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UK PM Truss Unveils Non-white Top Cabinet Members

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Liz Truss

Liz Truss on Tuesday unveiled her new top team as she formally took over from Boris Johnson as UK prime minister, with no place for white men in any of the three senior-most cabinet posts for the first time ever.

As expected, she rewarded allies to her during her victorious Conservative leadership campaign, promoting Kwasi Kwarteng to finance, James Cleverly to foreign affairs and Suella Braverman to interior.

The son of Ghanaian immigrants, Kwarteng is the country’s first black chancellor of the exchequer. His immediate focus will be turning round Britain’s dire economic fortunes.

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READ ALSO: buharBuhari Congratulates New UK Prime Minister

Cleverly is a mixed-race army reservist who served under Truss at the foreign office, while Braverman, whose parents are of Indian origin from Kenya and Mauritius, inherits a tricky brief from Priti Patel.

Cigar-smoking Truss loyalist, Therese Coffey, was made health secretary and deputy prime minister, Downing Street said in a slew of announcements.

Ben Wallace retained the defence ministry, with Truss vowing to extend Johnson’s staunch support for Ukraine.

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– Storm clouds –
Truss – Britain’s third female prime minister and the fourth Tory premier in just six years – earlier promised sunnier days ahead despite the current economic gloom.

Heavy rain and thunder forced her supporters to scramble for cover as they waited for her to arrive in Downing Street to make her inaugural speech.

But the clouds lifted as the 47-year-old former foreign secretary’s motorcade swept in, and she vowed that the country would “ride out the storm” of double-digit inflation and soaring energy prices.

“I will take action this week to deal with energy bills and to secure our future energy supply,” she said.

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“As strong as the storm may be, I know that the British people are stronger,” she added, outlining her priorities as the economy, energy and health.

Truss became Tory leader on Monday after a summer-long campaign sparked by a rebellion against Johnson in July after a series of scandals.

She arrived in Downing Street after a 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometre) round trip from London to see Queen Elizabeth II in the Scottish Highlands, where she accepted the invitation to form a government.

As soon as Thursday, Truss is expected to sanction a freeze on household energy bills to prevent steep hikes this winter, and possibly beyond, at a cost of tens of billions of pounds.

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– Energy crisis –
Hard-pressed households facing 80-per cent increases in electricity and gas bills from October have demanded immediate action to prevent millions being forced to choose between heating and eating this winter.

Businesses have also warned they could be forced to close because of even steeper hikes in energy costs.

Truss, who touts herself as a free-market liberal, has promised tax cuts to stimulate growth, despite warnings that greater borrowing could make inflation worse.

The contrast to her beaten leadership rival Rishi Sunak’s more cautious approach has opened another rift in the Conservative party that was already divided by Johnson’s departure.

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Recent opinion polls suggest a sizeable chunk of the British public have no faith in her ability to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

A new poll by YouGov said only 14 percent expect Truss to do a better job than Johnson.

– Comeback? –
Johnson, whose tenure was dominated by Brexit and Covid, and cut short by the succession of scandals, earlier promised Truss his unswerving support as he made a farewell speech in Downing Street.

“I will be supporting Liz Truss and the new government every step of the way,” he said, before leaving for Balmoral to tender his resignation to the queen.

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He urged the Tories to put aside their ideological differences which have seen the party fight like Downing Street’s cats and dogs over how best to tackle the energy crisis.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Boris Johnson Resigns As British Prime Minister

But the former newspaper polemicist failed to dampen speculation that he is eyeing a potential return to the political front line.

Like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough,” Johnson said. Latin scholars were quick to point out that the Roman statesman eventually returned to politics.

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Johnson, 58, remains popular among grassroots Tories as a charismatic election winner who took the country out of the European Union.

Despite repeated accusations of corruption and cronyism during his tenure, and an unprecedented police fine for breaking his own lockdown rules, Johnson is said to be smarting at having to leave.

Speculation has swirled that he could bide his time for a comeback, particularly if Truss struggles to overcome the country’s many problems.

Truss has ruled out seeking her own mandate at an early general election, promising to extend the Tories’ 12 years in power from 2024.

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AFP.

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VIDEO: Arsenal Pay Tribute To 14-year-old British-Nigerian Fan Daniel Anjorin Killed In UK

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Arsenal fans have paid tribute to the late British-Nigerian teenage fan Daniel Anjorin, who was tragically killed by a sword-wielding assailant in London on Tuesday.

During the 3-0 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday, Arsenal paused the game in the 14th minute, with fans applauding in tribute to 14-year-old Anjorin, whose favourite player was Bukayo Saka.

Anjorin’s image was displayed on the scoreboard, accompanied by banners reading “R.I.P Daniel” in different sections of the Emirates Stadium as a mark of respect for the Arsenal supporter.

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TV presenter Piers Morgan was among a number of Arsenal supporters who paid tribute to the young fan during the game.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Police Arrest Mastermind Of Abuja-Kaduna Train Attack

Anjorin’s family has issued a statement paying tribute to their son.

His family issued a statement via the Metropolitan Police that said, “We as a family are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Daniel. It is difficult for us at this time to process what has happened to him and that he will never come home. Daniel had left the house for school and then he was gone.

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“Our children have lost their loving and precious brother and we have lost the most loved and amazing son. We would like to send our best wishes to the other victims of this unthinkable incident.

