UK changes travel rules for fully vaccinated travellers from Nigeria (Sun)
Respite, yesterday, came the way of Nigerian travellers as the United Kingdom (UK) changed travel rules for fully vaccinated travellers from Nigeria.
The British High Commission, Abuja, disclosed the development in a statement.
The Government of the United Kingdom said: “From Monday, 11 October 2021, fully vaccinated travellers from Nigeria will be able to come to England without needing to provide a pre-departure test, undertake a day 8 test or self-isolate for 10 days, although will still need to book and pay for a day two test.
“This policy applies to those fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (including Covidshield), Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson and Johnson).” Read more
2face Idibia threatens Brymo with N1b defamation suit (Guardian)
2Face Idibia has threatened to file a defamation suit against fellow singer Brymo over his recent tweets.
Brymo on Monday night alleged in a series of tweets that 2face had accused him of sleeping with his wife.
The “Ara” singer also added that the music icon sent thugs to physically assault him.
Brymo on Thursday, October 7, 2021 revealed that he has received a letter from the lawyers of 2face. He shared a picture of the letter on his Twitter page.
According to the letter, 2face’s lawyers said that Brymo’s “baseless and false allegations have caused unspeakable distress” to the 2face and his family.
The letter added: “You have also caused our Client’s estimation to be lowered in the estimation of his friends, business associates and wider members of the public and further caused him significant loss of business. Read more
Go to court, Brymo dares 2face (DailyTrust)
Olawale Brymo, Nigeria Singer popularly known as Brymo, has reacted to the N1b lawsuit threat by 2face Idibia.
Brymo had earlier alleged that Tuface falsely accused him of sleeping with his wife.
Tuface threatens to file N1b suit against Brymo
‘Stop the madness’ Tuface breaks silence on marital crisis
In his response, 2face demanded an apology from Brymo, saying his failure to do this will lead to legal action.
But Brymo reacted to the suit, insisting on all the allegations he made.
He said a billion naira lawsuit is not enough to make him change his mind.
He wrote “I have received this from Innocent Idibia’s lawyers, or so it reads. I’ll advice they go on to court, as I insist on all my tweets asserted… they are not “nonsense”, he wrote. Read more
Soldiers manhandle Nollywood actor Chiwetalu Agu for wearing Biafra outfit (Punch)
Soldiers in Onitsha, Anambra State, on Wednesday manhandled Nollywood actor, Chiwetalu Agu, for wearing an outfit with Biafra inscriptions.
In the viral video, 65-year-old Agu is seen around Upper Iweka Bridge donning the Biafra outfit and walking near a green bus when two armed soldiers wrestle him to the ground and drag him.
It was gathered that the actor was in Onitsha on a charity mission where he regularly gifts the less privileged with food items when he was arrested by soldiers.
“He was sharing food with some less privileged persons at Upper Iweka when the soldiers approached him and arrested him. He was manhandled and arrested and taken to their barracks,” a source said. Read more
Buhari presents 2022 budget to National Assembly (Guardian)
President Muhammadu Buhari has presented the 2022 budget to the National Assembly for approval.
Buhari arrived at the National Assembly Complex in the company of governors, ministers, and heads of Federal Government agencies.
He noted that the 2022 Appropriation bill is tagged a “Budget of Economic Growth and Sustainability.” It is estimated at ₦16.39trillion.
The Nigeria president stated that the budget was designed “to build on the achievements of previous budgets and to deliver on our goals and aspirations as will be reflected in our soon-to-be-launched National Development Plan of 2021 to 2025.” Read more
Ikosi-Ejinrin LCDA distributes farm tools, animal feeds to farmers (Independent)
The Executive Chairman of Ikosi-Ejinrin Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Wale Raji Anomo, has expressed his administration’s readiness and commitment towards providing necessary support and assistance to farmers in the area, so as to increase productivity and ensure food security.
Anomo made this assertion on Thursday while addressing beneficiaries of the Farm Tools and Feeds Empowerment programme, held at the Council Secretariat in the Agbowa area of Lagos.
The over 400 agricultural productive assets and inputs were handed over to members of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Ikosi-Ejinrin Chapter. Read more
Obiano Reports Malami to Buhari, Says President Not for Emergency Rule in Anambra (ThisDay)
Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, has said the threat of the declaration of a state of emergency ahead of the November 6, 2021 gubernatorial election in his state did not have the backing of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Obiano, who spoke with newmen on Thursday after a closed-door meeting with President Buhari at the State House, Abuja, said he had reported the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; Abubakar Malami, to the President over the matter.
