Police ban carnivals as curfew begins (Nation)
The Lagos State Police Command has banned Christmas carnivals and street parties and nightclubs, as part of efforts to contain the second wave of COVID-19.
It also announced the return of the 12 am to 4 am curfew regime across the state effective yesterday, warning that anyone who flouts any of the orders would be dealt with.
Commissioner of Police (CP) Hakeem Odumosu gave the warnings while parading about 500 suspects arrested for not wearing face masks.
Odumosu said residents must put on their face masks in public places. Read more
Taskforce impounds 130 motorcycles in Lagos (Sun)
Lagos State Government yesterday impounded no fewer than 130 commercial motorcycles, popularly known as okada, operating on highways and in other restricted areas, for violating traffic law.
The motorcycles were impounded in different locations by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Agency (taskforce).
The taskforce also arrested five motorists, who flouted the state’s traffic regulations, including driving against the traffic and obstruction.
The recently established anti one-way and other traffic offences squad of the state government, which is now being operated under the taskforce, also joined in the enforcement. Read more
NIN: Confusion as Nigerians storm NIMC centres, shun COVID-19 rules (Punch)
There was confusion at the National Identity Management Commission offices across the country on Monday as Nigerians thronged registration centres to obtain their national identity numbers.
The PUNCH correspondents, who monitored registration centres in Lagos, Plateau, Kano and Gombe states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, observed that people struggling to register disregarded COVID-19 preventive measures with many of them pushing one another.
The confusion at the NIMC offices on Monday heightened the fear of a further spread of COVID-19 as cases rose to 78,434 on Sunday night, while the number of people that had died of the virus increased to 1,221.
Recall that the Federal Government had last week ordered telecommunications companies to deactivate telephone lines of subscribers who failed to link their phones to their NIN within two weeks. Read more
Huge electricity bill will burden varsities in 2021, says UNILAG VC (Nation)
Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has expressed fears that universities will not be able to afford electricity bill next year.
Ogundipe spoke on Monday in Lagos while addressing reporters on the status of the Energising Education Programme (EEP) which is meant to provide the institution with constant power supply through a hybrid solar power plant.
The vice chancellor said the university’s electricity bill had increased to N62 million for one month while students were not on campus due to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike. Read more
COVID-19: PTF says Lagos, Kaduna, FCT account for 70% of infections (Vanguard)
The Presidential Task Force (PTF), on COVID-19 has said that Lagos, Kaduna and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), account for 70 per cent of Coronavirus infections in the country.
Chairman of PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha made this known during a national briefing on Monday, in Abuja.
Mustapha said that two major indicators highlight the current increase in cases and transmission across the country. Read more
Olu of Warri is dead (Guardian)
The Olu Of Warri, Ikenwoli Godfrey Emiko, is dead.
It was gathered that the monarch allegedly died of COVID19 complications on Monday, barely a week after his fifth coronation anniversary.
He was said to have met with the late Major General John Irefin, who died earlier this month from COVID-19 complications too. Read more
Ex-NNPC depot manager vandalises estranged wife’s residence over divorce (Punch)
A mother of three, Mrs Chinyere Uzowulu, has cried for help over the alleged vandalism of the family house by her husband, Chief Afam Uzowulu, who is a retired depot manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, for challenging the divorce from him and refusing to vacate the house with her children.
Chinyere, who addressed journalists shortly after conducting them round the vandalised duplex located at No. 1/3 Uzowulu Street, New GRA, Enugu, disclosed that she was challenging in court his divorce and ejection from the premises with her children.
She said the case was pending before the Supreme Court in suit No. SC/CV/895/2020.
While describing the destruction of her residence in a matter before the court as unlawful, Chinyere regretted that thugs aided by the police carried out the vandalism in her absence on Friday, December 18, 2020. Read more
COVID-19: FG announces new restrictions (Sun)
Federal Government, yesterday, announced fresh COVID-19 guidelines detailing regulations, restrictions and protocols aimed at checking the resurgence of the pandemic.
