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Four babies were killed in a fire at a maternity hospital just hours after their birth.   A crowd gathered outside the building in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, in the late hours of monday, Jan. 8. Footage shows firefighters rushing into the burning hospital and bringing out newborns from the neonatal unit.   Several engines pumped water towards the third and fourth floors, where the fire is believed to have started. “The corpses of four children who were treated in the neonatal intensive care unit of the center were found,” a joint statement of the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Health and Medicine said.     Three other people were hospitalised with smoke poisoning, but their condition is stable.   Altogether 26 babies were evacuated from the maternity hospital, local media Axar reported.     Ministry officials later confirmed that the fire at the Republican Perinatal Center on Yusif Safarov Street in the capital was extinguis...

A Russian war journalist has been found dead after vowing to release new details of 'gigantic corruption' in the Vladimir Putin-invaded Ukrainian city Mariupol.     The body of Alexander Rybin, 39, was discovered by a roadside near Shakhty, in Russia's Rostov region, on Saturday, January 6.  Rybin reportedly died after a visit to occupied Mariupol in which his on-air report criticised the Putin regime for its slowness in rebuilding the war-blitzed city which the dictator sees as a holiday location for Russians on the Azov Sea.     The reporter revealed an influx of immigrants to undertake the reconstruction and a huge money pumped in from Russia. He also slammed the 'gigantic corruption', and vowed to reveal more details in a live broadcast on left-wing online outlet Rabkor after returning to Moscow. Sadly, he never got back to the capital.   According to Mail Online, he was found dead on a highway near the city of Sha...

Actress Lisa Bonet is filing for divorce from actor, Jason Mamoa, nearly 2 years after they announced they are splitting up.  Lisa who is asking for dissolution of their marriage, listed t heir date of separation as October 7, 2020, which means their marriage lasted for 3 years as they got married in 2017.   On their two children Lola and Nakoa-Wolf , Lisa said she wants joint physical and legal custody. On the money front, Lisa isn't asking for spousal support and also indicated that Jason won't be asking for any either. It is speculated they have a prenup as their separate property and assets have been agreed.   This marks the end of Lisa's second marriage as she was famously married to Lenny Kravitz and had a girl with him, actress Zoe Kravitz .   For Jason, this is his first and only marriage. While they tied the knot just 8 years ago, they'd been dating for a very long time. They were first linked in 2005.

  Senegalese and Al-Nassr striker, Sadio Mane reportedly married his partner, Aisha Tamba, in a lovely wedding ceremony in Dakar over the weekend.   The marriage ceremony which took place in Keur Massar, Dakar, Senegal, was attended by friends, family, former players, and current members of the Senegal national team.     In photos shared on his Instagram page, Tamba waa pictured in a white wedding dress for the big day, while the former Liverpool striker wore a traditional white outfit.      

    There has been an explosion at the Sandman Signature Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas.  Authorities and other law enforcement personnel raced to the scene of the gas explosion after the first call came in at 3:32p.m on Jan. 8. Emergency responders have declared a mass casualty incident.  At least 21 are reported to have been injured.  Footage from the scene shows windows blown out and a possible floor collapse in the interior of the hotel located at 810 Houston Street.  Numerous witnesses have reported hearing the explosion miles away. Police are urging everyone to avoid the area.  Public Information Officer for the Fort Worth Police Department, J. Pollozani said 21 people were injured. Pollozani said one patient is critical and four were seriously injured.  According to FWFD, 19 patients were treated on the scene, one took themselves to a hospital and there are not any deceased officials are aware of at this time.  Three of t...

Super Eagles and Bayer Leverkusen forward, Victor Boniface has been ruled out of the 2023 African Cup of Nations after picking up a groin injury.      The Nigerian International reportedly picked up an injury in tranning which kept him out of Sunday’s test game with local club Al Gharbia and Monday’s defeat to the Syli Nationale of Guinea.     “A scan was done today and the length of time he will be out of AFCON. Victor Boniface will return to Germany, where he will begin treatment for the groin injury that is expected to keep him out for six weeks,” Owngoalnigeria reported.     The 23-year-old also confirmed his exit from the squad by wishing his teammates the best of luck at the tournament.     “Good luck guys… Wish you all the best at afcon,” he posted on Instagram.

A state of emergency has been declared in Ecuador after one of the country's most-notorious drug gang bosses escaped from prison.  Adolfo Macias - also known as Fito - was first reported missing from his cell on Sunday, Jan. 7.  Ecuador's prosecutors then filed charges against two prison guards as part of their investigation into the alleged escape.  The leader of the Los Choneros gang was serving a 34-year sentence in La Regional prison for drug trafficking and murder.  His reported escape occurred on the same day he was scheduled to be transferred to a maximum security facility in the city of Guayaquil.  President Daniel Noboa announced the state of emergency, which will allow the authorities to suspend citizens' rights and send the military into prisons.    The decree is in effect for 60 days, with Mr Noboa saying he will confront crime inside prisons and will not stop until he "brings back peace to all Ecuadorians".  It is the second ...

