*Fire guts Oando tank farm in Lagos (Punch)*Youth reps on #EndSARS panel deny accepting payment from Lagos State (Guardian)

Fire guts Oando tank farm in Lagos (Punch)

Fire on Thursday gutted a tank farm in the Oando Depot on Gaskiya Road, in the Ijora Badia area of Lagos State.

Confirming the development, the Director-General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said emergency responders had been deployed in the area to salvage the situation.

He said, “There is a fire incident at the tank farm at Oando Depot in Ijora Badia.

“The agency has activated its emergency response plan and all relevant stakeholders have commenced appropriate measures to combat the flames and prevent secondary incidents. Read more

Youth reps on #EndSARS panel deny accepting payment from Lagos State (Guardian)

Youth representatives on the Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Lekki Toll Gate Incident Thursday debunked allegations that the state government would be paying them for their work as members of the panel.

A post on Twitter alleged that each member of the panel would be paid N750, 000 per month.

“Fellow Nigerians, we would like to make clear that no money has been offered by the government as remuneration for our work as Lagos State Youth Representatives on the Judicial panel,” the youth representatives Rinu Oduala and Temitope Majekodunmi said on Twitter. Read more

#EndSARS: Level of destruction witnessed in Lagos pure evil, says el- Rufai (Tribune)

Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, on Thursday, described the gravity of the destruction witnessed in Lagos, following the hijack of peaceful #EndSARS protests by hoodlums as “pure evil,” saying he nearly shed tears as he flipped through the images of the affected torched public and privately- owned assets.

This was as the Kaduna helmsman said that the state governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, did all that was needed to prevent the recent youth protest against police brutality from degenerating to violence, but those who thrived in violence infiltrated the protest to achieve their agenda of wreaking large-scale destruction on public assets and infrastructure in the state. Read more

FG gives grants to Ariaria market artisans in Abia (Punch)

The Federal Government has announced that the first batch of artisans in Ariaria International Market in Abia State has received their one-time grant of N30,000 each.

This was according to a tweet shared by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Survival Fund.

The Government of Nigeria also announced via Twitter that the Payroll Support Scheme had received over 50,000 applications.

It noted that the scheme aimed at MSMEs adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic would provide payroll support to a maximum of 10 employees per qualifying MSME. Read more

Court jails former high court registrar over N80m fraud (Guardian)

A Federal High Court has sentenced a former registrar of the court, Mr Joseph Etefia Udoh, to four years imprisonment for laundering the sum of N80 million.

Mr. Udoh and his wife Grace Udoh were in December 2019 arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before Hon. Justice P. H. Mallong on twelve-count charge for alleged misappropriation of N80 million that had been deposited in the court by a litigant.

The convict reportedly issued cheques in the name of his wife and a staff of the Federal High Court of Justice, Abuja, and used the money to acquire properties in some major cities across Nigeria. Read more

How policeman killed my sister a day to her NYSC passing out, complainant tells panel (Nation)

The Independent Investigative Panel (IPP) on human rights violations by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other Units of the Nigeria Police Force set up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) heard on Thursday how a 23-year old graduate, Linda Igwetu from Anambra State, was allegedly killed extra-judicially by a policeman in Abuja.

The deceased’s elder sister, Chineye Igwetu, who momentarily betrayed emotion while presenting a petition before the panel, gave details of how a policeman, identified as Inspector Benjamin Peters of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, allegedly shot her sister on the night of July 3, 2018 around the Ceddi Plaza bridge in Abuja.

Chineye said: “On the 3rd of July 2018 the deceased went out. after work to celebrate her passing out from the National Youth Service, which was supposed to be the next day. Read more

Buhari, others not supposed to be going on foreign medical trips, Senate tells State House Clinic officials (Tribune)

The Senate has expressed its reservations over foreign trips for medical treatment by President Muhammadu Buhari and other top senior public officials.

It demanded that the State House clinic should be made functional, effective from next year.

