Sanwo-olu commiserates with New Telegraph Newspaper on editor’s death (Guardian)
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has commiserated with the management and staff of the New Telegraph newspaper on the death of its former Saturday editor, Alhaji Waheed Bakare, describing the loss as the painful end of a promising journalistic career.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement, said though the demise of Bakare was a rude shock to his family, friends, colleagues and associates, it should be accepted as the Will of Allah.
He said: “We should be consoled by the modest achievements of the late editor. Death is inevitable as we all will die. Our goal in life is not to live forever but to create something that will outlive us, bearing it in mind that it is not the length of life that matters, but the depth of life. Read more
COVID-19: Lagos to re-open schools if… – Education commissioner (Vanguard)
Strong indications emerged, yesterday, that officials of the Federal and Lagos State governments are working out guidelines for re-opening of schools, which closure was precipitated by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
This came as the Lagos State Government hinted that there are plans to employ no fewer than 2,000 more teachers in its public primary schools.
Similarly, the state government, through the Office of Education Quality Assurance, has designed an initiative, tagged: ‘Read-Aloud, Lagos’, to create and stimulate the interest of school children in reading books. Read more
Rainstorm destroys 30 houses in Lagos (Nation)
NO fewer than 30 houses including a primary school have been damaged following a rainstorm in Iragon-Iragbo community in Badagry, Lagos.
The community witnessed extreme weather on Sunday which caused many buildings to partially collapse or have their roofs blown away. Read more
3 dead in Lagos-Ibadan Expressway accident (Punch)
The Federal Road Safety Corps in Ogun State said three persons died while 14 others sustained injuries in two separate accidents along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday.
FRSC state Sector Commander, Mr Clement Oladele, gave the details in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria in Ota.
Oladele explained that the first crash involved two vehicles, a DAF Truck marked JHN 410 XA and a Mazda Bus marked KRD 290 XY. The accident occurred about 6.35 a.m. before Isara Bridge, near Ogere. Read more
COVID-19: Delta confirms 7 new cases (Vanguard)
Delta State, Monday night confirmed seven new cases of Covid-19, moving the number of cases in the state from 39 to 46 in less than 48 hours. The state also within the period recorded one discharged case and one death.
The State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu confirmed the new cases in his verified WhatsApp page, saying that active cases in the State were now 26, discharged 13 and deaths seven. Read more
Housewife in police net for allegedly stabbing husband to death (DailyTrust)
A housewife, who allegedly stabbed her husband to death in his sleep, has been arrested by the Delta State Police Command. The deceased, Mr. Uzougbo Iwebunor, was killed on May 15, in Issele-Uku, Aniocha North LGA of the state. The spokesperson of the police command, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, told journalists in Asaba, the state capital, that the suspect was in police custody. Read more
Anambra records first coronavirus death (Nation)
Anambra has confirmed its first coronavirus death.
The 66-year-old deceased was among the 10 confirmed positive cases in the state.
Governor Willie Obiano made the announcement during a special broadcast on Monday.
He noted that the victim did not report to the health authorities early enough. Read more
Minister donates May salary to secure release of 5 inmates (Guardian)
The FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, has forfeited her May 2020 salary to secure the immediate release of five inmates who could not pay for their fines at the Kuje Correctional Service.
She made the donation while felicitating with the inmates as part of activities to celebrate this year’s Eid al-Fitr.
Aliyu in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Mr Austine Elemue, on Tuesday in Abuja said the donation would further go a long way to decongest the Correctional Service already overcrowded with inmates in view of COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
FBI to investigate death of black man in Minnesota after arrest (BBC)
The FBI will investigate the death of a black man in the US state of Minnesota after a video emerged showing a policeman kneeling on his neck.
In the footage, the man, believed to be in his 40s, is heard groaning and repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe” to the white officer.
The Minneapolis Police Department said was responding to a reported crime.
The incident echoed that of Eric Garner, a black man who died being arrested in 2014. Read more
European Central Bank warns coronavirus response could raise fears of eurozone breakup (RT)
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the eurozone economy has been significant, according to the European Central Bank (ECB), increasing the underlying financial vulnerabilities of the euro area.
The ECB’s May 2020 Financial Stability Review suggests that the euro governments’ vast fiscal response to the pandemic could raise questions over their ability to repay debts, and could revive the threat of countries leaving the single currency.
“Should measures taken at the national or European level be deemed insufficient to preserve debt sustainability, the market assessment of redenomination risk might rise further,” the ECB said. Read more
Spain to hold 10 days of mourning for virus victims (Guardian)
Spain is to hold 10 days of official mourning for victims of the coronavirus epidemic that has so far claimed nearly 27,000 lives, the government said Tuesday.
The mourning period is to begin on Wednesday when all flags on public buildings will be lowered to half-mast in a country that has suffered one of the most deadly outbreaks of the virus.
