Former soldier killed himself just hours after telling his girlfriend he was planning to propose.
Macauley Jepson, 23, discharged himself from the Army in April, 2019 after suffering chest pains during physical training.
An inquest heard how Macauley's family had returned from a week-long holiday to find him dead at their home on Arkwright Grove, Sneyd Green, Staffordshire, on August 14 last year.
Macauley - who has a masters degree in sports science and psychology - had lost one of his childhood friends to suicide earlier in the year.
While his mum, dad, younger sister and younger brother had been away on holiday the former Holden Lane High School pupil stayed at his girlfriend's house on August 12.
In a statement, girlfriend Bethany Greenhough said: "We've known each other since we were at sixth form.
"Our relationship was very good, we never had an argument. In terms of mental health he was fine on the whole.
"When he did one of his physical tests in the Army he had a tight chest while he was running and felt like he couldn't breathe. For that reason, having been told the physical training would only get harder, he decided he was going to leave the Army.
"Tests were done by his GP to see if there was any issue with his heart, and all of those tests came back negative."
Bethany last saw Macauley on the morning of Tuesday, August 13 and he text her later that day about his plans to propose.
She said: "The last message he sent me was on the Tuesday at 11pm. He text me during the evening and said 'I hope you know how much I love you'.
"I switched my phone back on after work on the Tuesday and continued to exchange text messages. He sent me a message saying 'I'm the happiest I've been in the last three years'.
"We had a conversation and he said he was going to propose to me and planned on marrying me. He talked about how his plans had been frustrated by him coming out of the Army.
"The last message he sent told me how much he loved me and he wished me a good night's sleep. I thought it was strange that he didn't text me on the Wednesday morning, but I thought he was lying in or tidying up before his family came back."
Mum Lisa Gibson had last spoken to her son over the phone the day before he died.In a statement, she said: "He was devastated when he left the Army. It was a big event in his life and he told me in May that he felt he had let me down.
"When we went on holiday on August 9 he was laughing and joking and back to his normal self and nothing gave us cause for concern.
"He called me to tell me his results had come back for his tests and that they were clear. He said he was planning on rejoining the Army as an officer and seemed ecstatic.
"I last spoke to him on August 13 at 5.30pm. I called him and asked if he was OK. He asked what bins needed to go out and asked how his sister was, there was nothing unusual.
"He had a friend who took his own life and he was instrumental in organising a get-together to celebrate his friend's life. We simply don't know why this happened."
His GP record showed no history of mental health issues.
Concluding that Macauley died as a result of suicide, North Staffordshire coroner Andrew Barkley said: "I'm very sorry that nothing answers the central question which is why this happened."
The federal government has banned what it described as non-critical and administrative capital spending, including the purchase of vehicles.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a document tagged, “What you need to know about the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan” made available to journalists yesterday in Abuja, listed eight key interventions contained in the sustainability report.
The plan was developed by the Economic Sustainability Committee (ESC) chaired by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and set up by President Muhammadu Buhari earlier in March.
The document was designed to support the economy in the face of the disruptions and challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Adesina listed the eight key interventions to include mass agricultural programme, infrastructure, informal sector support, business support for MSMEs, technology, expansion of National Social Investment Programmes, cut in non-essential spending and support for state governments.
As part of ways to cut non-essential spending, Adesina said only ambulances, fire-fighting vehicles and other essentials were exempted from the ban on the purchase of vehicles.
He said: “The president has approved the implementation of the report on the rationalisation of government agencies.
“The NESP will also target a reduction in average production costs of crude oil.
“Also, the Integrated Personnel and Payment Information System (IPPIS) will be expanded to cover all federal government’s MDAs.
“Non-critical and administrative capital spending will be eliminated, including purchase of vehicles (except for ambulances, fire-fighting vehicles and other essentials).”
The presidential spokesman stated that the Economic Sustainability Committee would monitor the implementation of the plan with the vice president regularly briefing the president on the issue.
The funeral of former Oyo Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has been postponed.
His spokesman, Bolaji Tunji, told reporters in his Oluyole, Ibadan residence this morning the family would soon make an announcement of the burial programme.
Tunji said: “The funeral arrangements will be announced soon by the family but it will be observed privately so as to be in accordance with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) guidelines.”
He appealed to sympathisers, who have been thronging his residence, to continue following NCDC guidelines by washing their hands, using face masks and keeping social distancing, among others.
