Lagos Assembly proposes 2-year jail term for assault on firemen (Guardian)
Lagos House of Assembly has recommended two years’ imprisonment for a person or persons obstructing fire fighting or assaulting fire fighters.
The assembly made the recommendation in its proposed state fire service bill.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Special Duties, Mr Raheem Kazeem (Ibeju Lekki II) made the disclosure at a one-day public hearing on the bill on Friday.
The public hearing was conducted by the House of Assembly. Read more
Boat with five passengers capsizes in Lagos (Punch)
A boat carrying five passengers has capsized in Lagos State.
The PUNCH gathered that the boat was heading to Badagry when the incident happened on Friday.
An official of the Lagos State Waterways confirmed the incident, saying that the five passengers have been rescued.
“No Cause for Alarm! The boat was going to Badagry but unfortunately stopped 5 minutes after casting out of Five Cowries Terminal. Read more
Reps pass electoral bill amidst protest (Punch)
The House of Representatives has passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, maintaining the controversial Clause 52(2) as presented.
The clause allows the Independent National Electoral Commission to determine when, where and how voting and transmission of results will be done.
Clause 52(2) reads, “Voting at an election and transmission of result under this bill shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the commission.”
Earlier, there was a rowdy session in the House as the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, skipped Section 52 where consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill was suspended on Thursday. Read more
I’ll Contest Anambra governorship election, says Soludo (DailyTrust)
Chukwuma Soludo, one of the candidates of the November 6 governorship election in Anambra, says he is still in the race.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had excluded him from the list of governorship candidates.
In a statement which his campaign organisation issued on his behalf, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said he remains the valid candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
“Honourable Chukwuma Umeorji has been published as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the November 6 2021 gubernatorial election in Anambra State. ”
“The INEC publication is based on a judgment by a High Court in Jigawa State, and the electoral body sensibly wrote that its inclusion of Umeorji as a candidate in the election is By Judgment. Read more
Electoral Act: PDP vows to challenge lawmakers’ decision in court (Vanguard)
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has decried the voting pattern of the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, following their rejection of the clause on electronic transmission of election results, and has vowed to challenge the decision in court.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s secretariat, Abuja, national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus wondered how representatives of the people in parliament could turn their backs on the people in such a blatant manner by voting against their interest.
He said: “The PDP will take all necessary legal steps to ensure that this All Progressives Congress, APC, scam is not allowed to stand in any way. We call on all lovers of democracy who see free, fair, and transparent elections as vital, to stand up against this fraud. Read more
Nigerian Army buries slain Major General Ahmed in a solemn ceremony in Abuja (Tribune)
The remains of the former Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Army, late Major General Huseini Ahmed were laid to rest at Guards Brigade Cemetery, Abuja.
General Huseini Ahmed was killed on Thursday by unknown gunmen while travelling on Lokoja-Abuja road.
According to a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Directior of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya during the funeral rites, described the deceased as an articulate, dedicated, loyal and highly professional officer in the discharge of his duties. Read more
Policemen sentenced to death in Akwa Ibom (DailyTrust)
The Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area has sentenced two police officers and three others to death.
The accused were sentenced to death on Friday for kidnapping an Uyo-based cattle dealer, Alhaji Muhammad Barkindo.
In her ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Eno Isangedighi, held that the accused were guilty of the offence, and prayed God to have mercy upon them.
“The prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubts and found the accused guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping Alhaji Muhammad Umar Barkindo on 25th November, 2011, an offense punishable by death in Section one subsection two of Akwa Ibom State Internal Security and Enforcement Law 2009,” she said. Read more
INEC postpones physical voter registration exercise (Guardian)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed the physical registration of voters earlier scheduled to commence on July 19, 2020.
INEC National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said on Friday that the postponement became necessary due to the forthcoming public holiday.
He said the physical registration of voters would now commence on Monday, July 26, 2021.
Okoye explained that the exercise might be affected by the declaration of Tuesday 20, and Wednesday 21, July 2021, as public holidays by the Federal Government. Read more
South Africa Zuma riots: Armed police protect food deliveries (BBC)
Armed South African police officers are protecting deliveries of food and supplies to supermarkets after days of widespread looting and violence.
