Salesgirl remanded for alleged N1m theft, attempted murder (Vanguard)
A 21-year-old girl, Blessing Lawal, was on Thursday remanded at a correctional centre for alleged one million naira theft and attempted murder.
Chief Magistrate F.M. Ajayi, gave 14 days remand order at a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Yaba, Lagos.
The defendant who resides in Aguda area of Lagos is standing trial on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretences, stealing and attempted murder.
The prosecuting lawyer with the State Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Mr Williams Ologun, brought a request for 14 days’ remand with a supporting affidavit, a copy of the complaint’s letter and the defendant’s statement. Read more
Murder, robbery suspects among 1,320 arrested in Lagos (Nation)
Operatives of the Lagos Police Command have arrested 1,320 suspected hoodlums and miscreants in major raids across the state.
This is just as the command said it arrested 185 suspected armed robbers, cultists and murderers.
Commissioner of Police (CP) Hakeem Odumosu made this disclosure at a press briefing to highlight the achievements of the command since May.
He said those arrested comprised 66 suspected armed robbers, 72 cultists and 47 murderers. Read more
COVID-19: UNILAG extends deadline for vacation of halls of residence (Vanguard)
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has extended the deadline issued to students to vacate halls of residence to prevent COVID-19 spread.
The institution made the disclosure in a statement issued on Thursday by its Principal Assistant Registrar, Mrs Nonye Oguama.
Oguama said that the deadline had been extended from noon of Thursday to noon of Friday.
She said that the extension was to ease the burden of transportation on the students. Read more
Oshodi-Apapa Expressway : Newly constructed service lane turns parking lane (Guardian)
It was nightmarish yesterday, as motorists and commuters contend for space with trucks parked along the newly constructed service lane between Ilasama and Toyota Bus Stops along Apapa- Oshodi Expressway.
The situation resulted in gridlock that lasted for many motorists around Isolo, Ilasa, Five Star and Toyota Bus Stops trapped in traffic.
Consequently, businesses have continued to suffer, while commuting has become a herculean task. Apart from losses in man-hour on traffic, the activities of the trucks parked for long hours are imparting negatively on the road.
The gridlock does not only affect vehicles and motorists going towards Toyota Bus Stop, road users trying to access offices along the route are trapped on one spot for hours.
The situation is compounded by the spill over of commercial activities at the Toyota auto spare parts market to the service lane, where container-laden trucks are parked waiting for their content to be offloaded right on the road. Read more
Seven women trampled to death in Borno as Red Cross shares food vouchers (Punch)
Seven women were trampled to death in northeast Nigeria on Thursday in a crush during a food distribution by the International Committee of the Red Cross, a medical worker and residents said.
Thousands of people thronged the distribution site in the town of Monguno in Borno State to receive aid from ICRC, but the situation turned chaotic, leading to a stampede, the sources said.
Monguno, about 140 kilometres (87 miles) north of the state capital Maiduguri, houses tens of thousands of internally displaced people who fled their homes to escape jihadist attacks and live in sprawling camps.
“We have taken dead bodies of seven women to the hospital along with four others who are critical,” anti-jihadist militia member, Bello Maikudi, said. Read more
20,000 workers to be employed in Kaduna-Kano railway project – Minister (Punch)
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, has said that 20,000 workers would be employed to work on railway stations along Kaduna-Kano modern railway.
Ameachi stated this on Thursday in Kano at the ground breaking ceremony of Kano-Kaduna railway line.
He said that the project would improve socio-economic activities within the corridor when completed.
“This is a directive given by Mr President who said to me that I should make sure that we create employments.
“I am happy to inform you that we are going to employ not less than 20,000 workers,” he said. Read more
House rejects motion to declare Bauchi oil-producing state (Nation)
The House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a motion seeking the Federal Government to declare Bauchi State as an oil and gas producing state.
The motion titled: “Need for the Federal Government to declare Bauchi State as oil and gas producing state” sponsored by Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi was turned down after a voice vote.
Abdullahi said on 2 February 2019 President Muhammadu Buhari flagged off the Spud-In of Kolmani River II well Drilling in Bauchi State and directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to extend its exploration to six basins.
He said he was also aware it has become imperative to ascertain the fortunes at the disposal of the Federal Government in Alkaleri Local Government Area to hasten the process of giving effect to the provisions of the new Petroleum Industry Bill, 2021 just passed by the National Assembly in terms of the economic benefit the host community stands to gain. Read more
Insurgency: 6 Super Tucano aircraft depart US for Nigeria (Punch)
The first batch of six A-29 Super Tucano aircraft have departed the United States of America en route Nigeria, the Nigerian Air Force has said.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Edward Gabkwet, in a statement on Thursday, said the fighter jets departed from the US on Wednesday and are expected in Nigeria anytime soon.
The statement was titled, ‘First Batch Of A-29 Super Tucano Aircraft Depart The United States Of America For Nigeria’.
It partly read, “The six aircraft will be leapfrogged through 5 countries including Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Algeria before arriving their final destination in Nigeria towards the end of July 2021. Read more
Afghanistan: Taliban offers ceasefire for return of prisoners (BBC)
The Taliban have proposed a three-month ceasefire in Afghanistan in return for the release of 7,000 captured fighters, a government official said.
Nader Nadery, an Afghan government negotiator, described the proposal as a “big demand”.
The government has so far not said how it will react.
Clashes between the government and the Taliban have intensified since US troops began to withdraw from the country. Read more
Cuba lifts food, medicine customs restrictions after protests (VOA)
Cuba announced on Wednesday it was temporarily lifting restrictions on the amount of food and medicine travelers could bring into the country in an apparent small concession to demands by protesters who took to the street last weekend.
Thousands joined a wave of nationwide protests over shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the government’s handling of a surge in COVID-19 infections on Sunday, in the most significant unrest in decades in the Communist-run country.
The government blamed the unrest on U.S.-financed “counter-revolutionaries” exploiting hardship caused by the decades-old U.S. trade embargo that Washington tightened in the midst of the pandemic, pushing the Cuban economy to the brink.
Several countries and the United Nations have called on the government to respect citizens’ right to express themselves. Others like Mexico have said the best way to help the Cuban people would be for the United States to ease sanctions. Read more
EU court allows conditional headscarves bans at work (DW)
The EU’s top court ruled companies can bar employees from wearing a headscarf in some circumstances. The issue of the hijab has sparked controversy across Europe with sharp divisions across the bloc.
Companies may ban employees from wearing a headscarf under certain conditions, the European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday.
The ruling addressed cases brought by two Muslim women in Germany who were suspended from their workplaces after they started wearing headscarves at work.
The court said “a prohibition on wearing any visible form of expression of political, philosophical or religious beliefs in the workplace may be justified by the employer’s need to present a neutral image towards customers or to prevent social disputes.
“However, that justification must correspond to a genuine need on the part of the employer and, in reconciling the rights and interests at issue, the national courts may take into account the specific context of their Member State and, in particular, more favorable national provisions on the protection of freedom of religion.” Read more
US Army Black Hawk helicopter makes emergency landing amid Bucharest street traffic in Romania (RT)
A US military chopper made an emergency landing in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, on Thursday, while training for an upcoming Aviation Day parade. No one was hurt, but fire crews were immediately dispatched to the scene.
The US Black Hawk helicopter tore down two sets of street lights and blocked traffic. Videos posted on social media shows the moment when it landed on a busy street.
The Romania Journal reported that the Black Hawk was flying with five other helicopters, when it suddenly lost altitude and landed at the Charles de Gaulle Square Roundabout in Aviatorilor Boulevard.
The US Embassy in Romania released a statement to the media, saying that it is working with Romanian officials to resolve the situation. “We understand that there were no injuries,” the diplomats said. Read more
Germany floods: At least 42 dead and dozens missing after record rain (BBC)
At least 42 people have died in western Germany and many more are missing following severe floods, police say.
The worst of the flooding has been in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, where buildings and cars have been washed away.
At least six others have died in neighbouring Belgium, and the city of Liège has urged all residents to leave.
It follows record rainfall in parts of western Europe that has caused major rivers to burst their banks. Read more
Cameroon says separatists disguised as military kill, loot (VOA)
Cameroonian officials say anglophone rebels are taking a new tack in their fight to break away from the country’s French-speaking-majority. Officials say the separatists have started disguising themselves as military troops to infiltrate villages and launch attacks.
In a video widely circulated on social media platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, a group of 10 men armed with AK-94 assault rifles claim they are separatist fighters. The men, in civilian clothing, appear to brandish Cameroonian military uniforms, guns, ammunition and bulletproof vests they say they seized from Cameroon military. The men display a man’s head claiming it is that of a government soldier they killed and beheaded.
Cameroon’s military says the head displayed by the fighters as a trophy is that of one of its troops deployed to Babadjou, a French-speaking commercial town on the border with the English-speaking North-West region. Read more
Jackie Chan gets karate-chopped on social media after expressing desire to join China’s Communist Party (RT)
Kung fu film legend Jackie Chan has received a lukewarm reception on Chinese social media after revealing his dream of becoming a member of the country’s Communist Party (CCP). Some thought it was all just an act.
