Nollywood divas in their 30s, 40s yet to marry and why: Rita Dominic, Benita Nzeribe

The dream of every woman is to find a man to spend her entire life with. Even the Holy religious books have enjoined men and women, to seek each other out and cohabit as man and wife. But as beautiful and simple as this may sound, marriage has long gone from being a simple item on a menu, it has become a task, as finding a true life partner has become as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. It is particularly more difficult for the womenfolks as they have to be proposed to.

As liberated as our society is now, it is hard to find a woman that would go out of her way to propose to a man. The norm is the other way round. So, for a woman, waiting to get a marriage proposal may me as certain as waiting for the proverbial hen to play a golden egg. It doesn’t have to do with beauty, wealth or status, or else all the Nollywood divas would have been long married before they hit their 30s. Why are these ladies still single in spite of their relative affluence and beauty? Meet some of Nollywood singles in their 30s, 40s still single and why:

RITA DOMINIC has an axe to grind with the media

Benita at an event

Blessed with a young and beautiful face, popular Nollywood actress, Rita Dominic, who has carved a niche for herself in the industry is yet to tie the knots at about 40 years. The actress who produced the blockbuster movie, The Meeting, is seen by many as a wife material, but it is amazing to her fans that she is still single. She was rumoured to have dated Jim Iyke in the past and recently disclosed that she will settle down once she meets the right person as she didn’t choose to remain single. She once accused the media of ruining her relationships, each time she has any looking good for the altar.

BENITA NZERIBE still searching for true love

Benita Nzeribe is one actress whose works have brought recognition. When it comes to marriage though, she has not been lucky. When asked why she is yet to get married, actress Benita Nzeribe said: “If I have to say the truth, marriage is not all about money or the little things of life. We should marry for real love. That is why I see myself as being able to marry whoever I am in love with, no matter his status in life. That is to say,even if the guy is a wheelbarrow pusher, I would marry him as long as my heart is with him.”


I am afraid of divorce — Genevieve Nnaji


Genevieve & Dbanj

Despite probably being the most popular name in Nollywood, screen goddess Genevieve Nnaji is yet to find a man to call her own. One name that has been linked to the pretty actress is that of the self acclaimed ‘Koko master’, D’Banj.

The Imo State-born screen diva is a single-mother who revealed in an interview that she is still single because she is afraid of divorce. “If I get married, I really want to stay married and staying married is not an easy thing. It means you are completely in tune with your partner. It means you have found your soulmate because you will have to be able to stand a lot of disappointments that would definitely come but then again you have to learn to forgive,” she said.

I’m not searching for a husband — Bimbo Akintola



*Bimbo

Bimbo Akintola is an actress that is no doubt very beautiful and sexy, but her single status has remained a mystery to her fans. But she doesn’t seem bothered about not finding a husband.

The actress who is in her early 40s has always stated that she is not looking for a husband and cannot be pressurized into marriage. In an interview with Vanguard a while ago, she said, “I’m not looking for a husband and I don’t need one. I don’t need anything. I’m a complete person. I only do things that make me happy, because I believe and I understand the reality that there is just one life and you should live it to the maximum.

Happiness and peace should be the key. I’m not searching for a husband, because the rumour that I’m searching for a husband has given me Wahala,- all kinds of people from left, right and centre, looking for me saying they want to marry me. Please, I’m using this opportunity to tell everybody, I am not looking for a husband!”.- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/nollywood-diva-yet-marry-im-searching-husband-bimbo-akintola/#sthash.bPf4lzxY.dpuf

One of Britain's first black female judges is spared £90,000 legal bill after lying in court because she's too poor to pay - despite owning a French holiday home

Constance Briscoe faces a demand for £89,246.33 for the cost of her trial

Convicted of lying to police during Chris Huhne speeding points scandal

Prosecutors said she could pay if she sold half-share of a house in France

But the court heard how she also owed more than £150,000 in unpaid taxes


Constance Briscoe (pictured outside court today) has been spared a £90,000 legal bill - despite owning a holiday home in France

One of Britain’s first black female judges has been spared a £90,000 legal bill after a court heard she was too poor to pay it – despite owning a holiday home in France.

Constance Briscoe faces a demand for £89,246.33 over the costs of her trial after she was convicted of lying to police during the Chris Huhne speeding points scandal.

Prosecutors said she could pay if she sold her half-share of a £250,000 house in France, but said she also owed more than £150,000 in unpaid taxes.

She cannot work as a judge or a lawyer since her 2014 conviction for perverting the course of justice and has no income.

The 57-year-old is being supported financially by her adult children.

The Old Bailey heard that the house in the South of France was her only ‘substantial asset’ as she has already sold her London home to pay her defence costs.

Briscoe was Britain’s most prominent black woman judge and a neighbour to former Liberal Democrat minister Mr Huhne and his then-wife, economist Vicky Pryce, in Clapham, South West London.

Huhne and Pryce were both jailed in 2013 after it emerged that Huhne had asked Pryce to accept three speeding points so he could escape a driving ban.

Briscoe was due to be a key prosecution witness at their trial but was found to have lied to police about her part in the scandal and was jailed for 16 months last year following a retrial.

She was released in November after serving less than half her sentence but has been removed from the judiciary because of her conviction.

Briscoe sold her £650,000 flat in Clapham to her 26-year-old son to pay £159,000 in legal fees from her first trial and settle a £92,000 tax bill.

