Okonjo-Iweala’s son, Uchechi, breaks medical record in the US (Punch)
Dr. Uchechi Iweala, son of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonji-Iweala, has broken a medical record in Maryland, United States.
On Thursday, the WTO boss announced that her son was one of the first spinal surgeons in Maryland to perform a successful navigated lumbar spinal fusion using a robot.
The proud mother took to her Twitter account to share the good news, as she congratulated and encouraged her son on his medical feat.
Sharing pictures from the operation, she wrote, “Congratulations Dr. Uchechi Iweala, on being one of the first spinal surgeons in Maryland to perform a successful navigated lumbar spinal fusion using a robot! So proud to be your Mum! Keep it going!” Read more
2023 election: CAN warns against Christian/Christian, Muslim/Muslim ticket (Tribune)
The leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has cautioned the political parties in the country against heating up the polity with either Christian/Christian ticket or Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket come 2023 general election.
The caution was made on Thursday by the CAN’s President, Rev Dr Samson Ayokunle in a parley of the Association’s leadership with the Deputy Senate President, Senator Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege in his office at the National Assembly complex.
“Sir, concerning 2023 elections, we would admonish you politicians not to heat up the polity in any way as the campaigns are opened by guiding the utterances that would be coming out of you. There is already tension in the land because of insecurity.
“We equally want to urge you on the presidency that a balance of both religious practitioners be considered. We don’t want Christian/Christian ticket nor Muslim/Muslim ticket”, he said.
Speaking further, Dr Ayokunle expressed dissatisfaction and disappointment with the menace of the economic downturn and its consequences on the polity and called for an enabling environment to cushion the effects on the people. Read more
Abule -Egba BRT disrupted by lack of diesel, commuters stranded (Guardian)
Operations of the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Abule-Egba was yesterday halted for several hours for lack of diesel. The situation left many commuters stranded as they eagerly waited for resumption of operations without success.
Many were forced to use alternative measures to meet their appointments. One of them, Michael Oni, told The Guardian his frustration after waiting for hours to see if operation will be restored. Oni, who works in the Island, has made the ride a daily routine.
Armed with his Lagos State travel token known as Cowry card, Oni came out very early with high hopes only to be told the buses have no diesel to move. He called on Lagos state government to investigate the issue and ensure there was no recurrence.
Another commuter, Mrs. Comfort Ofodile, said such an incident could affect patronage. She called for proper customer relationships between the operators and commuters. Read more
N22.1b Earned Allowances: Non-teaching staff tell FG to suspend disbursement (Vanguard)
The Non-teaching staff in the Universities and Inter-University Centers have called on the Federal Government to suspend the disbursement of the newly approved N22,127 billion Earned Allowances for the four university based unions.
The non teaching staff said that the suspension was necessary in order to address the alleged unfair sharing formula that allocated 75 percent of the money to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and 25 percent to three unions.
The three non-teaching staff to share the 25 percent of the total fund are the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions, NASU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University, SSANU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.
The non-teaching staff unions under the aegis of Joint Action Committee, NASU and SSANU in a statement signed by Prince Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary of NASU and Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU National President, said they have been pushed to the wall and cannot continue to allow this injustice. Read more
Ajetunmobi couple granted citizenship after ‘intense examination’ – Antigua and Barbuda (Guardian)
Antiguan authorities have confirmed that the Nigerian couples who are wanted for a multibillion Naira investment scam are citizens of the country.
“Both Bamise Ajetunmobi and Elizabeth Ajetunmobi were granted citizenship in April 2021 having applied under the Citizenship by Investment Programme,” Antigua and Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Unit said in a statement.
Nigerian couple Bamise and Elizabeth Ajetunmobi were accused of stealing N22 billion from investors. They were granted the citizenship of the island nation in April after “intense internal examination,” CIU said.
