Author: damazah@gmail.com

A murder investigation has been launched after the suspicious death of the former MP Ann Widdecombe at her home on Dartmoor, in Devon, police have said.Officers were called to an address at Haytor by the ambulance service at around 11.40am on Thursday.Widdecombe, 78, was found deceased within the property and had “sustained serious injuries”, Devon and Cornwall police said.Her next-of-kin had been informed and were being supported by specially trained officers, the force added.Detectives from the Force Major Crime Investigation Team had launched a murder investigation and were conducting extensive inquiries into the circumstances surrounding Widdecombe’s death.Roads were closed around…

The police command in Edo State has announced a statewide restriction of movement from midnight to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday as part of security measures for the local government elections in the state. Eno Ikoedem, the police spokesperson in Edo, said this in a statement on Friday in Benin. She said the restriction was part of comprehensive security arrangements put in place in collaboration with other security agencies to ensure a peaceful, orderly and secure electoral process. According to her, the measure aims to protect voters, election officials and sensitive materials while preventing any breakdown of law and order during…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the powers of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate consumer complaints over airline ticket pricing, delivering a judgment that reinforces the Commission’s oversight role while drawing a clear distinction between market investigations and price regulation. The decision, delivered by Justice B.F.M. Nyako on June 29, dismissed a suit filed by Air Peace Limited seeking to restrain the FCCPC from investigating complaints over alleged exploitative airfares, a ruling expected to strengthen the Commission’s ability to scrutinise pricing practices across sectors where consumers raise credible concerns. In a statement issued…

Wally Funk, seen at age 21 as a flight instructor, prior to her joining the First Lady Astronaut Trainees or “Mercury 13.” Credit: Wally Funk/Blue Origin Wally Funk, seen at age 21 as a flight instructor, prior to her joining the First Lady Astronaut Trainees or “Mercury 13.” Credit: Wally Funk/Blue Origin Born Mary Wallace Funk on February 1, 1939, in Las Vegas, New Mexico, Funk took up an early interest in aviation. She graduated from Stephens College in Missouri with an Associate of Arts degree and her pilot’s license. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education…

A major review of the main disability benefit in England and Wales is considering whether claimants could be offered alternative support instead of cash payments in some cases.Sir Stephen Timms, the minister leading the review, told MPs the government would not be “moving away” from providing cash to disabled people to help them with their extra living costs.But the minister said the review was looking at whether some claimants of personal independence payments (Pip) could instead be pointed to other kinds of support.Alternatives to cash payments could include NHS treatments, specialised equipment or employment support.In initial findings published this week,…

Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc has announced the appointment of Olubisi Makoju as an Independent Non-Executive Director of the holding company, while Olayinka Oni was appointed a Non-Executive Director of Sterling Bank Limited. In a regulatory filing signed by the company’s secretary, Sunny Kanabe, on Friday, the company said the appointments were intended to strengthen the leadership of both entities. The appointments of the two directors followed regulatory approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the financial institution stated. “We wish to notify Nigerian Exchange Limited, our esteemed shareholders, and the investing public of the appointment of new Directors…

Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla will officially open the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on 23 July, organisers have announced. The royal couple will attend the Opening Ceremony at the Hydro Arena in Glasgow, where the King will declare the Games open by reading the message he placed inside the King’s Baton on Commonwealth Day, 10 March 2025, at Buckingham Palace, before the Baton Relay began. The ceremony will mark the official start of the 23rd Commonwealth Games, which will feature more than 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations and territories competing for 215 gold medals across 10 sports…

Veteran actress Idowu “Iya Rainbow” Philips has revealed how the late theatre icon Hubert Ogunde persuaded her to resign from nursing and pursue acting full-time, a decision she says changed the course of her life. Before becoming a full-time actress, Iya Rainbow balanced her nursing career (at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, the General Hospital in Lagos, and others) with performances for the Osumare Theatre Group. Speaking in an interview on Feel Right News TV on Thursday, the 83-year-old recalled that Ogunde urged her to embrace theatre after watching her performance in the stage production Rabiatu Dance Drama at…

The Election Commission says 12 parties have been cleared to participate in the election. The post Edo Local Election: PDP announces boycott, gives reasons appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.

The man next doorI first met Peter Rusch in October 2022 on North Compound, Unit 2-B Right. I had just been transferred there after a tactical search team (TST) raid on my housing unit. Employees had gotten a tip that I had a contraband item, and since staff generally don’t approve of my writing — often about the injustices of prison — they jumped at the chance to put me in administrative segregation, or ad-seg, basically solitary. I arrived with nothing but the clothes on my back.Peter was living in the cell next to mine. I could see him when…