30 yr old woman rescued from Lagos collapsed building (Vanguard)
A 30 years old woman has been rescued alive underneath the rubble of a collapsed building in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos.
The incident occurred, Friday, at about 1 pm at 95, Abeokuta Street by Cemetery, Ebute Metta, Lagos.
The victim has been moved to the hospital following the injuries she sustained. Read more
Two arrested for alleged rape, murder of neighbour’s wife (Punch)
The police in Katsina State have arrested two men, Faisal Lawal and Abba Nasiru, for allegedly raping and killing their neighbours wife in the state.
The two men who are twenty years old each, are from Kakumi village in Baure Local Government Area of Katsina State.
They were alleged to have raped and murdered a housewife in the village.
The Spokesman for the Katsina Police Command, SP Gambo Isah, confirmed the development on Friday.
He said the duo, on May 11, 2020, scaled the fence of the house of one of their neighbours, Yunusa Adamu about 1 am and allegedly raped his (Adamu) wife, Hajiya Adamu. Read more
Lagos schools resume August 4 (Vanguard)
In accordance with the decision of state governors in the South-West geopolitical zone to reopen schools, primary and secondary schools in Lagos State are set to reopen on August 3, this year.
However, only learners in primary six, junior secondary school 3, and senior secondary school 3 are to resume.
This, it was gathered, followed a meeting held on Thursday in Ikeja with some stakeholders in the sector by officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Education.
During the meeting, the Department of Quality Assurance in the ministry mandated all schools, whether public or private to fill an online assessment form, stating their preparedness to meet conditions stipulated for school reopening by the Federal Ministry of Education. Read more
Man, 30, jailed 20 years for defrauding Taiwanese (Punch)
A 30-year-old fraudster, Gabriel Oluokun, was on Thursday, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State for defrauding a Taiwanese to the tune of $22,300.
The convict was prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a six-count amended of obtaining money by false pretence.
According to the Commission, Oluokun received a petition from one Nduka Lucious in which he alleged that the convict collected the sum of $22,300 from him in three installments on the agreement that he would supply 100 metric tonnes of sesame seed to one Victoria Xhung, a China-based Taiwanese businesswoman, whom the petitioner represents in Nigeria. Read more
Dogara returns to APC after meeting Buhari (Nation)
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara has returned to the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Dogara, who defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) shortly before the 2019 general elections, was led to meet President Muhmmadu Buhari at the State House on Friday by chairman of the party’s Caretaker/National Planning Committee Governor Mai Mala Buni.
The former Speaker did not speak with State House correspondents after the meeting but Buni confirmed he had rejoined the APC. Read more
Sultan declares Friday Sallah day, urges Muslims to pray in mosques (Vanguard)
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has declared Friday July 31 as Eid-el-Kabir Sallah day and urged Muslims to observe prayers in mosques.
Abubakar, also the President General Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), made the call in a statement signed by Prof. Sambo Junaidu, Chairman Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Sultanate Council issued to newsmen on Thursday in Sokoto.
The statement reads: “In view of the current situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sultan hereby advises all District Heads and Imams in Sokoto State, to observe Eid prayers at their Juma’at Mosques. Read more
Court orders Diezani to surrender for trial (Nation)
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Maudeke, to appear before it and answer to a money laundering charge filed against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a ruling on Friday, on an ex-parte motion, Justice Ijeoma Ojkukwu ordered the issuance of summons on Diezani for her to attend court for the purpose of her arraignment on the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018.
To ensure that Diezani, said to have fled Nigeria for the United Kingdom (UK) was aware of the invitation, Justice Ojukwu ordered that the court’s summons should be published on the website of the EFCC and a national daily in a conspicuous manner. Read more
Military dismantles illegal refining sites, impounds barrels of stolen crude oil in S/South (Guardian)
The Defence Headquarters says the Maritime Component of Operation Delta Safe, has dismantled some illegal refining sites and impounded refined and crude oil products within one week in the South-South region.
The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche announced this at a news conference on the operations of Armed Forces of Nigeria on Friday in Abuja.
The operations were carried out from July 17 to July 23. Read more
Persuading Americans to Wear Masks is No Easy Task (VOA)
The science is clear: Masks save lives.
In their latest forecast, researchers from the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predict that nearly 220,000 people will die of COVID-19 by November 1 in the United States.
“If 95% of Americans wore masks when leaving their homes, that number would drop by nearly 34,000,” the scientists wrote in an email. “Those who refuse masks are putting their lives, their families, their friends and their communities at risk.”
But resistance to wearing a mask persists in the United States, especially in the South and Midwest, as reported in The New York Times.
For many mask opponents, the issue is politics, not public health. Read more
China orders US consulate closure in tit-for-tat move (BBC)
China has ordered the closure of the US consulate in the south-western city of Chengdu, in a tit-for-tat escalation between the two countries.
China said the move was in response to the US closing its consulate in Houston, and accused staff in Chengdu of meddling in its internal affairs.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US decision was taken because China was “stealing” intellectual property. Read more
Sumatran tiger cub born in Polish zoo (France24)
A Sumatran tiger — a critically endangered species — was born in a zoo in Poland, officials said on Friday.
The female cub was born during the coronavirus lockdown on May 20 at the Wroclaw Zoo in the southwestern city by the same name, but news of her arrival was only made public now.
