We’ll keep Baba Ijesha until JUSUN resumes, police tell protesters (Punch)
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has said the continuous detention of Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka, aka Baba Ijesha, is based on legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions in the state Ministry of Justice.
He also said the actor would not be released until the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria called off its nationwide strike and the courts resumed so that he could be arraigned.
Odumosu stated these in reaction to Wednesday’s protest by Omiyinka’s colleague, Yomi Fabiyi, and others, who demonstrated at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, to demand his release on bail.
He said based on the legal advice, a prima facie case had been established against Omiyinka, adding that the thespian’s continued detention was based on the DPP’s advice. Read more
Lagos Imam, Companion, TMC, MURIC, others seek end to insecurity (Nation)
The Chief Imam of Lagos State, Sheikh Sulaimon Abou-Nolla, Amir of The Companion, Alhaji Thabit Sonaike, TMC Amir Alhaji Abdul Waasi’i Bangbala and Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof Ishaq Akintola, have called for an end to the insecurity plaguing the nation.
The quartet made this known in separate Eid-il-Fitr messages.
Sheikh Sulaimon urged Nigerians to pray to Allah to guide the government on ways to end the insecurity.
He enjoined the Muslim Ummah to observe Eid as it ought to be so as to maximise the rewards therein.
Alhaji Sonaike urged the government to remember that its primary purpose is the welfare and security of citizens. Read more
Lagos threatens to prosecute Hajj returnees over seven-day compulsory isolation (Punch)
As part of the efforts to mitigate the third wave of the COVID-19 in Lagos, the state government has placed 14 countries on watch list.
It also said Nigerian passengers coming from lesser hajj must undergo seven-day isolation.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, at a briefing on Wednesday, said the state was committed to strictly enforcing COVID-19 travel protocols, especially for travelers coming into the state.
He explained that Lagos inbound international travellers were being classified into three on the basis of their originating countries: “the Red Countries, the Amber Countries and the Green Countries.” Read more
Again, gunmen attack two police stations, kill officer in A’Ibom (ThisDay)
The coordinated attacks on police formations continued yesterday in Akwa Ibom State as gunmen again killed a policeman and set fire on two police stations.
THISDAY gathered that the gunmen in their numbers yesterday morning reportedly embarked on a mission to set ablaze the Police Area Command of in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area, as well as another police station in Ika LGA of the state.
However, a policeman, PC Edogi Bassey, attached to the Etim Ekpo Area Command was killed when the bandits stormed the station.
The gunmen, who were repelled, reportedly burnt down the multi-million Naira Godswill Akpabio Unity Hall in Essien Udim LGA of the state. Read more
Uzodimma sacks 20 commissioners, dissolves cabinet (Nation)
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma Wednesday dissolved his cabinet relieving 20 of his 28 commissioners of their duties.
At the end of the usual weekly Executive Council meeting, Wednesday, the Governor said the dissolution became necessary to rejig and reenergise the system for maximum productivity.
The ministries whose Commissioners were retained in the dissolution include Finance, Science and Technology, Health, Works, Information, Youths and Sports, Women Affairs and Tourism.
Governor Uzodimma thanked the affected Commissioners and assured them that they will still be found relevant in other areas if eventually they did not make the new cabinet he said will be reconstituted soon. Read more
Judicial, legislative workers give fresh conditions to suspend strike (ThisDay)
Striking judicial and legislative workers have given fresh conditions to suspend their industrial action, insisting that the federal government should prevail on governors to immediately release all outstanding allocations due to the other two arms of government, still in their custody since the beginning of the year.
The workers restated that they would not negotiate the provisions of the constitution on financial autonomy for the two arms of government and demanded that the governors should immediately set in motion the process of establishing the fund allocation committees in all the states.
THISDAY gathered that the leadership of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) made the demands in a written response to the proposals made by state governors and the federal government on how to resolve the dispute over financial autonomy for the judiciary and legislature in each state of the federation. Read more
Makinde denies interfering with appointment of Judges (Nation)
Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde has stated he never interfered with the appointments of judges, adding he only ensured due process was followed to the letter in the exercise.
The Governor, who stated this while hosting Oyo Muslim Ummah at his residence in Ibadan, added his government has continued to be fair and just to all religions.
He said he has always ensured merit and excellence were considered for appointments and recruitments in the state.
