 UEFA Champions League, 1 Club World Cup, 1 European Super Cup, 2 League titles, 1 Copa del Rey and 2 Spanish Super Cups.
Real Madrid wants to express her affection for Eden Hazard and wishes him and all his family the best of luck in this new stage.
Rescuers waded through piles of debris and wreckage to pull out bodies and free people on Saturday after two passenger trains derailed in India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds as rail cars were flipped over and mangled in one of the country’s deadliest train crashes in decades.
The accident, which happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata on Friday night, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to free survivors.
About 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, said P.K. Jena, the state’s top administrative official. The cause was under investigation.
At least 280 bodies were recovered overnight and into Saturday morning, Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha’s fire and emergency department, told The Associated Press. He said more than 800 injured passengers were taken to various hospitals with many in critical condition.
Army soldiers and air force helicopters joined the relief effort along with local authorities.
About 200 severely injured people were transferred to specialty hospitals in other cities in the state, Jena said. Another 200 people were discharged after receiving medical care and the rest were being treated in local hospitals, he added.
“The challenge now is identifying the bodies. Wherever the relatives are able to provide evidence, the bodies are handed over after autopsies. If not identified, maybe we have to go for a DNA test and other protocols,” he said.
Rescuers were cutting through the destroyed rail cars to find people who may still be trapped. Sarangi said it was possible that people were stuck underneath but that it was unlikely they would still be alive. Late Friday, hundreds were trapped inside more than a dozen wrecked carriages as rescuers worked to pull them out.
“By 10 p.m. (on Friday) we were able to rescue the survivors. After that it was about picking up dead bodies,” he said. “This is very, very tragic. I have never seen anything like this in my career.”
Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson. The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, causing up to three coaches of the second train to also derail, he added.
A third train carrying freight was also involved, the Press Trust of India reported, but there was no immediate confirmation of that from railroad authorities. PTI said some of the derailed passenger coaches hit cars from the freight train.
The death toll rose steadily throughout the night as footage showed shattered carriages that had overturned completely. Scores of dead bodies, covered by white sheets, lay on the ground near the train tracks as locals and rescuers raced to help survivors.
Teams of rescuers and police continued sifting through the ruins on Saturday morning as the search operation carried on, amid fears that the death toll is likely to rise further. Scores of people also showed up at a local hospital to donate blood.
The rescue operation was slowed because two train cars were pressed together by the impact of the accident, Jena said.
“We are cutting some portions of the (rail cars) and carefully searching for survivors,” he said, adding the search operation would likely conclude later Saturday.
Officials said 1,200 rescuers worked with 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units through the night at the accident site. Saturday was declared as a day of mourning in Odisha as the state’s chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, reached the district to meet injured passengers.
Villagers said they rushed to the site to evacuate people after hearing a loud sound created by the train coaches going off the tracks.
“The local people really went out on a limb to help us. They not only helped in pulling out people, but retrieved our luggage and got us water,” PTI cited Rupam Banerjee, a survivor, as saying.
Passenger Vandana Kaleda said that inside the train during the derailment people were “falling on each other” as her coach shook violently and veered off the tracks.
“As I stepped out of the washroom, suddenly the train tilted. I lost my balance. ... Everything went topsy turvy. People started falling on each other and I was shocked and could not understand what happened. My mind stopped working,” she said, adding she felt lucky to survive.
Another survivor who did not give his name said he was sleeping when the impact woke him up. He said he saw other passengers with broken limbs and disfigured faces.
The collision involved two trains, the Coromandel Express traveling from Howrah in West Bengal state to Chennai in Tamil Nadu state and the Howrah Superfast Express traveling from Bengaluru in Karnataka to Howrah, officials said. It was not immediately clear which derailed first.
Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, the largest train network under one management in the world.
In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in one of the worst train accidents in India.
In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people.
Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.
More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track.
Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Spoke to Railway Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation. Rescue ops are underway at the site of the mishap and all possible assistance is being given to those affected.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s railway minister, said a high-level probe would be carried out, as the political opposition criticized the government and called for Vaishnaw to resign.
@Ashwini Vaishnaw
Rushing to the site in Odisha. My prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured and condolences to the bereaved families. Rescue teams mobilised from Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. NDRF, State govt. teams and Airforce also mobilised. Will take all hands required for the rescue ops.
Ex-gratia compensation to the victims of this unfortunate train accident in Odisha; ₹10 Lakh in case of death, ₹2 Lakh towards grievous and ₹50,000 for minor injuries.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump compared his supporters to people who go see the Mona Lisa “hundreds of times,” to explain how he still managed to draw huuuge crowds.
