A global health crisis that could have brought humanity together in a spirit of solidarity was instead exploited by dictators and autocrats across the world to crack down on peaceful opponents, roll back democratic gains and step up surveillance efforts, according to a report issued on Wednesday by Amnesty International.
Governments across the world, but especially in the Middle East and North Africa region dominated by corrupt, repressive autocratic regimes, used the Covid-19 pandemic to silence, harass, arrest and even kill citizens, including the frontline health workers whom they publicly lauded as heroes of the pandemic.
Amnesty’s 408-page “The State of the World’s Human Rights” also identifies trends in inequality and discrimination that it says likely exacerbated the pandemic, which continues to wreak havoc across the planet.
“Pandemic times laid bare the devastating consequences of abuse of power, structurally and historically,” said an introductory note by Agnes Callamard, the new director general of Amnesty. “The Covid-19 pandemic may not define who we are, but it certainly has amplified what we should not be.”
The report details how governments “ruthlessly exploited” the pandemic to deepen attacks on human rights and freedom of expression.
American actor Zach Avery was arrested by FBI agents in Los Angeles on Tuesday for allegedly masterminding a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of hundreds of millions of dollars, US authorities said.
Avery, whose real name is Zachary Horwitz, told investors his company 1inMM Capital would buy film distribution rights and license them to Netflix and HBO but in fact had “no business relationship with either company”, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Instead, the 34-year-old operated the company as a Ponzi scheme, using money from new investors to pay older ones, the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a statement.
The SEC said his scheme had raised more than $690 million. The Department of Justice said it began in 2015 and that $227 million put in by victims was yet to be repaid.
Horwitz, described by the Los Angeles Times as “a small-time actor“, failed to find success as an actor. He starred in the critically panned 2020 film “Last Moment of Clarity”.
He allegedly used money from the scheme to fund a lavish lifestyle, which authorities said included trips to Las Vegas, buying a house worth $6 million, and paying a celebrity interior designer.
Authorities said the scheme had started in 2015, and that Horwitz and 1inMM promised victims returns of more than 35 per cent.
To establish his legitimacy, “Horwitz provided investors with fake license agreements, as well as fake distribution agreements with the aforementioned film companies, all of which contained forged or fictional signatures,” the US Attorney’s Office said.
Horwitz has been charged with wire fraud and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Princess Diana’s short hairstyle is one of her most memorable features, and according to hairstylist Sam McKnight — who worked with Diana from 1990 until her death in 1997 — the signature style happened simply because she trusted him to chop it all off.
In a video for British Vogue, McKnight reminisced about his time with the Princess of Wales and how much their friendship meant to him.
Of course, it’s not surprising to learn that McKnight described Diana as personable, warm, delightful, and all-around amazing.
“The first time I met the Princess of Wales was on a shoot,” he started. “This leggy blonde comes bouncing up the stairs, smiled and made us all melt, and it was Princess Diana.”
In that first shoot, which was a series of portraits that would eventually be published in British Vogue, he finessed her hair to make it look shorter. It was an illusion, he said, but both he and Diana liked the look.
“I made it look short under the tiara — I faked it a bit,” he said.
And while that updo wasn’t actually short, McKnight said that Diana was open to doing it for real. She actually asked him what he’d do if he had free reign and he explained to her that she should go short.
“I said, ‘I would cut it all off and just start again,'” he added. “It was the beginning of the ’90s and it was at the time that I was doing lots of shows and covers and a lot of the girls had short hair, and we were moving from the big frou-frou ’80s into the sharp, more androgynous, business chic of the ’90s.”
After he said that, she didn’t hesitate, telling him to go for it.
“‘Well, why don’t you just cut it off now?'” Diana said, according to McKnight. “So, I cut it off then and we never looked back.”
Sugar is a required part of everyone’s daily diet. But have you ever measured the amount of sugar you consume on a daily basis. Dessert might be your favourite part of the meal but it increases your sugar intake tremendously. All the delicacies like cakes, cookies, chocolates, brownies, doughnuts and many more are all loaded with sugar.
Sugar and refined carbohydrates are considered ’empty calories’, mainly because they don’t contain any useful nutrients. However, reducing your sugar intake may not be as simple as leaving the chocolate on the shelf. Some foods high in sugar are heavily processed, and the sweet stuff is added to make them more palatable and desirable. It’s these foods that are not always easy to spot the sugar in, and often those that are marketed as ‘healthy’, or low in fat which can be the worst offenders. In some cases, ready meals could contain up to 12 teaspoons of sugar per portion.
