My hubby can never rape, says Omodele Fatoyinbo (Nation)
Wife of the Senior Pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, Pastor Omodele Fatoyinbo has denied claims of her husband, Biodun Fatoyinbo, raping Busola Dakolo. According to her, it is impossible for her husband to be a rapist. Mrs. Fatoyinbo speaking during the church service on Sunday said “My husband is not a rapist. Even if he was an unbeliever, he would not be a rapist.” Read more
27 feared dead as boat capsizes in Lagos (Punch)
No fewer than 27 people were feared killed after a boat mishap at Egbin, near Ijede, in Ikorodu area of Lagos State. Our correspondent gathered that the boat, conveying passengers from Lekki, capsized when it approached Egbin. An eyewitness, Hogan Bassey, said two corpses have been recovered as rescue operation by officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority was ongoing. Read more
Stop blaming a tribe for nation’s insecurity, Sultan to Nigerians (Nation)
The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar lll, has charged Nigerians to stop blaming a particular tribe for the insecurity challenges facing the country. Rather than blaming a tribe, the Sultan tasked every Nigerian to be patriotic to correct things that are wrong in the society, saying “it is important for us to be courageous and expose those behind unlawful and criminal activities in the society.” Read more
Kidnapping: South-West govs to make joint pronouncement this week (Punch)
The six South-West governors will this week make a definite pronouncement on the solutions to insecurity issues, especially kidnapping currently ravaging the zone. This followed a successful hosting of the stakeholders’ security meeting and a two-day technical session held behind closed doors in Ibadan last week. The Director-General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, Mr Seye Oyeleye, told SUNDAY PUNCH that all was set by the DAWN to hand over a document containing the position arrived at after the brainstorming session by security experts and stakeholders in the zone on the way forward for lasting peace. Read more
2019 UTME credible, remarkable – JAMB board chairman (Guardian)
Dr Emmanuel Ndukwe, Chairman, Governing Board, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has described the process and the conduct of the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as credible. Ndukwe’s appraisal was contained in the board’s weekly bulletin (Vol. 1, No 26) made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja. He adjudged the exercise as the best in terms of administration and the level of technology deployed, even as he commended the Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede and his management team for delivering ‘credible and world-class assessment’. Read more
No law compels Buhari to publish assets – Sagay (Punch)
Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN), tells TOBI AWORINDE that President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo have no obligation to publicly declare their assets. President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have not publicly declared their assets since the inauguration for a second term in office. What are your thoughts on this? Read more
Health workers plan showdown with FG over ministerial slots (Punch)
The health sector may be thrown into a fresh crisis that may paralyse activities in government hospitals nationwide as the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals has indicated its readiness to oppose the appointment of medical doctors as the minister and the minister of state for health in the ministry. President of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, Dr Obinna Ogbonna, who gave the hint in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, also accused the Federal Ministry of Health of ignoring 15 court judgements delivered in favour of medical laboratory scientists’ autonomy. Read more
Why Kogi can’t manage flood disasters – Stakeholders (Guardian)
Stakeholders in emergency and disaster management say Kogi lacks the human power, skills, finance and equipment to effectively and adequately manage flood disasters which have become a perennial problem in the state. The stakeholders made the observation in a communique issued in Lokoja on Sunday. The communique, which was issued at the end of the two – day 2019 second quarterly meeting held in Lokoja, said that the development was responsible for the huge loss recorded in the state during the 2012 flood disaster and the subsequent ones. Read more
Fire guts 150MVA TCN transformer in Edo (Guardian)
Fire on Sunday destroyed 150MVA transformer belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) at the 330/132/33KVA substation along Sapele Road, Benin. A staff of TCN, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the fire started at about 8a.m on Sunday morning, adding that the cause of the fire was not yet known. An eyewitness, Mr Osaigbovo Ikponmwosa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the transformer exploded at 8a.m and fire started. Read more
Turkey vows ‘heavy’ retaliation to Libya attacks, defence minister says (BBC)
Turkey says it will “retaliate in the most effective and strong way” to any threats from the Libyan warlord’s Khalifa Haftar’s army. The warning came after Gen Haftar’s Libyan National Army said it would strike Turkish vessels in Libyan waters and view Turkish businesses as targets. The LNA controls most of the east and south of Libya and started an offensive against the internationally recognised government in April. Read more
US-North Korea: Trump and Kim agree to restart talks in historic meeting (BBC)
Donald Trump has become the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea, after meeting Kim Jong-un in the area dividing the two Koreas. Mr Trump and the North Korean leader posed for handshakes before talking for nearly an hour in the heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ). Both countries agreed to set up teams to resume stalled nuclear talks. Read more
EU leaders gather to decide who gets top jobs (BBC)
