Lagos rescues 31 children, pledges support to physically challenged kids (NewTelegraph)
The Lagos State government Thursday said that it had rescued about 31 under-aged children across the state from street begging or roaming around.
New Telegraph learnt they were rescued from Idi-Araba, Sabo, Eko Hotel, Adeola Odeku, 1004 and other areas within the metropolis.
Meanwhile, as part of the intervention programme towards improving the wellbeing of people living with mental and physical deformity, the Lagos State government through the Ministry of Youth and Social Development has given financial assistance to service providers for disabled children in the state. Read more
Two died, three injured on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Guardian)
Two pedestrians were killed by an Honda SUV Jeep which drove against the traffic around Ibafo area on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Christmas Day.
Mr Clement Oladele, Ogun Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that three others were injured in the accident.
Oladele said that a Honda Element SUV Jeep, with registration number, KSF 946 DB, drove against the traffic and knocked down two pedestrians waiting to board a commercial bus, killing them instantly and injuring three others. Read more
Kwara didn’t spend N200m on Wizkid concert – AbdulRazaq (Nation)
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has denied that the government was behind the popular musical concert that featured pop star Wizkid in Ilorin.
He however noted that the event was a welcome development and could be a springboard to promote entertainment and get local talents hooked to other talents from outside the state.
He laughed off claims that the administration spent N200m to organise an end of the year party, saying those behind the claims were the people who brought the state to its knees and thought everyone was like them. Read more
Nigerian wanted for alleged fraud arrested while trying to flee US (Guardian)
A Nigerian man Emmanuel Mong wanted for fraud has been arrested while trying to catch a flight to Nigeria has been arrested in Washington, Stamford Advocate reported on Wednesday.
Mong has been extradited to Stamford where he will be charged for illegally intercepting a $30,000 wire transfer from a privately held pharmaceutical company, Purdue Pharma.
The 24-year-old who lived in Savannah, Georgia, before his arrest was trying to catch an Emirates Airlines flight to Nigeria on December 16 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when he was detained by the United States Customs and Border Protection officers. Read more
Woman delivers baby after missing menstruation for 13 years (Guardian)
A 58-year-old woman, Mrs Dorcas Osiebo, who stopped menstruating in 2006 without a trace of pregnancy, has been delivered of a baby boy.
Dorcas, who delivered the baby on Dec. 13, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja that she was confused and excited when her Pastor’s wife, a nurse confirmed her pregnancy.
“She (nurse) looked at my face and said, ‘Mummy, to God be the glory, you are pregnant. I was very surprised”.
NAN reports that Dorcas got married to Mr Christopher Osiebo, 64, and have been hoping of having a child in their 35-year-old union. Read more
Why I chose to get married on Christmas day – Xmas bride (Nation)
A newly wedded bride, Mrs Abiola Akinremi, has said that she chose to get married on Christmas day, so she could easily remember her wedding anniversary date.
Akinremi, formerly known as Abiola Adeoye, said this on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Akinremi said that she was not good at keeping records especially numerics like pins, codes, digits, phone numbers and as such decided to get married on a significant day that could serve as a reminder. Read more
Morocco jails YouTuber for insulting king (Punch)
A Moroccan YouTuber was sentenced on Thursday to four years in prison for “insulting the king” in a video broadcast on social networks, his lawyer said.
In a separate case, a Moroccan journalist and activist was charged and detained over a tweet that had criticised a court decision, his defence council told AFP.
The cases come after the Moroccan Human Rights Association had deplored in July an “escalation of violations of human rights and public and individual freedoms” in Morocco. Read more
BBNaija stars, Khafi, Gedoni are engaged (Nation)
Ex BBNaija season four housemates Khafi Kareem and Gedoni Ekpata are engaged.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the reality stars, who started their relationship on the show, announced their engagement on instagram.
Khafi posted a picture of herself and Gedoni on her Instagram page @acupofkhafi and captioned it, “I said yes. And I got the best Christmas gift ever. Mrs Ekpata loading.” Read more
British dad and his two children who drowned in Costa del Sol swimming pool are named (Metro)
The British dad and his two children who drowned in their Costa del Sol holiday pool have been named. Gabriel Diya, 52, his daughter Comfort Diya, nine, and son Praise-Emmanuel Diya, 16, are understood to have died in the triple tragedy on Christmas Eve. Investigators are trying to determine how all three members of the same family lost their lives at the Club La Costa World complex near Fuengirola. Police divers earlier recovered Comfort’s swimming cap from the pool’s pump system. Read more
Boxing Day: 5 ThingsTo Know About The Day-After-Christmas (HollywoodLife)
Boxing Day is a major holiday in so many countries, but if you’re unfamiliar with the day-after-Christmas celebration, we’re here to help!
The Christmas festivities are over, but in many countries around the world, there’s another big holiday that comes the day after — Boxing Day! The holiday is not celebrated in the United States, but it’s similar to the Black Friday holiday that we celebrate on the day after Thanksgiving. Many who did not grow up in a country where Boxing Day is celebrated do not know much about the holiday, so we rounded up five fast facts to get you caught up:
- When is Boxing Day? Boxing Day falls on the day after Christmas, December 26, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is also celebrated in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It has been a bank holiday in Britain since 1974 — if Dec. 26 falls on a Saturday, Boxing Day is observed on the following Monday, and if Dec. 26 falls on a Sunday, Boxing Day is observed the following Tuesday, with Christmas Day being observed on the Monday. Read more
Lindsey Vonn proposes to P.K. Subban, says men should get engagement rings too (PageSix)
Former Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn announced on Christmas Day that she proposed to her hockey star fiancé P.K. Subban — “and he said yes.”
The pair had been engaged since last August when Subban, a New Jersey Devils defenseman, proposed to her.
Vonn, 35, said in an Instagram post that on their 2-year anniversary, she “returned the favor and asked PK to marry me … and he said yes.” Read more
Brexit: Timmermans ‘love letter’ says UK always welcome back in EU (BBC)
A leading EU official has penned a love letter to Britain, expressing his “deep hurt” over Brexit and concluding: “You will always be welcome to come back.”
European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans wrote the letter in the Guardian.
“Since I went to a British school, you have always been part of me. Now you are leaving, and it breaks my heart,” the top of the Guardian piece reads.
The UK is due to leave the European Union on 31 January 2020. Read more
Alli caps Spurs fightback to sink Brighton (Guardian)
Dele Alli got Tottenham back on track as the England midfielder capped a gritty escape act with the late winner in Thursday’s 2-1 victory against Brighton.
Jose Mourinho’s side were in danger of a second successive Premier League defeat when Adam Webster headed Brighton into a shock lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But Harry Kane equalised after the interval and Alli finished off a flowing Tottenham move in the closing stages to erase the bitter taste of last weekend’s acrimonious London derby loss to Chelsea. Read more
Nasarawa United seek second league win against Pillars (Punch)
The Lafia City Stadium will be agog when Kano Pillars face Bottom placed Nasarawa United in a rescheduled Nigeria Professional Football League fixture on Thursday (today).
The Sai Masu Gida have overcome their slow start to the season as they have been undefeated in their last four league fixtures after the arrival of veteran and influential midfielder Rabiu Ali from suspension.
The hosts (Nasarawa) currently bottom of the log will be seeking their second win of the season after claiming their first win of the season in a 1-0 win over Heartland FC in a match week nine fixture. Read more
Arteta’s Arsenal earn point at Bournemouth through Aubameyang (BBC)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his 12th Premier League goal of the season as Arsenal came from behind to draw at Bournemouth in Mikel Arteta’s first match in charge of the Gunners.
Midfielder Dan Gosling gave the hosts the lead from close range after Jack Stacey’s cut back before Arsenal’s captain came to the rescue.
Aubameyang struck with a first-time shot after Reiss Nelson’s attempt from the edge of the penalty area deflected into the Gabon forward’s path. Read more
Leonard leads Clippers over Lakers, 76ers impress with win over Bucks (Guardian)
Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points as the Clippers rallied to beat the Lakers 111-106 in an all-Los Angeles NBA showdown on Wednesday.
The Western Conference heavyweight clash was part of the NBA’s five-game Christmas extravaganza, which saw the Philadelphia 76ers make a statement with a 121-109 victory over the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks.
Cameroonian big man Joel Embiid scored 31 points as the Sixers ran roughshod over the league’s top-rated defense. Read more
Ancelotti begins Everton reign with win over Burnley (BBC)
Carlo Ancelotti made a winning start as Everton manager as his side edged past Burnley at a packed and passionate Goodison Park.
The 60-year-old Italian, who won the Premier League and FA Cup double as Chelsea boss in 2009-10, took over at Everton last week and received a fantastic reception from the home fans.
Burnley, after two successive wins, nearly scored inside three minutes but Jay Rodriguez’s header was cleared off the line by Yerry Mina. Read more
Ozil pays for 1,000 children’s surgery (Punch)
Mesut Ozil is enduring another difficult season at Arsenal, but let’s put aside his football career for a moment.
The playmaker hit the headlines recently for speaking out against the Chinese state’s treatment of Uighur Muslims.
It was brave stance to take and in an era when Megan Rapinoe has criticised leading male footballers for not addressing issues of social justice, Ozil earned plaudits for raising awareness. Read more
Celtic win at St Mirren to stay five points clear (BBC)
Celtic head into Sunday’s Old Firm derby five points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership after a comfortable victory at St Mirren.
Goals in a 10-minute first-half spell from Callum McGregor and James Forrest secured an 11th consecutive league win for Neil Lennon’s men.
Cammy MacPherson netted a late reply but Celtic maintained their advantage over Rangers, having played a game more, while St Mirren’s first defeat in four matches drops them to 10th, four points clear of bottom club Hearts. Read more
Schumacher’s wife gives rare update about F1 legend (NewTelegraph)
Michael Schumacher’s wife Corinna has given a rare update ahead of the six-year anniversary of the skiing accident which left the F1 legend placed in a coma.
Seven-times F1 champion Schumacher suffered a serious brain injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps on December 29, 2013, and was placed in a medically-induced coma for six months.
Little has since been revealed about Schumacher’s condition of the seven-time world champion since he moved to being treated at his family’s Lake Geneva home in September 2014, reports the mirror.co.uk. Read more
Ibenegbu confident Rangers will bounce back (Punch)
Enugu Rangers attacking midfielder, Ikechukwu Ibenegbu, is confident the team will get a win when they face Mauritanian side FC Nouadhibou in their third group game of the ongoing CAF Confederations Cup on Sunday at the Nouadhibou Stadium, The Punch reports.
The Flying Antelopes are billed to depart for the Northwest Africa country on Thursday (today) with the complement of their top players.
Speaking ahead of the game, Ibenegbu, says the team will soon get out of the temporary slump they are in, as they seek their first win of Group A. Read more
Rangers’ Morelos breaks Kilmarnock resistance (BBC)
Rangers stay five points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic as Alfredo Morelos came off the bench to break stiff Kilmarnock resistance.
Morelos was named among the substitutes on his return from suspension as manager Steven Gerrard stuck with the starting XI that defeated Hibernian.
Rangers had most of the chances only to be thwarted by the crossbar and goalkeeper Laurentiu Branescu. Read more