You might have heard the bad effects of consuming too much sugar. It puts you at an increased risk of diabetes, heart diseases and other chronic illnesses. There are some clear signs that your body gives when you are consuming too much sugar. These warning signs can be a red signal for you to reduce your sugar intake.
Poor skin health
Sugar can be the actual reason behind the skin conditions you are experiencing. Acne is the most common skin condition you might experience if you are consuming too much sugar. Also Excessive sugar consumption can cause long-term damage to skin proteins, collagen and elastin, leading to premature wrinkles and ageing.
Too much sugar could also contribute to an imbalance of the female menstrual hormones which could result in acne along the jaw line. Sugar is also the favourite food of less desirable gut bacteria and yeast, and consuming too much could lead to an imbalanced gut flora and inflammation in the body, typically seen in skin conditions such as eczema.
It also contributes to excess oil production and inflammation. So, do not blame your skin care routine and keep a check on your sugar consumption for healthy skin.
Constant Cravings
Sugary foods are addictive, giving you a quick ‘fix’ that tempts you back time and time again. Foods high in sugar have been shown to activate the reward pathway in the brain by releasing dopamine, similar to that of addictive drugs. The nutrient chromium could help to restore normal insulin function and supplementation has been shown to contribute to the maintenance of normal blood glucose levels and to reduce sugar and carbohydrate cravings.
Low Energy
If you feel that you do not have enough energy to complete your day-to-day tasks then you can blame your sugar intake. An increased level of sugar in your diet can drop your energy levels. Glucose is essential for energy production throughout the body, however, it is important to keep blood sugar levels balanced as opposed to experiencing the peaks and troughs that occur when we binge on sugary snacks. Following the consumption of sugar, the pancreas releases insulin to help transfer glucose to the cells, meaning we may experience a rush of energy. Once used up, we can experience a dip in energy as the body demands more sugar to start the cycle all over again. It is not hard to imagine that the higher the sugar peak, the more extreme the sugar dip that will follow.
Constant High Blood Pressure
Not just salt, sugar also spikes your blood pressure as well. Various studies have highlighted the effect of sugar on blood pressure. You must control your sugar intake to avoid hypertension. Hypertension is also a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases.
Unexplained Bloating
Less desirable bacteria and yeast produce gases when they ferment our undigested food in the colon. Bad bacteria particularly love eating sugars, whereas beneficial bacteria, who love veggies, are not believed to produce any gas. An overproduction of gas can lead to pain after eating, uncomfortable bloating and flatulence.
Weight Gain
This is the most common side effect of consuming too much sugar. Your high sugar intake can make it difficult for you to fit into your jeans. A lot of people completely avoid sugar to lose weight. So check the amount of sugar you are consuming to avoid those extra pounds around your belly. Glucose is a major source of energy for the body, but if it is not used immediately as energy, the body stores excess in the liver, muscles, or as fat around the middle. Glucose storage worked well when we were hunter-gatherers, but nowadays food shortage is rarely a problem so we end up storing more glucose as fat around the middle.
Weakened Immune System
Did you know that 70 per cent of our immune system is located in the gut, and supported by beneficial gut bacteria? It’s therefore important to keep a balance of good bacteria. A diet high in sugar, however, will feed the less desirable bacteria and yeast and consequently affect how well the immune system functions.
Your are always feeling Hungry
Due to the lack of nutrients in sugary items, you may feel hungry all the time. Lack of fiber and other nutrients will make you eat more to satisfy your stomach. This also contributes to weight gain. You will also feel the need to consume more sugar at times.
A Christian student group at a college in Michigan will not be punished for requiring leaders in the group to agree to a statement of faith, a judge has ruled.
The group, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Wayne State University, had initially had their official student club status revoked in October 2017 because of the requirement, The Christian Post reports. The college called the group’s policy for leadership positions “discriminatory.”
Without official club recognition status, InterVarsity could not reserve meeting rooms for free or apply for certain campus funding.
The group filed a lawsuit in March 2018 against WSU’s board of governors, board members and administrators. The school then temporarily reinstated the student group but said it still had the right to remove it.
This week, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Judge Robert H. Cleland ruled that the actions of the university “strike at the heart” of the First Amendment and are “obviously odious to the Constitution.”
“The uncontested facts demonstrate that Defendants violated Plaintiffs’ rights to internal management, free speech, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, and free exercise as a matter of law,” Cleland wrote in his decision. “Defendants also violated the Establishment Clause as a matter of law.”
“No religious group can constitutionally be made an outsider, excluded from equal access to public or university life, simply because it insists on religious leaders who believe in its cause,” the ruling stated.
