Thursday
Nearly 100 teachers, 1,800 students test positive for coronavirus in South Africa
At least 98 teachers and 1,800 learners in South Africa’s Covid-19 epicentre province, the Western Cape, have tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus, forcing 20 schools to close. The schools will be disinfected this week. The southern African nation allowed schools to reopen from June 1. Education MEC Debbie Schafer, however, said the cases had not spiked due to the reopening of schools. “Of this number, 1,537 cases were reported before the schools were reopened,” Ms Schafer said. The provincial Education Department had spent R280 million (US$16.3 million) on hygiene supplies. Pupils and teachers were given two masks each, while schools were equipped with digital thermometers, hand sanitiser, liquid soap, and cleaning supplies. Opposition leader Mmusi Maimane, a former Democratic All...
Jigawa ex-speaker drags speaker to court over committee chairmanship
The previous speaker in the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Isa Idris, and three other House members have vowed to challenge the current Speaker, Alhaji Idris Garba, for stripping them of committee chairmanships. The aggrieved members include the former majority leader from Gumel constituency, Alhaji Isa Isyaku, who was until his removal the Chairman of the Emergency Relief Committee, while the former chief whip from Ringim constituency, Alhaji Aminu Sule, was Chairman, House Committee on Due Process. Former Speaker Idris, who was the Chairman, House Committee on Dutse Community Development Authority (DCDA), was stripped of his chairmanship along with a member representing Taura, Alhaji Dayyabu Shehu, was removed as Chairman, Committee on Petitions. The embattled members have accu...
Delta medical practitioners declare two-day warning strike over kidnap of colleague
Medical doctors in Delta have declared a two-day warning strike to protest the kidnap of a Principal Medical Officer Dr. Wisdom Iboyitete, who was kidnapped at the General Hospital, Ojobo, in Burutu Local Government Area of the state on Monday. The warning strike, it was learñt took effect this morning, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Iboyitete was whisked away by arms-wielding gunmen who pretended to be patients in the wee hours of Monday and reportedly whisked him to unknown location through the creeks in the Ijaw riverine community. The two-day warning strike was declared on Monday night by the state branch of the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) at the end of an emergency meeting of the body. In a statement obtained by newsmen on Tuesday, the...
Sony announces PS5 event for June 4th
Sony is officially confirming its next PlayStation 5 event will be held on Thursday, June 4th. The event will begin at 4PM ET / 1PM PT, and Sony is promising “a look at the future of gaming on PlayStation 5.” It will run for “a bit more than an hour,” and feature “a first look at the games you’ll be playing after PlayStation 5 launches this holiday,” according to Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. “The games coming to PS5 represent the best in the industry from innovative studios that span the globe. Studios, both larger and smaller, those newer and those more established, all have been hard at work developing games that will showcase the potential of the hardware,” says Ryan. “This digital showcase will run for a bit more than an hour and, for the first time, w...
George Floyd: We’ll evaluate evidence – US
The United States says it will compile and evaluate information obtained from witnesses in the killing of a black man, George Floyd. In a joint statement on Thursday, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Minneapolis Field Office said they were conducting a “robust criminal investigation” into the circumstances surrounding Floyd’s killing on May 25. “The Department of Justice asks for cooperation from all witnesses who believe they have relevant information and urges calm as investigators methodically continue to gather facts. “The Department of Justice and FBI’s comprehensive investigation will compile all available information and thoroughly evaluate evidence and information obtain...
ICC allows Ivory Coast ex-president Laurent Gbagbo to leave Belgium
Ivory Coast’s former president Laurent Gbagbo can leave Belgium under certain conditions, the International Criminal Court said on Thursday, following his acquittal last year over post-election violence that killed 3 000 people. Gbagbo, the first head of state to stand trial in The Hague, and his deputy Charles Ble Goude were cleared in early 2019 of crimes against humanity – eight years after the former West African strongman’s arrest and transfer to the court. Belgium had agreed to host Gbagbo after he was released under strict conditions, including his return to court for a prosecution appeal against his acquittal. An ICC spokesperson said Gbagbo could travel provided the country he was going to agreed to receive him. It therefore remains uncertain if Gbagbo can return to Ivory Coast, w...