Briscoe still has outstanding VAT and income tax bills of £150,000 and they are accruing interest and late payment fees, the court heard

Disgraced Constance Briscoe jailed for 16 months last May



But she still has outstanding VAT and income tax bills of £150,000 and they are accruing interest and late payment fees, the court heard.

She owes £96,000 in income tax on her royalties from her bestselling ‘misery memoir’, Ugly. Briscoe also owes £49,000 in unpaid VAT and a further £9,000 in fees.

Friends said she co-owns the house in France with her former partner of 12 years, leading barrister Anthony Arlidge QC. The pair separated in 2010.

Judge Mr Justice Baker said: ‘Effectively her assets at the moment, including the house in France, are around £130,000 and her capital outgoings to the Revenue appear to be in excess of £150,000.’

Briscoe was Britain’s most prominent black woman judge and a neighbour to former Liberal Democrat minister Chris Huhne (left) and his then-wife, economist Vicky Pryce (right), in Clapham, South West London

The jury in her first trial last year was unable to reach a verdict and she was eligible for legal aid for her retrial. The Crown Prosecution Service sought £89,246.33 towards its costs of her first trial.

The judge said: ‘In principle, there’s no reason why she should not be ordered to pay. It is a question of whether it is just and reasonable to make such an order.’

After noting that Briscoe had very little income he added: ‘There is little or no purpose to be served by making orders for costs which are not, in reality, going to be able to be paid.’

Briscoe lost an attempt to appeal against her conviction last month.

DailyMail

PM's crackdown on foreign criminals buying up UK homes with 'dirty money': Cameron announces clampdown on overseas buyers behind anonymous companies

Laundering has been blamed for pushing up house prices across Britain

PM will use Singapore speech to call for a global effort to tackle corruption

He will announce that a list of all properties in England and Wales owned by foreign companies will be published in the autumn

David Cameron will today pledge to stop foreign criminals laundering billions of pounds through the purchase of expensive properties – which has been blamed for pushing up house prices in the UK.

The Prime Minister will declare there is no place for ‘dirty money’ in Britain as he announces an intention to clamp down on overseas buyers hiding behind anonymous companies.

He will use a speech in Singapore to call for a global effort to tackle corruption – ‘one of the greatest enemies of progress in our time’.


The Prime Minister will declare there is no place for ‘dirty money’ in Britain as he announces an intention to clamp down on overseas buyers hiding behind anonymous companies

As part of a bid to tackle the problem in Britain, he will announce that a list of all properties in England and Wales owned by foreign companies will be published in the autumn.

The Government will also begin a consultation on ways to make property ownership by foreigners more transparent so criminals cannot hide behind offshore companies and it is easier to ‘follow the money’.

Mr Cameron will say corruption ‘is the cancer at the heart of so many of the world’s problems’.

He adds: ‘Yet when it comes to tackling corruption, the international community has looked the other way for too long.

‘We simply cannot afford to side-step this issue or make excuses for corruption any more. We need to step up and tackle it. One of the most understated, but most important elements of a rules-based world order is a commitment to transparency and to tackling corruption.’


David Cameron will today pledge to stop foreign criminals laundering billions of pounds through the purchase of expensive properties – which has been blamed for pushing up house prices in the UK

Mr Cameron, who is on a four-day tour of South-East Asia, will argue that all countries have more to do, and he will highlight concerns that some properties in the UK, particularly in London, ‘are being bought by people overseas through anonymous shell companies, some with plundered or laundered cash’.

‘The UK must not become a safe haven for corrupt money from around the world. I want Britain to be the most open country in the world for investment. But I want to ensure that all this money is clean money.

‘There is no place for dirty money in Britain. Indeed, there should no place for dirty money anywhere. Together, I believe we can defeat the cancer of corruption in all its forms and with it, strike the biggest blow for our generation in the struggle to ensure greater prosperity in every part of the world.’

More than £180million of property in the UK has been brought under criminal investigation as the suspected proceeds of corruption in the past decade. 

David Cameron speaks about targeting 'poisonous' extremism



BRITAIN READY TO LAUNCH STRIKES AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE 'ANYWHERE'

Britain will carry out ‘immediate’ air strikes against Islamic State anywhere if there is an imminent threat to British lives, the Prime Minister said yesterday.

He indicated his willingness to use military action as the international community stepped up efforts to ‘put the squeeze’ on the terror group.

David Cameron said he would take immediate action in Libya, Syria ‘or anywhere else’ if there was a threat ‘to Britain, to our people, our streets’.


Britain will carry out ‘immediate’ air strikes against Islamic State anywhere if there is an imminent threat to British lives, the Prime Minister said yesterday

Libya has come under greater focus after reports thta the Tunisian beach gunman trained there. Mr Cameron said Britain was among nations working to establish a stable government in Libya.

He was speaking after talks with Indonesian president Joko Widodo on measures to counter the ‘shared enemy’ of IS.

It emerged yesterday that the US and Turkey are to create a 60-mile wide ‘IS-free zone’ along the Turkish/Syrian border to act as a buffer zone against fighters seeking to join the terror group.

Turkey will allow the US to use its air bases and has carried out its own strikes on militant targets in Syria for the first time.

The National Crime Agency says the London property market has been ‘skewed by laundered money’ with prices being driven up by criminals ‘who want to sequester their assets in the UK’.

The criminals buy expensive properties central London, which often lie empty and unused for much of the year.

Wealthy Britons who would previously have bought in these areas are being priced out and pushed outwards into London’s suburbs.

Many have the resources to make cash purchases, which raises property prices throughout the capital and forces those of more modest means even further outwards.

This is creating a ripple effect of rising prices in the South East and towards other parts of Britain.

