THE INTENSIFIED REPORT

Nigerian actor Alex Ekubo has vowed to bring home an Oscar Academy Award. Ekubo made this known while congratulating Wizkid and Burna Boy who recently won the Grammy Award for Best music video and world music album respectively.

Prince Philip, 99, has undergone heart surgery for a pre-existing condition. Buckingham Palace says the op was successful and he will remain in hospital while he recuperates. More to follow....

 A prominent Saudi Muslim cleric has said that divorce alerts made via WhastApp, or short text messages, comply with the Islamic Sharia. “Divorce made through WhatsApp, text messages or on phone is valid because divorce takes place in writing as well as verbally,” said Sheikh Abdullah Al Mutlaq, a member of the Committee of Senior Scholars, Saudi Arabia’s top Islamic body. “Accordingly, if the husband makes the divorce oath via WhatsApp, the divorce takes place,” Al Mutlaq told a fatwa programme on the Saudi state television Al Saudia. Muslim men traditionally use verbal divorce to end marriages by telling their wives: “I hereby divorce you”. There has been an increase in divorce rates in Saudi Arabia in recent years. Three out of every 10 marriages end in divorce in the kingdom, according to official statistics.

A Paris court found French former President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption and influence peddling on Monday and sentenced him to a year in prison. He can ask to serve that time at home and also plans to appeal. The 66-year-old, who was president from 2007 to 2012, was convicted of trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated. He will remain free while he appeals, but it was a blow to the retired politician who still plays an influential role in French conservative politics. It’s not the end of his legal troubles either: He faces another trial later this month and is also under investigation in a third case. The ruling marks the first time in France’s modern history that a former president has been convicted of corruption — and given a prison term. His predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was found guilty in 2011 of misuse of public money during his time as Paris mayor — not considered a corruption offense — and was giv

 Anambra State led the chart with 85 new cases of coronavirus as the NCDC reported 240 new cases of the virus. Nigeria has now recorded a total of 155,657 cases of the virus, 133,768 recoveries and 1907 fatalities. State by State breakdown of the new cases are as follows. 240 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Anambra-85 Lagos-82 Osun-17 Ogun-10 Kwara-9 FCT-8 Kano-7 Abia-6 Borno-4 Edo-2 Bayelsa-2 Kaduna-2 Rivers-1 155,657 confirmed 133,768 discharged 1,907 deaths 

 Golfing champion Tiger Woods, thanked fans for helping him get "through this tough time" in his first personal message since the car accident. In a tweet, Woods said," It is hard to explain how touching today was when i turned on the tv and saw all the red shirts. To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time." Several PGA tour golfers wore Wood's trademark red t-shirt during the WGC-Workday Championship on Sunday. The 45-year-old fractured his leg and had to be cut out of the wreckage after his car collided with a kerb and tree before rolling several times, and has been moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre for follow-up procedures to his right leg.

Nigerian singer Omah Lay took to Twitter to mock theives who stole his Laptop, microphone and audio interface from his box at the airport. The singer who was suprised at the incident, rhetorically asked; " y'all looking for a hit record or what?

 World War II veteran Capt. Sir Thomas Moore, who captured hearts around the world when he raised millions of dollars for healthcare workers at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, has died. He was 100. The announcement was made on his official Twitter account Tuesday, featuring a photo of Moore with the text, "1920-2021." Moore's death comes after he was hospitalized with pneumonia at Bedford Hospital on Sunday. He had texted positive for COVID-19 the week before, according to his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, "The Queen is sending a private message of condolence to the family of Captain Sir Tom Moore. Her Majesty very much enjoyed meeting Cpt Sir Tom and his family at Windsor last year. Her thoughts, and those of the Royal Family, are with them, recognising the inspiration he provided for the whole nation and others across the world." Moore was once called "a beacon of light through the fog of coronavir

 21-year-old rapper Lil Nas X, revealed the origin of his birth name and the inspiration behind his stage name. According to the 'Panini' crooner, the story behind his real name is slightly embarrassing, but not embarrassing'. Lil Nas X while speaking to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, revealed that he was actually named after a car. First asked by Fallon, 46, what he should call him, Lil Nas X told the late-night host, "You can call me Nas or Montero," which prompted Fallon to ask why he didn't use Montero, his real first name, as a stage name. Lil Nas X explained that Nas came from his "internet alias," before adding that he took inspiration from other new musicians when he came up with the rest of his stage name. "When I started doing music, I was like, 'I want to have fun with this," he said. "And every new rapper's name is Lil, Lil, Lil. 'What if I was Lil Nas? That'd be funny.' So I was like, 

