Lagos to promote students to next classes using continuous assessments (Guardian)
Students in Lagos State Government-owned schools will be promoted to the next classes using continuous assessments.
“(For) the reopening (of schools) we’re doing, we are working with the Federal Government so I will not unilaterally say that we are doing this or that but we are planning,” Adefisayo said during a programme on Channels Television on Thursday.
She continues, “There are two scenarios, if we don’t have third term, it means that we push next session to next year.
“Each one has its own complexity but we will do what is best for the students. But if the students do not do the third term examination, they will use their CA (continuous assessment).” Read more
Court dismisses Evans’ co-defendants no case submission (Nation)
Justice Hakeem Oshodi of an Ikeja High Court on Friday declared that four co-defendants of alleged kidnap kingpin Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike also known as Evans have case to answer.
Justice Oshodi, in a ruling, dismissed their ‘no case submission’ application.
The co-defendants are Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.
The judge held that there are substantial evidence, especially the confessional statements of the defendants, to warrant their trial alongside Evans.
The judge therefore ordered them to open their defence. Read more
Removal of Unilag VC like hatchet job, says Committee of Vice Chancellors (Guardian)
The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Universities (CVC) has condemned the removal of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (Unilag), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, without due process.
The committee also condemned appointment of an acting vice chancellor for the university outside the university’s three deputy Vice-Chancellors.
Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, Secretary-General, CVC, expressed the view of the committee while fielding questions from newsmen on Friday in Abuja.
“The chairman of the council knows that the tenure of two members of the council has expired, so he waited for the members not to be in council to get the majority vote.
“It is like a hatchet job, we don’t want it to appear like that because of the integrity of University of Lagos.
”The integrity is very high and we don’t want council members to degenerate to that situation.
” As it is now, we have a stalemate and it is looking more in favour of the university senate than the council,” he told journalists. Read more
Lagos task force destroys 150 illegal shanties, kiosks (Punch)
The Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, on Wednesday, destroyed over 150 illegal shanties, kiosks and shop extensions in the Arewa Community Central Mosque area of Agege.
It was gathered that the area had been turned to an illegal market since the closure of the mosque by the state government over an attack on some COVID-19 task force personnel by some worshippers.
The Chairman of the agency, Olayinka Egbeyemi, stated that the demolition was imperative as miscreants and illegal traders had degraded the area.
He said, “The mosque was sealed off over four months ago due to an attack on officials of the Lagos State COVID-19 Task Force by some worshippers while enforcing the lockdown directives by the Federal Government. Read more
Abiodun lifts Ogun weekend lockdown (Nation)
Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun has lifted weekend lockdown in the state.
Giving updates on efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor explained he took the decision after thorough deliberation, consideration and resolution with stakeholders.
He also stated the decision to lift the weekend lockdown was due to the opening of worship centres for activities.
Abiodun, however, said the limitation on social gatherings not exceeding 20 people at any place is still in force. Read more
Two dead in Imo petrol tanker explosion (Punch)
Tragedy struck on Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State on Friday as a petrol-laden tanker exploded and killed two persons.
The incident, which happened at the Irete area by Forte Oil Filling Station, caused panic in the area.
The cause of the explosion was yet to be ascertained but our correspondent, who visited the scene on Friday afternoon, learnt that the driver of the tanker and a woman, said to be coming back from a nearby market, died in the explosion while many others were injured. Read more
Kano man rescued after seven years in solitary confinement in parents’ home (Guardian)
A 32-year-old man Ahmad Aliyu, who was kept in solitary confinement in his parents home for seven years, has been rescued.
Police spokesperson DSP Abdullahi Haruna confirmed the rescued of Aliyu, a resident of Farawa Babban Layi in Mariri quarters, Kumbotso local government area of the state.
Ahmad lost his physical strength and was emaciated when he was rescued. Police said it was already investigating the reason for his confinement. Read more
NDDC IMC defies presidential order on scholarship students (Nation)
The Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has defied the order of President Muhammadu Buhari on payments of all fees owed to the commission’s scholarship students abroad.
