O.J. Simpson's Former Manager Says He 'Isn't Losing Any Sleep' Over Recent Knife Reports

The former football star, who is in prison for an unrelated robbery conviction, has heard TV reports regarding the knife, but is "isn't losing any sleep" over it, according to his former manager Norman Pardo. 

"Everybody I've spoken with says he's just ignoring it. He's not talking about it," Pardo tells PEOPLE. "When he heard the news on TV, all he did was shake his head, as if to say, 'Will this ever end?' He's definitely shrugging it off and pretty much saying, I'm not going to worry about it.'" 
Los Angeles Police Department previously said they plan to test the five-inch fixed blade buck knife that was given to a retired LAPD motor officer, who allegedly received the blade from a construction worker while working in off-duty on a movie set near Simpson's former Rockingham estate. 

''O.J. is a little worried because if it's one his pocket knifes and, if it's got his blood on it, that could make him look bad when he's up for parole,"

Simpson will go up before a parole board in November 2017. 

"That's really his only fear. Personally, I think it belonged to a construction worker and fell out of his pocket. Honestly, I don't think it pertains to anything," Pardo adds.
In 1994, Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her home. Police searched for the knife used in the attack for months but were never able to find it. 

Simpson was acquitted of the double murder on Oct. 3, 1995 but was later convicted on robbery and kidnapping charges and sentenced to prison in Nevada. 

In the case that the knife is identified as the murder weapon, Simpson will not be retried for murder due to double jeopardy, which prevents people from being tried for the same crime twice

Source: people

Bette Midler Says Kim Kardashian Will Have to 'Swallow a Camera' to Reveal Any More of Herself After NSFW Selfie

The internet is having a field day with Kim Kardashian West's latest NSFW selfie. 

While there was positive fan commentary, some celebrities, including Bette midler, expressed their disdain over the mother of two's naked photo. 

"Kim Kardashian tweeted a nude selfie today. If Kim wants us to see a part of her we've never seen, she's gonna have to swallow the camera," Midler, 70,tweeted in reaction to Kardashian West's naked photo, which was posted on Sunday. 

Chloe Grace  Moretz took to Twitter, criticizing West, 35, over the message she may be sending to young female followers.

"@KimKardashian I truly hope you realize how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than- [their bodies]," the actress wrote. 

Swiss govt to hold talks with Nigeria on repatriation of fresh $321million Abacha loot

Representatives of the Swiss government are expected in Nigeria on Tuesday to discuss with their Nigerian counterparts on the repatriation of another tranche of huge public funds stolen by late Head of State, Sani Abacha.

The delegation would be led by the Swiss Minister for Foreign Affairs, Didier Burkhalter, who is expected to meet with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, over the repatriation of the $321million confiscated from the family of former head of state, Sani Abacha.

An official of the Swiss Embassy in Nigeria, Pascal Holliger, confirmed the visit exclusively to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.

“Yes, our foreign Minister is on his way to Nigeria on Tuesday,” Mr Holliger said. “He is coming on a working visit to Nigeria. During the visit, he would open the Consular General’s office in Lagos and meet with the Vice President of Nigeria and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss the issue of the repatriation of the second tranche of the Abacha loot,” he said.

But some Swiss and Nigerian civil society groups, who got wind of the impending visit, dispatched a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari, demanding that his government give assurance that the $321million that would be returned to Nigeria by the Swiss government would be put to good use.

Copies of the petition titled “Restitution of Abacha funds: Swiss and Nigerian NGOs demand guarantees,” was sent to the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, and her foreign affairs counterpart, Geoffrey Onyeama, and the Attorney-General of the Federation and minister justice, Abubakar Malami.

A copy of the petition obtained by PREMIUM TIMES was also sent to the World Bank Vice President for Africa, Makhtar Diop, and the Federal Department for Foreign Affairs Office for International Public Law (DDIP) in Berne, Switzerland.

No fewer than 18 passengers on their way from Abuja to Bauchi have lost their lives as a result of a road accident that burnt their vehicle to ashes at Buzaye village in Bauchi State.

Confirming the incident to newsmen yesterday, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the ‎state, DSP Mohammed Haruna, said of the 18 persons that died, 17 were burnt beyond recognition and their corpses had been deposited at the mortuary for postmortem examination at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.

The fatal accident occurred on Sunday night along Bauchi-Jos Road, involving a DAF Truck with Registration Number XC-675-BAU and a Toyota Hiace bus with Registration Number BAU-148-XR.‎

Haruna explained that the truck heading towards Jos had a head on collision with the loaded 18-seater bus coming from FCT Abuja. The bus was immediately gutted by fire after the collision.

