Lagos to divert traffic on section of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway for bridge repair (Guardian)
The Lagos State Government has announced the diversion of traffic on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway for repair work on the Airport Flyover Bridge by the Federal Ministry of Works from August 9 to October 3, 2021.
An inferno from the explosion of a PMS-loaded tanker in January 2021 affected the structure of the Airport Flyover Bridge at Toyota on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.
Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde said in a statement that the Oshodi-bound lane would be barred from vehicular movement from midnight on 9 August 2021 and reopened partially on the midnight of 14 August 2021 for the first phase of repairs.
He stated that the second phase will commence immediately for a duration of seven weeks to hasten the rehabilitation works, stressing that motorists will be diverted from the main carriageway to the service lane of the Oshodi bound lane for the first five days. Read more
Pregnant woman arrested for assaulting stepchildren in Lagos (Punch)
A pregnant stepmother, Opeyemi Salawudeen, has been arrested by men of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly brutalising her husband’s children left in her care in the Ikola Odunsi area of Ipaja.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Opeyemi allegedly tortured 14-year-old Fawasi Lukmon to the point that he sustained visible injuries on different parts of his body.
Fawasi’s yet-to-be-identified younger sister was said to have also not been spared of the alleged torture by their stepmother.
It was gathered that Opeyemi allegedly intimidated the minors to prevent them from disclosing the sources of their injuries to inquisitive neighbours. Read more
Lagos CJ inaugurates tribunals for council polls (Nation)
Lagos Chief Judge Justice Kareem Alogba on Thursday inaugurated two election petition tribunals to look into disputes arising from July 24 Local Government elections.
The first tribunal has Justice Babajide Candide-Johnson as chairman and sit at Ikeja High Court.
It will take petitions from Lagos mainland.
The second panel has Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo as chairman and sits at former Federal High Court complex at Central Business District at Alausa, Ikeja. Read more
35 corps members test positive for COVID-19 in Ogun (Guardian)
No fewer than 35 State under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in Ogun State have tested positive for COVID – 19.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing journalists in Abeokuta on the upsurge of the third wave of COVID – 19 in the state.
The Commissioner said some corps members are currently receiving treatment at isolation centres, while others are on home management.
“The number of NYSC members that have tested positive is 35. Some are on home management, while some are in the isolation center,” she said. Read more
Drama as Wike breaks protocol at PDP BoT meeting (DailyTrust)
In what came as a surprise on Thursday, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State broke into the meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT).
The meeting, which is the first since the BoT lost Senator Joy Emordi, one of its key members to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was meant to dissect some of the issues affecting the party.
Uche Secondus, the national chairman, is under intense pressure to step down.
On Wednesday, he raised an alarm that a powerful chieftain of the party is plotting to hijack PDP structures from him.
Secondus did not mention any name but there have been speculations on who he was referring to. Read more
Plateau killings: We lost 70 people in four days, says Irigwe community (Sun)
No fewer than 70 persons were reportedly killed by Fulani bandits in Jebbu Miango and Kwall Districts of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The National Publicity Secretary of Irigwe Development Association (IDA), Davidson Malison disclosed this on Thursday when Journalists visited the scenes of the fresh attacks.
He said the deceased were killed during a sustained attack that lasted four days from Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Wednesday without the intervention of the Police, Operation Safe Haven and any security agencies.
Malison said over 300 houses were burnt including the resident of former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Lumumba Da’ade and food items, generators, motorcycles and water pump machines were carted away. Read more
Fire destroys building in Ibadan, renders students, others homeless
(Punch)
A storey-building located off University of Ibadan Second Gate area was on Wednesday destroyed by fire.
Our correspondent gathered that the fire started from one of the rooms upstairs and raged quickly.
Occupants of the nearby buildings were said to have called the fire fighters, even as men of the Federal Fire Services as well as their state counterparts responded to the distress call.
The firemen joined efforts and fought the fire which raged through the roof and destroyed parts of the building. Read more
PDP crisis: Secondus fights back (Sun)
The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not about to abate as the man in the eye of the storm and National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday, fought back as he accused an unnamed “Father Christmas” of desperation to hijack the party.