Manchester United will go head-to-head with Liverpool in a mouthwatering English FA cup fourth-round fixture. The Red devils got past a resilient Watford side in the third-round , thanks to a Scott McTominay's header in the early stages of the encounter. Liverpool on the other hand, defeated Premier League side Aston Villa 4-1 in the third round. United take on Liverpool in a crucial Premier League fixture on Sunday at Anfield, after the game against Burnley on Wednesday. The full draw

 After six years of marriage and more than eight years together, the love story of  Kanye West and Kim Kardashian is facing a major shakeup as they are set to go separate ways. Kim wants to make sure she's making the right decision for the kids, which tells why she has not yet filed for divorce. The pair share four children together, North West, 7, Saint West, 5, Chicago West, 2, and Psalm West, 20 months. Their relationship is said to have deteriorated to the point where they haven't spent time together as a married couple in months.

 Dr. Dre has been admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering a brain aneurysm. According to TMZ, Dr. Dre suffered the aneurysm on Monday and was rushed by ambulance to Cedars , where he was taken directly to the ICU. The 55-years-old music mogul is said to be stable and lucid, but doctors has said that they did not know what caused the bleeding and they are doing a battery test. Dre is in the middle of a contentious divorce with his estranged wife Nicole.  There is a hearing on Wednesday in downtown L.A. on issues regarding his divorce with Nicole and the settlement therein. Obviously, Dre will not be attending due to his health condition.

The 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards has been rescheduled from January 31 to March 14, as communicated by the Recording Academy in a statement. The rescheduling is due to the recent COVID-19 surge. Read the full statement below 👇👇👇 "After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards® to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021. The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show. We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors and especially this year's nominees for their understanding, patience and willingness to

Vice president Mike Pence is said to have told Donald Trump he does not have the power to overturn the election result - just hours before he is scheduled to preside over Congress’s ratification of Joe Biden’s victory. Trump tweeted earlier that Vice President Pence has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors. On Wednesday, Mr Pence is scheduled in his constitutional role to oversee a joint session of Congress, in which the House and Senate will vote to formally confirm Mr Biden’s victory. It marks the final step in the process before his inauguration. - Independent

Moyo Thomas, the lady in the sex scandal story involving the Managing Director of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Nuhu Adams, has spoken on the incident that was alleged to have led to the death of her husband, Tunde Thomas. Moyo’s response, authored by her family, however, did not state the involvement of her former boss in FCMB in the saga. She, however, said in the statement made available to Igbere TV that her two kids belong to Tunde and that they were not legally divorced before her husband’s death despite the fact that she had relocated to the United States of America. The response, signed by Adetunji Iromini, on behalf of the family, said in part: “This is quite unfortunate in many ways. It does not augur well for the memory of the departed soul especially as we are all grieving the loss of Tunde, who was buried on Wednesday 30th December, 2020. The pictures of the children are being posted in the social media, without care. “There would not have been any need to r

A Milan-based appeals court on Tuesday ordered Facebook to pay 3.83 million euros ($4.70 million) in damages to an Italian software development company for copying an app, a court document seen by Reuters showed. The judges said the U.S. group copied their 'Nearby' feature from Italy's Business Competence's app 'Faround', which allows users to identify shops, clubs, restaurants in their surrounding area through geolocalisation. The court's decision upheld a 2019 ruling but increased the amount of damages that Facebook will have to pay, initially set at 350,000 euros. "We have received the court's decision and are examining it carefully," a Facebook spokesman told Reuters. - Reuters

President Donald Trump has stated that Vice-president Mike Pence has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors. This is coming 24 hours to the Formal validation of the electoral college votes which will be presided by Vice-president Mike Pence, and will declare who has been elected president and vice president of the United States. Trump is yet to concede defeat and is confident that the Vice President might reject the electors, in a final push to overturn the President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Contrary to President Trump's baseless claims of a "rigged election," the Justice Department has concluded that it has found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

Son of late billionaire transporter, Ekene Dili Chukwu, dies of Covid-19 Son of late billionaire transporter and owner of Ekene Dili Chukwu Motors, Augustine Ilodibe Jnr, is dead.  A statement from the family, stated that the 42 year-old Ilodibe Jnr, died in Lagos from COVID-19 complications. The statement was signed by the deceased’s brother, Obinna. “With great sadness we announce the passing unto glory our dear son, husband, father, brother and uncle, Ekendilichukwu Augustine Chukwunonso ILODIBE (Junior) who died this morning from complications of COVID-19 in Lagos,” the statement read in part.

