Restrictions on bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs remain – Lagos govt (Vanguard)
Lagos State government has said restrictions placed on operations of bars, restaurants, nightclubs, lounges and cinemas in the state have not been lifted, despite relaxation of the curfew to four hours (12a.m. to 4a.m.) by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, said this in a statement released on Thursday in the wake of the relaxation of restrictions announced by the Federal Government during the Task Force briefing.
According to Omotoso, “the owners of hospitality establishments are warned to restrict their operations to 50% of their occupancy rate, as directed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“This is in addition to observing the guidelines on physical distancing, use of face masks, temperature checks and washing of hands with soap and running water or using of hand sanitisers. Read more
Lagos, Ogun seek to take over, toll Lagos-Abeokuta road (Punch)
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State on Thursday disclosed the plan by his state and the Lagos State Government to take over the Lagos-Abeokuta Road from the Federal Government.
He said the plan was to jointly rehabilitate and then commercialise the road.
Abiodun disclosed this to State House correspondents after a meeting he had with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said, “The Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Road is probably the second busiest road in this country.
“Roads are in such deplorable condition and we understand that the Federal Government cannot afford to build all the roads at the same time. Read more
Fuel price, electricity tariff hike most unfortunate – Gani Adams (Vanguard)
Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, on Thursday, said the recent increase in the price of fuel and electricity tariff by the Federal Government was most unfortunate, as the government was toeing a dangerous path.
Speaking on the heels of the recent increase of price PMS and electricity tariff, Aare Adams, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, said the Federal Government is insensitive to the plights of the masses.
He added that at a difficult time like the present, when the whole world is still going through the COVID-19 pandemic, even with the closure of our land borders since last year, it was a wrong move. Read more
Police threaten surveyor for reporting extortion to PUNCH (Punch)
Policemen from the Federal Capital Territory Criminal Investigation Department have allegedly threatened a surveyor, Bayo Benson, over a report by PUNCH, where he claimed some officers extorted money from him.
Benson told our correspondent that one of the officers, Bimbo Oyewole, bombarded his phone with calls and threatened to deal with him.
PUNCH Metro had reported that the police arrested Benson on Friday, August 14, 2020, in Lakowe, in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State. Read more
What consumers will pay for electricity (Nation)
Attempting to get an exact figure or cost that electricity consumers will pay under the new tariff regime may not be straight forward.
This is because several indices have been factored into the tariff to be paid.
Some of these include but not limited to number of hours electricity is supplied to a consumers; breaking consumers into bandwidths, among others.
These varies from DisCo to DisCo. Read more
PTF okays phased reopening of schools, orders risk assessment (Punch)
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, on Thursday, said the PTF had recommended the phased reopening of schools with the necessary mechanism for assessment and monitoring of compliance with non-pharmaceutical COVID-19 measures by every school.
Aliyu disclosed this at a press briefing held at the international wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja ahead of the reopening of the airspace for international flights.
The phased reopening of schools is part of the third phase of the eased lockdown, which was announced at the briefing. Read more
ABCON urges CBN to raise BDCs’ trading margin (Nation)
The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to increase the margin allowed BDCs on foreign exchange transactions.
Making this appeal at a webinar organised by the association, ABCON President, Aminu Gwadabe, said the N2 margin per dollar presently allowed by the CBN is inadequate in view of the huge operating cost of BDCs.
It said in a statement titled, Resumption of Foreign Currency Sales to BDCS; COVID-19 challenges, Compliance and Way forward”, arising from a webinar put in place to sensitise BDC operators on the processes put in place by the CBN and ABCON to ensure seamless dollar purchase by members of the public through BDCs. Read more
The Voice Nigeria shows off girl power (ThisDay)
The singing reality TV show, The Voice Nigeria is making its grand comeback with more females in the spotlight after a nearly three-year hiatus. The show aired last in 2017 when contestant Idyl emerged as the season’s winner.
For the third season, two female hosts and two female artists are selected to coach and nurture talents. Singers Waje and Yemi Alade are retaining their judges’ seats while actress Nancy Isime and TV host Toke Makinwa will be hosting the show.
It will mark the third time Waje is serving as a judge in the hit TV series that dominated the airwaves. The singer was among the first set of judges to coach talents in the show and was the only female coach. Alade joined in 2017, creating a gender balance with the exit of 2Baba. Read more
‘Signs of life’ under Beirut rubble one month since explosion (Aljazeera)
A Chilean rescue team said it detected signs of life underneath the rubble of a building that collapsed in the massive explosion that tore through Beirut one month ago.
A member of the TOPOS CHILE rescue team told Al Jazeera that, using a scanning machine, it discovered signs of a pulse and breathing near the ground floor of the collapsed building.
He said it most likely belonged to a child, adding that the team also found the presence of at least one body.
The August 4 explosion, that killed 191 people and injured more than 6,000, destroyed much of Lebanon’s capital. Read more
Jacob Blake: Joe Biden speaks with shot black man on Wisconsin visit (BBC)
US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has spoken over the phone with Jacob Blake, the black man who was shot in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sparking big protests.
Mr Blake, who remains in hospital paralysed, said “he was not going to give up” whether he walked again or not, Mr Biden said.
He was speaking at a church meeting in the city where the shooting took place.
President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday. Read more
North Korean defector describes hellish life inside rogue regime (NYPost)
Growing up in North Korea, Yeonmi Park did not know of the concepts of love or friendship.
Everyone was a “comrade” and feelings of adoration were reserved for the rogue regime’s supreme leader alone. Her parents never told her they loved her.
It was part of everyday life to see people dying of starvation on the streets and with no electricity, Park’s life was ensconced in total darkness and freezing cold.
