Robbers go on rampage in Lagos traffic (Guardian)
It was an unusual onslaught of attacks for Lagos residents by highway robbers in recent days, who have taken advantage of the traffic snarl caused by road construction workers and tanker drivers along several sections of the Oshodi-Apapa expressway.
Irrespective of the time of the day, hoodlums have now taken it as a pastime to attack vehicles and rob the occupants of their belongings without let. Only a few are lucky to escape unhurt without losing any valuables as police officers on patrol came to their rescue.
Our reporters, who were attacked and robbed at some few kilometres before the Charity bus stop bridge, were on their way to the office at Toyota bus stop at about 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. It took the intervention of policemen who were on a different mission to rescue them after they had parted with some money though. Read more
Honour for public school teacher holding classes on Facebook (Nation)
Mrs Fausat Adegeye has become a star of sorts for holding online classes despite the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the closure of her school, Ebenezer Primary School 1, Agbado Ijaiye, Lagos and over 9,000 others nationwide.
The Lagos State government runs radio and television programmes on various primary and secondary school subjects on select radio and television stations. However, the English teacher went beyond the call of duty to use personal resources to engage her pupils remotely.
Eight weeks ago, she began teaching her subject on Facebook – taking one class level daily for six days of the week. Read more
Young banker commits suicide in Lagos, drops note for father, girlfriend (Guardian)
A young man identified as Kelvin Rhima has committed suicide at Modinatu Street in Ogba area of Lagos State. The lifeless body of Kevin who works with a new generation bank was found dangling from a ceiling fan in his mini apartment by neighbours at about 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
It was gathered that neighbours became worried on Tuesday evening when they noticed that Kevin hasn’t been outside since morning. Unfortunately, when they looked through the window, they found his body hanging on the ceiling fan.
Immediately after the discovery, they invited policemen to break into the apartment. According to a neighbor, Barry Olarenwaju, “Kelvin was a calm person so we didn’t notice on time. Read more
Groups seek psychiatric test for lady who drowned daughter (Punch)
The Prisoners’ Rights Advocacy Initiative has called for the psychiatric evaluation and treatment of a 22-year-old mother, Oluwafunmilola Adisa, who drowned her daughter in a bucket of water at their place of residence on Plot 221 Gowon Estate, in the Ipaja area of Lagos State.
Similarly, the President, Nigeria Association of Psychiatrists, Taiwo Sheikh, said Oluwafunmilola should be sent to a psychiatric hospital so that her mental health could be evaluated. Read more
Two killed as rival cults clash in Kwara (Punch)
Two members of rival cults lost their lives in clashes at the Okelele area of Ilorin, Kwara State, between Sunday and Tuesday.
As a result of the clashes, fear has gripped the residents of Okelele and the adjoining communities following reprisals launched by the groups.
Our correspondent gathered that members of one of the groups had on Sunday killed a middle-aged man from the other group on the premises of the Okelele Junior Secondary School, Ilorin. Read more
Buhari sacks NECO registrar, four top officials (Punch)
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has approved the termination of the appointment of Prof Charles Uwakwe as registrar and chief executive officer of the National Examinations Council.
The President also dismissed four members of the council’s management for various offences bordering on financial impropriety.
Uwakwe had been suspended since May 2018 by the Federal Government over alleged financial mismanagement and abuse of office. Mr Abubakar Gana had been appointed as the acting registrar.
Uwakwe and some top officials were said to have allegedly awarded contracts in the council to the tune of N25bn without following due process. Read more
Sokoto to get first private varsity (Nation)
The Aliyu Magatakarda Foundation is set to float the first private university in Sokoto.
The proposed university, according to a statement by Bashir Rabe Mani, Special Assistant Media and Publicity to Senator Aliyu Wamakko, is expected to take off as soon as the National Universities Commission (NUC) gives the final nod.
The statement said relevant documents for the institution had been submitted to the NUC by Wammako, who represents Sokoto North Senatorial District in the Senate. Read more
Do not describe Pope as anti-Christ, says Archbishop Martins (Vanguard)
Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, The Most Revd. Alfred Adewale Martins Wednesday cautioned promoters of different conspiracy theories as the world against COVID-19 to be careful not to cast aspersions at the Catholic Pontiff.
Addressing newsmen on the 54th World Communications Day at the Holy Cross Cathedral in Lagos, Archbishop Martin’s said it was preposterous for a minister of the gospel to describe the head of over a billion Christians as an anti-Christ.
According to him, “that conspiracy theory is way beyond reason, stressing that those who are pushing it must be very careful not to dabble into areas outside their areas of competence.” Read more
US Senate passes bill that could delist some Chinese firms (BBC)
The US Senate has passed a bill that could block some Chinese companies selling shares on American stock exchanges.
It would require overseas firms to follow US standards for audits and other financial regulations.
The measure now has to be passed by the House of Representatives before being signed into law by President Trump.
