Paradise News

Tag: World

  • Natalia Bryant opens up about continuing her father’s legacy

    Natalia Bryant opens up about continuing her father

    Natalia Bryant has revealed she will keep her father’s legacy alive.

     

     

    The 20-year-old daughter of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant opened up about continuing the legacy of her dad’s “mamba mentality” mindset in a new interview with Elle.

    

     

    “It’s putting your best foot forward at all times regardless of all the noise,” Natalia said.

     

     

    “I want to make sure that mentality stays intact, because it can be so easy to give up on yourself when things get tough,” she added. “You have to remind yourself that with positivity and resilience you can do anything.”

     

     

    While speaking with Elle about being the face of UGG’s newest campaign, “Feels Like UGG,” Bryant also explained how she navigates the difficult moments in her life by “focusing my energy on the things that bring me happiness.”

     

     

    “I spend time with the people I love, like my family,” Natalia said. “I hang out with my friends, or listen to my favorite music. I do things that bring me peace and that put me in a much better headspace. I think it’s important to focus on the positive aspects life has to offer.”

     

     

    Natalia lost her father, Kobe, and 13-year-old younger sister Gianna, when the two died tragically in a January 2020 helicopter crash along with seven other people.

     

    Source

  • Kwara Poly disowns two female students arrested for murder of socialite

    The management of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, has disowned two female students who were arrested and paraded on Wednesday at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, over the murder of a socialite and hotel owner in the state.

    Ripples Nigeria had on Thursday, reported the arrest and parade of the two ladies, Joseph Joy Adama and Vandora Davies Oreoluwa, over the murder of Adeniyi Ojo.

    While addressing journalists, Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the suspects claimed to be students of the institution.

    “On October 6, 2023, police operatives apprehended the two suspects, Adama and Oreoluwa, who are both students of Kwara State Polytechnic for their involvement in the robbery and murder of Mr Adeniyi Ojo,” the police spokesman said.

    Also speaking to journalists, one of the suspects, Adama said she had been in a s3xual relationship with the deceased and on the day he was killed, she had connived with her friend to have a threesome with him with the intention to steal from him.

    Read also: Two ladies arrested for killing Kwara socialite during threesome

    But when he refused to succumb, they drugged him and left with his phone and other valuables only to discover that he had died.

    But in a press release on Thursday issued by the school’s Public Relations Officer, Halimat Garba, the management denied that the suspects were their students as they had long been rusticated from the institution over poor academic performance.

    The release titled “Re: How we killed Club owner in Hotel – Female Student” reads:

    “The attention of the Polytechnic Authority has been drawn to a trending story and a video clip in which two ladies named Joseph Joy Adama and Vandora Davies Oreoluwa, in the alleged murder of a hotelier in Ilorin were erroneously identified as students of the Kwara State Polytechnic.

    “Our database checks showed that the two ladies had since been withdrawn from the school after their first years on account of poor academic performances. They have therefore ceased being students of our great institution.

    “The Polytechnic Management states categorically that its students are good ambassadors of the institution, the state, and Nigeria at large, and will not be involved in shameful or criminal acts of any kind.”

    Source

  • Police dog conducted an illegal search, Idaho justices said. What the US Supreme Court ruled

    The U.S. Supreme Court will not take up a high-profile Idaho case that tested whether a drug-sniffing police dog illegally searched a car during a traffic stop.

    The Idaho Supreme Court in March ruled that when a Mountain Home police drug-sniffing dog jumped on the side of a car while following an officer’s directions, a suspect’s Fourth Amendment protection against unlawful searches was violated. The federal court’s inaction means the decision from the state’s highest court will stand, setting a precedent for limitations on law enforcement’s use of canines in drug searches.

    The case stems from the 2019 arrest of Kirby Dorff, a Mountain Home man, who was later convicted of drug possession and delivery. During a traffic stop, the dog, Nero, alerted to drugs in Dorff’s car, after the dog jumped up against the vehicle multiple times to sniff its upper seams, including once when his paws rested on the driver’s side door and window.

    Dorff appealed his conviction to the state Supreme Court, arguing that law enforcement found a pill bottle, folded papers and a baggie with a white substance found in his car during an illegal search. The Idaho Supreme Court ruled that when Nero “intermeddled” with Dorff’s property, it meant police conducted a “warrantless search.”

    In June, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. In its petition to the federal court, the attorney general’s office argued that Nero’s actions were “instinctive” and unattributable to law enforcement and that a police dog’s “brief contact” with the outside of a car is not a “physical intrusion of a constitutionally protected area.” The court last week declined the petition.

