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Restriction on Select Seoul Establishments To Be Lifted From July

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From July, select establishments including restaurants, cafes, singing rooms and night life venues in Seoul will be allowed to operate until 12 midnight.

Restrictions on opening hours will be completely lifted for other types of small businesses.

This is because South Korea’s new four-tier social distancing scheme takes effect in that month.

More details will be announced before next week.

President Buhari Commissions Lagos-Ibadan Rail Line, Open For Use (Photos)

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Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has commissioned the Ebute-Meta Rail Line, now renamed Mobolaii Johnson Station.

Environment Correspondent Gimalo-Angel Olowogoke reports that the President arrived the venue in a chopper at about 11am Thursday morning.

There was tight security as Alagomeji was totally cordoned off.

Neighbours were excited as they had the President visit their neighbourhood.

The president pledged that his administration would continue to prioritise the railway system as a transportation backbone that can transform industrial and economic activity in the country.

On the benefits of the Lagos-Ibadan corridor as well as other ongoing railway projects across the country, President Buhari said:

‘This vital line establishes an end-to-end logistic supply chain in railway transport within its short corridor, Lagos – Ibadan, as goods to the hinterland would now be transported by rail directly from the Apapa port Quayside straight to the Inland Container Depot located in Ibadan from where it can be distributed to other parts of the country.

Some respondents that spoke with LN247 News Correspondent said they wanted the President to open amusement park for the children and also provide employment for the people through the opening of the Station.

The Station is presently open to the public.

EA Hacked, Source Code Stolen, As It Investigates Data Breach

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FILE PHOTO: The Electronic Arts Inc., logo is displayed on a screen during a PlayStation 4 Pro launch event in New York City, U.S., September 7, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

Videogame publisher Electronic Arts Inc said on Thursday that it was investigating a recent incident of intrusion into its network where a limited amount of game source code and related tools were stolen.

Vice’s Motherboard earlier reported that hackers had stolen a wealth of data, including source codes for popular title “FIFA 21” and source code and tools for Frostbite engine, a software development toolset for game creators.

“No player data was accessed, and we have no reason to believe there is any risk to player privacy,” EA said in a statement.

Shares of the company fell nearly 2% to $143.50 after the report.

Singer R. Kelly Fires Two Defense Lawyers, Tells Judge, As Trial Looms

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R. Kelly told a federal judge on Wednesday that he fired two of his defense lawyers, exposing deep rifts in the singer’s legal defense team ahead of his August sex abuse trial in New York.

Kelly confirmed to U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn that he fired Steve Greenberg and Michael Leonard, leaving him with two defense lawyers.

“Is that what your wish is?” Donnelly asked Kelly during a hearing conducted by telephone.

“Absolutely, yes ma’am, your honor,” he responded.

Kelly’s remaining lawyers, Thomas Farinella and Nicole Becker, said they will keep preparing for the scheduled Aug. 9 trial.

The hearing briefly included allegations by Greenberg that unidentified members of the defense team had “documented mental health issues” and “can’t deal with stress.”

Donnelly asked that Greenberg and Leonard explain in writing why they were pulling out. She also said she would not delay the trial, which was originally scheduled for May 2020.

Farinella and Becker could not immediately be reached for comment.

Known for such hits as “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Bump N’ Grind,” Kelly, 54, has faced sexual abuse allegations dating back more than two decades, including in the January 2019 Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.”

The Grammy Award-winning singer has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges in cases filed in New York, Illinois and Minnesota, and has been held without bail for nearly two years.

Brooklyn prosecutors accused Kelly of running a criminal scheme in which women and underage girls were recruited to have sexual activity with him.

The Chicago case includes charges that Kelly engaged in sex acts with five minors, and used threats to keep victims quiet.

According to court records, a trial is scheduled for September, but the judge has asked both sides to propose a new date.

For Buhari, Apapa’s 12-year gridlock varnishes

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As at 9 o’clock Wednesday night, the normal queue of trucks in and out of Apapa had disappeared. The round the clock, seven days a week chaos that has become a major feature of Apapa, causing hours of unending traffic jams, was gone. Also, security, up till now, is tight in Lagos.

The reason for this unusual development in Apapa, Nigeria’s port city and economic hub, which has become a metaphor for stress and suffering, is because President Muhammadu Buhari is expected in Lagos on today.

This is the second time Apapa is experiencing a gridlock-free day following the visit of President Buhari. The first was in 2019 when Buhari, as presidential candidate, visited the Lagos to canvass for votes.

The implication of all these is that Apapa can work again if those who have the power also have the will.

It speaks volumes of what is possible not just with Apapa, but also the mess that defines Nigeria as nation. It is curious why somebody thinks Buhari shouldn’t see the chaos Apapa has become.

We will deal ruthlessly with those causing unrest in Nigeria – Buhari

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Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said his government would deal ruthlessly with bandits, hoodlums, killers and all those causing unrest in the country.

Buhari said he had given a directive to the security agencies, especially the police, to be ruthless with anyone or group causing unrest in any part of the country.

He said this in an exclusive interview session on Arise Television.

It was Buhari’s first exclusive interview since he was re-elected in 2019.

The president also spoke on issues bordering on infrastructural development, unemployment, 2023 election, and many other.

Buhari said the people of the North-West are one, yet they are killing each other. He said the situation was giving him concern as the people of the North-West were suffering a lot of casualties.