They operated a company called Imagine Global, a micro-lending service to small and medium businesses, and offered 22 percent interest on loans and 10 percent returns to investors. Read more
Counterinsurgency troops kill 109 terrorists, bandits in 2 weeks – DHQ (Sun)
The Defence Headquarters has said that counterinsurgency troops and other internal security forces across the country killed 109, terrorists, bandits and other criminals in the last two weeks. The DHQ also reports that another batch of 1,199, terrorists and their family members, comprising 114 males, 312 females and 773 children, surrendered to troops at different locations in Nigeria’s North East.
Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brigadier General Bernard Onyeuko, who made this known at a media briefing on Thursday, said the troops also recovered 166 bags of Improvised Explosives Device (IEDs) making materials, 197 weapons, gun trucks, 1,161 rounds of ammunition and rescued 25 kidnapped persons.
Gen Onyeuko said that over 40 terrorists, bandits and their informants were also arrested and undergoing interrogation.
Gen Onyeuko, at a media briefing on military operations conducted between October 14 and 28, said troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies have continued to sustain the operational tempo in the land, maritime and air operations across the various theatres of operation in the country yielded significant results in the period under review. Read more
We didn’t call for boycott of Anambra election – IPOB clarifies statement (Vanguard)
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Thursday, debunked a statement that it called for the boycott of November 6, Anambra gubernatorial election.
Disclosing this in a statement obtained by Vanguard, the group’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful advised media houses to be factual in the reportage.
The group stated that its position in the political sphere has nothing to do with the forthcoming Anambra election.
The group equally berated Nigerian politicians, warning them to leave the group out of their predicaments. Read more
1,199 Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters, family members surrender in North-East ― DHQ (Tribune)
The Military High Command on Thursday disclosed that 1,199 terrorists and their families, comprising 114 adult males, 312 adult females and 773 children have surrendered to troops at different locations in the North East within two weeks.
Acting Directorate of Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Brig-Gen. Benard Onyeuko, who disclosed this added that the troops eliminated 112 terrorists and bandits and arrested 35 other criminal elements, their informants and logistics suppliers in the North-East and North-West parts of the country.
He added that the troops also recovered 622 bags of fertilizers being used for the production of IEDs and recovered 52 rustled livestock during the period under review.
According to him, “the troops also rescued 19 kidnapped civilian victims in the course of the operations and recovered a total of 101 assorted weapons, including machine guns, 69 AK-47 rifles, gun trucks, teargas launchers, locally-made pistols, 25 extra rifle magazines and 829 rounds of ammunition. Read more
Burna boy hails sister, Nissi, for creating new Range Rover design (Punch)
Grammy award-winning singer, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has hailed his younger sister, Nissi, as one of the creators of the new Range Rover design.
The proud brother took to his Instagram story to hail his sister, as he shared a screenshot of his sister’s interaction with the car company, Land Rover, United Kingdom.
Sharing an image of the car, the company said, “Introducing the #NewRangeRover. The most desirable #RangeRover ever created.”
Quoting the company’s tweet, Nissi said, “After three years of working on this project, I’m happy to see it now revealed to the world.” Read more
Ali al-Nimr: Saudi child protester who faced death penalty released (BBC)
Saudi authorities have freed a man who was sentenced to death for protest-related crimes as a child in a case that provoked an international outcry.
Ali al-Nimr was 17 when he was detained in 2012 during anti-government protests by the kingdom’s Shia Muslim minority.
In 2014, a court condemned him to death by “crucifixion” – beheading followed by the public display of his body.
The sentence was commuted in February after the king ended the death penalty for some crimes committed by children. Read more
“Squid Game” characters drawn from director’s life (Guardian)
Squid Game‘s director Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed that many of the show’s characters are drawn from his real life.
Dong-hyuk believes that viewers around the world resonate with the theme of economic inequality found in the movie.
Since Squid Game‘s debut on Netflix last month, the show has blown up, becoming Netflix’s most popular series at launch.