    The Dorff case attracted national attention among other recent cases asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on police powers under the Fourth Amendment. That includes a California case that involved a police officer who, while attempting a traffic stop for a noise violation, followed a man into his garage, where the officer discovered the suspect was drunk. The court ruled that police pursuits for suspected misdemeanor offenses don’t always justify warrantless entry into suspects’ homes.

    The Idaho Supreme Court previously determined that the dog’s actions were prompted by an officer who made “upward gestures,” directing the dog toward areas to sniff.

    “There is no asterisk to the Fourth Amendment excusing the unconstitutional acts of law enforcement when they are accomplished by means of a trained dog,” Idaho Justice Robyn Brody wrote in the majority opinion.

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    © 2023 Idaho Statesman

    Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.



    Source

  • Number Of SANs To Hit 813 As Femi Falana’s Wife, 57 Others Elevated

    The Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) has approved the elevation of the wife of human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, Funmi, and 57 other legal practitioners to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), raising the total of SANS in Nigeria to 813.

    As contained in an official diary of the Federal High Court seen by our correspondent, 621 SANs have been sworn-in from 1975 to 2020, while 62 were sworn in during the 2022 legal year.

    THE WHISTLER reported that 72 legal practitioners were conferred with SAN rank on December 8, 2021 by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Ibrahim Tanko at the Supreme Court Premises, Abuja.

    Late Chief F.R.A Williams was first to be conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 1975 while more than 50 of them are now deceased.

    Meanwhile, a statement signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court / Secretary of the LPPC, Hajo Sarki-Bello Thursday, said 58 lawyers will on November 27 be inaugurated as new senior advocates at the Supreme Court by the CJN Olukayode Ariwoola.

    The latest information puts the total number of SANs at 813.

    According to Sarki-Bello, the new SANs scaled through due to their excellence in the law profession and in the adherence to the code of Ethics of the profession.

    The secretary added that the LPPC reviewed four different petitions against some of the lawyers but eventually dismissed them for lack of merit.

    THE WHISTLER reports that the LPPC is vested with powers to determine the number of persons to be conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria each year.

    Those to be conferred with SAN rank include Lawrence Bankole Falade, Kingsley Obamogie, Folasade Alli, Abiola Isiaq Oyebanji, Bomo Olakunle Agbebi, Daniel Uruakpa, and Oseloka Godwin Osuigwe.

    Source

  • Nigerian man and woman arrested for drug trafficking in India

    Nigerian man and woman arrested for drug trafficking in India
    The Special Cell of the Delhi Police on Thursday, October 12, arrested two Nigerian nationals and one Sierra Leone woman suspected to be members of an international drug syndicate.

     

    According to the police, the suspects, Paul Joy from Sierra Leone, Peace Ilobe and Stephen, both from Nigeria, were found to be residing in the country without the necessary legal documentation or authorization.

     

    A team from the Special Cell acting on a tipoff promptly carried out a raid near Shiv Murti, Rangpuri, where two of the suspects, Paul and Peace, were arrested.

     

    Upon further interrogation, it was revealed that the two women had procured the methaqualone consignment from Stephen, who was arrested and taken into custody in the Mohan Garden area of Uttam Nagar in Delhi

     

    Police confiscated a significant quantity of illicit substances from the suspects, including 6.044 kg of methaqualone and 2.058 kg of heroin.

     

    The street value of these drugs is estimated to be over Rs 40 crore in the international market.

     

    The police also seized counterfeit visas and passports from the suspects.

     

    Further investigations revealed that the three accused have been actively involved in drug trafficking for two years.

     

    The suspects have been taken into custody on various charges which include cheating, impersonation, forgery, preparation, and possession of forged documents. 

     

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  • Bauchi govt sacks Wikki Tourists FC chairman

    The Bauchi State government has sacked the Chairman of the Interim Management Committee of Wikki Tourists FC, Aminu Dalhatu Umar.

    The state’s Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Muhammad Salis Gamawa, confirmed the chairman’s sack in a letter dated October 11, 2023.

    The letter was seen by journalists on Thursday.

    Umar was appointed the chairman of the Wikki Tourists FC interim management committee in August.

    The letter read: “I hope this letter finds you in good health. It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you of our decision to terminate your role as the Interim Chairman of Wikki Tourists Football Club effective immediately (today), 11 October 2023.”

    “Your appointment as Interim chairman was a testament to our belief in your ability to steer the club in the right direction. However, we have observed a series of actions that regrettably contravened the clear instructions and guidelines provided for the proper management of the club.

    “These violations include, but are not limited to, borrowing funds without due approvals, making appointments without adhering to due process, a failure to accept and rectify mistakes after receiving warnings, and a lack of consultation with the Board prior to making important decisions.”

    These actions compromise the transparency, accountability, and effective governance we expect within the club. As a result, we are left with no choice but to terminate your interim chairmanship.

