181 students, staff test positive for COVID-19 in Lagos school (Guardian)
Lagos State Government has confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in a private boarding school in Lekki.
Lagos Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who broke the news on Friday, said 181 students and staff members of a private school located in Lekki tested positive to COVID19 during surveillance and case investigation in the school.
There are 441 students and staff in the school.
Giving details of the investigation, Abayomi explained that a 14-year-old SS1 female student fell ill on the 3rd of October and was sent home after receiving first aid at the school. Read more
#EndSARS: Thousands hold candlelight sessions for victims in Lagos, others (Punch)
Thousands of #EndSARS protesters gathered on Friday night to hold a candlelight session for the various victims of SARS/police killings at Lekki, Lagos Island.
Similar candlelight sessions held at Alausa, Lagos and other cities like Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja, and Yenagoa.
In a sombre mood, the protesters mourned the victims – who they described as “fallen heroes.”
On Friday night, the hashtag #FallenHeroes was among the most trended keywords on Twitter.
Some of the names of the victims of SARS/police killings were called at the session. Read more
Don’t be afraid to speak out, Sanwo-Olu tells victims of sexual abuse (Guardian)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse not to be afraid to speak out or seek help, saying the state government would ensure that perpetrators of such heinous crimes are prosecuted.
The governor, who spoke at the closing ceremony of the 20th edition of the National Women Conference of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO), which was held virtually, vowed that his administration would do everything possible to ensure that victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse expeditiously get the necessary support to overcome the psychological trauma associated with such abuses. Read more
17 students test positive in Kaduna University (Vanguard)
Due to fear of spreading COVID-19 on campus ,the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Kaduna State University (KASU) chapter has cautioned against the university management’s plan to reopen the school.
Like other institutions in the state, KASU has been shut for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, ASUU-KASU chapter said it is not yet safe to reopen the institution because of the fear that students might contract the virus as they will mingle freely among themselves during school hours.
Chairman of ASUU-KASU,Comrade Tukur Abdulkadir said that some weeks ago, 17 out of about 50 Medical students who were recalled for examination tested positive to COVID-19. Read more
PTF directs IG to present five-year plan for police transformation
Published (Punch)
The Chairman, Board of Trustees of Police Trust Fund, Suleiman Abba, on Friday said that the board had directed the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to present a five-year comprehensive strategic plan of action for the total transformation of the Nigeria Police Force.
Abba further disclosed that the Fund had resolved to organise an emergency training, provide requisite state-of-the-art equipment as well as an appropriate welfare plan for personnel deployed to the new tactical team and other specialised unit of the Force.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the PTF chairman appealed to the #EndSARS protesters to reciprocate government’s democratic posture and support the current reforms. Read more
SARS Reform: Presidential Panel recommends 37 officers for dismissal, 24 for prosecution (Vanguard)
The Presidential Panel on Reform of SARS has recommended 37 police officers for dismissal and 24 for prosecution following 113 complaints on alleged human rights violations from across the country received by the Panel.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Police Service Commission’s (PSC) Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, and made available to newsmen on Friday in Lagos. Read more
Enugu to demolish 59 houses (Guardian)
Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA, has issued 21 days demolition notice to 59 property owners in Enugu South local government area of the capital city.
The agency said the properties were suspected to have been constructed or were under construction without approval plan.
Chairman of ECTDA, Denge Josef Onoh said that the notice was in line with it’s previous notice which took effect on October 5, 2020, adding that it was part of the agency’s commitment to its ongoing urban renewal programme. Read more
IMF to support Nigeria, 79 others with $100bn (Nation)
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided a total of $100 billion concessionary loans to Nigeria and 79 other global economies to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on their people and economies, the multilateral institutions said yesterday.
Nigeria, had at the heat of the pandemic in April, received $3.4 billion emergency loan from the Fund to support the economy and stabilize financial system. The five-year loan was the largest emergency loan yet by the Fund to an African country’s bid to contain the pandemic.