Among them are closure of most public places and social events, including religious, occupational and recreational activities. It also directed all staff on GL.12 and below to stay at home for the next five weeks while schools are to remain shut until January 18. All persons above the age of 60yrs and/or with comorbidities are to be encouraged to stay at home and avoid crowds while all non-essential travels – both domestic and international during the holiday season are seriously discouraged. Read more
ASUU mulls ending strike today as union, FG meet (Thisday)
The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may suspend its nine-month industrial action today, THISDAY learnt yesterday.
The suspension of the strike is, however, predicated on the condition that the federal government will show evidence that it has met three conditions to be marshalled out by the ASUU leadership at the meeting with the government side later today (Tuesday).
THISDAY investigations showed that all branches of ASUU in the federal universities met yesterday where majority of them resolved to call off the strike with a condition that the government pays at least two months out of their salary arrears between yesterday and today and then to offset the remaining by the end of January 2021. Read more
President-elect Joe Biden gets COVID-19 vaccine on live TV (France24)
President-elect Joe Biden on Monday received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on live television as part of a growing effort to convince the American public the inoculations are safe.
The president-elect took a dose of Pfizer vaccine at a hospital not far from his Delaware home, hours after his wife, Jill Biden, did the same. The injections came the same day that a second vaccine, produced by Moderna, will start arriving in states. It joins Pfizer’s in the nation’s arsenal against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has now killed more than 317,000 people in the United States and upended life around the globe.
“I’m ready,” said Biden, who was administered the dose at a hospital in Newark, Delaware, and declined the option to count to three before the needle was inserted into his left arm. “I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it’s available to take the vaccine. There’s nothing to worry about.” Read more
Italy’s oldest bell-making shop turns to online overseas sales to keep ancient craft alive (CBC)
It’s difficult to imagine an Italian town or city without a skyline of turreted church towers or an hourly clamour of bells pealing and chiming in the air.
With the Vatican nestled in the heart of the country, the large bronze instruments have made Christianity literally resonate throughout Italy for centuries
But just as the multitudes called to daily mass by the belfry tolling have all but dried up, the ancient knowledge used to produce the giant bronzes is at risk of vanishing. Read more
Vatican says use of COVID-19 vaccines made from fetal tissue aborted in the 1960s is ethical (RT)
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) said in a statement released on Monday that it was ethical for Roman Catholics to use coronavirus vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses.
In the document approved by Pope Francis on 17 December, the doctrinal congregation said that all vaccinations recognized as clinically safe and effective can be used, “with the certain knowledge that the use of such vaccines does not constitute formal cooperation with the abortion.”
The Catholic Church approves the use of vaccines produced with cell lines derived from two fetuses aborted in the 1960s, Vatican News said. Read more
Leyla Güven: Turkey sentences Kurdish politician to 22 years in prison (BBC)
A court in Turkey has sentenced a prominent Kurdish opposition figure to 22 years in prison on terror charges.
Leyla Güven, of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), was convicted of membership of a terrorist group.
The former MP was stripped of her parliamentary immunity in June. She was not in court for the ruling and a warrant for her arrest has been issued, Turkish media reported.
The HDP said it would appeal against the sentence. Read more
US COVID-19 cases surpass 18 million, according to Johns Hopkins Universityhttps (HindustanTimes)
The United States surpassed 18 million reported Covid-19 cases on Monday, figures from Johns Hopkins University showed, as the virus surges nationwide.
The US has the world’s highest absolute number of cases as well as the most deaths related to the virus, according to the figures.
It had a total of 18,006,061 reported cases on Monday evening and more than 319,000 deaths. Read more
Police dispatched to stop London residents fleeing last-minute Tier 4 COVID-19 restrictions (RT)
British Transport Police have been deployed to stop a mass exodus, as thousands of Londoners headed to train stations to try to escape the city ahead of Christmas and strict pandemic restrictions.
The officers were tasked with ensuring “only those who need to take essential journeys” were allowed on the crowded trains, according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who warned Londoners to stay away from the stations unless they were “permitted to travel” on Sunday.
