JAMB shifts 2021 UTME date, extends registration deadline (Punch)
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced a new date for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
Registrar of JAMB, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, announced that the examination would now hold from June 19 to July 3.
He also said 2021 Mock earlier scheduled for May 20 would now hold on June 3.
He said the deadline for registration has been extended by two weeks.
With this, the registration exercise will now end on May 29. Read more
Sanwo-Olu charges religious leaders on tolerance, security (Guardian)
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has charged religious leaders to continue to preach religious tolerance among the congregations.
Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Folashade Jaji, gave the charge on Saturday during the Year 2021 Eid-el-Fitr Celebrations at Lagos House, Ikeja.
He said that religious tolerance had been the mainstay in the development and peaceful co-existence of the citizenry of Lagos.
The governor said that the government saw religion as a veritable tool to attain good governance and had kept the partnership with religious bodies. Read more
Insecurity: Watch over your children, Sanwo-Olu urges parents (Punch)
As a result of the rising spate of killings and kidnappings in the country, Lagos State First Lady, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has urged parents and guardians to keep a close tab on the activities of their children and wards.
The governor’s wife, who spoke on Saturday at a special Eid-El-Fitr celebration held at Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, also urged parents to be more security-conscious.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Office Of Lagos State First Lady, Olubukonla Nwonah. The statement was titled, ‘Insecurity: Keep Close Tab On Your Children, Sanwo-Olu’s Wife Tells Parents’.
According the statement, the governor’s wife also advised women to preach love, unity, togetherness, everywhere they found themselves. Read more
Ebonyi govt absolves self from phantom kidnap (Vanguard)
Ebonyi state government has disassociated itself from an alleged abduction of a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, personnel in the state, Mr Ogbonnaya Amos.
Amos has however made an appearance in Enugu, during the weekend.
The state Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Uchenna Orji in a reaction to the state PDP’s indictment of the state government in the incident said that Amos was being hunted by his past.
Orji said it was unfortunate that some stalwarts of PDP in the state resorted to dirtier intrigues in their desperate but regrettable move to run down the name of Governor David Umahi and the image of the state government. Read more
Cult clash: NSCDC arrests six suspects in Kwara (Punch)
Men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Kwara State Command, on Saturday, arrested six suspected members of two rival cult groups in Ilorin, the state capital.
The suspects, who are members of ‘Abata’ and ‘Aye’ cult groups, were about to strike at Dada in Okelele area of Ilorin when the NSCDC operatives swooped on them and arrested them.
The suspects are Raheem Jamiu (18),Abdullahi Azeez (20) Sulaimon Folawiyo (18), Saheed Samad (18), Sanni Samsudeen (16), and Jamiu Isa (19).
Five of the suspects, according to NSCDC account, are from Kwara State while only Samad is an indigene Oyo State. Read more
Moment of Praise gains momentum (ThisDay)
For Oluranti Netufo, founder of Moment of Praise, an online weekly praise program, nothing can be more heartwarming than seeing his efforts being warmly embraced by Christian faithful.
Since he launched the online religious activity in 2020 during the COVID -19 lockdown, it has continued to gain momentum.
Speaking about the program earlier in the week , Nefuto said though it was created as an alternative to attending churches during the COVID-19 lockdown, it had gained huge acceptance.
He said: “On Sunday, May 16, 2021( today), we shall be streaming live on YouTube from Ibadan, Oyo State, with the title ‘Praising God During Difficult Times.’ Read more
Clark cautions against calls for Nigeria’s breakup (Guardian)
Elder statesman Edwin Clark has cautioned against calls for cessation in some parts of the country.
Clark told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that calls for cessation in some quarters were not the solution to the country’s problems.
He said he did not believe in Nigeria’s breakup in spite of rising insecurity and economic challenges in the country.
According to him, rather than fan the embers of war by making cessation calls, workable strategies should be evolved to solve the problem of insecurity and other challenges making life unbearable for Nigerians. Read more
Mob of fake revenue collectors attack Chairman of Benue Internal Revenue Service (Vanguard)
A mob of fake revenue collectors yesterday attacked the Executive Chairman of Benue Internal Revenue Service, BIRS, Mr. Andy Ayabam, and his team with cutlasses, axes, sticks, and other dangerous weapons at Agan, a Makurdi outskirts community on Makurdi-Lafia road.
