December
Diego Maradona celebrates Dries Mertens for becoming Napoli’s all-time scorer
Diego Maradona has congratulated Dries Mertens for becoming Napoli’s all-time top goalscorer. “Like this, we get better every day.” Maradona had been Napoli’s top scorer for almost three decades on 115 goals, until Marek Hamsik surpassed him in December 2017. Hamsik left Napoli on 121 goals, which Mertens had been stuck on since February before his equaliser against Inter, which also sent the Partenopei into the Coppa Italia Final. “Hi Dries, my friend! I’m proud of you for breaking my record because, like this, Napoli get better every day,” the Argentine icon said in an Instagram video. “I’d like us to have a team who surpass the ones I played in so we can win another Scudetto for the people of Naples.” ‘El Pibe de Oro’ added in the caption: “A few months ago, Mertens said he cared so muc...
US: Malta seizes $1 billion in counterfeit Libyan money
Maltese authorities have seized counterfeit Libyan money worth $1.1 billion that was printed by a Russian firm and worsen the north African country’s economic problems, the US State Department said. There was no official statement on Saturday from Valletta although Malta Today newspaper had published a report about $1.1 billion in counterfeit money seized in Malta on its Facebook site that was no longer available. “The United States commends the Government of the Republic of Malta’s announcement May 26 of its seizure of $1.1 billion of counterfeit Libyan currency printed by Joint Stock Company Goznak – a Russian state-owned company – and ordered by an illegitimate parallel entity,” the State Department said. “The Central Bank of Libya headquartered in Tripoli is Libya’s only legitimate cen...
Vincent Kompany turns down offer to be Pep Guardiola’s assistant
Vincent Kompany has turned down an offer from Manchester City to become Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach, according to various Belgian media reports on Friday. The former City captain is under contract as player-manager of Anderlecht until 2022, having left the Etihad Stadium last year following a trophy-laden 11-year spell in England. Kompany, who has never concealed his desire to one day be City manager, said he wanted to stay at Anderlecht. On Thursday, Belgium’s most successful club responded to recent financial difficulties as Wouter Vandenhaute took over from Marc Coucke as president. Anderlecht finished only eighth in the Belgian league season, which was curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic, their worst post-war position. City boss Guardiola has been looking for a new assistant sinc...
Shanghai Shenhua ready to allow Odion Ighalo remain with Manchester United on one condition
Shanghai Shenhua are reportedly considering Odion Ighalo to stay at Manchester United beyond May, provided he sign a new contract with them. Ighalo’s currently six-month loan is set to expire in the next few days and the Premier League side are keen to keep the for another six months following his impressive performances. The Chinese side initially was only interested in discussing 20 million pounds of permanent transfer for the player, a price tag that United considered too excessive. However, the latest reports claimed Shanghai Shenhua is now ready to allow the player remain in England for the next six months but must sign a new deal that will tie him to the club for the next four years. Ighalo’s current deal in China is up in December 2022. The offer on the table is reportedly worth £40...
Senator Lawan: Why privatisation of power sector must be reviewed now
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has called for the immediate review of the privatization exercise of the power sector by previous administrations. Lawan gave the charge in his concluding remarks on a motion considered on the floor during plenary on Tuesday. The motion titled: “Power Sector Recovery Plan and the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic” was sponsored by Senator Gabriel Suswam (PDP – Benue North East). The Senate President, who bemoaned what he described as the “inefficiency of Power Generating and Distribution companies” in the country, called for a review or eventual reversal of the terms of privatization. According to Lawan, parties involved in the shared purchase agreement with the federal government can only seek the intervention of the latter when sufficiently justified. “The...
Federal government donates 5,318 metric tons of foodstuff to Kano
The Federal Government said it has delivered a total of 139 truck-loads of foodstuff which is equivalent to 5,318 metric tons to Kano State, for distribution to the less-privileged, and people living with disabilities as palliatives against the effect of COVID-19. The relief items were 10 trucks of rice; 2,438 metric tonnes of Maize; 1,380 metric tonnes of millet and 900 metric tonnes of sorghum in a total of 139 trucks each ferrying 60 metric tons to feed 300,000 households. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, who stated this in a statement, yesterday, disclosed that the10 trucks of rice came from the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), while maize, millet and sorghum were drawn from the country’s strategic food reserves as authori...
China admits to destroying early coronavirus samples, says action was taken due to safety concerns
China has acknowledged it destroyed early samples of COVID-19, confirming a claim put forward by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo late last month. On Friday, Liu Dengfeng, a supervisor with China’s National Health Commission, admitted that ‘the Chinese government issued an order on January 3 to dispose of coronavirus samples’ at unauthorized laboratories, according to Newsweek. But Liu denied that the samples were destroyed as part of a cover-up, insisting that they were disposed of so as to ‘prevent risk to laboratory biological safety and prevent secondary disasters caused by unidentified pathogens.’ He stated that the labs were ‘unauthorized’ to handle such samples, and they had to be terminated in order to comply with Chinese public health laws. Liu did not specify how many labs des...
National Assembly leadership meets finance minster over 2020 budget amendment
The Leadership of the National Assembly on Thursday met with the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to be briefed by the latter on the plan by the Federal Government to amend the N10.59 trillion 2020 budget passed by the National Assembly in December last year. The meeting which had in attendance principal officers from both chambers, was presided over by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. The Senate President, in his welcome address told the Executive arm of Government to ensure that the interest of Nigerians remains protected in the proposed cut to the 2020 national budget. Lawan also expressed the willingness of the Federal lawmakers to expeditiously consider the proposed amendment to the 2020 budg...
China’s Wuhan reports first coronavirus infection in over a month
China on Sunday reported the first case of coronavirus in over a month in Wuhan, the city where the outbreak first started in December last year. China’s National Health Commission also reported the first double-digit increase in countrywide cases in nearly 10 days, saying 14 new infections had been confirmed. Two of the cases were imported into the country from overseas, the commission said. The coronavirus first emerged in China’s Wuhan, a major industrial and transport city in central China, in December. It has since infected nearly four million people worldwide — claiming more than 270,000 lives — and crippled the global economy. The total number infected in China is 82,901, with an official death toll of 4,633. No new deaths have been reported for nearly a month. China’s ruling Commun...
China admits coronavirus exposed ‘shortcomings’ in healthcare system
The coronavirus outbreak exposed “shortcomings” in China’s public healthcare system, a top health official admitted Saturday, saying that reforms are underway to improve the country’s disease prevention and control mechanisms. China has faced criticism both at home and abroad for downplaying the virus and concealing information about the outbreak when it first emerged in the central city of Wuhan in December. The virus has since infected nearly four million people worldwide — claiming more than 270,000 lives — and crippled the global economy. Beijing has insisted it has always shared information with the World Health Organization and other countries in a timely manner. But on Saturday Li Bin, deputy director of China’s National Health Commission, made a rare admission when he said the heal...
Activists press Morroco on fate of 39 political prisoners
Associated Press The fate of 39 Saharawi Political Prisoners in Moroccan jail have become the focus of a new regional campaign from African activists who are asking King Mohammed VI of Morocco to release the men for fear of their exposure to the coronavirus disease. The Movement for the Liberation of Western Sahara, (NMLWS) issued a statement on Wednesday in Abuja through its Nigerian coordinator, Oladipo Fasina, a philosophy professor and noted advocate for academic freedom. According to the statement, the Saharawi prisoners, held for seeking independence for Africa’s last colony, “are in grave danger of contracting the coronavirus as a result of their underlying health conditions resulting from extreme torture and hunger strike they have undergone as prisoners.” Mr Fasina said, “this arb...