Park is just one of several hundred North Korean defectors who have escaped to the United States after she and her mother fled in 2007 when she was just 13 years old. Read more
South Africa healthcare workers protest, threaten strike (Aljazeera)
South African healthcare workers have protested against poor working conditions and urged the government to end corruption in the procurement of coronavirus personal protective equipment.
The protesters gathered in Pretoria and Cape Town on Thursday, charging that the lives of healthcare workers are endangered as some health facilities have inadequate supplies of protective equipment like surgical masks.
The union leading the demonstrations – the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union – has threatened that its 200,000 public workers will go on strike on September 10 if their issues are not addressed. Read more
Batman filming paused after Robert Pattinson ‘tests positive for coronavirus’ (BBC)
Filming for The Batman has been suspended again, days after it resumed following the coronavirus lockdown.
The pause in filming, confirmed by Warner Bros, is because lead actor Robert Pattinson has tested positive for the virus, according to US media.
Warner Bros said a member of the production team was self-isolating but it did not say who.
Filming began in Glasgow earlier this year but was halted due to the pandemic.
A spokeswoman for the studios said: “A member of The Batman production has tested positive for Covid-19, and is isolating in accordance with established protocols. Filming is temporarily paused.” Read more
Warships join fight to put out blaze on oil tanker off Sri Lanka (Aljazeera)
A new fire broke out on a supertanker carrying about two million barrels of oil in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka’s eastern coast as Russian and Indian warships joined the battle to put out the blaze.
The New Diamond, travelling from Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip with a cargo of 270,000 tonnes of crude and 1,700 tonnes of diesel, issued a distress call on Thursday, navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said.
The vessel had a crew of 18 Filipinos and five Greeks. One crew member was missing, another was injured, and the rest were rescued from the Panama-flagged vessel, according to the navy. Read more
Master P launching Uncle P food brand to counter Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s (PageSix)
After the long-running food lines promised to replace their racist branding, the rap star announced that he plans to launch his own rival products. His Uncle P company will offer grits, pancake mix, syrup, oatmeal, rice and beans — and dedicate some profits to supporting black communities.
“If they made millions of dollars off Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s, imagine how much we’ll make to give back to our own community,” he told CNN.
“It’ll be us helping us without having to wait for the government. We can actually change the world.” Read more
‘Emulate Brazil, England on equal pay’ (Punch)
Football fans have called on the Nigeria Football Federation to emulate the move by the Brazilian Football Confederation and the English FA and pay national team players the same wages irrespective of gender.
CBF president, Rogerio Caboclo, announced on Wednesday that Brazil’s men and women’s national teams would be paid equally while the English FA on Thursday revealed that its women’s senior team players were paid the same match fees with their male counterparts since January.
Super Falcons striker, Desire Oparanozie, in 2019 had called for equal pay amongst the senior national teams, which reportedly drew the ire of top football officials. Read more
Aruna Quadri: Excitement as Africa’s No. 1 ping-ponger begins Germany adventure (Nation)
Ranked 20th in the world and Africa’s Number 1, Aruna Quadri is set for a new adventure in Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) in Germany after his long sojourn in Portugal.
His arrival in the top European League has generated huge excitement and many German table tennis aficionados cannot wait to watch him make his debut on Sunday for his new club – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell.
Quadri is already a familiar face to many German fans following his exploits at the 2014 ITTF World Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany and coupled with the famous win over German superstar Timo Boll at Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Read more
Serena Williams battles into US Open third round by beating Margarita Gasparyan (BBC)
Six-time champion Serena Williams progressed to the third round of the US Open with a 6-2 6-4 win over Russian Margarita Gasparyan in New York.
The American, 38, cruised through the opening set but found the world number 117 a tougher proposition in the second under the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof.
The pair broke each other twice before Williams secured a crucial third break in the 10th game to seal victory.
Williams now faces compatriot Sloane Stephens, the 2017 champion.
“She’s such a good player – she plays so smooth,” Williams said of Stephens. “She looks like she’s not taking on energy, then ‘blam’ – there’s five winners. It’s not easy.” Read more
Kyle Lowry’s crazy pass over Tacko Fall leads to big Raptors win (NYPost)
Facing the absolute brink, the Toronto Raptors suddenly have life.
OG Anunoby caught a crosscourt inbounds pass from Kyle Lowry and hit a 3-pointer with no time remaining, and the Raptors beat the Boston Celtics 104-103 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series Thursday night.
Toronto cut Boston’s series lead to 2-1. The Celtics took a two-point lead when Kemba Walker found Daniel Theis for a dunk with a half-second left.
No team in NBA history has rallied from a 3-0 series deficit. The Raptors won’t have to try it now; Lowry elected to audible and throw the long pass — high over 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall — to Anunoby. Read more
London Marathon: 2020 race to take place on circuit around St James’s Park (BBC)
This year’s London Marathon will take place on a closed-loop circuit around St James’s Park on 4 October.
The event, moved from April because of the coronavirus pandemic, is restricted to elite athletes, who will be in a bio-secure bubble during race week.
The finish line will be in its traditional place on The Mall, with no spectator access to the course.
“We are confident we have created the safest environment for everyone,” said event director Hugh Brasher. Read more
Frances Tiafoe earns five-set win to reach third round at US Open (NYPost)
Frances Tiafoe was well on his way to another early US Open exit.
The 22-year-old American had won the first set against John Millman in their second-round match Thursday, but midway through the second set, the Australian took over. Millman won seven straight games and 10 of 11, dominating the third set to take a commanding 2-1 lead.
That’s when Tiafoe found a second level to ensure the longest stay of his career in Flushing.
With his back against the wall, Tiafoe turned on the afterburners and finished off a gutsy comeback win, 7-6, 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. Read more