Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...

Israel has announced it will be going into a national lockdown for the second time amid a new surge in Coronavirus cases. Israel fighting off a major death toll, now records over 4000 cases of the deadly virus daily.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement in a televised speech on Sunday, September 13 saying from Friday, the eve of the Jewish New Year, schools, restaurants, shopping centres and hotels will shut down and restrictions on movement will be imposed. ‘Our goal is to stop the increase (in cases) and lower morbidity,’ Mr Netanyahu said.‘I know that these steps come at a difficult price for all of us. ‘This is not the holiday we are used to.’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a briefing today.The tightening of measures marks the second time Israel has gone into a lockdown. The lockdown will remain in place for at least three weeks, at which point officials are expected to relax measures if cases decline. Israel has had more than 150,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and more than 1,100 deaths amongst its population of nine million.