Lagos police arrest 25 suspected armed robbers few days to New Year (Vanguard)
The Police Command in Lagos State has arrested 15 suspected armed robbers and a cult member of the ‘Eiye Confraternity’, a few days to the New Year celebration.
This is contained in a statement signed on Tuesday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
Adejobi said that the arrests was part of police efforts to protect lives and property in the state especially during the ‘Ember months’.
“The command had been on the trail of criminals who have been terrorising citizens and residents at strategic locations, especially in Ikorodu and Lekki/Ajah areas of the state,” he said. Read more
Lagos pledges improved bus services (Punch)
The management of Lagos Bus Services Limited has pledged to ensure the realisation of its mandate of providing smart and sustainable bus transportation solutions that will meet the commuting needs of the populace.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LBSL, Mr Idowu Oguntona, gave the assurance during an end-of-the-year town hall meeting with the agency’s stakeholders, according to a statement titled ‘LBSL promises to deliver enhanced services to Lagosians’.
Oguntona said although the COVID-19 pandemic and the #EndSARS protests affected the company operations this year, he, however, the company would re-strategise and work towards the delivery of world-class transportation services in the coming year. Read more
Rotary Club of Mende installs charter president (Guardian)
The Rotary Club of Mende Midtown, District 9110, has installed its charter president. Speaking at her installation ceremony, Mariam Adegunwa said the principal project of the club would be to build a cafeteria for Mende Junior School in Maryland, Lagos.
She also promised to be dedicated to the cause of Rotary as she takes on her role as president of the newly formed club.
She said: “With the successful takeoff of the Rotary Club of Mende Midtown, comprising ethical businessmen and professionals with a remarkable diversity both in gender and age, our club is ready to take up the challenges and responsibilities that come along with the resolve to serve the community and make a difference through the seven areas of focus in Rotary. Read more
Molested Deeper Life School’s pupil recuperating in hospital as NGOs wade in (Vanguard)
The pupil of Deeper Life High School, Idoro near Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital allegedly molested by some senior pupils is recuperating in the hospital, Vanguard has learnt.
This happens as some Non-Governmental Organizations have reportedly waded into the matter.
Father of the boy, Archibong said he was gradually coming out of the trauma, stating that the family would give full details of his medical status as soon as he is discharged from the hospital.
“He is recuperating in the hospital. Once he is released from the hospital and I finish with what I am doing, I will speak to you. For now, the investigation is still ongoing”, he said. Read more
January will be tough, spike in COVID-19 infections imminent – NCDC (Punch)
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has said that the nation’s health system is struggling to cope with the increasing number of coronavirus infections daily.
The centre warned that the nation would pay in January for disregarding the health protocols.
Speaking at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Tuesday, the Director-General, NCDC, Dr Chikwe Iheakwazu said, “We just faced the worst week since we started responding to this outbreak. We had more cases in Nigeria last week than in any other previous week since the beginning of the outbreak.
“Pictures and videos from across the country paint a very disheartening situation because it appears that our messages, our appeals to Nigerians over the last few months have not been heeded and we have gone ahead with business as usual. Read more
Ogun student commits suicide for being dumped by girlfriend (Guardian)
Barely a week after a 300-level student of Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Gbenga Favour Olaoye Akanbi, poisoned himself to death for being defrauded to the tune of N300 million in a forex deal, a student of Ogun State Institute of Technology (OGITECH) has reportedly committed suicide for being dumped by his girlfriend.
The deceased, simply identified as Nonso, was a fresh National Diploma graduate of the institution from the department of Businesses Administration.
According to a close friend who confirmed the incident, the deceased had recently sent his girlfriend, one Miracle, to Dubai, “but Miracle went ahead and got married to another man. Read more
FG suspends 100 passports of passengers over post-arrival COVID-19 test – PTF (Vanguard)
The federal government has suspended the passports of 100 in-bound airline passengers who failed to take the second test of COVID-19 after arriving in the country.
Mr Boss Mustapha, Chairman, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, disclosed this at the national briefing on Tuesday, in Abuja.
Mustapha, also, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said that the names of the passengers would be published on Jan. 1, 2021, while suspension of the passports would last for six months.
“With effect from Jan. 1, 2021, passports of the first 100 passengers, who failed to take their day-seven post-arrival polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, would be published in the national dailies,” he said. Read more
Stakeholders worry over aging trucks on Nigerian roads (Punch)
Stakeholders in the haulage industry have expressed worry over the lifespan of trucks that ply Nigerian roads on a daily basis.
They stated that the trucks used on Nigerian roads were over 30 years in a webinar titled ‘Safety in the Nigerian haulage industry: Roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders’, organised by FleetTribe on Tuesday.
Supply Chain Director at Perfetti Van Melle, Rauf Badejo, said that the Nigerian haulage industry was far behind.
