LASG discharges 21 more patients (Guardian)
The Lagos State Government has announced the recovery and discharge of 21 more coronavirus patients, who tested negative twice to the virus.
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said in a statement on Saturday that the figure brings to a total of 875 confirmed cases so far discharged from the isolation centres in the state.
“Good people of Lagos, 21 COVID-19 Lagos patients – six females and 15 males – including a foreign national have been discharged from our isolation facilities to reunite with society. Read more
My dad died of treatable pneumonia – Daughter of 61-year-old patient rejected by LUTH, LASUTH, six others (Punch)
Grace Anya, only child of late Mr Obiefula Anya, narrates how her electrical engineer father died of pneumonia after he was rejected by eight Lagos hospitals for fear he might have contracted COVID-19.
A 61-year-old Lagos resident, Mr. Obiefula Anya, died of pneumonia after he was allegedly refused treatment by some hospitals in the state, including the duo of Federal Government-owned Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba; and the Federal Medical Centre Ebute-Metta. Read more
FG begins 2020 systematic maintenance of all Lagos bridges, drains evacuation (Guardian)
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Kayode Popoola, on Sunday said the government had begun “systematic maintenance of all bridges in Lagos’’ to ensure smooth rides and safety.
Popoola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the telephone that government had a schedule to fix all bridges in Lagos State in batches this year as funds were made available.
“We have plans for maintenance of all bridges in Lagos state this year, our prayer is that the COVID-19 pandemic should come to an end so that we can swing into action. Read more
Lagos traders weep as fire destroys 227 shops (Punch)
It was an awful Saturday for many traders at Olaleye Market, Shomolu, Lagos State, as a night fire razed 227 shops in the marketplace.
The fire which started around 2 am reportedly raged for hours, destroying goods and other items estimated at millions of naira.
Sunday PUNCH learnt that the inferno was put out after a combined effort of firefighters from the Lagos State Fire Service and locals around the market. Read more
Mariam Sanda killed her husband, Police insist (Tribune)
The Police has prayed the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal to uphold the death sentence on Mariam Sanda by an Abuja High Court for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.
In its brief of argument filed in response to the appeal filed by Sanda’s legal team led by Joe Kyari Gadzama (SAN), the police submitted that the trial court was right in finding Sanda guilty of willfully murdering her husband in cold blood.
Counsel to the police James Idachaba said, the trial judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu properly evaluated the evidence before him in reaching the decision to find Sanda guilty and impose the punishment as provided by statute. Read more
RRS arrests singer, Salawa Abeni’s blackmailer (Guardian)
The operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) has arrested a 19-year-old National Diploma holder of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos as the brain behind the blackmail of Queen Salawa Abeni with half-nude photographs.
The suspect, Olufowoke Oladunjoye Emmanuel, a resident of Brentfield Avenue, Peace Estate, Magboro, Ogun State, was picked up by the Decoy Team of Rapid Response Squad last week Thursday after three days of trailing him.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu had in the wake of the attempt by an unknown individual to blackmail Alhaja Salawa Abeni sometime in April 2020, directed the Commander, Rapid Response Squad, DCP Olatunji Disu to fish out the suspect. Read more
#JusticeForUwa trends in Nigeria after student murdered in church (BBC)
There is outrage in Nigeria following the murder of a 22-year-old student, Uwavera Omozuwa in a church.
The hashtag #JusticeForUwa is trending in Nigeria, with her family appealing for help to track down her killers.
Uwavera had been studying in a “quiet” church near her home in Benin City when she was killed, her sister, Judith, told BBC Pidgin.
The student, who had wanted to become a nurse, died in hospital on Saturday, three days after the attack. Read more
UNIBEN reacts to rape, murder of 100 level student (Tribune)
The Management of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), has decried the news of the rape and subsequent murder of one of its students, Miss Vera Omozuwa.
The victim was a 100 level Microbiology student of the institution before her travail.
Vice-Chancellor of UNIBEN, Prof. Lilian Salami, in a statement through the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Dr Benedicta Ehanire, described the news as shocking. Read more
Trump supporters run over two George Floyd protesters (Metro)
Shocking footage has emerged of Donald Trump supporters running over two protesters who had taken to the streets calling for justice over the death of George Floyd. The footage, which was shared on Twitter, appears to show three people driving through the protests in a blue Jeep with a US flag and a Trump ‘Keep America Great’ flag attached to the rear of the vehicle. Several protesters are seen holding placards in the road, before the driver of the Jeep comes to a stop in traffic. He then accelerates and ploughs into a young woman, who appears to be struck front-on by the vehicle and is mowed to the ground. Read more
Pope: Pull together, avoid pessimism in this coronavirus era (VOA)
Pope Francis is cautioning against pessimism as many people emerge from coronavirus lockdowns to lament that nothing will ever be the same.
During Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to mark Pentecost Sunday, Francis noted a tendency to say “nothing will return as before.” That kind of thinking, Francis said, guarantees that “the one thing that certainly does not return is hope.”
He took to task his own church for its fragmentation, saying it must pull together.
“The world sees conservatives and progressives” but instead all are “children of God,” he said, telling the faithful to focus on what unites them. Read more
SpaceX Dragon capsule docks with International Space Station (France24)
SpaceX delivered two astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA on Sunday, following up a historic liftoff with an equally smooth docking in yet another first for Elon Musk’s company.