Specially appointed ‘Christmas travel tsar’ and Network Rail chair Peter Hendy backed him up. “We will be deploying staff…and extra officers are in place to ensure only essential journeys take place,” he stated, without elaborating on how exactly the essential would be sorted from the non-essential. Read more
Madonna looks incredible at 62 as she shows off hip surgery scar (Metro)
Her 2019 tour might have been tarnished by injury after suffering problems with her knee and hip, but Madonna is out here embracing her scars. Last year, the queen of pop suffered a multitude of setbacks while hitting the road, with the star falling off a chair on stage and being forced to cancel several shows thanks to ongoing pain. In November, Madonna proudly called herself a ‘survivor’ as she revealed a scar on her right hip, suggesting she had undergone surgery to help treat her injuries. Read more
Jones makes UFC return against Adesanya (Punch)
Dana White has claimed Jon Jones is ready to return to the UFC and has talked up a mega-fight with Israel Adesanya.
White revealed the conversation he had with Jones, saying he’s in a good place and set to make his comeback to the famed Octagon next year.
The UFC president also expressed his desire in booking Jones against fierce rival Adesanya.
Speaking to BT Sports, he said, “Jon Jones and I had the best conversation we’ve ever had about a week ago, and he’s ready. Read more
Abraham scores twice as Chelsea beat Hammers (BBC)
Tammy Abraham scored twice as Chelsea ended their recent mini-slump by beating West Ham United at Stamford Bridge to move up to fifth in the Premier League.
Back-to-back defeats had seen the Blues slip down the table but they made the ideal start on Monday as Thiago Silva powered home a header in the 10th minute.
Timo Werner spurned a couple of good chances to add to the hosts’ lead but he played his part in his side’s second 12 minutes from time as his scuffed shot was turned in by Abraham.
The Chelsea striker, back in the side in place of Olivier Giroud, then netted another barely two minutes later when he was in the right place to pick up the loose ball and curl home after Christian Pulisic had missed a simple header from a cross. Read more
Joshua, Fury clash for June (Nation)
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed the all-British heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury has been verbally agreed.
The blockbuster bout is likely to take place between next May or June after a breakthrough in negotiations.
The Matchroom promoter Hearn admitted that ‘minor issues’ need to be resolved before an official date is confirmed.
It is set to be one of the biggest British showdowns ever as the two giants to head-to-head to determine who will be crowned undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Read more
Frank Lampard gives Ben Chilwell update for Arsenal clash after injury vs West Ham (Metro)
Ben Chilwell hobbled off after just 10 minutes in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over West Ham in the Premier League on Monday night and Frank Lampard confessed is a ‘doubt’ for the Boxing Day meeting with Arsenal. Chilwell, who turned 24 on Monday, landed awkwardly after a challenge with Jarrod Bowen early on at Stamford Bridge. He tried to carry on but fell to the floor a matter of minutes later and forced manager Frank Lampard to replace the birthday boy with Emerson Palmieri. Read more
Fan fury after football ace cops ban for spitting in opponent’s face amid COVID-19 surge in Germany (RT)
Stunned supporters have likened a spitting scandal involving a top footballer in Germany to criminal incidents that have led to prosecutions during the pandemic, voicing their fury before he was fined and suspended by the league.
Champions League star Marcus Thuram claimed the altercation with Hoffenheim defender Stefan Posch, who was forced to wipe spit from his face after the French forward squared up to him, had “occurred accidentally” at the weekend.
The son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram was given a five-match ban by Bundesliga chiefs on Monday, having already been fined $48,000 by Borussia Monchengladbach and axed from the team by disgusted coach Marco Rose ahead of their next match. Read more
Lee Mason: Nuno Espirito Santo says referee ‘just not good enough’ after Wolves loss (BBC)
Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo said referee Lee Mason “is not good enough” after his side’s 2-1 defeat by Burnley.
Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood were on target for Burnley before Fabio Silva pulled one back for Wolves from the penalty spot in the 89th minute.
It is the second time Mason has officiated Wolves this season and Nuno says he is a “point of distraction” and “worsens the flow of the game”.
“It is his job. He has to improve, he has to get better,” he told BBC Sport. Read more
Novak Djokovic officially withdraws from ATP player council elections due to ‘conflict of interest’ (Metro)
Novak Djokovic has officially withdrawn from the ATP player council elections after it was deemed his role in the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) was a ‘conflict of interest’. Djokovic, the world No. 1 from Serbia, stepped down from his role as president of the council in August after he co-founded a new organisation that is designed to represent players’ interests. It came as a surprise, then, when Djokovic was included among the list of candidates to form the newly elected council for the start of 2021. Read more