In the lawsuit, InterVarsity claimed that other student groups are allowed specific requirements for members.
“Wayne State rightly allows fraternities to have only male leaders, female athletic clubs to have only female leaders, and African-American clubs to have only African-American leaders,” the lawsuit stated. “But Wayne State cannot then say it is wrong for a Christian club to have only Christian leaders.”
The fellowship group has been part of the college for more than 75 years.
Baylor coach Scott Drew says a culture of faith, selflessness and humility helped propel his team to the school’s first-ever national championship.
The Bears dominated No. 1 and previously unbeaten Gonzaga in the NCAA men’s championship game Monday night, 86-70, never trailing thanks to a stifling defense and a hot-shooting offense that tallied 10 3-pointers.
Gonzaga (31-1) entered the game as a slight favorite.
During a post-game nationally televised interview on CBS, Drew mentioned his faith – and the faith of his team – as a key to the team’s success. Baylor is a Christian university with a mission to “educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community,” according to its website.
“Our guys have been motivated all year,” he said. “It’s a player-led team. We’re so blessed to have unbelievable upperclassmen in leadership. But we play with a culture of joy. And it’s Jesus, others, yourself. They came out and they fed off of each other. We got off to a great start. And then defensively, we’re pretty good.”
It was Baylor’s first national championship in basketball and its first Final Four appearance since 1950. Drew took over the program in 2003 following a scandal under the previous coach and guided the Bears through multiple years of probation. Baylor made the NCAA Tournament in Drew’s fifth season as coach and the Elite Eight twice (2010 and 2012) before this year’s breakout season.
Baylor has made the NCAA Tournament nine times under Drew. In its previous 90-plus years of basketball, it had made the tournament only four times.
Nigerian Twitter users opened the app on Monday April 5 to find that quite a number of influencers have been yanked off the platform.
Trending under the hashtag ‘Jack’, many questioned why the accounts of popular influencers had been suspended, leaving them to create backup accounts and plead with users to follow them again.
It is alleged that these accounts, including but not limited to Dr Pampam (@UnclePamilerin), Four Eye Edo Boy (@Alex_House of 308), Tife (@Tife_fabunmi), Samuel Mbah (@mbahdeyforyou), Valhalla (@Valhalla_XO), Volqx (@volqx), MR AHMED (@UncleMohamz) were suspended indefinitely for their involvement in an online campaign to prevent the extradition of Alex Saab after receiving money.
Mr Saab is a Colombian business man of Lebanese ancestry facing extradition to the US on money laundering charges.
None of the influencers, who each have nothing less than a hundred thousand followers have admitted tot the allegations.
Tea is the world’s most commonly consumed beverage after water and Coffee is also extremely popular too.
Drinking coffee or green tea is associated with many health benefits, such as better cardiovascular health, lower inflammation levels, and a reduced risk for developing chronic disease.
People consume green tea and coffee for their characteristic taste and health benefits.
Caffeine content
Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant drug worldwide, and it’s naturally found in coffee and tea. In fact, coffee and tea are often the most predominant sources of caffeine in a person’s diet. However, coffee provides more than three times the amount of caffeine than green tea. An 8-ounce (240 mL) serving of coffee provides 96 mg of caffeine, while the same amount of green tea provides 29 mg.
According to research, intakes of 400 mg of caffeine per day are considered safe for adults. However, the recommended limit drops to 100 mg per day for teenagers and 2.5 mg/kg per day for children.
Caffeine is one of the most studied substances, due to its multiple beneficial health effects. These include:
increased energy levels, alertness, attention, and wakefulness
lowered mental and physical fatigue
quickened reaction times and improved accuracy
enhanced exercise performance
improved memory and mood
Evidence also suggests caffeine has protective effects on brain health, reducing the risk of dementia and other degenerative diseases.
Some studies have even linked caffeine intake with a lowered risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
However, research on caffeine and diabetes seems inconclusive, and further evidence suggests that it may actually increase blood sugar levels.
Scientists need to do more research on the potential effects of caffeine.
Health benefits
Green tea and coffee have multiple health benefits in common, including their high antioxidant content and weight loss effects.
Great antioxidant sources
Free radicals play numerous beneficial roles in your body. However, in excess, they lead to oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress is a harmful process that can negatively affect your health by causing disease and speeding up the aging process.
Luckily, coffee and green tea are loaded with antioxidants — compounds with beneficial effects against oxidative stress.
They’re both particularly rich in a group of antioxidants called polyphenols. In both drinks, these are responsible for many of their benefits and flavor.
