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French Series ‘Lupin’ Tops ‘Queen’s Gambit’ Views On Netflix

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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The Netflix-produced TV series “Lupin” will have been watched in 70 million households within its first month, setting a record for a French TV show, the streaming platform forecast on Tuesday.

Based on the basis of current trends the series — starring Omar Sy of “Untouchable” fame — will have breezed past Netflix’s biggest recent blockbuster “The Queen’s Gambit” which has 62 million views and other English-language hits including “Bridgerton”.

The Netflix projection covers the 28 days to February 5, the company told AFP.

“70 million, that’s crazy”, Omar Sy tweeted. “So proud that Lupin is the first French series to have such an international success.”

Only half of the first season’s 10 episodes have so far been available on Netflix.

They are top of the viewing charts in around 10 countries, including Brazil, Vietnam, Argentina, and Spain.

The 1905 book on which the series is loosely based, “Arsene Lupin — Gentleman Burglar” by French novelist Maurice Leblanc — has shot to the top of book sales on Amazon.fr since the release of the TV show.

In the series, based in modern-day Paris, Sy plays Assane Diop who uses the gentleman thief and master of disguise as his inspiration in his quest to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.

The series, produced by Gaumont, was mostly written by Briton George Kay, whose past work includes “Killing Eve”, “Criminal” and “The Hour”.

It has a 7.4 out of 10 rating, according to a review compilation by the Internet Movie Database.

 

Incoming US intelligence Chief vows to release Khashoggi’s murder report

Bilkisu Halilu Pai
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Avril Haines, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, has said that if confirmed she would order the release of an unclassified report about the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.

During a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Senator Ron Wyden told Avril Haines that she had an opportunity to “immediately turn the page on the excessive secrecy and lawlessness of the outgoing administration”.

He then asked if she would submit the report if she is confirmed.

“Yes, senator. Absolutely, I will follow the law,” Haines replied.

Congress passed a defence bill in December 2019 that included a provision requiring the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to release within 30 days an unclassified report on the murder of Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of Saudi government policies, was assassinated by a team of Saudi agents at the country’s consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. He had gone to the building to retrieve documents to get married.

Human rights groups and United Nations experts denounced the brazen killing, while US lawmakers in Washington urged Donald Trump’s administration to investigate who was responsible.

US media outlets reported in November 2018 that the CIA had concluded Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination – a charge that bin Salman, also known as MBS, has denied.

Trump has maintained his support of Saudi Arabia and MBS despite calls for accountability for Khashoggi’s murder.

The Trump administration has refused to release the full Khashoggi report in defiance of the law, telling lawmakers that revealing the information would compromise the national intelligence office’s sources and methods.

The 2019 defence bill ordered the office to present evidence about the knowledge or role any current or former Saudi government officials or Saudi political figures may have had in the “directing, ordering, or tampering of evidence” in Khashoggi’s killing.

It also asked the director to outline a list of foreign individuals that the director believes with “high confidence” were responsible or complicit in Khashoggi’s murder, knew or assisted in the killing, or impeded the investigation into what took place.

Trump pardons former aide, others amid last act of Presidency

Bilkisu Halilu Pai
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US President Donald Trump has granted a pardon to his former senior adviser, Steve Bannon as part of a wave of pardons and commutations during his final hours in office.

The statement issued by the White House on Wednesday included a list of the names of 73 pardoned individuals and 70 others whose sentences were commuted.

Among the 73 people pardoned was Elliott Broidy, a leading former fundraiser for Trump who has admitted illegally lobbying the US government to drop its inquiry into the Malaysia 1MDB corruption scandal and to deport an exiled Chinese billionaire.

Also on the list was Ken Kurson, a friend of Jared Kushner who was charged in October last year with cyberstalking during a heated divorce.

Rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, who were prosecuted on federal weapons offences and former Detroit Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, who is serving a 28-year prison term on corruption charges, were also pardoned.

A further 70 people had their sentences commuted.

Bannon, who was a key adviser in Trump’s 2016 presidential run, was charged last year with swindling Trump supporters over an effort to raise private funds to build the president’s wall on the US-Mexico border. He has pleaded not guilty.

US media earlier reported that the president made his last-minute decision after speaking to Bannon by phone.

Trump did not pardon himself, members of his family or lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who was at the forefront of unsuccessful efforts to get the results of the 2020 presidential election overturned.

Julian Assange was another figure subject to speculation who was not on the list. Prosecutors and scholars have, however, said a grey area in the constitution means a president may be able to issue “secret” pardons, without notifying Congress or the public.