Ajimobi died in a private hospital in Lagos on Thursday at 70.
Meanwhile, peep his supporters crying at his Oluyole residence in Ibadan.
Tennis star Venus Williams found herself screaming in terror as she was draped with a giant snake across her body after losing Wednesday's episode of Game On! on CBS.
The five-time Wimbledon winner and team captain once again pitted her wits against NFL legend Rob Gronkowski’s team for America’s entertainment.
But in the fourth episode about facing one’s fears, it was Williams who was forced to battle her demons, while Gronkowski, who is also scared of snakes, sat back and laughed.
Host Keegan-Michael Key urged her: “Venus, you must face your fears!”, to which Williams simply replied: “I’d rather not.
She then looked at sidekick Ian Karmel, a comedian, and guest star Tony Hale, an actor, and added: “I’m gonna send in my representatives.”
But Keegan-Michael announced: “Venus has to do it. The team captain has to do it. Those are the arbitrary rules that we've made up for our show.”
The studio audience then gave Williams plenty of support, chanting ‘Venus! Venus!’ as the giant snake was placed over her.
This is where things got a little more scary for the 40-year-old, as the huge reptile coiled around her and flicked its tongue at her.
She screamed out in fear, but after some prompting from Ian Karmel, ended up dancing like Britney Spears at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards when she performed the iconic I'm A Slave 4 U.
Williams extended out her leg and traced the floor in front of her, before the snake slid through her causing her to shake.
Watching on, Gronkowski could only laugh and say to his guest star, SNL's Bobby Moynihan: “Wow, that's incredible!
“I’m so glad we won, I'm so glad we won!”
Game On! first aired on American screens back in May 27 on CBS.
A Russian pensioner forced her daughter to live off cat food while caged at her home for 26 years.
Nadezhda Bushueva was kept isolated with her elderly mother in a hovel the pair shared with cats.
Nadezhda had been kept isolated in the home, which had no electricity or running water, since the age of 16 in order to 'protect her from the dangers of the outside world'.
It was only when her mother was hospitalised that the now 42-year-old left the house in the Arefinsky village in western Russia.
Her mother, Tatyana, had kept her daughter trapped at home when she finished school not allowing her to work or to continue her studies, local council leader Vasily Tovarnov said.
Nadezhda said she became "used to it" and did not try to leave of her own accord.
The pair became increasingly reclusive after Tatyana retired and later rejected help from social services and other officials.
When Tatyana fell ill, Nadezhda went to Tovarnov’s office where her shocking ordeal was revealed.
She confided to officials that their house was full of rats and cats and the two women slept in the same bed.
My life is worse than a cat’s life. Cats have more rights. I don’t even exist anymore. I’m the living dead.
When the cats died, they reportedly did not move the decomposing bodies.
According to local media, the 42-year-old also admitted that she had not bathed since 2006.
In photos her hair is seen in a large tangled clump at the back of her head.
She explained: “My life is worse than a cat’s life. Cats have more rights. I don’t even exist anymore. I’m the living dead.”
She added: "I need a workplace, I need a passport.”
Tovarnov said: “Nadezhda came to my office by herself. We wanted to feed her, we prepared her sandwiches, but she didn’t eat anything. But she is not insane."
According to local media reports, the daughter is unsure how the outside world works and she has been unable to travel to the hospital with her mother when she was hospitalised.
It is unclear why the elderly woman was hospitalised, though some speculate it may have been a stroke.
Many have commented on how young the now 42 year-old looks after living in such appalling conditions.
Sveta Yarosheva said: "She has such a beautiful face, I feel sorry for her."
And Nikita Pavlov added: "At 42 she still looks young despite the conditions."
Fifteen residents of an indigenous village in southern Mexico have been massacred in a horrific attack, authorities have said.
The victims were reportedly on their way to a meeting when they were ambushed by a gang of thugs at a roadside coronavirus testing checkpoint - with several of the victims beaten and burned alive.
State prosecutors in the state of Oaxaca said that the bodies of 13 men and two women had been identified in the municipality of San Mateo del Mar, east of the Pacific port of Salina Cruz.
The shocking news comes amidst a spate of violence linked to local disputes in the Mexican countryside.
In a statement, the San Mateo del Mar municipal government said the attack was orchestrated by at least six armed people, with the support of a local crime boss.