Vanguard gathered that the Chairman narrowly escaped death when he ran into the barricade mounted by the revenue syndicate who for long-established a collection point in the community compelling motorists to pay illegal taxes to them.
When his team tried to arrest the fake revenue officials they were attacked by the gang who damaged his official cars and chased them with dangerous weapons threatening to kill the Chairman.
Narrating his ordeal, Mr. Ayabam said, “I was on my way out of town this afternoon when I ran into an unusual traffic jam that held up many trucks, very close to the old Agan toll gate in the outskirts of Makurdi town. Read more
DR Congo Eid clashes: Court hands down death sentences (BBC)
Twenty-nine people have been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo in connection with Eid violence that erupted in the capital, Kinshasa.
One police officer was killed and dozens of others were injured in clashes between rival Muslim groups.
They had gathered to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, but fell out over who should lead the event.
The death penalty is no longer applied in DR Congo and those found guilty will serve life sentences instead. Read more
Controversial Polish erotic drama 365 Days set to return for 2 new sequels on Netflix (Metro)
Controversial erotic film 365 Days is set to return to Netflix with two new sequels. The romantic drama, based on Blanka Lipinska’s book of the same name, premiered on the streaming service in February last year. The Polish movie follows Sicilian Massimo (Michele Morrone) after he allows himself a year to make a woman called Laura (Anna-Maria Sieklucka) fall in love with him. The graphic sexual content sparked a lot of controversy among viewers, with singer Duffy branding it ‘irresponsible’ for ‘glamourising the brutal reality of sex trafficking, kidnapping and rape’. Read more
Gaza and Israel residents struggle through a new reality (DW)
Hostilities broke out between Hamas and Israel less than a week ago. But a swift escalation has left civilians on both sides trying to come to terms with the maddening unpredictability. Tania Krämer reports from Israel.
Up until Monday, the mood in Gaza was festive, despite the coronavirus pandemic, as the end of Ramadan drew nearer.
“We were cleaning our houses, buying new clothes for the small ones for the Eid. But things have changed,” Mariam Sersawi says on the phone from Gaza on the eve of the three-day feast of Eid al-Fitr.
Sersawi is a 25-year-old content writer living in Shejaieh, a neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. Neither she nor others predicted what was yet to come later in the day. The beginning of this new conflict and the quick and wide scale destruction reminded her of the devastation her neighborhood saw during the war of 2014. “I am panicked. The sound of bombing is terrible. It’s constant bombing,” she says, fighting back tears as she speaks. “I am exhausted.”
Days later, people shed their disbelief as they realized that this has turned into a fierce and very serious conflict. As hostilities intensified, ordinary Gazans took to social media to describe how intense Israel’s air bombardments were and how dreadful they felt. Read more
Hong Kong’s Ray Cordeiro, ‘world’s most durable DJ’, retires at 96 (BBC)
A 96-year-old DJ in Hong Kong has hosted his final radio show, after more than seven decades in broadcasting.
Ray Cordeiro thanked his listeners as he ended his programme All The Way With Ray on Saturday night.
“Well that’s it. Thank you very much for tuning in, goodbye, thank you for coming,” the DJ – known as Uncle Ray – said in both English and Cantonese.
His programme has been running on Hong Kong’s RTHK public broadcaster since 1970. Read more
France hits 20 million milestone in Covid vaccination drive (Guardian)
France reached its target of injecting 20 million initial doses of coronavirus vaccines on Saturday, days ahead of a hugely anticipated reopening of restaurant terraces as the government begins lifting a nationwide lockdown.
President Emmanuel Macron announced the milestone in a tweet that said “20 million” with a green checkmark, a number that represents around 30 percent of the population.
Nearly nine million have had a second vaccine dose as well. Read more
Tiger King star Joe Exotic reveals he has prostate cancer as he begs to be freed from prison (Metro)
Joe Exotic has revealed he has prostate cancer, as he begged to be freed from prison for treatment. The former zoo owner – who was the focus of Netflix’s Tiger King – is currently serving a 22-year jail sentence for the plot to kill rival Carole Baskin, as well as a string of animal abuse charges. Taking to Twitter, he shared a string of messages opening up about his symptoms, while asking for fans to help lawyer John Phillips get the attention of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. ‘John Phillips has received my medical records from FMC Fort Worth and my PSA count came back very high for prostate cancer,’ he began. Read more
Tielemans strike seals historic FA Cup trophy for Leicester in 1-0 win over Chelsea (Vanguard)
A sensational Youri Tielemans strike and an agonising VAR call saw Leicester City lift the FA Cup for the first time after Saturday’s 1-0 final win over Chelsea.
