Court remands man, 37 for sexually assaulting girl, 12 (Vanguard)
An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday remanded a 37-year-old man, Afolabi Shuaib, for allegedly having canal knowledge of a 12-year-old daughter of his neighbour.
Shuaib, who lives at Adebayo Salami Street, Igeshu in Ayobo Area of Lagos, is facing a two-count charge bordering on unlawful sexual assault and defilement.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Chief Magistrate Olufunke Sule-Amzat, who refused the plea of the defendant, ordered that he should be remanded Kirikiri Correctional Centre pending legal advice. Read more
NAFDAC confiscates 3 vehicles loaded with counterfeit, fake dugs in Asaba (Guardian)
Some of the fake drugs and truck seized by NAFDAC in Asaba. Photo: NAN.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated three vehicles loaded with fake and substandard drugs in Asaba.
Dr Christiana Esenwah, Deputy Director, NAFDAC, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Asaba.
Esenwah who heads Investigation and Enforcement on Counterfeit and Fake Drug in South East/South-South zones said the NAFDAC team arrested five persons in connection with the seized items. Read more
Supreme Court dismisses Lokpobiri’s case, affirms Lyon as Bayelsa APC candidate (Punch)
The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, affirmed the Bayelsa State governor-elect, David Lyon, as the valid candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the last governorship election in the state.
A five-man panel of the court led by Justice Mary Peter-Odili unanimously dismissed the appeal filed by Heineken Lokpobiri, who had instituted his case seeking to be declared the valid winner of September 4, 2019, primary election of the All Progressives Congress.
Delivering the lead judgement of the apex court, Justice Inyang Okoro affirmed the January 11, 2020 judgement of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal, which had held that Lokpobiri’s suit challenging Lyon’s victory in the primary election was filed out of time at the Federal High Court, Yenogoa. Read more
WHO launches global research forum against novel coronavirus (Vanguard)
A global research and innovation forum led by the World Health Organisation (WHO) was launched on Tuesday to mobilise international action in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The forum co-hosted by the WHO and the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness is funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
A 2-day forum kicked off at 9 a.m. Geneva time (0800 GMT) on Tuesday and is expected to end on Wednesday.
The forum gathers roughly 400 participants, both live and online, including leading scientists from virus-related disciplines around the world. Read more
Coronavirus death toll passes 1,000 after 100 cases are detected in a day (Metro)
The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in mainland China has passed 1,000 people, health authorities announced early on Tuesday morning. The daily number of deaths from the virus has also topped 100 for the first time as the contagion continues to spread. Though more offices and stores in China have reopened after the extended Lunar New Year break, many people appear to be staying at home. Public health authorities are watching closely to see whether workers’ returning to cities and business resuming worsens the spread of the virus. Another 108 deaths were reported over the previous 24 hours, the National Health Commission said in a daily update. Read more
Nigerians react as pupil turns ATM gallery light into reading lamp (Punch)
Reactions have trailed the action of a pupil, simply identified as Dele, found reading at the gallery of an Automated Teller Machine belonging to the First City Monument Bank in Ondo State.
A Twitter user, Bada Maruf, said he was about using the ATM when he saw the pupil.
According to him, the pupil was making use of the ATM light to sort her homework when he saw her.
Although he did not give the exact time and day he saw the pupil at the ATM gallery, Mattew made the post at 10.08pm on February 5. Read more
Mental health in Kenya: ‘I was accused of bewitching my husband’ (BBC)
Sutherland Kiama stood by her husband through his illness despite some friends turning their backs on her
Esther Kiama was working as a teacher in Nyeri, central Kenya, when she received the call.
Her husband, David, was unwell.
“And it is not a minor illness,” the caller emphasised, and then explained: “It’s a mental illness.”
At that point, in 2005, Mrs Kiama had not seen her husband much over the previous year as he had moved to another town to set up a business.
On the times she visited she had not noticed his health problems. Read more
Court jails delivery man two years for spitting on pizza (Punch)
A Turkish court sentenced a delivery driver to two years in prison for spitting on a pizza before giving it to a customer, local media reported on Tuesday.