Riots were sparked by the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma.
An estimated $1bn (£720m) worth of stock was stolen in KwaZulu-Natal with at least 800 retail shops looted, a mayor in the province said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said that his government would not allow “anarchy and mayhem” to prevail. Read more
Antonio Banderas ‘joins star-studded Indiana Jones cast’ as Phoebe Waller-Bridge films in Glasgow (Metro)
Antonio Banderas has joined the star-studded cast of the upcoming Indiana Jones movie, it has been claimed.
The 60-year-old will be appearing opposite Harrison Ford for what is thought to be his last outing as the legendary daredevil.
Deadline states the Puss In Boots actor is among the cast involved, but it is not yet known who he will be playing in the blockbuster.
Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook and Shaunette Renee Wilson are also diving head first into the action, while Phoebe Waller-Bridge was spotted in front of the camera in Glasgow recently. Read more
Spain struggles to contain rising COVID infections (VOA)
Spain has experienced a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the past month which have prompted authorities to impose fresh restrictions in many parts of the country.
The 14-day coronavirus contagion rate was 469.50 per 100,000 of population, according to Spanish health ministry data released on Wednesday, making Spain’s one of the highest levels in Europe.
Barcelona and the surrounding region of Catalonia plan to impose a curfew to curb the delta variant of the coronavirus, which is running rampant among younger, unvaccinated Spaniards.
The Catalan regional authorities on Thursday were waiting for a judge to approve a nightly curfew after the two-week contagion level surpassed 1,000 cases per 100,000 people. Read more
66% of Republicans in southern US & nearly half of West Coast Democrats want to secede (RT)
Amid political division and constant culture wars, two-thirds of Republicans in the southern United States and almost half of West Coast Democrats want to secede from the country and form their own nation, according to a new poll.
A poll released on Wednesday by Bright Line Watch and YouGov reveals that a large portion of Americans from across the US want their regional area to secede from the union, with southern Republicans and West Coast Democrats apparently the most dissatisfied with the status quo.
In total, 44% of southerners support secession, with 66% of Republicans expressing a desire for the South to part ways with Washington. Half of southern independents also expressed support for secession, as did 20% of Democrats in the region.
Over on the West Coast (which included Alaska and Hawaii), there was less desire to break away, with a total of 39% of Americans expressing support for secession – but here Democrats were the most likely to want to secede at 47%, Read more
Anthony Bourdain documentary attracts backlash for deepfaking late chef’s voice using AI technology (Metro)
A new documentary about the late chef and writer Anthony Bourdain has sparked backlash after it emerged that the filmmaker recreated his voice using artificial intelligence.
Roadrunner: A Film With Anthony Bourdain is directed and produced by Oscar winner Morgan Neville, and follows the life and career of Bourdain, who died by suicide aged 61 in 2018.
The documentary features interviews with Bourdain’s colleagues and friends including chef Eric Ripert, who discovered Bourdain’s body, Momofuku founder David Chang, Queens of the Stone Age star Josh Homme, The Kills’ Alison Mosshart and his ex-wife Ottavia Busia.
While the film has received largely positive reviews, the methods used to produce narration from Bourdain have been branded ‘f***ed up’ and ‘ghoulish’ by critics. Read more
Chinese authorities say unvaccinated parents can’t send children to school (BBC)
Students will not be allowed back in school in September unless their entire family is fully vaccinated, some local governments in China have said.
Several cities also said people needed to be vaccinated to enter public venues such as hospitals and supermarkets.
China joins other including France and Greece, which have made jabs mandatory in some sectors.
China has set a national target of inoculating 64% of its population by the end of the year. Read more
Belgium, Netherlands and France also hit by deadly flooding (DW)
Germany’s neighbours have been similarly hit by devastating floods. Along the Maas River, thousands of residents have been urged to vacate their homes.
As Germany counted its losses from heavy flooding on Friday, neighboring countries were similarly affected.
Dutch authorities ordered 10,000 residents of Maastricht city and adjacent villages to evacuate homes along the river Maas Thursday evening as rainy weather still circulated over western Europe, code-named low pressure zone “Bernd.”
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima also visited the hard-hit town of Valkenburg, east of Maastricht, where floodwaters had inundated homes and businesses.
