Chief Executive
Thomas Bach urges organisers to ignore Tokyo 2020 doubters
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Thomas Bach, has urged organisers to focus on the preparations for next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo as a virtual Coordination Commission meeting got underway. The Coordination Commission, chaired by IOC vice-president John Coates, is set to discuss ways to stage Tokyo 2020 during the pandemic with Tokyo city, Government officials and members of the Organising Committee. Virtual meetings held in two days are expected to focus on simplification measures to reduce the cost of the postponed Games and coronavirus countermeasures. Bach addressed organisers over a video conference call. “Nobody can expect from us that we know already, exactly what needs to be done in 10 month from now to ensure a safe environment for everybody,” he...
NABTEB releases NBC/NTC examinations date
The National Business and Technical Examinations Board, NABTEB, has said it will begin its NBC/NTC examinations from Sept. 21 to Oct. 15. The Registrar and Chief Executive of NABTEB, Prof. Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday. Isiugo-Abanihe said that the National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) for JSS 3 Students’ admission to Technical Colleges had been brought forward from Oct. 3rd to Sept. 5th. ”While commending the Federal Ministry of Education and all state Ministries of Education and their stakeholders, for excellent planning and a smooth resumption of school and examinations for the exit classes, I wish to, on behalf of my Board NABTEB provide the following updates on our examinations”, she said. “A reminder that the NABTEB NBC/NTC examinations...
Manchester United halt summer transfer plans until season objective is reached
According to the MEN, Manchester United have shelved their summer transfer plans until the club’s Champions League fate is clear. Currently in the third spot, the Red Devils face off against fellow top-four hopefuls Leicester City who are just one point behind them. The Red Devils need to avoid a loss on the final day of the season to ensure a top-four finish. A return to Europe’s top competition will be a just reward for United’s brilliant form since the start of the year. The club has lost just once in the league since as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side went from strength to strength. It now appears where we end up will dictate the club’s summer activity. According to the report, United have made no more enquiries about their targets since discovering the transfer window was set to open on J...
Microsoft sees growth amid pandemic computing demands
Microsoft on Wednesday reported rising revenues in the past quarter amid strong demand for cloud computing services from pandemic-hit businesses and consumers and big gains in its Xbox gaming operations. Profits in the quarter ending June 30 fell 15 percent to $11.2 billion, the result of increased tax charges compared with a year ago. Revenue meanwhile rose 13 percent to $38 billion, led by strong gains in its cloud computing and its Xbox gaming services. Chief executive Satya Nadella said Microsoft was equipped to deal with the coronavirus pandemic with its “integrated, modern technology stack.” “We are seeing businesses accelerate the digitization of every part of their operations from manufacturing to sales to customer service,” Nadella told a conference call. Microsoft shares dipped s...
Inter not willing to spend more than €13 million on Alexis Sanchez
Inter chief executive Giuseppe ‘Beppe’ Marotta will try, as much as possible, to satisfy the demands that Manchester United have laid out for Alexis Sanchez according to a report from Italian news outlet FCInter1908.it. Talks with the Premier League club are from simple as the Red Devils have changed their mind regarding price and formula on man occasions already. Inter were initially only open to loaning him again but the report explains that the Nerazzurri club are now thinking about a permanent move for the Chilean international but do not wish to spend any more than €12-13 million on him. Marotta intends to offer such a figure well aware that he will be doing Manchester United a real favour by taking Sanchez’s huge wages of their wage bill. Inter will also need to find an agreement wit...
South Africa Super Rugby teams back in training on Monday
South Africa’s Super Rugby franchises will be allowed to start training next week, officials confirmed on Friday, a step closer to a return to the playing field after a frustrating four months. The game has been suspended in the country since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with South African Rugby having to sit idle as domestic competitions took flight in New Zealand and Australia. “This is an important first step back to playing, and we have taken it carefully to ensure full compliance and having thoroughly interrogated the regulations with government,” SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux said in a statement. “Contact training will not be permitted for the moment but the players will be allowed back onto the field with a rugby ball and back into the gym – while observing strict proto...