In a report released at the end of the 2020 IMF/World Bank virtual Annual Meetings, which ended yesterday, in Washington DC, the Development Committee of Joint Ministerial Committee of the Board of Governors of World Bank and IMF said the COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate countries, overwhelming health systems, disrupting productivity, threatening food security, multiplying job losses, and reducing incomes, particularly for the most vulnerable. Read more
Macron calls Paris beheading ‘Islamist terrorist attack’ (BBC)
French President Emmanuel Macron has called the beheading of a teacher in a north-western suburb of Paris an “Islamist terrorist attack”.
The victim is said to have shown controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his pupils. The attacker was shot dead by police.
Mr Macron said the as yet unnamed teacher was murdered because he “taught freedom of expression”.
“They won’t win… We will act,” the president said from the scene. Read more
Chinese Covid-19 vaccine candidate safe, early reports say (Metro)
A Chinese Covid-19 vaccine candidate based on inactivated coronavirus is safe and elicits an antibody response, preliminary results have shown.
The research, published in the journal Lancet Infectious Disease, is based on small early phase randomised clinical trials involving 640 participants.
Scientists said those aged 60 and over were slower to respond, with antibodies taking up to 42 days to be detected in blood tests, compared with 28 days for participants aged 18 to 59.
They also found antibody levels to be lower in those aged 60 to 80 years, compared with those aged 18 to 59. Read more
UK reintroduces sprawling casual-sex ban amid nationwide lockdown ramp-up (RT)
The UK government has warned horny citizens that getting down with someone who lives outside their household will violate strict new lockdown measures which have reanimated an unpopular policy from earlier this summer.
British couples who don’t live together have once again been banned from bonking by London’s coronavirus restrictions, which – as of Friday – forbid individuals living in “high risk” Tiers Two and Three regions from staying overnight at the house of someone outside their “bubble.” Unlike similar regulations rolled out over the summer, even individuals in an “established relationship” are strongly discouraged from getting it on. Read more
Lebanon’s year of fire (Aljazeera)
From his home nestled in the lush mountains above Beirut, Salim Abou Moujahed watched flames eat up foliage on an opposing hillside.
The 32-year-old had been intrigued by fire since his childhood days spent outdoors in the rugged wilderness of Aley. Tonight, however, the fire was infernal, quick-moving, unpredictable. Soon enough, bone-dry shrubbery a few dozen metres from where he sat began to crackle.
He quickly got up and rushed towards the blaze, armed with basic fire-fighting equipment on hand in his village, Btater.
Once Abou Moujahed was there, the scale of the fire became clear. He sent four frantic voice messages to friends on a local WhatsApp group.
“Whoever has a cistern come now!”
“The neighborhood is on fire!” Read more
US election 2020: Early voting records smashed amid enthusiasm wave (BBC)
State election officials across the US are reporting record numbers of voters casting their ballots ahead of election day on 3 November.
More than 22m Americans had voted early by Friday, either in person or by mail, according to the US Election Project.
At the same point in the 2016 race, about 6m votes had been cast.
Experts say the surge in early voting correlates to the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused many people to seek alternatives to election day voting. Read more
P. Diddy launches ‘Our Black Party’, endorses Biden (RT)
American rapper P. Diddy has made waves announcing a “black political party,” but also endorsing Democrat Joe Biden because with Trump in office, “we are on the verge of a race war.”
In an interview with radio host Charlamagne Tha God, as well as through a series of tweets, P. Diddy announced the launch of Our Black Party, a new political party meant to “address the needs of black people” through “developing a coalition of people and organizations committed to building Black political power.”
The rap producer and ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ singer says the party, launched with a handful of black activists, is open to both Democrats and Republicans, but in his announcement, he also threw his support behind Joe Biden. Read more
Neve Campbell is super ‘excited’ to reunite with Courteney Cox and David Arquette for Scream 5 (Metro)
Neve Campbell is just as excited about her upcoming reunion with Courteney Cox and David Arquette as all Scream fans.
The trio are confirmed to star in Scream 5, which is set to see them filming together real soon, and the actress opened up about her delight about working with her co-stars again.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she stated: ‘I am leaving soon [and] I am looking forward to getting back to work.
