Cat abuse: Zouma to play in West Ham, Leicester clash, says Moyes

 

Agency Report

11 February 2022

West Ham manager David Moyes says Kurt Zouma will be available for Sunday’s Premier League match at Leicester despite the controversy over the defender’s cruel treatment of his cat.

Moyes was criticised for picking Zouma in Tuesday’s win against Watford after a video emerged of the French international kicking and slapping his cat.

National League club Dagenham and Redbridge have suspended Zouma’s brother Yoan, who is understood to have filmed the video.

But Moyes has refused to change his mind and Zouma remains in contention to play for the Hammers at the King Power Stadium this weekend.

“Yes he’s available to play against Leicester,” Moyes told reporters on Friday.

“There are different views and opinions on should he be available. We as a club took that decision and I stand by that.”

West Ham strongly condemned Zouma’s actions earlier this week and fined him the “maximum amount possible” — reported to be two weeks’ wages totalling around £250,000 ($340,000).

Zouma had issued an apology, but the 27-year-old lost his deal with sportswear giant Adidas over the disturbing video.

As well as hitting the cat, the footage also saw Zouma throw a shoe at the animal while laughter was heard in the background.

Insurance and investment company Vitality announced it was suspending its sponsorship as West Ham’s “official wellness partner”, saying it was “distressed” by the video.

Aware of the widespread condemnation of Zouma and the anger sparked by his selection on Tuesday, Moyes was adamant the club had done all they could to remedy the situation.

He revealed Zouma will be given education on animal welfare by the RSPCA.

68 % of primary, secondary schools’ teachers are “accidental teachers’’

Kaduna – The Centre for Learning and Educational Development Advocacy Africa (CLEDA-Africa), says 68 per cent of primary and secondary school teachers in Nigeria are “accidental teachers’’. Its Executive Director, Mr Daniels Akpan, said this in Kaduna on Wednesday that the development was hampering delivery of quality education. “Over 68 per cent of teachers in primary and secondary schools in the country are teachers not because they want to be teachers but they are teachers because they cannot find any other job. “The easiest opportunity they found was teaching and consequently, they are teaching without passion, without motivation and with no interest,” he said. Akpan said that there was the need, therefore, to help such persons improve on their quality of service. “This is because a nation cannot be better than the quality of its graduates, and the graduates cannot be better than the teachers that taught them. “If you improve on the quality of the teachers, you are in invariably improving the quality of graduates,” he said. He explained that CLEDA-Africa, in collaboration with National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools had trained 177 teachers in Kaduna, Kano and Zamfara states on effective classroom management. According to him, the effort is part of measures to address the problem. He said CLEDA-Africa was a non governmental organisation working to help youths discover themselves and exploit their potentials. The director commended Kaduna State Government for its efforts to provide access to education to all school aged children in the state. He, however, urged the government to provide the needed facilities for effective service delivery. “It is not about the number of children in school, but about quality education delivery that will produce result,” he said. Akpan congratulated teachers for marking the 2016 World Teachers’ Day and urged them to be committed and passionate about their profession to build an educated and enlightened nation.

Nigerian Female Doctor That Treated Liberian Ebola Patient Is Now Dead.

 

This ebola of a thing is gradually spreading oh!, Na only him waka come? The female doctor who treated Late Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian who was infected with Ebola virus has passed on, while the second doctor and the nurse who managed him already have full-blown cases of the Ebola virus, the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu who spoke to newsmen explained this.

The former Bianconeri full-back believes the Chile star is the best midfielder the club have got, while he praises the growth of Paul Pogba

 The former Bianconeri full-back believes the Chile star is the best midfielder the club have got, while he praises the growth of Paul Pogba
Juventus must not sell in-demand midfielder Arturo Vidal to Manchester United this summer, according to Robert Jarni.

The Chilean has massively impressed during his three-year stint in Turin so far, but the resignation of coach Antonio Conte last month has seen him heavily linked with a move to the Red Devils.

Jarni, who played for the Bianconeri in the mid-1990s, thinks it would be disastrous for Juve to get rid of a player as crucial as Vidal and believes the midfielder is the crucial cog in the Scudetto holders' first team.

"There is no team in the world that doesn't need a player like Vidal, who is full of energy and confidence," the retired Croatia defensive star told Goal.