He spoke amidst an emergency meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) with aggrieved national officials. The officials, who are deputy national officers, had on Tuesday, served a 30-day resignation over alleged ill-treatment by the party leadership.
Daily Sun gathered that at yesterday’s meeting, the second within 24 hours, Secondus appealed to the deputy national officers to reconsider their decision to quit.
A source privy to the discussion at meeting said Secondus told the aggrieved party officials that there was need for all members of the PDP executive to finish strong, especially as their tenure was coming to an end. The source noted that at the end of the meeting, the party said they would consult and get back to the NWC. Read more
Navy to establish 2 new operational bases in C’River (ThisDay)
The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice-Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, has stated that the Nigerian Navy will soon establish two additional operational bases in Cross River State.
Gambo, who made the disclosure in Calabar, the state capital, on Thursday said one of the bases would be an outpost at Ikang, and the other, a naval security station, at Dayspring Island.
The proposed bases are both located in the Bakassi Local Government Area of the state which shares maritime boundary with the Republic of Cameroon.
Speaking during a courtesy call on the state Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Calabar, Vice-Admiral Gambo explained that the move has become necessary “because we are aware of the security situation in the state. Read more
Turkish influencer prosecuted ‘for photos at Amsterdam sex museum’ (BBC)
A Turkish social media influencer says she’s being prosecuted in her country for posting “joke” photos inside the world-famous Sex Museum in Amsterdam.
Merve Taskin, 23, shared pictures of sex toys she bought at the museum during a birthday trip to the Netherlands in January last year.
A few months later she says she was arrested in Turkey, where sharing obscene content is considered a crime.
Now she says she has been summoned to court to face obscenity charges. Read more
James Gunn shares blistering response to Martin Scorsese’s criticism of Marvel films (Metro)
James Gunn has doubled down on his criticism of Martin Scorsese’s thoughts on the Marvel franchise, after The Irishman director compared films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to theme parks.
In 2019 (yes, we’re still talking about this) Scorsese faced backlash from Marvel die-hards when he spoke out about his ambivalence towards the franchise.
He told Empire magazine: ‘I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema.
‘Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.’ Read more
Lamar Odom suffering from exhaustion and dehydration (NYPost)
Lamar Odom canceled an appearance on a Facebook Live show because he’s suffering from dehydration and exhaustion.
The former NBA star had been slated to chat with “Addiction Talk” host Joy Sutton on Wednesday night but canceled at the last minute over health concerns, she said.
“Just moments ago we received information from his team, the agency that works with him, that let us know that he wont be able to join us tonight due to some health concerns,” Sutton shared on the stream. “We’ve been told that he’s dealing with dehydration and exhaustion, and I can tell you that he did want to be here tonight. Read more
Notorious ‘Ndrangheta mafia fugitive arrested after two years on the run (BBC)
A suspected boss of Italy’s powerful ‘Ndrangheta mafia clan, which controls much of Europe’s cocaine trade, has been arrested in Spain.
Domenico Paviglianiti, one of Italy’s most wanted fugitives, was detained on the streets of Madrid, officials say.
Dubbed the “boss of the bosses”, Paviglianiti, 60, had been on the run for two years.
The ‘Ndrangheta is one of the world’s richest criminal groups, operating from Calabria in southern Italy. Read more
Influential Chicago DJ Paul Johnson dies after Covid battle (Metro)
Chicago DJ Paul Johnson – who Daft Punk once hailed as an inspiration – has died aged 50 after contracting Covid earlier this year.
The dance star died on Wednesday after being placed in intensive care in July.
Johnson found fame in the 90s after his hit Get Get Down reached the UK Top 5 in 1999, and has remained a dancefloor favourite since.
A statement on Johnson’s Facebook confirmed his death yesterday, as it read: ‘Our greatness passed away this morning at 9am the house music legend we all know as PJ aka Paul Johnson.’ Read more
Oatly loses trademark battle against Glebe Farm over oat milk (BBC)
A family-run farm has won a legal battle against the multimillion-pound makers of plant milk, Oatly, which accused it of trademark infringement.