    “We appreciate the efforts you have put into the club and your commitment to its success. However, we must uphold the principles of good governance, responsible financial management, and adherence to established procedures.”

    Source

  • Around 5.7 million children to receive measles-rubella vaccine

    President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is facing public scrutiny over his apparent attempts to build a political dynasty ahead of a Constitutional Court ruling that will decide whether his eldest son can run for vice president next year.

    The court is set to announce on Monday of next week its decision on whether to lower the minimum age for presidential and vice presidential candidates from 40 to 35, just nine days before the registration deadline for presidential and vice presidential candidates.

    The justices have finished reviewing three petitions that seek to change the requirements for presidential and vice presidential candidates. The petitions were lodged by the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), the Garuda Party and Bukittinggi Mayor Erman Safar along with Deputy South Lampung Regent Pandu Kesuma Dewangsa.

    The PSI’s petition seeks to change the minimum age to 35 years. The one filed by the Garuda Party seeks to maintain the current minimum age of 40 and add the requirement of being “experienced as a regional head/deputy regional head”.

    A ruling in favor of the petitioners would clear the way for Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabumi Raka, the 36-year-old mayor of Surakarta who has recently been mentioned as a potential vice-presidential candidate, to run in the upcoming race.

    Gibran has acknowledged having received several offers from Prabowo Subianto to serve as his running mate but has declined to reveal whether he would enter the race if the court decided to clear the way by lowering the minimum age for the vice presidency.

    Gibran’s potential vice presidential candidacy has been gaining traction among both his and his father’s supporter groups, such as “Relawan Jokowi-Gibran” and “Samawi”, which have both pledged their support for the Surakarta mayor to run with Prabowo next year.

    As the first Indonesian president in the post-Reform era to come from outside the political and military elite, Jokowi’s ascension to the presidency eight years ago, propelled by popular frustrations with the corrupt and nepotistic political establishment, was heralded as a milestone.

    After just a single term, however, Jokowi joined the ranks of Indonesia’s other two living presidents, Megawati Sukarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in becoming the head of a political dynasty, as his own burgeoning family dynasty began taking shape.

    In 2021, Gibran was elected mayor of Surakarta, the city where Jokowi started his political career, without much opposition, while Bobby Nasution, who is married to the president’s 32-year-old daughter Kahiyang Ayu, was elected mayor of Medan in the same year.

    The President, who is set to leave office next year, has now been accused of engineering the future of his political dynasty through his sons, Gibran and his youngest son Kaesang Pangarep, who was recently appointed chief of the PSI, a move that was seen as consolidating the President’s supporters into one platform.

    Academics and watchdog groups have said that granting the petitions to lower the minimum age of presidential and vice presidential candidates would tarnish the integrity of the Constitutional Court and weaken the country’s democracy, a criticism that has increasingly regularly been levied at Jokowi’s presidency.

    “The petitions are no longer aimed at upholding the constitutional rights of citizens but are strongly suspected to be based on the lust for power of Jokowi’s family and devotees, who want to nominate Gibran, who is not yet 40 years old, as a vice presidential candidate,” said Hendardi, chairman of the Setara Institute.

    The group called on the court to refrain from changing the minimum age to run for the country’s top two public offices, insisting it remained an open legal policy that should not be reviewed at the Constitutional Court.

    Deciding otherwise would amount to the court siding with Jokowi’s political dynasty, Hendardi contended, adding that efforts to have the court clear the way for Gibran’s candidacy had been among “the ugliest political operations” ever carried out by an Indonesian president.

    “All elements of society must remind the Constitutional Court not to become an instrument of legalizing a candidacy that supports the Jokowi dynasty,” Hendardi added.

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    (c) 2023 the Asia News Network

    Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

    Source

  • Why PFAs Invest Pension Funds In Federal Government Bonds

    Nigeria’s pension fund landscape is witnessing a robust investment strategy as Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) diligently allocate pension fund assets to Federal Government bonds and other eligible securities.

    This approach adheres to the guiding principles of pension fund investments set forth by the Pension Reform Act 2014 (PRA 2014). As of August 31, 2023, Nigeria’s total pension assets under management amounted to an impressive N17.29 trillion.

    Pension fund assets in Nigeria are managed by licensed PFAs and safeguarded by Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs) in line with the provisions of the PRA 2014.

    The primary guiding principle of investing pension funds is to ensure safety and maintenance of fair returns, with a prohibition on borrowing or lending pension fund assets.

    The allowable instruments for investing pension funds, as outlined by the PRA 2014, include bonds, Sukuk, Treasury Bills, and other securities issued by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), or their respective agencies.