George Floyd: Protesters set US police station ablaze
A police station in Minnesota went up in flames late Thursday in a third day of demonstrations as the so-called Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul seethed over the shocking police killing of a handcuffed black man. The station, which police had abandoned, burned after a group of protesters pushed through barriers around the building, breaking windows and chanting slogans. A much larger crowd demonstrated as the building went up in flames. The crowd was protesting the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, who died after Minneapolis police arrested him on Monday on suspicion of using a counterfeit banknote. Police handcuffed him and held him to the ground, with a bystander video showing an officer pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck. The videos showed Floyd saying that he couldn...
Katsina to build 722-bed capacity isolation centres
The Katsina State government has said it is building isolation centres, with a combined 722-bed capacity, across the state for effective treatment of COVID-19 patients. Governor Aminu Masari announced this when he received three ambulances, donated by BUA Foundation to the state, on Thursday in Katsina. “On our own, we are building isolation centres at various locations across the state, with a combined 722-bed capacity, for treatment of COVID-19 patients. “We have finished one of the centres and admission has started there. Rehabilitation and reconstruction of two others are in progress,’’ he said. The governor, therefore, solicited for assistance in the area of hospital beds and beddings for the isolation centres from public-spirited individuals and corporate organisations. “I am making ...
NDDC HQ shut over ‘coronavirus outbreak’
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has ordered the immediate shutdown of the headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission in Port Harcourt following the sudden death of the Commission’s Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Chief Ibanga Etang. Chief Etang, whose death occurred in the early hours of Thursday at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital in Port Harcourt, was suspected to have died from complications arising from coronavirus disease. To this ends, Senator Akpabio has directed all staff of the Commission currently exhibiting symptoms not to panic but to report to the nearest NCDC centre in Port Harcourt for evaluation. The ministry in a statement by its Director, Press & PR, Mrs Deworitshe Patricia said the “Minister of N...
68 NYSC members to repeat service year in Lagos
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) coordinator in Lagos, Eddy Megwa, says 68 corps members in the 2019 Stream I Batch B would have to repeat their service year in the state. The state coordinator made this known on Thursday, at the Ikeja Local Government Secretariat, one of the venues for the passing out ceremony of corps members. Mr Megwa said a total of 6, 196 received their Certificates of National Service, with three corps members distinguishing themselves during the service year. He said the three would be receiving state merit awards for their outstanding performance in their service year. The coordinator said that the Executive Governor of Lagos State would present the merit awards. Mr Megwa commended the outgoing corps members for performing well during the service year “We are ha...
Javier Tebas: La Liga could return with Sevilla-Betis derby on June 11
La Liga president Javier Tebas is hoping to resume the 2019-20 season on Thursday, June 11 with the Seville derby. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed on Saturday that the Spanish top flight had been given permission to resume behind closed doors from June 8 following the coronavirus-enforced hiatus in March. Previous reports had suggested the first match would be played on June 12, exactly three months after the suspension started, with Sevilla’s home match against bitter rivals Real Betis said to be the chosen match. While Tebas confirmed the derby to be his desired fixture, he revealed on Sunday that he is hoping to resume a day earlier, with kick-off to be set at 22:00 local time due to the intense heat in Andalusia’s capital. Speaking on the Partidazo show, Tebas said: “The...
Oyo state records 28 new coronavirus cases
Oyo State has recorded 28 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the latest figures released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Thursday night. The 28 cases in the state were among the 339 figures recorded in 18 states on Thursday. The latest figure has increased the total number recorded in the state to 190. The recent daily increase in the number of people who tested positive to COVID-19 has created fear among residents, though the majority of them still go out without the use of face masks against the directive of the government. This nonchalant attitude of some of the residents had prompted the state COVID-19 Task Force to intensified sensitisation programme in the Oke-Ogun area of the state on Thursday, where it threatened to sanction erring members of the publ...