EU leaders are meeting in Brussels for talks to decide who should get the EU’s top jobs, including a successor to Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker. Reports say the current favourite for Commission president is Dutch centre-left politician Frans Timmermans. He is already a deputy to Mr Juncker. However, politicians in Poland, Hungary and Romania dislike the way he has enforced the EU rule of law policy. Read more
Sea-Watch captain defends ‘disobedience’ as backers raise 500,000 euros (Guardian)
Sea-Watch 3 skipper Carola Rackete, who risks jail time for forcing her way into Italy’s Lampedusa port with 40 rescued migrants, has defended her act of “disobedience”, saying she was compelled to avert a human tragedy. “It wasn’t an act of violence, but only one of disobedience,” the German captain told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published Sunday as donations poured in for her legal defence. Read more
Hong Kong protests: Thousands rally in support of police and Beijing (BBC)
Tens of thousands of pro-Beijing protesters are rallying in support of the police in Hong Kong. The demonstrators, dressed in white and blue and waving Chinese flags, oppose the anti-extradition protests that have taken over the city this month. Two record-breaking rallies were held against a proposed law that would see suspects extradited to mainland China. Read more
US envoys to attend Israeli settler-linked event in Jerusalem (Guardian)
Two US envoys are expected to attend an archaeological event organised by an Israeli settler-linked group in east Jerusalem on Sunday, their latest move breaking with precedent and angering Palestinians. White House adviser Jason Greenblatt and US ambassador to Israel David Friedman were to attend the event marking the completion of an archaeological project next to the Old City in mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem, according to the group, the City of David Foundation. Read more
Kelly Mary Fauvrelle: Pregnant woman killed in Croydon named (BBC)
A heavily pregnant woman who was stabbed to death has been named as Kelly Mary Fauvrelle. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murdering the 26-year-old, who was pronounced dead at a house in Croydon, south London, early on Saturday. Her baby was delivered at the scene by paramedics and is in hospital in a critical condition. Read more
Donald Trump’s new press secretary filmed in ‘all out brawl’ with North Korean security (Metro)
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham has been left with bruises following an ‘all out brawl’ with North Korean security forces. Grisham was seen at the G20 in Japan on Friday, before accompanying Trump to the DMZ for his historic walk over the border into North Korea. Trump became the first sitting US President in history to step foot inside the North, before heading into another meeting with Kim Jong Un in a building known as the ‘Freedom House’ on the South side of the border. Read more
Switzerland player Ismaili missing in swimming accident in Italy (Guardian)
Switzerland forward Florijana Ismaili has been declared missing after a swimming accident on Lake Como in Italy, her club said on Sunday. The 24-year-old Ismaili has played for the BSC Young Boys women’s team since 2011 and is the club’s captain. “BSC Young Boys have been informed that our player Florijana Ismaili has been missing since Saturday afternoon on Lake Como after a swimming accident,” a statement on their website said. Read more
Women’s World Cup: Martens won’t train to spare sore foot ahead of semi-final (Punch)
Netherlands striker Lieke Martens is not likely to do much training ahead of Wednesday’s FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-final match against Sweden as she protects a foot injury. The problem should not stop her from playing as the Dutch seek to reach a first-ever final, however. Martens was hurt celebrating her winning goal in the second round against Japan last Tuesday and did not train ahead of the quarter-final against Italy in Valenciennes on Saturday. Read more
Spurs to send Jack Clarke back to Leeds on loan after completing £11.5m deal (Metro)
Spurs are poised to make their first signing in 18-months with Jack Clarke set to join from Leeds United but the teenage winger will be loaned back to the Championship club next season. The 18-year-old has been linked with a move to Spurs for a number of weeks and is set to sign a five-year contract in a deal worth an initial £10m rising to a potential £11.5m in add-ons. It had been expected that Clarke would immediately become part of Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team squad next season, however, the Guardian states that he will stay at Leeds next season. Read more
Women’s World Cup: England boss Phil Neville says semi-final defeat would be failure (BBC)
Head coach Phil Neville says it would be considered a “failure” if England do not beat the USA to reach the Women’s World Cup final. The Lionesses face the defending champions and world number one side in the semi-finals in Lyon on Tuesday – in a game live on BBC One (20:00 BST). England, ranked third, have never gone beyond the last four at a major tournament. “Nobody cares who loses a semi-final, it’s all about winning,” said Neville. Read more
Brazil focusing on positives ahead of Argentina semi at traumatic venue (Punch)
Brazil centre-back Thiago Silva says the hosts are concentrating on positive thoughts ahead of their Copa America semi-final against Argentina, at the scene of one of their most disastrous experiences on a football field. The Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte, where the two South American giants will face off on Tuesday for a place in the Copa America final, was where Brazil collapsed spectacularly in the World Cup semi-final against Germany in 2014. Read more
Pep Guardiola talks up retaining Premier League after Liverpool win Champions League (Metro)
Pep Guardiola has admitted retaining the Premier League is an incredibly difficult task after Liverpool narrowly missed out on becoming champions last season. Liverpool ended their season on a high by winning the Champions League, but were pipped to the Premier League title by Manchester City. Read more