Lagos records first case of Coronavirus in Nigeria (Punch)
The Lagos State Ministry of Health has confirmed the first case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in a statement around 1.40 am on Friday said the government had reported it to the Federal Ministry of Health.
“The case, which was confirmed on the 27th of February 2020, is the first case to be reported in Nigeria since the outbreak in China in January 2020.
“The case is an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on the 25th of February from Milan, Italy, for a brief business visit.
“He fell ill on the 26th February and was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing. Read more
Beggars in Lagos urged to pick up a vocation, get skilled (Guardian)
Beggars in Lagos State have been advised to drop begging as a vocation and rather take advantage of the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act signed into law last year by President Muhammadu Buhari, which among other items mandates public and private institutions in the country to reserve a percentage of employment opportunities for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, gave the advice yesterday at the maiden edition of community engagement of all stakeholders in Alimosho constituency. She said with the recent ban on street begging in Kano and Nasarawa states, beggars in Lagos should take advantage of the several skills acquisition programmes to get engaged in a vocation.
“Begging is not a vocation and I personally frown at it. Read more
Jilted lover jumps into Lagos lagoon, rescued (Punch)
Barely 12 days after a 21-year-old man, Toju Davies Daibo, allegedly plunged into the Lagos lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge, another passenger, Princewell David, jumped into the lagoon on Thursday after his girlfriend reportedly dumped him.
It was gathered that David, a resident of Tajudeen Balogun Street, Igando, Lagos, had ordered a Uber ride hailing cab from his residence to the Lekki area of the state.
PUNCH Metro learnt that on getting to the Third Mainland Bridge around 12am on Thursday, David asked the driver to stop to allow him to urinate. Read more
Traders protest against proposed demolition, takeover of market (Guardian)
A group of traders in Agboju market, Amuwo-Odofin, Festac Town, Lagos State, has appealed to the state government to stop its task force from demolishing and taking over their source of livelihood in the market. The traders who would be negatively affected by the forceful proposed takeover of the market alleged that one of them has been behind the recent unrest in the market.
In a peaceful protest, the traders who marched to Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area were seen carrying various placards with different inscriptions like “Sanwo-Olu save us from land grabbers, ‘we are traders not drug dealers’ among others. Read more
Man, 55, jailed 14yrs for attempted rape of daughter (DailyTrust)
A 55-year-old man, Bashiru Adeyanju, has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment by an Ado-Ekiti High Court for attempting to rape his 17-year-old daughter. The court found Adeyanju guilty of the offence of attempted rape on the strength of his confessional statement and witnesses called during the trial. The trial judge, Justice Monisola Abodunde, however did not find him guilty of the offence of serial rape, which he was also charged with. The judge also held that the three years the convict had already spent in jail should be subtracted from the jail term. Read more
FG makes a U-turn, admits Boko Haram targeting Christians (Punch)
The Federal Government on Thursday admitted that members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect and ISWAP have changed tactics.
It said they had decided to be targeting Christians and Christian communities.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
It said the insurgents’ latest strategy was meant to trigger a religious war and throw the nation into chaos. Read more
The Ethiopians returning home to start businesses (BBC)
Hundreds of Ethiopians who have been living abroad are returning to the country, following reforms brought in by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Mr Abiy’s ambitious reforms include changing the law to enable more Ethiopians living abroad to come back and help rebuild the economy.
For years, Ethiopia’s economy has been tightly controlled by the state and closed to many international investors.
About two million Ethiopians live in the diaspora, the government estimates.
About half of those displaced Ethiopians have found new homes in the US, particularly in Washington DC, which boasts a huge, thriving Ethiopian community. Read more
My family are scattered in relatives’ houses – Buba Galadima (DailyTrust)
A former ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Buba Galadima, has said that his family members are now ‘scattered’ with relatives over the seizure of his houses by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON). The corporation had announced the taking over of the residence and company of Alhaji Galadima, over “debts to the tune of N900 million”. But Galadima said the development was a witch-hunt and threatened to sleep outside the house, located in Wuse II, Abuja, so that Nigerians can see his plight. Read more
Black women scared to report domestic abuse in case Home Office deports them (Metro)
Black women are not reporting domestic abuse out of fear of being deported, a charity has warned. Ngozi Headley-Fulani, who runs Sistah Space, an unfunded domestic violence charity in Hackney, says the Windrush scandal and recent reports of mass-deportations to the Caribbean are trapping women in violent and abusive relationships. She said black women are ‘dying in mass numbers’ because of the government’s ‘hostile environment’ – a term coined by Theresa May in 2012 to describe the Home Office’s plan to crackdown on illegal immigration. Ngozi, along with chief volunteer Rosanna Lewis, were given a remit by City Hall to look into why women of African and Caribbean heritage were underreporting domestic abuse. Read more
Putin dismisses rumours he uses body doubles for security (BBC)
Vladimir Putin said he was offered the chance to use a body double in the early 2000s, but rejected the idea
Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted he was offered the chance to use a body double for security purposes, but rejected the idea.