Paul Okoye aka Rudeboy of the defunct PSquare, has tested positive for COVID-19. The Star took to his Instagram handle to share the sad new and how it has been dealing with him for the past ten days and termed the sickness the worst sickness ever. "ATTENTION!!! F*ck it !!! Covid is REAL !!! I know as typical Nigerian or African is very hard to believe 🤢🤢 some will say “experience is the best teacher 🚶🏿‍♂️🚶🏿‍♂️🚶🏿‍♂️ oh well , the experience and the teacher has visited me and they’ve been dealing with me for more than 10days now 🤢 sh*t is not funny ..... worst sickness ever!!! ...... y’all better be careful out there 🙏❤️ if you like believe me , if you like don’t believe me 🤷🏾‍♂️ you can as well wait for your own experience by playing ignorance 🚶🏿‍♂️Goodluck 🚶🏿‍♂️God help us all 🙏," Paul wrote on his Instagram page. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rudeboy (@iamkingrudy)

Singer Justin Bieber has debunked rumors about him studying to be a mister for Hillsong Church. Bieber took to Instagram story to debunk the news which was reported last month by Page Six.

Former Big Brother Naija contestant Cynthia Nwadiora Popurlary know as Cee-C has rejected a lucrative deal from an aphrodisiac company. Cee-C took to instagram to stated her stance when it comes to brand influencing, citing Ethical principles and standard as a benchmark. She also went on to tell aphrodisiac vendors who might want her services in the nearest future in terms of advertising and influencing that the door is shut out at them. She wrote on her Instagram page  "Attention to all prospective brands/clients: First of all, I want to thank all my past and current clients for their support and patronage. I must say that y’all have been a blessing to the Ceec brand. And for that I am eternally grateful. Furthermore, as we begin the new year, I’d like to make a promise to prospective brands/clients, that I will work my ass off to ensure that your brands and businesses that I influence, succeed. That being said, I MUST make something clear: It’s not a race to being th

The Uruguayan Football Players Association (A.F.U.), has blasted the English F.A over the way and manner at which the issue surrounding Manchester United forward Edison Cavani was handled. Cavani was handed a three match ban for a statement that was apparently misjudged by the English F.A as racist. The 33-year-old Uruguayan used the word "negrito" in an Instagram post after the club's victory over Southampton on Nov. 29, before taking it down and apologising. He said it was intended as an expression of affection to a friend. On Thursday the FA said the comment was "improper and brought the game into disrepute", fined Cavani 100,000 pounds and ordered him to complete "face-to-face education" as part of his punishment. The Uruguayan Academics had earlier slammed the FA over the same incident.

Juventus and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo hit another landmark in terms of social media followers hip, as he becomes to first celebrity to hit past 250 million followers on the social media platform Instagram. He is indeed a serial record breaker. The Star equalled and overtook Brazilian legend Pele , in the most official career goals chat, after hitting two in weekend's game against Udinese in a Serie A fixture.

The Minister of the Information and Culture,  Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Monday, said the Federal Government may find it difficult to impose another COVID-19 lockdown in the country citing the economic and social implications as an important factor. The Minister, who addressed newsmen in Lagos, however, urged Nigerians to adhere strictly to all COVID-19 protocols laid down by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. He said: “I don’t think there is anywhere the Federal Government said it will impose another lockdown. However, the Federal Government is not happy that Nigerians are not observing all COVID-19 protocols like washing of hands and wearing of facemasks. The Federal Government is aware of the economic and social implications of having another lockdown. The Federal Government will, however, urge Nigeria s to follow all coronavirus protocols."

Bitcoin slumped 14% to $27,805 on Monday, losing ground after making dramatic gains over the new year break. The world’s most popular cryptocurrency surged over $30,000 for the first time on Saturday, touched a record high of $34,800 a day later, as investors continued to bet the digital currency was on its way to becoming a mainstream asset. Read more here

American rapper Cardi B has beseeched social media company Twitter, to release her from Twitter shadowban, promising good behavior on the platform. Cardi B was apparently shadowbanned by Twitter for her repeated use of vulgar words while tweeting, a behavior which she said went with 2020.

A British man sent social media users agog after he legally changed his name to iconic singer Celine Dion, following a moment of drunken madness. Welcoming the New Year on a bizarre note, a 30-year-old hospitality worker, formerly known as Thomas Dodd, found out that he had legally changed his name when documents confirming his new name arrived at his home. Shocked, he couldn’t remember when and how it happened but blamed “too many vinos” over the festive season for the goof-up. Sharing images of the deed poll — a legal document that proves the change of name — he wrote, “Tier 4 is the least of my worries – I’ve just got home to some post.” “I had been planning to go and see her (Celine Dion) in Vegas but obviously couldn’t due to Covid. So, I’ve become a bit hooked with watching her concerts on YouTube as its the next best thing. I’m a bit obsessed with her and always have been,” the ardent fan of the crooner of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ fame told Metro. He said he