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Wednesday, 23 August 2023 03:26 Written by dailypost
Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been charged with bribery offences by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA).
According to the information posted on the agency’s website, Alison-Madueke, alleged to have accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on October 2.
“We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts,” Andy Kelly, Head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) International Corruption Unit, said. “These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.”
Alison-Madueke was a key figure in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The 63-year-old, who once acted as President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015.
In court, the 16-year-old told the court that his father always flogs him and is forcing him to choose a career he doesn’t want.
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A child advocate in a video disclosed that a UK-based Nigerian doctor lost custody of his 16-year-old son for flogging him with a belt.
The lady who shared the story after turning up in court for the case, said the Nigerian doctor flogged his son after he caught him watching an inappropriate video with his friends who visited their house for a sleep-over.
The boy’s friends reportedly called the police who then took him away. They also told the police that while flogging his son, the doctor repeatedly told his son “is this how you’ll become a doctor”.
In court, the 16-year-old told the court that his father always flogs him and is forcing him to choose a career he doesn’t want.
After listening to the boy’s testimony, the court ordered that the boy be taken away from his father. He will remain in custody of the UK government.
See Video Below;
After listening to the boy’s testimony, the court ordered that the boy be taken away from his father. He will remain in custody of the UK government.
The recent ban against international students bringing dependents to the United Kingdom has been condemned by London university chiefs.
Recall that the country's Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, on Tuesday, May 23, announced plans to ban most foreign students from bringing their families to the UK. Those studying for a masters and many post graduate courses will no longer be able to bring their partners and children with them to Britain under the new rules. The ban will not apply to PHD students.
However, London Higher, which represents almost 50 universities and colleges in the capital described Suella Braverman's new student immigration rules as a “blow to equality and inclusion”. They branded the proposals as “an own goal for the government if it is striving for growth”.
The group noted that last year, the net economic impact of the cohort of international students in London on the UK economy was £9.59billion.
A spokesman for the organisation said:
“The Home Office decision to prevent international applicants to one-year Master’s courses in the UK from bringing dependants with them represents a blow to equality and inclusion, and a loss in competitiveness against our counterparts in Europe, North America and Australasia who continue to welcome these students and their families with open arms.
“Preventing international postgraduate students from bringing their families with them will likely lower this figure and undo the honourable ambitions set out by the Government in its own International Education Strategy.
“London’s appeal to international students is as yet unrivalled and acts as a gateway for international talent across the UK.
“We fear today’s announcement could dent London’s international ‘pulling power’ to the detriment of the whole country and we hope this is not the start of a slippery slope which opens the door to further restrictions on international students in the longer term.”
The United Kingdom has slammed restrictions on student visa routes in a bid to cut net migration, a statement on Tuesday announced.
The policy restricts students from Nigeria and other countries from bringing family members on all but postgraduate research routes.
The government also banned people from using a student visa as a backdoor route to work in the UK, noting that net migration was over 500,000 from June 2021 to June 2022.
It reaffirmed its commitment to the International Education Strategy which supports the economy through the contribution students can bring to the UK.
The government has also made clear that the terms of the graduate route remain unchanged, announcing the new reforms affecting students starting from January 2023.
The UK promised to work with the higher education sector to explore alternative options to ensure the brightest and best students can continue to bring dependents.
Furthermore, to prevent misuse of the visa system, students will be stopped from switching from the student visa route to work routes until their studies have been completed.
The British man who killed his wife at their retirement home in Cyprus has claimed she "cried and begged" for him to kill her.
David Hunter, a retired coal miner from Northumberland, UM is on trial for premeditated murder after his wife Janice died of asphyxiation in 2021.
Speaking during his testimony at Paphos District Court on Monday, May 15, David says they had a “perfect” 52-year marriage and broke down in tears as he described the moment he killed his terminally ill wife.
The 75-year-old previously admitted to killing his wife and his lawyers say it was assisted suicide at her request, to stop the pain of terminal leukaemia.
However, last week the court heard from Mrs Hunter's doctor said she had a rare blood cancer, but might not have had terminal leukaemia.
In court on Monday May 15, David spoke of how Janice had become progressively more ill with blood cancer and had no quality of life.
“She cried and begged me to help her,” David, from Ashington, Northumberland, told the court.
“For five or six weeks before she died she was asking me to help her, she was asking me more every day."
Prosecutors failed to accept that his wife asked him to end her life unless he had proof.
"If we accept this, every other man in the future who kills a woman will say 'We had an agreement", State prosecutor Andreas Hadjikyrou said
David refused to kill his wife until one day he agreed in the hope it would calm her. He insisted he had no intention of carrying out the act.
But nine days later, on December 18 2021, David pressed his hands over his wife’s mouth and nose.
David said in court: "She was sleeping in the leather chair downstairs and for the last week we slept down on those chairs together.