Writing on Twitter, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said it would be “10 days, the longest period of mourning in our democracy, in which we will all express our sorrow and pay homage to those who have died.” Read more
Covid-19 case tally reaches 5.5m worldwide (RT)
The number of Covid-19 infections has topped 5.5 million across the globe, with more than a million new cases reported in the past 10 days.
More than two-thirds of all confirmed cases are in Europe and the United States.
Europe continues to be the worst-affected continent, despite the virus originating in China. The UK has the highest number of both infections and deaths from Covid-19 in Europe. Read more
Men with long ring fingers are less likely to die from the coronavirus: study (NYPost)
A shorter ring finger may be a bad omen for men.
A shorter ring finger may be a bad omen for men.Getty Images/iStockphoto
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It’s the tell-tale finger.
Men with longer ring fingers may have a lower chance of dying from the coronavirus and could be more likely to face mild symptoms, according to a new study published in the journal Early Human Development.
The reason? The length of ring fingers is believed to be linked to how much testosterone men are exposed to in utero — the longer the finger, the greater the hormonal exposure. And testosterone is believed to protect against severe coronavirus-related illness because it increases the concentration of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in the body.
Earlier this month, researchers estimated that men, with no mention of finger length, are more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than women because of the greater presence of ACE2 found in their blood. Read more
JK Rowling unveils The Ickabog, her first non-Harry Potter children’s book (BBC)
JK Rowling has surprised fans with the announcement of a brand new children’s book, which she is publishing in daily instalments on her website for free.
The Ickabog is her first children’s story not to be linked to Harry Potter. She wrote it over a decade ago for her own children and has now dusted it off.
It’s for “children on lockdown, or even those back at school during these strange, unsettling times”, she said.
She had previously referred to it only as an unnamed “political fairytale”.
Chapters of The Ickabog are being published daily until 10 July on The Ickabog website. Read more
Odion Ighalo: Man Utd ‘in dialogue’ for extension on striker’s loan deal (BBC)
Manchester United are “in dialogue” with Shanghai Shenhua to extend the loan deal of striker Odion Ighalo, says manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ighalo, 30, joined United in January and will return to China on 31 May unless an agreement can be reached to keep him until the end of the season.
“At the moment nothing’s been agreed yet,” Solskjaer told MUTV.
Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba will be available for selection when the Premier League season resumes. Read more
Rory McIlroy says Ryder Cup should be postponed until next year (CBC)
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy believes the Ryder Cup is unlikely to take place this year and postponing the biennial match play event to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic would be the right call to make.
The golf calendar has been decimated by the coronavirus outbreak, with three of the sport’s four majors rescheduled and the British Open canceled.
The Ryder Cup is due to take place from Sept. 25-27 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin but fans will almost certainly be asked not to attend.
“My personal hunch is that I don’t see how it is going to happen, so I do not think that it will happen,” McIlroy, 31, told BBC. Read more
Bournemouth’s Ramsdale shocked by coronavirus diagnosis (Vanguard)
Bournemouth goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale described finding out he had tested positive for coronavirus as “scary and worrying”, despite displaying no symptoms.
The England under-21 international was one of two positive cases from the second round of testing carried out by Premier League clubs as they gear up for a return to action next month.
“It’s definitely a shock — I’ve not been in contact with anybody and I’ve now got it,” Ramsdale told The Sun. Read more
Knicks legend Patrick Ewing back home after being treated for COVID-19 (CBC)
Georgetown basketball coach and former NBA great Patrick Ewing has been released from the hospital and is recovering from COVID-19 at home, his son said Monday.
The 57-year-old Hall of Famer who played for the Hoyas in college and the New York Knicks in the NBA announced Friday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was being treated at a hospital.
Patrick Ewing Jr. said three days later on Twitter that his father was doing fine after receiving treatment and thanked the doctors and nurses who looked after him during his hospital stay. He also thanked fans for their thoughts and prayers after his father’s announcement. Read more
Stunned waitress nets $1k tip from NBA star Andre Drummond (RT)
Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond has been widely praised for his generosity after leaving sizable tip of $1,000 for a waitress in local restaurant.
The two-time NBA all-star visited Che Restaurant in Delray Beach on Sunday after Florida eased its Covid-19 restrictions.
The 6’11” player and his family spent less than two hours in the restaurant, but it was enough for their server to make a good impression. Read more
Bayern coach Flick bemoans lack of fans at ‘special’ Dortmund clash (Guardian)
Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick says the absence of spectators for Tuesday’s top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash at Borussia Dortmund will be a “missing factor”.
Reigning champions Bayern thrashed second-placed Dortmund 4-0 last November in front of 75,000 fans at the Allianz Arena.
But the teams will meet again in Dortmund with the stands at Signal Iduna Park — usually packed with 82,000 people — empty after the Bundesliga became the first top European league to return, behind closed doors, following the coronavirus lockdown. Read more