COVID-19 fourth wave likely in December, says Lagos(Punch)
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, has raised the alarm that the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic may be imminent in Nigeria by December.
Abayomi, at a news briefing on Friday, said passengers coming into the country from high-burden countries might increase the spread of the virus.
He said, “Many Nigerians staying abroad will be returning home to celebrate Christmas with their families. Most of these people will be coming from countries where there is a heavy burden of COVID-19 and where we know the virus is changing and mutating.The potential drivers of a fourth wave in Lagos and Nigeria are passengers arriving, especially from heavy-burdened countries in Europe and the United States into Lagos. About 86 per cent of all inbound flights into Nigeria come through Lagos.Read more
Railway workers suspend strike, sets up committee to review demands (Guardian)
The Nigeria Union of Workers (NUR) has suspended its three-day warning strike following resolutions made by concerned authority.
NUR in a communiqué of resolutions jointly signed by President General, Senior Staff Association (SSA), Nigerian Railway Corporation, Aliyu Mainasara, President of NUR, Innocent Ajiji and Director Admin/Human Resources, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Monsurat Omotayo made the resolution after meetings with the NRC Board in Abuja and with the Federal Ministry of Transport (FMOT), NRC management, and the leadership of NUR and SSA in Lagos.
They resolved that a committee be set up with immediate effect on the review of the standard condition of service with timeline lasting to the 31st day of January 2022. It was agreed that the personal data on deceased workers be collected for processing for immediate payment as every worker is already covered by the group life assurance scheme.
The parties also agreed that all the train crews be given insurance cover as the train passengers and the goods in transit. Read more
We watched helplessly as my brother died – Dangote (DailyTrust)
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has broken his silence on the death of Sani, his younger brother.
The deceased, who was the Vice President of Dangote Groups, died in United States on Sunday.
Receiving the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at his Kano residence yesterday, Dangote said he, their mother and Sani’s children were by the deceased’s death-bed.
He said it was more painful for them when the doctors told them his brother had about one hour more before his death.
“It was painful because he died in front of me, our mother and children,” he said.
He said he was personally broken seeing his brother’s life leaving his body through the machines in the hospital.
He thanked Tinubu for coming, saying he appreciates the brotherly relationship that has been established with the Tinubu for a long time.
Dangote said the uncertainty that comes with death is more reasons why it is always good to do good. Read more
$300m Abacha Loot: court dismisses suit against FG (Independent)
A Federal High Court Abuja, presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo has dismissed a suit filed against the Federal Government in respect of the $300 million dollars recovered from the late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha.
The suit was instituted against the Attorney General of the Federation by a group known as PPP Advisories, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre and Issa Shuaib.
Other defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1449/2020, dated November 3, 2020, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General of the Federation Mr Dayo Apata, SAN, (sued as Chairman Ministerial Tenders Board) and the Bureau of Public Procurement.
Following the repatriation of the $300 million to Nigeria from the United Kingdom, the Federal Government, in 2020, announced that the money would be used to fund the completion of the Second Niger Bridge, the Abuja – Kano dualisation and the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway. Read more
Jigawa expresses concern over rising cases of missing children, urges residents to be vigilant (ThisDay)
The Jigawa State Governor, Mr. Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, has expressed worry over the rising cases of missing children in some local government areas of the state.
Abubakar advised parents in the state to maintain high level of vigilance in monitoring the movements of their wards.
Spokesman of the State Governor, Mr Habibu Nuhu Kila, said in a statement yesterday in Dutse, that the advice by the state governor became necessary as a result of some reported cases of missing children in some local government areas of the state.
The governor stated that government is conscious of the security and wellbeing of its citizens in the state and will continue to provide maximum protection to the people. Read more
What US removal of Nigeria from religious violation watchlist means —Garba Shehu (Punch)
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has said the removal of Nigeria from the watchlist of religious violators by the United States is “a triumph of diplomacy and sagacity over hate-driven foreign policy, itself founded on false propaganda.”
Nigeria was removed from the watchlist in the run-up to the visit by US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
In a statement he signed on Friday, Shehu said the President “is truly satisfied with the decision by the United States to remove Nigeria from that unwanted list of countries.”