“I felt so helpless and hopeless that I couldn’t do anything for her. Every day she asked me a bit more intensely to do it.
“I didn’t want to do it after 57 years together. I really didn’t want to do it. She started crying and begging me. I didn’t want to do it, I said no.
“She said, ‘I can’t go on, this isn’t life for me. We just go to the hospital and stay at home. I can’t go on.
“She started becoming hysterical, so I told her, ‘Yes, I’m going to help you’."
David said he stood up from his seat and walked towards the kettle to make a coffee, with Janice sobbing as she remained seated.
David found himself leaning over, gripping a kitchen bench with both hands while his wife cried uncontrollably.
“I turned to my wife and she was still crying,” David said with tears in his eyes.
“The next thing I knew I put my hands here [over her nose and mouth] and when it finished she was a grey colour.
“She did not attempt to stop me. I don’t know how long I kept my hands there.
“She didn’t look like my wife at all and it was the first time I cried after many years."
David's lawyers said that he was suffering from dissociation at the time and that he needed a psychiatric assessment.
However, the court found that Hunter was syablr at the time and was aware of what was happening, demonstrated by a call to his brother afterwards saying he was also going to kill himself.
David said in the following nine days, before her death, he had hoped she would change her mind.
“I would never kill my wife,” he told prosecutor Andreas Hadjikyrou under cross-examination.
Asked by defence lawyer Ritsa Pekri how the last days were, Hunter said: “She was crying, crying, crying, begging, begging, begging.
“She wasn’t taking any care of herself. For the last two or three weeks she could not move her arms and had trouble with her legs, she couldn’t balance.
“She was only eating soup, she couldn’t hold anything down. She lost a lot of weight. She lost so much weight that there was no flesh to put her injections in.”
Her illness have her acute diarrhoea that for the last three-and-a-half years of her life she had to wear nappies, David told the court.
David’s lawyer Michael Polak, from the Justice Abroad organisation, said: “I think he did well [giving evidence]. He’s pleased to be able to speak about it. He was the only person there when it happened.
“Nobody really knows what happened aside from him. It’s still a very sad, tragic case.
“They had a long, loving relationship. He took one of the most difficult decisions anyone could ever be asked to take from someone they love.”
David told the press after the hearing: “I got my say, this is what I wanted. To tell them things that they never even thought about.
“The last six months, I wouldn’t like anyone to go through that. Prison is nothing compared to what we went through.”
As the hearing came to a close, Hunter asked to address the judge, telling him: “My wife was suffering and she actually said, ‘I don’t want to live anymore,’ and I still said no.
“I was hoping she would change her mind. I loved her so much. I did not plan it, I swear to God.”
Although King Charles will have a low-key ceremony on his coronation day this May 6, the Crown Jewels will still figure prominently. An exploration of the story of the jewels tells a tale of brutal exploitation, rape and the original looting. Join us on Don’t Call Me Resilient to follow the jewels.
Much of what was called the British Empire was built from stolen riches — globally — and much of that was from India.
In fact, India was such an abundant contributor to the Crown that at the time of its occupation of South Asia, Britain called India the Jewel in its Crown.
India was called this because of its location — easy access to the silk route, but mostly because of its vast human and natural resources: things like cotton, and tea and of course its abundance of jewels.
Literally, the brightest jewel in Britain’s Crown is the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
Nader Shah on the Peacock Throne, whose jewels included the Koh-i-Noor diamond.Wikimedia Commons, CC BY
It is considered one of the world’s largest and most valued diamonds and it usually sits on top of the Crown of Queen Mary.
It has a controversial history — namely that it was “surrendered” to the British by an Indian 10-year-old boy, Duleep Singh, whose mother had been imprisoned and whose father had recently died. It’s likely for that reason, that it won’t be on display at the coronation. But plenty of other jewels will be part of the ceremony.
The Imperial State Crown on a cushion as it arrives for the State Opening of Parliament.(Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
There is the five-pound gold St. Edward’s Crown that Charles will be officially crowned with, the Sovereign’s Sceptre, which has the Great Star of Africa diamond in it and the Imperial State Crown, which is set with almost 3,000 diamonds - including another Star of Africa.
Joining me to explore the history and meaning behind these jewels is Annie St. John-Stark, assistant professor of British history at Thompson Rivers University. Also here today is: Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra, instructor of history at both the University of the Fraser Valley and the University of British Columbia. Her newly minted PhD looks at how museums can grow to include voices previously left off the “official record.”
Although many will be out partying next weekend, the pomp of the coronation - along with its display of the Crown Jewels - does not reflect current day British attitudes. Only 32 per cent believe the Empire is something to be proud of — that is down almost 25 per cent from 2014. That means, attitudes are changing quickly.
Will the Royal Family catch up?
