April
Egypt female social media influencers get two-year jail terms
An Egyptian court Monday sentenced five female social media influencers to two years in jail each on charges of violating public morals, a judicial source said. The verdict against Haneen Hossam, Mowada al-Adham and three others came after they had posted footage on video-sharing app TikTok. “The Cairo economic court sentenced Hossam, Adham and three others to two years after they were convicted of violating society’s values,” the judicial source said. The ruling, which can be appealed, included a fine of 300,000 Egyptian pounds ($18,750) for each defendant, the source noted. SOCIAL DIVIDE Hossam was arrested in April after posting a three-minute clip telling her 1.3 million followers that girls could make money by working with her. In May, authorities arrested Adham who had posted satiric...
Super Falcons striker bags award in US
Super Falcons and Linköpings of Sweden forward Uchenna Kanu has been voted the Polk County Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year, in the 2020 All Sports Awards and Hall of Fame ceremony on Tuesday night in the United States of America. This was announced on the Southeastern University (SEU) official website. Kanu is now the fifth SEU athlete to win the honor in program history. The 23-year-old graduated as one of SEU’s most renowned athletes, setting the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) record for career goals with 157 and points with 366. Also, her 57 goals during the 2018 season were also an NAIA record. She played for Southeastern Fire from 2016 to 2018 signed for Sevilla in 2020 before eventually ending up at Linköpings also this year. In years past, the All Spo...
Bayelsa set to pay hazard allowances
The Bayelsa State Government has indicated its readiness to pay special allowances to frontline health workers combating the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Mr Doubara Atasi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Governor, stated this in a statement on Wednesday. It would be recalled that Gov. Douye Diri, had given the assurance to pay the allowances on Tuesday. He said it at a meeting with the representatives of the labour unions including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Association of Resident Doctors in Government House, Yenagoa. Other unions represented at the meeting include the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and Association of Medical Laboratory Sci...
House of Reps probes immigration documents of Chinese in Nigeria
The investigation which began on July 20 in Abuja, is being conducted by the joint house committees on Interior, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring and Commerce. The Speaker of the house, Rep. Femi Gbajabimila, recalled that in April, photos and videos which went viral on the social media allegedly depicted institutionalised racial discrimination, maltreatment of Nigerians in China. He said it also showed xenophobic assaults, embarrassments, illegal detentions and forceful evictions of Nigerians and other Africans living in Guangzhou, China. Gbajabimila said that he summoned the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Zhou Pingjian precisely on April, 10 to register Nigeria’s displeasure with the incident. “Subsequently, the House of Representatives on Tuesday, April 28, issued a strong...
Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-1 to end hopes of record points haul
Arsenal capitalised on shocking errors from Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Alisson to beat the champions 2-1 at The Emirates on Wednesday and end their hopes of a record points tally for the Premier League season. The loss means Liverpool, on 93 points, can now only stretch that tally to 99, one short of Manchester City’s record. Arsenal’s first win against Liverpool since April 2015 lifts them one place to ninth in the table on 53 points. The visitors created all the early pressure and opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Sadio Mane lashed in his 17th goal of the season from close range. Yet the home side, playing without their leading scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, were handed a free pass back into the game 12 minutes later when Van Dijk made a back pass straight into the path ...
Labour hails Nigerian government for remitting N7.45 billion workers’ retirement benefits
The Nigeria Labour Congress has commended the Federal Government for remitting N7.45 billion accrued rights and benefits into the retirement savings accounts of federal retirees covering April and May 2019. The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, described the development as a responsible move by the government “considering the adversity imposed on our retirees and pensioners by the novel coronavirus pandemic.” Wabba in a letter addressed to the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, dated July 14 titled, ‘Remittance of accrued benefits of federal civil servants to the retirees’ retirement saving accounts,’ urged the government to also consider the payment of retirees from June 2019 and July 2020. It read, “We write to commend the Federal Government for its recent decision to release the total sum of ...