Nick Maxwell of Transparency International UK said: ‘With this announcement, the UK Government is taking significant steps towards tackling the scourge of corrupt money that is stolen from around the world and laundered into the UK through secret companies.’

DailyMail

Disabled mother-of-four dumps her £120 sofa on the front lawn because she says she can't afford the £150 cost to take it to the tip

Andrea Cassidy, 26, hired £70 van to take the three-piece suite to the tip

But employee in Dover, Kent, said she had to pay £80 to leave sofa on site

She has now left the settee on her garden, claiming she cannot afford fee 

Council spokesman said Ms Cassidy could use collection service for £31



Andrea Cassidy, 26, from Dover, Kent, has dumped her sofa on her front lawn because she says she cannot afford the fee to take it to the nearby tip

A disabled mother-of-four dumped her £120 sofa on the front lawn because she says she cannot afford the £150 to take it to the tip.

Andrea Cassidy hired a £70 van to take her old three-piece suite to the tip but was told she had to pay another £80 to leave the settee on site.

The 26-year-old, from Dover, Kent, says she has now put her sofa - which she bought from the British Heart Foundation - on the front lawn because she could not afford to pay the fee to the Dover Household Waste Recycling Centre.

She said: 'It was totally and utterly ridiculous. I was very upset and very frustrated. I was like: "Are you kidding? You surely have to be joking me".'

Ms Cassidy said she struggles to push a vacuum cleaner around at home and has to use crutches due to a medical condition affecting her muscles, meaning she has to rely on other people for help.

She said: 'I could understand if it was a van full of stuff but it's only little. They could've just used their common sense and let us through.

'I pay my council tax. What a total jobsworth. It's as if they're saying "why don't you just go and fly tip?".'



A spokesman for Kent County Council said the rules were introduced to stop traders illegally using them to dispose of industrial waste.

They said: 'In Dover, residents can dispose of bulky items, such as a sofa, by contacting the district council.

Dailymail

Daughter who was written out of mother's will in a bitter letter because she eloped 37 years ago is awarded more than £160,000

Melita Jackson, 70, left her entire £489,000 fortune to three animal charities 

She and daughter Heather Ilott, 54, from Hertfordshire, had been estranged

But Mrs Ilott claimed money belonged to late father, whom she never met 

Court of Appeal ruled Mrs Jackson failed to make 'reasonable provision' for her daughter

A daughter who was written out of her mother's will in a bitter letter because she eloped 37 years ago has been awarded £160,000 following an eight-year legal battle.

Melita Jackson decided not to leave a single penny for her daughter Heather Ilott and even wrote a letter explaining why the 54-year-old 'should not expect any inheritance when I die'.

The pair had fallen out when Ms Ilott married her boyfriend at the age of 17 and never reconciled before Ms Jackson's death in 2004.

Heather Ilott, pictured appearing at the High Court in 2011, has won a £160,000 slice of her mother's estate following an eight-year legal battle with three animal charities

She also instructed the executors of her will to fight any claim Mrs Ilott might make after her death, adding: 'I can see no reason why my daughter should benefit in any way from my estate. I have made it clear to my daughter'.

But, despite the 70-year-old leaving her entire £489,000 fortune to three animal charities, the Court of Appeal has now ruled that her daughter - who was last year granted £50,000 after asking for half of the inheritance - is entitled to a chunk of the money.

In a rare case of its kind, Lady Justice Arden today more than tripled the payout saying that Mrs Jackson had failed to make 'reasonable provision' for her daughter.

Although it is hard for claimants to contest an estate, claimants can overturn wills if they can prove they are not valid or if they can show they have not been given 'reasonable financial provision' - which is often difficult for a self-sufficient adult.

Charities have now warned that other benefactors could be deterred from leaving legacies to charities if they fear their wishes would be overruled by the courts.

During the case, the court had been told how Mrs Ilott - a mother of five who is still married to her teenage sweetheart Nicholas - was struggling for money and wanted to buy her housing association property in Great Munden, Hertfordshire.

Judges ruled the money, which had been left to the RSPCA, Blue Cross and RSPB, should be awarded to Mrs Ilott due to her 'basic human need' and that it was 'unreasonable' to leave her daughter with nothing. 

The 54-year-old said she needed the money to buy a house in this street in Great Munden, Hertfordshire

They also said it was a derivative fortune from assets belonging to her father Thomas Jackson, who died in an industrial accident two months before she was born.

Barrister Brie Stevens-Hoare QC said the family had been kept off the housing ladder and had 'never had a holiday'.

'She had difficulty affording clothes for her family, was limited in the food she could buy and much of what she had was old or second hand,' she said.

She also told the court that Mrs Jackson was 'unreasonable, capricious and harsh' and had left her money to charity to spite her - not because she supported the charities’ work - in a 'picture of irrationality'.

She said: 'Mrs Jackson took offence at Heather's choices although they were choices she was entitled to make and it was reasonable to expect her mother to accept.

The mother-of-five was initially awarded £50,000 but went back to court to appeal the decision

'Instead her mother consistently undermined reconciliation attempts. Although Heather was at some fault, her mother was the dominant cause.'

Yesterday, following a lengthy series of legal appeals and challenges, the panel of three judges ordered she should be given £143,000 to buy her housing association home in Ware, plus a further £20,000 to cover her expenses. The rest of the inheritance will still go to charity.

Following the judgement, James Aspden, solicitor for the three charities said they were 'surprised and disappointed' by the court's decision.

