Minimum wage: Sack threat can’t intimidate us, Labour tells govs (Sun)
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed not to bow to the threat by governors to sack workers over the proposed N30,000 minimum wage. Reacting to the latest position of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) that states would either go bankrupt or sack workers if forced to pay N30,000 minimum wage, President of the NLC Ayuba Wabba yesterday said in a statement that workers could not be intimidated. Read more
ASUU, FG meeting deadlocked as the strike continues (Punch)
The Federal Government on Thursday opened negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities at the Ministry of Labour and Employment office in Abuja over the universities lecturers’ strike since November 5. The meeting, which began at 3pm and lasted till 9pm, was adjourned till next week, as the striking teachers and government did not reach a middle ground. Read more
Court reduces ex-Gov Nyame’s jail term to 12 years, to pay N525m fine (Vanguard)
The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on Friday, reviewed the 14-year jail term that was handed to the former governor of Taraba State, Rev. Jolly Nyame, and reduced it to 10 years. The court however ordered Nyame to pay an aggregate fine of N525million that was not part of the sentence that was imposed on him by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory which found him guilty on 27 out of the 41-count money laundering charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him. Read more
Reps panel uncovers another set of hidden rice in Lagos (Vanguard)
House of Representatives committee probing the fraud in the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has discovered another set of rice hidden in a warehouse in Lagos. This came barely 24 hours after the House released pictures of over 162,000 bags of rice, donated to the federal government by the Chinese government for the benefit of internally displaced persons, IDPs, in the North East, found to have gone rotten in a warehouse in Gombe State. A statement by the chairman of the committee, Ali Isa J.C, read: “The committee has further discovered that hundreds of metric tons of the Chinese donated rice have been kept under lock and key in a private warehouse in Lagos under questionable circumstances. Read more
Australia, Malaysia in war of words over Israel embassy shift (Aljazeera)
Australia’s treasurer on Friday said Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had a history of anti-Jewish statements in an escalating war of words over the possibility Australia might move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison first proposed the move during a local election campaign last month, sparking concern from Indonesia and Malaysia. Mahathir, 93, raised the potential relocation in a meeting with Morrison in Singapore on Thursday, later telling reporters he feared it could increase the threat of attacks. Read more
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Ex-Girlfriend Kim Porter Found Dead at 47 in Her Home (Sun)
Kim Porter, who dated Sean “Diddy” Combs for many years before their 2007 split and was also mother to four of his children, was found dead in her home, on Thursday. She was 47. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Porter’s death in a statement explaining that officers responded to a death investigation at 11:40 a.m. in Toluca Lake, California, where they found a female unresponsive at the residence. Read more
Lost Disney film showing Mickey Mouse predecessor discovered in Japan after 70 years (Sky)
A cartoon film bought by a teenager in Japan 70 years ago has been revealed as a rare lost work produced by Walt Disney. Yasushi Watanabe, now 84, had no idea he was purchasing animation history when he picked up the reel for just 500 yen (£3.45 today) at a toy wholesaler in Osaka. It features “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit”, a long-eared character created by Disney in the 1920s that led to his most famous work: Mickey Mouse. Read more
Beyonce Buys Out Ivy Park Co-Owner After Chairman Accused of Sexual and Racial Harassment (Variety)
Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment company yesterday bought out British retailer Arcadia Group Ltd, the co-owner of the Ivy Park fashion brand. Arcadia chairman Philip Green is currently being investigated for sexual and racial harassment, as former British cabinet minister Peter Hain reported. Hain also said Green was granted a court injunction to keep the British press from reporting the accusations, which Green has denied. Campaigners had urged Beyonce to sever ties with Green. Previously, Parkwood and Arcadia each owned 50% of Ivy Park. The clothing company released a statement on Thursday announcing the decision, although it did not reference Green’s case. Read more
Prince William criticises social media firms (BBC)
The Duke of Cambridge has accused social media firms of not being proactive enough about dealing with fake news, privacy issues and cyber-bullying. In a speech given at the BBC, Prince William said social networks had allowed “misinformation and conspiracy to pollute the public sphere”. “Their self-image is so grounded in their positive power for good that they seem unable to engage in constructive discussion about the social problems they are creating,” he warned. The prince and the Duchess of Cambridge had been invited to the BBC to try out a new internet safety app. Read more
