Air Force officials on BRT lane kill Lagos artist, offer family N200,000 (Punch)
The family of an artist, Ifeanyi Kalu, has been thrown into mourning after personnel of the Nigerian Air Force, accused of driving on the Bus Rapid Transit lane in Lagos State, crushed him.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Ifeanyi was on his way to work in the Ilupeju area of the state when the incident happened.
His remains were said to have been deposited in a mortuary at the Nigerian Air Force base in Lagos.
Describing Ifeanyi’s death as a big loss to his family, an actor, Segun Adefila, said he was killed two months after his mother’s death. Read more
Seme border closure a disservice to south West –Gani Adams (Sun)
Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland and chief promoter of Olokun Festival Foundation (OFF), Iba Gani Adams, has described the continued closure of the Seme border as a disservice to the South West.
Speaking during the 2021 edition of Olokun Festival at Suntan Beach, Badagry, yesterday, he said the country had lost several billions to the closure. He said the argument by the Federal Government it was to curb smuggling of goods and weapons were far from the truth.
The generalisimo of Yorubaland, however, admitted that the spate of insecurity remains the most challenging problem in Nigeria, maintaining that a lot needed to be done to solve the problem.
“The issue of the border closure is a thing of worry. Seme border was shut in August 2019 to curb smuggling of goods and weapons. Closing the border for close to three years is not good for our economy. Closure of Some border when there’s no war is a disservice to the South West. The implication of this prolonged closure on the nation’s economy is huge.” Read more
#EndSARS: Stabbed security agent laments ordeal, seeks help (Punch)
A paramilitary officer, Shina Edun, who was stabbed during the recent #EndSARS memorial protest at the Lekki Tollgate, has sought the intervention of the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in the payment of his medical expenses.
PUNCH Metro had reported that one of the security agents detailed to guard the Lekki Tollgate during the memorial car procession was stabbed after tear gas canisters were fired by the police to disperse the protesters last Wednesday.
The state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, had said minimum force was used to protect lives and property when hoodlums infiltrated the protesters during the demonstration.
Narrating his ordeal, Edun said he was stabbed while trying to protect the property of the Lekki Concession Company. Read more
Nigerian pilot convicted in US for trafficking cocaine with private jet (NewTelegraph)
A Nigerian pilot, Jibril Adamu, 58, and his US counterpart, Jean-Claude Okongo Landji, 58, are awaiting sentencing after a US jury returned guilty verdicts against them on Monday for conspiring to traffic cocaine to West Africa.
The pilots were charged for using a private jet to traffic five kilograms and more of cocaine on board an aircraft from South America to West Africa.
They were found guilty of one-count of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine with a United States citizen on board any aircraft or registered in the United States, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
In October 2018, Landji and Adamu were arrested while conducting a test shipment and flew the G2 private jet from Mali to Croatia with one kilogram of cocaine on board after members of the Croatian National Police investigating the duo in coordination with the DEA searched the G2 following their arrival in Croatia. Read more
Experts show concern as rate of mental illness rises in Nigeria (Leadership)
Mental illness, also called mental health disorder refers to a wide range of mental health conditions like depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviours.
In Nigeria, over 40 million people are suffering from mental health disorders, says professor of public health and chairman, Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board, Prof. Akin Osibogun, adding that the situation is made worse with the current insecurity in the country, stigmatisation, denial, discrimination, lack of understanding.
Osibogun said, “Recent estimates suggest that not less than 40 million Nigerians have one mental issue or the other and we have less than 200 psychiatrists in the country at the last count. I honestly don’t know how many are left without treatment, after the current wave of brain drain.”
He however called on stakeholders to join hands together to make the needed noise about mental health disorders. “Stakeholders must join forces together to tackle the menace in the country,” he adds. Read more
BBNaija: I will use your platform to preach the gospel, Cross’ mother tells son (Punch)
The mother of Cross, a former housemate of the recently concluded Big Brother Naija reality television show, has told her son that she will use his fame to preach the gospel of God.
Born, Ikechukwu Cross Okonkwo, he was a contestant in the BBNaija season 6, Shine ya eye, edition. Cross was born and raised in Anambra State in a family of four; he is the first son and the eldest child.
In a video snippet, the mother of the reality television show star noted that her son got into the show to preach ‘God’s gospel’.
She said, “It is funny but it is not funny. Companies are coming, brands are coming for their products. I, myself; I have my own product; the gospel is my own product. That is why I said, ‘Cross, as companies are calling you to be their ambassador, Holy Ghost school is calling you, Cross, to be our ambassador to preach the gospel.’ That is what I want. But Cross, other companies can pay you but we are not going to pay; you will do it for God. Read more
$342m VAT: MultiChoice heads to court (Sun)
MultiChoice Africa Holdings (MAH), the parent company of MultiChoice Nigeria, has rejected Tuesday’s ruling of the Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT), which dismissed its appeal against the $342million Value Added Tax (VAT) bill slapped on it by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT), on Tuesday, struck out the appeal instituted by the South African company against the Nigerian government owned Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) over a $342 million tax assessment handed to the firm.