"What [Angel] Di Maria was to Real Madrid in 2013-14, Vidal was to Juventus; he was the wheel that turned everything. Of course, now we have to see what the new coach will ask of him and which role Massimiliano Allegri will give him."

Jarni also suggested that Paul Pogba - whose top performances during his two years with Juve have seen him similarly linked away from Turin - is destined for greatness if he can prevent his attitude from clouding his judgement.

"Pogba has improved a lot in the last couple of years," he continued. "With help from Conte and the rest of the Juve team he became a top player.

"He is still young and has temper, but if he manages to keep that under control unlike some, he will have a big, big career."

Allegri's appointment as Conte's replacement has not gone down brilliantly with many of the club's fans but Jarni mused that it will take a while before the former AC Milan boss can be judged.

"A new Juve coach equals a new Juve philosophy," the ex-Real Madrid and Hadjuk Split left-back added. "And it is always a question of how the players will adapt.

"Conte played 3-5-2, but Allegri likes four defenders. I guess it will take a month or two to see how things are going."

X-Men director Bryan Singer sued in second teen sex abuse case

A British man who accuses “X-Men” director Bryan Singer of sexually abusing him as a teenager was spurred to bring a lawsuit against the filmmaker.

His decision to sue was prompted by another man on similar allegations, the plaintiff’s lawyer said Monday.

The lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles said that Singer, 48, and entertainment industry executive Gary Goddard, 59, coerced the British man into sex acts as a minor.

He had promised to help him in an acting career. The man was not identified in court papers.

This is the second lawsuit naming Singer ahead of the May 23 release of his film “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” which is expected to be one of the year’s top grossing movies.

Singer’s lawyer has called the allegations in both lawsuits false and fabrications, and a bid to win money from the director behind other films in the “X-Men” super hero franchise.

A lawyer for Goddard also denied the allegations, calling them spurious.

The lawsuit said the abuse happened between 2003 and 2006 and seeks unspecified damages.

The plaintiff’s lawyer, Jeff Herman, also represents Michael Egan, who last month sued Singer, Goddard and two other entertainment executives over allegations that they abused him as part of an underage sex ring in Hollywood.

“He did this to support Mike, he realised he wasn’t the only one this happened to,” Herman said at a news conference.

Herman specializes in child sex abuse cases and was successful in litigation against a former Roman Catholic priest accused of raping boys.

Singer will not participate in promotion for the 20th Century Fox’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past” because of the lawsuits.

The lawsuit filed on Monday accuses Singer of sexually abusing the plaintiff at age 17 in a London hotel room after the premiere of his 2006 film “Superman Returns.”

In that incident, according to the lawsuit, Goddard is said to have gotten a “large, muscle-bound man” to smack the plaintiff after he had told Singer and Goddard to stop grabbing him in a sexual manner.

Goddard is also accused of having sex with the plaintiff at age 16 in London and convincing the plaintiff to send him naked photos of himself.

Goddard produced youth TV programmes in the 1980s and 1990s and his company, The Goddard Group, has created attractions at theme parks, including Universal Studios.

Chibok abduction: Nigeria welcomes support, says US State Dept

The United States Department of State on Tuesday said Nigeria had accepted its offer to help in rescuing no fewer than 200 girls of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, who were kidnapped by the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, over three weeks ago.

According to a brief statement on the CNN, the Department said Nigeria “welcomes offer of US support in search for hundreds of the kidnapped girls.”

Details later…

UN Secretary-General visits South Sudan

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, arrived in Juba on Tuesday for a one-day visit to South Sudan, according to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
In a press release on Tuesday, the mission said Ban would meet with the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Salva Mayardit.
“Ever since the beginning of the current crisis, the Secretary-General has repeatedly called on the leaders to find a political solution and to put an end to the violence which has led to the suffering of so many innocent civilians,” it stated.
The release said the UN head would also visit, with his Special Representative and Head of UNMISS, Ms. Hilde Johnson, the protection of civilians site in the UNMISS Tomping compound.
However, he would meet with the community leaders representing the thousands of civilians who have sought shelter in the UN compound to hear of their concerns first hand.
The statement said Ban would also, while in Juba, have an opportunity to meet with civil society leaders, especially from women’s and religious groups.
He was also expected to meet with UN staff and peacekeepers to express gratitude to them for their dedication and service.
The statement said this was in view of the way they have continued to help protect thousands of South Sudanese civilians who are at risk during the ongoing crisis.

