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The World Health Organisation has declared Coronavirus epidemic as an international Public Health Emergency. The decision Thursday came as the number of people diagnosed with the 2019-nCoV virus had skyrocketed to more than 8,200, surpassing the SARS case toll. There are also now people in at least 18 other countries with the virus. “Over the past few weeks we have witnessed the emergence of a previously unknown pathogen which has escalated into an unprecedented outbreak,” WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said.

The Federal Government says it has concluded plans to repatriate another $321million Abacha loot in a tripartite understanding between the Island of Jersey, the United States of America and Nigeria. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who made this known to newsmen, said the repatriation agreement would be signed sometime nextweek. He said the decision was taken at the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by the President Buhari on Wednesday January 29th.

The Federal government has warned Nigerians against travelling to China, following the recent outbreak of deadly Coronavirus in the Asian country.  Travellers arriving the country from China or any other country where the epidemic has been detected, were also advised to quarantine themselves by staying indoors for at least two weeks. Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire who made the call after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Presidential Villa, also directed all airlines to report any case of a passenger falling sick on-board before the plane lands.

Vanessa Bryant, the wife of NBA Legend, Kobe Bryant on Wednesday broke her silence about the tragic death of her husband and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who both died along with seven others in a tragic helicopter crash on Sunday Jan. 26th. Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter were on their way to a basketball practice when the helicopter they were in crashed, killing everyone on-board.  On Wednesday afternoon, Vanessa returned to Instagram to change her profile image to a photo of Kobe embracing their daughter. She also changed her profile from private to public.

The marriage of Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth is officially over. The divorce was finalized on Tuesday, five months after the couple split and Liam filed the documents. Miley, 27 and Liam, 30, had enjoyed and on and off relationship for a decade before deciding to tie the knot in December 2018. Their marriage was only to last a few months though and in August 2019, TMZ reported that Liam had filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.”

The Basketball Hall of Fame has announced that they will bypass the normal election process and induct NBA legend Kobe Bryant Into Hall Of Fame.  In a statement released by Shams Charania of The Athletic on Twitter, he said the Hall of Fame chairman, Jerry Colangelo has confirmed that Bryant will lead the 2020 class, which could also include Tim Duncan   and Kevin Garnett.

The Lagos State Government has banned the activities of motorcycle riders popularly known as Okada riders and tricycle riders in six Local Government Areas (LGAs), nine Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and 10 major highways across the State. Also banned are ride hailing services, OPay and GOkada. The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, who made the announcement at the State House in Alausa, said the measures were taken by the Government in response to “scary figures” of fatal accidents recorded from operations of Okada and tricycles in the State between 2016 and 2019. Omotoso said the lack of regard for the Lagos Traffic Laws by the Okada and tricycle riders had resulted in preventable loss of lives, adding that their impermissible movements on restricted highways had also contributed to traffic jams.

The People’s Republic of China has claimed the spot for the world’s second-largest weapons manufacturer, according to new research by a leading peace institute. The Asian superpower jumped ahead of Russia, from whom they used to buy many weapons. The United States of America retains the spot of number one as China comes behind, according to a Swedish research institute announcement on Monday.

Health authorities in Ivory Coast are investigating a suspected case of Wuhan coronavirus in a female student who arrived from China, officials have said. The student, whom authorities have not named, is the first person to be tested for the virus on the continent, CNN reports. The virus has killed at least 80 people in the mainland Chinese city of Wuhan.

Nicki Minaj‘s brother has been sentenced to 25 years to life behind bars for repeatedly raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter. Jelani Maraj learned his fate in a Long Island courtroom, following his conviction for predatory sexual assault and acting in a manner injurious to a child.

Lizzo , Billie Eilish, Beyoncé, Kirk Franklin and even former First lady Michelle Obama were the big winners in the 62nd Grammy Awards held on Sunday night at the Staples center in Los Angeles, California. Michelle Obama, getting her first ever Grammy nomination for her book and audio album ‘Becoming’ won the Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling). Nigeria’s own Burna Boy lost the Best World Music category to Angelique Kidjo.

The 2019 senatorial candidate of the Action Alliance in the Imo North Senatorial District election, Ndubuisi Emenike, was accidentally shot dead by an operative of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps yesterday Sunday January 26th. Imo state police command spokesperson, Orlando Ikeokwu, who confirmed the incident, said Emenike had gone to the home of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Miriam Onuoha, to celebrate her victory at the rerun election in the Okigwe North Federal constituency rerun election which occurred on Saturday January 25th, when he was mistakenly shot dead by the NSCDC official who was his security escort.