According to him, Blinken said the decision of the administration of US President Joe Biden was “based on facts.” Read more
Court remands 2 for defiling 14-year-old (Guardian)
A Chief Magistrate, Rita Oguguo, has remanded two teenage male students at the Port Harcourt Remand Home for defiling a 14-year-old female student at Okporo Community Secondary School in Obio-Akpor local council of Rivers State.
The male students, Chukwudi Daniel, popularly known as Scorpion, and Confidence Gbarabe, also known as Pipeline, were charged for conspiracy and unlawful sexual abuse, an offence punishable under sections 516A and 221 of the criminal code, Cap 37, VOL 2 Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria 1999.
The two suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred on them. The counsel to the accused, Chinedu Ndah, prayed the court to grant his clients bail.
The court adjourned till December 7, 2021, for ruling on the bail application and hearing.
It was gathered that the incident allegedly happened inside the school premises on October 27, 2021. Read more
Don’t frustrate the good work of #EndSARS panel, Ebun Adegboruwa warns Lagos Govt (DailyTrust)
Ebunoluwa Adegboruwa, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has warned the Lagos State Government against frustrating the good work of the panel which investigated police brutality.
Since the panel presented its report to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday, there have been mixed reactions.
In a leaked report, 11 persons were said to have been killed at the Lekki Tollgate.
The panel, which indicted the army and the police, also recommended that the Lekki tollgate be renamed after #EndSARS while October 20 every year should be toll free in honour of those killed during the protests. Read more
Expert harps on development of hydrocarbon projects in Nigeria (VON)
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Simbi Wabote has said that the pull back of investments on hydrocarbon development projects by the oil majors and international financial institutions is indeed a challenge for oil producing countries such as Nigeria
Speaking at the 9th Anniversary Lecture of Realnews magazine in Lagos Southwest Nigeria, Mr Wabote said that revenues obtained from the sale of the hydrocarbon resources would remain “key drivers of the economies of the African oil and gas producing countries”.
Delivering the lecture titled “Nigeria in the Unfolding Integration of the African Market: Oil and Gas Perspective”, Wabote disclosed that Africa’s industrialization agenda is at the heart of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) and fossil fuels remains a very significant part of the energy mix required for industrializing the continent.
Wabote explained that resolving the impending challenge of investments in the oil and gas industry are the key areas of focus that can be used to address this challenge, include the collaborative platform provided by AFCFTA to provide funding and the technology required to operate and develop hydrocarbon projects. Read more
Jennifer Lawrence accidentally inhaled magnetic nose ring on ‘Don’t Look Up’ set (NME)
Jennifer Lawrence has confirmed that she inhaled her nose ring while on the set of the upcoming political satire Don’t Look Up.
The film sees Lawrence play an astronomer, who along with her colleague, played by Leonard DiCaprio, attempts to warn the world about a giant comet set to destroy the Earth.
Lawrence altered her appearance for the film, donning a red wig and wearing a nose ring to give her character more of a “fierce” edge.
“I spoke to a female astronomer. We kinda decided that Kate is the type to be fierce and ‘notice me, hear me roar, rat-tat-tat’ kind of lady,” she explained to Vanity Fair. Read more
UK construction equipment maker denies link to alleged Israeli abuses (TimesofIsrael)
A British heavy machinery company has denied allegations by an international rights group that it is complicit in alleged Israeli abuses in the West Bank.
Amnesty International said J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited’s diggers and excavators have been used to demolish Palestinian homes and in the construction of Jewish settlements, both of which are seen as violations of international law.
JCB is among more than 100 businesses listed in a United Nations database of companies that operate in West Bank settlements
In a statement issued late Thursday, JCB said it “does not contribute to, or is in any way responsible for, or otherwise linked to adverse human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, either directly or indirectly.” Read more
Thousands protest in Iran’s Isfahan to demand revival of river (Aljazeera)
Thousands of protesters have gathered in Isfahan in central Iran to demand the revival of a major river that has dried up.
Footage broadcast by state television and dozens of videos circulating on social media on Friday showed a sea of farmers and other people standing on a huge barren strip of dirt where the major Zayandeh Rud River used to flow, near the iconic Khaju Bridge in Isfahan province.