With test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken poised to take over manual control if necessary, the SpaceX Dragon capsule pulled up to the station and docked automatically, no assistance needed.
It was the first time a privately built and owned spacecraft carried astronauts to the orbiting lab in its nearly 20 years. NASA considers this the opening volley in a business revolution encircling Earth and eventually stretching to the moon and Mars.
The docking occurred just 19 hours after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off Saturday afternoon from Kennedy Space Center, the nation’s first astronaut launch to orbit from home soil in nearly a decade. Read more
‘US statements are fake, not Libyan money’: Moscow rebuffs accusations of printing counterfeit dinars (RT)
Moscow printed dinars for Libya in accordance with a government contract, so Washington’s claims of it being fake money have nothing to do with reality, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
The US State Department announced on Friday that $1.1 billion worth of “counterfeit, Russian-printed Libyan currency” was seized in Malta earlier this week.
Moscow confirmed the dinars were indeed printed by Russian state-owned company Goznak, but it was done in accordance with a contract it signed with the Central Bank of Libya in 2015. The order was fully paid for by the Libyan side, it was announced. Read more
Coronavirus: Brazil now fourth-highest nation in Covid-19 deaths (BBC)
The number of coronavirus fatalities in Brazil has risen by almost 1,000 in a day, making the country’s overall death toll the world’s fourth highest.
Its figure of 28,834 has now surpassed France, and only the US, the UK and Italy have recorded more deaths.
President Jair Bolsonaro has consistently played down the outbreak, although the country has the world’s second-highest number of cases.
He has criticised state lockdowns for harming Brazil’s economy and jobs. Read more
Mile-long line for food forms in one of the world’s wealthiest cities (NYPost)
As Europe started undoing its lockdown, an astounding mile-long line for food formed in Geneva, Switzerland, last Saturday.
Comprised of over 3,000 people living in one of the world’s richest cities, the line to collect $25 worth of food at an ice hockey stadium started forming at 2 a.m. last Saturday, according to the New York Times.
The majority of the people worked in hotels or as cleaners in homes and the city’s hotel industry which has been shuttered since the pandemic started. Most of them are undocumented immigrants and thus were unable to collect government benefits. Read more
Manchester United reach new loan agreement to keep Odion Ighalo until January 2021 (Metro)
Manchester United are set to keep Odion Ighalo on loan from Shanghai Shenhua until the end of January 2021. The Nigerian striker is due to return to the Chinese Super League club in June as his initial loan agreement with United only runs until May 31. Ighalo has been training with his United teammates at Carrington his week, and the club have been hopeful that a new agreement could be reached with Shanghai Shenhua for the 30-year-old to remain at Old Trafford until the end of the delayed season. Read more
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho excited about Premier League restart amid coronavirus pandemic (Metro)
Jose Mourinho says he is excited about the return of Premier League football and insists his Tottenham team ‘want to play’. The 2019-20 Premier League season is set to resume on June 17 with Aston Villa facing Sheffield United and Manchester City playing Arsenal. A full round of fixtures will then be played on the weekend of June 19-21, more than three months after the campaign was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
I have what it takes to lead Eagles attack – Nyima (DailyTrust)
Kano Pillars striker, Nwagua Nyima has revealed that he has the ability to spearhead the Super Eagles attack if given the opportunity by the national team handlers. Nyima, who spoke in an online interview on “NPFL Undiluted” WhatsApp Platform also disclosed that Enyimba’s defender Ifeanyi Aneamena is the toughest defender he has ever played against in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). ‘’I strongly believe that I have what it takes to lead Super Eagle attack if I am given the opportunity with the trust and confidence of the coach. ‘’The toughest defender I have ever played against in the NPFL is Ifeanyi Aneamena, who plays for Enyimba, also Enyimba is the toughest team in the league have ever played against ’’ he said. Read more
Man City’s Mahrez has watches worth £300,000 stolen (Guardian)
Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez had three luxury watches worth more than £300,000 ($370,000) stolen when thieves raided his penthouse apartment, according to British media reports on Sunday.
More than £50,000 in cash along with Cartier bracelets and rare football shirts worth up to £150,000 were also taken from the Algeria international.
The watches were reported to be a £230,000 Richard Mille timepiece, a £40,000 Rolex Daytona and a £35,000 Rolex Day-Date. Read more
Mauro Icardi: Argentine striker secures permanent switch from Inter Milan to PSG (BBC)
French champions Paris St-Germain have signed striker Mauro Icardi for 60m euros (£54m) from Inter Milan.
The 27-year-old Argentina international joined PSG in September on a season-long loan with a buy-out option.
The new deal means he will be at the French side until June 2024.
Icardi scored 20 goals in 31 matches in all competitions before the French season was officially ended on 30 April with 10 games remaining because of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
Man United open to Rabiot inclusion in Pogba swap deal with Juventus (Vanguard)
Manchester United are thought to be open to the idea of taking Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot as part of any deal for Paul Pogba, but only if the money still makes sense for the Red Devils.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Juventus were heavily linked with a big-money move to bring Pogba back to Turin, but the financial uncertainty of the current climate has seen things slow down a bit recently.
Now, if Juventus want to land the Frenchman, they will have to find a way to send some players to Old Trafford in return. According to Calciomercato, Rabiot’s name has been put on the table, and United wouldn’t be against such a move. Read more