Senegalese midfielder Pape Gueye ‘proud’ to join Marseille
Pape Gueye has expressed his delight after completing his move to French side Marseille on a four-year deal. The Olympians recently confirmed the signing of the Senegalese on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with Le Havre last month. The highly-rated defensive midfielder has been with the men in Sky-and-Navy since 2012 after joining the youth setup from Blanc-Mesnil SF. He signed his first professional contract with the side in 2017 after he was promoted to the senior team and made his debut against Chamois Niortais. The Franco-Senegalese played 39 league games for Le Havre, including 25 in Ligue 2 in the 2019-20 season before his departure from the French side. In April, Premier League club Watford announced the signing of the midfielder on a five-year deal only fo...
Family indicts vigilance group over missing man in Rivers
Family members of a missing 22-year-old man, Arinze Obiukwu, are asking the Rivers State Police Command to put pressure on a local vigilance group popularly known as OSPAC in Elele Ikwerre Local Government Area to produce him dead or alive. The elder brother of the missing man, Ifeanyi Obiukwu, said Arinze was arrested on the 27th of April 2020 by members of the vigilance group and efforts to reach him or secure his bail has proved abortive since then. He claimed the family is being threatened by some OSPAC members while some policemen have been inviting and intimidating them while asking for ‘settlement’ over their missing brother. On how his brother was arrested, he said, ‘’On the 27th of April, 2020, along Elele roundabout, my brother Mr. Arinze Obiukwu was arrested by OSPAC operatives ...
President Buhari authorises N19.67 billion for completion of East-West road
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate release of N19.67 billion to ramp up efforts in completing sections I-IV of the East-West Road project by 2021. The presidential directive was part of efforts to address infrastructure deficit in the Niger Delta region and boost its economy. Mr Buhari had, in his Democracy Day address, said the funding of the sections of the road project would be duly released to better the lot of his people and would be followed by a forensic audit. “I am determined to ensure that development meant for the people of the Niger Delta get to them so I have authorised a Forensic Audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission,” the president said. The road project, which was first conceived in 2006 by the Obasanjo administration, was meant to be completed ...
Pupils return to school in Singapore
Pupils wearing face masks returned to school in Singapore on Tuesday and some workplaces re-opened as coronavirus restrictions were eased in the hard-hit city-state. Singapore initially kept infections low through a strict regime of testing and contact-tracing, only for major outbreaks to emerge from crowded dormitories housing low-paid foreign workers. The country has recorded over 35,000 cases – the highest official tally in Southeast Asia – with the vast majority among workers from the dorms. The death toll stands at 24. Authorities imposed a partial lockdown in early April, with schools and most workplaces told to close, and people only allowed to leave home for essential purposes. But with new infections slowing and no major outbreaks outside dorms, the government began easing measure...
Akwa Ibom discharges two coronavirus patients
The Akwa Ibom State Government has discharged two of the 29 COVID-19 patients receiving treatment from its medical facilities. The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, who announced this on Saturday said those discharged have been certified negative by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, bringing to 16, the total of those treated and discharged of the viral infection since the first set of cases were recorded on April 1, 2020. Dr. Ukpong who is also the State Incident Manager explained that Governor Udom Emmanuel has expended so much in healthcare delivery and in emergency operations, and that accounts for the 100% recovery rate currently being experienced in the state. “Yesterday, you saw the magnificent 300 – bed facility that the Governor put up at Ituk Mbang, and I to...
Official: ICPC investigating cases of coronavirus fraud
File Photo The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it is investigating alleged cases of corruption in the management of COVID-19 funds and palliatives. The commission’s Director of Operations, Mr Akeem Lawal, disclosed this during a virtual meeting of stakeholders on the topic, “COVID-19 Funds Management and Monitoring”, on Thursday. In a presentation titled, “ICPC Monitoring Obligation and Strategy Re: COVID-19 Emergency”, Lawal said the cases include alleged fraud by some participating public institution in the release and distribution of grains from strategic food reserve. Others, according to him, include alleged infractions in the procurement of COVID-19 palliatives and logistics and community enlightenment activities. The ICPC official, who...