The Senate discomfort with the dysfunctional state of the State House Clinic was on the heels of defence of budget estimate for 2021 by State House Permanent Secretary, Tijani Umar, who appeared on Thursday before the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs led by Senator Danjuma La’ah. Read more

Troops neutralise 5 bandits, rescue 3 women, children (Guardian)

Troops of Operation Hadanrin Daji have neutralised five bandits and rescued three women and their children in an encounter with bandits at Diskuru village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, while giving an update on various military operations in the North-West and other parts of the country between Oct. 31 and Nov. 4.

“Regrettably, one brave soldier paid the supreme price in an attempt to save one of the rescued nursing mothers in the heat of the encounter,’’ Enenche said. Read more

Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed vows to continue military offensive in Tigray (BBC)

The Ethiopian prime minister has vowed to continue a military offensive in the northern state of Tigray despite international calls for restraint.

Abiy Ahmed’s administration accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking the military.

The TPLF, which governs the state, said it could not “ignore the danger”.

Tensions between the party, which was once the most powerful force in the country, and the federal government have been building for months.

It had previously accused the federal authorities of plotting to invade the region. Read more

Twitter suspends four accounts pretending to be Associated Press (NYPost)

Twitter said it has suspended several fake accounts pretending to be the Associated Press as it enters its third day of battling election-related misinformation.

Four accounts were taken down after appearing to make calls on the results of close swing state elections on behalf of the wire service. The reasoning for the permanent suspensions was that the accounts violated its policy on impersonation, Twitter said.

The AP is considered an authoritative voice on US electoral contests, and has been closely watched as races in key states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona have gone down to the wire. Read more

US Stocks jump more than 400 points on prospect of Biden win, split Congress (USAToday)

Stocks rallied for a fourth day Thursday as Democrat Joe Biden edged closer to victory in the presidential race and Republicans appeared likely to hold the Senate, raising the odds of continued split government.

“I think we’re getting closer to clarity,” says J.J. Kinahan, chief market strategist for TD Ameritrade.

In early trading, the Dow Jones industrial average was up about 480 points to 28,1328 The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 2% to 3,513. And the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 2.5% as it neared 12,000.THe S&P 500 has surged 7.4% this week, more than recovering last week’s 5.6% loss. Read more

Palestinians left homeless after W Bank demolition by Israel (BBC)

The United Nations has rebuked Israel for carrying out what it said was the biggest demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank for a decade.

Some 73 people, including 41 children, were made homeless when their dwellings were knocked down in the Bedouin settlement of Khirbet Humsa, in the Jordan Valley, the UN said.

The Israeli military said the structures had been built illegally.

But the UN called the Israeli actions a “grave breach” of international law.

According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), 76 structures – including homes, animal shelters, toilets and solar panels – were destroyed when Israeli bulldozers moved in late on Tuesday. Read more

California priest removed from church amid allegations of sex, drugs, guns (NYPost)

A Catholic priest in California landed in purgatory for allegedly forgetting that thou shalt not get involved with gangs, drugs and guns – as well as a physically abusive sexual relationship, according to reports.

The Rev. Guadalupe Rios of St. Joseph’s Church in Selma has been placed on administrative leave during a probe, Cheryl Sarkisian, chancellor for the Diocese of Fresno, told The Fresno Bee.

The diocese also got a restraining order to protect church workers from the disgraced man of faith with alleged habits from hell who can’t venture within 100 yards of the property, according to the paper.

Rios was accused of being involved in a “physical” and “romantic” relationship with a 41-year-old woman who worked as his assistant, according to The Bee, which has not named her. Read more

Kosovo leader Hashim Thaci resigns over war crimes charges (BBC)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has resigned from office, announcing that a special court at The Hague is indicting him for war crimes.

There was no immediate confirmation from The Hague. But a special prosecutor submitted accusations in June covering Kosovo’s 1998-9 independence war against Serbia.

Mr Thaci denies any wrongdoing.

His decision comes hours after veteran Kosovo politician Jakup Krasniqi was arrested and taken to the Hague.

Mr Krasniqi, a 69-year-old former spokesman for the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who is also a former Kosovo president, was detained in a raid on his home by EU police. He faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Read more

Kanye West’s presidential campaign cost $9m for 60k votes (Metro) 

Kanye West’s ill-fated presidential campaign cost him a whopping $9 million for a return of 60,000 votes. The 43-year-old rapper conceded yesterday morning, after winning 60,000 votes from the 12 state ballots he was included on.