He added: 'Charities rely upon income from legacies and the outcome of this case could have serious ramifications for the future of the charity sector as a whole.

'Nearly £2 billion a year is donated to charitable causes through legacies and, without it, much of their work would not be possible.

'This case also raises serious questions about whether people generally have the freedom to choose who they want to leave money to in their will'.

Mr Aspden said the charities would now give 'very careful consideration' to the case before deciding whether or not to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The solicitor added: 'This is a worrying decision for anyone who values having the freedom to choose who will receive their property when they die'.

Sally de la Bedoyere, chief executive of the Blue Cross charity, said: 'Blue Cross depends on the generosity of our supporters and, as such, we will always endeavour to fulfil their wishes.

'Over the past eight years we have defended the wishes of Mrs Jackson to the very best of our abilities. We are deeply saddened that the courts have decided not to honour them'.

Mike Clarke, the RSPB's chief executive, said: 'It is regrettable that, occasionally, courts need to become involved in interpreting the terms of a person's will.

'Not only is it damaging to the work of charities, but it may also cause concern to people who intend to leave a gift to a charity they feel passionately about'.

David Bowles, assistant director the RSPCA, said: 'Legacy income pays for one out of every two animals we save and without it, much of our work would not be possible.

'This court decision goes against a person's desire to give their money to whomever they wish.

'We are immensely grateful for the kindness of people like Mrs Jackson who choose to remember the needs of animals in her will.

'And we hope that this does not stop others continuing to give money to help suffering animals'.

DailyMail

'You don't give me credit for my daily workouts!' Khloé Kardashian shuts down 'troll haters' by posting unretouched image from Complex spread

Khloé Kardashian wasted no time providing unretouched proof of her gym-toned 5ft10in figure as soon as her Complex cover story was published.

'This one is for all the troll haters out there that cannot seem to give me an ounce of credit for my daily workouts!' the 31-year-old reality star captioned a side-by-side comparison.

'The image on the left is an unretouched photo from the actual camera on the day of the shoot. The image on the right is the retouched photo. Yes skin is smooth and shadows are removed but I still think I look good on the left image. Flaws and all.'



'Flaws and all': Khloe Kardashian posted this message in an effort to silence the 'troll haters' who criticised her Complex magazine photoshoot

Before and after: The reality star shared an unretouched shot from the shoot (left) and the Photoshopped version (right)

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star also admitted she was 'seriously obsessed' with the sporty spread shot by Steven Gomillion for the mag's August/September edition.

Khloé - rocking sexy athletic wear selected by stylist Monica Rosehad - had her make-up done by Mary Phillips and her wet-look locks done by César DeLeön Ramirêz.

Just seven minutes after addressing her haters, Kardashian tweeted her supporters: 'How sweet are you guys! I love you guys and I see all the positivity and love! I'm so blessed.'

Turns out the half-Armenian stunner's older sister Kim served as 'creative director' for the steamy pictorial, calling it 'her sexiest shoot yet.'



'Yes skin is smooth and shadows are removed': Khloé Kardashian wasted no time providing unretouched proof of her gym-toned 5ft10in figure as soon as her Complex cover story was published

Let's get physical: The 31-year-old reality star admitted she was 'seriously obsessed' with the sporty spread shot by Steven Gomillion for the mag's August/September edition

Just seven minutes after addressing her haters, Kardashian tweeted her supporters: 'How sweet are you guys! I love you guys and I see all the positivity and love! I'm so blessed'

'Can we take off the belt? It makes it look not sporty,' the pregnant 34-year-old instructed on the set.

'You look so good. Can we wet the nipples more? Can I [douse you with more water]?'

Khloé wrote on Instagram: 'I have to shout out and thank my incredibly supportive sister @kimkardashian for forcing me to do this complex shoot! I have been procrastinating it because I was too scared to do the shoot! But Kimberly made me and had more confidence in me then I had myself!! I love you Keeks!'

Kardashian is clearly proud of how hard she's exercised with personal trainer Gunnar Peterson.

On-set instruction: Turns out the half-Armenian stunner's older sister Kim served as 'creative director' for the steamy pictorial, calling it 'her sexiest shoot yet'


'How good does Khloé look?' The pregnant 34-year-old gave her younger sister a social media boost by tweeting her 33.9M followers with these images

'I'm so proud of her!' The Selfish author noted how hesitant her sibling was before she 'conquered her fears' and 'went for it'

'Monday motivation!' Newly single Kourtney Kardashian also weighed in, sharing this supportive Instagram with her 21.1M followers

The gym is her second home: Khloé is clearly proud of how hard she's exercised with personal trainer Gunnar Peterson

'I went to a consultation when I was 18': However, the privileged socialite also admitted she always 'wanted a boob job' and she wears 'a padded bra all the time' (pictured July 21)

Newly single ladies Khloe & Kourtney take Mason to lunch

'I don't know if I'm ever gonna feel like, "Daaamn, you look good!" But I've never felt as comfortable in my own skin than I do now,' Khloé told Complex.

However, the privileged socialite also admitted she always 'wanted a boob job' and she wears 'a padded bra all the time.'

'I went to a consultation when I was 18 and my dad [Robert Kardashian] found out and got so mad at me. He died shortly after, and I remember just being like, "Well, he doesn't want me to do it," the presenter shrugged.

Advice book: On November 3, Regan Arts will publish her 256-page memoir/self-help tome, Strong Looks Better Naked

Branching out: Kardashian will soon begin filming her 'hybrid' adult-themed talk show Kocktails with Khloé, which airs eight episodes later this year on the FYI channel

'I wear push-up bras anyway. I'm all for stuff if it's for you. If you want to get plastic surgery, I’m for that.'