The world, and the NBA has been thrown into a state of mourning following the sudden death of NBA legend, Kobe Bryant who was killed in a fiery helicopter crash in California yesterday that also claimed eight other lives, including his 13 year old daughter. According to multiple media reports, the 41-year-old was on board with at eight other people when the private helicopter went down for an unknown reason. 

Angelique Kidjo won the award for 'Best World Music Album' at the 2020 Grammys ahead of Burna Boy, Nathalie Joachim, Altin Gun and Bokante. Legendary musician  Angelique Kidjo , wins the award for the fourth time, with her Album titled  Celia.

President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday published new visa rules aimed at restricting "birth tourism", in which women travel to the United States to give birth so their children can have a coveted US passport. Applicants will be denied tourist visas if they are determined by consular officers to be coming to the US primarily to give birth, according to the rules in the Federal Register. It is a bigger hurdle to overcome, proving they are travelling to the US because they have a medical need and not just because they want to give birth in the country.

Obsessed fans have been sending Power actor Michael Rainey Jr. death threats, over his role in the blockbuster TV show. In the show, Rainey Jr., who plays St. Patrick’s son, Tariq, hates his father and fans have deemed his character ‘very annoying’. His character shoots and kills St. Patrick in one leaked version of the finale, so over 300 people took it upon themselves to send the actor death threats after they saw it.

The Turkish government is planning to introduce a new law that will allow men accused of raping underage girls to avoid punishment by marrying their victims, a move which has outraged women’s rights campaigners who say the law will pave the way for ‘child exploitation and legitimize child marriage and statutory rape.’ The “marry your rapist” bill is set to be introduced to parliament at the end of the month. Although, the Turkey’s opposition party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party has called for the bill to be axed.

Angola’s billionaire former first daughter Isabel dos Santos has been charged with money laundering and mismanagement during her stewardship of state-owned oil firm Sonangol. Documents leaked this week alleged the daughter of ex-president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, plundered state coffers to build her fortune, estimated at $2.1 billion (1.82 billion euros). “Isabel dos Santos is accused of mismanagement and embezzlement of funds during her tenure at Sonangol and is thus charged in the first instance with the crimes of money laundering, influence peddling, harmful management … forgery of documents, among other economic crimes,” prosecutor general Helder Pitta Gros told a news conference late Wednesday.

The Federal Government and Governors of the South West States have reached an agreement that legal framework should be put in place on the establishment of the regional security outfit, Amotekun. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo met with the South West Governors and the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami as well as the Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja after the expanded National Economic Council, NEC, meeting.

Nigeria has been ranked at 146 out of the 180 countries considered on the annual corruption index published by Transparency International. The report released on Thursday shows that Nigeria dropped two places from its previous position to become the 146th most corrupt country out of 180. According to the report released by Transparency International, "the index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business people.

High court judge and human rights advocate Katerina Sakellaropoulou has been elected Greece's first female president by the parliament. Sakellaropoulou was nominated by the ruling conservative New Democracy party, but also managed to secure the backing of the main opposition party Syriza and the center-left Movement for Change. Breaking through gender barriers is not a new thing for the president-elect. She was the first woman to serve as the president of the Council of State, the country's top administrative court. She held that position for 15 months until Wednesday's election.

As part of efforts to ensure free flow of vehicular movement in the State, the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) has stepped up its operations to arrest defiant pedestrians crossing major roads and highways across the metropolis, with 36 nabbed. The Corps Marshal, LAGESC, CP Gbemisola Akinpelu (Rtd), who stated this on Wednesday during the monthly interface session with senior officers of the Agency at the Command Headquarters, Bolade-Oshodi, noted that the Agency is focusing on attaining total compliance on the use of pedestrian bridges by the populace in line with the directive of the State Government.

Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo stated that if the entire Buhari Government was investigated for corruption, they would not only go to jail but also to hell. He made this known via an interview with BBC Yoruba, while comparing former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar who was the Presidential candidate for PDP in the 2019 elections, with President Buhari. He stated that although Atiku is no Messiah, he would have achieved way more than Buhari has if he was given the chance.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that there will be an increase in screening at ports of entry into Nigeria to prevent the spread of the deadly Coronavirus which has claimed lives in China and has now reached the US. The mysterious new disease, Coronavirus, has infected more than 500 people and caused 17 deaths. The disease arrived in Washington state this week and this has led other countries to take actions to prevent the disease from crossing over into their territory.

Wendy Williams and her estranged husband Kevin Hunter are officially divorced after 21 years of marriage. According to documents obtained by E! News. Williams' and Kevin Hunter's divorce was finalized by a judge on Tuesday.  Their legal settlement agreement states that neither the 55-year-old television host nor her husband will pay alimony. The documents also state that Williams will remain the sole owner of the couple's production company and that all of his shares in the business will be transferred to her.

Investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo who last year spent some days in prison as an undercover journalist to expose the rots in Nigerian prison cells has just done the same at YABA LEFT and it's mind blowing. Fisayo says, he spent 3 weeks, including 10 days on admission, as a patient of Yaba Left as an undercover journalist. The Cable reports it this way;

The US Senate has rejected repeated Democratic attempts to secure new evidence in President Donald Trump's impeachment as his trial began. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell meanwhile backed off on a plan to fast-track the hearings after coming under pressure from fellow Republicans. Democrats said this would have been no less than a cover-up. Mr Trump is charged with abuse of power and obstructing the congressional inquiry. He denies wrongdoing.

On Tuesday, paparazzi photos taken of Meghan hiking with their infant son, Archie, and two dogs on Vancouver Island appeared on the cover of the U.K.’s The Sun as well as on other outlets, including The Daily Mail. A legal representative for the couple — who stepped down as senior members of the royal family — sent a warning letter to British news outlets saying “action will be taken” if the photos are published or purchased.

Saleh Hassan, the National Chairman of Miyetti Allah, has stated that despite the achievement of Yoruba's educationally, they are the most primitive Nigerians in terms of political culture. According to Saleh, Miyetti Allah as a group sees Amotekun as an extension of OPC which has a history of violence. "For us Amotekun that is the Yoruba tribal militia, it is one of the greatest threats of democracy we have now in place because you cannot empower an ethnic militia that has a history of violent crime because essentially what you have as Amotekun is OPC, Oodua Peoples Congress that has a history of heinous crimes and killings and the proponents of Amotekun has not hidden who their targets are'' .

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) yesterday disclosed that Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State has been cut off from electricity supply from the national grid. According to ThisDay , TCN in a statement from its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah explained that supply to Maiduguri and its environs were cut off because the insurgent group, Boko Haram damaged a number of its transmission facilities thereby preventing it from supplying electricity to the area.

DJ Khaled and his wife, Nicole Tuck have welcomed their second child, a baby boy. The record producer took to Instagram few minutes ago to announce the birth of his second child with a celebratory photo of himself and the doctor who helped deliver the baby. Sharing the photo, he wrote ;

The Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC, Maiduguri Zonal Office on Monday, arraigned Aisha Alkali Wakil better known as “Mama Boko Haram”. She was arraigned alongside Tahir Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyade, before Justice Aisha Kumalia of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri on an amended five-count charge, bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence and cheating to the tune of N111, 650,000.

Instagram is set to implement a new feature in which images that have been photo-shopped will be labeled as “false information.” The photo-sharing app will begin determining the authenticity of an image using “a combination of feedback from our community and technology.”  After that, the image will be passed on to third-party independent fact-checkers, and if they determine that the image has been altered, a “False Information” warning message will be added to the post.

Leaked documents reveal how Africa's richest woman made her fortune through exploiting her own country, and corruption. Isabel dos Santos got access to lucrative deals involving land, oil, diamonds and telecoms when her father was president of Angola, a southern African country rich in natural resources. The documents show how she and her husband were allowed to buy valuable state assets in a series of suspicious deals.

A British prosecutor launched a fresh attempt on Thursday to confiscate tens of millions of pounds stolen from an oil-producing state in Nigeria by its former governor, who was convicted of laundering his loot in Britain. James Ibori, who was governor of Delta State from 1999 to 2007, pleaded guilty at London’s Southwark Crown Court in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money-laundering. He received a 13-year jail sentence. The case was a rare example of a prominent Nigerian politician being punished for his part in the endemic corruption that has blighted Africa’s most populous country for decades. Since then, several other Nigerian former state governors have been convicted in their own country.

China's birth rate has fallen to its lowest since the formation of the People's Republic of China 70 years ago - despite the easing of the one-child policy. The birth rate was 10.48 per thousand in 2019 - the lowest since 1949, the National Bureau of Statistics said. The number of babies born in 2019 dropped by 580,000 to 14.65 million.

Google’s parent company Alphabet ($GOOG) is now the fourth US company to hit a market cap of $1 trillion. It hit the number just before markets closed on Thursday, ending the day’s trading at $1,451.70 per share, up 0.87 percent. Google CEO Sundar Pichai took over as CEO of Alphabet in December, after Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin relinquished control of Alphabet. It’s been a bumpy couple of years at the company that included allegations of sexual misconduct by executives and a 20,000-person Google Walkout employee protest.