Following series of protests by the students over their abandonment by the NDDC, Buhari had given an express order to the Prof. Keme Pondei-led IMC to settle all outstanding financial obligations of the students to mitigate their sufferings overseas.
The order was conveyed to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio and was confirmed by the NDDC Corporate Affairs Director, Charles Odili, in a statement he signed on August 4. Read more
Coronavirus: Thousands return to UK to beat France quarantine (BBC)
Thousands of holidaymakers are racing to return to the UK, with quarantine restrictions imposed on France coming into force from Saturday.
The 14-day isolation requirement from 04:00 BST also applies to people arriving from the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba.
Extra ferry services have been added, but Eurotunnel trains are booked up and air travellers face steep prices.
France warned it would take “reciprocal measures”. Read more
Donald Trump opposes funding for US Postal Service because of mail voting (news.com.au)
Donald Trump has admitted he opposes giving the US Postal Service extra funding because he doesn’t want to facilitate an increase in mail voting ahead of November’s presidential election.
Negotiations over a new coronavirus stimulus package have stalled in Congress. One of the things Mr Trump’s political opponents, the Democrats, are pushing for is $US25 billion ($A35 billion) in additional funding for the cash-strapped Postal Service.
They also want $US3.6 billion ($A5 billion) to be provided to state and local governments to help them deal with the difficulties associated with holding an election during the pandemic. Read more
The COVID symptoms you’ll likely get first, say scientists (NYPost)
New research has boiled down the most probable order in which COVID-19 symptoms first appear.
The earliest sign of the coronavirus will most likely be a fever in infected patients, followed by a cough and muscle pain, according to the study conducted by the University of Southern California published in the Frontiers in Public Health journal Thursday.
People will then experience nausea or vomiting and diarrhea.
The latest findings are a major breakthrough in studying the coronavirus, since patients will now be able to more quickly identify and treat the disease.
“This order is especially important to know when we have overlapping cycles of illnesses like the flu that coincide with infections of COVID-19,” Peter Kuhn, a professor of biological sciences and medicine who worked on the study, said in a statement. “Doctors can determine what steps to take to care for the patient, and they may prevent the patient’s condition from worsening.” Read more
’BlueLeaks’ activists pursued as ‘criminal hacker group’ by DHS despite not hacking (RT)
Distributed Denial of Secrets, the group that published the “BlueLeaks” trove of hacked police documents in June, is being persecuted as a “criminal hacker group” by the US Department of Homeland Security – just like WikiLeaks.
The transparency activists “conducted a hack-and-leak operation targeting federal, state, and local law enforcement databases,” according to a document circulated by the DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis among law enforcement fusion centers in late June, recently obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and published by the Verge on Thursday.
There was just one problem with that narrative, according to DDoS. Despite being labeled a “criminal hacker group” by the agency, which accurately described how the activists leaked “10 years of data from 200 police departments, fusion centers, and other law enforcement… resources,” the group insists it had nothing to do with the actual hack. Read more
Apple taken to Brazil Supreme Court over iPhone trademark (news.com.au)
Tech giant Apple is facing another day in court that could prevent them using the name of its most popular product in a country of more than 209 million people.
The iPhone is Apple’s biggest seller and likely its best-known product, but seven years before it was announced, a Brazilian company filed a trademark for the name.
The Gradiente Group filed documents with Brazil’s trademark authority in 2000 for the name “iphone”, but it wasn’t granted the trademark until 2008, after Apple’s iPhone went on sale. Read more
Erdogan threatens to cut diplomatic ties with UAE and shut its embassy over deal with Israel (RT)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that he is considering breaking off all diplomatic ties with the UAE after the Gulf nation announced a landmark deal establishing formal relations with Israel.
Erdogan harshly criticized the UAE for its deal with Israel, as most Arab nations have historically refrained from maintaining formal diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv in protest against its occupation of the West Bank.
We have given instructions to the foreign minister. Suspending diplomatic relations with Abu Dhabi may be one of the steps, as well as recalling our ambassador, because we stand with the Palestinian people.