He also described the threat as unfortunate, and wondered why Malami had not contemplated the imposition of emergency rule in Northern states where he claimed there had been a lot of killings. Read more
UNIBEN refers alleged rape case to Police (Punch)
The management of the University of Benin says it has referred to the Police a case of alleged rape of a female student by a lecturer, Dr. Bode Steve Ekundayo of the Department of English and Literature.
Ekundayo has also been issued a query and placed on interdiction pending the conclusion of investigations by the Police, the tertiary institution’s spokesperson, Dr. Benedicta Ehanire, disclosed in a statement.
News of the alleged rape, which was said to have been committed on October 5 in the lecturer’s office, broke out on Wednesday.
According to Ehanire in the statement on Thursday, a preliminary report on the issue has been submitted to the management of the university. Read more
How my neighbour defrauded me of N1m — witness (Vanguard)
A 41-year-old businessman, Vincent Okam, on Thursday told a Grade I Area Court, Kubwa, Abuja, that his former neighbour, James Ibe, defrauded him of N1 million.
The police charged Ibe of Jabi, Abuja, with criminal breach of trust and cheating.
Being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Babajide Olanipekun, Okam said the defendant, who was his neighbour at Kubwa, approached him to lend him N1 million, sometime in 2014.
“He promised to pay back after a month and I gave him. After two weeks, he called me for a memorandum of understanding which was fake. I did not know his intention was to defraud me. Read more
SIM: Minor disqualification constitutional, says NCC (Punch)
The Nigerian Communications Commission says that it is not disqualifying Nigerians from getting the Subscriber Identity Module, adding that the age limit is in line with the constitutional provision.
The commission said this in a statement titled ‘NCC not disqualifying nigerians from getting SIM’ and signed by NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde on Wednesday.
NCC argued that the age limit proposed in its draft regulation was based on the constitution, which makes 18 years the age of consent in the country. Read more
Apple CEO says he’s worried people use technology too much (Metro)
The billionaire boss of Apple has said he’s worried about people using technology too much.
Tim Cook, who took over from Steve Jobs in 2011, singled out social media and suggested ‘endless scrolling’ probably isn’t good for us.
Speaking to Bustle, Cook explained his views on technology and its effect on our collective mental health.
‘I’ve always thought that technology should serve humanity and not the other way around,’ he said. Read more
Nazi trial: 100-year-old SS guard in court in Germany (BBC)
Seventy-six years after the end of World War Two, a former concentration camp guard has gone on trial for assisting in the murder of 3,518 prisoners at Sachsenhausen near Berlin.
Josef S is accused of complicity in the shooting of Soviet prisoners of war and the murder of others with Zyklon B gas.
Time is running out for Nazi-era criminals to face justice and he is the oldest defendant so far to stand trial.
It was only in recent years that lower-ranking Nazis were brought to trial. Read more
African migrants ‘forgotten’ on dangerous treks to US: Report (AlJazeera)
An increasing number of African migrants moving through Latin America to seek asylum in the United States demands greater attention and humanitarian responses, a new report has urged, as these asylum seekers face unique challenges along their routes.
The US, Latin American countries and international groups must better manage the flow of a group of people facing more danger, abuse and racism on an already perilous journey, the US-based Migration Policy Institute (MPI) said in its report, titled “African Migration through the Americas”.
While African asylum seekers make up a relatively small share of overall flows across the Americas, representing less than one-sixth of all international migration, experts say their ranks are likely to keep growing. Read more
Beyonce stuns fans with surprise appearance at London Film Festival alongside Jay Z (Metro)
Beyonce and Jay Z made a surprise appearance on the red carpet for BFI’s London Film Festival, celebrating the premiere if Idris Elba and Regina King’s movie The Harder They Fall.
The Crazy In Love singer, 40, donned a stunning black velvet strapless gown for the occasion, with her long caramel-coloured hair in loose waves, while her rapper husband, 51, went for a sharp tuxedo.
Beyonce shared a series of photos of her and Jay in the car on the way to the event, laying her head on his shoulder before they posed up for photographers on the red carpet.