The dystopian nine-part series follows 456 debt-ridden individuals as they try to win 45.6billion won (£24million) by playing children’s games with a dark twist; you lose, you die. Read more
Teenager who murdered sisters in London park in ‘pact with demon’ jailed for life (LBC)
A teenager who stabbed two sisters to death in north-west London as part of a Satanic pact has been jailed for at least 35 years.
Danyal Hussein – who is 19 – savagely stabbed Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman in a park in Wembley in June last year, in a “pact with a demon”.
The court heard how he believed killing women at random, would help him win the lottery.
Hussein had embarked on a “campaign of vengeance” against random women in a failed bid to win the £321 million jackpot, the Old Bailey heard on Thursday. Read more
China reiterates firm opposition to US-Taiwan military contact in response to CNN interview (CNN)
The Chinese government on Thursday reiterated its long-standing opposition to any official and military contact between the United States and Taiwan, responding to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s remarks during a CNN exclusive interview.
Speaking with CNN Tuesday, Tsai became the first Taiwan leader in decades to confirm the presence of US troops on the island for training purposes and said the threat from Beijing is growing “every day.”
Tsai did not confirm the number of US military personnel in Taiwan, but said it was “not as many as people thought.”
“We have a wide range of cooperation with the US aiming at increasing our defense capability,” she added. Read more
Keanu Reeves treats John Wick 4 stunt team to brand new Rolex watches (Metro)
Just in case there was any doubt, Keanu Reeves once again confirmed he’s one of the nicest people in the entertainment industry.
To celebrate the completion of filming for the upcoming film John Wick 4, the beloved Hollywood actor kindly gave his stuntmen brand new Rolex watches to acknowledge all their hard work on the movie.
Naturally, his colleagues were absolutely thrilled to receive the luxury timepieces as they flocked to social media to give the world a look at the Rolex Submariners.
Based on social media posts, the 57-year-old presented the four stuntmen – Bruce Lee Concepcion, Jeremy Marinas, Dave Camarillo and Li Qiang – with their watches at Le Bistro Paul Bert in Paris on Saturday night. Read more
Covid: Moscow shops and restaurants shut in partial lockdown (BBC)
Shops, restaurants and schools have shut in Moscow in a partial lockdown, as Russia battles record Covid deaths and infections.
Only essential shops like supermarkets and pharmacies are allowed to open in the capital, while food outlets are only providing takeaways.
Authorities have also given workers across Russia nine days off from Saturday in a bid to curb infections.
Russia has reported a record 1,159 deaths from Covid in the past 24 hours. Read more
Marvel’s Eternals writer reveals nine post-credits scenes that didn’t make the cut (Metro)
Marvel’s Eternals has already got the world talking about its post-credits scene before it’s even released, but there are plenty that didn’t actually make the cut.
Writer Kaz Firpo revealed to Metro.co.uk just how much thought goes into the famous clips that have Marvel fans waiting until the credits have rolled.
‘The post-credits sequences, I can say we wrote about nine versions before we settled on what’s in the movie,’ he explained.
‘There are some really spicy ones that always change. It’s an evolving process, every Marvel movie is constantly growing and there’s a thousand, I think 10,000 people worked on this film all over the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo and girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez expecting twins (Metro)
Cristiano Ronaldo is expecting his second set of twins as he announced his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez is pregnant.
The Manchester United player’s partner is said to be three months into her pregnancy with their second and third child together and are ‘full of love’.
Ronaldo’s shared the joyous news on Instagram alongside a picture of him and Georgina happily showing off their twins’ ultrasounds and a photo of his four children swimming together.
The 36-year-old penned: ‘Delighted to announce we are expecting twin. Our hearts are full of love – we can’t wait to meet you.’ Read more
Inside Xavi’s incredible stint as Al-Sadd boss as Barcelona hero nears Nou Camp return (DailyStar)
Barcelona legend Xavi is currently the favourite to replace Ronald Koeman as manager at the Nou Camp, having impressed Barca chiefs in his time at Al-Sadd.