Trump was impeached by the Democratic-led House last week on charges of inciting the January 6 storming of the US Capitol by the president’s supporters.

He may face a Senate trial and could be barred from running for president again if convicted.

The pardon power, which comes from the US Constitution, is one of the broadest available to a president.

While pardons are typically given to people who have been prosecuted, pardons can cover conduct that has not yet resulted in legal proceedings.

A pardon is not reviewable by other branches of government and the president does not have to give a reason for issuing one. But the pardon power is not absolute; it only applies to federal crimes.

Bannon can still be charged in state court in New York, where a pardon would not help him, said Daniel R Alonso, a former prosecutor now at the Buckley law firm.

Bannon, 67, is the latest prominent political ally to receive clemency from Trump, who has often used the powers of the executive branch to reward loyalists and punish his enemies.

 

COVID-19: Ultra Chain Cold facility ready for vaccine storage – NPHCDA

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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The Nigerian Government says its Ultra Chain Cold facility is set to receive its first dose of the COVID-19 vaccines from the United States of America.

The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shu’aib, said this in Abuja, Nigeria while conducting Journalists round its Ultra Cold Chain facility.

The facility is one of the critical facilities  set up by the Nigerian government and it  is manned by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.

Ultra cold chain facility

According to Dr Shu’aib, the facility is ready for the storage of the Vaccines when they eventually arrive in Nigeria.

” I know there are discussions about whether or not we have the right equipment to store them. These Ultra Cold Chain equipments as you can see from the continuous temperature monitoring is minus as 83 point eight degrees Celsius and it’s even because we’ve opened them.

” Each of the 3 UCC facility has the capacity of 700 litres which makes it 2100 litres in all. The 100,000 doses of the fpizer vaccines we are expecting will occupy just 500 litres of space. So we have more than enough space for first dose we are expecting”. Dr Shu’aib explained.

He however, noted that the vaccines can be kept for about 5 days outside the UCC facilities.

He also explained that the projection of vaccinating 70 percent of Nigerians in 2021 and 2022 is predicated on the availability of the vaccines.

Dr Shu’aib added that the Agency will collaborate with some Non governmental Organisations to ensure the effective and safe distribution of the vaccines to the last miles.

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Insecurity: Senate President lauds efforts of Nigeria’s Armed Forces

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has lauded the efforts of the armed forces in restoring peace to parts of Nigeria, saying that the spate of insecurity across states is gradually being reversed.

Lawan stated this when he received a delegation from Adamawa state who paid him a visit in appreciation to the National Assembly for converting the Modibbo Adama University, Yola, into a conventional University that can run medical programmes alongside social and management sciences.

The delegation was led by Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed and the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Abdullahi Lima Tukur.

Speaking on the security and economic challenges faced by Nigeria, the Senate President said recent developments showed an improvement in efforts made by the armed forces towards addressing the spate of insecurity in parts of the country.

“Those of us in position of leadership today are probably more challenged than any set of leaders. We need to pray, but we also need to act, work hard and apply ourselves fully and work committedly to ensure that we serve Nigerians.

“Nothing is impossible, this situation of insecurity gradually is being reversed. I am particularly happy with recent developments by our armed forces. They are doing better than they were doing before.

“I’m sure that the economy will also start to improve, and we will get out of recession that we entered last month.

“With the implementation of the capital budget 2020 up till the end of March, and of course, the start of the implementation of the 2021 budget, the economy will receive a boost,” the Senate President added.

Lawan however in his welcome speech said the conversion of the university was the outcome of a collaborative effort between the legislature and the executive arms of government.

According to the Senate President, the ninth National Assembly would be judged fairly by Nigerians for its pro-people legislations in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic which slowed the country’s pace of development.

“I will take this opportunity to commend Mr. President for assenting to that bill. This is what we call cooperative governance. We work with the Executive to ensure that the Nigerian people benefit from democracy.

“We have set our eyes on our target of making Nigeria better and making Nigerians safer. What matters to us is what we are able to achieve at the end of the day.

“History will judge us very very fairly, and without sounding immodest, I’ll like to take this opportunity to congratulate the ninth National Assembly.

“The ninth National Assembly has achieved so much between 2019 till date for the benefit of this country despite the pandemic, and the secret is unity and harmony.

“We have achieved unity amongst ourselves in the National Assembly environment between the Senate and the House; and of course, we have achieved harmony in work between the National Assembly and the Executive, and that’s the essence of governance, anyway.