He said, “There is an overdependence on the road and shortage of infrastructure as the fact and figures show that 99.4 per cent of people utilises road transportation. Read more
CAN orders churches to comply with scheduling of cross-over services (Guardian)
President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle, has urged churches nationwide to adhere strictly to existing COVID-19 protocols and the additional guidelines relating to cross-over services.
He advised that in states where embargo had been placed on night worship, Christians should gather much earlier to praise God for sparing their lives, and the meetings must not stay beyond 11:00p.m. to enable worshippers return home in time.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Ayokunle stated: “We understand the unfortunate state the COVID-19 infection has put everybody world over which caused some state governments to place total ban on cross-over night service, and we are not happy that we would not be able to enter into the new year prayerfully in joint fellowship with our brothers and sisters. Read more
Louisville officers connected to Breonna Taylor’s death could be fired (CBC)
Louisville, Ky., police have taken steps that could result in the firing of two officers connected to Breonna Taylor’s death — one who sought the no-knock search warrant that led detectives to her apartment and another found to have opened fire.
Det. Joshua Jaynes received a pre-termination letter, media outlets reported Tuesday. It came after a professional standards unit investigation found he had violated department procedures for preparation of a search warrant and truthfulness, his lawyer said.
Det. Myles Cosgrove also received a pre-termination letter, media outlets later reported, citing his lawyer, Jarrod Beck. Kentucky’s attorney general has said it was Cosgrove who appeared to have fired the fatal shot at Taylor, according to ballistics tests. Read more
Sir Anthony Hopkins sends emotional message to mark 45 years sober (Metro)
Sir Anthony Hopkins has told people to ‘keep fighting’ after sharing a heartfelt New Year message to mark 45 years of sobriety. The actor, who has been a hit on Twitter throughout lockdown, reflected on ‘drinking himself to death’ in the past and detailed how he was motivated to turn his life around. The 82-year-old confessed he still has ‘off days’ tries his best to ‘hang in there’ and wants others who may be feeling at a low point to do the same. In a black and white video posted on Twitter on Tuesday, the Silence of the Lambs star reflected on the past year. Read more
Louisiana congressman-elect Luke Letlow dead from COVID-19 at 41 (NYPost)
Louisiana Rep.-elect Luke Letlow died on Tuesday, more than a week after he was hospitalized with the coronavirus, according to a report.
A family friend confirmed to the Monroe News-Star that Letlow, 41, died in the intensive care unit at Ochsner LSU Health in Shreveport, where he had been since Dec. 23.
The newly-elected Republican announced on Dec. 18 that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was first quarantining at home.
He was hospitalized the next day and eventually transferred to the ICU. Read more
Alibaba shares slump amid concerns about regulatory crackdown (CBC)
Alibaba shares slumped nine per cent to their lowest level since June on Monday, as the firm’s upsized $10 billion US buyback program failed to ease concerns about a regulatory crackdown on co-founder Jack Ma’s e-commerce and financial empire.
A sharp sell-off over two sessions has knocked almost $116 billion off the tech giant’s Hong Kong-listed shares.
The downward spiral intensified when Chinese regulators announced on Thursday the launch of an antitrust investigation into Alibaba, and said they would summon its Ant Group affiliate to meet. Alibaba’s U.S. shares sank more than 15 per cent during the day. Read more
Caviar selling gold-plated AirPods Max for $108,000 (NYPost)
A Russian luxury goods brand has made the AirPods Max’s $550 price tag look like a bargain.
Caviar, which specializes in taking mainstream products and putting an extravagant spin on them, has unveiled a “solid gold” version of the headphones that will retail for an eye-popping $108,000.
The high-end cans are plated in “pure 750 gold,” according to the Caviar website, with earpads that are covered in crocodile leather. The headphones, which normally do not have any sort of logo, will feature Caviar’s emblem on each side.
Caviar says that the luxury headphones will be “released in a single piece worldwide,” indicating that supplies will be limited. Read more
Pedro Pascal reacts to passionate fan defending “Wonder Woman 1984” against bad reviews (Metro)
Pedro Pascal was completely here for a fan who passionately defended Wonder Woman 1984 against some of the harsh reviews that have crept in over the past week. The blockbuster sequel, starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine and Kristen Wiig, was released to HBO Max in the US and some UK cinemas last week. Initial reviews were glowing with Metro.co.uk rewarding a strong four stars and other critics at publications such as Empire and Variety showering the superhero flick with praise. Read more
Boeing 737 Max flies 1st commercial flight in U.S. since fatal crashes (CBC)
American Airlines flew a Boeing 737 Max with paying passengers from Miami to New York on Tuesday, the plane’s first commercial flight in U.S. skies since it was grounded in 2019 after two deadly crashes.