“So far, two of the identifiable victims are the 45-year-old bus driver, Alhaji Adamu Maijama’a and 41-year-old conductor, Yahaya Umar.”

Mohammed also urged members of the public whose relatives travelled from Abuja to Bauchi on Sunday to go the motor parks in Abuja and check the passengers’ manifest or report at the ATBU Teaching Hospital, Bauchi for identification

Source: The Gurdian

The deputy governor of Yobe state, Abubakar Ali, was on Monday involved in an auto accident along the Kaduna- Kano expressway.

A witness, Sunusi Abdul, told PREMIUM TIMES that the incident occurred in Daka-Tsalle town, along the expressway.

“The SUV he was travelling in had a head-on collision with a Toyota Avensis vehicle,” Mr. Abdul said. Fortunately, the deputy governor’s vehicle did not somersault, but the Toyota car was badly damaged and some of its occupants injured.”

Mr. Abdul, who said the accident occurred around 9:30 am, added that he also narrowly missed hitting Mr. Ali’s car.

He said the deputy governor’s convoy later continued its trip to Kano.

The accident happened a day after the Minister of State for Labour, James Ocholi, his wife and son died in a crash along the Kaduna-Abuja expressway. More pictures after the cut......

Source and Photo credit: Premium times/ Sanusi Abdul

NLC lauds EFCC over detention of Okorocha’s aides

The President of the  Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, has lauded the arrest of some of the aides of the governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged diversion of bailout funds.

Ayuba Wabba, stated in Abuja that labour has indeed been vindicated by the arrest of the aides over the allegation of diversion of part of the N2billion bailout funds meant for Imo State.

The NLC stressed that the lack of transparency in the handling of the funds wherein Stakeholders for whom the funds were meant were kept in the dark as to the availability of the funds in the first place, flew the red flag for Congress and the entire labour movement.

He added: “Curiously rather than apply the funds to cushion the hardship months of salary arrears indebtedness had caused workers, the Imo Governor chose instead to summarily shut down Government establishments and force workers out with backlog of unpaid salaries.”

He maintained that Congress was not fooled by the Governor’s claim of lack of funds to pay salaries as he clearly could not show where he had channeled the Bailout funds, adding that the decision to shut down Imo State few weeks ago through mass protests and strike action by workers has been vindicated.

“It is pertinent to point out here that most of our state and local governments have not keyed into the President’s passion, to change the way public funds are cornered as personal resources of the executives in power. This watery appetite for quickly channeling allocation from the centre, including loans, into personal accounts of the executives and their aides and cronies must be focused upon by the anti-graft agencies,” he stressed.

 He hinted that labour re-commits itself to eternal vigilance saying never again will workers be sacrificed to oil the insatiable appetite for stealing by chief executives of states and government agencies.

He further said: “The alleged looting of public funds by the Imo State Government must be discouraged. The crave for looting of state resources by a few privileged persons in government while turning around to unleash wickedness on innocent and harpless workers through owing of salaries and crude redundancy disengagements will no more be left unchallenged''

Wabba called on ICPC and EFCC to monitor the disbursement of the Bailout funds across the states. He also challenged the state governments in the spirit of the President’s gesture to publish how they have disbursed the funds.

Buhari may order audit of NDDC

The NDDC Acting Managing Director, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, told a delegation led by Staff Director, House Sub-Committee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organisations, Gregory Simpkins, that President Buhari might soon order a total audit of the finances of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from its inception, as part of his anti-graft war.

She stated this while responding to a question by the delegation if there is any effort to recover misappropriated funds belonging to the NDDC.

Mrs. Semenitari explained that she had submitted report of her findings on assumption of office to the President and she suspects strongly that there will be an audit of the commission, which she described as one of the scrutinised agencies of the Federal Government.

Simpkins described Nigeria as important to the United States as a partner in security and trade. Adding that it is vital that there is stability in the country, particularly its economic hub, the Niger Delta.

The NDDC boss stated that the Niger Delta master plan has a clear categorisation of the needs in the region, the problems as they exist and the things that need to be done to achieve development. She further revealed that the master plan is due for review.

''We are also suppose to provide guidelines to those who operate in the region in terms of defining the needs of the people, also providing strategies that assist other stakeholders in the region to carry out their work. When the commission was set up, it had a lot of consultations and came out with the Niger Delta development master plan, which is supposed to be the policy document that informs interventions in the region, whether by governments or other stakeholders, the international oil companies that operate here, or development agencies who do their work here,” she said.