On November 3, Regan Arts will publish her 256-page memoir/self-help tome, Strong Looks Better Naked.

Khloé will soon begin filming her 'hybrid' adult-themed talk show Kocktails with Khloé, which airs eight episodes later this year on the FYI channel.

An integral part of Kardashian's marketable appeal are the captive, combined 56M followers eagerly awaiting her next selfie.

The newly divorced star has also been busy filming the 11th season of KUWTK, which airs this fall on E!


Khloe Kardashian shakes her booty in sexy dance

Shameless! Cocaine peer refuses to resign seat in the Lords and apologise after police finally raid his flat and he is suspended by the Labour party

Lord Sewel was filmed snorting cocaine with prostitutes at his London flat 

Disgraced peer has made no apology and refused to resign his seat

He was suspended from Labour party and will take a 'leave of absence'

Police armed with battering ram and helped by sniffer dog raided his home

Lord Sewel made no apology for his sex and cocaine disgrace today and refused to resign his seat in the upper house.

Breaking cover, the shameless 69-year-old said only that he would take 'leave of absence' from Westminster.

He vowed not to return until at least the end of the year when the standards committee of the Lords has completed an investigation.

Police armed with a battering ram and helped by a sniffer dog swooped on Sewel's rent-protected flat near Parliament today.

Scroll down for video

Lord Sewel was secretly filmed snorting a line of cocaine at his Westminster flat with £200-a-night call girls

Police tonight raided the London flat where disgraced peer Lord Sewel snorted cocaine with call girls

Colleagues had demanded he quit completely after being filmed romping with two call girls at the Dolphin Square flat.

The married father-of-four snorted cocaine from the breasts of one of the prostitutes, who were paid £200 each.

'It is regrettable that Lord Sewel has decided not to resign immediately,' said a senior Conservative peer last night.

'The contempt he has clearly shown for the privilege and responsibilities that come with being a member of the House of Lords means that he is no longer fit to hold public office.'

In other developments:
Sewel was suspended from the Labour party;
It emerged he became chairman of the Lords conduct committee despite being a convicted drink driver;
There were fears any inquiry into Sewel's conduct could drag on for months;
His predecessor as committee chairman said it was not clear which rules he had broken;
Fresh calls were made for the House of Lords to be slimmed down.

At least seven officers swooped on Lord Sewel's Pimlico flat and moments later a uniformed dog handler entered the building (pictured)

+8

One officer was seen arriving (left) at the scene with an evidence bag and another (right) left the central London flat a few hours later with a full bag

John Buttifant Sewel resigned as deputy Lords speaker and chairman of the privileges and conduct committee on Sunday morning after the shaming videos emerged in a national newspaper.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister led calls for him to consider going one step further – and resign completely from the House of Lords.

Speaking on a trade mission to South East Asia, David Cameron said: 'These are very serious allegations.

'It's right he has stood down from his committee posts and I'm sure further questions will be asked about whether it is appropriate to have someone legislating and acting in the House of Lords if they have genuinely behaved in this way.'

Baroness Boothroyd, the former Commons Speaker, said: 'He should take a quiet way out of the back door of the House of Lords quite frankly.

Police left Lord Sewel's London flat tonight carrying large bags of evidence after spending nearly three hours conducting a fingertip search of the premises

'It only needs one bad apple in a barrel, and I'm afraid he's been the bad apple in this barrel. I'm really acutely aware of what members of the public think of those who represent them both in the Commons and the Lords, and we're trying to uphold our standards there.

'I'm very ashamed of what he's done because he's bought the House into some disrepute.'

The Clerk of the Parliaments, David Beamish, received a message last night from Sewel – his first since the scandal broke – saying that he wanted leave of absence, which will start on September 7.

The House of Lords is a 'total mess' and needs to be cut down to size, peers said last night.

Calling for a mandatory retirement age to limit numbers, Baroness Boothroyd said there were not enough seats for all 800 members.

'There comes a time when we have to say the public has had enough of us, individually,' the former Commons speaker told the BBC.

'I'm not in the numbers game – whether it should be 75, 80 or 85; but I do think it's a good thing if we do have a retirement age.'

'There's no place for us all to sit; it's a total mess and it ought to be brought to a halt.' Analysts say the size of the chamber could reach 1,000 by the time of the next election in 2020. Lord Cormack, a Conservative peer, has set up a committee to look at reform.

He said he hoped more peers would take advantage of rules allowing members to voluntarily retire.

But he warned that Mr Cameron's insistence on appointing 50 more members would only make things worse. 'We are growing at too great a rate and I think there is a case for bringing in a retirement scheme that is mandatory,' he said.

He will not be able to attend without giving three months' notice in writing – meaning he will not be able to attend until the end of the year at the earliest. Sewel will not be able to claim his £300 daily attendance allowance. Baroness D'Souza, the Lords Speaker, yesterday referred the peer to the Metropolitan Police.

Officers have launched an investigation into allegations of drug-related offences. A search warrant was granted and no arrests were made.

Baroness D'Souza also wrote to Paul Kernaghan, the independent commissioner for standards in the Lords. The former Hampshire chief constable is expected to decide within 48 hours whether to launch a full investigation.

Sewel's predecessor as chairman of the privileges and conduct committee, Lord Brabazon, warned that any inquiry may be delayed until the police probe has been completed.