He said the plan was tabled in the early 2000s, when Russia was fighting a war against separatists in Chechnya.
A 67-year-old former KGB agent, Mr Putin made several trips to the region during the conflict. Read more
Coronavirus fears trigger biggest one-day fall on US stock market (Guardian)
A currency trader wearing a face mask watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea.
Fears over the spread of coronavirus have prompted a record plunge in the US stock market, as analysts warned the outbreak could wreak economic havoc on a scale not seen since the 2008 financial crisis.
The Dow Jones industrial average suffered its worst one-day fall – 1,190 points – losing 4.4%, as fears of a global pandemic hit investor confidence.
The FTSE 100 slumped by 3.5%, extending a losing streak that puts the blue-chip share index on course for its worst week since the eurozone debt crisis in 2011. Read more
Syria war: 29 Turkish troops killed in air strike in Idlib (BBC)
Turkish troops are backing rebel forces in north-western Syria
At least 29 Turkish soldiers have been killed in an air strike by Syrian “regime forces” in north-western Syria, a senior Turkish official has said.
More were hurt in Idlib province, said Rahmi Dogan, the governor of Turkey’s Hatay province. Other reports put the death toll higher.
Turkey is now retaliating against Syrian troops government targets.
Syrian forces supported by Russia are trying to retake Idlib from rebels who are backed by Turkish soldiers. Read more
Biggest cosmic explosion ever detected left huge dent in space (Guardian)
The biggest cosmic explosion on record has been detected – an event so powerful that it punched a dent the size of 15 Milky Ways in the surrounding space.
The eruption is thought to have originated at a supermassive black hole in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster, which is about 390m light years from Earth.
Simona Giacintucci, of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC, the lead author of the study, described the blast as an astronomical version of the eruption of Mount St Helens in 1980, which ripped off the top of the volcano. “A key difference is that you could fit 15 Milky Way galaxies in a row into the crater this eruption punched into the cluster’s hot gas,” she said. Read more
Canada to stop paying Harry and Meghan’s security (BBC)
Canada will soon stop providing security for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the federal government has confirmed.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have been providing assistance to the couple since their arrival in Canada “intermittently since November 2019”.
It had not been clear whether Canadians would be paying for their security following their move.
The couple will formally step down as senior royals from 31 March.
They will no longer carry out duties on behalf of the Queen but arrangements will be reviewed after 12 months. Read more
Quaden Bayles’ mum turns down Disneyland trip to donate £365,000 to charity (Metro)
The family of a bullied boy with dwarfism has decided against using crowdfunded money on a trip to Disneyland, instead choosing to send the funds to charities tackling bullying and suicide. Quaden Bayles, 9, broke hearts when his mum Yarraka Bayles shared a clip of him on social media in February in which he asked for a rope to end his life. After the video went viral, he received an outpouring of support from the public and celebrities, and a GoFundMe page set up to get him to Disneyland raised more than $470,000 (£365,000). Read more
The crisis forcing mothers to give away their babies (BBC)
“Dumping babies is forbidden,” the sign created by Eric Mejicano reads. The Venezuelan artist posted the signs on walls across Venezuela after a newborn was found in the rubbish near his apartment block in the capital, Caracas.
Mejicano says that he launched the campaign to alert people to the fact that in Venezuela “something is becoming common which should never be considered normal”.
The country’s economy is in freefall and one in three Venezuelans is struggling to put enough food on the table to meet minimum nutrition requirements, according to a study by the UN World Food Programme. Read more
Ighalo scores first goal as Man Utd cruise through (BBC)
Odion Ighalo scored his first goal for Manchester United as they cruised into the Europa League last 16 at the expense of Club Bruges with one of their best performances of the season.
Bruno Fernandes scored his second United penalty in a week after Simon Deli was sent off for a ludicrous handball to block Daniel James’ shot.
The Portuguese, who was at the centre of everything, had a hand in the second as he lifted a pass over the top to Juan Mata, who squared for full debutant Ighalo to tap in from six yards.
