Lori Loughlin and her husband plead not guilty, EFCC detains 16 Kwara council bosses, Jamaican midfielder dead. Stay in the know with our Rave News Digest which summarizes five of the hottest global news you need to catch up on, saving you time and energy. Consider it your daily news fix.
Here is a rundown of five of the hottest news topics…
1. EFCC detains 16 Kwara council bosses who allegedly converted N4bn loan to personal use
The Kwara State Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has detained 16 local government chairmen who were suspended by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. They allegedly misappropriated N4bn loan and 10 per cent of the state’s internally generated revenue.
The local government chairmen arrested on Friday included Risikat Opakunle, Saidu Yaru Musa, Umar Belle, Ayeni Dallas, Fatai Adeniyi Garba, Lah Abdulmumeen, Raliat Funmi Salau, Aminat Omodara, Muyiwa Oladipo. Others are, Oladipo Omole, Abdullahi Abubakar Bata, Saka Eleyele, Lateef Gbadamosi, Oni Adebayo Joseph, Omokanye Joshua Olatunji and Jibril Salihu.
The EFCC said that all the suspects while undergoing interrogation by the operatives of the Commission, admitted that N100m was shared from the loan and that they also received 10 per cent of the internally generated revenue.
2. Fears of more heavy rain in flood-hit East Africa
Meteorologists expect more heavy rain to hit Somalia on Saturday exacerbating the problems caused by flooding in the country. It has already been called the worst flooding in a lifetime by Action Against Hunger regional director Hajir Maalim.
Some 273,000 Somalians have had to leave their homes, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Parts of Kenya and South Sudan have also been hit by the flooding. More than 600,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in South Sudan, IRC says. On Wednesday, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir declared a state of emergency.
More heavy rain is expected to hit Somalia on Saturday, brought in by the depression Kyarr. The rain is expected to continue through the weekend and into next week.
3. Lori Loughlin pleads not guilty to new charges in Varsity Blues case
Fuller House actress, Lori Loughlin is not taking the Felicity Huffman approach to the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal. Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, both plead not guilty to the latest charges, which stem from federal prosecutors in October slapping “conspiracy to commit federal program bribery” onto the laundry list of offences.
Loughlin had already been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Loughlin and her husband previously pled not guilty to fraud and money laundering.
On Friday, lawyers for Loughlin and Giannulli submitted court documents that announced their plans to plead not guilty to the newer charges, according to the media.
4. Fierce clashes erupt between the Syrian army, Turkish-led forces
Heavy fighting between the Syrian army troops and Turkish forces erupted near Ras al-Ain as Turkish-backed forces seized villages surrounding the border town.
Turkish-backed rebels said there were intermittent clashes between the two militaries in recent days south of the town, which Turkey seized from Syrian Kurdish-led forces earlier this month.
Reports from the border town of Sanliurfa said thousands of people were fleeing the fighting near Ras al-Ain and Tal Tamr towns.
Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters – known as the Syrian National Army (SNA) – launched an offensive and took over areas previously under control of Kurdish fighters south of Ras al-Ain, they said.
5. Tarania Clarke: Jamaica women’s midfielder dies after stabbing incident
Jamaica women’s international Tarania Clarke has died after a stabbing incident in the capital city of Kingston. Police said the 20-year-old midfielder was pronounced dead in hospital. Officers said the student died after a dispute over a mobile phone at about 8.50 pm local time on Thursday. A woman has been arrested.
In a statement, Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts said: “The JFF is deeply saddened by the untimely passing of young Ms Clarke – someone who would have shown so much promise, not just as a player but as a person. I must use this opportunity to personally, and certainly on behalf of the JFF, extend my most profound condolences to the immediate family members and friends of Ms Clarke, her school family at Excelsior and, of course, her club Waterhouse. The JFF must give as much support as we can during this time of bereavement to her mother and close friends.”
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