The incident took place in 2017 in the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir and was captured by a security camera in the customer’s apartment block.
The footage showed the delivery man, identified as Burak S., spitting on the pizza and recording the moment on his mobile phone. His motive was unknown.
The man denied the claim during Tuesday’s hearing, the official Anadolu news agency reported. Read more
79.5 Million Years Old Tyrannosaur’s Fossils Discovered In Canada (Guardian)
The fossils of a new type of tyrannosaur have been discovered in Canada.
NBC reported on Monday that the carnivorous Thanatotheristes degrootorum is a cousin of the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex and has large serrated teeth.
NBC also said the massive animal measured about 26 feet long from its snout to its tail.
“Imposing” might even be putting it lightly — the tyrannosaur’s teeth were each more than 2.7 inches long, according to NBC. Read more
Boris Johnson gives green light for HS2 to be built (Metro)
Boris Johnson has given HS2 the go ahead saying his government had the ‘guts to take the decision’ to ‘deliver prosperity across the country’. The project is estimated to cost upwards of £106 billion and has drawn fierce criticism from environmental campaigners and those living along the projected high spreed rail route. The first phase of HS2 will link London with Birmingham. Mr Johnson – who won the general election with Tory MPs taking Labour heartland seats across the north of England – said that both HS2 and the government’s plan for Northern Powerhouse Rail are both ‘needed’ and ‘will be built as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible’. Read more
Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder Joseph Shabalala dies (BBC)
Joseph Shabalala, who helped introduce the sound of traditional Zulu music to the world, has died aged 78.
The musician was best known as the founder and director of choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which won five Grammy awards and featured heavily on Paul Simon’s Graceland album.
They also reached number 15 in the UK charts with a cover of Swing Low Sweet Chariot, for the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Shabalala died in hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, the band’s manager said.
“Yes it’s true. Mr Shabalala passed on this morning,” Xolani Majozi told the South Africa Times. Read more
Omokaro wants more focus on grassroots football (Vanguard)
Former Super Eagles defender, Bright Omokaro, has called on the sporting authorities to make conscious efforts towards a genuine grassroots development in the sport.
The former defender of the defunct Abiola Babes FC of Abeokuta said the situation was more worrisome in view of the possible long-term effect.
“As long as we keep ignoring the grassroots, even if a Pep Guardiola is our coach, it won’t matter. Often times we don’t follow through on our plans.
“Check on all countries that are performing greatly now, and you will discover that they have a solid grassroots programme and they followed it through. That’s dedication,” he said. Read more
Athletes may boycott ‘autonomous’ body’s competition in Ozoro (Guardian)
There are strong indications that the athletics competition scheduled for Ozoro, Delta State this week may not meet its set objectives, as a majority of the athletes have reportedly turned their back on it to avoid the wrath of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
The AFN, under the leadership of Olamide George, is organising the All-Comers event in Akure between February 14 and 15 for the athletes to kick start their preparations for the season.
At the same period, another set of people, who broke away from the AFN last year, have scheduled an event for Ozoro, Delta State. Read more
2021 AFCON Qualifiers: Rohr may drop Onuachu, Etebo (Punch)
Ahead of next month’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone, Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr may drop Europe-based duo Paul Onuachu and Oghenekaro Etebo from his squad for the double-header, Sports Extra reports.
Nigeria currently leads Group L with six points from two games after recording wins against Benin Republic and Lesotho and will be aiming to secure early qualification for the 2021 AFCON by recording back-to-back wins over the Leone Stars.
The trio faces stiff competition to keep their places in the team due to their below-par performance at club level recently.