He added: 'There is a mechanism [to expel a member], but whether this applies in the case of Lord Sewel, I do not know because what's he's done – ghastly as it is – is not actually an offence against the House of Lords.'

If Mr Kernaghan decides to launch a full probe, it could led to peers voting to expel him under tough new laws that came into force this month.

Previously, the Lords only had limited powers of expulsion – for those sentenced to more than a year in jail.

It was suggested last night that Sewel could be claiming a pension bankrolled by taxpayer-funded employer contributions.

This would relate to his salaried position as the chairman of committees from May 2012. 

The Sun's front page today featuring Lord Sewel wearing a ladies bright orange bra and leather jacket

Baron Sewel, who has two children and two more step-children, was made a minister by Mr Blair in 1997





Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3176635/Lord-Sewel-refuses-apologise-resign-seat.html#ixzz3h8fgII4s
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

‘Baba Go Slow’ appellation given to Buhari is what best suits Nigeria now- Yoruba Obas

YORUBA Monarchs have said the slow and steady approach adopted by President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle daunting challenges facing the country has shown that Nigerians have now elected a president with quality and good leadership traits.

The kings said this through the Chairman, Yoruba Obas Conflict Resolution Committee, the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, Okoro Ajiga1 ‎in Ibadan after being conferred with‎ an award of Entrepreneurship by one of the foremost Ibadan clubs, Omo Ajorosun Club at the weekend.

The monarchs said they were very impressed with the composure of President Buhari during his recent visit to the United States adding that he made the country proud by the way he responded to all questions put to him.‎

Oba Akinruntan stressed further that, “Buhari is very disciplined, well structured, very intelligent, well composed. He was well composed in the US with the way he answered questions that were directed at him. He was so confident and tackled each question one after the other.

“He was not ruffled or disturbed but felt homely. Nigerians have just elected a president with quality leadership. I want Nigerians to be patient with him because Nigeria’s problem is not something that can be solved overnight. It is only through a gradual process that we can solve it”, Oba Akinruntan added.

The appellation of ‘Baba Go Slow’ given to President Buhari which he himself acknowledged in far away US “is what best suits the country now in view of the enormous challenges confronting us and which need painstaking effort being deployed by the President”.

He added that used Ugboland in Ilaje area of Ondo State was very significant to the Yoruba.

According to him, “Ugboland is the first to arrive in Yorubaland and we are the owner of the Yorubas. A lot of people have testified to this and they include the Late Profs Atanda, Akinjiogbin, Ade Ajayi, Ogeh in their various classical books on history relating to Yoruba race. The same testimony has been given by Oba of Benin and Alaafin of Oyo”.

“We are the only town in Yorubaland that can boast of crude oil today and we can also take care of other Yoruba towns, so my counsel is for our people to read extensively so as to remove their ignorance and be able to make informed comments whenever the need arises”, he stated.

While appreciating those who conferred the award on him, he said, “I am happy for the honour bestowed on me by the Omo Ajorosun Club, although I never expected that Ibadan could honour me.

“I grew up here and I have understood a lot of things about this city. They are very accommodating and they are wonderful human beings. Many of the members of this club are my friends and they know a lot about me.

“This was the same way former President Bill Clinton invited me to US to honour me and I was also curious then as to why I was invited. Clinton told me that he read how I started my business with a meagre amount of money and that it was rare for many Nigerians to even remember how they started their businesses”.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/baba-go-slow-appellation-given-to-buhari-is-what-best-suits-nigeria-now-yoruba-obas/#sthash.wEUMipsQ.dpuf

Hacker shuts down ‘New York Magazine’ over alleged Bill Cosby cover story

Camille and Cosby

Shortly after New York Magazine unveiled its attention-grabbing Bill Cosby cover story entitled “Cosby: The Women,” from a painstaking result of six months of interviews and careful planning, their entire site was abruptly taken offline by an anonymous hacker. Soon afterwards, critics began pointing some accusing comments on Cosby, alleging his conivance with the hacker who took down the site.

However, The hacker, known only as ThreatKing, said he did not care about Bill Cosby but hates the “many stupid people” of New York.

While in an interview with an online media, ThreatKing said he “overwhelmed the site with a distributed denial of service attack” which overloaded its servers with traffic.

Hacker

On his hatred of NYC, ThreatKing maintained that he found so many things wrong in New York, hence, his choice of the city for attacks.

He also claimed that his hatred of New York was based on some jeers and intimidations he received from the people when he visited New York city. “I’ve seen many pranks gone wrong at new york. That got me pissed. That’s why I chose New York,” he said.

“I went to new York 2 months ago. It was really bad. Someone pranked me. Everyone started laughing and shit. The first 10 hours being there. Some African-American tried to prank me with a fake hand gun,” lamented ThreatKing.

He further maintained that he plans to continue instigating similar attacks on other New York media outlets. “I’ll try my best to keep [New York] offline for 14 hours,” ThreatKing said, adding, strangely, that “we would control the Internet if we had enough money. Because each server costs money.”



- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/hacker-shuts-down-new-york-magazine-over-alleged-bill-cosby-cover-story/#sthash.YQbSGrVK.dpuf

Buhari Under Attack Over Aregbesola’s Alleged Mismanagement

The Civil Societies Coalition for Emancipation of Osun state has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of defending Governor Rauf Aregbesola in his fight against corruption.

According to the group, President Buhari is shielding Governor Argebesola from being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following the allegations of corruption against him, The Punch reports.

This was disclosed by Sulaiman Adeniyi, the chairman of the group at a press conference in Osogbo, the state capital on Monday, July 27, 2015.

