Stock market reacts to recession, loses N8bn (Guardian)
Trading on the equities sector is already responding to economic recession, as the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) reopened on a downturn yesterday, causing the market capitalisation to depreciate by N8 billion.
The All-Share Index (ASI) shed 15.04 absolute points, representing a decline of 0.04 per cent to close at 34,121.78 points. Overall market capitalisation value fell by N8 billion to close at N17.830 trillion.
Monday’s downtrend was driven by losses in medium and large capital stocks among which were Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Lafarge Africa, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Guinness Nigeria, and Ardova Plc. Read more
4th Mainland Bridge: Lagos seeks support of boundary communities (Punch)
Officials of the Lagos State Government on Monday called for the support of residents of boundary communities in Ogun State who might be impacted by the construction of the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge.
The affected communities are Arepo, OPIC, Mawere, Isheri and Sparklight Estate.
The state government, in a statement, said the bridge could land around the Sparklight Estate near Arepo after running through several corridors.
A statement on Monday said the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, during a meeting with the stakeholders, noted that the government was committed to minimising the effect of the construction. Read more
Lagos govt auctions 44 vehicles for driving against traffic (Vanguard)
The Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences have auctioned 44 vehicles for driving against traffic (one-way) in various parts of the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the auction was in accordance with the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform of 2018.
Spokesman for the Task Force, Adebayo Taofiq, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during the auction which held at Alausa, Ikeja that the exercise was not punitive but corrective in nature. Read more
UNILAG DVC seeks women participation in science (Punch)
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Folashade Ogunsola, has called for more women participation in driving the science of green energy.
Speaking at a grand finale of a science essay competition at UNILAG organised by the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World to celebrate the International Day for Women and Girls in Science, Ogunsola said the creativity that women bring to bear in science could not be ignored by a country that is interested in rapid development.
The theme of the event was ‘Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth: a Necessity for Nigeria’. Read more
US hails Ogbuagu on COVID-19 vaccine development (Sun)
The United States Government has hailed a Nigerian, Dr Onyema Ogbuagu of Yale University, United States, for the development of COVID-19 vaccine.
The United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria commended Ogbuagbu’s research success in a message posted on its Facebook page.
It also noted the contributions of numerous Nigerians to the world in diverse fields of endeavours.
“Nigerians contribute to the world in so many ways. Our hats off to Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu at Yale who helped develop a COVID-19 vaccine!” the United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria wrote. Read more
#EndSARS: Victims benefit from Coca-Cola, Whitefield Medical Fund (Vanguard)
In response to the widespread violence across the country that marred the peaceful #EndSARS protests and led to some deaths with many people injured and hospitalized, Coca- Cola Nigeria and its bottling partners, Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC) have provided a N20 million donation to an NGO, Whitefield Foundation, to help defray the medical bills of some of the hospitalised victims.
However, Whitefield Foundation said it has processed over 900 requests from across the country, most of which were found to be unrelated to the #EndSARS incidents. Read more
COVID-19: Suspend your Christmas travels, FG warns (Sun)
The Federal Government has again restated that a second wave of the pandemic was likely and has, therefore, advised Nigerians to suspend or postpone Christmas travels due to the risk of contracting the virus.
Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, gave the warning at the media briefing in Abuja, yesterday.
“Ahead of the upsurge in travels for the Christmas and New Year festivities, we urge strongly that for this year, such trips should be put on hold firmly because of the risks involved. The transmission rate has simply become astronomical. Read more
Buhari to commission Waltersmith’s 5,000bpd modular refinery (Vanguard)
President Muhammadu Buhari is set to commission the 5,000 barrels per day Waltersmith Modular Refinery and conduct the ground-breaking ceremony for the 45,000 barrels per day refinery expansion project at Ibigwe, Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.
The commissioning, which would hold Tuesday (Today), November 24, 2020, would also have in attendance, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timpre Sylva and His Excellency the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma.
At a recent pre-commissioning visit to the refinery, Yusuf Usman, Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power, Waltersmith, speaking on the success of the refinery, stated that “It is a landmark achievement and it shows that we can actually refine our crude oil in-country.” Read more
Trump accepts transition to Biden must begin (BBC)
Donald Trump has accepted a formal US transition should begin for President-elect Joe Biden to take office.
The president said the federal agency overseeing the handover must “do what needs to be done”, even as he vowed to keep contesting his election defeat.
The General Services Administration (GSA) said it was acknowledging Mr Biden as the “apparent winner”.
It came as Mr Biden’s victory in the state of Michigan was officially certified, a major blow to Mr Trump. Read more
Scientists shocked as microplastics found near the summit of Everest (Metro)
Microplastics have been discovered in snow and stream water close to the summit of Mount Everest, scientists have revealed.
The polyester, acrylic, nylon and polypropylene fibres were present in samples collected on the mountain and on the valley below.
Some were present in samples from the Balcony of Mount Everest which is 8,440 metres above sea level – representing the highest recorded microplastics ever found on Earth. Read more
DR Congo militia leader Ntabo Ntaberi jailed for crimes against humanity (BBC)
A former militia leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity, including mass rape.
A military court convicted Ntabo Ntaberi of murder, rape, sexual slavery and enlisting children under the age of 15.
The ruling came at the end of a two-year trial that saw 178 victims testify.