State prosecutors added that investigations were underway to determine the motivation of the horrific violence in Huazantlan del Rio, a local village of Ikoots indigenous origin.
Two of the women killed were reported to have been protesting against abuses committed by one of the suspected attackers José Luis Chávez Salinas - who describes himself as a representative of the village.
Officials are still investigating whether the attackers had guns, Reuters reports.
DEADLY DISPUTE
Local police have confirmed that no arrests have been made, and a huge investigation has been launched with 39 National Guard members sent to patrol the streets of the town to deter further violence.
The area of San Mateo del Mar, which lies on a coastal spit, has suffered from various territorial disputes through the years.
The town saw several violent clashes between the supporters of local mayor Bernardino Ponce and rival groups on the night of his election victory in October 2019.
Some reports have linked the attack to a wind farm project, which locals have feuded over for years.
Land disputes over infrastructure projects are also reportedly commonplace around the isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Ikoots people have lived in the region for over 3,000 years, and many work as fisherman or in agriculture.
Dencia has joined hundreds of Nigerians to mock Instagram big boy Hushpuppi.
Hushpuppi was recently arrested in Dubai for financial crimes which runs into millions of dollars. Before now, he flaunted powerful cars on Instagram and boasted about being rich.
He is known to insult parents of people who try to question his wealth.
Anyway, during his reigning days, Hushpuppi took to Instagram to slam people who joined the Black Lives Matter protest online slamming them that, anyone who bleaches is not qualified to protest.
He had written; "Don't post black lives matter if you're bleaching."
Now in prison, Dencia who sells skin lightening products, decided to fire back at him, assuming it's the best time to have a laugh at him.
She shared Hushpuppi's post condemning skin bleaching and wrote: "At least bleaching is legal, we buy and sell legal bleaching without fear of arrest. He was arrested a day after this post. How can you be so loud, old, acting childish and doing illegal sh*t but always talking sh*t, demeaning and insulting hardworking folks on top of their money you are stealing?
"If you gonna be a criminal, be a smooth one. You can't be smart and be dumb at the same time. N*ggahs ain't street smart, they are social media smart".
A 35-year-old pastor in Akwa Ibom State has been arrested by the police for allegedly r.a.p.ing a 16-year-old girl inside his church.
The police said Nnamso Friday Jacob, otherwise known as ‘Major Prophet Honesty Jesus,’ drugged the girl before he r.a.p.e.d her.
The incident reportedly occurred on June 23 at Mr Jacob’s church, the Living Power of Zion Church, Ndue Eduo, Okon Eket, Eket Local Government Area of the state, the police spokesperson in the state, N-nudam Fredrick, said in a statement.
The police said the girl went for “counselling and deliverance” which was fixed by the suspect who is the general overseer of the church.
“While she was in the prophet’s counselling room, the suspect administered an intoxicating liquid substance to the victim and thereafter took advantage of the victim and had unlawful carnal knowledge of her,” Mr Fredrick, a chief superintendent of police, said.
Mr Jacob is the second pastor to be arrested for rape in Akwa Ibom in less than a month.
The police on Wednesday said a pastor was arrested in the state for keeping eight teenage girls in a so-called deliverance centre and allegedly r.a.p.ing one of them said to be 15 years old.
The police said the girls are between the ages of 13 and 16.
The pastor, identified as Inimfon Eyo Inyang, 33, was said to have also made an attempt to rape a 21-year-old girl. He was among the 12 people arrested for rape in the state.
A good Nigerian identified as Mr Chidiebere Ogbonna has returned 1.8 million naira which he found in a carton of indomie noodles he purchased in Owerri, Imo State.
According to the story, the carton was partially filled with noodles coupled with some bundles of N1000 notes.
When asked why he returned the cash despite the hardship affecting the country at the moment, he said the money was not his, so there was no reason for him to keep it.
The owner of the business who could not hold back his joy, thanked him and told him to come back and collect a carton of indomie whenever he needs it till December.
Delta state Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has announced that one of his children has been diagnosed with the dreaded COVID-19.
Okowa, in a statement via Twitter on Friday, disclosed that his daughter, Edith tested positive for the virus. He wrote;
'Earlier today, Edith and I received the news that one of our daughters has tested positive for #COVID19. Hence, in-line with the laid out procedures, we are both going into isolation for the next 14-days.
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has boasted that he would be governor again for another four years.