‘It will be the first time since March and I am sure we are all dealing with getting back to work, so I am excited about that. Read more
Joshua to defend titles against Pulev in December (BBC)
World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will defend his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO titles against Kubrat Pulev on 12 December at The O2 in London.
Joshua, 31, last fought in December 2019 when he reclaimed his titles from Andy Ruiz Jr with a unanimous points victory in Saudi Arabia.
Pulev was due to face Joshua in June but it was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is not clear if it will be without fans because of Covid-19 restrictions.
Pulev has been waiting for a chance to face Joshua for almost three years after a shoulder injury forced him out of their planned world title bout in October 2017. Read more
Tireless Mbappe sends PSG top with brace at Nimes (Guardian)
Kylian Mbappe shrugged off any lingering fatigue to score twice in his second game in 48 hours as Paris Saint-Germain defeated 10-man Nimes 4-0 on Friday to take over top spot in Ligue 1.
The France forward struck the opener on 32 minutes at the Stade des Costieres and netted again late on as a weary Nimes folded following the early dismissal of centre-back Loick Landre.
Alessandro Florenzi scored PSG’s second on 77 minutes and Pablo Sarabia notched a fourth for the reigning champions as PSG climbed above Rennes on goal difference after a fifth successive win. Read more
Real Madrid rumours refuted as Manchester United trigger Paul Pogba contract extension (RT)
French World Cup winner Paul Pogba looks to be staying at Old Trafford despite interest from Real Madrid, as Manchester United triggered a one-year contract extension for the player whose deal was set to expire next summer.
The 27-year-old Pogba, who was a graduate of the Manchester United academy, returned to the Premier League club in 2016 in a world record transfer in 2016 after a spell in Serie A with Juventus but the playmaker has been linked with several big-money transfers in recent months.
Longtime suitors Real Madrid had been linked with a move for the player whose contract status would have allowed him to move on a free transfer next summer, but United have allayed concerns that they might not recoup a transfer fee for the Frenchman after extending his deal to 2022. Read more
Pep Guardiola provides Kevin De Bruyne injury update ahead of Arsenal showdown (Metro)
Kevin De Bruyne has been ruled out of Manchester City’s heavyweight Premier League clash against Arsenal with an injury he picked up while on international duty with Belgium. The Royal Belgian Football Association cited a fitness issue after the City playmaker was substituted after 73 minutes of Sunday’s UEFA Nations League loss to England at Wembley last week.
City have have made a mediocre start to the new season having been thrashed 5-2 at home by Leicester, while they also dropped two points against promoted Leeds United at Elland Road. Read more
Teenager Joao Pedro gives Watford win at Derby (BBC)
Joao Pedro’s magnificent curling strike earned Watford victory at Derby County in a scrappy Championship encounter otherwise short on quality and incident.
An error-strewn affair, without even a shot on target until the 74th minute, was eventually decided by a real moment of class from the 19-year-old, turning on the edge of the box before bending a brilliant right-footed effort into the top corner.
Until that point neither side had done enough to justify the three points, although Watford did look the more threatening. Read more
Frank Lampard drops Christian Pulisic selection hint but four Chelsea summer signings have issues (Metro)
Frank Lampard has hinted that Christian Pulisic could be in line to start against Southampton on Saturday, though he has several other injuries and issues elsewhere in his squad to deal with.
The west London club are back in action at Stamford Bridge tomorrow after the international break, though not all of his players came through the two weeks unscathed. Summer signing Edouard Mendy picked up an injury while away with Senegal – though it is hoped it is only a minor problem – while Ben Chilwell had to pull out of the England squad. Read more
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says number of Euro 2020 hosts might be reduced (RT)
Euro 2020 will ‘absolutely’ take place but the number of host cities could be reduced due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, says UEFA chief Alexsander Ceferin.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said that the postponed Euro 2020 will take place next year despite COVID-19 fears, noting, however, that the number of tournament’s hosts might be seriously reduced.
The 24-team event, which was delayed by a year due to COVID-19 pandemic, was set to be held across 12 cities in 12 different countries, however, a new upsurge in infections might mean there will be amendments to the competition’s format.
“We are always concerned about the situation (but) we are absolutely sure that the Euro will be played,” Ceferin said. Read more