By comparison, frontrunner Joe Biden has won 70 million votes, with his nearest rival Donald Trump achieving over 67 million so far. 

And the rapper paid an awful lot for each one of those votes, as official reports show that Kanye’s campaign cost around $9 million (£6.89m). Filings show that Kanye himself made $10.36m (£7.91m) in contributions, with individual contributions totalling $1.18m (£900,000). 

The star then spent $10.39m (£7.94m) during his campaign, with expenses including rent, overhead, administration, personnel, equipment, travel, advertising and fundraising. Read more

Uncapped Marcus Thuram named in France squad (Vanguard)

Marcus Thuram, the son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, was called up to France’s squad by coach Didier Deschamps on Thursday for the first time for internationals later this month.

Borussia Moenchengladbach attacker Thuram, 23, could make his debut for the World Cup holders against Finland in a friendly next Wednesday, or in the Nations League fixtures against Portugal on November 14 or Sweden three days later.

Thuram has scored three times in 10 appearances for the Bundesliga side this season and was the first footballer in Germany to take a knee in protest following the death of the 46-year-old African American George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. Read more

Aubameyang claims Partey ‘locked down’ three Man Utd stars in Arsenal victory (Metro) 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been impressed with the way Thomas Partey has settled into life at Arsenal both on and off the pitch and claims the midfielder successfully ‘locked down’ Paul Pogba, Fred and Scott McTominay in the side’s win over Manchester United. Partey’s full Premier League debut – following his £45million deadline-day move from Atletico Madrid – ended in disappointment as Jamie Vardy sealed all three points for Leicester at the Emirates. But the 27-year-old shone as the Gunners travelled to Old Trafford last weekend and his statement performance earned rave reviews from supporters, pundits and team-mates alike. Read more

Gareth Bale returns to squad for Wales November games (BBC)

Gareth Bale has returned to the squad for Wales’ three November games to be managed by assistant boss Robert Page.

The team’s record scorer was absent for the October internationals as he built his fitness following his return to Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid.

The winger, 31, suffered a knee injury during September’s win over Bulgaria.

Wales manager Ryan Giggs denies all allegations and has promised to co-operate with police after being arrested on suspicion of assault. Read more

ESPN to lay off 300 employees due to pandemic (USAToday)

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact sports, the media side of the industry bore the latest brunt.

ESPN on Thursday announced a company-wide reduction of 300 staffers, network president Jimmy Pitaro said in a memo to employees obtained by USA TODAY Sports. In addition to calling the moment an “inflection point,” Pitaro said 200 open positions at ESPN will not be filled.

Disney, ESPN’s parent company, has suffered significant losses due to the pandemic. But even before COVID-19, cord-cutting and customer behavior shifts caused Disney to examine its digital strategy and begin emphasizing direct-to-consumer products and practices. Read more

African Champions League: Zamalek to face Ahly in all-Egyptian final (BBC)

Tunisia midfielder Ferjani Sassi scored Zamalek’s equaliser against Raja Casablanca in Cairo to put the Egyptians back in front on aggregate.

Zamalek scored two late goals as they came from behind to beat Raja Casablanca 3-1 in Cairo to set up an all-Egyptian African Champions League final against Al Ahly.

Zamalek went into the second leg of the semi-final on Wednesday with a 1-0 advantage against the Moroccans.

It brought the Egyptians a 4-1 aggregate win, despite an impressive start to the second leg by Raja, who had twice requested a delay to the return match after a Covid-19 outbreak within their squad. Read more

Premier League ditches pay-per-view matches policy (Metro)

The Premier League is set to scrap their controversial policy of charging supporters to watch pay-per-view matches. The scheme was brought in earlier this season and the decision to charge fans £14.99 for a single match was met with anger and outcry. The Premier League’s official broadcasters agreed after lockdown last season to make all matches accessible to the public, with the government stressing it was beneficial for many who have experienced the hardship of lockdown. Read more

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