He added although some elements had been trying to cause confusion along religious lines, they have not been successful because the government has been transparent and fair. Read more
Airlines blame dollar scarcity, pandemic for rising airfares (ThisDay)
Airlines have attributed the skyrocketing airfares, which have elicited disaffection from travellers to the scarcity of dollars and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The airlines, in separate interviews with THISDAY warned travellers to brace for a higher fare regime as economic indicators show that the problems are not likely to abate soon.
From N28, 000 for a one-hour flight after the high season in December 2020, the average cost of a one-hour ticket has now risen to N60, 000 for a one-way ticket and could rise as high as N120, 000 if a passenger buys a ticket on the day he is travelling.
The airlines attributed the soaring airfares to dollar scarcity, which has forced them to resort to the parallel market for the greenback. Read more
Doctor apologises for letting a registered sex offender into a retreat for sex assault survivors (CBC)
The doctor running Project Trauma Support now says she regrets her decision to allow a registered sex offender to peer mentor a group of sexual assault survivors with post traumatic stress disorder under her care.
Seven female first responders and Canadian Forces veterans shared their story publicly with CBC News yesterday. They said their trust was violated by Dr Manuela Joannou because she failed to tell them their peer mentor recently had been convicted in two separate cases of sexual assault before attending the six-day trauma retreat in July 2018.
CBC News obtained an image of a statement posted by Joannou to Facebook on Wednesday apologizing to participants in her program. Read more
UN urges Israel to show ‘restraint’ in East Jerusalem (DW)
The UN has urged Israel to exercise “restraint” as tensions rise between Israelis and Palestinians over the contested area of East Jerusalem, with clashes leaving more than 300 people wounded in recent days.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres wants the Israeli government to halt all demolitions and evictions from the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, his spokesman said.
The long-running dispute between settlers and Palestinian families had been set to face a key legal hearing on Monday. Read more
Universal Pictures apologises after Laverne Cox’s Promising Young Woman character dubbed by male actor (Metro)
Universal Pictures has apologised after Laverne Cox’s character in Promising Young Woman was dubbed by a male actor in the Italian version of the film. Laverne, a transgender woman, plays Gail alongside Carey Mulligan’s Cassandra in the Emerald Fennell-directed revenge thriller. However, a clip recently posted by Universal Pictures Italy is reported to have had voice actor Roberto Pedicini dubbing her character in a deep tone. Italian actress Vittoria Schisano, who is also a trans woman, dubbed it a ‘straight-up act of violence’, and branded the decision ‘insulting’ when speaking to The Guardian. Read more:
Genetically modified grass can suck toxic explosives out of the ground (CBC)
Genetically modified grass can suck toxic explosives out of the ground
Researchers have genetically modified a wild grass to metabolize toxic pollutants left behind by military explosives. This is the first time that genetically modified plants have been successfully used to clean up organic pollutants.
“It’s a huge problem,” Liz Rylott told Quirks & Quarks host Bob McDonald. “We have huge areas of military land that contain explosives from munitions [and] residues, as hot spots scattered across the training ranges.”
After decades of research, Rylott and her co-authors were able to modify switchgrass to completely degrade the chemical compound RDX, an explosive which was heavily used in the Second World War and continues to be used today in munitions like the plastic explosive C-4. Read more
COVID: Berliners go out as Germany lifts restrictions for vaccinated and recovered (DW)
Germany now exempts people who have received both of their COVID jabs and those who have recovered from the illness from some restrictions. Many Berliners have been enjoying the sun, but few know about the exemptions.
Martina Czwielung and her mother Renata Czwielung, 84, gathered in Berlin’s Mauerpark with friends on Sunday for a picnic to celebrate a particularly sunny Mother’s Day. Martina is quick to explain that their group of four is from two households and isn’t violating COVID restrictions. But she needn’t have worried: Under the new measures put in place across Germany on Sunday, Martina’s mother, the only vaccinated person in the group, is no longer counted in restrictions limiting the size of gatherings.
