University
German pharmacists develop gargle test to detect coronavirus
Pharmacists at Germany’s University of Halle-Wittenberg have developed a way of detecting small amounts of coronavirus in gargling solution, a technique which could be used for testing. The study used samples of a solution that patients infected with the coronavirus had gargled with, successfully tracing the virus with a technique called mass spectrometry, the university said in a statement on Wednesday. The institution said the new method must be further refined before it could be used as a standard diagnostic tool to complement existing coronavirus tests. The test is highly specific as it targets protein components that exist only in the novel coronavirus, also known as Sars-CoV-2. “We measure direct peptides coming from the virus, not the genetic material,’’ Andrea Sinz, who worked on t...
Edo guber: I didn’t pour acid on fellow student as undergraduate – Pastor Ize-Iyamu
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, said contrary to what is in circulation, he never poured acid on a fellow student as an undergraduate but rather drew the attention of the school security and took the victim for first aid treatment. Speaking live on an online television programme monitored in Benin City yesterday, Ize-Iyamu said himself and others linked to the incident were rusticated because the identity of the culprit was never known. He said he entered the University of Benin in 1980 to read political science but later changed to law and did not graduate until 1986 because of the rustication adding that he was a member of pirates confraternity while in school. Ize-Iyamu said: “When I was in the University, I was a ...
No masking it: Joe Biden eyes stark contrast with Donald Trump over virus
Joe Biden squared off with Donald Trump on Tuesday over the wearing of masks one day after the White House challenger emerged from coronavirus-imposed lockdown donning one while the president attended two events bare-faced. By wearing a mask at a Memorial Day ceremony in Delaware — and by changing his Twitter profile to a photograph of him donning the black covering — Biden signalled he is putting the coronavirus front and center during the US presidential race in a nation increasingly divided over the pandemic. After the president mocked him for his protective mask, Biden hit back, blasting Trump as an “absolute fool.” It appeared to mark a new front in the war of words between the rival politicians. Trump also attended a somber Monday ceremony honoring America’s fallen, in Baltimore. Ins...
Suspected killer of UniJos lecturer nabbed as kidnapped daughter rescued
One of the suspected killers of Dr Mandi Drenkat, a lecturer with the University of Jos has been arrested at the Babale area of Jos North local government area of Plateau State. The suspect, identified as Ali Mohammed was arrested with one AK 47 rifle and a kidnap victim in their den named Chiboze Joseph rescued unhurt. It would be recalled that the late Dr Drenkat was shot in his home at the University of Jos Senior Staff Quarters on Friday night and his six years old daughter kidnapped but subsequently rescued by the Police. Confirming the arrest and rescue, the State Police Commissioner, Edward Egbuka, who also paraded the suspect told journalists on Sunday, “On 16/5/2020 at about 0030hrs, the Command received a distress call at road 6 University Senior staff quarters, Jos where some ho...
Rivers court sentences two to death for ritual murder of 8-year old
A High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Wednesday sentenced Ifeanyichukwu Maxwell Dike and Ugochukwu Nwamiro to death for the ritual murder of eight-year-old Victory Chikamso. Justice Adolphus Enebeli in his judgement ruled that Dike, 200-Level Student of Physics at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) be hung on his neck till death while Ugochukwu Nwamiro should be hung on his leg until dead with no option of fine for both convicts. Police Sergeant Johnbosco Okoronze, who was found guilty of aiding and assisting the escape of Dike from police custody before being rearrested in course of his trial, was sentenced to one-year imprisonment. Justice Enebeli said he so sentenced Johnbosco Okoronze because he has served two years in prison already and has been dismissed from the poli...
Lagos university inaugurates financial sustainability committee
Lagos State University (LASU) has inaugurated a 21-man Financial Sustainability Committee to evolve strategies to create revenue sources and guarantee the financial sustainability of the institution after the coronavirus pandemic. Inaugurating the committee at a virtual meeting on Tuesday in Lagos, LASU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, said the step became imperative in the light of financial challenges that were envisaged in the wake of, and aftermath of the pandemic. “As a management, we do recognise that our institution, like almost every other institution around the world, are already facing and will face serious financial challenges. “A lot will depend on how institutions chose to manage their affairs that is why the management of LASU felt the need to put in place strategi...
NITDA chief advocates for a ‘digital first’ strategy in coronavirus recovery plan
Commonwealth of Nations On April 30, 2020, the Director-General of NITDA, Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, delivered a presentation on the role of digital technology in limiting the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in a webinar organized by Nile University of Nigeria. The webinar themed “Dealing with Coronavirus: Digital First Perspective,” was another in a series of virtual seminars held by the Nile University of Nigeria in its quest to ensure that its non-classroom educational activities (similar to its regular lectures) are not disrupted by COVID-19. This sentiment was echoed in the program’s opening address by the Vice-Chancellor of Nile University of Nigeria, Prof. Osman Nuri Aras, who stated the University’s commitment to continuing its educational activities (both classroom and non...
Will Premier League with no fans be worth the wait?
The Premier League is adamant that it can overcome huge logistical challenges to get players back on the pitch during the coronavirus crisis but has long since accepted there will be no fans in the stadiums. English Football Association chairman Greg Clarke became the latest senior figure to admit this week that social-distancing guidelines make it impossible for supporters to congregate in stadiums “any time soon”. The drive behind the Premier League’s “Project Restart” is the attempt to avoid having to pay back millions in TV revenue. Clubs could reportedly miss out on £762 million ($946 million) for failing to complete this season alone. According to UEFA’s latest European Club Footballing Landscape report, just 13 percent of the Premier League’s revenue comes from gate receipts. Englan...
Brazil education minister resigns over plagiarism, CV ‘lies’
Brazil’s education minister resigned Tuesday only five days after he was appointed, amid accusations that he lied over his academic record. Carlos Alberto Decotelli was the first black person to be appointed to the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Decotelli handed in his resignation to Bolsonaro in Brasilia, said a spokesman, Paulo Roberto, capping several days of controversy. Bolsonaro named Decotelli last week as replacement for Abraham Weintraub, who resigned in mid-June after becoming embroiled in a series of controversies, including making racist anti-Chinese comments on Twitter. Decotelli had claimed he held a Master’s degree from Brazil’s Getulio Vargas Foundation, a doctorate from Argentina’s University of Rosario and a post-doctorate from Germany’s Wuppertal Unive...