Persons begging with children risk 10-year jail terms, says Lagos govt (Guardian)
Lagos State Government on Wednesday said anyone caught using children to beg risked being jailed for 10 years as the state commences onslaught on those engaging in street begging and hawking.
The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Segun Dawodu, stated this, during a press briefing on Wednesday.
He announced a special team to daily raid the nooks and crannies of the state of street beggars, miscreants, and street hawkers. He said the task would be executed in conjunction with the Nigeria Police.
Dawodu said the action became pertinent because some of those begging are not looking for alms, but are armed to rob motorists and residents. Read more
Lagosians to pay from N37,825 to N210,175 for number plates (Punch)
Lagosians will now pay between N37,825 and N210,175 for private and commercial vehicle number plates depending on the type, the Babajide Sanwo-Olu government has said.
This was contained in a statement on Tuesday posted on the official Facebook page of the Lagos State Government.
The new price regime was a sequel to the implementation of new rates for vehicle number plates and driving licence across the country.
The PUNCH had earlier reported last week that the Joint Tax Board said Nigerians would pay N18,750 for standard private and commercial number plates against the old rate of N12,500. Read more
UNILAG reopens hostels, returns physical exams amid rising COVID-19 cases (Punch)
The authorities of the University of Lagos, Akoka have approved the reopening of hostels to students from Thursday, August 26.
The varsity’s authorities also okayed the commencement of the second semester examinations physically on campus.
This was contained in a release to the students Tuesday night.
The reopening is coming six weeks after the closure of hostels and suspension of physical lectures to prevent the spread COVID-19 on campus. Read more
I’ve Been Battling Diabetes For 35 Years – Obasanjo (DailyTrust)
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has narrated how he has been managing diabetes for the past 35 years, saying the ailment has killed many of his friends.
Obasanjo gave the hint on Wednesday during the closing ceremony of the Ogun State Diabetes Youth Development Camp, held in Abeokuta, Ogun state.
The camp, which was organised by Talabi Diabetes Centre, trained 21 children living with type-1 diabetes in the state on how to manage the disease.
Obasanjo advised the children to manage the ailment well by maintaining good healthy lifestyle, insisting that diabetes is not a killer disease. Read more
Gunmen kill 5 in fresh Plateau attack, four missing (Punch)
Gunmen have killed five people in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
It was gathered that the victims were killed when gunmen attacked Chando-Zrrechi (Tafi-Gana) village on Tuesday night.
The National President of the Irigwe Development Association, Ezekiel Bini, confirmed the killings to The PUNCH in Jos on Wednesday.
According to him, the whereabouts of four other persons have remained unknown after they were captured by the gummen.
Bini said, “Yes, the killing of the five persons is true and we are on our way to meet the governor over the continued killings in our communities in Bassa. Read more
Report poorly executed projects in your community to ICPC –Official (Guardian)
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Wednesday advised community members in Kaduna State to report poorly executed projects to it for investigation.
Mr Godwin Basheru, Assistant Superintendent, ICPC Kaduna Office, gave the advice in Kaduna at a town hall meeting organised by an NGO, Connected Development (CODE).
The meeting focused on the status of constituency projects valued at N496 million being executed in Kaduna Central Senatorial District.
Basheru explained that ICPC had a mandate of ensuring value for money on any project implemented with public funds. Read more
BBNaija S6: I got my first piercing at 15 to celebrate my varsity admission – Arin (Punch)
Big Brother Naija Shine Ya Eye ex-housemate, Arin, revealed that she got her first piercing at 15 to celebrate her admission into the University of Lagos.
Arin made this known in a live Facebook session with PUNCH Online on Wednesday, three days after she got evicted from the BBNaija house.
On leaving the show, Arin said that she has come to acknowledge the nickname that fans have given to her because of her piercings, which is ‘Lord of the rings.’
It is said that she had 23 piercings but reduced it to 17 and that made her stand out from other housemates in the ongoing BBNaija season. Read more
Bandits abduct eight Islamic school pupils, teacher in Katsina (Guardian)
Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted eight pupils of an Islamic school at Sakkai community in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The gunmen also abducted a teacher of the Islamic school and whisked them away ostensibly to a dreaded forest in the area.
The victims were abducted Tuesday evening while conducting an evening lesson on the school premises.