“Give Isfahan its breath, give our Zayandeh Rud back,” the protesters chanted. Some called for “equality and justice”.
The river’s dryness is thought to directly affect the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of farmers in the province, state TV said, in addition to adversely affecting the environment. Read more
Kyle Rittenhouse verdict: Teenage Kenosha shooter found not guilty on all charges (Metro)
Jurors have found Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager who fatally shot two men and wounded another during a night of unrest after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, not guilty on all five charges after days of deliberations in the highly publicized case.
Rittenhouse, 18, was found to be not guilty of the five felony charges he faced, which included first-degree intentional homicide of Anthony Huber, first-degree reckless homicide of Joseph Rosenbaum, attempted first-degree intentional homicide of Gaige Grosskreutz and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
As the jury read their verdict, Rittenhouse collapsed to the table before getting swept into a hug by his lawyer while he sobbed. His mother and sisters also cried, while friends and family huddled together. Read more
House Dems pass $1.7T Biden spending plan despite $367B deficit warning from CBO (NYPost)
House Democrats narrowly passed President Biden’s $1.7 trillion social and environmental spending bill Friday over unified Republican opposition — and despite an official warning that it could add more than $350 billion to the nation’s deficit.
The 220-213 vote followed months of negotiations that cut the cost of Biden’s “Build Back Better Act” in half and multiple delays to win support from both the moderate and progressive wings of his party.
The massive spending plan also had to be decoupled from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that Biden signed into law earlier this week, even though progressives initially demanded that they be packaged together.
Hours before the vote, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) delayed Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) plans to bring the bill to the floor Thursday evening by using his “magic minute” to conduct a record-breaking, 8-hour-33-minute floor speech blasting the measure in addition to other progressive policies. Read more
‘It’s deadly’: Syrian doctor in Poland warns migrants against journey through Belarus (MEMO)
Syrian doctor, Kassam Shahadah, settled in Poland as a war refugee three years ago and now volunteers on its border to help desperate Middle East migrants trying to enter after a perilous trek through freezing forest, Reuters reports.
He feels lucky to have won residence through asylum. And though he understands the same aspirations to life in the European Union in the new wave of migrants, he has seen enough in his volunteer work to advise them: Don’t do it this way.
“Every child dreams of a better life, of peace and everything that gives him joy and happiness. Everybody would want to escape from that country … It is hell,” Shahadah said, referring to his homeland from which some migrants have come.
“(But) it’s a deadly route,” Shahadah, 54, said in the hospital where he works as a family doctor in the north-eastern Polish town of Grajewo. “I would not advise anyone to make such a journey. It is very risky and often ends in failure.” Read more
Joe Biden physical results: ‘President remains fit for duty’ (Metro)
President Joe Biden’s first annual physical has found that he ‘remains fit for duty’, hours after he underwent the examination that included anesthesia for a colonoscopy.
Biden’s Friday morning physical results revealed he is 5 feet 11.65 inches, 184 pounds and has a body mass index of 25.0. His blood pressure was 120/70, his temperature 98.6 Fahrenheit, pulse 72 and respiratory rate 14.
‘President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 78-year-old man, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those of Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,’ White House Physician to the President Kevin O’Connor wrote in a memo on Friday.
The six-page memo, released by White House press secretary Jen Psaki late afternoon Friday, acknowledged that Biden ‘has experienced increasing frequency and severity of “throat clearing” and coughing during speaking engagements’. Read more
Joshua won’t step aside from Usyk rematch (Punch)
Anthony Joshua is already “physically and mentally” preparing for a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, a firm rebuttal to Tyson Fury’s hopes of securing his own undisputed fight.
WBC champion Fury’s “preference” for his next opponent would be Usyk, in a battle to crown the division’s No 1 heavyweight, rather than Dillian Whyte, his promoter Bob Arum had told Sky Sports.
But Joshua has rebuffed the suggestion he may “step aside” from his rematch with Usyk.
“AJ is already in camp physically and mentally for the Usyk rematch, and it’s all he has thought about since the night of the first fight,” his promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports. Read more
Super Eagles: Minister orders in-depth review of Rohr’s performance, says Nigeria must be in Qatar 2022 (Leadership)
Minister of youth and sports development, Sunday Dare, has ordered an in-depth assessment of the Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, performance since 2016 till date.