Oatly brought legal action against Glebe Farm Foods, in Cambridgeshire, saying their product PureOaty took “unfair advantage” of their own drink.
A High Court judge ruled in favour of the farm saying he did not see “any risk of injury to the distinctive character” of the Oatly brand.
The farm said it was “gratifying”. Read more
Olympic women’s football final moved to evening (Guardian)
The Olympic women’s football final between Sweden and Canada on Friday has been switched from Tokyo to Yokohama and delayed from 11 am until 9 pm because of heat concerns.
Officials announced Thursday the match was being relocated from Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium, the venue for the opening ceremony and athletics events, following talks between local organisers, FIFA and the International Olympic Committee.
“In order to continue to provide the best possible conditions for the players… it has been confirmed that this match will now take place at 21:00 at the International Stadium Yokohama,” organisers said in a statement.
The decision to relocate the final came after both teams were said to be concerned about the health and safety of their players. Read more
Tokyo Olympics: China’s 14-year-old diver Quan Hongchan sets world record to win gold (BBC)
China’s 14-year-old Quan Hongchan got the better of her 15-year-old team-mate Chen Yuxi with a new world record for Olympic gold in diving’s 10m platform.
Chen came into the event as the world champion but Quan dominated once she took the lead in the second round.
She finished on 466.20, well ahead of Chen’s 425.40 while Australia’s Melissa Wu, 29, was third on 371.40.
On her Olympic debut, Britain’s Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix was seventh with Lois Toulson ninth.
Quan’s gold means China have now won all four women’s diving events at the Tokyo Games. Read more
Michael Ballack’s son Emilio, 18, ‘is killed in a quad-bike crash in Portugal’ (Metro)
The son of former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack, Emilio, has been killed in a quad-bike crash, according to local reports in Portugal.
The 18-year-old was involved in an accident in the early hours of Thursday, according to Portuguese TV channel TVI24.
Firefighters were called to the incident to rescue the teenager but they were unable to save his life after removing him from the vehicle.
Firefighters tried to rescue Emilio near the Villas do Mar estate, located in Troia, which is just south of Lisbon. Read more
Tokyo Olympics: Team USA to face France in men’s basketball gold medal game (BBC)
Team USA will play France in the final of the men’s basketball as they chase their fourth consecutive gold medal.
The Americans recovered from a shaky start to beat Australia 97-78 in their semi-final.
Australia had led by 15 points in the second quarter before the three-time defending champions launched a 34-point run to overturn the deficit.
France later beat Slovenia 90-89 to reach their first Olympic final since Sydney 2000.
The gold medal game will take place on Saturday (03:30 BST).
Team USA’s comeback was spearheaded by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the latter outscoring Australia single-handedly in the third quarter. Read more
Katarina Johnson-Thompson sends emotional message after Olympics injury nightmare (Metro)
Katarina Johnson-Thompson has sent an emotional and moving message after her bid for Olympic heptathlon glory ended in a calf injury ruining her chances.
The 28-year-old pulled up in the 200m with a calf injury as she made a bid for an unlikely medal, as this was her first major competition since rupturing her Achilles at the end of 2020.
The reigning world champion remains without an Olympic medal to her name after the desperately unlucky turn of events and she is going to take some time to get her head round what happened and what will come next.
KJT tweeted on Thursday: ‘Going to take some time to process and heal my body & spirit.’ Read more
After 26 years and 9 world titles, Valentino Rossi calls it quits (RFI)
Motorcycling legend and nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi confirmed Thursday he will retire at the end of the season after 26 years lighting up the sport.
The 42-year-old Italian signed a one-season deal with Yamaha-SRT for this campaign and it had been mooted he might ride for his own team next term.
However, he told a press conference ahead of this weekend’s Styrian Grand Prix that he will call it a day, 12 years on from his last MotoGP title.”I have decided to stop at the end of the season,” said Rossi. “It’s been a very long trip but really great fun.” Read more