On Thursday, the UAE announced that it had agreed to set up diplomatic ties with Israel in exchange for a suspension of Tel Aviv’s plan to annex the West Bank. Previously, only Egypt and Jordan among the Arab nations have had diplomatic relations with Israel. Read more
Julian Bream: Classical guitarist dies aged 87 (BBC)
Classical guitarist and lute player Julian Bream has died at his home in Wiltshire at the age of 87.
The virtuoso musician performed globally during his heyday, and was renowned for his recordings of new compositions and masterclasses.
He won four Grammy Awards and received 20 nominations between 1960 and 85. Read more
Premier League chief opens up on failed Newcastle takeover (Guardian)
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has responded to a plea for clarity over the failed takeover of Newcastle United.
PCP Capital Partners’ largely Saudi-funded £340 million bid to buy the Premier League club collapsed recently.
Newcastle fans are unhappy with the failure to seal the deal, especially as the club’s current owner Mike Ashley is widely disliked on Tyneside.
Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah asked Masters to discuss the collapsed takeover.
Masters confirmed that after an impasse was reached in the league’s owners’ and directors’ test, Amanda Staveley’s consortium, under which Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is seeking to buy an 80 per cent stake in the club, declined an offer of independent arbitration. Read more
Willian: Arsenal sign former Chelsea midfielder on free transfer (BBC)
Arsenal have signed Brazil midfielder Willian on a three-year deal after the 32-year-old’s contract with Chelsea expired.
The Blues had offered the player a new deal but were unwilling to match what the Gunners had on the table.
“I believe he’s a player that can really make a difference for us,” said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
“We had a clear intention to strengthen the attacking midfielder and the winger positions.”
Willian made 339 appearances for Chelsea after signing from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala for £30 million in 2013. Read more
Nicolas Pepe: Arsenal to conduct internal investigation into transfer activity (RT)
Premier League side Arsenal are to reportedly conduct an internal investigation into the club’s transfer policy after record £72 million signing Nicolas Pepe failed to meet the expectations of his gargantuan transfer last season.
Ivory Coast international Pepe joined the Gunners from French side Lille last summer, with the London club beating out several of Europe’s biggest clubs to secure the player’s signature
But after a debut season that saw the 25-year-old flatter to deceive in North London, questions are now being asked internally as to why such a large transfer fee was paid for a player who has yet to fully bed-in at the Emirates. Read more
Michael Jordan Nike sneakers reach record price at auction (news.com.au)
A pair of Michael Jordan’s game-worn sneakers sold for $860,000 ($US615k), Christie’s auction house has announced in a sale that’s shattered the previous NBA sneaker merchandise price set earlier this year.
The sneakers were a pair of Air Jordan 1 Highs that the NBA megastar wore during a 1985 exhibition match in Italy when he dunked the ball so hard it shattered the glass backboard. Read more
Toto Wolff considering future as Mercedes boss after 2020 season (BBC)
Toto Wolff says he is considering whether to continue as Mercedes team principal after this season.
Under Wolff, Mercedes have become the most successful F1 team in history but his contract runs out this year.
He said he was discussing his future with Ola Kallenius, chairman of Mercedes’ parent company Daimler.
“Many factors make me want to stay but it takes its toll,” Wolff said. “There is no reason not to continue. We will find out in which role.” Read more
Champions League: How to bet these big quarterfinal matches (NYPost)
We’re halfway through the quarterfinal round of the UEFA Champions League tournament. Here’s a rundown of betting angles on the two high-profile matches that remain:
Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona, Friday: This feels more like a final than it does a quarterfinal. Bayern Munich has been the best club in Europe since the restart, and I don’t think that’s even debatable. This is their tournament to lose.
Barcelona comes down to Lionel Messi, and whether he can create more magical moments; if he doesn’t, Barca can struggle in attack. On top of that, they have trouble controlling the middle third against good sides, and their back four can be leaky. Bayern, too, can give up some goals, but this team is far deeper than Barcelona. Read more