In adjacent Belgium, where the Vesdre River had spilled its banks at Pepinster in the Walloon region, three elderly people were missing after a small rescue boat used by firefighters capsized. Read more
Nigeria’s D’Tigers ranked 4th in latest FIBA power rankings (Punch)
Nigeria has been ranked the fourth-best team of the 12 countries that will be featuring at the 2020 Olympics behind Australia, Spain and the USA, according to the latest FIBA Power Rankings.
The power rankings, which is different from the FIBA World Ranking presented by Nike, is based on the recent performances of the teams. It is determined by dividing the sum of all the win points, tie points, schedule points and bonus points by the number of games played.
D’Tigers placed fourth after their astonishing victories over world No.1 USA and fourth ranked Argentina during their exhibition games in Las Vegas recently.
The West Africans were beaten 108-69 by Australia, their opponents in their opening game at the Olympic Games on July 25 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Read more
Tokyo 2020: Australia basketball star Liz Cambage withdraws from Olympics citing mental health concerns (BBC)
Australian basketball player Liz Cambage has withdrawn from the Olympic team citing mental health concerns and fears of heading into the “bubble”.
Cambage, who plays for the Las Vegas Aces, said the fact that family, friends and fans would not be in Tokyo to offer support was “terrifying”.
The 29-year-old, a four-time WNBA All-Star, said she wanted to take care of herself “mentally and physically”.
“At the moment I’m a long way from where I want and need to be,” she said.
“It’s no secret that in the past I’ve struggled with my mental health and recently I’ve been really worried about heading into a ‘bubble’ Olympics. No family. No friends. No fans. No support system outside of my team. It’s honestly terrifying for me. Read more
Ugandan weightlifter missing from Olympic training camp (Punch)
Officials in Izumisano City have announced a member of the Ugandan team has been reported missing prior to the Olympic Games here.
A COVID-19 test was set to be conducted on weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko at the Ugandan team hotel in a city located more than 500 kilometres away from Tokyo.
According to Yahoo Japan, the official who was set to conduct the test was unable to locate Ssekitoleko in his room.
Ssekitoleko’s team-mates reportedly confirmed his disappearance, with police having launched a search.
“One member of the Ugandan delegation, which the city received as a host town, has gone missing and cannot be reached,” an Izumisano City statement read. Read more
Nuno Espirito Santo speaks out on Harry Kane’s Tottenham future (Metro)
New Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo says he has ‘no doubts’ over Harry Kane’s commitment to the club.
‘I have no doubts in my mind. What I wish is for Harry to recover well and have a good rest,’ said Nuno, speaking at his first press conference since his belated appointment as Jose Mourinho’s permanent successor.
‘When he arrives he will feel that he has to commit himself to become better. We are ambitious, we want to do well and we count on Harry to do that.
‘Harry is our player, period. There is no need to talk about anything else. Now is the time for him to rest. When he returns we can have a good conversation. I am looking forward to him joining the group.’ Read more
MMA star Joe Schilling hit with $30k lawsuit stemming from viral bar knockout clip (RT)
Mixed martial arts star Joe Schilling has been hit with a $30,000 lawsuit by the man he knocked out after a brief altercation in a Florida bar after a clip of the savage attack went viral on social media.
The victim of the attack, 31-year old Justin Balboa, claims through his lawyers that Schilling, who is a former world champion kickboxer, “viciously attacked, physically struck and assaulted” him during the incident at the B Square bar, which he says left him with “severe injuries”.
A video clip of the attack showed Schilling brush shoulders with Balboa before the two briefly appeared to exchange words.
Schilling then unleashed a vicious one-two combo which sent Balboa backwards to the floor, where he was quickly attended to by fellow patrons. Read more
Felipe Anderson: Brazilian midfielder rejoins Lazio from West Ham (BBC)
Felipe Anderson has rejoined Lazio from West Ham, three years after signing from the Serie A side.
The Brazilian midfielder, 28, joined the Hammers from Lazio for £36m in 2018 – a club record fee at the time.
He scored 12 goals in 73 appearances for David Moyes’ side, but spent last season on loan at Porto.Anderson had a medical in Rome on Tuesday, having being on the bench for West Ham’s 2-2 friendly draw with Dundee last Friday. Read more