Author: Chronicle Editor

A woman identified as having taken part in the storming of the US Capitol is accused of stealing a laptop belonging to top Democrat Nancy Pelosi which she hoped to sell to a Russian spy agency, according to the FBI. There is no indication Riley June Williams, a 22-year-old careworker from Pennsylvania, took a laptop from Ms Pelosi’s office. The FBI, which is working off a tip, said in the court record the “matter remains under investigation.” The complaint, filed late Sunday in US District Court in Washington, sought the arrest of Williams on grounds including “violent entry and disorderly…

Rebels killed two peacekeepers in the Central African Republic on Monday, the UN mission MINUSCA said, hours after the top court confirmed President Faustin Archange Touadera’s re-election in a December vote marred by low turnout. The peacekeepers a Gabonese and a Moroccan were killed in an ambush on their convoy near the southern city of Bangassou, a city that the UN said at the weekend had been retaken from armed groups who had seized it two weeks earlier. The attack, the latest in a series blamed on a coalition of armed groups that mounted a failed coup ahead of the…

As the U.S. closes in on 400,000 coronavirus deaths, the incoming director of the Center for Disease Control said that by the middle of February, officials expect the death toll to be staggering. “By the middle of February, we expect half a million deaths in this country,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. The grim news comes as Los Angeles is battling a more contagious variant of the virus. California leads the world in coronavirus cases, with over 3 million residents infected. UCLA epidemiologist Dr. Anne Rimoin told CBS News that she “certainly” suspects there are more variants active in the population. She likened searching for…

To understand the new politics stance and other pro nationals of recent times, we should look to Silicon Valley and the quantified movement of the latest generation. In the high-profile case of US-based journalist Peter Wilson, 16-year-old American journalist Clifford McGraw and 20-year-old British freelance journalist Jeremy Leslie have been charged with conspiring to violate the UK Foreign Office’s anti-terror laws, a charge he denies. On Monday, UK attorney Andy McDonald revealed that he had spoken. “Few worry about catching Covid anymore, as it’s just a matter of time before they do,” says Tea, a teacher at a school for…

A Nigerian consultant anaesthetist Adekunle Okunuga based in the United Kingdom has been reinstated following his suspension from work for beating his son. The 59-year-old medical personnel, who was arrested after the incident in June 2014, blamed his cultural upbringing in Nigeria for the act, Daily Mail UK reports. He said corporal punishments are common in Nigeria. Okunuga caned his son for misbehaving in school and made him stand one leg with his arms in the air while he kicked him. He also caned the boy’s open palms with a walking stick. The boy got into trouble in school for…

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the nomination of Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo as the acting Director General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) on Monday. In a letter to the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, the President noted that a substantial appointment will be made in the future. Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the President, in a terse statement said President Buhari directed Mr Keyamo to appoint a successor. “President Muhammadu Buhari has formally conveyed to the Hon. Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, his approval of the nomination…

Former Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Jonah Ogunniyi Otunla, and an ex-Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Inde Dikko, refunded N6.3 billion and N1.9 billion, totaling N8 billion. Otunla was the AG-F between 2011 and 2015 while Dikko was the Customs’ Comptroller General between 2009 and 2015. While Otunla returned N6,392,000,000.00; Dikko returned N1,596,000,000.00 (naira equivalent of $8million, computed at N197 to a United States dollar the prevailing exchange rate at the time). Details of the deals leading to the refunds are contained in documents Otunla and Dikko filed in court to back up the suits they instituted against the Economic and…

China’s economy grew more than expected last year, even as the rest of the world was upended by the coronavirus pandemic. The world’s second largest economy expanded 2.3% in 2020 compared to a year earlier, according to government statistics released Monday. It’s China’s slowest annual growth rate in decades — not since 1976 has the country had a worse year, when GDP shrunk 1.6% during a time of social and economic tumult. But during a year when a crippling pandemic plunged major world economies into recession, China has clearly come out on top. The expansion also beat expectations. The International…

Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said a deal for the world heavyweight champion to meet Tyson Fury in an undisputed world heavyweight title bout this year is all but done, with a venue in the Middle East a front-runner to host it. Joshua beat Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev last month to retain his IBF, WBO and WBA titles to set up the prospect of a mouth-watering clash with fellow Briton Fury who holds the WBC belt. “The deal is done, really — without being signed,” Hearn told the Times “The financial elements of the deal are done. We’re talking through the broadcast…

Dr. Dre is back home after being hospitalized for more than a week in Los Angeles, his attorney Peter Paterno told CNN. The rapper, producer and entrepreneur is back home after being hospitalized for more than a week in Los Angeles, according to his attorney Peter Paterno. “He’s home and on the mend,” Paterno said in a brief email to CNN on Sunday. Paterno did not provide additional details on the 55-year-old’s condition. The news comes over a week after Dre, who is a seven-time Grammy winner, shared his own update on Instagram. “Thanks to my family, friends and fans…