The United Nations said the ruling showed “impunity is not inevitable”. Read more
Rihanna fans confused as she mysteriously appears with Black Panther 2 cast on Google (Metro)
Rihanna is a woman of many secrets and fans have been left to speculate after spotting her name mysteriously among the Black Panther 2 cast on Google. The Work singer became a trending Twitter topic on Monday after eagle-eyed fans noticed she appears with stars like Michael B Jordan, Letitia Wright and Lupita Nyong’o when a simple ‘Black Panther 2’ is entered into the search engine. There’s very little to link Rihanna to the Marvel sequel of the hit 2018 blockbuster and it could simply be a Google algorithm going haywire. Of course, fans are hoping this is the first clue to suggest the singer has been cast for the sequel. Read more
Riz Ahmed learned both sign language and drumming for newest role (PageSix)
Riz Ahmed had to spend seven months learning both sign language and how to drum for new Oscar favorite “Sound of Metal,” he said.
The Brit is getting great buzz for his turn as a punk drummer who starts to lose his hearing, and with it his career.
Grammy winner and Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas interviewed the cast for a Cinema Society and Amazon Studios virtual screening over the weekend, joking: “The only reason they picked me is I’m a musician and I have decent Wi-Fi.” Read more
Qatar ‘identifies parents of baby abandoned at Doha airport’ (BBC)
Qatar says it has identified the parents of a baby who was abandoned last month in a bin at Doha’s airport.
A woman from “an Asian country” fled abroad after dumping the infant, public prosecutors said, adding that efforts were under way to extradite her.
A DNA test confirmed that an Asian man was the father, they added.
The prosecutors said officials had also been charged over the invasive exams carried out on women passengers during the initial search for the mother. Read more
Facebook reportedly plans COVID-19 vaccine push to win over Biden (NYPost)
Facebook is planning to encourage users to get vaccinated for coronavirus in an effort to win over Joe Biden’s incoming administration, a new report says.
The social network is considering placing a banner at the top of its news feed encouraging users to take a COVID-19 vaccine once regulators approve one, according to the Financial Times.
The move is meant to align Facebook with Biden’s priorities and curry favor with the president-elect’s administration amid criticism of the tech titan’s missteps in combating misinformation, the paper reported Monday. Read more
Mmadu laments young athletes’ indulgence in drugs (Punch)
Former Super Falcons assistant coach, Maureen Mmadu, has lamented the indulgence of young athletes in drugs in the country.
Mmadu, who is the Ambassador to the Anambra Football, said it was important that the young athletes should be educated on the negative effects of the substances on them and their careers.
The use of drugs to enhance sports performance in athletes is currently a worldwide social problem and there has been concern among coaches and trainers in the country.
Ahead of the Anambra Female Football Kiddies’ competition, the former Falcons star paid a visit to the Sate Commander National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mohammed Idris, to intimate him about the Kiddies project coming up. Read more
Southampton miss chance to go third after draw at Wolves (BBC)
Theo Walcott said he “feels like a kid again” after scoring his first goal since rejoining Southampton in their Premier League draw at Wolves.
Walcott, 31, returned to Saints on a season-long loan from Everton in October after leaving the club for Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2006.
And he put Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side ahead in the 58th minute at Molineux on Monday, turning in Che Adams’ cross.
However, it was not enough to earn a victory that would have moved Saints to third in the table because Pedro Neto levelled with 15 minutes left, following up after Raul Jiminez’s shot had come back off the post. Read more
Nicolas Pepe ‘deeply sorry’ for headbutting Leeds United ace Ezgjan Alioski (Metro)
Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe has apologised to his team-mates after ‘letting them down’ with a headbutt on Leeds United ace Ezgjan Alioski. The Ivorian was sent off in the 51st minute at Elland Road after headbutting the Leeds defender, who antagonised the former Lille winger. Arsenal were already below-par and under the cosh, but Pepe’s dismissal meant the Gunners had to dig in for a further 40 mins in Yorkshire. Thankfully for Pepe, his team-mates managed to see out a 0-0 draw but Mikel Arteta criticised the winger’s ‘unaccpetable’ actions after the match. Read more
All-black officiating crew works NFL game for first time (NYPost)
An all-black officiating crew worked an NFL game for the first time in league history when the Los Angeles Rams faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
Referee Jerome Boger led the crew, which also included umpire Barry Anderson, down judge Julian Mapp, line judge Carl Johnson, side judge Dale Shaw, field judge Anthony Jeffries and back judge Greg Steed.
When the NFL announced the crew was being assembled last week, league executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent hailed the move as “a testament to the countless and immeasurable contributions of black officials to the game, their exemplary performance, and to the power of inclusion that is the hallmark of this great game.” Read more
Burnley beat Palace to claim first league win of season (BBC)
Burnley secured their first win in the Premier League this season as victory over Crystal Palace at Turf Moor moved them out of the relegation zone.
The Clarets had lost five and drawn two of their first seven games to leave them second from bottom in the table.
However, Chris Wood’s early strike – Burnley’s first goal at home this season – proved the difference, the forward driving home from Jay Rodriguez’s pass after a mistake in the Palace defence. Read more
Kagiso Rabada reiterates Black Lives Matter support as South Africa opt against taking knee during England series (Metro)
Kagiso Rabada has reiterated his support to the Black Lives Matter movement in light of the Proteas’ decision not to take the knee during their upcoming limited-overs series against England. Following the death of African-American George Floyd in May, a number of international sports teams have taken the knee in support of BLM, an organisation protesting against incidents of police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people. Read more
USM Alger sack French coach after one game (BBC)
French football coach Francois Ciccolini was sacked on Sunday after just one game with Algerian top-flight club USM Alger.
The former SC Bastia coach’s only game in charge was a 2-1 loss to league champions CR Belouizdad in the Algerian Super Cup.
However, the 58-year-old was not dismissed because of the defeat but rather his refusal to go into the stands to his runners-up medal from Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad. Read more