US: Kidnapped Girls Taken out of Nigeria

The United States said yesterday that it is concerned that many of the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped in northern Nigeria three weeks ago have been moved out of the country.

State Department spokeswoman, Marie Harf, shared Washington's assessment after local officials in Northeastern told AFP that the girls had likely been taken to nearby Chad or Cameroon.

The Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, has claimed responsibility for taking the girls from school, and its leader, Abubakar Shekau, declared his plan to sell them as slaves in a video released Monday.

"Many of them have likely been moved out of the country to neighboring countries," Harf said, responding to reporters' questions as news of the abduction began to climb up the world news agenda.

Harf said Washington provides Nigeria with "counter-terrorism assistance" in the form of intelligence sharing and was standing by to assist "in any way we think that is appropriate."

Rights violation: Court awards N10m damages against LASTMA

A Lagos High Court In Ikeja has awarded N10m as damages against the  Lagos State Traffic Management Agency and one of its officers, Mr. Sunday Adelebe,  for inflicting “bodily injury” on  a student, Samson Dibie, in 2011.

Justice Doris Okuwobi  held in a judgment on Friday that the act of the agency and its officer amounted to violating the rights of the applicant.

Adelebe allegedly attacked Dibie with a stick at Abule Egba on December 1, 2011. The injury sustained during the attack was said to have led to the amputation of the applicant’s right hand.

He was said to have been attacked by the LASTMA man while trying to escape arrest with his motorcycle.

The applicant, through his lawyer, Mrs. Funmi Falana, subsequently sued LASTMA and the state Ministry of Transport, asking the court to award N200m in his favour as general damages for his injury and the infringement of his fundamental human rights. He also prayed the court to declare that the action of the LASTMA official was unconstitutional and illegal as it violated his rights to dignity of human person.
Justice Okuwobi in her judgment held that the action violated the applicant’s rights but only awarded N10m as against the N200m demanded by the applicant.

 
The judge added that the action violated the applicant’s rights to dignity of human person as guaranteed under Section 34 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. She held that the action constituted a threat to the applicant’s right to life as guaranteed in section 33 of the 1999 constitution.
She also held the act violated Article 4 of the Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Arguing the case, Falana had told the court the action of the 1st respondent in the case had almost resulted to the death of applicant while he was hospital, the incident, she argued eventually led to the amputation of his right hand, in a bid to save his life.
She said the incident happened at Oja Oba, Abule Egba Bus Stop around about 8:45am on December 1, 2011 while her client was on his way to school on his motorcycle  .

According to her, the applicant tried to escape when he noticed that LASTMA officials were arresting motorcyclists ahead of him.

In its defence, the state government denied that  none of its officials participated in arresting  motrocyclists (okada riders) as alleged by the applicant. “There was no fracas between the 2nd Respondent officers including me and the motor bike riders on that particular day,” Adelebe had stated in his counter-affidavit opposing the applicant’s suit.

Gunmen kidnap Rivers LG chairman in Port Harcourt hotel

Three unknown gunmen on Saturday night stormed a hotel based in Port Harcourt and kidnapped the Chairman of Ahoada West Local Government Area, Mr. Awori Miller.
Miller, who was whisked away by the hoodlums at Acania Hotel in Ada George area of the Rivers State capital, was said to have been abducted without any challenge.
It was gathered that the gunmen, who were with AK-47 guns, had gone into the hotel and dragged him into a waiting vehicle that immediately sped off to an unknown destination.
It could not be immediately ascertained if the kidnapped council chairman was with his security detail when the incident occurred.
The Assistant State Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the abduction of the council chairman in Port Harcourt.
“At about 2200hrs, a report was received at Rumuopirikom Division of the State Police Command, Port Harcourt, that one Barrister Awori Miller, the Local Government Chairman of Ahoada West, was kidnapped by three armed men at Acania Hotel at Ada George in Port Harcourt,” Iringe-Koko said through a text message to our correspondent.
She, however, said investigation had begun into the matter with a view to rescuing the council chairman and apprehending those behind his abduction.