Open grazing to attract 3-year jail term as Ogun Assembly passes bill (DailyTrust)
The Ogun State House of Assembly has passed a bill banning open grazing.
The bill, which was passed at plenary on Thursday, puts offenders at the risk of three years jail term.
Southern governors had during their last meeting in Lagos fixed September as deadline for open grazing practice, a development which has been subject of controversy.
However, few days after the Southern governors meeting, the Ogun assembly passed the Animal Grazing Regulation and Cattle Ranch Establishment Bill 2020 into law.
The lawmakers said this would address incessant clashes between herders and famers. Read more
Lagos driver arraigned over alleged theft of N1.9m goods (Punch)
A 36-year-old driver, Franklin Uyi, charged with stealing his company’s goods valued at N1.9 million was on Thursday arraigned at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
The defendant, who resides in Ikeja was arraigned before MagistrateA.S. Odusanya, and charged with moreling.
Uyi, however, denied committing the offence and was admitted to a bail of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.
Odusanya said that the sureties should be gainfully employed and show evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government. Read more
Remains of TB Joshua arrive Synagogue for lying-in-state (Guardian)
TB Joshua remains laid at Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) on Thursday, July 8 2021. Photo: Jesutomi Akomolafe
The remains of the founder of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) TB Joshua has arrived at the church in the Ikotun area of Lagos State.
The arrival of TB Joshua’s body was greeted by a mammoth crowd waiting in and outside the church premises.
The remains, dressed in white, was carried into the church in a glass casket by a hearse that drove into SCOAN at about 11:00 am.
T.B Joshua’s son-in-law, Bryan, and his daughters Serah, Promise, Hart, and his wife Evelyn were present at the lying-in-state service. Read more
Sanusi, Onigbanjo, others to speak at NBA Lagos conference (Vanguard)
Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mohammed Sanusi, Attorney-General of Lagos, Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, and Public Analyst, Mrs. Efe Etomi have been slated to address critical issues at the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Lagos Law Week scheduled for next week.
Sanusi and Ezekwesili are expected to give the keynote address of the annual Law Week tagged: Disruption, innovation, and the Bar.
They are expected to set the tone for the conference by giving an overview of how technology, innovation, and trade liberalisation are disrupting the practice of law across the globe and what it means for the Nigerian legal practitioner.
Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, and Mrs. Efe Etomi are expected to formally open the two-day conference which will feature eight plenary sessions. Read more
Man in court for allegedly giving wife abortion drug as pain killer (Guardian)
The police in Ilorin on Thursday arraigned one Nurudeen Osioyemi for allegedly giving his wife, Balikis Aliyu, an unknown drug as pain killer, which later led to the miscarriage of her pregnancy.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defendant was charged with criminal intimidation and causing of miscarriage, contrary to Sections 97 and 232 of the Penal Code Law.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Olufolake Makosa, told an Ilorin Magistrates’ Court that the defendant gave his wife an unknown drug to use for body pain, after which he threatened to kill or use her for ritual.
Makosa said that the defendant’s wife packed out of her matrimonial home due to the unbearable attitude of her husband and after three days, she started bleeding from her private part. Read more
FIRS accuses Multichoice of N1.8trn tax fraud, moves to freeze bank accounts (Punch)
The Federal Inland Revenue Service has appointed some commercial banks to recover the sum of N1.8tn from Messrs MultiChoice Nigeria Limited and MultiChoice Africa.
A statement signed by the Executive Chairman of the FIRS, Muhammad Nami, confirmed the appointment and outlined the reasons for the decision as the group’s continued refusal to grant FIRS access to its servers for audit, the companies’ persistent breach of agreements and undertakings with the Service, under-remittance of taxes, among other things.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Service’s Director of Communications and Liaison, Abdullahi Ahmad, titled, ‘Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Appoints Commercial Banks to Freeze and Recover N1.8 trillion from the Accounts of Messrs Multi-Choice Nigeria Limited (MCN) and Multichoice Africa (MCA)’.
It read in part, “The FIRS has appointed some commercial banks as agents to recover the sum of N1.8 trillion from accounts of Messrs MultiChoice Nigeria Limited (MCN) And MultiChoice Africa (MCA). This was contained in a statement signed by the Executive Chairman, Muhammad Nami. Read more
Despite outrage, Senate begins screening Onochie for INEC job (Guardian)
A Nigerian senate committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the screening of Lauretta Onochie as commissioner of the electoral body.
Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari nominated Onochie, his current aide on social media as an INEC commissioner in October 2020.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan directed the senate committee on INEC to screen Onochie — eight months after Buhari sent her name for confirmation.