Mark Zuckerberg, missing in inaction (BBC)
Mark Zuckerberg is both chief executive and chairman of Facebook. In the wake of a damning New York Times report, he is facing renewed questions on whether he should relinquish at least one of those roles. The Times’ report, which it said was based on interviews with more than 50 insiders, is extraordinary. Mr Zuckerberg is notable by his absence at times of major decision-making at the firm he founded as a college kid. On the topic of whether Donald Trump, in calling for a ban on Muslims entering the US, had broken Facebook’s policies: “Mr Zuckerberg did not participate in the debate.” Read more
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish knighted at Buckingham Palace (Sky)
Kenny Dalglish has received a knighthood from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace. Dalglish, a Liverpool legend who also managed the club in two separate spells, was honoured on Friday morning for his outstanding career on and off the pitch. “It’s humbling, I’m hugely proud of what’s happened,” he said. “You never set out in your life to do anything other than what your parents taught you to do and that’s to be decent to people and if somebody needed help you helped them. Read more
MTN, Ericsson begin first 5G customer trial deployment in South Africa (Vanguard)
MTN South Africa in partnership with Ericsson have announced the first 5G customer trial deployment in South Africa starting with a fixed wireless access site at technology company Netstar’s headquarters in Midrand. The field deployment in Midrand, situated between Johannesburg and Tshwane (Pretoria), is part of Ericsson’s continuing efforts to deliver end-to-end 5G capabilities to support MTN South Africa’s growth as well as 5G and enterprise ambitions. With this development, MTN is planning to test other 5G use cases. Read more
Gernot Rohr reveals Nigeria’s mission in Johannesburg (Goal.com)
On Friday morning, the Super Eagles arrived the South African city as they aim to return to the Afcon finals with a game to spare. In Johannesburg, Nigeria have a ‘simple’ mission of securing the 2019 African Cup of Nations ticket, according to coach Gernot Rohr. The Super Eagles’ last appearance at the biggest football tournament in Africa was in 2013, having missed out of the last two editions. Read more
Teenager nabbed in Anambra with fresh human parts (Guardian)
A 19-year-old man, Sunday Owo, was yesterday arrested with fresh human parts at a healing home in Awka, Anambra State. Owo was caught with fresh male genital, human fingers and a bottle filled with the blood of a child. The suspect told newsmen that he hailed from Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and was directed by one Blessing to procure the human parts and bring to a natural healing home in Awka for money ritual. He confessed that he paid Blessing, who was at large as at press time, the sum of N50,000 for connecting him to the healing home. Owo also told journalists that his victim was a four-year-old boy he killed at the stream in his town and threw the head and other parts into the stream. Read more
NDLEA arrests fake policemen smuggling cannabis in Edo (Punch)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested two persons suspected to be drug smugglers in the Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State. It was learnt that the suspects, who were disguised as policemen, were intercepted while conveying 50 bags of dried weeds, suspected to be cannabis sativa and weighing 685 kilogrammes, along Okpella-Okene road. Read more
Poultry farmer tackles firm over breach of N40m contract (Punch)
A poultry farmer, Sola Adebayo, has accused a firm, Facco West Africa Limited, of defrauding him of over N40m by failing to completely execute a contract entered into by both parties. Punch Metro gathered that Adebayo, who runs the Lawal Iyanda Farms in Orerokpe, Delta State, approached Facco for the supply of 252 units of three-tier battery cages to his farm, with the firm allegedly assuring him that the components of the cages were available for delivery within 10 days.Read more
Woman ‘choked and thrown off top deck after row in ship’s casino’ (Metro)
A woman has died after she was allegedly thrown from the top deck of a cruise ship severing her leg. The 52-year-old was found dead on the Princess Royal during an eight-day cruise around the Caribbean with witnesses saying she was seen arguing with a man in the vessel’s casino. A man – believed to be her partner – was arrested on the boat and taken into custody. Read more
Hockney painting breaks auction record for living artist (BBC)
A celebrated painting by British artist David Hockney has been sold at Christie’s in New York for just over $90m (£70m) – an auction record for a work by a living artist. Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) had been forecast to fetch $80m (£62m). It sold following a 10-minute battle between two bidders via telephone, after the price passed $70m (£54m). The sale eclipsed the previous record held by US artist Jeff Koons. Read more