Her seven-year-old mother Nuri and 11-year-old father Tengah are part of a global breeding programme aimed at saving the species from extinction. Read more
Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia opens as mosque for Muslim prayers (CBC)
Thousands of Muslim faithful made their way to Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia on Friday to take part in the first prayers in 86 years at a structure that was once one of Christendom’s most significant cathedrals, then a mosque and museum before its re-conversion into a Muslim place of worship.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was scheduled to attend the inaugural prayers inside the sixth-century monument along with around 500 dignitaries, as he fulfills what he has described as the “dream of our youth” anchored in Turkey’s Islamic movement.
Thousands of men and women, including many who travelled from across Turkey, quickly filled specially designated, segregated areas outside of Hagia Sophia to be part of the first prayers. Read more
Goldman Sachs in $3.9bn settlement with Malaysia over 1MDB (Aljazeera)
Malaysia has reached a $3.9bn settlement with Goldman Sachs over losses suffered from a multibillion-dollar scandal at the country’s 1MDB investment fund.
The deal announced on Friday includes a $2.5bn cash payout by the Wall Street giant to the Malaysian government and a guarantee to return at least $1.4bn in assets linked to 1MDB bonds.
“This settlement represents assets that rightfully belong to the Malaysian people. We are confident that we are securing more money from Goldman Sachs compared to previous attempts, which were far below expectations,” Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Malaysia’s finance minister, said. Read more
Genetic impact of colonial-era slave trade revealed in DNA study (BBC)
A major DNA study has shed new light on the fate of millions of Africans who were traded as slaves to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries.
More than 50,000 people took part in the study, which was able to identify more details of the “genetic impact” the trade has had on present-day populations in the Americas.
It lays bare the consequences of rape, maltreatment, disease and racism. Read more
‘Folklore’ is the album Taylor Swift was born to make (USAToday)
Have you ever listened to “All Too Well” and said, “Great, now can I have 16 more of these?”
That’s essentially what Taylor Swift has done on “Folklore,” her most introspective and emotionally raw album yet. The 10-time Grammy winner, who is known for her meticulously orchestrated album rollouts, broke from tradition and surprise-announced “Folklore” on Thursday, less than 24 hours before its Friday release.
After embracing her pop side on her past three albums, including last year’s “Lover,” the former country star is switching up her sound once again. This time, she’s taking a page from some of her songwriting heroes including Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and Carole King. While plenty of pop luminaries such as Justin Timberlake (“Man of the Woods”) and Lady Gaga (“Joanne”) have taken detours into stripped-down folk/soft rock, none have made the transition as seamlessly as Swift, who reminds us once again that she’s the most gifted songwriter in music today. Read more
Nasarawa fined N10m, Lafia stadium banned over Martins’ death (Punch)
Nigeria Professional Football League side, Nasarawa United, have been fined N10m by the ad-hoc committee set up by the Nigeria Football Federation to investigate the death of the club’s defender Chineme Martins.
Martins slumped and died in Nasarawa United’s NPFL match against Katsina United at the Lafia Township Stadium on March 8.
The committee’s chairman, Dr. Peter Singabele, submitted its report to the NFF in a virtual meeting on Thursday. Read more
PSG set sights on French Cup victory as football final kicks off (France24)
Four months after French football ground to a standstill as the coronavirus pandemic worsened, Paris Saint-Germain head into Friday’s national cup final against Saint-Etienne looking to land the first of a potential three titles in a five-match burst.
Declared Ligue 1 champions for the seventh time in eight years after the season was ended prematurely, PSG return to competitive action 135 days later with the French Cup, French League Cup and Champions League in their sights.
Unlike their last fixture on March 11, a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund behind closed doors that sealed a place in the Champions League quarter-finals, a limited number of fans will be allowed to attend the French Cup final. Read more
Roy Jones Jr hits back at Mike Tyson and reveals his fight strategy (Metro)
Roy Jones Jr insists victory against Mike Tyson will be a formality if he can survive the early rounds against his upcoming opponent. The ‘Baddest Man on Planet’ put an end to months of speculation surrounding a possible comeback on Thursday when it was confirmed he would return to the ring on September 12 to face his his fellow legendary American in an eight round exhibition bout. Tyson had teased a possible return to the sport he once dominated by releasing a series of training videos on social media which suggest he still retains much of the formidable punching power that marked him out as one of the most feared heavyweight fighters in history. Read more
Solskjaer wants Man Utd to ‘dominate’ Leicester on final day (Guardian)
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Friday that he will not settle for the point that would guarantee his side a return to the Champions League next season when the Red Devils travel to Leicester.
United sit third in the Premier League table going into the final day of the season, but defeat at the King Power on Sunday would see them fall to fifth should Chelsea avoid losing at home to Wolves.
“We’ve given ourselves a good chance of being in the Champions League next year but we can’t go into a game thinking about what the outcome can be,” Solskjaer said. Read more
Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp dismisses ‘arrogant’ claim & says Frank Lampard ‘has to learn’ (BBC)
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says his staff were not arrogant in their 5-3 win over Chelsea and that Frank Lampard has to learn to “close the book” on touchline arguments.
A heated exchange took place between Chelsea boss Lampard and the home bench when the Reds won a free-kick from which Trent Alexander-Arnold scored.
“We are not arrogant. We are pretty much the opposite. You cannot throw that at our bench,” Klopp said. Read more
Liverpool’s Henderson is player of the year (Nation)
Jordan Henderson has been crowned Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year for the 2019/20 season.
The Liverpool captain saw off stiff competition from Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford as well as team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane, to claim the honour.
Liverpool’s dominance in the league was reflected in the voting as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker also received votes, but it was Henderson – with more than a quarter of the votes – who was the clear winner. Read more