Onochie will be screened alongside Muhammad Kallah, Kunle Ajayi, Saidu Ahmad, Sani Adam and Baba Bila — all of whom were nominated by the president. Read more
Airlines must refund 100% airfares to passengers after two-hour delay –FG (Punch)
Airline operators in the country must refund the full cost of travel tickets to passengers after a two-hour delay, the Federal Government has said.
Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, made this known on Thursday at the weekly State House Briefing in Aso Villa, Abuja.
He read some of the rights of aviation passengers at the briefing and charged them to demand their rights whenever they are being trampled upon by airlines.
“On domestic flights, delay beyond one hour, carrier should provide refreshment, and one telephone call, or one SMS, or one e-mail. They should send you an SMS or email or call you to say, ‘I am sorry, I am delaying for one hour’. Read more
Alleged fraud: Former JAMB boss gets N200m bail (Guardian)
Justice Obiara Egwuatu of a Federal High Court in Abuja, on Thursday, admitted former registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Adedibu Ojerinde, to bail in the sum of ₦200 million in his alleged fraud trial.
Justice Egwuatu held that bail is at the discretion of the court, adding that there was no evidence before him why the defendant should not be admitted to bail.
However, he ordered the defendant to produce two surety in like sum, who must be residents of Abuja and show evidence of tax payment.
One of the sureties, the judge held must be a professor in a federal university, while the other must own landed property in Abuja, which must be verified by the court. Read more
Queen visits “Coronation Street” set to mark 60 years of soap (BBC)
The Queen has visited the set of Coronation Street to help celebrate the soap’s diamond jubilee.
Her Majesty was given a tour of the ITV drama’s studios in Trafford, Greater Manchester, including a stop off at the Rovers Return pub.
The monarch, who celebrated 60 years on the throne in 2012, also walked down Weatherfield’s famous cobbled streets, meeting cast and crew members.
Her trip also saw her meet community groups at Manchester Cathedral. Read more
Migrants steering boats across Channel to claim asylum ‘will no longer be prosecuted’ (Metro)
Migrants who steer boats across the English Channel intending to claim asylum will no longer face criminal charges, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.
Since last year, boat pilots had faced being charged with assisting unlawful migration, similar to people smugglers who bring people across the border in exchange for cash.
But new legal guidance released by the CPS this week states that ‘no breach of immigration law will take place’ in cases ‘involving the use of a boat where the sole intention is to be intercepted by Border Force at sea and brought into port for asylum claims to be made’.
It adds: ‘The same applies where the intention is to sail the boat to a designated port of entry in order to claim asylum.’ Read more
Naya Rivera’s mother and sister remember star one year after her death (PageSix)
Naya Rivera’s family is reeling with grief one year after the “Glee” star’s tragic death.
The late actress’ mother, Yolanda Previtire, told “Good Morning America” that there are “no words to describe what we’re going through” as the family deals with day-to-day life, which includes helping to care for Rivera’s 5-year-old son, Josey.
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“Sometimes we’re afraid of the sorrow being so heavy that we’re afraid for our own self, ’cause this is hard,” she said in the interview, which aired Thursday, adding that the family is in therapy to deal with the trauma.
Previtire said she feels her late daughter’s “energy” telling her to be happy and have fun with her grandson, yet, “I literally wake up every morning, and it’s almost like a restart button, and I have to shake it off … one foot at a time. And here we are.” Read more
Da Vinci bear drawing expected to fetch up to £12m at auction (BBC)
A small drawing of a bear’s head by Leonardo da Vinci is expected to sell for up to £12m ($16.7m) at a London auction on Thursday.
Measuring 7x7cm, Head of a Bear is more than 500 years old.
The sale could surpass the previous record for a da Vinci drawing, set by the Horse and Rider in 2001.
According to Christie’s auction house, holding the sale, it is among just a few drawings by the Italian Renaissance master which are still privately owned. Read more
Lucky ticket holder scores £13m National Lottery jackpot (Metro)
A lucky ticket-holder has scooped the £13.1 million jackpot in Wednesday’s National Lottery draw.
The winner is being urged to come forward by Camelot after matching all six main numbers.
The winning Lotto numbers were 40, 03, 52, 02, 07, 20 and the bonus was 14.
Camelot’s Andy Carter, senior winners’ adviser at The National Lottery, said: ‘What fantastic news for a single ticket-holder who has won tonight’s massive £13.1 million “must be won” Lotto jackpot. Read more
Cannes: Film highlights societal sexism in Bangladesh (DW)
A new film screened at the 74th Cannes International Film Festival highlights widespread sexism and dangers for women in Bangladesh.
The film, Rehana Maryam Noor, is based on the story of a woman who comes from a society where sexism and gender-based abuse is the norm. The movie also breaks ground for the Bangladeshi film industry, as the country’s first official entry to the Cannes Film Festival.
On Thursday, the film made its global debut in the Un Certain Regard category at the festival.