Xavi was appointed manager of Qatar’s most successful club in the summer of 2019 after retiring as a player following four years with the club.
He had joined Al-Sadd aged 35 in 2015 after over two decades at Barcelona that saw him make over 750 appearances and win four Champions League titles.
The World Cup winner has carried on his success as a player since becoming a manager with an incredible record as manager of Al-Sadd. Read more
Organiser of 2019 flight that crashed and killed footballer Emiliano Sala found guilty (France24)
The businessman who organised the 2019 flight that crashed, killing Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala, was Thursday found guilty of endangering the safety of an aircraft.
David Henderson, 67, was convicted by a majority verdict of 10 to two over the death of the player by a jury at Cardiff Crown Court.
The plane carrying 28-year-old Sala crashed into the English Channel in January 2019, killing the striker and pilot David Ibbotson, 59.
Sala had signed for Cardiff City, who were then in the Premier League, for a club-record £15 million (18 million euros, $20 million) from French side Nantes. Read more
Minella Indo heads classy quintet in Down Royal’s Champion Chase (IrishTimes)
Gold Cup hero Minella Indo will face King George winner Frodon and the improving Galvin in a fascinating Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal.
The first Grade One chase of the new National Hunt season has attracted a stellar five-strong field on Saturday – and while in the past the presence of the current Gold Cup holder might have frightened off any serious opposition, this year’s race promises to be riveting.
Minella Indo helped to headline Henry de Bromhead’s unbelievable success at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, during which the County Waterford trainer also won the Champion Hurdle with Honeysuckle and the Champion Chase with Put the Kettle On.
It had been announced earlier in the week that Jack Kennedy would retain the ride on Minella Indo. However, his boss Gordon Elliott has claimed his services, meaning Rachael Blackmore takes the ride. Read more
EuroLeague: Daryl Macon Jr. named Round 6’s MVP (TalKBasket)
Daryl Macon Jr. of Panathinaikos BC was named the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP for Round 6, after his monster performance vs. Efes.
The rookie guard led Panathinaikos to a 95-69 resounding victory over reigning champions Efes. Macon posted a PIR of 38, after scoring 34 points on a club-record 9-for-12 three-point shooting. He also collected four rebounds and three assists in fewer than 26 minutes on the floor.
Round 6’s second-best index rating, 29, belonged to Jan Vesely of Fenerbahce, who scored 24 points on 10-for-14 two-point shooting to go with eight rebounds, two assists against FC Barcelona.
In the third place, behind Macon and Vesely, Alpha Diallo of AS Monaco, whose 19 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists for a PIR of 28 helped beat visiting Crvena Zvezda by 70-62. Read more
Graham Potter confirms Brighton injury blow and issues Yves Bissouma update ahead of Liverpool (SussexLive)
Brighton boss Graham Potter has confirmed Dan Burn will miss the Liverpool game on Saturday but Yves Bissouma is available for selection.
Albion lost on penalties to Leicester City in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday night but Burn did not make the second half after a heavy fall in the first period.
Last night, head coach Potter told Sussex Live that the prognosis for the 29-year-old was not great.
“We are a little concerned, to be honest. We will have to get it scanned tomorrow,” he said. Read more
Emma Raducanu reacts to latest victory as Transylvania Open winning run continues (Metro)
Emma Raducanu breezed past Ana Bogdan at the Transylvania Open to pick up just her second WTA win in her career before insisting she is far from the ‘finished product.’
Raducanu came out on top against the world No.106 as she recorded a convincing 6-3, 6-4 victory to reach the quarter-finals.
Having delivered her first win since her US Open triumph against Polona Hercog in the first round, the British No.1 is hoping another fairytale run can continue unfolding in her father’s homeland of Romania.
‘Yeah I think that it’s definitely taking me some time to find my feet still so yeah I’m just taking some learnings from every match that I play and I don’t think I’m the finished product yet,’ Raducanu said. Read more