“You have people who want to see the Mona Lisa, they love the Mona Lisa, and they’ll see it hundreds and hundreds of times and it gets better every time,” Trump said in an interview with Welsh public broadcaster S4C, released by the U.K.’s Daily Mirror.
“It’s sort of an interesting thing and it’s basically the same 20 subjects that you’re talking about: you’re talking about the border, you’re talking about the military, you’re talking about low taxes,” the former president added. “They just want to hear it again and again.”
Trump, who in November announced his candidacy for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, is currently on the campaign trail, battling with his main Republican rival, Florida Governor Ron De Santis, to secure the party’s nomination.
Recent polls put Trump far ahead of DeSantis: He is the first choice of more than 50 percent of Republican voters in the primary, with a 30-point lead on the Florida governor.
The receptionist at the Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife Osun state, Adedeji Adesola, who lodged late Timothy Adegoke into the hotel, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment.
Adesola, faced trial along with Dr Rahman Adedoyin, owner of the hotel along with five other workers. While Adedoyin, Manager and checker of the hotel, Adeniyi Aderogba and Oyetunde Kazeem were found guilty of murder among other charges, Adesola was convicted of manufacturing evidence.
The three convicts were sentenced to death by hanging for murder and unlawful killing of Adegoke, who was in Ile-Ife for his postgraduate examination in November 2021.
However, Chief Justice Oyebola Ojo adjourned sentencing on the conviction of Adesola till Wednesday on the ground of her counsel’s Okon Ita and prosecution counsel, Fatima Adesina’s allocution statement.
The duo pleaded with the court to tender justice with mercy considering the role of the convict in unearthing the hidden links in the crime committed.
During her judgement, Justice Ojo said, “Having carefully considered the allocution statement of the convict’s counsel and the submission of the prosecution on the need to temper justice with mercy in respect of the convict, coupled with her sober posture throughout the duration of the trial, and equally being mindful of the circumstances surrounding the case of the defendant in this matter and not being unmindful of section 411 (2b)(3) of the law on this case, I hereby sentence you, Adedeji Adesola to two years imprisonment starting from the first day of your arrest”.
UPDATED: It will be recalled that the owner of Hilton hotel in Ile-Ife, Dr. Rahman Adedoyin and six workers, Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwole Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem, Adebayo Kunle and Adedeji Adesola, were docked before the court over the alleged murder of Timothy Adegoke, having been declared missing after lodging in the hotel in November 2021.
Delivering the judgment, the Osun State Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo said the 1st defendant, Dr. Rahman Adedoyin, who is the owner of Hilton hotel in Ile Ife was found culpable of Conspiracy to Murder, Murder, and culpable of charges 7, 8, 9,15, and 16.
The court also ruled that his son, Raheem Adedoyin is an accomplice and declared wanted.
The hotel Manager, Adeniyi Aderogba who is the 3rd defendant and the 5th defendant, Kazeem Oyetunde were also culpable of Conspiracy to murder, murder, and guilty of charges 3, 5, 7, 8,12, and 14.
The court held that evidence presented before the court placed Oyetunde Kazeem “squarely among those who perpetrated the acts” and he found guilty of the counts.
The 1st, 3rd and 5th defendants were found culpable of the offence of conspiracy to improperly, indecently dump the deceased body and were guilty as charged.
Justice Ojo discharged the 2nd defendant, Kunle Adebayo; 4th defendant, Lawrence Oluwole and 6th defendant, Magdalene Chiefuna (hotel receptionist); on the counts of conspiracy to murder and murder.
However, the Judge found them culpable on other counts in the charge.
The Osun state Chief judge also ruled that the Hilux van used to convey the body of late Timothy Adegoke to the dumping ground should be forfeited to the state. The hotel where the murder act occurred should also be forfeited to the state.
On the Children and wife left behind by the late Adegoke, Justice Ojo's judgement stated that the children should be placed on scholarship Education from the proceeds of Adedoyin's Estate, up to the University level and until completion of their National Youth Services Corp (NYSC).
The Court held that the second autopsy report signed by two pathologists from Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital was thwarted as the court held that “it’s a report by persons with vested interest.”
The Court established that the deceased lodged at the Hilton hotel and paid into the account of the 7th defendant (Adedeji Adesola) who was “carefully choreographed into the act." The circumstance around her were not strong to find her culpable of the "counts 1, 2, and 3."
Judgement on the 7th defendant was suspended until Wednesday.
Phones / Twitter Threatens To Sue Meta For Hiring Former Employees To Build "Threads" by HonNL: 8:34pm On Jul 06, 2023 