Adeniyi while listing the alleged sins of Governor Aregbesola, said that Aregbesola lied about the amount of revenue which the state amassed in the past four years.



He added that the governor avoided the due process and accountability in public finance.

He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari is shielding Aregbesola from Investigation by anti-graft bodies over criminal financial mismanagement.

“We are surprised that despite the fact that a petition was sent to the EFCC and the ICPC about two months ago, these agencies of the Federal Government, under President Muhammadu Buhari, have refused to respond to this matter of urgent public interest.

“The mismanagement of the state’s resources has led to the death of many citizens from extreme poverty occasioned by the governor’s failure to pay salaries pensions and cooperative deductions thereby killing commercial activities and threatening the security of lives and property of the state.”

Meanwhile, despite several months of unpaid salaries in his state, Governor Aregbesola has stated that Osun is one of the best places in Nigeria.

INTERVIEW: Why we’re against Nigeria’s anti-gay law — U.S. Consular-General

File Photo: Alaafin of Oyo receives U.S diplomatic mission to Nigeria

In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Jeffrey Hawkins, the outgoing U.S. Consular-General, spoke about Nigeria’s political class, his country’s support for the war against insurgency, and United States’ concerns about Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage prohibition law.

PT: You’ve spent about three years in Nigeria as the Consular-General, what’s your opinion of Nigerian politicians and politics?

‎Hawkins: Well, let me say first of all that I think for Nigeria, like the United States, democracy is an ongoing process. You don’t just arrive at democracy one day and you are there and you are done, that’s it, and you stop. We haven’t stopped growing, changing, adapting to circumstances, responding to crisis and Nigeria has to do the same thing. Like the United States, Nigeria has a functional democracy. Whether it’s a free and vibrant press, which is a huge thing for democracy, or electoral structures, – INEC, which functions and provides Nigeria’s elections. There’s the court system. There are all those other elements that work better than others.

I think that one of the things that can be focused on is, the political party system (in Nigeria) can probably still use a little work. Political parties are vital elements in a functioning democratic system. The reason is because it’s the parties that develop the choices that voters are supposed to be making. And currently in Nigerian politics, often the choices that voters are asked to make are about one person or another. And that’s true in the United States, you’re voting for president you’re looking at the person, his records, his integrity, but you’re also voting based on policies and ideologies. And so if you are a really strong Republican in the United States, even if you really, individually, like a Democratic candidate you can’t vote for that person because he doesn’t reflect the policies, and probably not going to implement the policies you’d like to see implemented. In Nigeria, I don’t think there’s a lot of thinking that way; it’s ‘so and so is good,’ ‘so and so is not good,’ ‘so and so is from my part of the country,’ ‘so and so is not from my part of the country,’ whatever it is. And that’s kind of the only basis that those decisions get made on and I think that’s a very big problem.

Whether it is the PDP or APC or APGA, whatever, they all need to work a lot harder at develop‎ing an ideological and policy identity as opposed to a person identity, as opposed to being vehicles for individuals. Because that way people are really making real choices about policy.

And similarly, I think even (for) the best politicians in Nigeria sometimes it’s much more about what did I do? Did I build these schools? Did I build the flyover here? Something like that. As opposed to do I have a wider construct for this country and the vision for the way forward? You don’t see a lot of that and I think that’s really important.

Other‎ wise, all you get is the human beings and Nigerian human beings like American human beings are flawed, imperfect people. Some of them are good, some of them are honest. But if there is nothing else to judge you on you’re going to end up probably with the higher proportion of people that are perhaps yielding the right of the country.

PT: On Monday, when President Buhari was inaugurating the National Economic Summit, he spoke about the G7 agreeing to support Nigeria with military equipment to fight Boko Haram. And the U.S is a member of the G7. Do you have any information as to the nature of this support?

Hawkins: I can certainly speak to our assistance, and it’s been kind of broad‎ throughout the entire time that I’ve been here. I mean it runs the whole gamut from equipment… For me, living in Lagos in Southern Nigeria, the big symbol of that is the NNS Okpabana, which is the new flagship of the Nigerian Navy. (It) was provided by the United States government. It’s a big, great symbol in Lagos harbour reflecting our commitment to Nigeria’s security. A great deal of training. And on an individual level, people going to schools in the United States. You often find Nigerian officers with American jump wings on their uniforms, that sort of thing, because they’ve trained in the U.S. Training on a unit level as well – again, here in Southern Nigeria where I work, the special boat service, which is Nigeria’s really premier special operations unit, gets a lot of support from the United States, did a lot of training with the U.S military.

There’s certainly an intelligence and information sharing component to it‎ and we are very actively working with the Nigerian military, Office of the National Security Adviser and others on that aspect. It’s a very deep relationship.

PT: Talking about relationship, the immediate past administration at a point was talking about the U.S fru‎strating its efforts to acquire equipment to fight Boko Haram. To what extent did that affect U.S-Nigeria relations?

That whole thing was incredibly overblown. It was really a discussion of one weapon system that sort of took a life of its own particularly ‎in the Nigerian media. And I don’t think that impression was reflective of the deepness, again of this relationship, and of our commitment to supporting Nigeria in its fight against Boko Haram.

‎PT: Let me ask you about Buruji Kashamu, the Nigerian Senator wanted in your country. He has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. accusing your law enforcement agents of conniving with Nigerian officials to forcefully abduct him to the U.S. Does the U.S. want Kashamu to come and face the charges against him?

Hawkins: I’m sorry I’m not going to talk about ongoing law enforcement efforts.

