Alleged bribery: Admitting Hushpuppi sent N300,000 for clothes, caps disgraceful, HURIWA slams Abba Kyari (Punch)
Human Rights Writers Association has faulted a Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abba Kyari, for facilitating the purchase of clothes and caps by Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, who is being tried in the United States for alleged fraud.
While denying collecting bribes from Hushpuppi to arrest and jail an estranged ‘co-conspirator,’ Chibuzo Vincent, Kyari had said the suspected fraudster sent N300, 000 to a clothe seller he linked him with.
He explained that Hushpuppi once saw some of his [Kyari’s] native clothes and caps on his [Kyari’s] social media page, expressed a liking for them and was connected to the person selling the clothes.
“Later, he saw some of my native clothes and Caps on my social media page and he said he likes them and he was connected to the person selling the clothes and he sent about N300k directly to the person’s account. The native clothes and caps (five sets) were brought to our office and he sent somebody to collect them in our office,” the police officer said. Read more
Gbajabiamila celebrates Nigeria’s first comprehensive cancer centre (Tribune)
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, has congratulated the Marcelle Ruth Cancer Centre & Specialist Hospital, Ikoyi Lagos, for being the first of such centres in Nigeria.
Hon Gbajabiamila said with the take-off of the centre in April, Nigerians have at last gotten a cancer centre with a state-of-the-art facility for chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, a one-stop centre obtainable anywhere in the world.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, the Speaker said he was proud of the Marcelle Ruth Cancer Centre and Specialist Hospital for being the pioneer.
“I congratulate the founders, Dr Modupe Elebute-Odunsi and Mr Bolaji Odunsi, and the management of the Marcelle Ruth Cancer Centre & Specialist Hospital, Victoria Island, Lagos for this great feat. Read more
JAMB reschedules 18,000 candidates for mop-up UTME Aug 6 (Punch)
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has rescheduled examination for more than 18,000 candidates who experienced biometric verification challenges and those who genuinely missed the just-concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination as a result of a clash with this year’s National Business and Technical Examinations Board examination.
The mop-up UTME is scheduled for Friday, August 6, 2021, in some selected locations across the country.
JAMB Spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, made this known in a statement on Thursday, titled, ‘Mop-Up UTME Holds Friday, 6th August, 2021…JAMB’.
The statement read, “Following detailed investigation and careful analysis of the highly-successful 2021 UTME, and with due consultation (resulting in gracious concession) with the National Examination Council concerning the timetable of the council’s ongoing SSCE, JAMB has scheduled a Mop-up UTME for Friday, 6th August, 2021, in some selected locations across the nation. Read more
2023: Nigerians waiting for PDP to take power –Atiku (Sun)
Former Vice President of Nigeria Alhaji Atiku Abubakar said Nigerians are waiting eagerly for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to take over power in 2023.
Speaking to reporters at the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt, Atiku said his meeting with Governor Nyesom Wike was fruitful.
He explained that party affairs brought him to Port Harcourt, and he had spent the time reconciling touching issues with Governor Wike.
According to him, the issues bordered on how to ensure unity and stability in PDP, noting that it is critical for the party in clinching electoral victory in 2023.
‘Well, I came here to reconcile with the governor on party affairs and how we can ensure that there is unity and stability in the party,’ he said. Read more
NIMC registers over 60 million NIN
(Guardian)
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has disclosed that more than 60 million unique National Identification Number (NIN) have been issued and are now in the National Identity Database (NIDB).
NIMC said it could not have been possible without the cooperation of all stakeholders including the general public.
The Head of Corporate Communications, NIMC, Kayode Adegoke, in a statement, yesterday, said the transformational value of a robust and inclusive foundational ID system in today’s world cannot be overstated.
He said as a Commission, “we’re committed to keeping this momentum of scaling up and speeding up NIN issuance nationwide for better identification, authentication and improved service delivery. It is the Primary Identification for all citizens and legal residents.” Read more
Bandits attempting to abduct pregnant woman gunned down (DailyTrust)
Some bandits who attempted to abduct a pregnant woman in Sokoto State have been shot dead.
Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Benard Onyeuko, disclosed this at a briefing at Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
He said Troops of the Nigerian Army attached to Operation Hadarin Daji neutralised 14 bandits terrorising Eldabala village in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Onyueko added that 35 other victims were rescued. Read more
No plans to ban women drivers in Kano – Govt (Vanguard)
Kano State government on Thursday said there were no plans to ban women drivers in the state.
The state’s Commissioner of Information, Muhammad Garba stated this while reacting to news making round that the govt planned to disallow women regardless of any faith from getting behind the wheel.
Garba described the news as fallacious saying the government had at no time contemplated it.
According to the statement, “the story, which could not be traced to any credible source, was nothing but the imaginary thinking of the authors. Read more
American court jails Canada-based Nigerian Morakinyo for cyber fraud, to refund $975,863 (Punch)
A court in the Western District of Texas on Wednesday sentenced Canada-based Nigerian, Olumide Bankole Morakinyo, to eight years in prison for conspiracy and money laundering.
He is also expected to refund $975,863 to the multiple victims of his crime.
According to the United States Attorney’s office, 38-year-old Morakinyo conspired with one Lukman Aminu to create illegal accounts for participants on the online portal of the Texas Employees Retirement System.
The court document, obtained by our correspondent, revealed that the duo used bank deposit information in the system to re-route pension payments to accounts controlled by Aminu. Read more
Ethiopia’s Tigray crisis: Fighting escalates despite ceasefire (BBC)
Intense fighting is being reported in Ethiopia’s Amhara state – the latest sign that the war that erupted in the Tigray region in November is spreading.
Federal forces as well as Amhara regional troops were involved in fighting Tigray rebels on three fronts, an Amhara official told the BBC.
This is despite the government saying a unilateral ceasefire declared last month had not been suspended.
All sides have accused each other of escalating the conflict. Read more
George Clooney caught in devastating floods that hit northern Italy (NYPost)
George Clooney and his family were caught in the devastating floods and mudslides that hit northern Italy Tuesday, as they vacationed in their picturesque Lake Como holiday home.
The A-lister — who owns the 18th-century Villa Oleandra in idyllic Laglio — was photographed with Mayor Roberto Pozzi as he offered his support to locals amid the havoc.
More than 60 people have been rescued after Laglio and other towns surrounding Lake Como were swamped when extreme weather hit the country.
Tree trunks and rocks washed down a nearby mountainside and swept past the “Ocean’s Eleven” star’s home — but fortunately, Clooney, 60, his wife, Amal, 43, and their 4-year-old twins were unhurt and their property was not damaged, the Sun reported. Read more
German inflation levels exceed 3% for first time since 2008 (DW)
Inflation in Germany surged to 3.8% in July, compared to the same time last year, according to the country’s Federal Statistical Office on Thursday.
This was the first time since August 2008 that the annual inflation rate in Europe’s largest economy rose to above 3%.
On a month-on-month basis, prices rose by 0.9% from June to July.
Destatis, the German name for the statistics institute, calculated the number based on a preliminary calculation. Read more
Daphne Caruana Galizia: Malta responsible for journalist death – inquiry (BBC)
A public inquiry into the assassination of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has found the state responsible for her death.
The report, quoted by Maltese media, said the state had failed to recognise risks to the reporter’s life and take reasonable steps to avoid them.
Caruana Galizia died in a car bomb attack near her home in October 2017.
An investigation led to PM Joseph Muscat’s resignation in 2019 after his close associates were implicated. Read more
Google mandates vaccines, delays return to office until at least October (NYPost)
A logo is pictured above the entrance to the offices of Google in London.
While other big tech companies have encouraged employees to get vaccinated, Google is the first to mandate shots.AFP via Getty Images
Google is pushing back its return to the office until at least October and will require employees to be vaccinated, the company said Wednesday.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post that workers who return to the company’s offices must be vaccinated, with exemptions for “medical or other protected reasons.”
While other big tech companies have encouraged employees to get vaccinated, Google is the first to mandate shots.
Pichai added that while some of Google’s 144,000 employees around the world have already returned to offices on a voluntary basis, none will be required to report in person until at least October 18. Read more
Tunisia: Turmoil continues as president sacks more officials (AlJazeera)
Tunisia’s president issued decrees sacking a long list of senior government officials, including the army’s chief prosecutor.