Etebo, who secured a loan move to Spanish club, Getafe, during the January transfer window, has made only two appearances since joining from Stoke City and has missed out on his club’s last two games against Atletic Bilbao and Valencia. It remains to be seen if he will be available for the clash against Barcelona at Camp Nou on Saturday. Read more
Jose Mourinho omits Manchester United from his list of Premier League top-four contenders (Metro)
Jose Mourinho has left Manchester United off his list of candidates for a top-four place but believes Wolves and Sheffield United are serious contenders to secure a Champions League spot. Chelsea currently occupy fourth position in the Premier League but Sheffield United are only two points behind Frank Lampard’s side in the table. Meanwhile, Tottenham are four points behind Chelsea, while Everton’s drastic improvement under Carlo Ancelotti has put them five points behind fourth place. Read more
Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic set for Italian Cup clash (Guardian)
Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are set to go head-to-head in Thursday’s Italian Cup semi-final, first leg between Juventus and AC Milan at the San Siro.
Both Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic scored at the weekend in defeats as Juventus fell 2-1 at Hellas Verona, while AC Milan threw away a two-goal lead in a 4-2 defeat by city rivals Inter.
“It wasn’t the result we wanted,” said the 35-year-old Ronaldo despite becoming the first Juventus player to score in 10 successive league games, just one game short of the Serie A record. Read more
Fifa and Fifpro to launch global fund for players’ salary protection (BBC)
Fifa and Fifpro – the world players’ union – have set up a global fund to protect players’ salaries.
The Fifa Fund for Football Players (Fifa FFP) will provide financial support to players who have not been – and will not be – paid by their club.
World governing body Fifa has set aside $16m (£12.3m) for the fund up to 2022, split into yearly allocations.
Another $5m (£3.8m) has also been allocated for players affected between July 2015 and June 2020. Read more
Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Meet the 12 finalists for women’s basketball event (Vanguard)
The 12-team field for the Tokyo 2020 Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament was confirmed following the completion of the four FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, with history made for Belgium and Puerto Rico, who are set for their maiden Olympic appearances.
On Sunday, the last six tickets to the Olympics were claimed by Australia, Belgium, Korea, Puerto Rico, Serbia and Spain, with Canada, China, France and Nigeria securing Tokyo 2020 berths on Saturday.
FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018 champions USA and the hosts of the Olympic Games, Japan, already had guaranteed spots in the Olympics ahead of the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.
The full list of Tokyo 2020 Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament teams: Read more
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes decision on Odion Ighalo ahead of Chelsea clash (Metro)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that Odion Ighalo will be included in his squad for Manchester United’s upcoming clash with Chelsea. United agreed a six-month loan deal with Chinese outfit Shanghai Greenland Shenhua for Ighalo, 30, on the final day of the January transfer window, but the striker has not been able to train with the rest of Solskjaer’s players in Marbella. There were fears that Ighalo may be refused access back to the United Kingdom due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis in China and the forward has been doing individual work with Team GB’s Olympic Taekwondo team instead. Read more
Fed Cup: Great Britain to face Mexico away in play-off tie (BBC)
Great Britain will travel to Mexico in April for a Fed Cup play-off tie that they must win to avoid relegation.
Anne Keothavong’s team failed to reach this year’s inaugural Fed Cup Finals by losing a qualifying tie to Slovakia last weekend.
If they win in Mexico they will get the chance to qualify for the 2021 Finals but if they lose they will be relegated to the Europe/Africa zone that is notoriously difficult to get out of. Read more
Bundesliga: Klinsmann quits as Berlin coach after 10 weeks (Punch)
Jurgen Klinsmann shocked Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin on Tuesday by stepping down as coach just 10 weeks after taking the reins at the ambitious capital club.
The 1990 World Cup winner announced his surprise decision in a post on his Facebook page, three days after Hertha slumped to a 3-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Mainz which left them just six points above the drop zone.
“After long consideration, I have decided to give up my position as head coach and return to my original, long-term role on the club board,” wrote the 55-year-old. Read more
LeBron, Durant, Irving among 44 finalists for USA Olympic squad (Vanguard)
The United States have several Olympic gold medal winners among their 44 finalists for the team that will compete at this summer’s Tokyo Games.
Among them is LeBron James, who reached the top of the podium at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and former FIBA Basketball World Cup MVPs Kevin Durant (2010) and Kyrie Irving (2014).
Durant, who hasn’t played at all this season for the Brooklyn Nets while he recovers from an Achilles injury, won gold at the 2012 London Games while both he and Irving reached the top of the podium in Rio. Read more