Last year, Ambassador Entwistle spoke about Nigeria’s anti-gay law being capable of jeopardising her chances of receiving aids from the U‎nited States. Has that position changed?

‎Obviously we have an extremely robust assistance relationship with Nigeria, and we do something in the order of $650 million a year, so over half a billion dollars a year as assistance to Nigeria. We do feel very strongly that the rights of all Nigerians including Nigerians from the LGBT community should be respected. We are strongly committed to human rights and we like our partners to be likewise. There was a great deal of debate and discussion with Nigeria when the Same-Sex Marraige Act was passed, particularly not because the issue of same-sex marriage itself, because it was already not permitted in Nigeria. We didn’t have a view on that one other than it’s an internal thing. But because that law made it illegal to belong to an organisation that espouse same sex marriage. That law made it illegal to speak openly about that issue. So for us those were issues probably unconstitutional under Nigeria’s Constitution. Those were issues that were affecting freedom of speech and freedom of assembly and that’s why we had significant problem with that law.

PT: Are you saying that the ‎kind of law Nigeria passes could affect the level of aid Nigeria gets from the U.S.?

Hawkins: Nigeria did pass the Same-Sex Marriage Act and that had no impact on our assistance to Nigeria.

PT: Nigeria’s success in fighting corruption in the past is attributed partly to the collaboration of her anti-corruption agencies with their foreign counterparts, including those from the U.S. But in recent years, that‎ fight seems to have waned. Does the U.S. still collaborate with the EFCC and ICPC?

We have been co-operating with EFCC, we’ve given some support to EFCC in terms of its capabilities in fighting corruption. So there is technical part of that, and that’s something we will continue to work on‎. And then there’s the political will part of that too. The political will doesn’t come from the international community, it comes from the Nigerian leadership. It’s certainly an issue that we think of as important. There’s a bureau within the State Department on international law enforcement that has a presence in Abuja and here in the Consulate. One of the things they do is support Nigeria’s law enforcement efforts in fighting corruption. They are also responsible for our engagement with the EFCC and other organisations in Nigerian law enforcement circle.

‎PT: Describe your stay in Nigeria, in one word.

Fantastic.

PREMIUM TIMES

Model was key member of 'burkha' smash and grab gang

Gang who targeted designer stores wearing burkas and armed with axes and sledge hammers stole millions


Model Hollie Dowding, a key member of 'burka' smash and grab gang

A model was a key member of a smash and grab gang who wore burkhas to raid London's top department stores, including £1.5 million from Selfridges.

The gang was responsible for 10 raids on fashion houses, including Prada, Jimmy Choo and Alexander McQueen's warehouse.


They were also behind the £1.5 million raid on Selfridges in June 2013 when the gang forced their way in to the Oxford Street store wearing burkas and armed with sledgehammers, Scotland Yard said.

"Untouchable" Reece Dunford, 31, the nephew of Birds of a Feather star Linda Robson, faces up to seven years in jail after pleading guilty to plotting up to 10 raids across London.


He was involved in every robbery and was caught after hand-picking a team of four to carry out a raid on Mappin and Webb in the City of London in April last year armed with axes and sledge hammers.


The 'burkha' smash and grab gang caught on CCTV

The gang initially escaped with over £300,000 worth of Rolex watches, before they were tracked down by police and arrested.

It was following the arrests that police uncovered the extent of the gang and their connections to 10 incidents dating back to 2007.

Dunford's girlfriend, model and beautician Hollie Dowding, 25, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to handle stolen goods from raids on Prada and Jimmy Choo.

The gang will be sentenced at the end of the month.

Four of the gang were found guilty for their part in the raids at Kingston Crown Court today, while five others had already pleaded guilty to their involvement.

The gang was responsible for two raids at Prada in Old Bond Street in October and November 2013 when the shutters were forced open and £20,000 of handbags were stolen, another at Jimmy Choo in March 2014 when gang members stole £22,000 worth of handbags and at Alexander McQueen's warehouse in Islington in November 2007 when laptops, clothing and handbags worth £50,000 were taken.


Top left to right Reece Dunford, David Mays, Vincent Kamara, Danny St Luce. Bottom row, Hollie Dowding, Yair Cohen, Patrick Spencer O'Brien and Boz Burbridge who have been convicted of 'smash and grab' raids in central London

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Simon Davison of the Flying Squad, said: "These smash and grabs were aggressive. Sometimes, the robbers threatened innocent people with sledgehammers and axes in order to get to the goods.

"Dunford was involved in every incident in one way or another and clearly started to think he was untouchable. These convictions are proof that the Flying Squad will relentlessly pursue anyone who tries to make a living from crimes like these."

Dunford, built up a reputation for handling high-value stolen goods and sold them on to buyers, including Hatton Garden jeweller Yair Cohen, 71, of Hackney.

Reece Dunford, of Essex, 31, pleaded guilty to seven counts of conspiracy to handle stolen goods, one count of conspiracy to rob, two counts of conspiracy to burgle and one count of conspiracy to produce Class B drugs, Boz Burbridge, 31, of Camden, David Mays, 33, of Bexley, and Danny St Luce, 29, of Islington, all pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to rob.

Yair Cohen, 71, of Hackney, was found guilty of three counts of handling stolen goods, one count of converting criminal property and one count of money laundering and Rusudan Kritcheli, 49, from Hackney, was found guilty of converting criminal property and one count of money laundering.

Vincent Kamara, 28, of Camden, and Patrick Spencer O'Brien, 23, from Islington were both found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery.