Protesters storm Lagos Assembly, demand probe of Ambode (Nation)
They accused Ambode of flouting so many government procedures, saying that he refused to abide by the procurement laws. He was accused of wrong priority in policies and programmes and abandoning the track that can bring about development in the state. “We call for his probe and investigation with a view to apportioning penalty and dishing out appropriate penalties. Read more
Backyard, unsuccessful economists criticising FG’s borrowings —Fashola (Punch)
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has taken a swipe at those who condemned the rate of borrowing by the Federal Government, describing them as “backyard economists.” In his keynote address at the Lagos Business School on how government policy affects business and society in national development, which was made available to our correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday, Fashola said those finding faults with government’s rate of borrowing were largely unsuccessful individuals. Read more
Insecurity: Reps propose special fund for armed forces (Punch)
The House of Representatives has proposed a special fund for Nigerian Armed Forces as a way of empowering them to tackle the rising spate of insecurity. At the plenary on Tuesday, the House resolved that the annual budgetary provisions for the security and intelligence agencies, especially the military, was inadequate. Read more
One killed, four injured as Customs clash with smugglers (Nation)
At least one person was killed while four others, including two custom officers and one soldier, sustained various degrees of injuries on Tuesday when operatives from the National Border Drill Operations comprising of personnel from Customs, Air force, Army, Police and other paramilitary agencies, clashed with smugglers at the Jibia border in Katsina state. The Assistant Controller General of Customs and Sector 4 Coordinator of the operations, Bashir Abubakar, confirmed this to newsmen. Read more
Senate invites Malami, others over P&ID $9.6b judgment (Guardian)
Nigerian Senate Tuesday invited Nigeria’s attorney-general and justice minister Abubakar Malami to explain the state of a $9.6b judgement debt involving the country and an Irish firm Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID). A senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District of Ekiti State Opeyemi Bamidele at the plenary expressed concerns on the debt judgement against Nigeria by an industrial court in the United Kingdom. Read more
Border closure will worsen economy —Ex-CBN official (Punch)
A former Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Titus Okunrounmu, has warned that the continued closure of the country’s borders would exacerbate the stagnation of the economy. Okunrounmu, who served as director in CBN’s Budgetary Department, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Ota, Ogun State, that the closure would stifle the nation’s economic growth. Read more
DPR shuts down three illegal gas plants in A’Ibom (Nation)
The Eket Field Office of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has shut down three illegal gas plants in Ikot Ekpene local government area of Akwa Ibom state. The Operations Controller of the Department, Mr Tamunoiminabo Kingskey- Sunday, who disclosed to journalists on Tuesday, said the shutdown exercise took place last week. Read more
Trypanosomiasis no longer a public health problem in Nigeria – Official (Guardian)
Dr Augustine Igweh, the Director-General, Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research (NITR) Kaduna, says Trypanosomiasis is no longer a public health problem in Nigeria due to surveillance activities and advanced technology. Trypanosomiasis is a sleeping sickness in humans and animals. It is transmitted by an insect called tsetse fly. Read more
Gov’s wife laments high rate of divorce in Akwa Ibom (Punch)
Wife of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State and founder of the Family Empowerment and Youth Re-Orientation Path-Initiative, Mrs. Martha Emmanuel, has decried the high rate of divorce among couples in the state. She said divorce is so rampant that something urgent ought to be done to arrest the trend. Read more
NDLEA intercepts 238kg of cannabis in Edo (Nation)
The Edo Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a vehicle conveying about 238 kilogrammes of substance suspected to be cannabis to Port Harcourt, in Rivers State. Mr Buba Wakawa, the State Commander of the NDLEA, who disclosed this to newsmen in Benin on Tuesday, said the vehicle belonged to an interstate cannabis smuggling syndicate. Read more
Auchi Polytechnic not closed – Management (Nation)
Management of the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, has denied reports that it has shut down the institution due to cult -related killings. About five persons have been killed in a cult war that began last weekend. Spokesman for the institution, Musa Oshiobugie, statement said students are only on vacation. Read more
Two arrested over alleged possession of human skull in Osun (Punch)
Operatives of Operation Puff Adder in Osun State on Tuesday, arrested two men in Osogbo, for being in possession of a human skull. The two men, Mohammed Sanni and Raheem Abdullateef, living at Popo Area of Osogbo were nabbed at Gbaemu Junction of the state capital around 3:00 a.m. with a human skull. The patrol team of Operation Puff Adder led by Emmanuel Ajisebutu, it was learnt, intercepted the suspects and upon a search of their luggage, discovered they had in it human part. Read more
I can’t leave my kids with their dad, woman tells court (Punch)
A nursing mother, Jamila Muhammad, on Tuesday prayed a Sharia Court sitting in Rigasa, Kaduna, to grant her custody of her three children. Jamila, in her petition, prayed the court to give her custody of the children because she feared that they might be abused if left with their father, Sani Umar. Read more
Amazon rainforest belongs to Brazil, says Jair Bolsonaro (BBC)
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has insisted that the Amazon rainforest is his country’s sovereign territory. His policies of opening up the area to development have been criticised amid the wildfires raging there. But in an address at the United Nations in New York, he struck a defiant note. Read more
Jonathan Van Ness hits out at Trump administration as he backs sexual health care campaign (Metro)
Jonathan Van Ness has hit out at the Trump administration in a new campaign to back Planned Parenthood and the right to affordable sexual health care. The Queer Eye star opened up on his HIV diagnosis in mid-September and has since teamed up with the US organisation to call on followers to join ‘the fight to bring affordable sexual healthcare for everyone’. Read more
Pakistan earthquake: Houses collapse in 5.8 tremor (BBC)
A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has struck eastern Pakistan, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 300, local officials say. The quake’s epicentre was close to the city of Mirpur, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Photos circulating on social media show a huge crack on a main road in the area, and partially destroyed houses. Read more
Franco exhumation: Spain’s Supreme Court backs move to cemetery (BBC)
Spain’s Supreme Court has ruled that the remains of dictator Francisco Franco should be exhumed. It backed the Socialist government’s plan to move the remains from a state mausoleum to a less controversial site. An appeal by Franco’s family against the exhumation and proposing an alternative site was rejected. Read more
Incest daughter who competed with jealous sister to have sex with dad walks free (Metro)
A woman who competed with her sister to knowingly have sex with her biological father has avoided jail. Samantha Kershner, 21, was sentenced to 22 days jail after a felony incest charge was reduced to a less serious misdemeanor count of making false statements. Kershner pleaded no contest to that charge at a court hearing earlier this month, with her jail time already served, meaning she was allowed to go free. Read more
Volkswagen top executives charged with market manipulation (BBC)
Three current and former Volkswagen executives have been charged with market manipulation in connection with a diesel emissions scandal. Chief executive Herbert Diess, chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch and ex-boss Martin Winterkorn did not inform investors early enough about the financial fallout, German prosecutors allege. Read more
Tiger kills hunter during deer dinner (Punch)
A rare Amur tiger in Russia’s far-eastern Khabarovsk region, near the border with China, killed one of two hunters who encroached on its territory while it was eating a deer, state media reported on Tuesday. The hunters were attacked when they got out of their boat several metres from the tiger to look at a grove of pine nuts, wildlife conservationist Sergei Aramilev said in comments carried by state news agency RIA Novosti. Read more
Acid victim whose ear was burned off says ‘trust your gut and leave your abuser’ (Metro)
A beautician who lost an ear in an acid attack orchestrated by her controlling ex-boyfriend is urging victims of domestic abuse to ‘trust their gut feeling’ and leave toxic relationships at the first sign of trouble. Adele Bellis, 27, was left permanently scarred and partially bald after being sprayed with sulphuric acid at a bus stop in her home town of Lowestoft, Suffolk, in 2014. Read more
French chef Marc Veyrat sues Michelin guide over star rating (BBC)
Celebrity French chef Marc Veyrat is suing the prestigious Michelin guide after his restaurant was stripped of the maximum three-star rating. Veyrat’s La Maison des Bois (House in the Woods) in the Alps was demoted to two stars in January, less than a year after it received the accolade. “I’ve been disgraced,” Veyrat said, adding that the announcement had left his staff “in tears”. Read more
Nearly 1,000,000 dogs in the UK have mental health disorders (Metro)
Almost a million British dogs are suffering from mental health disorders, experts have claimed. Dog behaviourists have said that depression, anxiety and panic attacks are a silent epidemic among man’s best friend. They believe that about one in ten pooches are dealing with mental health problems, equating to 945,000 across the country. Read more
Google wins landmark right to be forgotten case (BBC)
The EU’s top court has ruled that Google does not have to apply the right to be forgotten globally. It means the firm only needs to remove links from its search results in Europe – and not elsewhere – after receiving an appropriate request. The ruling stems from a dispute between Google and a French privacy regulator. Read more
Black panther spotted prowling on rooftops is on the loose again (Metro)
A black panther who was rescued from the rooftops of a French city last week, is on the loose again after being stolen from a zoo. The panther was believed to have escaped through the window of a private apartment and on to the rooftops of the city of Lille. After being caught, he was sent to Maubeuge zoo, near the border with Belgium, according to the city’s mayor, Arnaud Decagny. Read more
Leonard Slatkin says Andre Previn ‘would laugh’ at Emmys in memoriam mix-up (BBC)
Conductor Leonard Slatkin has assured the public he is alive and well after his photo was used by mistake in the Emmy Awards’ in memoriam segment. Slatkin’s image appeared in the tribute section of Sunday’s ceremony instead of a picture of the late Andre Previn. Previn, a conductor and composer, died in February at the age of 89. Emmys organisers apologised for the error. Read more
Samson Siasia pleads for help over kidnapped mum 10 weeks on (BBC)
Former Nigeria coach and player Samson Siasia says he is still in the dark as to the whereabouts of his abducted mother. Mrs Ogere Siasia, 76, and two others have been held captive since they were seized in Bayelsa, southern Nigeria ten weeks ago. But Siasia says the police are no closer to finding her. Read more
Man Utd: Ed Woodward says ‘everyone’ at club working on revival (BBC)
Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward says “everyone at the club” is determined to bring back success by winning trophies. Speaking to club investors after the club reported record annual financial revenues of £627.1m, Woodward – unusually – addressed on-field matters. “Everyone at the club remains resolute in our desire to get Manchester United back to the top of English football,” he said. “We will continue to make the investments necessary to make that happen.” Read more
Frank Lampard delivers fitness update on Emerson after his injury during Chelsea’s defeat to Liverpool (Metro)
Frank Lampard has ruled left-back Emerson Palmieri out of Chelsea’s next three matches after he had to be substituted during Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The 25-year-old has emerged as Chelsea’s first-choice left-back under Lampard this season but suffered a thigh injury during Italy’s win over Finland last month. Read more
Zidane brushes off criticism as Real Madrid look to continue recovery (Punch)
Zinedine Zidane claims he has not even thought about the criticism aimed at him in recent weeks as Real Madrid look to build on Sunday’s morale-boosting win away at Sevilla. Madrid eased the growing pressure on their coach with a determined performance at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan after they had been beaten 3-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League four days before. Read more
Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders reveals how Harvey Elliott ‘surprised’ him during training (Metro)
Liverpool’s assistant manager Pep Lijnders has admitted that Harvey Elliott surprised him by saying that the 16-year-old plays with the maturity of someone much older. Elliott is regarded as one of English football’s brightest young talents and Liverpool had to beat competition from PSG and Real Madrid, amongst others, to sign him from Fulham this summer. Read more
England women: Jordan Nobbs returns for Brazil and Portugal friendlies (BBC)
Midfielder Jordan Nobbs is back in the England women squad for the friendlies against Brazil and Portugal after returning from a serious knee injury. Arsenal’s Nobbs ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in November, ruling her out of the summer’s World Cup. Manchester City’s Jill Scott, Chelsea striker Fran Kirby and Lyon’s Alex Greenwood are in Phil Neville’s squad. Read more
Andy Murray secures first ATP Tour win since hip surgery in Zhuhai (Metro)
Andy Murray secured a first ATP Tour singles win since returning from hip surgery over Tennys Sandgren on Tuesday in Zhuhai and gave the biggest indication yet he can climb back to the upper echelons of men’s tennis. His 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 win over the American, ranked 69th in the world, in two hours and 41 minutes was his first victory since the opening day of 2019 and by far his most complete performance in some time. Read more
Rugby World Cup 2019: ‘Officiating not good enough’ – World Rugby (BBC)
The refereeing at the Rugby World Cup’s opening weekend has not been good enough, says the world governing body. In an unprecedented step, World Rugby has released a statement criticising the standard of officiating over the first few days of the tournament. The opening matches featured a number of controversial incidents. Read more