Chan espoused his admiration for the CCP during a symposium organized by the China Film Association last week. The Hong Kong native said during the event that when traveling abroad he often says that he’s “proud of being Chinese.”
“I also envy that you are Communist Party members, I think the Communist Party is just great, what the Communist Party says, what they promised, will always be delivered within a few decades,” he said in an interview with a Chinese broadcaster. “I want to be a Communist Party member, thank you,” he added, a comment that reportedly triggered applause from others in the room.
His Beijing-praising comments soon spread across social media, eliciting a colorful range of reactions. On China’s main social media platform, Weibo, users argued that Chan was unworthy of official membership in the party. Read more
Qatar 2022: Rohr holds talk with Eagles in France, Germany (Nation)
Committed to the objective of getting one of the continent’s tickets to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Coach Gernot Rohr has been making whistle-stops across France and Germany to seek audience with some Super Eagles stars already pencilled for the forthcoming qualifiers in September.
Nigeria is drawn in Group E along with Liberia, Cape Verde and Central African Republic with the Super Eagles expected to host the lone Star of Liberia in Lagos on MatchDay 1 before traveling away to Praia on MatchDay 2 between September 5–8 against the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde.
Rohr, would however, reiterated the clarion made by the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) President Amaju Pinnick on his recent visit to some England-based Stars that all hands must be on deck as the Super Eagles begin what would be a keenly contested qualifiers towards Qatar 2022.
“We are meeting some of our players,” the German told NationSport. “The President and my first assistant in Germany, and me in France and Germany.” Read more
NBA Finals: Khris Middleton scores 40 points as Milwaukee Bucks level series with Phoenix Suns (BBC)
Khris Middleton scored 40 points as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 109-103 to level the best-of-seven NBA Finals series at two games apiece.
Middleton scored 10 consecutive points in the final quarter as the Bucks rallied from a nine-point deficit.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points and made a crucial block on Suns centre Deandre Ayton to keep the Bucks ahead with one minute 15 seconds left.
The teams meet in the fifth game of the series on Sunday.
“Late in the fourth quarter, we just ran sets that enabled me to get to my spots,” said Middleton. Read more
Federer’s equipment sale raises millions for foundation (Punch)
Tennis star Roger Federer has raised millions of dollars for his charitable foundation with the sale of his old equipment, the London auction house Christie’s said on Thursday.
The auction took place on June 23 and subsequently online to raise 3,392,875 pounds (4,689,316 dollars), Christie’s said.
Items sold include a racquet from the 2007 Wimbledon final against Rafael Nadal and shoes from his only French Open victory in 2009.
Federer’s foundation supports education projects for disadvantaged children in Africa and his native Switzerland. Read more
Borussia Dortmund reject Chelsea’s move to include two players in Erling Haaland bid (Metro)
Borussia Dortmund have turned down Chelsea’s attempt to include two players as part of their bid to sign Erling Haaland this summer, according to reports in Germany.
The Norway international is Thomas Tuchel’s top target to strengthen his attack, while Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is also intent on bringing the 20-year-old to Stamford Bridge.
Dortmund, however, are adamant that Haaland will remain with them for at least one more season as any potential deal for the striker would cost Chelsea in the region of £150m.
According to Sky Germany, Chelsea have attempted to offset that cost by offering Dortmund the opportunity to sign Tammy Abraham or Callum Hudson-Odoi as part of the deal for Haaland. Read more
Tour de France 2021: French authorities open investigation into doping allegations against Bahrain-Victorious team (BBC)
French prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into doping allegations against Bahrain-Victorious after their team hotel was searched.
Riders’ rooms and the team bus were searched on Wednesday at the Tour de France but no arrests were made.
The Bahrain-based team confirmed they had provided copies of their riders’ training files to police.
The team’s technical director Vladimir Miholjevic said they had “complied with all the officers’ requests”. Read more
Angelique Kerber withdraws from Tokyo Olympics (Punch)
Angelique Kerber became the latest star to pull out of the Tokyo Olympic tennis, saying on Thursday “my body needs rest”.
“The thought of participating in the Olympics has been a constant motivation for me over the past few moths,” wrote Kerber, who is the highest ranked German at 22.
Kerber, 33, won silver in the women’s singles in the last Olympics in Rio, losing to Monica Puig in three sets in the final. She reached the quarterfinals in 2012 in London.“London 2012 and Rio 2016 as part of the German team has always been one of my favorite memories,” she wrote on Twitter. Read more