Lagos to discharge six coronavirus patients (DailyTrust)
Six out of the 30 patients that are being treated for coronavirus in Lagos State have recovered and will soon be discharged by the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Lagos.
This is according to Tunde Ajayi, the special assistant to the Lagos state governor on health, who disclosed the news on his Twitter handle @thetundeajayi on Thursday afternoon. “Six of our #COVID19 inpatients have recovered and will be discharged soon. There is something Lagos is doing right. Lagos takes the lead”, he posted. Read more
Lagos to discontinue 566 cases being prosecuted by police (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has sought to discontinue some cases being prosecuted by the police.
The government is seeking to discontinue 566 cases that are non-active in court up to 2015.
It was gathered that the decision followed the review of the recommendations of the committee on the decongestion of non-criminal cases in the state high courts and magistrates’ courts.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the committee had recommended that cases that had become impracticable due to delays and attendant factors or were appropriate for plea bargain should be discontinued. Read more
Lagos Assembly reinstates suspended lawmakers (DailyTrust)
The Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday lifted the suspension it earlier placed on two of its lawmakers, Moshood Oshun and Raheem Kazeem. Daily Trust reports that the Assembly had on March 9, 2020 suspended Hon. Moshood Oshun (Lagos Mainland Constituency 2) and Hon. Kazeem Raheem Adewale (Ibeju-Lekki Constituency 2) over what it described as gross misconduct, insubordination and actions capable of destabilizing the House. The Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, who announced their reinstatement at the start of Thursday’s plenary at the floor of the House, explained that it took the intervention of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to resolve the impasse and get the lawmakers reinstated. He said, “The GAC and the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu called a meeting earlier in the week to intervene in the matter. It was agreed at the meeting that the House should reinstate the suspended lawmakers.” Read more
Court jails two men for N22.5m fraud (Punch)
Justice Olabisi Akinlade of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has sentenced two men, David Obi and Sunday Onuigwe, to 14 years’ imprisonment for N22.5m fraud.
The convicts, who were sentenced on five counts bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences and obtaining money by false pretences, were said to have obtained the sum of N6.9m from one Chris Ubosi on the pretext of selling a property to him.
The charges read in part, “That you David Obi, Sunday Onuigwe and Anthony Woke (now at large), on or about July 21, 2011, at Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of N6,900,000 from Chris Ubosi, the Managing Director of Megalectrics Limited, by falsely representing that you had a property at Old GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to sell and the said sum represented part payment of the purchase price of N30,000,000, which representation you knew to be false.” Read more
Abule Ado: LASG commences fumigation of blast areas (Nation)
The Lagos State government on Thursday said it will commence a four-day fumigation exercise of areas affected by the March 15 explosions in Abule Ado, a Lagos suburb.
This was disclosed by the Director General (DG) Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu who urged residents to keep off the areas.
Oke-Osanyintolu also said 340 structures were affected by the impact of the blasts and would be subjected to integrity test by a joint public-private team led by the Materials Testing Agency.
He said the exercise will cover foundation and solid material testing, adding that structures located up to 500 metre radius from the epicentre would be tested as well. Read more
Coronavirus: FG tracing 4,370 people of interest (DailyTrust)
The minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said that the government is tracking 4,370 people of interest with regards to the coronavirus pandemic. Lai stated this while updating the press on the measures taken by the Federal Government to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. He said: “We have 4,370 people of interest whom we are tracing.” He, however, noted that keeping track of such persons of interest was not without challenges as some Nigerians who flew into the country from overseas filled wrong addresses and phone numbers in their forms, making it difficult to trace them when the need arises. Read more
Coronavirus: Presidency begins fumigation of Buhari’s offices, others (Punch)
Intensive fumigation of the State House has begun, The PUNCH can report.
Fumigation experts arrived at the Villa about 9.30 am to commence the exercise, which a source said would cover all the offices at the Presidential Villa.
Findings indicated that as of 11.15 am, the experts were already in the main building housing the office of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the floors, corridors, and major pathways.
“These people are not from Villa. They came from outside of the town (Abuja city). They are dressed in complete white overalls, masked and wear protective gears. Read more
Anambra Catholic priest found dead in car (Nation)
A Roman Catholic priest, identified as Rev Fr. Charles Okeke-Odogwu has been reported dead in Anambra State.
The deceased, a Vicar of Holy Cross Parish, Oroma-Etiti in Anam, Anambra West Local government Area of the state was said to be found dead in his car at the front of Vicarage gate.
The Nation gathered that the deceased was found dead on the steering before the gate of the vicarage.
A family source said the priest who managed Fr. Ohai Memorial Secondary School located in the area, had attended a regional meeting of his Archdiocese on Monday, March 23 before the incident happened.