“We would also like to thank the local community for all of their support during this most difficult time. We ask that the media please respect our privacy and refrain from contacting us or our family.”

READ ALSO: 14-year-old Boy Killed In London Sword Attack

According to The Guardian, a fundraiser set up for his family has raised more than £120,000 in three days, with more than 7,000 people donating.

Anjorin died on Tuesday morning as he walked to school in Hainault, in the east of Britain’s capital, when he was attacked by a man wielding what appeared to be a Samurai-type sword.

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The suspect, a Spanish-Brazilian national, Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, was remanded in custody by a London Magistrates Court on Thursday.

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Find The Man Who Stole $30000 From Me, Get $2000 Reward – Nigerian Man Cries Out

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Transaction details

A Nigerian man has offered a $2000 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest of a man who allegedly defrauded him and his friends of over N42 million (approximately $30,000 USD).

Addressing the public on X.com, he said, “Hi everyone, this person defrauded my friends and I.

“We will be offering $2,000 (USD) to anyone who has info on him or knows of his whereabouts.”

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According to the victim, the suspect, who moved into the victim’s apartment, spun a web of lies, claiming to need financial assistance for various reasons, including a dying nephew and financial problems with the Federal Inland Revenue Services

He narrated, “Roughly three months ago, The dude in the video came to my apartment in Lagos sharing that he had some financial problems with the FIRS(Federal Inland Revenue Services).

READ ALSO: Nigerian Man Extradited From Malaysia, Convicted For $6.3m Fraud In US

“He mentioned how he got locked out of his funds of over N107,000,000 (USD 71,000+).

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“We (my friends and I), were sympathetic to his cause and decided to lend a helping hand.”

The victim revealed that he first encountered the suspect on a gaming platform, Fortnite, in 2023.

They bonded over shared interests and his alleged profession as a skilled 3D and Motion Artist.

“I was happy to connect with him because he presented himself as a well-skilled 3D & Motion Artist.

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“He also shared his Upwork profile with me, which was very convincing,” he added.

Detailing the events that unfolded, he said the suspect moved into their apartment in early February after a period of lodging in hotels and other residences.

READ ALSO: UK Slams Fresh Sanctions On Iran After Israel Attack

He added that he even financed a computer rental for the suspect, who claimed it was essential for his work.

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He wrote “Here is a detailed breakdown of the series of events that played out while he lived with us (myself and my flatmates):

“He was shuffling between hotels and apartments in January before he finally moved in with us early February

“He mentioned he needed a computer to continue working as he didn’t have any at the time, so, I offered to help with the rental.

“I sent him the money to purchase the computer on rental about three times and he never for once, received any computer.

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READ ALSO: Tragedy As Man Shot Dead During Fuel Queue Tumult In Lagos

“He kept on spinning lies around how there was either a delay or how the money miraculously went into thin air without achieving its purpose. At the time, I believed all these.

“We also had to raise about N1,700,000 to help assist with the admission of his dying nephew into the hospital because, according to him, the child had suffered internal bleeding after falling off a trampoline.

“He used this and other tactics to coerce us into giving him more cash.”

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The victim revealed that in March, the suspect purportedly convinced him and his friend to accompany him to Abuja to address his FIRS-related issues.

He shared screenshots of transactions made to the suspect’s account, urging the public to scrutinise the details for evidence.

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PHOTOS: Moment 23-year-old Miss Ecuador Beauty Queen Is Gunned Down In Hail Of Bullets

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Shocking CCTV footage shows two gunmen bursting into an eatery before killing the former Miss Ecuador contestant.

The former beauty queen, seen in the footage wearing a blue top, was talking to a man when the gunman, circled, walked in

Landy Párraga Goyburo can be seen standing next to a man while chatting with him inside the restaurant.

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She can be seen glancing towards the door as her assailant sneaks into the place without her noticing.

As the first gunman runs towards them, Párraga drops to the floor while the man next to her ducks for cover.

The masked attacker quickly opens fire, shooting towards both Párraga and the man.

READ ALSO: Appeal Court Stops Yahaya Bello’s Contempt Proceedings Against EFCC

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He then stands over her as she lies helpless on the floor and appears to shoot her repeatedly at point blank range.

Both attackers then dash out of the door and flee the scene.

Images later showed the former beauty queen lying motionless on the floor in a pool of blood.

Cops are now investigating the murder while trying to identify the assailants.

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Párraga was a former Miss Ecuador contestant, having represented Los Ríos Province in 2022.

She had more than a million followers across her social media accounts.

READ ALSO: EFCC Chairman Narrates How 17-year-old Hacked His Computer, Bank Account

In December 2023, her name was mentioned in a chat made public by the Attorney General’s Office as part of a major organised crime case it is investigating.

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One of the 52 people being prosecuted in the case is Helive Angulo.

In the chat, Angulo told the drug trafficker Leandro Norero, whose assets he managed, that the police had asked him about Párraga.

READ ALSO: How Two Kenyan School Dropouts Made Prosthetic Arms For People With Disabilities

Norero cryptically wrote: “If my wife comes across anything about her, I’m screwed.

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“My friend, her name cannot come out anywhere. Otherwise, my world will come crashing down.”

Norero was killed in prison in 2022, six months after his imprisonment.

Money transfers made to Párraga’s bank account are under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office.

The office never prosecuted Párraga and she had never publicly commented on the case.

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SOURCE: THE US SUN

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