The movie is directed by Abdullah Mohammad Saad and produced by Singaporean filmmaker Jeremy Chua. Read more
Apple founder Steve Wozniak backs right-to-repair movement (BBC)
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has issued a passionate endorsement of the right-to-repair movement, despite the company’s opposition.
The movement wants laws passed to guarantee users access to information and parts to repair their own devices.
“We wouldn’t have had an Apple had I not grown up in a very open technology world,” Mr Wozniak, its co-founder with Steve Jobs in the 1970s, said.
“It’s time to recognise the right to repair more fully.” Read more
Naomi Osaka calls for ‘privacy’, ’empathy’ and ‘personal days’ (BBC)
Naomi Osaka has called for “privacy” and “empathy” from the press when she returns to action, saying she never wants her personal medical history to be scrutinised again.
The Japanese withdrew from May’s French Open after avoiding news conferences to protect her mental health.
“In any other line of work, you would be forgiven for taking a personal day here and there, so long as it’s not habitual,” she wrote in Time magazine.
“Athletes are humans.”
She continued: “You wouldn’t have to divulge your most personal symptoms to your employer; there would likely be HR measures protecting at least some level of privacy. Read more
Spain defender Ramos joins PSG on two-year contract (Guardian)
Sergio Ramos, the former Real Madrid stalwart considered one of the best defenders in the world, has signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain, the French club said Thursday.
Ramos, 35, won the Champions League four times with Real and is a World Cup winner and a two-time champion of Europe with Spain.
The veteran, who has won a European record 180 caps and scored 23 goals for his country, arrives with PSG desperate to add experience to their squad for another assault on an elusive first Champions League title.
PSG sporting director Leonardo has also brought in Dutch midfield star Georginio Wijnaldum from Liverpool and Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi from Italian champions Inter Milan and the club has been heavily linked with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who will line up for Italy against England in Sunday’s Euro 2020 final.
The Qatari-owned club also hope the significant investment will persuade France striker Kylian Mbappe to sign a new deal beyond 2022. Read more
Tokyo Olympics to go ahead without spectators (Metro)
The Tokyo Olympics will go ahead without spectators after Japan declared a state of emergency for its capital city on Thursday.
‘We reached an agreement on no spectators at venues in Tokyo,’ Japan’s Olympics minister Tamayo Marukawa said.
Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said: ‘It is regrettable that we are delivering the Games in a very limited format, facing the spread of coronavirus infections.
‘I am sorry to those who purchased tickets and everyone in local areas.’ Read more
Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier trilogy fight: What to expect at UFC 264 (NYPost)
Saturday night’s highly anticipated UFC 264 face-off between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier doesn’t have a title on the line, but more importantly, McGregor’s legacy is at stake. The first time these two champions met in the ring at UFC 178 in 2014, McGregor KO’d Poirier in less than two minutes. But Poirier won the rematch and avenged the loss this past January with a second-round KO, making him the first fighter to fell McGregor with a TKO.
While McGregor is the biggest draw in MMA history, headlining five out of the top six best UFC PPVs of all time, there’s intense pressure to silence the critics. McGregor has only fought three times in the past three years and has lost two of those fights. And there’s been recent speculation that he may be suffering from a staph infection. That aside, McGregor is still considered one of the best fighters in the lightweight division and has never lost two fights in a row. Read more
Wimbledon 2021: Ashleigh Barty beats Angelique Kerber to reach final (BBC)
Top seed Ashleigh Barty reached her first Wimbledon final with a straight-set win over former champion Angelique Kerber in the first women’s semi-final.
Barty, 25, started strongly but had to fight off resistance from Kerber before securing a 6-3 7-6 (7-3) victory.
The Australian will face Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka or Czech eighth seed Karolina Pliskova in Saturday’s final.
The pair, both playing their first SW19 semi-finals, meet later on Thursday.
Whoever it will be, they will face a world number one who has not dropped a set since the opening round. Read more
Fans set to return to Bundesliga stadiums (DW)
With COVID-19 infection rates falling across Germany, authorities are set to allow limited attendances at mass sporting events, including the Bundesliga. But some states remain cautious over fears of the delta variant.
The most recent easing of Germany’s COVID restrictions means football fans will return to German stadiums at the beginning of the 2021/22 Bundesliga season.
According to the decision by the country’s state authorities, large-scale sporting events could take place at 50% spectator capacity, with the number of supporters in attendance not exceeding 25,000.The state of Bavaria and the city-state of Hamburg, however, have decided to take a more cautious approach. Bayern Munich will only be allowed to entertain a maximum of 20,000 fans, or 35% of the Allianz Arena’s total capacity. In Hamburg, second division sides HSV and St. Pauli will be limited to 30%. Read more