The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on Saturday, declared its full operational readiness for timely and effective response to emergencies during the Yuletide season and beyond.
A statement by the Agency declared the emergency response lines when its Director General, Zubaida Umar, led staff on a fitness exercise in Abuja.
The exercise, which featured a route walk of about five kilometres, was aimed at promoting physical fitness, teamwork, and preparedness among staff in line with the Agency’s mandate as a frontline emergency coordination agency.
Speaking at the end of the exercise, Umar expressed satisfaction with the fitness level, discipline, and operational preparedness of NEMA personnel, noting that physical readiness is critical to effective emergency response, especially during periods of heightened human and vehicular activities.
She assured Nigerians that NEMA has activated its preparedness mechanisms nationwide and is working in close coordination with relevant stakeholders, including security agencies, emergency responders, and other critical agencies, to ensure rapid response to any emergency situation during the festive period.
The Director General urged members of the public to remain safety-conscious throughout the celebrations, advising motorists to avoid speeding, adhere to traffic regulations, and exercise caution on the roads and waterways, at public gatherings, and in residential areas.
She reaffirmed NEMA’s commitment to the protection of lives and property, emphasising that the Agency remains on standby across its zonal, territorial, and state operations offices to facilitate timely response to emergencies that may arise during the Yuletide season and in the days ahead.
Also speaking, the Director of Search and Rescue at NEMA, Air Commodore Bature Usman, explained that the fitness exercise is a routine activity designed to keep personnel physically and mentally prepared for emergency response operations at all times.
Gavin and Stacey star, Sheridan Smith, has spoken candidly about her ‘meltdown’ in 2016 when she was forced to withdraw from the West End production of Funny Girl after being admitted to hospital
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Gavin and Stacey star, Sheridan Smith, has spoken candidly about her ‘meltdown’ in 2016(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Award-winning actress, Sheridan Smith, has heartbreakingly admitted she felt “ashamed” after suffering a public breakdown in 2016.
In an interview with The Times, the Gavin and Stacey star, 44, has shared how she had a “meltdown” following two family bereavements. Explaining that she was “double grieving” at the time, Sheridan had just lost her father to cancer after her brother, Julian, died from the disease, aged 18. Reflecting on that harrowing time, Sheridan toldthe publication she didn’t want the world to know what she was going through. She said: “I didn’t ever want it to get out so publicly. You’re embarrassed. I felt ashamed, and I still sometimes feel it, like, ‘Oh, I wish that part of my life hadn’t happened.’”
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The mum-of-one is one of the country’s leading talents with a whole host of big name productions under her belt. However, nine years ago, Sheridan was forced to withdraw from Funny Girl in the West End – in which she starred in the leading role – after audience members claimed she was slurring her lines.
In 2016, while starring in the lead role for Funny Girl, Sheridan was drinking heavily and had become addicted to anti-anxiety medication. She was taken to hospital after having a seizure before taking an extended absence from the spotlight as her fans expressed their concern – and the rumour mill started to churn.On the night of the BAFTAs, host, Graham Norton, made a joke aimed at Sheridan’s drinking — “a few glasses of technical difficulties, as it’s known in theatrical circles” – after she missed three of the theatre shows in a row.
The much-loved star, who is currently starring in Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman In Mind in the West End, got a number of tattoos during her ‘meltdown’ and admitted that she didn’t think she would work again.
Thinking it wouldn’t matter if make-up artists couldn’t cover them up as she was ‘probably not going to work again’, she reveals one of her tattoos says: ‘Daddy’s little girl’, another ‘C’est la vie’ – while a third declares: ‘Peace is my priority’.
Pointing out how perfect Sheridan is for the role of Susan, whose fractured reality is explored in Woman In Mind, director Michael Longhurst says: “She’s sort of translucent in her feeling. I think it’s really brave, but also really profound, because it is a reclaim.
“It’s using those experiences to show how grief or conditions at a certain moment in time create a storm for a period that we need to be good at as a society in catching and helping, not attaching stigma to.”
He also points out that the cast have access to Applause for Thought, a company that provides mental health support for actors and strategies for coping with the pressure of performing eight shows a week.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t available to Sheridan nine years ago.
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*If you have been affected by this story, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk
For more than a century, Warner Bros has been one of Hollywood’s biggest players, a legacy studio that helped define the Golden Age of cinema with iconic blockbuster movies. Now, it’s at the centre of a contentious, billion-dollar bidding war between Netflix, the world’s leading streaming platform, and Paramount Skydance, owned by the powerful Ellison family, which has close ties to President Trump.
Whichever way this goes, the outcome isn’t looking great.
Contributors: Matt Craig – Reporter, Forbes Daheli Hall – Writer and director Lee Hepner – Antitrust lawyer Dominic Patten – Executive editor, Deadline
On our radar
This week, Australia became the first country in the world to impose a social media ban for children less than the age of 16. The Australian government says it is taking on Big Tech and safeguarding children, but some young people were able to quickly bypass the new rules. Ryan Kohls reports.
The Imran Khan rumour mill
Despite being in jail for more than two years, Imran Khan continues to occupy airtime in Pakistan. After the army restricted access to Khan, rumours of his death ricocheted across social media. Pressure from his supporters and family forced the military to lift the restrictions and grant Khan’s sisters access to speak to him. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the showdown between Imran Khan and powerful Field Marshal Asim Munir, and what it reveals about power, politics and narrative control in Pakistan.