Weight loss effects
There are several pieces of evidence that prove that both beverages can be effective when trying to lose weight. It also good to know that the elements present in both beverage helps promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which helps burn fat and improve insulin sensitivity, among other beneficial effects.
Furthermore, studies have found that caffeine is associated with weight loss. It appears to:
reduce hunger
increase calorie burning
activate a type of fat called brown adipose tissue (BAT), whose quantities decrease as you age
BAT has the potential to produce large amounts of heat and modulate fat and glucose metabolism.
Potential downsides
Though both coffee and green tea is known for their benefits, they may also have some drawbacks.
On one hand, added ingredients — such as sweeteners, creamers, and flavored syrups — may significantly increase your coffee or tea’s calorie and sugar count.
Research shows that sweetened coffee and tea are among the foods that contribute to high sugar intake in adults. This is associated with weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and dental cavities.
On the other hand, even though caffeine is considered a beneficial drug, consuming too much of it may lead to unwanted side effects, such as caffeine-induced anxiety and sleep disorders.
Evidence suggests that chronic intakes of caffeine may lead to increased alertness and anxiety. If consumed in high doses of over 400 mg per day, it can worsen symptoms of anxiety, panic disorder, and insomnia.
Furthermore, caffeine use may lead to caffeine dependence in some people. Those who have caffeine dependence may have caffeine withdrawal and may continue to use caffeine despite experiencing harmful effects.
There’s evidence that oils naturally present in coffee, including cafestol and kahweol, may increase blood cholesterol levels.
An analysis of studies found that consuming coffee made without a paper filter was associated with increased total and LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood. However, the authors found that people’s cholesterol levels didn’t rise when they drank coffee that was made using a paper coffee filter.
Which is better
Green tea and coffee are both safe beverages that provide you with the benefits of caffeine and antioxidants. Both are also associated with a decreased risk of certain diseases.
Coffee’s higher caffeine content may more easily lead to caffeine dependence compared with that of green tea.
On the flip side, coffee would be a more suitable choice if you’re looking for increased alertness or improved physical performance. Determining which is better ultimately comes down to your specific needs.
The bottom line
Green tea and coffee are two healthy staple drinks in many people’s diets.
They share many health benefits, such as anticancer effects and weight loss properties due to their caffeine and antioxidant content.
They also share the potential downsides associated with commonly added ingredients, such as sugar, creamers, and flavored syrups.
Considering coffee’s higher caffeine content and green tea’s L-theanine content may help you decide which one is better for you.
Green Tea and Coffee are both healthy and safe. Green Tea may be a better choice for people with anxiety or insomnia. In contrast, coffee may suit you better if you’re looking for increased alertness or improved physical performance.
But when it comes to overall health then green tea is more beneficial than blackcoffee. It is rich in antioxidants and has numerous proven health benefits.
Prince Harry And Meghan Markle have announced their first Netflix series “Heart Of Invictus”, a docu-series that reveals “the human stories and resilient spirit behind the Invictus Games.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on Tuesday, April 6, announced they have teamed up with Oscar-winning filmmakers Orlando Von Einsiedel and Joanna Natesegara to create Archewell’s first-ever Netflix series. Together, the group will tell the stories of the athletes competing in the 2022 Invictus Games, an international adaptive multi-sport event in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans take part in nine sports on behalf of their country.
Prince Harry, in a statement, said, “Since the very first Invictus Games back in 2014, we knew that each competitor would contribute in their own exceptional way to a mosaic of resilience, determination, and resolve. This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year..”
“As Archewell Productions’ first series with Netflix, in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation,” he continued, “I couldn’t be more excited for the journey ahead or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service.”
Harry will appear in the show and will serve as executive producer on the series.
The first Invictus Games took place in September 2014 at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, United Kingdom. The 2020 games were scheduled to be held in The Hague, Netherlands in May 2020, but were postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, has called on members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria to call off their industrial action.
Muhammad made the appeal to the judiciary workers following a meeting on Tuesday with some national and local officials of the union for a few minutes in his chamber at the Supreme Court in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
The meeting was reportedly convened to explore solutions and ways to mitigate the impact of the ongoing strike on the nation’s judiciary sector.
He criticized the unintended implications of the strike were better imagined than seen as they have spiral effects, including on children and the federal judiciary.
At the end of the meeting, the CJN asked the JUSUN officials to sheath their swords while the process of making state governments obey the Executive Order 10.
Members of the union commenced a nationwide strike on Tuesday in protest against the refusal of the state governments to enforce financial autonomy in the judiciary.
The judiciary workers faulted the state authorities for their action which they said contravened the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
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