Two kids die as Lagos building collapses during downpour (Punch)
Two yet-to-be-identified children lost their lives on Wednesday after being trapped in the rubble of a storey building that partially collapsed in the Gafari Balogun area of Ogudu, Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the building came down around noon and residents scampered for safety, but the children could not escape.
When emergency responders got to the scene, residents informed them that some children were trapped in the rubble and a rescue operation led to the recovery of the victims’ corpses. Read more
Youths block Lekki-Epe highway, ground activities over bad roads (Guardian)
Angry residents blocked the Ibeju-Epe road in Lagos State to protest against deplorable state of the roads leading to the ancient town yesterday. The protest, which was organised by members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), in conjunction with Epe youths, began in the early hours, which crippled both vehicular and human movement and causing gridlocks on the Lekki-Epe Expressway corridor.
The protest also paralysed commercial activities in the area as the youths barricaded the road, chanting solidarity songs. According to them, the exit roads from Epe through Ibeju, Ijebu-Ode and Ikorodu had become deplorable, while the present states of the roads had shot up transport fares in the area. For instance, a trip from Epe to Lagos now costs N1,000, the said. Read more
Lagos task force arrests miscreants, cultists, impound motorcycles (Punch)
The Lagos State Task Force on the Environment and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit has arrested 21 suspected miscreants and cultists and impounded 78 commercial motorcycles for engaging in illegal activities.
The suspects were arrested at their hideouts in the Ogudu and Ajah areas of the state during an operation carried out by the agency.
It was gathered that during the raid, the suspects and others at large launched an attack on officials of the agency with broken bottles, stones and axes. Read more
Sanwo-Olu approves N1.157b pension payment to 368 retirees (Guardian)
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the release of N1.157 billion for the payment of accrued pension rights to 368 public service retirees for the month of May. He said the approval was part of the government’s commitment to ensure the retirees are well-taken care of after their meritorious service to the government and state at large.
Director-General, Lagos State Pensions Commission (LASPEC), Babalola Obilana, in a statement yesterday, said the approval was to ensure that retirees get their terminal entitlements paid at the appropriate time.He said that all bond certificates for the month of May had been released to the Pensions Fund Administrators (PFA) to protect beneficiaries from COVID-19 transmission. Read more
PDP meets Thursday on Obaseki (Nation)
The leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will meet Thursday on the fate of Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, who is seeking its ticket to re-contest.
Sources in the main opposition party said last night that the meeting will consider the reports from the various leaders of the party that the governor has met with in the last five days.
Obaseki met with Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers) and Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) at the weekend before announcing his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) which disqualified him from participating in its primary. Read more
Fake DSS officer nabbed for stealing Mauritian’s money, passport (Punch)
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested 32-year-old Boniface Oburuku for the theft of a handbag belonging to a guest from the Republic of Mauritius.
The bag contained the victim’s two Samsung phones, passport, United States dollars as well as Nigerian and Mauritian currencies.
Oburuku allegedly committed the offence on June 11, 2019, at an event organised by the EFCC to mark the Democracy Day and the Anti-Corruption Summit at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. Read more
Confusion as APC gets four chairmen in one day (Guardian)
While the All Progressives Congress (APC) is constitutionally required to have just one national chairman, a question of who currently occupies that position yielded different answers yesterday.
The confusion followed Tuesday’s ruling by an appeal court, which affirmed the suspension of National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole and created a vacuum that is now the subject of varied interpretations.
Those jostling for the seat in acting capacity are National Vice Chairman (South South) Prince Hilliard Eta and Deputy National Secretary Victor Giadom. Read more
Jabi Lake Mall: No concert is worth anybody’s life – FCT minister (DailyTrust)
The FCT minister, Muhammad Musa Bello The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has urged residents to take responsibility for their personal safety, saying no musical concert is worth anybody’s life.
The minister who was reacting to Naira Marley’s concert held at the Jabi Lake Mall last Saturday and which attracted hundreds of spectators in clear violation of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and FCTA guidelines on curbing the spread of the virus, also vowed to prosecute the organisers and the performers. Read more
Mexico, India, Ireland, Norway elected to UNSC; Africa seat open (AlJazeera)
Mexico, India, Ireland and Norway have been elected to take up a two-year term on the United Nations Security Council, but a rerun is needed for the contested fifth seat after there was no clear winner.
Neither Kenya nor Djibouti on Wednesday gained the required two-thirds majority to win the Africa seat on the 15-member council, meaning another round of voting is needed on Thursday.
Canada lost out to Ireland and Norway in a hotly contested election in the council’s “Western European and others” group. Read more
Oxford college wants to remove Rhodes statue (BBC)
Oriel College in Oxford has announced that it wants to take down the controversial statue of Cecil Rhodes.
The governors of the Oxford University college voted on Wednesday to remove the statue of the colonialist.
Campaigners have called for the statue to be taken down – saying it was a symbol of imperialism and racism.