    Additionally, Special Purpose Vehicles and Companies created or owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria are eligible, provided these securities are guaranteed by the CBN or the Federal Government.

    Other allowable instruments for investment of pension funds include State Government Securities, Corporate Bonds, Money Market Instruments, Equities, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), Infrastructure Bonds, Private Equity and Venture Capital as well as Open-End and Closed-End Funds.

    At the end of August 2023, Nigeria’s pension assets increased by N530.79 billion (3.17%) from June 2023. Out of the net pension asset of N17.29 trillion, N11.47 trillion is invested in Federal Government Securities. This comprises N10.99 trillion in Federal Government Bonds, N211.77 billion in Federal Government Treasury Bills, N11.02 billion in Agency Bonds (Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company), N154.76 billion in Sukuk Bonds, and N98.55 billion in Green Bonds.
    The remaining investments are in money market instruments, corporate debt securities, quoted equities and other asset classes.

    In line with global best practice, Federal Government Securities are considered safe and are usually a significant portion of pension fund investments. In Nigeria, Federal Government Bonds are considered the safest investment in the domestic debt market due to their backing by the ‘full faith and credit’ of the Federal Government. They are deemed risk-free, ensuring certainty in interest and principal payments.

    Furthermore, the interest income earned from these bonds is tax exempt. Since the establishment of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), the Federal Government has consistently met its obligation to repay pension funds invested in its bonds along with all accrued interests, without any defaults.

    It is important to clarify that investments in Federal Government securities are not direct loans to the government; PFAs have the liberty to divest from these securities according to the Regulation on Investment of Pension Fund Assets. It is significant to note that investments in Federal Government bonds are not exclusive to PFAs as other institutional investors also invest in the bonds.

    The PRA 2014 underscores that PFAs must manage pension funds in the best interest of retirement savings account holders. All investments in eligible securities and corporate entities are ‘ring-fenced,’ meaning they belong exclusively to the RSA holders and other pension beneficiaries and cannot be appropriated to any individual or related party of the PFA.

    To ensure compliance with the PRA 2014, each PFA is required to establish an Investment Strategy Committee and a Risk Management Committee. These committees play a crucial role in formulating internal investment strategies and assessing acceptable risk profiles for investment portfolios, respectively. They are vital components of a comprehensive risk management system that ensures the safety and stability of pension fund investments.

    It is noteworthy that pension funds invested in Federal Government bonds have aided in deepening the Nigeria’s financial sector and provided a platform for attaining strategic programmes of Government in the areas of infrastructure and real sector of the economy. It is evident from the vibrant pension industry in Nigeria today that the objectives of the pension reform have been significantly achieved in the areas of accumulation of long-term savings for Nigeria, as well as transparency and efficiency in funds management and benefits administration.

    Generally, pension funds around the world invest in a diverse range of assets. In Chile, from where Nigeria adopted the CPS, Government bonds account for the highest investments using pension funds.

    Similarly, Pension asset managers in many countries prioritise investments in defensive assets, including fixed interest securities such as bonds and treasury bills. These assets offer stable income at a lower risk level, which suit the moderate risk appetite of pension funds. Consistent with the investment culture in Nigeria’s pension landscape, countries such as Singapore, Korea and India have invested 90% of their pension funds in defensive assets, mostly Government bonds. Asset allocation decisions are made to achieve safety and fair returns.

    In summary, the strategic investment of pension funds in Federal Government securities demonstrates a prudent approach by PFAs, aligning with the overarching goal of ensuring the safety and fair returns for the retirement savings account holders and other pension beneficiaries.

    Source

  • Nigerian woman shares lovely video of herself and her adopted daughter

    Nigerian woman shares lovely video of herself and her adopted daughter

    A Nigerian lady, Zyna Obasi, has warmed the hearts of many after sharing a video of herself and her adopted daughter. 

     

    In the video, Zyna revealed she waited for 17 years to have a child before deciding to go the route of adoption. 

     

    Watch the video below

     

     



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  • Gov Radda sets up panel to probe Katsina tech institute

    The Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has set up a six-man panel to investigate several petitions against the management of Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management.

    The committee was inaugurated on Thursday in Katsina by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Garba Faskari.

    The governor said the investigation was necessary following several petitions against the management of the institute.

    He charged the committee to carry out a thorough investigation and report back to the government within six weeks.

    The panel is headed by Alhaji Aliyu Danja with the quintet of Alhaji Abdulsalam Sani, Alhaji Bala Daudawa, Alhaji Haliru Liman, and Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammad-Daku as members.

    The governor said the office of the SSG would nominate the secretary of the panel.

    Radda mandated the committee to examine the conduct of the rector, and the institute’s academic, financial, and administrative records as well as all other affairs of the school.

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