As well as Bey and Jay, a host of other stars were out in force to watch the premiere of The Harder They Fall, the Netflix Western directed by Jeymes Samuel. Read more
Twitch blames server error for massive data leak (BBC)
Livestreaming site Twitch says an “error” caused the unprecedented leak that posted vast amounts of sensitive data online this week.
The data appeared to include Twitch’s internal code and documents, as well as the payments made to thousands of top streamers.
Twitch now says the breach was caused by a “server configuration change” that “exposed” some data.
But it has not confirmed if all the data posted online is genuine. Read more
Greece ratifies landmark intra-NATO defence pact with France (AlJazeera)
Greece on Thursday ratified a mutual defence pact with France, the first between two NATO members.
The two countries are already bound to help each other from an attack originating outside the alliance. But the Strategic Partnership on Defence and Security for the first time joins two NATO members to support one another from an attack originating inside the alliance.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hailed the agreement as the cornerstone of an independent European defence policy.
“The defence of European interests in the Mediterranean now acquires new substance,” Mitsotakis told parliament. “If attacked, our country will have at its side the most powerful military on the continent, the sole European nuclear power.” Read more
Blessing Okagbare faces three more doping charges (Guardian)
Nigerian sprint champion Blessing Okagbare is facing the possibility of a lengthy ban from athletics after three more doping cases surfaced.
Blessing Okagbare was barred from participating in the Olympic 100-meter semifinals in July for a doping offence and was handed a four-year ban.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said Okagbare tested positive for banned substance recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) in a sample collected out-of-competition on 20th June in Nigeria.
She also tested positive for another banned substance in Slovakia the following month. Read more
NFF mourns former international, Oyarekhua, ace sports journalist, Alaiya (DailyTrust)
The Nigeria Football Federation has expressed shock and sadness over the death on Monday of former Nigeria international striker, Sunny Oyarekhua.
Oyarekhua, who retired as an Assistant Commissioner of Police, was top scorer of the men’s football event of the 2nd All-Africa Games that Nigeria hosted in 1973, as the Green Eagles won the gold medal after a 2-0 win over Guinea in the Final.
He featured for the Senior Men National Team between 1971– 1975 and was known for his marksmanship in front of goal.
NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi said: “Oyarekhua was a quintessential poacher, and also contributed his bit to the administration of the game. We pray that God will grant him eternal rest and also grant those he has left behind the fortitude to bear the big loss.” Read more
Over a dozen ex-NBA players charged with multimillion-dollar fraud (NYPost)
More than a dozen NBA veterans — including former Coney Island high-school star and ex-Los Angeles Clipper Sebastian Telfair — have been charged with defrauding the sports association’s health plan out of millions of dollars, Manhattan federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
The indictment accuses 18 former ballers of ripping off $4 million from the NBA’s Health and Welfare Benefit Plan, which provides additional coverage to eligible active and retired players.
The defendants allegedly submitted “false and fraudulent claims for reimbursement of expenses for medical and dental services that were not actually rendered,” according to court papers. Read more
Andorra v England: All-female team of officials to take charge of World Cup qualifier (BBC)
An all-female team of on-field officials will take charge of Saturday’s World Cup qualifier between Andorra and England.
Ukraine’s Kateryna Monzul will be the referee while compatriots Maryna Striletska and Svitlana Grushko have been named her assistants.
In addition, Stephanie Frappart of France is the video assistant referee.
It will be the first time a senior England men’s international match has had all women officials. Read more
White Sox fan catches home run ball with prosthetic leg (NYPost)
Why catch a fly ball with your hands when you can catch one with your leg?
TikTok user Shannon Frandreis amazed her fellow fans when she caught a fly ball at a recent Chicago White Sox game with her prosthetic leg. The surrounding crowd stood up and cheered for Frandreis as she hoisted the leg up in the air, celebrating with a big smile on her face.
The video she posted on TikTok of the improbable catch has gone viral with over 2 million views and over 400,000 likes. It is believed the catch came on Yoan Moncada’s home run Saturday in a 5-4 win over the Tigers. Read more
Andy Murray ‘in the bad books’ after shoes and wedding ring are ‘stolen’ (BBC)
Even when he is thousands of miles away, Andy Murray has still managed to get himself “in the bad books at home”.
What started with a bid to freshen up his smelly tennis shoes has ended with them being “stolen” – along with his wedding ring.
“Got a quick story here for you that I need a little bit of help with,” the 34-year-old said in an appeal on his Instagram story. Read more