Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has declared himself as the winner of the crisis rocking the state. The situation led to the factionalisation of the state House of Assembly with members loyal to Wike filing impeachment notice against the governor. The lawmakers later defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress with members loyal to Fubara declaring their seats vacant. What they want is this red biro, but it is still with me, they have failed. “You are the winner, we are the winners because we are still signing with the red biro, and so long as we are signing with the red biro, development will continue in Rivers State.

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has explained why he was unable to pay off the arrears of pensions being owed to retired civil servants by the end of 2023. Otti had at the start of his administration in May, assured that by December 2023, he would clear off the backlog of arrears owed pensioners in the state by previous administrations. To ensure that the verification exercise did not add extra burden to the already owed pensioners, we took it down to them at their respective wards. He said on inception, “We made a solemn commitment that we shall make regular payment of salaries and pensions a priority. “In 2024 the state shall be investing in the critical sectors to spur economic growth, create employment opportunities and revive local businesses, particularly MSMEs.

Bangladeshi Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus (C) appears in a court in Dhaka on January 1, 2024 | Photo Credit: AFPNobel peace laureate, Muhammad Yunus was convicted on Monday of violating Bangladesh’s labour laws in a case decried by his supporters as politically motivated. Hasina has made several scathing verbal attacks against the internationally respected 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who was once seen as a political rival. Yunus and three colleagues from Grameen Telecom, one of the firms he founded, were accused of violating labour laws when they failed to create a workers’ welfare fund in the company. “I have been punished for a crime that I haven’t committed,” Yunus told reporters after the hearing. Amnesty International accused the government of “weaponising labour laws” when Yunus went to trial in September and called for an immediate end to his “harassment.”Criminal proceedings against Yunus were “a form of political retaliation for his work and dissent,” it said.

Financial Intelligence Unit, an Indian government agency which scrutinizes financial transactions, said Thursday nine global crypto exchanges — including Binance, Kraken, Kucoin and Mexc—are operating “illegally” in the country without complying with the local anti-money laundering act and asked the IT Ministry to block their websites. Global crypto exchanges are required to comply with India’s anti-money laundering rules and cannot evade the guidelines just because they don’t have physical presence in the country, the government agency said. Cryptocurrencies were brought into the ambit of anti-money laundering / counter financing of terrorism framework in India in March this year. While India-based crypto exchanges including a16z-backed CoinSwitch Kuber, B Capital-backed CoinDCX and former Binance-partner WazirX continue to require rigorous know-your-customer verifications before onboarding new users, the same hasn’t been true of many global platforms. “Most Indian crypto exchanges are FIU registered entities and adhere with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

In a display of solidarity amidst mounting global outrage over the war and escalating demands for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza, certain nations have opted to prohibit New Year’s celebrations. Pakistan announced that it will ban New Year’s Eve celebrations as a gesture of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, according to reports from The New Arab, a London-based pan-Arab news outlet. The ban was “a sincere expression of solidarity and humanitarian cooperation with our siblings in the Gaza Strip,” Sharjah police said in a Facebook post. Seven emirates make up the United Arab Emirates, each headed by a different monarch. The festivities, however, are expected to go on as scheduled in other UAE emirates and other Middle Eastern countries.

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Japan has issued a major Tsunami warning after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the central region. Residents in the coastal Noto area in Ishikawa prefecture were asked to “evacuate immediately to higher ground,” national broadcaster NHK said. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning along the coastal regions of Niigata and Toyama prefectures as well. The broadcaster reported that a tsunami with a height of 1.2 metres reached Wajima city in Ishikawa and another reaching 40cm was recorded at Kashizawaki city. A huge earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan on 11 March 2011, leading to the deaths of 18,000 people.

The UN peacekeeping operation in Mali is poised to complete its drawdown, following a decade of multifaceted efforts to support the country. Established by UN Security Council resolution 2100, the mission included more than 15,000 troops and personnel who served in cities and towns around the country. In its decade of operations, MINUSMA aided Mali in tackling multiple challenges. Mali’s foreign affairs minister requested the withdrawal of MINUSMA in a related UN Security Council meeting on June 16. “UN funds, agencies and programmes were in Mali well before the deployment of MINUSMA and will stay in Mali well after the withdrawal,” he said.