It’s not just the jewels, it’s the pomp of everything that is attached to the ceremony is such a contradiction now to the things we are talking about globally in our world in terms of privilege, colonialism and class structures. - Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra
Union flags are raised to celebrate the upcoming coronation of King Charles, in central London, last week.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Resources
This black and white photograph of Maharajah Duleep Singh outside Osborne House was taken by Prince Albert in 1854.CC BY
He was crowned with St. Edward's Crown, which was created in 1661 and will only be worn during the ceremony.
King Charles III has been officially crowned King in the historic first Coronation in 70 years on Saturday, May 6.
He was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
The king was crowned while seated in the Coronation Chair, holding the Sceptre with Cross in his right, gloved hand and the Sceptre with Dove in his left hand. He was crowned with St. Edward's Crown, which was created in 1661 and will only be worn during the ceremony.
After the crown was placed on his head, the bells at Westminster Abbey rang for two minutes. King Charles was then escorted from the Coronation Chair to the throne.
Before the crowning, King Charles was presented with the coronation regalia.
He was first presented with the spurs, which "symbolize knighthood," followed by the Sword of Offering; two armills made of gold, known as "bracelets of sincerity and wisdom;" the Coronation Orb, "symbolising the Christian world" with three sides representing the three continents known during medieval times; and the Sovereign’s Ring, representing commitment and is not worn during the ceremony.
Charles then was presented with the coronation glove, the same one his mother wore during her coronation, representing him as advocate and challenger for the protection of the people. He was then given the sovereign’s sceptre with cross which represents "the sovereign's temporal power," and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove, which represents "the sovereign’s spiritual role."
Minutes earlier Charles swore on the Bible and kissed it, having taken the oath: 'I, Charles, do solemnly and sincerely in the presence of God profess, testify, and declare that I am a faithful Protestant, and that I will, according to the true intent of the enactments which secure the Protestant succession to the throne, uphold and maintain the said enactments to the best of my powers according to law.'
His family were sat closest to him in a 2,300-strong congregation, although Prince Harry sat in the third row, away from Prince William, his wife and children, and other working royals.
A special personal prayer was written for the King to reflect the 'loving service' theme of the service, and the words were inspired in part by the popular hymn I Vow To Thee My Country.
He said: 'God of compassion and mercy whose son was sent not to be served but to serve, give grace that I may find in thy service perfect freedom and in that freedom knowledge of thy truth. Grant that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and belief, that together we may discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace; through Jesus Christ our lord. Amen.'
Although King Charles will have a low-key ceremony on his coronation day this May 6, the Crown Jewels will still figure prominently. An exploration of the story of the jewels tells a tale of brutal exploitation, rape and the original looting. Join us on Don’t Call Me Resilient to follow the jewels.
Much of what was called the British Empire was built from stolen riches — globally — and much of that was from India.
In fact, India was such an abundant contributor to the Crown that at the time of its occupation of South Asia, Britain called India the Jewel in its Crown.
India was called this because of its location — easy access to the silk route, but mostly because of its vast human and natural resources: things like cotton, and tea and of course its abundance of jewels.
Literally, the brightest jewel in Britain’s Crown is the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
Nader Shah on the Peacock Throne, whose jewels included the Koh-i-Noor diamond.Wikimedia Commons, CC BY
It is considered one of the world’s largest and most valued diamonds and it usually sits on top of the Crown of Queen Mary.
It has a controversial history — namely that it was “surrendered” to the British by an Indian 10-year-old boy, Duleep Singh, whose mother had been imprisoned and whose father had recently died. It’s likely for that reason, that it won’t be on display at the coronation. But plenty of other jewels will be part of the ceremony.
The Imperial State Crown on a cushion as it arrives for the State Opening of Parliament.(Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
There is the five-pound gold St. Edward’s Crown that Charles will be officially crowned with, the Sovereign’s Sceptre, which has the Great Star of Africa diamond in it and the Imperial State Crown, which is set with almost 3,000 diamonds - including another Star of Africa.
Joining me to explore the history and meaning behind these jewels is Annie St. John-Stark, assistant professor of British history at Thompson Rivers University. Also here today is: Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra, instructor of history at both the University of the Fraser Valley and the University of British Columbia. Her newly minted PhD looks at how museums can grow to include voices previously left off the “official record.”
Although many will be out partying next weekend, the pomp of the coronation - along with its display of the Crown Jewels - does not reflect current day British attitudes. Only 32 per cent believe the Empire is something to be proud of — that is down almost 25 per cent from 2014. That means, attitudes are changing quickly.
Will the Royal Family catch up?
It’s not just the jewels, it’s the pomp of everything that is attached to the ceremony is such a contradiction now to the things we are talking about globally in our world in terms of privilege, colonialism and class structures. - Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra
Union flags are raised to celebrate the upcoming coronation of King Charles, in central London, last week.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Resources
This black and white photograph of Maharajah Duleep Singh outside Osborne House was taken by Prince Albert in 1854.CC BY
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