The Governor made the boast Friday morning, while making his acceptance remarks, after being declared winner of the People’s Democratic Party’s primary election held at the mainbowl of Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin.
The election which commenced at about 4 pm Thursday, was concluded at about 1 am Friday.
He described his emergence as the party’s standard-bearer in the September 19 governorship election in the state as triumph over retrogressive forces that have determined to hijack the state for their own selfish endeavour.
“Today, history is being made in Nigeria, because the victory we are celebrating today has been a long and strenuous walk, strenuous walk to political freedom which has culminated in my election as a flag-bearer of our great party. By the grace of God, I will be governor again for another four years.
“I wholeheartedly accept this responsibility, which has been entrusted on me by the representatives of our great party, and this responsibility will enable me to consolidate on our achievements till date, it will help me to deepen good governance in Edo State and it will help us to restore the pride of Edo people, and make the state one of the best state to live and do business in Nigeria.
“Today marks a defining moment in the political history of our State and indeed our country. Our story is one of courage in the face of protracted crisis and ultimately, a triumph over retrogressive forces that have determined to hijack our state for their own selfish endeavour.
“With today’s election, we have demonstrated again that no mountain is too high to stop the aspirations of our people that have put their faith in God, and in one accord, to make life better for the greatest numbers of our people,” he said.
The Governor, who disclosed that there were moments during the struggle when he was tempted to quit, thanked the leadership of the PDP for providing him shelter under the umbrella when he was swept into the rain by the APC.
“Let me use this opportunity to thank the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwwal, Governor of Sokoto state, and our other colleagues, particularly Governor Nysom Wike of Rivers State, Governor Umahi of Ebonyi state, my brother, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state, and all the Excellencies and many more who are not here.
“We are eternally grateful to PDP governors, leaders of our great party particularly the national chairman, Uche Secondus, and all other members of the National Working Committee who have provided us that shelter under that large umbrella in a storm when we were pushed out.
“With your continue support, we will make Edo greater than we met it. As children of God, we will be magnanimous in victory but we will not forget that when the rains were beating us PDP provided us with the umbrella,” he said.
Congratulations are in order for Nigerian actress Stella Damasus Ademinokan as her second daughter Angelica Aboderin graduates from high school.
The proud mum of two girls shared on her page, the good news with pictures of her look alike baby girl rocking her graduation gown.
Stella wrote: My beautiful daughter @angelicatooni graduated high school today. I am such a proud mum right now. She didn’t only get scholarship to @columbia she is also #valedictorian of the class of 2020. #classof2020 #columbiauniversity
Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has found the 9-year old Imo singing angel.
The 9-year old had gone viral after a video of him singing catholic hymns was posted online.
The video also caught the attention of the Imo state Governor, who promised to automatically adopt him as his son and send him to school till university level.
Well, FFK also made a similar promise while fulfilling his N250K pledge to his parents. The former minister says, he is also ready to send him through school till he leaves university.
Sharing a video of his in-law who had gone to deliver the cash gift to the boy's parents because he also lives in Owerri, FFk begged other wealthy Nigerians who had pledged to help the boy who also sold pears to fulfill their promises. The video and FFK's tweets below...
''After much ado we finally found the handsome young boy from Owerri who sings like an angel and I have honoured my pledge. He touched my life with his songs of praise and he inspired and brought hope to millions. May God continue to be with him and use him...
''..I call on all other prominent personalities &public figures that made a similar pledge to him to pls honor them &I reiterate my intention to be responsible for his school fees from now until he finishes University. We must ensure that his gift & talent does not go to waste.
''..Again there will be no more street hawking for him because I will also send him an allowance every month. His golden voice, which is his gift from God, and his obvious love and passion for the Lord has certainly made a way for him and his life will NEVER be the same again.
''..I am so proud of this young man who is doing such a great work & who says he wants to be a priest. I am proud of his parents too who have weathered every storm, remained steadfast in their faith & trusted the Lord regardless of the challenging circumstances that they face.''
After much ado we finally found the handsome young boy from Owerri who sings like an angel and I have honoured my pledge. He touched my life with his songs of praise and he inspired and brought hope to millions. May God continue to be with him and use him...1/4 pic.twitter.com/srp7VHPXCp
The Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports in Oyo State, Mr. Seun Fakorede, has tested positive for covid-19.
Fakorede, a 28-year-old, said he had gone into isolation in order not to spread the disease.