“He participated actively at the meeting and didn’t show any sign of illness before the the sad incident. He had vomited in the car before he died, “the source added. Read more
COVID-19: 48 active cases clinically stable – FG (Vanguard)
The federal government on Thursday said that all the 48 confirmed cases of coronavirus were clinically stable.
The government also said two others have been treated and discharged just as it regretted that the pandemic recorded one fatality case.
Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, at a press conference he held in Abuja to give an update on the state of the disease in the country, said so far Nigeria has 51 confirmed cases.
“As of today, 26th of March 2020, we have recorded 51 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease COVID-19 in Nigeria, of which 32 are in Lagos, ten in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, three in Ogun and one each in Ekiti, Oyo, Edo, Bauchi, Osun, and Rivers states,” he said. Read more
‘Fit and healthy’ banker, 47, dies alone in coronavirus self-isolation (Metro)
A fit and healthy banker died alone at home while in self-isolation for coronavirus. Tim Galley, 47, from Wrexham, North Wales, refused to call an ambulance as his health became worse, telling his girlfriend he had no underlying health conditions and that medics would be busy dealing with other patients. His devastated partner of four years, Donna Cuthbert, 46, has paid tribute to him, saying he had a ‘massive heart’ and thanking him for the ‘wonderful life’ they shared together. Tim separated himself from his family and friends when he began to show symptoms of the virus last Sunday. The M&S banker told his girlfriend he did not want to call an ambulance because they would be busy with other patients (Picture: Wales New Service) For all the latest news and updates on Coronavirus, click here. Read the latest updates: Coronavirus news live. Read more
James Dyson designed a new ventilator in 10 days. He’s making 15,000 for the pandemic fight (CNN)
Dyson has received an order from the UK government for 10,000 ventilators to support efforts by the country’s National Health Service to treat coronavirus patients.
James Dyson, the company’s billionaire founder, confirmed the order in a letter to employees shared with CNN on Wednesday.
‘Desperate’ shortage of ventilators for coronavirus patients puts manufacturers on wartime footing
“A ventilator supports a patient who is no longer able to maintain their own airways, but sadly there is currently a significant shortage, both in the UK and other countries around the world,” Dyson wrote.
Dyson said the company had designed and built an entirely new ventilator, called the “CoVent,” since he received a call 10 days ago from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Read more
Coronavirus: Man planning to bomb Missouri hospital killed, FBI says (BBC)
A man suspected of planning to attack a hospital treating coronavirus cases in the US state of Missouri died after a shootout with the FBI, officials say.
The confrontation happened as agents tried to arrest the 36-year-old in the city of Belton as part of a domestic terrorism investigation, the FBI said.
Officials said the man was motivated by racist and anti-government beliefs.
He had allegedly considered a range of targets before settling on the hospital because of the current outbreak. Read more
Earth’s ozone layer appears to be healing (Metro)
The situation for all of us looks pretty bleak at the moment but at least there’s a sliver of good news coming out of the scientific community. Experts have confirmed that changes in the jet stream (fast air currents at high altitudes) are evidence of the recovery of the Earth’s protective ozone layer. Ozone, a type of inorganic molecule, exists in a layer of our planet’s stratosphere and is responsible for absorbing the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. Levels of ozone had declined to such a worrying degree that a 1987 agreement known as the Montreal Protocol put a stop to the use of ozone depleting substances (ODSs) around the world. A new study, published in the journal Nature, shows the Montreal Protocol has been successful. Read more
Jordan eases lockdown after total curfew leads to chaos (CNN)
Jordan on Wednesday eased one of the world’s strictest lockdowns over the coronavirus after it prompted chaotic scenes in the country.
Days after a total curfew went into effect, people clamored to receive bread distributions from government trucks, the emergency hotline went offline after it apparently became overloaded with phone calls, and some reported they had nothing at home to eat.
But on Tuesday, the government backtracked, loosening restrictions on movement. After four days of total lockdown, people were allowed to leave their homes on foot for essential trips, such as purchasing food from small convenient stores and obtaining medicine. A curfew is still in place from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. Read more
US unemployment claims hit record amid coronavirus lockdown (BBC)
The number of people without jobs in the US has surged to a record high as the economy goes into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Nearly 3.3 million people registered to claim unemployment benefits for the week ended 21 March, according to Department of Labor data.
The previous record was set in 1982, when unemployment claims hit 695,000.
The spike marks an abrupt end to years of slow and steady job market expansion. Read more
Broadcasters adapt to social distancing and the new realities of covering a pandemic (CNN)
Many of America’s most popular and influential television hosts are now broadcasting live from bedrooms and basements.