It comes as US-China tensions increase over the virus pandemic and after the Luckin Coffee accounting scandal. Read more
Every adult in England is now automatically an organ donor (Metro)
A new law which sees every adult in England automatically considered organ donors has been hailed as ‘game changing’ by people waiting for life-saving transplant operations. Max and Keira’s law sees a shift to an opt-out system, whereby those aged 18 and over are deemed to have given consent to donate their own organs when they die unless they explicitly state otherwise or are in an excluded group. The legislation change was brought about thanks to campaigning by a young boy who got a new heart from a nine-year-old girl who died after a car crash. Read more
Private islands for sale near NYC offer refuge from coronavirus (NYPost)
For city residents looking for the ultimate way to quarantine, the answer could lie on your own private island.
There are three on the market right now. All are part of the Thimble Islands, a Connecticut archipelago of more than 100 islands that jut out into the Long Island Sound.
And they don’t have to break the bank. One of them, Jepson Island, is listed for just $800,000. Read more
India hospital delivers 100 babies from Covid-19 mums (BBC)
More than 100 healthy babies have been born to mothers infected with the novel coronavirus in one hospital in India’s western city of Mumbai.
Three of the 115 babies born to infected mothers at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital in the past month initially tested positive for Covid-19, but subsequent tests cleared them, doctors said.
Two other infected pregnant women died at the hospital, including one who died before her baby was born.
With nearly 20,000 reported infections and more than 730 deaths so far, India’s financial and entertainment capital has become the epicentre of Covid-19. Read more
Recording of calls between Joe Biden, ex-Ukraine President Poroshenko leaked (NYPost)
Leaked phone conversations between Joe Biden and then-Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko have been made public by a Ukrainian lawmaker.
Edited recordings of the calls were played at a news conference Tuesday in Kiev by Andriy Derkach, who has claimed he has proof showing that Burisma Holdings, the Ukrainian natural gas company that employed Biden’s son Hunter Biden, paid then-Vice President Joe Biden $900,000 in lobbying fees.
Details of the conversations between Biden and Poroshenko have been previously reported. Read more
Washing hands 6-10 times a day could cut coronavirus risk by a third (Metro)
Washing your hands is one of the best things you can do to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus. New research suggests that washing hands six to 10 times per day is directly linked to a lower risk of catching the virus.
The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, says that regular handwashing can reduce personal risk of getting an infection by up to a third. Moderate-frequency handwashing was associated with a 36% reduction in the risk of coronavirus infection compared to those who washed their hands zero to five times per day. Read more
Manchester United’s stance on Odion Ighalo transfer with 10 days left before loan expiry (Metro)
Manchester United are ‘relaxed’ about Odion Ighalo’s future at the club and will not make a reckless last minute decision as the Nigerian’s loan spell comes to an end. Ighalo joined the Red Devils in a six-month loan deal from Shanghai Shenhua in January and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been keen to sign him permanently after he bagged four goals in eight appearances for the Reds. However, United have failed to agree a fee with the Chinese club and he has just ten days left on his loan spell at Old Trafford but he has to return to the Far East. Read more
All NBA teams ‘obligated’ to provide players’ blood in search for COVID-19 breakthrough in US (RT)
Players from every team in the NBA are being expected to provide blood samples as part of a major study into the novel coronavirus – with the doctor behind the scheme telling them to “do something right for their communities”.
Dr Robby Sikka, the vice president of Basketball Performance and Technology for the Minnesota Timberwolves, has teamed up with the state’s Mayo Clinic medical center for a major study that aims to discover more about which people have a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 and how prevalent the disease is. Read more
Scottie Pippen ‘livid’ at Michael Jordan for Last Dance portrayal (NYPost)
“The Last Dance” appears to have turned Michael Jordan’s most important teammate against him.
According to an ESPN Radio host, Scottie Pippen is “livid” and “so angry” with how he was portrayed in the Bulls docuseries that detailed the dynasty through Jordan’s eyes.
Jordan called Pippen selfish in Episode 2 for delaying ankle surgery until right before the 1997-98 season forcing him to miss the first couple of months during a bitter contract dispute with general manager Jerry Krause. Read more
Coronavirus: Zimbabwe allows ‘low risk’ sports with immediate effect (BBC)
Sports such as athletics, golf, tennis and motorsport are now permitted in Zimbabwe from 0800-1630 after being classified as “low risk” by the government.
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has classified sports into three categories – low, medium and high risk – and the low risk ones can be participated in with immediate effect.
However, in practice low-risk events can only proceed once all competitors are tested, so they will not begin straight away. Horse racing may begin on Friday, the BBC’s Steve Vickers in Harare reported. Read more
N’Golo Kante misses Chelsea training due to fears over Project Restart (Metro)
Chelsea granted N’Golo Kante permission to skip the second day of their phase one return to training due to the midfielder’s fears over the Premier League season restarting amid the coronavirus crisis.
Kante, 29, was among those pictured at Chelsea’s Cobham training complex during Tuesday’s session and was joined by Callum Hudson-Odoi, 19, despite the young forward’s arrest over the weekend. The Premier League have confirmed that six cases of COVID-19 were found in the first round of testing of 748 players and staff, but Kante’s test was not one of those that came back positive. Read more
Uganda keeper Onyango’s new training partners: his kids (BBC)
The return of professional football in South Africa remains uncertain despite the country relaxing their lockdown measures.
The Premier Soccer League played its last fixture on March 11 before the coronavirus pandemic affected the competition.
Ugandan and Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango played in that fixture and is still working hard to keep fit, despite the uncertainty. Read more