Lagos mum pours hot water on daughter for refusing to hawk
(Punch)
Anger has got the better of a food vendor in the Oshodi area of Lagos, Mrs Mary Omifunto, after she emptied a pot of hot water on her 14-year-old daughter, Kaosarat, inflicting burns on many parts of her body.
It was learnt that the teenager’s offence was that she refused to assist her mother, who sells rice, to hawk the food last Sunday.
City Round learnt that Omifunto had a lot of unsold beef the previous day and decided to cook food on Sunday so the meat would not spoil.
Kaosarat, a primary 5 pupil, was said to have declined when her mother asked her to hawk that Sunday. Read more
Lagos bans concerts, carnivals, street parties as COVID-19 cases surge (Guardian)
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Friday said Lagos may slip into a second wave of Coronavirus pandemic, if residents failed to comply with the precautionary measures against the spread of virus.
The governor disclosed that of every 100 tests that the state has performed, an average of 10 turn out to be positive, stating it is an increase from the five per hundred recorded in September, though lower than the peak in August, which was between 20 and 30 per hundred.
“This suggests the existence of active community transmission, and represents the very likely possibility of the emergence of a second wave in Lagos State. Read more
COVID-19: Lagos, FCT, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom ban large gatherings again (Punch)
Amid the dreaded second wave and rising spread of COVID-19 in the country, the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the governments of Lagos and Ebonyi states have banned some large gatherings in their respective domains.
While Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State banned concerts, carnivals, street parties and nightclubs, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, imposed some restrictions and issued fresh safety protocols in their respective areas.
This, they said, was to curb the rising spread of the virus, which rose to 77,013 on Friday. The number of deaths also rose from 1,201 to 1,212. Read more
How Troops of Operation Hadarin Daji rescued abducted schoolboys- DHQ (Guardian)
The Defence Headquarters, yesterday, said abducted students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State were all rescued ‘on the heels of credible intelligence’ by Nigeria troops.
The reaction from the military high command also insisted that no ransom was paid for the release of the students, corroborating the position of Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, who said the release was facilitated by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), who engage in talks with the bandits and government.
The Coordinator of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen. John Enenche, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, said the operation was carried out with high degree of professionalism to ensure all the students were rescued alive. Read more
Made In Heaven drops new song, music video, ‘Afuru m gi n’anya’ (Vanguard)
Fast rising Gospel music group “Made In Heaven” are back with a soul searching, uplifting single titled “Afuru m gi n’anya” meaning I love you. The singing sensation trio; Kasope Sote, Olusayo Oloruntuyi, Olumide Oyibokure are bound with chords of love, live a lifestyle of faith, worship and high praise anchored in the comprehension of God’s supremacy and majesty.
Sequel to their debut song “Jeje”, Afuru m gi n’anya has an infusion of soft rock and blues with lyrics expressed in English, Efik, Yoruba, Igbo, expertly laid to convey gratitude and love from the hearts of believers to the sovereign God.
Speaking on behalf of the gospel- inspirational group, Olumide Oyibokure who goes by the stage name Lumynors O’ven stated “Afuru m gi n’anya was written to express our heart felt thanks for God’s unfailing love towards us and mankind. Read more
How bandits tortured us in six nights of horror – Freed Katsina schoolboys (Punch)
Some of the 344 schoolboys kidnapped in Katsina State by suspected bandits and released on Thursday, six days later have recounted their experiences in the den of the kidnappers.
The pupils were kidnapped last Friday from the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara. Boko Haram had on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the kidnapping though some government officials had refuted the claim that the terrorist group was involved in the mass abduction.
Following their release, the pupils looked dirty and tired when they arrived in Katsina on Friday morning where they narrated their ordeals in the hands of the bandits. Read more
MTN imports 14,000 devices for NIN registration (Punch)
MTN says it has ordered 14,000 new devices to enrol and capture National Identity Numbers.
The devices, it said, are expected to arrive in Nigeria in two weeks.
The telecom company during an investors call on Thursday told shareholders that the Federal Government had granted MTN and other operators a licence to register the identities of Nigerians, Bloomberg reported.
