Lagos State records 10 COVID-19 related deaths (Guardian)
Prof. Akin Abayomi, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, says 10 persons have died from COVID-19 related complications in the state between Aug. 24 and Aug. 25.
Abayomi disclosed this in his Facebook account @ProfAkinolaAbayomi on Thursday, while giving the state’s COVID-19 update for both days.
He said that the 10 deaths recorded on the reported date, increased the number of the state’s fatalities to 525.
The commissioner, however, did not give additional information on the sex and age of the deceased persons. Read more
Nigerian, 2 Guineans arraigned for allegedly smuggling N22.3b elephant tusks, pangolin scales (Nation)
One Nigerian and two Guineans have been arraigned for allegedly smuggling N22.3 billion elephant tusks and pangolin scales and attempt to export the items without lawful authority.
Prosecution counsel Mr Smart Akande identified the defendants as residents of No. 10, Ijeoma Odika Street, Atlantic View Estate, New Road, off Lekki-Ajah Expressway, Lagos.
He alleged that they were arrested on July 28, 2021 with 196 sacks of pangolin scales weighing 7137.40kg; one sack of pangolin claws weighing 4.60kg and 29 sacks of elephant tusk weighing 870.4kg, which they had prepared for exportation.
The NCS valued thA Federal High Court sitting in Lagos Thursday remanded till September 1, a Nigerian, Isiaka Musa and two Guineans, Traore Djakouba (Yakubu) and Mohammed Berete, accused of attempted smuggling of elephant tusks and pangolin scales and claws. Read more
Let’s address human exploitation, trafficking –Lagos (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has urged Nigerians to address exploitation and human trafficking, saying they are modern forms of slavery.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, made this call on Monday during the commemoration of the International Day for the Remembrance of Slave Trade and its Abolition held at Badagry.
She said, “The International Day for the Remembrance of Slave Trade and its abolition presents an opportunity for the country to address modern-day exploitation and human trafficking, otherwise known as modern day slavery.”
Akinbile-Yusuf noted that the annual celebration was meant to raise public awareness about slavery and celebrate the history of the Africans in diaspora. Read more
Hope fades for Secondus as PDP names Akinwonmi acting chairman (DailyTrust)
The hope of Uche Secondus retaining his position amid the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faded on Thursday as the opposition party named Yemi Akinwonmi acting national chairman of the party.
Akinwonmi had worked under Secondus as the Deputy National Chairman (South).
When a Rivers State High Court suspended Secondus on Monday, Akinwonmi and Suleiman Nazif, Deputy National Chairman, (North) both laid claim to Secondus’ seat.
But an agreement was reached to allow Akinwonmi act pending a meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). Read more
Hushpuppi: After 3 weeks, Kyari breaks social media silence amid probe (Punch)
Amid the police probe of his alleged involvement in a $1.1m Internet scam allegedly carried out by an Instagram influencer, Abbas Ramon, popularly known as Hushpuppi and four others, suspended former Head of the Intelligence Response Team, DCP Abba Kyari on Thursday resumed on social media after a three-week self-imposed hiatus.
Following the outrage against his Facebook post on August 4, 2021, Kyari had deleted the post and disappeared from the Blueville.
However, the Borno State indigene took to his verified Facebook page with over 450,000 followers on Thursday.
Kyari shared a 21-second hilarious TikTok video posted by one Sanda Tobacco wherein a cart pusher was videoed displaying some roller skating skills while the videographer laughingly said the cart pusher “is very crazy wallahi!”. Read more
6 UNIABUJA students get N1.7m research grants (Guardian)
Six students of the University of Abuja, have received a sum of N1.7 million research grant from the university’s Centre for Undergraduate Research Fund.
Speaking at the university’s second Undergraduate Research Day on Thursday, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, said the grant was to assist the students in developing solutions to national problems.
According to him, government, parents and industry must look up to universities to solve problems.
“Our goal is to ensure that whatever we do as research, the industry will pick it up and develop it further for the betterment of the society. Read more
NBC summons Channel TV presenters over anti-Buhari interviews (Punch)
The National Broadcasting Commission has summoned Channels Television presenters, Chamberlain Usoh and Kayode Okikiolu, The PUNCH has learnt.
Usoh, Okikiolu and two other anchors of the TV’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ breakfast programme were invited to the Abuja office of the regulator on Thursday over some comments made against the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) by two guests on the programme this week.
Competent sources confirmed to our correspondents that the presenters who left Lagos this morning to honour the invitation are already in Abuja.
Another source said the presenters are at the NBC office with their lawyer.
“The presenters already in Abuja,” the sources familiar with the issue told our correspondents. Read more
Igbo, Yoruba dare FG on open grazing routes (Sun)
The Igbo National Movement (INM) and Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) have rejected the proposed open grazing routes policy of the Federal Government.
In separate statements in Owerri, yesterday, they warned against its implementation in Igbo land.
The groups alleged that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration was on a land grabbing scheme and the target was to appropriate lands belonging to other ethnic nationalities for the interest of Fulani herdsmen.
INM National Director, Anthony Okolo, described the grazing routes policy as a deliberate action only the Federal Government to encourage armed Fulani herdsmen to further perpetrate their heinous activities in the South East. Read more
Ex-president Jonathan gets new appointment in Uganda (Punch)
Nigeria’s Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, has been inaugurated as the Chancellor of Cavendish University, Uganda.
The ex-president made this known in a post on Thursday, attaching pictures of his inauguration at an elaborate ceremony.
It was learnt that Jonathan is the third chancellor of the university since its establishment.
While former president of the Republic of Zambia, the late Kenneth Kaunda, was the pioneer chancellor, and the late president of the United Republic of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa, was the second. Read more
2nd bomb goes off at Kabul airport in twin attack that has killed at least 13 (Metro)
There have been at least two explosions in a terror attack outside Kabul airport as people attempt to leave Afghanistan.
At least 13 people including children have been reported dead at Hamid Karzai International Airport by Taliban officials, but the full extent of the blasts is not yet known.
An emergency hospital in Kabul said around 60 wounded people had arrived so far.
One bomb exploded at Abbey Gate just outside the airport, and at least one other was detonated at the Baron Hotel a short distance away. The attacks are believed to have been executed by suicide bombers. Read more
US judge reprimands Trump election fraud lawyers (BBC)
A US judge has issued a blistering ruling against prominent lawyers who represented Donald Trump after his 2020 presidential election defeat.
US District Judge Linda Parker described a lawsuit filed in Michigan by Mr Trump’s counsel as a “profound abuse of the judicial process”.
Her 110-page ruling, issued Wednesday, sanctioned Sidney Powell, Lin Wood and seven others who alleged voter fraud.
Judge Parker said the lawyers intended to undermine the electoral system. Read more
Afghan Resistance Leader Ahmad Massoud Vows ‘No Surrender’ (AsharqAl-Awsat)
The leader of a resistance movement to the Taliban has vowed to never surrender but is open to negotiations with the new rulers of Afghanistan, according to an interview published by Paris Match on Wednesday.
Ahmad Massoud, the son of legendary Afghan rebel commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, has retreated to his native Panjshir valley north of Kabul along with former vice-president Amrullah Saleh.
“I would prefer to die than to surrender,” Massoud told French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy in his first interview since the Taliban took over Kabul. “I’m the son of Ahmad Chah Massoud. Surrender is not a word in my vocabulary.”
Massoud claimed that “thousands” of men were joining his National Resistance Front in Panjshir valley, which was never captured by invading Soviet forces in 1979 or the Taliban during their first period in power from 1996-2001. Read more
Poet Munawwar Rana’s son arrested for allegedly staging attack on himself to frame relatives (SCROLL)
Poet Munawwar Rana’s son was arrested in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday for allegedly staging an attack on himself to implicate his relatives in a false case, reported The Indian Express, citing the Raebareli Police. Twenty-eight-year-old Tabrez Rana has been sent to judicial custody.
The police have already arrested four people in the case. “When he [Tabrez Rana] went missing, the police moved court, and obtained a warrant against him,” Additional Superintendent of Police Vishwajeet Srivastava said. “On Wednesday, a police team arrested Tabrez from Lucknow.”
On June 28, Rana had filed a complaint at the Kotwali police station, alleging that he was attacked by two unidentified men, the police said. Rana had said in his complaint that he suspected his uncle Shakeel Rana and his son Yashaar Rana to be behind the attack, according to The Times of India.Read more
Ron Jeremy: US adult film star indicted on 34 sex crime charges (BBC)
US adult film star Ron Jeremy has been indicted on 34 counts of sexual crimes involving 21 women, spanning more than 20 years, Los Angeles prosecutors say.
Prosecutors allege that Mr Jeremy assaulted the women, who ranged in age from 15 to 51, between 1996 and 2019. He faces over 300 years in jail.
Mr Jeremy, 68, pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday.
He is one of the biggest names in the adult film industry and has featured in over 1,700 films since 1979. Read more
Tesla releases new version of its mobile app with UI refresh and tons of new features (ELECTREK)
Tesla is releasing today version 4 of its mobile app and it has a significant user interface refresh as well as a ton of new features.
The Tesla mobile app has been an important asset for the automaker.
Owners managed most of their ownership experience through the app.
It serves as a key to unlock Tesla vehicles, manage climate control, and much more.
In more recent years, the automaker has also included the service experience inside the app.
The app truly highlights the level of connectivity that you can find in Tesla vehicles. Read more
Tokyo Paralympics: Jaco van Gass – from injury in Afghanistan to Paralympic champion (BBC)
August 2021 is a month to be remembered for all the right reasons. The month Jaco van Gass became a Paralympic champion.
But rewind the clock back 12 years, to August 2009, and Van Gass was fighting for his life. He had been hit by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) while serving in Afghanistan, losing his lower left arm, puncturing internal organs, and suffering a collapsed lung, shrapnel and blast wounds, and leg fractures.
So his statement that his C3 3,000m individual pursuit is the best thing he’s done can be taken at face value. An astounding achievement. Read more
Osaka defends US Open crown with Barty leading top rivals (Guardian)
Defending champion Naomi Osaka seeks her third US Open title in four tries as the year’s final Grand Slam begins Monday with top-ranked Wimbledon winner Ashleigh Barty leading a host of rivals.
What’s uncertain is whether New York will see Osaka rediscover the dominant form that saw her win the past two Grand Slam events she played to the finish.
The 23-year-old Japanese star lit the flame in the Olympic cauldron at the Tokyo Games, but has played only two matches since Japan ahead of the Open.
“I know there are a lot of things I need to fix within my game, so in a weird way I’m kind of glad that I lost, because there are so many things that I want to fix before New York,” Osaka said.
“I feel like my level is not that far off… if I want to keep being more positive with myself, I need to think about the things that I could improve on. There are definitely a lot of things.” Read more
Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy charged with rape (Punch)
Manchester City suspended Benjamin Mendy on Thursday after Cheshire police confirmed the Frenchman has been charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
“Benjamin Mendy, aged 27, has been charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault,” Cheshire Police said in a statement.
“The charges relate to three complainants over the age of 16 and are alleged to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021.”
City said Mendy has been suspended pending an investigation. Read more
De Bruyne left out of Belgium squad (Nation)
Kevin De Bruyne looks set to be sidelined until after the upcoming international break after being left out of the latest Belgium squad.
The Manchester City FC playmaker has had an injury-hit start to the season after sustaining an ankle problem during Euro 2020.
The 30-year-old featured as a substitute in City’s Premier League opener at Tottenham on Aug. 15 but missed last week’s 5-0 victory over Norwich.
Belgium manager, Roberto Martinez, has not included De Bruyne in his squad for September’s World Cup qualifiers against Estonia, Czech Republic and Belarus. Read more
World Cup qualifiers: Bamford gets first England call-up as Alexander-Arnold returns (BBC)
Patrick Bamford has scored 18 goals in 67 Premier League appearances.
Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford has received his first senior call-up for England’s 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Right-back Trent-Alexander Arnold returns to the squad after missing Euro 2020 with a thigh injury, with midfielder Jesse Lingard also recalled to the squad.
Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell and Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood have been left out of the 25-man squad.
Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden both miss out through injury, whilst Arsenal’s Ben White has Covid. Read more
French slam FIFA over release of Messi, Neymar for World Cup matches (Guardian)
The French Professional Football League (LFP) shared the regrets expressed by other European leagues over FIFA’s handling of September’s World Cup qualifiers in South America.
The Italian and English top flight leagues are also upset about FIFA’s decision to not extend exceptions for call-ups to countries where quarantine upon re-entry is mandatory.
“The LFP regrets that FIFA has failed to take into account the interests of national leagues nor those of the clubs that employ the players,” the French league said.One such employer, Paris Saint-Germain, will send its two brightest stars Lionel Messi and Neymar to Argentina and Brazil for an extended series of World Cup dates. Read more