Presidency: Ibrahim Magu’s probe shows anti-corruption fight is real
The Presidency on Saturday said those who hold the belief that the ongoing investigation of the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, is an indication of the administration’s failing anti-corruption fight have missed the point. It said rather, the development was a further proof that the fight is real and active. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this in a statement titled “Presidency’s statement on the suspension of Mr Ibrahim Magu.” This is the first time the Presidency will react officially since Magu’s travails started on Monday when he was arrested and brought before the Justice Ayo Salami-led presidential panel. The statement read, “Those who see Magu’s investigation, as a signal ...
Liverpool reiterate need for safe celebrations ahead of Villa clash
Liverpool have again urged their supporters to avoid mass gatherings in the city and to celebrate their Premier League triumph safely at home in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, chief executive Peter Moore said on Friday. Liverpool’s 30-year wait for their 19th English top-flight crown ended last week when Manchester City lost at Chelsea and thousands of fans turned up at their Anfield stadium to celebrate. Local media reported that fans launched fireworks at the Royal Liver Building, with a fire breaking out on the balcony of the landmark owned by Farhad Moshiri, the majority shareholder of the side’s local rivals Everton. Liverpool, Merseyside police and the City Council issued a statement condemning the “wholly unacceptable” behaviour, while manager Juergen Klopp requeste...
Waymo inks deal with Volvo to develop self-driving electric cars
Agence France-Presse Waymo and the Volvo Cars Group have agreed to develop a self-driving electric vehicle designed for ride-hailing use, as part of a new global partnership, the companies said on Thursday. Waymo, a unit of Silicon Valley’s Alphabet, said it will be the exclusive global partner for Volvo Cars for developing self-driving vehicles capable of operating safely without routine driver intervention. Waymo will focus on the artificial intelligence for the software “driver.” Volvo will design and manufacture the vehicles. The companies said Waymo will work with Volvo’s global brands, including Polestar and Lynk & Co. Volvo, owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, has a separate agreement to deliver vehicles to ride-hailing company Uber that Uber will equip to operate as ...
Roadside bomb kills seven in Afghanistan
Seven civilians were killed by a roadside bomb linked to the Taliban in northern Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday, even as authorities pressed for peace talks with the militants. The blast struck a small truck carrying a group of labourers late Monday in the volatile district of Khan Abad, in the province of Kunduz. No group claimed responsibility, but Kunduz provincial spokesman Esmatullah Muradi pointed the finger at the Taliban. “The Taliban usually plant roadside bombs to target security forces, but their bombs usually kill civilians,” he told AFP. Two of six others wounded in the blast were in critical condition, said district chief Hayatullah Amiri. Earlier this year, a United Nations report said more than 10,000 people were killed or wounded in the war in 2019 alone. Overall viol...
Doyin Okupe, wife recover from coronavirus
YouTube A former Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, says he and his wife, Aduralere, have just been discharged after spending about two weeks in an isolation ward in Sagamu, Ogun State, for Covid-19 treatment. Okupe said this in a Facebook post on Tuesday. He wrote, “On April 23, my wife Aduralere and I tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. That same day we were moved to the isolation ward facilities in Sagamu. Glory be to God Almighty Jehovah and His Son Jesus Christ through whose blood that was shed for us at Calvary and by whose stripes we became healed and tested negative twice for the Covid-19 Virus. We were discharged from the isolation centre, in the early hours of today.” The former Presidential aide thanked Ogun state ...
Another Premier League player tests positive for novel coronavirus
A third first-team player from Brighton & Hove Albion tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, the Premier League club’s chief executive Paul Barber has confirmed. Two Brighton players had contracted the novel coronavirus in March and April and the latest positive result could cast doubts on the Premier League’s plans to resume the season that has been suspended due to the pandemic. Clubs are due to meet on Monday to further discuss “Project Restart” which envisages a return to play in June once given the green light from government, with the remaining 92 matches held behind closed doors at neutral venues. “It is a concern. Unfortunately we’ve had a third player test positive yesterday,” Barber told Sky Sports on Sunday. “So despite all of the measures that we’ve been taking over the ...