Some TV newscasts, magazines and websites are being produced completely remotely, with arrangements that were unthinkable a few weeks ago.
And more at-home studios are popping up every day — yet another consequence of the coronavirus pandemic that has upended life all across the United States.
Media companies are following the same social distancing guidelines as other industries. And some broadcasters are self-quarantining because they’ve been in close proximity with people who tested positive for the virus. Read more
Why orange juice prices are soaring on global markets (BBC)
The future price of orange juice has spiked by more than 20% this month as consumers look for healthy products during the coronavirus pandemic.
While demand has risen, supply has been hit as producers struggle to transport goods due to transport restrictions.
This has driven a rise in the so-called “futures” price of orange juice, which indicate its cost for delivery in the coming months.
Orange juice futures are the best performing asset so far this year. Read more
Tokyo 2020 postponement a decision for humanity -Gumel (DailyTrust)
The president of Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, Engr Habu Gumel has said the decision by the International Olympics Committee to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics games was taken for the good of humanity. The member of International Olympics Committee said going by the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic, hosting the games as scheduled would have endangered the lives of athletes, officials and others. Read more
Tour de France: Sports minister considers Tour with no spectators (BBC)
The Tour de France is considering the option of going ahead without fans, says France’s sports minister.
The race is due to run from 27 June to 19 July but is in doubt, with most major sports events off because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have [imposed spectator bans] for other competitions before,” said Roxana Maracineanu.
“But there’s a time for everything. We have a more urgent fight, it’s still too early to decide [to go ahead].” Read more
Michael Ballack reveals his biggest Chelsea regret (Metro)
Michael Ballack admitted he regrets leaving Chelsea to return to Bayer Leverkusen, and wishes he’d found a way to stay at Stamford Bridge longer. The retired Germany international won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup during a four-year spell in west London, while he also reached the Champions League final. With his contract coming to an end, Ballack and Chelsea were unable to agree on terms – despite Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti being keen to keep him – and he returned to former club Bayer Leverkusen. But Ballack, who also played for Bayern Munich, confessed he wanted to stay longer in the Premier League and it’s a source of regret in his career that he left when he did. Read more
Coronavirus: Organisers ‘irresponsible’ as Turkish boxers test positive after Tokyo qualifier (BBC)
An International Olympic Committee taskforce has been called “irresponsible” after the Turkish Boxing Federation said two fighters and a coach who took part in a Tokyo 2020 qualifying event in London in March had since tested positive for coronavirus.
The Boxing Road to Tokyo competition at the Copper Box was called off after three days because of the pandemic.
Turkish Boxing Federation president Eyup Gozgec told BBC Sport that organisers failed to take the outbreak seriously enough and “didn’t care”. Read more
Leeds players, coaches defer wages to save other staff (Punch)
Leeds United’s players and coaches, including Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa, have agreed to defer their wages “for the foreseeable future” to ensure all non-football staff at the club can be paid.
Leeds were on the brink of ending a 16-year wait to return to the lucrative Premier League before football was suspended across England until at least April 30 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The club said the lack of income would cost “several million pounds each month”.
“Leeds United can confirm that the players, coaching staff and senior management team have volunteered to take a wage deferral for the foreseeable future to ensure that all non-football staff at Elland Road and Thorp Arch (training ground) can be paid and the integrity of the business can be maintained during these uncertain times,” Leeds said in a statement. Read more
Jadon Sancho favours move to Manchester United over Chelsea (Metro)
Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho favours a move to Manchester United over Chelsea because he believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can rebuild the Red Devils with his focus on young players. The Blues have been battling United for the winger’s signature, with Frank Lampard keen to make a statement signing after being prevented from making additions last summer due to a transfer ban. Chelsea will hand Lampard significant funds and the Blues had looked at financing a deal given Pedro and Willian are both set to leave. Sancho favours a move to United (Picture: Getty) But Sancho believes his future would be better served at the Theatre of Dreams, where Solskjaer has cleared out the deadwood and promoted a number of youngsters in the last 12 months. Read more
Kidnapped footballers regain freedom (DailyTrust)
Two footballers, Enyimba midfielder Ekundayo Ojo and Benjamin Iluyomade of Abia Comet who were kidnapped in Ondo state on Sunday evening have regained their freedom. The footballers were released on Wednesday night following combined efforts of Enyimba Football Club , security agents and families of the players. It was gathered that they were set free after the payment of undisclosed amount of money. It would be recalled that the footballers were kidnapped at Ipele along the Benin-Owo expressway as they journeyed to Akure following the suspension of the Nigeria Professional Football League amid concerns over the global pandemic, Covid-19. Read more