She had her second COVID shot more than 14 days ago, which means she can go to the hairdresser without having to take a test first. “She hasn’t been to the hairdresser in months. It is difficult for her to sign up for a test appointment online so I hope she will be able to go now,” Martina said. Read more
Zack Snyder shocked by coronavirus parallels in “Army of the Dead” (Metro)
Zack Snyder has revealed his shock at the eerie parallels between his new film Army of the Dead, and the coronavirus pandemic. From the temperature guns used to identify symptoms, to the politicising of the situation, the director admitted that the incredibly apt references in the Netflix zombie thriller were all unintentional. ‘Those are the things that really surprised me, the weird reality of what a world with zombies in it might be and how we might really react,’ he told Metro.co.uk. ‘I had this idea that the guys would have these temperature guns, and they’ll take your temperature to find out whether or not you have the zombie plague or not. Read more
Still too fast: Olympic champ Caster Semenya arrested for speeding (CBC)
Olympic champion Caster Semenya was sentenced to 50 hours of community service for speeding while driving in South Africa, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The runner was arrested last Thursday and released on $35 bail, the National Prosecuting Authority said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Caster Semenya pins Olympic hopes on 5,000 metres
Caster Semenya begins final legal bid to defend Olympic title
Semenya appeared in court in the capital, Pretoria, on Friday and pleaded guilty to the offense, the NPA said.
She faces a second court hearing in August when authorities will report back on whether she completed her community service. Read more
2021 AFCON: Rufai drums support for Eagles keepers (Nation)
Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Peter Rufai believes the team’s current goalkeepers will be vital in the team’s mission to win next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
With Maduka Okoye, who played a crucial role in the team’s qualification for the tournament, assured of his number one position and others like Francis Uzoho and Daniel Akpeyi, the Super Eagles are not short of options in the goalkeeping position.
Rufai, a member of the Super Eagles side that won the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia, told Soccernet.ng in a chat that the same attention placed on the strikers should be put on the goalkeepers.
“I really don’t know why so much noise has made on the Super Eagles strikers banging in the goals in Europe for their respective clubs without attention been focused on the goalkeeping department,” he said. Read more
Olympic Games ‘can and will go ahead’ says IOC despite negative polls (CBC)
The IOC on Wednesday downplayed concerns over Japanese public opinion calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be canceled, before its virtual news conference was interrupted by an activist protesting the games.
The news conference followed a monthly meeting of the International Olympic Committee’s executive board held amid a state of emergency in Tokyo to curb surging COVID-19 cases. Polling in Japan also persistently suggests people want the July 23-Aug. 8 Olympics to be called off, having already been postponed by one year.
IOC’s Dick Pound says Tokyo Olympics to move ahead despite pandemic concerns
IOC head Thomas Bach cancels Japan trip because of surging COVID-19 cases
“We listen but won’t be guided by public opinion,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said, adding “everything is telling us … that the games can go ahead and will go ahead.” Read more
Rory McIlroy returns to winner’s circle with 3rd triumph at Wells Fargo (CBC)
Rory McIlroy found his comfort zone at Quail Hollow and left with a trophy he badly needed.
McIlroy closed with a 3-under 68 and made it tough on himself at the end Sunday, driving into the hazard left of the 18th fairway and needing two putts from 45 feet for a one-shot victory in the Wells Fargo Championship.
THE BUZZERCanadian golfers are having a big (Olympic) year
What mattered was ending 18 months since his last victory in the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, along with finding a strong semblance of his game as he prepares to return to Kiawah Island for the PGA Championship.
“It’s never easy,” McIlroy said. “It felt like a long time.” Read more
New York Rangers fire head coach David Quinn, 3 assistants (CBC)
The New York Rangers’ managerial shakeup is complete.
New general manager Chris Drury fired coach David Quinn and three assistant coaches Wednesday after they missed the playoffs with one of the NHL’s up-and-coming teams. The move is the first major one from Drury, who took over last week after the team fired popular president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton to start the front-office overhaul.
New York Rangers fire president Davidson, general manager Gorton
In a brief statement issued by the team, Drury thanked Quinn and the others and said the Rangers will begin a search for a new head coach immediately.
In three years, Quinn posted 96-87-25 record in rebuilding the Rangers with a much younger team that included No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere this past season. The roster also includes talented forwards Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Kaapo Kakko and standout defenseman Adam Fox. Read more
West Brom relegated after Arsenal defeat (NewTelegraph)
West Bromwich Albion have been relegated from the Premier League for a fifth time after a defeat at Arsenal that keeps alive the Gunners’ slim hopes of qualifying for Europe.
Sam Allardyce’s side were already virtually down but their return to the Championship is now confirmed, with the Baggies sitting 10 points from safety with three games remaining.
Emile Smith Rowe volleyed a smart opener from Bukayo Saka’s cross in the 29th minute after Arsenal had stemmed the visitors’ promising start.Nicolas Pepe made West Brom’s task even more difficult six minutes later when he cut in from the right and curled into the top corner to double Arsenal’s lead. Read more