Brandy milk punch on cloth - Brent Hofacker/ShutterstockChances are you haven't been scouring the internet for hours in an attempt to find a great curdled milk cocktail recipe. Many bartenders find the technique a bit intimidating (because come on, curdled milk), but all you need to master a clarified milk punch cocktail is your ingredients and a simple cheesecloth. In a nutshell, milk punch is a milk-based bourbon or brandy cocktail. There are two types of milk punch: un-clarified milk punch, which is common in the United States South and does not involve any straining, or clarified (milk-washed) milk punch — also known as the English-style version. To begin the clarified milk punch method, the main ingredients you will need are milk, a type of spirit, and acid.

President Bola Tinubu will on Monday, January 1, 2024, deliver a New Year’s Day broadcast to the nation. A statement signed Sunday by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, reveals that Tinubu will be live at 7 am on the network service of the Nigeria Television Authority. “Television, radio stations, and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to hook up to the network services of the Nigeria Television Authority and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria for the broadcast,” the statement read. The PUNCH reports that the President delivered his first broadcast on democracy day, June 12. Tinubu also delivered a nationwide broadcast on October 1, 2023, to mark the 63rd Independence Day.

FEARS that next month’s general elections will be reduced to an undemocratic farce have gained traction with the seemingly wholesale rejection of PTI candidates at the scrutiny stage. This shows a vindictiveness and partiality unbecoming of a neutral poll watchdog tasked with organising free and transparent elections. Cancelling a mainstream party through arrests and intimidation, and now technicalities at the pre-poll stage, flies in the face of democracy. Similarly, the PTI enjoys a significant vote bank, and it must be left to the people’s court to judge its performance. The tribunals should make decisions on merit; any coordinated effort to keep PTI and other candidates out will reek of bias.

The deputy spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has lauded Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House, respectively, for keeping faith with the promise of passing the 2024 budget before the end of 2023. This is just as Agbese also singled out the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Abubakar Bichi, and the entire members of the 10th Assembly for their sacrifice and commitment to the task of nation-building. Recall that the lawmakers had during a special plenary session on Saturday, passed the N28.7 trn budget for 2024, which was N1.27 trn more than the N27.5 trn proposed by President Bola Tinubu. Reacting to these developments on Sunday, Agbese saluted his colleagues for going the entire distance to pass the budget as promised. This is the first time the capital component of the nation’s budget is bigger than recurrent,” he added.

The 34-year-old had accused LAUTECH Teaching Hospital of allegedly swapping his child at birth in November 2018. He added that he got in touch with the hospital where the test was re-conducted and the result returned the same. “They told me that innocent people would be affected if I continued to take any step in unravelling what was behind my daughter’s case at the LAUTECH teaching hospital. My parents also took care of me and that was how I survived. When contacted in August, the spokesperson for the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Omotayo Ogunleye, said investigations were ongoing to unravel the mystery behind the Adediji case.

Organisers worldwide have readied for large-scale celebrations despite the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Fireworks exploded up and down the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, as clocks struck midnight in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In Muslim-majority Pakistan, the government has banned all New Year’s Eve celebrations as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians. During last year’s New Year’s Eve party, a machete-wielding man attacked three police officers a few blocks from Times Square. New Year’s Eve celebrations in the French capital will centre on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, including DJ sets, fireworks and video projections on the Arc de Triomphe.

Soldiers and other security agents, including the police, on Sunday intensified patrol in troubled communities of Plateau state. The PUNCH reports that terrorists attacked 25 communities in Bokkos, Mangu, and Barkin Local Government Areas and killed over 150 persons on Christmas Eve. Some of the displaced persons who spoke with our Correspondent on Sunday lamented the tragedy that had befallen them. However, the Spokesman for Plateau State Police Command, Alabo Alfred, said the security patrol and surveillance in Plateau communities will continue until permanent peace is restored. The patrol will continue until permanent peace returns to Plateau.