The removal is not expected to be immediate – as the college says there will need to be consultations over planning regulations. Read more
NYC freezes rents for all regulated units in response to coronavirus (NYPost)
New York City rents will freeze for the roughly 2 million New Yorkers living in rent-regulated units for a year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Rent Guidelines Board, the panel that sets the rent for the city’s 1 million rent-regulated apartments, voted 6-3 Wednesday night to implement a one-year freeze running from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021 at the behest of Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The freeze also applies to the first year of two-year leases and allows landlords to enact a 1 percent increase in the second year. Read more
Bolton memoir: Trump sought Chinese help to win 2020 election (AlJazeera)
President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser John Bolton writes in his upcoming memoir that Trump sought Chinese President Xi Jinping’s help in winning re-election during a closed-door meeting in June 2019, according to a report in the New York Times on Wednesday.
Trump reportedly asked the Chinese leader during trade negotiations at a summit in Osaka, Japan to buy more agricultural products in order to help him win farm states in the November general election.
“Trump then, stunningly, turned the conversation to the coming US presidential election, alluding to China’s economic capability and pleading with Xi to ensure he’d win,” Bolton. Read more
Coronavirus: Qantas axes most overseas flights until October (BBC)
Qantas has cancelled all international flights until late October except for those to New Zealand.
The news comes as the Australian government said its border would remain closed into next year to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The airline and subsidiary Jetstar are now boosting domestic flights as travel restrictions within Australia ease.
Qantas has seen domestic passenger numbers double to 64,000 this week, compared to last week’s 32,000. Read more
Rough sex defence set to be outlawed in UK (Metro)
Abusers who kill their partners will no longer be able to use the defence of ‘rough sex gone wrong’ under new legislation, a justice minister has said.
Alex Chalk told fellow MPs it is ‘unconscionable’ that perpetrators could use this to defend themselves in court just because their victims consented to ‘violent and harmful sexual activity’.
Speaking a Public Bill Committee he said the Government wants to make it ‘crystal clear’ that this loophole will be closed. Read more
‘That ‘70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson charged with raping three women (PageSix)
Actor Danny Masterson, best known for his role on “That 70s Show,” has been charged for raping three women in separate incidents from 2001 through 2003, officials announced Wednesday.
The 44-year-old actor was slapped with three counts of rape by force or fear, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.
Masterson is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman in the winter of 2001. Read more
Premier League pays tribute to Black Lives Matter and NHS as season restarts (Metro)
The Premier League got back underway at long last on Wednesday evening with clubs and players paying tribute to both the NHS and Black Lives Matter movement.
After a 100-day wait, Aston Villa and Sheffield United kicked off the season restart at Villa Park – with Manchester City versus Arsenal to follow – though football looked very different indeed with no crowds or ball boys but plenty of face masks, while each team’s kit has undergone a transformation.
Players have had the names on the back of their shirts replaced with ‘Black Lives Matter’ for the first 12 fixtures of the restarted Premier League season, continuing through to Burnley’s trip to face Man City on Monday evening. Read more
Luiz sent off as Man City beat Arsenal (BBC)
Arsenal’s David Luiz was sent off in a performance riddled with mistakes as Manchester City secured a comfortable victory behind closed doors on the first night of the Premier League’s return.
Luiz, who came on as a first-half substitute, failed to clear the ball just before half-time and Raheem Sterling fired in City’s opener.
The defender was then sent off after pulling back Riyad Mahrez in the second half to give away a penalty, which Kevin de Bruyne coolly slotted in for City’s second. Read more
Broncos’ Kareem Jackson tests positive for coronavirus (NYPost)
The list of NFL players to test positive for COVID-19 continues to grow.
Safety Kareem Jackson on Wednesday became the second member of the Broncos with a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, joining star linebacker Von Miller, who revealed his diagnosis on April 16. Mike Klis of 9News spoke with Jackson, who said he began feeling congested two days ago and then suffered from chills.
According to ESPN, Jackson expects to make a full recovery. ESPN also reported that though nearly 40 Broncos players participated in the recent Denver protests, including Jackson, none of his teammates have tested positive. Read more
Napoli beat Juventus on penalties to win Coppa Italia (BBC)
Napoli held their nerve to claim a first major trophy in six seasons by beating Juventus 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the Coppa Italia final.
Arkadiusz Milik scored the winning spot-kick after Paulo Dybala had seen his first for Juve saved, before team-mate Danilo blazed the second over.
This followed a hard-fought 0-0 over 90 minutes of few chances, played behind closed doors at the Stadio Olimpico. Read more
Nick Kyrgios calls ATP boss a potato after season restart announcement (RT)
Not known for sitting on the fence nor mincing his words, Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has branded ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi a “potato” on social media.
Posted via Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, a statement from Gaudenzi discussed the planned resumption of the tour in mid-August after its coronavirus-enforced suspension.
“It has been a truly collaborative effort & we hope to add more events to the calendar as the situation evolves,” the tweet read. Read more
Football viewing centres open, defy FG directive (Punch)
It was business as usual for operators of football viewing centres in some parts of the country, as they entertained customers during Wednesday’s English Premier League games, in defiance to the directive of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, which placed a ban on viewing centres operating in the country.
The EPL, which has a large following in Nigeria, returned to action on Wednesday after it was suspended on March 13 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The league’s return came as a respite to hitherto aggrieved fans, most of who belonged to the lower class and patronise viewing centres for European football. Read more