And Scott McTominay, making his first start following an injury, side-footed in a third to wrap the tie up before half-time. Read more
Arsenal sent crashing out of Europa League (Guardian)
This was a lesson Arsenal had to learn eventually but it could not have come at a more costly moment. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has spent two years bailing out sluggish performances and embodying a model of consistency in a team that has shown none. He seemed to have done it yet again, with the stakes perhaps higher than ever, when he arched his back and cracked in a breathtaking overhead volley seven minutes from the end of extra time, restoring their aggregate lead with his first significant involvement of the game. But then came two stark, devastating reminders that Mikel Arteta’s rebuilding job has barely scratched the surface.
Olympiakos would, on this showing, have been unfortunate not to reach the last 16 and they received one last chance to load the Arsenal box when Bernd Leno conceded a corner under little pressure. Read more
Martin Keown slams Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe after Arsenal’s defeat to Olympiacos (Metro)
Martin Keown has slammed Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe following Arsenal’s Europa League exit to Olympiacos on Thursday evening. Youssef El Arabi’s goal in the 119th minute of extra time took the Greek side through on away goals, securing their passage to the last 16. With just seconds left of the game, Gunners captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a guilt-edged chance to win the tie, and looked on the verge of tears after the final whistle. But during the 90 minutes, Lacazette and Pepe struggled to make an impact and were unable to find the target for Arsenal. Read more
Liverpool announce £42m pre-tax profit for last season (DailyTrust)
Premier League leaders Liverpool announced on Thursday a pre-tax profit of £42 million and increased turnover of £533 million for last season’s Champions League-winning campaign. The club, who also finished as Premier League runners-up, said turnover rose by £78 million for the year ended May 31, 2019, and that it had invested a club record £223 million in players. Liverpool signed goalkeeper Alisson and midfielders Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri during the accounting period and offered new deals to 11 players, including Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Read more
Top sporting events at risk as coronavirus continues to spread (Guardian)
A large number of the year’s prestigious sporting events are at risk as the coronavirus continues to spread around the globe, with the organisers of the Six Nations, the Cheltenham Festival, the Giro d’Italia, Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics all closely monitoring the situation after a significant increase in the number of cases worldwide.
Ireland’s men’s and women’s Six Nations matches against Italy in Dublin on 7 and 8 March were postponed on Wednesday on the recommendation of Ireland’s health minister and the National Public Health Emergency, with the possibility growing that the northern hemisphere’s rugby’s showpiece competition may not be completed for the first time since 1972. Read more
Ajax knocked out of Europa League (BBC)
Last season’s Champions League semi-finalists Ajax are out of the Europa League after being beaten 3-2 on aggregate by Getafe over two legs.
Ajax, who were 2-0 down from the first game, went behind early on as Jaime Mata opened the scoring for Getafe.
Danilo quickly levelled for Ajax, before Mathias Olivera scored an own goal for the Spanish side in the second half to put Ajax 2-1 up.
But Erik ten Hag’s men, top of the Dutch Eredivisie by three points, could not find a way past the resilient Getafe, despite enjoying 70% of possession. Read more
Who Wolves and Rangers can face in Europa League last-16 draw (Metro)
Manchester United, Wolves and Rangers are all in the pot for the Europa League last-16 draw. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side made the cut in emphatic fashion with a 5-0 victory over Club Brugge at Old Trafford. Wolves lost to Espanyol 3-2 on Thursday evening but progressed 6-3 on aggregate. Rangers beat Braga 1-0 on Wednesday evening to secure a 4-2 victory over the Portuguese side on aggregate. Meanwhile, Arsenal missed out on a place in the last-16 after Olympiacos’ late goal in extra time at the Emirates Stadium knocked Mikel Arteta’s side out of the competition. Read more
‘Why FIFA hasn’t paid Women’s World Cup money’ (Punch)
FIFA has confirmed why it has not paid 2019 Women’s World Cup prize money to Nigeria.
The Super Falcons featured in each of the past editions since its inception in 1991 but only made it to the Round of 16 for the first time since 1999 last year before they were kicked out by Germany.
Despite a 3-0 defeat to the two-time world champions at Stade des Alpes in Grenoble, a Round of 16 qualification means the West African nation will receive N1m as prize money.
“Regarding your request, as part of our long-term vision to invest into the development of women’s football at all levels, prior to last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, FIFA announced that it would more than triple the financial contribution for participating Member. Read more
Landmark Man City win in Madrid vindicates Guardiola (Guardian)
Manchester City’s European ban means they are under enormous pressure to win the Champions League this season and they are one step closer after arguably their greatest result in the competition at Real Madrid.
Nothing is won yet, not even after City’s 2-1 victory in the first leg of the last-16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, as Pep Guardiola was keen to point out.
Real, who been European champions a record 13 times, have a history of dramatic comebacks. Read more