“This will enable us to enrol NINs on behalf of the National Identity Management Commission and validate information against their database, incoming MTN Nigeria CEO, Mazen Mroue, said on an investor call. Read more
Security agencies still have a lot to do – Buhari (Vanguard)
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the Nigerian military and security agencies have a lot to do to secure the country and its citizens.
President Buhari, who stated this on Friday, when he met with the 344 rescued students at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, said it was the job of the military to protect the citizens, adding that the military signed for it.
The President urged the affected students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, to remain focused in pursuing their interest of acquiring a good education, despite the misfortune of kidnapping, noting that the reward of knowledge is not negotiable. Read more
Plea to save conjoined twins born in Yemen (BBC)
Doctors in the Yemeni capital Sanaa have called for urgent help to save the lives of conjoined twins who were born on Wednesday.
The head of the al-Sabeen hospital where the boys were born said they were in a “critical condition” and needed surgery that can only be done abroad.
Sanaa’s airport is shut due to Yemen’s long-running war, which has devastated an already fragile health system.
A Saudi Arabia-based aid centre said it was examining whether it could help. Read more
COVID-19 vaccine to be rolled out in poorer nations early next year, says WHO (France24)
Poorer countries will begin to receive coronavirus vaccination doses early next year from a facility created to ensure fair access, the World Health Organization and its partners said Friday.
Almost two billion doses of candidate vaccines have been secured for the Covax facility, run by the WHO along with the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
Countries including the United States and Britain have already begun to roll out a vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNtech, with another developed by Moderna expected to gain widespread approval soon.
Neither drug is included in the two billion doses, but the WHO said it was in discussions with both companies. Read more
Switzerland Imposes COVID-19 Restrictions as Infections Surge (VOA)
The Swiss government Friday ordered all bars, restaurants, cultural venues and sports facilities to close next week because of a surging number of coronavirus cases.
At a news conference, Health Minister Alain Berset said the new restrictions, which take effect Tuesday, are necessary because the situation in health facilities ”is not tenable in the long term.”
The government will also restrict the number of people who can be inside stores, which must close after 7 p.m. and on Sundays and public holidays. Read more
Faith and fertility at Bethlehem’s Milk Grotto (BBC)
Usually the narrow, gently winding street to the side of Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity would be bustling with souvenir sellers.
They hail passing tourists in English, Spanish, Polish – trying to guess their nationality.
Today, with foreign travel here virtually impossible because of the pandemic, the shop windows are firmly shuttered – like eyes closed tight.
It’s deserted when I reach the Milk Grotto too, although that’s not so surprising – this little church is often overlooked by visitors on rushed trips around the Holy Land. Read more
French President Macron blames Covid-19 infection on negligence, bad luck (France24)
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday blamed his Covid-19 on a combination of negligence and bad luck, urging his compatriots to stay safe as critics called out slip-ups in his behavior to prevent infection, from a close-quarters handshake to repeated big-group meals over the past week.
In what looked like a self-shot video from the presidential retreat in Versailles where he was isolating with symptoms that included headaches, fatigue and a dry cough, Macron promised to give daily updates and be “totally transparent” about the evolution of his illness.
“I wanted to reassure you – I am doing fine. I have the same symptoms as yesterday, notably fatigue, headaches, a dry cough,” he said, speaking softly and dressed casually in a turtleneck top. The president said he would “be back soon” and added there was “no reason to believe this will develop badly”, while adding he was under medical supervision. Read more
Deepa Mehta’s “Funny Boy” no longer eligible for international film Oscar (CBC)
Telefilm Canada says Deepa Mehta’s Funny Boy has been disqualified from competing for best international feature film at the Oscars because it falls short of the non-English language requirements.
The Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences notified Telefilm that Mehta’s coming-of-age story, originally billed as being mostly in the Tamil language, doesn’t meet the criteria.