The tax appeal tribunal struck out the appeal “for want of diligent prosecution.”
MultiChoice, in a statement, yesterday evening, said it will lodge an appeal against the ruling at the Federal High Court, adding that the TAT ruling was based on technicality rather than the merits of the case. Read more
INEC free to transmit Anambra election results electronically, says Gaya (Guardian)
Chairman of the Senate committee on works, Sen. Kabiru Gaya
Chairman, Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kabiru Gaya, yesterday said that the electoral body was at liberty to transmit the Anambra State governorship election results electronically if it so desires.
Gaya spoke while briefing reporters after the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters and INEC met with stakeholders on the November 6, 2021 governorship election.
He said: “It is left for INEC to decide whether it will transfer the election results in Anambra electronically or not. They have done that in the previous elections in Edo and Ondo states.
“Even before INEC started transferring election results from polling units, Nigerians have been monitoring the results the moment they are announced at polling stations and by 4:00 p.m. before the final results are announced, many Nigerians would have seen them on the Internet. Nigerians are fully involved in elections.”
Gunmen abduct 8 in Ekiti, demand N50m ransom (Vanguard)
Eight people were allegedly kidnapped on Tuesday at Itapaji Ekiti, in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
This is coming a week after four persons were kidnapped in Ayebode-Ekiti, in the same local government.
The kidnappers were said to have demanded N50 million ransom from the family of the victims on Wednesday, 27th of October.
According to an eyewitness, it was revealed that the gunmen had stormed a house located in the town around 9:30pm, shot intermittently into the air, and made away with eight occupants of the building. Read more
Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal cast in new sci-fi thriller (RTE)
Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal have been cast as a married couple in Foe, a new dystopian science fiction thriller.
Deadline reports that four-time Oscar nominee Ronan (27) and Mescal (25), the breakout star of Normal People, will lead the movie, which is being directed for Amazon Studios by Garth Davis.
The film is based on author Iain Reid’s novel and filming is due to start in Australia early next year. British actor Aaron Pierre (The Underground Railroad and Old) will also star.
Foe is set in a near future and sees Ronan and Mescal play a young husband and wife called Hen and Junior who live an isolated existence on a farm as corporate power and ecological decay are destroying the planet. Read more
Australia expands footprint in Southeast Asia to tackle China’s influence (Independent)
Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed on Wednesday to establish a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, a sign of Canberra’s ambition to play a bigger role in the region.
The pact would further strengthen Australia’s diplomatic and security ties in a fast-growing area that has become a strategic battleground between the United States and China.
Concrete strategic objectives of the partnership were not immediately announced, but Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised Australia would “back it with substance”.
“This milestone underscores Australia’s commitment to ASEAN’s central role in the Indo-Pacific and positions our partnership for the future,” he said in a joint statement with Foreign Minister Marise Payne. “Australia supports a peaceful, stable, resilient, and prosperous region, with ASEAN at its heart.” Read more
Bird flu strikes endangered South African cormorants (Channels)
Bird flu is ravaging South Africa’s endangered Cape cormorants, killing as much as five per cent of the world’s remaining population, a conservation group said Wednesday.
“We know that we have over 12,000 dead cormorants so far, which is most likely underreported,” said Katta Ludynia, research manager for the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.
The long-necked birds live along the coast from South Africa to Angola, and they number only 234,000 adults.
About 500 are dying every day from avian influenza, but not all beaches are monitored and some corpses may have washed out to sea, Ludynia said. Read more
Chinese missile launch very concerning, says top US general (BBC)
The top US general has said China’s suspected hypersonic missile test is close to a Sputnik moment, referring to the Soviet satellite launch that sparked the Cold War arms race.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said in an interview with Bloomberg News that the Chinese military is “expanding rapidly”.
The Financial Times reported this month that the test stunned the US military.
Beijing denies any missile test, saying instead it was a spacecraft.
“What we saw was a very significant event of a test of a hypersonic weapon system. And it is very concerning,” Gen Milley told Bloomberg on Wednesday. Read more
Tory MPs finally wear masks in the Commons – except for Jacob Rees-Mogg (Metro)
It appears Jacob Rees-Mogg has still not got the message that wearing face masks inside can help stop the spread of coronavirus.
The leader of the House of Commons was one of a number of high-profile Tories not wearing a covering today for Rishi Sunak’s Budget statement.
Liz Truss, the newly appointed Foreign Secretary and Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, also chose not to wear masks.
Mr Rees-Mogg previously insisted Conservatives do not need to wear masks in Parliament because of their ‘fraternal spirit’.
As MPs crowded into the Commons to hear the Chancellor speak, there was still a divide between Tory and Labour MPs. Read more
Love Island’s Anton Danyluk ‘blessed to be alive’ after horror car crash in Dubai (DailyStar)
Love Island’s Anton Danyluk “blessed to be alive’ after a horror car crash with a bus in Dubai on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old shared a shocking picture to social media of his car bonnet completely destroyed.
The snap shared to the reality stars one million followers showed an exploded airbag inside the car and the number plate had been ripped off from the impact of the accident.