Victims’ family members were yet to be contacted by their abductors at the time of filing this report but sources said they would soon be contacted, saying it is the mode of operation by kidnappers. Read more
PIB: Nigeria lost $50BN worth of investment in 10 years, says Buhari (Guardian)
President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigeria lost an estimated $50billion worth of investments in ten years, created by the uncertainty of non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), lack of progress and stagnation in the petroleum industry.
Buhari said this in his remarks at a ceremony on passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) which preceded the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the President said the stagnation affected growth of the economy, citing lack of political will on the part of past administrations to actualize the needed transformation.
He said assent of the Petroleum Industry Bill on August 16, 2021, marks the end of decades of uncertainty and under-investment in the petroleum industry.
“We are all aware that past Administrations have identified the need to further align the industry for global competitiveness, but there was lack of political will to actualize this needed transformation,” Buhari said. Read more
Broadway star Laura Osnes explains why she quit a show rather than get vaccinated (PageSix)
After Page Six reported that Broadway superstar Laura Osnes was fired from a show for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccination, Osnes issued a statement defending her decision to skip the injection because “there’s so much that’s still unknown” about the shots.
She also denied that she was fired, and said she decided to quit the one-night production of “Crazy for You” after producers at the Guild Hall Theater in East Hampton told her she’d have to get vaxxed to take part.
Osnes — who made her name when she won the talent search show “Grease: You’re the One That I Want!” in 2008, and has gone on to have a major Broadway career — wrote on Instagram, “I believe individuals have the right to do the research, consult a doctor, and come to their own conclusions before deciding whether or not to get any injections.”
“I stand by the decision my husband [photographer Nathan Johnson] and I, with input from our physician, have made for ourselves, our family planning, and our future,” she added. Read more
India’s midnight evacuation from Afghanistan, escorted by Taliban (AlJazeera)
Outside the main iron gate of the Indian embassy in Kabul, a group of Taliban fighters waited, armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
Inside the compound were 150 Indian diplomats and nationals, growing increasingly nervous as they watched news of the Taliban tightening their grip on the capital, which they took a day earlier without a fight.
Their position was a precarious one.
Pakistan has long been the Taliban’s biggest supporter, using the country for so-called “strategic depth” in never-ending battles – real and diplomatic – with archrival India. Read more
Cuba tightens control of internet after protests (BBC)
The Cuban government has introduced new regulations on the use of social media and the internet, which critics say are aimed at stifling dissent.
The decrees were published in the wake of the largest anti-government protests to sweep through the Communist-run island in decades.
People used social media to share footage of the demonstrations and galvanise supporters.
The decrees make inciting acts “that alter public order” a crime. Read more
Daniel Craig calls inheritance ‘distasteful,’ will ‘get rid of’ money (PageSix)
Live and let die without a dime. That’s Daniel Craig’s plan.
The Skyfall actor, 53, revealed that he has no plans to leave an inheritance to his children because he finds the practice “distasteful.”
“I don’t want to leave great sums to the next generation. I think inheritance is quite distasteful,” he recently told the UK’s Candis Magazine. “My philosophy is get rid of it or give it away before you go.”
He added, “Isn’t there an old adage that if you die a rich person, you’ve failed?”
Craig noted that industrialist Andrew Carnegie gave away billions of dollars before his death in 1919, saying that “shows how rich he was because I’ll bet he kept some of it too.” Read more
The history of the Taliban (AlJazeera)
On Sunday, the Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan after a few weeks of stunning military victories.
The armed group had been toppled in a US-led invasion in 2001 following the September 11 attacks on US soil, but it gradually regained strength, carrying out numerous attacks on foreign as well as Afghan forces in the past 20 years.
The Taliban, which means “students” in the Pashto language, is trying to project a more moderate image this time around, but observers in Afghanistan and internationally remain sceptical. On Tuesday, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid promised to protect women’s rights and press freedom in the first news conference since the takeover.
The beginning
Many leaders of the Taliban prior to the formation of the armed group in early 1990s, fought alongside the Afghan Mujahideen against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s. Read more
Aspirin may help treat aggressive breast cancer (BBC)
Aspirin may help fight aggressive breast cancer by making hard-to-treat tumours more responsive to anti-cancer drugs, doctors say.