Our Yorkshire Farm’s Amanda Owen, 51, and Clive, 70, split in 2022 after more than two decades of marriage but have remained co-parenting and running their farm together
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Amanda and Clive split after 22 years of marriage(Image: Amanda Owen/Instagram)
Our Yorkshire Farm’s Amanda Owen has had a tough time with her divorce, with friends and family fearing for her wellbeing amid the split. Amanda, 51, and Clive, 70, split in 2022 after increased public scrutiny following their successful Channel 5 documentary that explored life on one of the most remote farms in Britain.
Three years on, Amanda has opened up on the “dark days” she endured following the split after being married for 22 years. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Amanda revealed she battled an eating disorder, as well as anxiety and depression in the months following the breakdown of her marriage.
It was so bad that those close to her feared for her life. Clive recalls it as “the scariest time” and says there were nights when he feared he would not see Amanda the next morning. “I just shut down,” she told the publication. “Physical and mental health are intertwined and anxiety, depression, paranoia, agoraphobia and an eating disorder were all smooshed into one.”
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Her struggles only worsened when cruel trolls began noticing her weight loss and calling her names. While the divorce was rocky, Amanda said there is “no tension” between her and Clive, with the pair remaining close co-parents and owners of the farm.
Clive lives at Ravenseat Farm, while Amanda lives in their holiday rental The Firs that is close by. She added that the divorce took away toxicity in their relationship, allowing their friendship to blossom once again.
She explained: “It’s taken away the sharp edges of two people being together and not getting on. We’re both strong characters, belligerent and pig-headed and there was no one particular problem that needed ironing out. It was a clash of personalities.”
The pair share nine children, with their documentary series showcasing life on the farm raising them. In descending age order, their children are: Raven, 24, Reuben, 22, Miles, 19, Edith, 17, Violet, 15, Sidney, 14, Annas, 12, Clemmy, ten, and nine-year-old Nancy.
Clive insisted they always put the children first, explaining how their children have grown up to be “independent” and “resourceful”. Their eldest Raven has flown the rural nest and is now working in Newcastle full time.
Reuben has his own heavy plant machinery business, which has spawned a spin-off TV show, Reuben Owen: Life In The Dales. Edith has a part-time job in the pub, while the remaining children are in full time education.
While Amanda dated soon after their split, Clive has now also begun seeing new people. “He’s had three,” she added, discussing how many women he had been with since her.
But for Amanda, there is no man currently in her life as she focuses on her health and wellbeing following a difficult few years. While the pair appeared to have the perfect set up in their show, behind closed doors their relationship was falling apart as fame became overwhelming.
Amanda began securing book deals and TV appearances, leaving Clive feeling left behind. While she once left the house in her wellies and muck-proof clothing, she found herself getting glammed up for major events in the city.
“I didn’t want Clive to feel emasculated or make him into a house-husband,” she told the Daily Mail. But rows would often ensue, leading to the pair becoming distant.
Amanda said she had struggled with an eating disorder for years prior to her fame, explaining it was amplified after nine pregnancies changed her body. The media intrusion and public scrutiny became too much, and she found herself back and forth to the hospital seeking help.
“I’m out of the woods now”, she said. Despite occasional relapses and intrusive thoughts, Amanda said she feels more able to handle it with the increased awareness and support she has received.
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Christmas Tales From The Farm by Amanda Owen, is out now (£14.99, Puffin)
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Syrian security forces and United States soldiers have come under fire during a joint field patrol near Palmyra, in the central Homs region, leaving two Syrian personnel and several US service members wounded, the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) state news agency reported.
The assailant was killed in the incident on Saturday, with no further details regarding the motive or circumstances, SANA reported.
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Traffic on the Deir Ezzor–Damascus highway was temporarily halted as military aircraft conducted overflights in the area, the agency said.
A security source told SANA that US helicopters evacuated those who were wounded to the al-Tanf base near the Iraqi border.
There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon.
The US has troops stationed in northeastern Syria as part of a decade-long effort to help a Kurdish-led force there combat ISIL (ISIS).
ISIL captured Palmyra in 2015, at the height of their military ascendancy in Syria, before losing the city 10 months later. During that time, it destroyed several ancient sites and artefacts while using others to stage mass executions.
ISIL was vanquished in Syria in 2018, but still carries out sporadic attacks without controlling any territory inside Syria.
Mohamed Salah was named on Liverpool‘s bench for their Premier League game against Brighton.
It was his first time in a Reds squad since claiming he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club following last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Leeds.
Reds boss Arne Slot only named eight substitutes instead of nine for Saturday’s game.
Salah did not travel to Italy for their 1-0 Champions League win over Inter Milan.
With Saudi Pro League clubs interested in signing Salah when the transfer window reopens next month, there is the possibility this could be his final time in a Liverpool squad.
Saudi clubs have been interested in Salah for some time and Liverpool rejected a £150m offer from Al-Ittihad in the summer of 2023.
He still has 18 months left to run on the deal he signed in April.
Salah is Liverpool’s third top goalscorer of all time with 250 strikes in 420 games – but he has not started for Liverpool for five consecutive games.
Last weekend Salah said he had invited his family to come to the Brighton game, adding: “I will be in Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go to Africa Cup of Nations. I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.”
Earlier in the week Slot said “I have no clue” if Salah had played his last game for the club.
But after positive talks during the week, Salah was named in the squad to face Brighton.
Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas is due to talk to the club while Salah is on international duty at Afcon.