American flight 718 carried about 100 passengers, according to an airline spokesperson, and landed Tuesday afternoon at LaGuardia Airport.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration approved changes that Boeing made to an automated flight-control system implicated in crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people in all. In both crashes, the system pushed the nose down repeatedly based on faulty sensor readings, and pilots were unable to regain control. Read more
NPFL return will boost economy, says Dare (Punch)
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says the resumption of the Nigeria Professional Football League is a big relief after months of uncertainty.
Dare stated this in a statement signed by the Media Office to the Minister of Youth and Sports Development on Tuesday.
“Truly, it is really a sign of relief to see the NPFL return. You can see the excitement on the social media and economic activities in different venues, talking about the hotels, restaurants and hosts of others who are beneficiaries of the restart of the league,” the statement quoted Dare as saying.
“The return of the league brought about economic gains and it will reduce social vices among the youths. Read more
Kadiri’s spot kick make the difference as Enyimba sink Abia Warriors (Guardian)
The exchanges were even until the 52nd minute when Samad Kadiri converted from the spot to give Enyimba a 1-0 victory over Abia Warriors in the first Abia derby of the 2020/2021 Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).
Yesterday’s match in Aba was significant as it marked Imama Amapakabo’s first game in charge of Abia Warriors. Enyimba, who were beaten 0-3 in Omdurman by Al Merreikh in the CAF Champions League at the weekend, needed a good outing yesterday to assure their fans they were not in for a bad season. But they met an Abia Warriors side that had ambitions of their own, armed with a coach that knows how to win important games.
Amapakabo, who led Enugu Rangers to their first league title in 30 years in the 2016, has been tasked with getting the Umuahia-based Warriors their first continental ticket in their history. And to achieve that, he knew he must win such games as the one they had against Enyimba. That, he set out to do. Read more
Raptors still searching for 1st win after blowing another lead in loss to 76ers (CBC)
Joel Embiid scored 29 points to lift the Philadelphia 76ers over Toronto 100-93 on Tuesday, and the Raptors remain winless three games into the NBA season.
Kyle Lowry had 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds to lead the Raptors, who once again fell apart down the stretch. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby had 20 points apiece, while seldom-used Stanley Johnson had eight rebounds to go with seven points.
The Raptors led by 14 in the first half Tuesday, but went cold in the third quarter — the same problem that cost them in Games 1 and 2. Toronto were held scoreless for the final five-and-a-half minutes of the frame, coughed up 10 points on six turnovers, and looked scattered on the defensive end, while the Sixers tied it up 76-76 with one quarter to play. Read more
Bale sidelined again by calf injury (Vanguard)
Gareth Bale’s stop-start second spell at Tottenham has been hit by a fresh injury problem with the Welshman expected to be out for at least two weeks due to a calf injury.
Bale sustained the problem in last week’s League Cup quarter-final win at Stoke, where he scored just his third goal in 11 appearances since rejoining Spurs on loan from Real Madrid.
However, the majority of those have come in the Europa League with his impact in the Premier League limited to just one start.
Bale suffered from a series of calf injuries during his time in Madrid and, three months after returning to London, is yet to get up to full match fitness. Read more
Premier League clubs discuss two-week break amid spike in coronavirus cases (Metro)
Premier League clubs have discussed the possibility of a two-week break in an attempt to prevent the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc with an already ultra-congested fixture list. Earlier on Tuesday the Premier League announced it had returned its highest number of positive coronavirus tests of the season, with 18 new cases. Sheffield United were the first club to confirm they had recorded ‘a number’ of positive tests, hot on the heels of Manchester City postponing Monday night’s fixture against Everton following an outbreak. Read more
Julius Randle’s triple-double propels Knicks to second straight win (NYPost)
The Knicks arrived in Cleveland with a pack of injured players. But Julius Randle is healthy — boy, is he ever.
In his fourth straight powerful performance, Randle posted a 28-point triple-double. He collected 12 rebounds with his Knicks-high 11 assists as the club won its second straight and took out the previously unbeaten Cavaliers, 95-86, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Tuesday night.
As he kept his rotation to eight men, Tom Thibodeau’s defensive-minded Knicks moved to 2-2 in shaking off 26 turnovers. Randle chased down a loose ball in the left corner and drilled a clinching 3-pointer with 5:40 left, lifting the Knicks into a 10-point lead.
On the next possession, Randle picked up his triple-double when he fed point guard Elfrid Payton for a 3-pointer. Read more
Federer, Nadal and Murray re-elected to player council as ATP schedule is released (Metro)
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have all been re-elected to the ATP player council, while the first three months of the men’s tennis 2021 season has finally been confirmed. Federer and Nadal returned to the council in 2019 after a string of resignations under then president Novak Djokovic’s regime, while Murray rejoined after a host of players involved in forming the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) – including Djokovic – were urged to step down. Djokovic had hoped to be part of the new-look council but was forced to withdraw from the race due to his ongoing role in the PTPA. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Kevin Anderson, John Millman and Bruno Soares were also re-elected, while Gilles Simon returns to the council having served previous terms. Read more