The Federal government has said that plans are underway to provide an alternative fuel called Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) that will cost between N95 to N97 per litre. The government also promised to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) before May 29, 2020. Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources disclosed this on Thursday, January 16, 2020, while addressing journalists in Abuja.

Bbnaija Star, Nina is getting set to be married this year as rumors keep looming about her impending February wedding. Insiders revealed to blogs that the introduction to Marriage was carried out in Nina’s family house in Owerri on Thursday January 9,2020 and the ceremony proper will hold in a couple of weeks time.

Nigerian Singer, Peruzzi is trending on twitter after he was called out by a record producer who claimed the singer defaulted on the contract he previously signed with his label. King Patrick, the record producer, claimed to have helped Peruzzi go back to medical school and signed him to his record label. According to King Patrick, he met Peruzzi in 2014 after he dropped out of medical school because of his father’s financial problems.  He also claimed that he paid for Peruzzi to go back to school. However, he noticed Peruzzi was more interested in his musical career than in his studies so he set him up in the entertainment industry.

Ubi Franklin has been appointed the Special Adviser on Tourism to His Excellency, Professor Benedict Ayade, Governor of Cross River State. The talent manager, made the announcement moments ago on his official Instagram page. Announcing his new position to the public, Ubi wrote;

Canada has reportedly offered to pay for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s round-the-clock security while they spend a "period of transition" in the country. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed that they will divide their time between Canada and the UK and the question the taxpayers have been asking is, who will foot the bill for the Sussexes security.

The royal summit over the future roles of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan of Sussex concluded Monday with an endorsement from Queen Elizabeth II herself about what her grandson seeks to do, and a promise that "final decisions" will be reached in coming days. Shortly after 5 p.m. local time, Buckingham Palace released a statement from the queen in which she described the discussions on the future of "my grandson and his family" as "constructive."

A car theft case filed against Naira Marley, his two brothers, and their cousin has been dismissed. Chief Magistrate of Tinubu Magistrates’ Court sitting in Lagos Island, Tajudeen Elias dismissed the case this morning after receiving a letter of withdrawal of the case. The complainant, Mr Adelekan Ademola had an agreement of settlement with the four defendants, and when the case came up, it was withdrawn and the defendants were discharged.

Nigerians and other foreign nationals resident South Africa’s Keimoes and Upington areas of Northern Cape Province were on Thursday morning given 12 hours to vacate by the indigenes. The President of Nigeria Union in South Africa, Adetola Olubajo, made the disclosure in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos. Mr Olubajo said the development was as a result of an ugly incident that took place on Wednesday between a police officer and a Nigerian. He said that the Nigerian man, an indigene of Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, allegedly stabbed to death the police officer, Nico Visagie, during a disagreement at 5 a.m.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's announcement of their decision to quit their roles as senior members of the Royal Family, ignited mixed reactions as they were accused of going public with the decision without the knowledge of the Queen, Prince Charles or Prince William. Members of the Royal Family reportedly learnt about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to quit their roles as senior members of the Royal Family and work towards financial independence after it broke on television news channels.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced that they will be stepping back from their role as senior members of the Royal Family.  According to them, the decision which came after several months of reflection and internal discussions will enable them work to become financially independent. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also disclosed that they will be splitting their time between Britain and Canada, the North American country expected to be their second home.

France's airline Air France said on Wednesday the company has suspended flights over Iraq and Iran airspace after Iranian missile strikes targeting U.S.-led forces. "Flight plans are adjusted in real time according to the decisions of the French and regional authorities, throughout the world, in order to ensure the highest level of flight safety", Air France said in a statement. Iran's action early on Wednesday was in retaliation for a U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, which has triggered fears of a new Middle East war.

A Ukrainian International Airlines plane carrying nearly 180 people crashed shortly after take off from an airport in Iran - killing everyone on board. The Boeing 737 passenger liner came down just minutes after take off from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran. Three Brits are among those confirmed dead on board - along with 82 citizens of Iran, 63 from Canada, 11 from Ukraine, 10 from Sweden, 4 from Afghanistan and 3 from Germany.

Barcelona Women & Nigeria Women star Asisat Oshoala is named 2019 African Best Women’s POTY award. Although Asisat Was absent at the awards but the award was received by the NFF president Amaju Pinnick.

Senegalese footballer , Sadio Mane has been named the 2019 African Player of the Year after winning the UEFA Champions League with his club Liverpool and leading his country, Senegal to the Africa Cup of Nations final. Saido Mane defeated his liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah – winner in 2017 and 2018 –  and Algeria attacker Riyad Mahrez to win the 2019 CAF player of the year award that held on Tuesday night in Egypt.