“When we disagree, we will do so, but if we have no reason to disagree, we will not do that because we want to please anybody,” he said.

 

 

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Trump administration accuses China of ‘genocide’ against Uighurs

Bilkisu Halilu Pai
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The Trump administration has determined that China has committed “genocide and crimes against humanity” by repressing Uighur Muslims in its Xinjiang region, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday, in an embarrassing blow to Beijing a day before President-elect Joe Biden is set to take office.

Pompeo said he made the move – which is certain to further strain already frayed ties between the world’s top economies – “after careful examination of the available facts,” accusing the Chinese Communist Party of crimes against humanity against the Uighurs and other Muslim minorities since at least March 2017.

China has been widely condemned for its complexes in Xinjiang, which it describes as “vocational training centers” to stamp out extremism. It denies accusations of abuse.

The rare American determination follows intensive internal debate after Congress passed legislation on Dec. 27 requiring the U.S. administration to determine within 90 days whether China had committed crimes against humanity or a genocide.

Biden’s nominee for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday that he agreed with the genocide declaration.

Biden’s Democratic campaign had declared, before the Nov. 3 U.S. election, that genocide was occurring in Xinjiang.

China’s Embassy in Washington also did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but last week rejected as “lies” a congressional report that said “crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide, are occurring” in Xinjiang.

U.S.-China ties plummeted to their lowest level in decades during Republican President Donald Trump’s administration, and the genocide declaration will ensure an especially difficult start to the Biden administration’s relationship with Beijing.

Daniel Russel, a Biden campaign adviser and a top Asia official under Trump’s predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama, called Pompeo’s move “the height of cynicism” and an attempt to lay “a malicious political booby trap” for Biden, who takes the oath of office on Wednesday.

Some critics have questioned Trump’s commitment to the issue after his former national security adviser, John Bolton accused him of backing China’s construction of the Xinjiang camps.

The U.S. decision does not automatically trigger any penalties, but means countries will have to think hard about allowing companies to do business with Xinjiang, a leading global supplier of cotton.

Last week, Washington imposed a ban on all cotton and tomato products from Xinjiang.

The International Criminal Court can investigate crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, but China – like the United States – is not a court member, so the situation in Xinjiang would have to be referred by the U.N. Security Council where China could veto such a move.

An independent U.N. human rights panel said in 2018 that it had received credible reports that at least 1 million Uighurs and other Muslims had been detained in Xinjiang. Faith leaders, and activists have said crimes against humanity, including genocide, are taking place.

U.S. officials said Pompeo viewed a lot of open-source reporting and evidence before making Tuesday’s declaration, but did not provide specific examples.

Pompeo last year referred to a report by German researcher Adrian Zenz that China was using forced sterilization, forced abortion and coercive family planning against Muslims.

Guatemala turns more migrants back to Honduras

Bilkisu Halilu Pai
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Guatemalan authorities are transporting migrants back to the border with Honduras, further thinning out a U.S.-bound caravan that was halted by security forces at the weekend.

Nearly 8,000 people entered Guatemala from Honduras last week, local authorities said.

A quarter of them, many with children, ended up stuck in the village of Vado Hondo when Guatemalan forces barred passage.

Security forces wielding batons cleared them from an impromptu camp on Monday, and buses provided by the government ferried them back to the El Florido border crossing with Honduras.

Returns of migrants by bus were ongoing on Tuesday, the government said, adding that the trips were voluntary.

Migrants also face major challenges if they make it to Mexico. Those who reach the Mexican border must present recent negative COVID-19 tests to legally enter, Maximiliano Reyes, a Mexican deputy foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Reyes told news network Milenio that 4,500-5,000 of the migrants had been sent back from Guatemala, with others still weighing their options. He estimated around 1,000 migrants had fanned out inside Guatemala.

Some migrants said they were injured as security officials forced them from the road in Vado Hondo.

“It’s not fair that they treat us like dogs, like animals,” said Andy Osorio from Honduras.

Guatemala’s human rights ombudsman, Jordan Rodas, called on the military and police to avoid the use of force.

The Guatemalan army said some migrants had thrown stones at soldiers, who used “minimal and proportionate force.”

Some in the caravan fled into the mountains during the road clearance, saying they did not want to board the buses.

President Buhari names Dr. Emenike as Ambassador-designate to U.S

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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President Muhammadu Buhari has named Dr. Uzoma Emenike as Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to the USA.

Dr.  Emenike who hails from Abia State is currently the Nigerian Ambassador to Ireland, with concurrent accreditation to Iceland.

This was disclosed by the Special Assistant to President Buhari on Digital and New Media,  Tolu Ogunlesi on Tuesday via his official Twitter handle.

READ ALSO:  President Buhari mourns Ambassador Nsofor

Brief History
Dr. Emenike has two Bachelor’s degrees, two master’s degrees and a Doctorate degree. She also holds a B.Sc in Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria and an LL.B from the University of Reading in the U.K. She also earned a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and another Masters in International Management from Reading University in the UK.

She capped her academic pursuit with a doctorate degree in International Relations, also from the University of Reading in the UK.

Among her published articles include: The Africa We Envisage in 50 Years Time and Europe Needs Africa. She is also the author of the book Africa: The Centre-Piece of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy.

Ambassador Emenike is married to Chief Ikechi Emenike and has four children.

COVID-19: Nigeria confirms 1,301 new cases

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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Nigeria has confirmed 1,301 new cases of the deadly coronavirus also known as COVID-19.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, confirmed the cases on Tuesday, 19th January, 2021.

The NCDC listed States that recorded cases to include: Lagos-551 , FCT-209, Oyo-83 , Plateau-65, Kaduna-64, Enugu-61, Rivers-44, Ondo-39, Benue-37, Akwa Ibom-31, Kano-19, Delta-18, Gombe-18, Ogun-16, Edo-15, Kebbi-10, Ebonyi-9, Jigawa-4, Osun-3, Zamfara-3, Borno-1, Nasarawa-1.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 113,305, number of discharged patients stands at 91,200 and the death toll is 1,464.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Nigeria confirms 1,598 new cases

 

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LAUTECH: Oyo government approves N8bn payment to Osun government

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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The Oyo State Government has approved the payment of N8billion to the Osun State Government as part of the agreement reached for taking over the sole ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho.

The amount, according to the Oyo State Government, is the outcome of the asset sharing between the two states when the ownership crisis issue was resolved in favour of Oyo State and is to be paid in four instalments, over a period of three years.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, made the disclosure, on Tuesday, during a Press Briefing, after the weekly State Executive Council meeting, the first in the year 2021, presided over by the President of the Council, Governor Seyi Makinde and held at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Secretariat, Ibadan.

Olaleye said: “The breakdown of the payment is as follows, N1billion is to be paid in January 2021, another N1billion to be paid in December 2021. N3billion is to be paid in 2022 and the last N3billion is in 2023. The money is once and for all. What we are having now is a total package and all other things have been taken care of. If there are liabilities, they have been taken care of at both ends and everything has been packaged into this sharing.”

Also speaking at the Press Briefing, the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Seun Ashamu, stated that the Council also gave approval for the provision of urgent power intervention at the Rural Community Development Centre (RCDC), Awe, put at a cost of N92million, which is one of the hubs for the agri-business development of the administration, as his Ministry would provide a tribrid system comprising solar, diesel generator and battery storage.

Ashamu also revealed plans by the government to begin a bicycle-sharing pilot scheme, codenamed: ‘Keke-Seyi’, at the cost of N750, 000, to aid the movements of members of the public and staff of the State, within the Agodi State Secretariat, noting that the Scheme would be piloted in collaboration with ‘Our Bike Nigeria’, an indigenous company who has offered the State 60 bicycles for the pilot, which will last for a period of three months.

Justifying the need for the Bicycle Scheme, Ashamu said: “The bicycles are there to promote a number of things: ease of mobility within the Secretariat, they are there to promote healthy living, particularly when you consider the interesting circumstances that we find ourselves in the world today and with people’s lives and livelihood.”

He explained that a bike-sharing scheme, guided by protocols and procedures, means one can enter into the Secretariat through any of the main entrances, pick up a bicycle and ride it to wherever one is going, noting that the bicycles would also be available to the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, so that members of staff can also use the bicycles.

“It is a bike-sharing scheme that has been in Europe and North America long before we brought it to Africa and the company we partner with is already operating in about 16 locations in Nigeria. We will ensure that all health and safety measures are put in place to ensure that we won’t accelerate or contribute to the spread of the novel Coronavirus,” Ashamu explained.

The Press Conference was attended by Commissioners of Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun; Education, Science and Technology, Olasunkanmi Olaleye and Energy and Mineral Resources, Seun Asamu, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr Taiwo Adisa and the Special Adviser (Media) to the Governor, Mr Jide Ajani.

 

 

 

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