A teacher has been arrested and accused of sleeping with her 16-year-old student after a classmate showed photos of the teenager's scratches.   Hailey Nichelle Clifton-Carmack, 26, was arrested on Friday, January 5, over her alleged relationship with the unnamed student. She fled but was apprehended around 800 miles away from where the alleged sex acts occurred.   The teenage boy's father has also been charged with endangering the welfare of a child after it was claimed he was aware of the relationship between his son and the teacher.   Documents acquired from the court suggest the pair had used students as “lookouts” to keep watch on passing people while the pair had sex at school.   Police found text messages relating to the alleged relationship in texts between the teacher and 16-year-old boy, weeks after they first acquired the phone on December 8.   Clifton-Carmack is believed to have recently split from her husband, Chase.     A stude...

  Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he hopes the US economy would “crash,”  within the next year – before he would assume the Oval Office should he win a second term in November. “When there’s a crash, I hope it’s going to be during this next 12 months because I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover. The one president – I just don’t want to be Herbert Hoover,” Trump said in an interview that aired Monday on the right-wing platform Lindell TV. The US stock market crashed during former President Herbert Hoover’s first year in office in 1929, which signaled the beginning of the Great Depression.   The comments come as Trump, who is the front-runner for the Republican nomination looks to drive home his message on the economy with less than a week to go until Iowa’s  caucuses.   Trump, who regularly attacks US president Joe Biden over his economic policies, described the economy as “so fragile” in the interview and c...

Operatives of the Imo State Police Command have arrested one of the suspected kidnappers of a traditional ruler, HRH Eze Samuel Ohiri and an official of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Sabinus Ugwuebu.    Spokesperson of the command, Henry Okoye, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, said the operatives stormed what they suspect to be a criminal hideout of the outlawed indigenous People of Biafra and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network.   According to the PPRO, the police worked with the military and they engaged the IPOB/ESN militants at their  camp at Ihite Owerre, in Orlu LGA.    “Following cases of kidnapping involving Mr. Sabinus Ugwuebu, ‘m’, a Road Safety Officer, and HRH Eze Ohiri, former Eze Imo as victims, Police operatives in robust synergy with the Military on 08/01/2023 at about 0330hrs stormed a suspected terrorist camp at Ihite Owerri, in Orlu LGA of Imo State, and arrested one suspect, while oth...

Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote has regained his position as the richest person in Africa, according to Forbes and Bloomberg, dethroning South African business mogul Johann Rupert.   The Forbes Daily billionaires ranking platform, which tracks daily changes to the net worth of the most high-net-worth individuals across the world, showed that Dangote’s net worth improved by $10 billion to $10.1 billion as of January 8, 2024.  He overtook Johann Rupert, South African luxury goods tycoon and his family.  Rupert’s net worth as at press time was $10 billion, down from $10.7 billion as at January 30, 2023. Dangote is now ranked 191st on the Forbes list, while Rupert is ranked 197th worldwide. Dangote also remains Africa’s richest man on the Bloomberg Billionaire Index.   According to Bloomberg, the majority of Dangote's wealth is derived from his 86 percent stake in publicly traded Dangote Cement. He holds the shares in the company directly and through his con...

South Korea's parliament passed a bill on Tuesday to ban the eating and selling of dog meat, a move that will end the controversial centuries-old practice amid growing support for animal welfare.   The National Assembly passed the bill by a 208-0 vote in a move hailed as 'history in the making' by activists.   'This law is aimed at contributing to realizing the values of animal rights, which pursue respect for life and a harmonious co-existence between humans and animals,' the legislation reads. Breeding, selling, and slaughtering dogs for their meat will be punishable by up to three years in prison or 30 million won (£18,000) in fines under the new law, which will come into effect after a three-year grace period.  Some angry dog farmers said they plan to file a constitutional appeal and launch rallies in protest.  Dog meat consumption, a centuries-old practice on the Korean Peninsula, is neither explicitly banned nor legalised in South Korea. Eating dog me...

An infant’s body was found in a box discarded in a bin outside of an apartment in Hollywood, Florida.   The baby’s remains were found shortly before 8am on Monday, Jan. 8, on the 1700 block of Rodman Street by workers with Infinity Roofing.   They were getting ready to replace the roof of the building and “the guys were shook,” said the company’s owner, John Mitala.   “Somebody happened to notice the box in the dumpster that didn’t belong to us,” Mitala told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.   The construction workers called police immediately.     “No one expects something like that,” Mitala said. “It’s really affected the entire company.”   Worker David Vasquez found the child in a blue grocery bag after smelling a “bad odor.”   “When I opened the bag, there was a baby,” he told CBS News.   Several neighbors were shocked and disturbed by the discovery.

Bottles of plastic water contain hundreds of thousands of toxic microscopic plastic particles, new research has found.     Drinking water from a bottle could mean you are contaminating your body with tiny bits of plastic, which scientists fear can accumulate in your vital organs with unknown health implications. Nanoplastics have already been linked to cancer, fertility problems, and birth defects.   Scientists using the most advanced laser scanning techniques found an average of 240,000 plastic particles in a one-liter bottle of water, compared to 5.5 per one liter of tap water.     University of Columbia researchers tested three popular brands of bottled water sold in the United States and, using lasers, analyzed the plastic particles they contained down to just 100 nanometers in size.   These microscopic particles carry phthalate chemicals that make plastics more durable, flexible, and lasting longer.     Phthalate exp...