Dare gave the directive on Thursday, amidst speculations that the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation NFF may have resolved to sack the Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr.
At the weekly briefings usually coordinated by the Presidential Communications Team and held at the State House, Abuja, Dare said that no decision has been taken on Rohr yet.
According to him, NFF has been directed as a matter of urgency to present Rohr’s report card to the ministry. Read more
Jesse Lingard ‘making arrangements’ for £10m West Ham transfer – and even drops hint (DailyStar)
Jesse Lingard has dropped a massive hint that he’s about to join West Ham United after posting a photo of himself in a Hammers shirt on social media.
The forward’s future at Manchester United is hanging by a thread following reports of a breakdown in contract extension talks, with his current deal set to run out in June.
The 28-year-old is unhappy about how little he’s featured for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this season, despite being assured of more minutes over the summer.
Taking to Instagram, the England international appeared to suggest he’s heading back to east London after posting a snap of himself in West Ham gear. Read more
Canada men’s soccer climb FIFA rankings to 40th for 1st time in 25 years (CBC)
Fuelled by wins over Mexico and Costa Rica, Canada has risen eight places to No. 40 in the latest FIFA world rankings, matching its highest-ever position.
The Canadian men also hit No. 40 in December 1996. FIFA, which starting the rankings in 1992, revamped its rating formula in 2018.
Canada started the year at No. 72 but has steadily risen thanks to a 13-2-4 record in 2021 that has seen John Herdman’s team top the ongoing final round of World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Canada’s lone losses have been to the U.S. and Mexico at the Gold Cup. The Canadians have outscored their opposition 55-11 this year. Read more
LTA calls Peng Shuai situation ‘very disturbing’ as Andy Murray adds message of hope (Tennis365)
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has offered its assistance in efforts to find Peng Shuai as Andy Murray also raised awareness about the missing Chinese player’s whereabouts.
Peng has not been seen since making allegations of sexual assault against a former vice-premier in China two weeks ago, creating concern for her safety and well-being.
The head of the Women’s Tennis Association, Steve Simon, says Peng’s voice must be heard and the LTA has offered its support to the global body in any way it can.
“This is a very concerning situation, and we have written to the WTA offering our assistance in their efforts to establish the safety and well-being of Peng Shuai,” an LTA statement read. Read more
LPGA unveils 2022 schedule with 34 events, nearly $86 million in prize money (Yahoo)
As its 2021 campaign winds down at Tiburon Golf Club, the LPGA announced its 2022 competition schedule on Friday.
On the docket are 34 official events as the tour visits 12 U.S. states and nine other countries, including Canada, China, Japan and Taiwan, four countries that the LPGA did not visit the past two seasons because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is more money at stake, too. Next season’s purses comprise a record high for the tour, with $85.7 million up for grabs. That number is up from this season’s adjusted purse total of $67.5 million. Nine tournaments have announced purse bumps, including the Chevron Championship ($5 million, up $1.9 million), AIG Women’s Open ($6.8 million, up $1.3 million) and season-ending CME Group Tour Championship ($7 million, up $2 million).
“The stage is set for 2022 to be one of the most exciting years in the history of the LPGA Tour, with the addition of new events, the largest total purse ever, over 500 hours of broadcast television and a collective commitment to being the leading women’s professional sports property in the world,” said LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. Read more
Formula One: Red Bull ready to protest Mercedes rear wing, says Horner (StraitTimes)
Red Bull are concerned about the legality of the rear wing used by Formula One rivals Mercedes and will protest if they see something suspicious at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, principal Christian Horner said on Friday (Nov 19).
Horner was speaking after stewards rejected a Mercedes request to review a decision not to punish Red Bull’s championship leader Max Verstappen for an incident with Lewis Hamilton at the previous race in Brazil.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, whose team lead Red Bull by 11 points in the constructors’ championship, told reporters earlier on Friday that the gloves were off in the title battle between the two teams.
Red Bull have long had suspicions about the Mercedes rear wing, with Verstappen feeling it with his hands after a Saturday sprint race in Brazil, earning himself a €50,000 (S$77,000) fine. Read more