Best international feature is awarded to a film produced outside the United States with predominantly non-English dialogue. Read more
WWE’s Liv Morgan wants Sarah Jessica Parker’s role in “Hocus Pocus 2” (Metro)
WWE superstar Liv Morgan would love to be part of Hocus Pocus 2. The 26-year-old wrestler is a huge fan of the original movie – as well as horror films – and while her focus is on the her in-ring career, she’s not ruling out acting as a potential avenue in the future. Liv recently tweeted her excitement over the announcement that the Hocus Pocus sequel is coming to Disney+, and threw her name in the hat to play Sarah Sanderson in the movie. Now, she’s opened up about following in the footsteps of the likes of John Cena, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Becky Lynch. Read more
Super Falcons rise to 37th in latest FIFA ranking (Guardian)
The Super Falcons of Nigeria rose one place from the 38th position to 37th in the latest FIFA ranking released yesterday. The move came despite the team’s inactivity in the last 14 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down both sporting and economic activities across the world.
The African Women Cup Of Nations defending champions last outing was a 1-1 draw against Cote d’Ivoire in October 2019, which later led to the country’s failure to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
According to FIFA, other African countries like Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania also rose some steps in the new rankings. Read more
Kwadwo Asamoah would like to return to Ghana – one day (BBC)
Ghana’s Kwadwo Asamoah says he wants to return home one day but is equally determined to continue playing at the highest level in Europe.
The midfielder has been looking for a new club since leaving Italian Serie A side Inter Milan by mutual consent in October.
Despite recently turning 32 he still has the enthusiasm of a 20-year-old and says it is too soon for him to follow the lead of his compatriot and former captain Asamoah Gyan, who signed for Ghanaian side Legon Cities in November.
“In the future, I won’t mind going there (to Ghana) and play football, but this is not the right time for me to do so,” he told BBC Sport Africa. Read more
Ighalo set to depart Old Trafford for China (Guardian)
Chinese club, Shanghai Shenhua, are bracing themselves up to welcome back former Super Eagles forward, Odion Ighalo, to the club.
Ighalo’s loan deal at Manchester United is coming to an end next month with the former English champions not interested in further agreement for the player.
English tabloid, Daily Star, reported that Ighalo won’t be joining another team in January and will return to his parent club in China at the end of the current deal, which expires on January 31.
After a dream to his career at the club last season, Ighalo has failed to hold down a regulation shirt this season, with the manager preferring Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial or Edison Cavani. Read more
Jose Mourinho aims fresh dig at Jurgen Klopp over best men’s coach award (Metro)
Jose Mourinho couldn’t resist taking a pop at Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool manager was named Best FIFA Men’s Coach for the second year in a row, joking Hansi Flick’s ‘only chance’ was if Bayern Munich had won SEVEN titles. Klopp, who led Liverpool to their first Premier League title in 30 years, beat off competition from Marcelo Bielsa and Flick to scoop the prize at Thursday’s glitzy Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony held in Zurich. Many expected Bayern boss Flick to come out on top given he steered his side to five pieces of silverware last term, including the Champions League and the Bundesliga. Read more
Feeding Britain’s Children:
Inside Marcus Rashford’s campaign to tackle child hunger (BBC)
“There were times when there wasn’t any food, so you’d just go to sleep. The people that were closest to me knew about the situation me and my family were going through, but my team-mates and coaches didn’t.”
At the start of 2020, Marcus Rashford was a Manchester United and England footballer. He will end it as an internationally recognised social justice campaigner on child food poverty. His work for the provision of free school meals in England during holidays and other support to low-income families prompted major changes in government policy.
That work has been recognised with a string of awards – he was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, was recognised at both the Best Fifa Football Awards and BBC Sports Personality of The Year, and was included in the annual Football Black List. Read more
Frank Lampard pleads with Chelsea fans to remain patient with struggling Kai Havertz (Metro)
Frank Lampard has called on Chelsea fans to show Kai havertz patience amid his struggles to find his best form since arriving at Stamford Bridge. The 21-year-old signed from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer for an initial £62m which could rise to as much as £71m with additional payments. The German has already made 11 Premier League appearances, but has produced just one goal and struggled to make much of an impact in many of those games. Read more