He said two South-West governors approached him saying that some farmers were killed by herders, but he asked them to go back and re-arrange their security networks.

He said in the First Republic, herders had the grazing routes and those whose animals grazed on people’s farms were arrested.

The president also defended his appointments, which many see as lopsided in favour of a section of the country.

Buhari said all the appointments he makes are strictly based on merit and not based on ethnic or regional balance.

But he would not speak on the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria which has generated a lot of heated debate.

Placido Domingo Honoured In Spain After Harassment Allegations

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Spanish tenor Placido Domingo speaks after receiving the "Honorary World Heritage Ambassador of Spain" award during a ceremony at Royal Theatre in Madrid, Spain, June 10, 2021. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

Spanish opera star Placido Domingo was honoured with an award at Madrid’s Teatro Real on Thursday, a day after receiving a standing ovation for his first performance in his home country since a union said he had routinely harassed women.

Spain last year cancelled planned performances by Domingo at publicly funded theatres, while the singer pulled out of shows after an investigation by the American Guild of Musical Artists concluded he had behaved inappropriately with female performers.

More than three dozen singers, dancers, musicians, voice teachers and backstage staff said they witnessed or experienced inappropriate behaviour over the last three decades.

U.S. institutions including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the San Francisco Opera cancelled planned engagements with Domingo and he resigned as general director of the Los Angeles Opera.

Domingo has apologised for having made colleagues feel uncomfortable but denies having behaved aggressively or acting to obstruct any fellow performer’s career. No formal charges have been brought against him.

His return to Madrid on Wednesday for a charity concert in aid of the Red Cross drew a huge crowd, including regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who said it was a “source of pride” to have the singer back in Spain.

Arriving at the ceremony, in which he was awarded the title of honorary ambassador for world heritage in Spain, Domingo spoke of the pride he felt to be back and the thrill of the previous day’s show.

“I feel great emotion, it’s my city, the great city of Madrid… After singing last night… it was such a special night I feel I have all the strength.”

Fans outside the concert defended Domingo’s legacy.

“We love him and we follow him almost anywhere…. We love him as a person as an artist as a singer,” said Wilda from South Germany, who travels the world attending his concerts.

Joyful ‘In The Heights’- Love Letter To Latinos In U.S.

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Leslie Grace arrives for the "In The Heights" opening night premiere at the United Palace Theatre in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Manhattan, New York, U.S., June 9, 2021. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

It’s taken 13 years to make its way from the stage to the big screen, but “In the Heights” is throwing a party and wants everyone to join in.

Hollywood’s biggest Latino film in decades tells the stories of the dreams and challenges of the largely immigrant community in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood.

The musical was filmed largely on location in Washington Heights, a choice that brought the authenticity that director Jon M. Chu and the musical’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, were aiming for.

Corey Hawkins, who plays taxicab employee Benny, was raised in the neighborhood and says filming there was like coming home.

“It was during the summer. So the kids were out on the streets. The fire hydrants were literally open. And it was just … it was like magic. It was one of the best summers I’ve ever had,” he said.

Aside from Jimmy Smits, most of the cast are rising Latino singers, dancers and actors who hope the movie will open the door.

Mick Jagger Jackets On Sale At Designs Auction

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Clothes worn by rocker Mick Jagger and the likes of actresses Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker are going under the hammer as part of a sale of outfits from late fashion designer L’Wren Scott’s archives.

A 1940s style black dress embroidered with pink sequins and worn by Madonna has a price estimate of 500 pounds to 800 pounds. Proceeds from the sale will go towards the L’Wren Scott scholarship, set up by Jagger in 2015 after the designer passed on in 2014, at London art school Central St Martins.

Christie’s Auction house is putting up 55 lots designed by Scott, who was known for her excellent designs and sleek intricately detailed dresses.

According to the head of sales at Christie’s London,Caitlin Yates, The online sale, which runs until July 1, is the first time a collection from Scott’s archives has come to the market. “It was Mick Jagger who decided to bring this to the market in celebration of L’Wren Scott,

Among items on sale are two jackets Scott and Jagger collaborated on for the Rolling Stones’ frontman. One is a sequined and embroidered oak leaf “glamouflage” jacket Jagger wore to perform at Glastonbury music festival in 2013. The other is adorned with beaded and sequined butterflies the singer wore to the Stones’ “50 & Counting” tour concert at London’s Hyde Park in 2013. Both have a price estimate of 20,000 pounds to 30,000 pounds ($28,254 to $42,381).

A black and gold sequined gown Kidman wore to the 2013 Oscars is expected to fetch 1,500 pounds to 2,500 pounds.

Wife Of Drug Kingpin ‘El Chapo’ Appears In Washington, D.C. Court

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Emma Coronel Aispuro, on Thursday pleaded guilty in federal court for her role in helping her husband run the Sinaloa cartel of smugglers.

The wife of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman,came out Clad in a green jumpsuit for a court hearing before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington, D.C., where she pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to distribute illegal drugs, conspiring to launder money and conspiring to assist the Sinaloa drug cartel.

She also admitted to conspiring to helping her husband escape from a Mexican prison in 2015 as part of a plea deal.

Coronel could face up to life in prison for the drug distribution charge alone. The other two counts against her carry maximum prison terms of 20 years and 10 years, respectively.