A team at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, in Manchester, are beginning a trial with triple-negative breast-cancer patients.
They suspect it is aspirin’s anti-inflammatory properties rather than its analgesic effect that gives the boost.
Animal studies have already shown encouraging results. Read more
World Athletics U20 Championships: Nigeria wins historic 4x400m mixed relay gold (Guardian)
Team Nigeria lived up to pre-race billings as the 4x400m mixed relay team won the gold medal in a new championship record time of 3:19.70.
The quartet of Johnson Nnamani, Imaobong Nse Uko, Opeyemi Oke and Bamidele Ajayi also made history as the first winners of the event at the World Athletics U20 Championship, beating Poland (3:19.80) and India (3:20.60) to second and third spots, respectively.
Team Nigeria made one change to the quartet that ran a then championship record of 3:21.66 in the semi-final by bringing in Uko, the fastest girl in the 400 metres heading into the championships, and the 17-year-old didn’t disappoint as she handed over the baton to third leg runner, Oke in first position.
Uko has also qualified for the individual 400m final scheduled for Saturday and stands as the favourite to restore Nigeria as World Athletics U20 Championships 400m champions since Bisi Afolabi succeeded Fatimah Yusuf as queen of the quartermile in 1994 in Lisbon, Portugal. Read more
Japanese Grand Prix: October race cancelled amid rise in Covid cases (BBC)
This season’s Japanese Grand Prix, planned for 8-10 October, has been cancelled because of a rise in Covid cases in the country.
“The decision has been taken by the Japanese government to cancel the race this season due to ongoing complexities of the pandemic,” said Formula 1.
“Formula 1 is working on the details of the revised calendar and will announce the final details in the coming weeks.”
Japan was due to be the 17th of 23 rounds in this season’s circuit. Read more
2021 AFCON: Super Eagles draw Egypt, Sudan and Guinea Bissau (DailyTrust)
Three-time African champions, the Super Eagles have been drawn with seven time champions, Egypt, Sudan and Guinea Bissau in Group D of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations to be staged from January 9 to February 6 in Cameroon.
The Super Eagles who placed third at the 2019 edition will open their campaign in the delayed 2021 AFCON against heavyweights, the Pharaohs of Egypt on January 11.
They will take on Sudan in their second group match on January 15 and Guinea Bissau on January 19 in their last group match.
Group D matches will be played at Roumde Adjia stadium, Garoua. Read more
Defending champ Dominic Thiem out of US Open (NYPost)
Defending champion Dominic Thiem has pulled out of the US Open, saying Wednesday he will miss the rest of the year because of a right wrist injury.
Thiem was hurt in June while playing in the Mallorca Open and said the pain returned last week after he hit a ball during training. Doctors recommended he wear a wrist splint for another six weeks before resuming training.
The No. 6-ranked Thiem made the announcement in a social media post, and a statement from his management company described the injury as a detachment of the posterior sheath of the ulnar side of the right wrist.
“I’m very disappointed not to be able to defend my U.S. Open title and to miss the rest of the season,” the 27-year-old from Austria said in the statement. “But I know this is what I have to do. I have a long career ahead of me, so I will only come back once I’m fully recovered and in good shape to compete.” Read more
Michy Batshuayi: Chelsea forward signs contract extension but joins Besiktas on loan (BBC)
Forward Michy Batshuayi has joined Turkish side Besiktas on loan until the end of the season after extending his contract with Chelsea until 2023.
It is the 27-year-old’s fifth loan spell since joining the Blues in 2016.
Batshuayi has previously had stints with Borussia Dortmund, Valencia and two spells at Crystal Palace, where he scored two goals in 18 league appearances last season.
The Belgian has not featured for Chelsea since February 2020. Read more
Yankees’ Luis Gil puts up more zeroes and makes history (NYPost)
Schmidt is still working his way back from a strained elbow suffered during spring training.
But the Yankees are still getting a much-needed boost from a young right-hander this season — even if it’s not the one they expected it to be.
Luis Gil continued his eye-popping start to his major league career on Tuesday, tossing 4 ²/₃ scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 2-0 win over the Red Sox to complete the sweep of the doubleheader in The Bronx.The 23-year-old Gil has made three starts for the Yankees and has yet to allow a run in 15 ²/₃ innings. Read more