Tunisia is also beset by a crippling economic crisis and surging COVID infections [Zoubeir Souissi/Reuters]
Tunisia is also beset by a crippling economic crisis and surging COVID infections [Zoubeir Souissi/Reuters]
29 Jul 2021
Tunisia has lurched further into political uncertainty after President Kais Saied dismissed more officials, just days after he sacked the prime minister, froze Parliament and assumed executive powers.
After suspending Parliament and sacking Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi on Sunday, and firing the defence and justice ministers a day later, Saied ordered the dismissal of several top officials late on Tuesday.
The 63-year-old president, a former law lecturer and political newcomer who won a landslide 2019 presidential election victory, issued decrees sacking a long list of senior government officials, including the army’s chief prosecutor.
On Wednesday, he dismissed the CEO of national television channel Wataniya. Read more
Olympics: FG silent on sanction as AFN takes responsibility for disqualified athletes (Punch)
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has taken responsibility for the disqualification of 10 Nigerian athletes at the ongoing Tokyo Olympic games.
This is as the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has kept mute over sanctioning of officials responsible for the “lapses”.
During the championships, Okagbare and Oduduru faced disqualification scare for not partaking in the men’s and women’s 100m race.
Also, neither the sports ministry nor AFN apologised to the 10 affected Nigerian athletes in the three separate press releases issued on the development so far.
Instead, the federal sports ministry tagged the affected Nigerian athletes as “alternate and foreign students”. Read more
Tokyo Olympics: Novak Djokovic thrashes Kei Nishikori to reach men’s semi-finals (BBC)
Novak Djokovic remains on course for a ‘Golden Slam’ after ruthlessly ending the dreams of home hope Kei Nishikori to cruise into the Olympic semi-finals.
The world number one, bidding to become the first man to win all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold in the same year, breezed through 6-2 6-0.
He will face Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on Friday.
Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and the Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova will meet in Saturday’s women’s final. Read more
Suni Lee wins gold in all-around gymnastics with Simone Biles sitting out Olympics (NYPost)
A wide-open meet due to Simone Biles’ withdrawal resulted in US gymnastics teammate Suni Lee seizing an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo to continue the Americans’ recent domination of the individual all-around competition.
With Biles seated in the stands after the defending gold medalist dropped out of the team and individual competitions for mental-health reasons, the 18-year-old Lee became the fifth straight American to win the marquee individual event at the Summer Games.
Lee, whose father, John, was paralyzed in a 2019 tree-trimming fall from a ladder while helping a friend, already was the first Hmong-American Olympian in US history. Read more
Men against women in the pool as mixed relay makes Olympic debut (Guardian)
Olympic swimming took a dive into the unknown on Thursday as men and women competed against each other for the first time in the new 4x100m mixed medley relay in Tokyo.
Britain, led by Adam Peaty, and world record holders China won the two heats of the inaugural competition, which has its final on Saturday and makes its debut in Japan as part of a drive to boost gender equality.
Britain will be the favourites after their time of 3min 38.75sec was more than two seconds ahead of the rest of the field and only a shade outside China’s world record 3:38.41 set last year.
“I haven’t been part of many mixed relays so it is fun to get out with guys and girls,” said Australia’s Brianna Throssell. Read more
Tokyo Olympics: Three members of Australian athletics team isolating after close contact with Covid-19 case (BBC)
Three members of the Australian athletics team remain in isolation at the Tokyo Olympics after close contact with American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks, who has tested positive for Covid-19.
Kendricks, the reigning world champion, has been ruled out of the Games.
The three Australian athletes had PCR tests and all returned negative results, but will remain in isolation.
A further 41 athletes briefly isolated in their rooms but no longer need to. Read more
Officials sound alarm as Japan COVID cases hit record highs (AlJazeera)
Japanese officials are sounding the alarm as Tokyo reports record-breaking coronavirus cases for the third straight day with the Olympics well under way.
Tokyo reported 3,865 new cases in the past 24 hours, up from 3,177 on Wednesday and double the numbers a week ago.
“We have never experienced the expansion of infections of this magnitude,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters on Thursday, adding that new cases were soaring not only in the Tokyo area but across the country.Japan has kept its cases and deaths lower than many other countries, but its seven-day rolling average is rising and now stands at 28 per 100,000 people nationwide and 88 per 100,000 in Tokyo, according to the health ministry. Read more