The Foxes had failed four times previously at this stage, most recently in 1969, but belatedly added to a burgeoning trophy haul that includes the 2015-16 Premier League title.
Tielemans’ long-range, second-half strike proved enough, albeit only after late drama as a marginal offside decision ruled out Wes Morgan’s own goal and sent Thomas Tuchel away empty-handed from the first of two Chelsea finals this month.
Before the Blues can turn their focus to the Champions League, though, they must qualify for next season’s competition, which likely means on Tuesday defeating a buoyant Leicester side, who themselves need a result at Stamford Bridge. Read more
Zidane hints at Real Madrid exit (Punch)
Zinedine Zidane hinted on Saturday he could leave as coach of Real Madrid at the end of the season, saying he believes “there comes a time when it’s the moment to change”.
Zidane’s contract expires in 2022 but he has repeatedly refused to confirm he will still be at the club next season.
The Frenchman has a history of surprises after resigning as coach unexpectedly in 2018 before making a shock return a year later.
As a player, he initially announced his retirement from international football in 2004 before coming back for the 2006 World Cup, after which he retired for good. Read more
Italian Open: Novak Djokovic hits back to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and reach semi-finals (BBC)
World number one Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in their rain-affected Italian Open quarter-final.
The Serb trailed 6-4 2-1 when the match was suspended because of rain on Friday, but broke serve twice when it resumed on Saturday to force a decider.
He then twice recovered from a break down in a see-saw final set to win 4-6 7-5 7-5 and reach the last four.
Djokovic faces Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the semi-final later on Saturday. Read more
Romain Grosjean claims first IndyCar pole position (BBC)
Romain Grosjean took his first IndyCar pole position in his third race since joining the series this year.
The 35-year-old Frenchman was 0.126 seconds faster than Josef Newgarden at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
“I’m happier than I have been in a very long time,” said Grosjean.
He left Formula 1 after a horrific accident at the Bahrain Grand Prix in November, but will make a one-off return for a demonstration run at the French Grand Prix in June. Read more
Sweden coach provides update on Zlatan Ibrahimovic ahead of Euro 2020 (Metro)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s hopes of making his international comeback at this summer’s European Championships have been dashed, according to Sweden coach Janne Andersson. The veteran striker has been rolling back the years in Serie A this season with Milan, scoring 17 goals in 29 appearances before he suffered a knee injury during last week’s 3-0 win over Juventus. There had been fears that the 39-year-old would have to undergo surgery and although he has avoided that fate, Ibrahimovic will not have recovered in time to feature for his country this summer. ‘I spoke to Zlatan Ibrahimovic today, who unfortunately told me his injury will prevent his participation in the European Championship this summer,’ said Andersson. Read more
Lewandowski equals Muller’s Bundesliga goals record in Bayern draw (BBC)
Robert Lewandowski has equalled Gerd Muller’s 49-year-old Bundesliga record for the most goals scored in a single campaign after he netted in Bayern Munich’s draw with SC Freiburg.
The striker has now scored 40 goals in 28 league games this season.
Muller averaged a goal every 77 minutes when he set the Bundesliga record in 1972 but Lewandowski did so with an average of a goal every 58 minutes.
He has netted in 18 of his past 19 Bundesliga appearances.
The only team during that run Lewandowski failed to score against was Hertha Berlin on 5 February. Read more
Italian Open: Rafael Nadal beats Reilly Opelka to reach Rome final (BBC)
Rafael Nadal secured his place in the Italian Open final with a 6-4 6-4 win over American Reilly Opelka.
Nadal levelled at 2-2 in the first set after saving four break points and then broke his rival in the next game before going on to claim the set.
One break of serve was also enough for the 34-year-old Spaniard in the second set as he secured victory in Rome.Nadal will play either world number one Novak Djokovic or Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the final. Read more