Fakorede, who is the youngest commissioner in Oyo State, said he didn’t know how he contracted covid-19 because he usually takes all necessary precautions.
He, however, said Nigerians must know that covid-19 is not a death sentence as many, including his boss, Governor Seyi Makinde, have beaten the disease.
The commissioner also he remained asymptomatic as of Friday morning.
Sequel to a tanker accident that claimed two lives on Kara bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, on Sunday, the Federal Ministry of Works has said the road will be shut for integrity tests.
A letter addressed to the Lagos State Government and signed by the Deputy Director, Highways, Federal Ministry of Works, K.Y. Ibrahim, solicited the support of the state for the success of the job.
Ibrahim said the contractor handling that section of the expressway requested that the bridge be shut from Friday to Sunday in order to ascertain the bridge’s “serviceability state after the fire incident”.
“We now request the support of the Lagos State Government in terms of handling the expected high traffic volume that may be generated along the axis during the work and also to help evacuate the wreckage of the accident still on site,” the letter said.
Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has confirmed that one of his daughters has tested positive for Coronavirus.
The governor added that he and his wife, Edith, are now self-isolating for the next 14 days.
He disclosed this on his official Instagram page with the caption; ”Earlier today, Edith and I received the news that one of our daughters has tested positive for #COVID19. ”
”Hence, in-line with the laid out procedures, we are both going into isolation for the next 14-days. We will continue to keep you all updated.” he wrote
Delta state currently has 715 confirmed cases of Covid-19.
Justin Bieber is seeking legal recourse against two anonymous women who previously accused him on social media of s.e.xual assault.
In a filing of a defamation lawsuit against the two Jane Does (who remain anonymous save for their Twitter handles @danielleglvn and @ItsnotKadi and respective names they went by on social media: Danielle and Kadi, respectively), Bieber's lawyers say the accusations against him are "factually impossible, and disproven both by indisputable documentary evidence and the individuals’ own admissions."
"Danielle claimed she was s.e.x.ually assaulted at the Four Seasons Hotel on March 9, 2014, however, Bieber did not stay at that hotel in March 2014 and there are multiple witnesses and documentary evidence to dispute Danielle's malicious lie," the complaint, filed on Thursday and obtained by PEOPLE, says, before calling Kadi's accusation "likewise factually impossible, are contradicted by her own prior written statements, are supported only by falsified or faked texts."
"Danielle fabricated her sexual encounter with Bieber at the Four Seasons Hotel because it was publicly reported that Bieber had dinner at the Four Seasons Restaurant on March 10, 2014 and presumed that Bieber was at the hotel because of the public reports of him dining at the restaurant," the filing continues. "However, even though Bieber went to the restaurant, he did NOT stay at the Four Seasons Hotel."
According to the filing, Bieber and his then-girlfriend Selena Gomez both attended his last-minute, surprise performance at SXSW that night, with him dedicating a song to her.
He was later photographed leaving the venue with Gomez, according to the filing, and they then went back to a rental property they were staying at "along with several friends." In one of the exhibits, Bieber's legal team presents "details and receipts of the Rental Property where Bieber and Gomez and friends stayed, and for the Westin Hotel stay the next night."
Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has stated that no amount of blackmail can deter him from fighting corruption in Nigeria.
Magu, an award-winning anti-corruption Czar, on Thursday, disclosed that those stealing Nigeria’s money must be stopped. Addressing a delegation of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Abuja, He said;
“Those stealing, embezzling, hiding and carrying our wealth away are not our friends. We must stop them. We must stop looters. We must stop the industry of corruption by all means and we shall surely stop them.”
“Fighting corruption is not a tea party. More than ever before, fraudsters are devising new techniques and strategies every day to beat established rules and systems. Besides, several fight-back ploys are also being fashioned to distract and discourage genuine fighters of corrupt practices. For us, all these strategies are all too-known. We are familiar with the desperation of fraudsters.”
Speaking on the accusations, Magu said he was aware of the ‘Blackmail and campaign of Calumny’ revealing that he will continue to fight and expose corruption.
“We are familiar with their blackmail and campaign of calumny but we will not give up. We will continue to expose and bring corrupt elements to book. We will never give up!”
The Attorney General of the Federation, AGF Abubakar Malami had called for the removal of Magu last week over alleged diversion of recovered loot for personal gain.