Anton moved to Dubai last year after setting up a new business running fitness events.
He penned to the Instagram story: “Those who drive in Dubai will know the drivers are mad out here always rushing about. You have to have eyes in the back of your head. Read more
Astronomers may have detected the first planet outside of the Milky Way (Room)
For the first time, astronomers scanning the skies for x-rays might just have found the first exoplanet orbiting a distant star in another galaxy.
It stands to reason that our galaxy is not the only galaxy in which planets exist. But spotting planets in other galaxies is incredibly difficult to do. This is because each external galaxy occupies such a small area of the sky and crammed in that far-away pinprick of light is lots of stars.
Picking out one individual star to try and detect the signatures of any orbiting planets, has so far proved futile. One reason this could be is that the methods typically used by astronomers to spot planets in our own Galaxy, through either radial velocity measurements or transit detection techniques, just doesn’t work the same when trying to spot extragalactic exoplanets.
The radial-velocity method for finding exoplanets, or wobble method as it is also known by, relies on detecting minute changes in a star’s orbit caused by the gravitational pull of the smaller planet whizzing around it. Read more
Barcelona sack Ronald Koeman with Xavi on shortlist for new manager (Metro)
Barcelona have sacked Ronald Koeman and have included Xavi on their shortlist of possible replacements.
Barca have made a woeful start to the season under Koeman, winning just four of their opening 10 games in La Liga.
The Spanish club are also struggling in the Champions League group stage as they were beaten by Bayern Munich and Benfica before they secured a 1-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv last week.
But Barcelona’s hierarchy decided Koeman’s fate on Wednesday evening following their 1-0 defeat away to Rayo Vallecano. Read more
Bayern suffer biggest loss since 1978 (BBC)
Bayern Munich suffered their biggest defeat since 1978 as they were thrashed at Borussia Monchengladbach in the German Cup second round.
Gladbach led 1-0 after two minutes and 3-0 by the 21st minute.
Kouadio Kone slotted home his first goal for the club before Ramy Bensebaini swept home Jonas Hofmann’s cross and then netted a penalty.
Breel Embolo took advantage of a defensive mistake for the fourth and then his second from Luca Netz’s pass.
“I’m absolutely shocked. We simply didn’t turn up,” Bayern sports director and former player Hasan Salihamidzic told ARD. Read more
Mark Williams out of European Masters and English Open due to Covid-19 (Metro)
Mark Williams has been forced out of the European Masters qualifiers this week and next week’s English Open after a positive Covid-19 test.
The three-time world champion has had a good start to the season, winning the British Open in August to take his ranking title tally to 24.
He booked his spot at the main stage of the German Masters last week with two wins in qualifying, but will not get to do the same at the European Masters after returning a positive Covid-19 test.
This will also keep him out of next week’s English Open in Milton Keynes, so it will not be until the Champion of Champions, starting on 15 November that we will see the Welshman next. Read more
Andy Murray beaten in straight sets at Vienna Open by Carlos Alcaraz who advances to quarter finals in Austria (Eurosport)
Andy Murray was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Carlos Alcaraz in the round of 16 at the Vienna Open on Wednesday.
Murray, who edged past world number 10 Hubert Hurkacz to reach the second round of the tournament, was unable to find his best first serve against Alcaraz who continues to impress on the biggest stage.
The 18-year-old becomes the first Spaniard to beat Murray in Vienna, and was fresher and faster than the former world number one who continues to struggle on his return from injury.
Alcaraz takes the first quarter-final spot in Austria, with the world number 38 enjoying a breakthrough season on the tour, having reached the quarter-finals of the US Open in September. Read more
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s huge payout if sacked by Man Utd after signing new contract (Mirror)
Manchester United would have to pay Ole Gunnar Solskjaer £7.5million if they decided to part ways with the Norwegian, according to reports.
Solskjaer tenability as manager of the Red Devils has come under intense scrutiny, after his side were humiliatingly defeated 5-0 at home by arch-rivals Liverpool.
While United have experienced some significant defeats in the last ten years, the way Jurgen Klopp’s side steamrolled into a 4-0 lead within the first 45 minutes has sent shock waves across the club.
And with the side also floundering in seventh position, despite bringing in Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, and Cristiano Ronaldo during the summer transfer window, Solskjaer’s days at United look numbered. Read more
Fitzpatrick favourite to make his breakthrough win on US Tour (IrishTimes)
Matt Fitzpatrick is relishing his status as tournament favourite as he seeks a first PGA Tour title to make it back-to-back wins since his Ryder Cup nightmare.
Fitzpatrick endured a second unhappy appearance in the biennial contest at Whistling Straits, losing all three of his matches – to take his overall record to 0-5 – as Europe suffered a record 19-9 defeat.
The 27-year-old from Sheffield looked set to register his first point when he was one up with three to play against Daniel Berger in the final singles match, only to lose the 16th to a birdie and then hit his approach to the last into Seven Mile Creek.
Fitzpatrick bounced back three weeks later to win the Andalucia Masters and the world number 26 has been made favourite to come out on top in an incomplete and weakened field in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Read more