BAMY BLOG

In an extraordinary move, the Pentagon on Saturday said it put military units on a four-hour recall status to be ready if requested by Minnesota’s governor amid civil unrest following the killing of a black man(George Floyd) by a white Minneapolis police officer. It was unclear when the U.S. military last invoked such a short timeline to potentially recall U.S. troops, something it might do for contingencies such as natural disasters. “At this time there is no request by the Governor of Minnesota for Title 10 forces to support the Minnesota National Guard or state law enforcement,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

The European Union has called on the United States to “reconsider” the decision to sever ties with the World Health Organisation (WHO) over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump said Friday he was severing US ties with the WHO, accusing it of failing to do enough to combat the initial spread of the virus. The United States was the largest contributor to the WHO budget, providing at least $400 million in annual funding. “The WHO needs to continue being able to lead the international response to pandemics, current and future,” Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said in a joint statement. “For this, the participation and support of all is required and very much needed.” The statement noted that the EU had already provided additional funding for the UN agency. “As the world continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the main task for everyone is to save lives and contain and mitigate this pandemic,” it s

India has announced a major relaxation of the world’s biggest coronavirus lockdown from early June, except for so-called “containment zones” with high numbers of infections. A home ministry order said that places of religious worship, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls “will be allowed” to operate from June 8, while educational establishments will be opened “after consultations” with Indian state authorities. The announcement came even after the world’s second-most populous country announced another record daily rise in infections, taking the total to more than 85,000 cases with almost 5,000 deaths.

A group, Friends of President Donald Trump in Nigeria named ‘MAGA Group’ has written a letter to President Donald Trump describing in detail how the recent position of the US Secretary of State, Robert Munichin, is damaging American interest across Africa. They said the act coincided with a time of Chinese insistent resurgence on the African continent. The letter issued to journalists on Saturday, ,noted that the current American position calling for further probe of the AFDB President amounted to Washington shooting itself in the foot as the crisis was painting America in bad light among a cross section of Africans. The letter signed by three leaders of the group , Dr Robert John, Chief Arowosaye Enitan, and Abdulahi Usman reads in part: ”It is with deep anxiety and shock that we write to seek Mr President’s intervention on the seeming lingering dispute over the leadership of the African Development Bank. We are not by any means disputing the rights of the United States govern

At least 268 Nigerians evacuated from China due to the Coronavirus pandemic have arrived in Abuja. The flight which conveyed the evacuees landed at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja yesterday afternoon. More details later... 

The end of the basketball drought is (possibly) in sight -- with NBA commissioner Adam Silver targeting a July 31 return to the 2020 season. The league notified team owners about the goal date on Friday ... in hopes to finally continue action after suspending the season on March 11. It's a bit of good news for NBA fans, but one big question that still remains -- will the Association skip straight to the playoffs, or will it allow teams to earn their spots in the postseason? According to Shams Charania, the league is considering 4 possible scenarios ... Option 1 -- Go straight to the playoffs with the 16 teams that are currently at the top of each conference. Option 2 -- Allow the top 20 teams to compete in group/stage play. Option 3 -- Have 22 teams continue the season and have a play-in tournament to determine final seeding. Option 4 -- Bring all 30 teams back and have a 72-game season with play-in tourney. Of course, most NBA players (like LeBron James) want t

Elon Musk is having a rough week -- one of his SpaceX rockets ignited into a massive ball of fire Friday, and yet ... there's still some good news. The company's 4th prototype of its Starship rocket was fueled up on a south Texas launchpad when it burst into flames. You can hear SpaceX engineers discussing something about a possible methane leak, though it's unclear if that was from the rocket or something nearby the pad. Either way ... something lit Elon's baby on fire. Luckily, the test was unmanned -- unlike the Crew Dragon spacecraft, they hope to send into orbit on Saturday from Cape Canaveral. Wednesday's launch was scrubbed due to crappy weather in Florida. Right now, the launch still only has a 50/50 shot of going off as scheduled. It rains a lot in FL and could get pushed to Sunday. As for the Starship rocket ... SpaceX hopes that will eventually be able to carry large numbers of space tourists -- up to 100 at a time -- into space, and eventually

Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter, and according to the complaint he created "an unreasonable risk and taking a chance of causing death or great bodily harm to George Floyd." The D.A. announced the charges Friday and said Chauvin is in custody, but the other 3 officers are still under investigation and no charges have been filed ... at least not yet. According to the complaint, an officer approached George Floyd's car and ordered him out at gunpoint, claiming he passed counterfeit currency. Once Floyd put his hands on the steering wheel, the cop holstered his gun. The complaint says George "actively resisted being handcuffed." Once in cuffs, however, he became compliant, according to the complaint. The complaint is based, in part, on the various body cam videos the D.A. reviewed. Cops told George he was being arrested for passing bogus money, and then walked him across the s

In a bid to curb the high rate of unemployment in the country, the Federal Government has rolled out a scheme which will see unemployed youths in rural areas earning N20,000 per month. The youths will be engaged in the clearing of drainages, sweeping markets, road maintenance, traffic control, and cleaning of public infrastructures like health centres and schools. The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), said this at a news conference yesterday. Keyamo said the scheme targeted 1,000 youths each from the 774 local governments across the country. The minister said the programme is one of the biggest social intervention schemes to be carried out within a short period of time by any government in the history of Nigeria. The proposed Special Public Works Programme in the Rural Areas, is domiciled in the National Directorate of Employment for implementation and is expected to take off in October. The minister’s speech read in part, “The pilot progr

Italy’s Serie A can resume on June 20 after a three-month absence in a country hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora said on Thursday. “The Technical and Scientific Committee gave its agreement on the protocol and the federatio assured me that it had a plan B and a plan C,” Spadafora said after a meeting with Italian football chiefs. “In the light of these considerations, the championship can resume on June 20.” No top-flight matches have been played since Sassuolo beat Brescia 3-0 on March 9, before the championship was suspended by a pandemic which has killed over 33,000 people in Italy.

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 Niger Delta Affairs, Dr Godswill Akpabio, has directed the immediate temporary closure of the Corporate Headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Port Harcourt as a result

The Executive Governor of Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun has eased lockdown of the state. He has declared the weekdays – Mondays to Fridays- free for movement and business activities between 6am and 8pm. While Saturdays and Sundays would henceforth be observed as total lockdown. The new eased lockdown, Abiodun added, takes effect from Monday, June 1st. The Governor made these known on Thursday evening at the Oke – Mosan Governor’s Office while addressing newsmen.

In celebration of his one year anniversary, Governor of Oyo State has distributed seedlings and herbicides to farmers in Iseyin community. Governor 'seyi Makinde said the distribution of the seedlings was to assist farmers to improve on their farming in Oke-Ogun area noted for agricultural activities. According to him, the high yield seedlings, cassava stems and chemicals distributed will enhance food production in the state. He said his administration valued the contribution of the people of Oke-Ogun, who were predominantly farmers, to the food security of the state. “That is the reason this administration awarded the Ibadan-Iseyin road to contractor. “The road, when completed, will make transportation of farm produce to cities easier. “Plans are also underway for rehabilitation of over 1,000 kilometres rural access roads across the states,’’ Makinde said. The governor further said that his government would soon open another 6,000 hectares of land for cultivation

President of the federal republic of Nigeria, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has written to the House of Representatives to request for the approval of fresh external borrowings totalling $5.513bn. Buhari, in the letter read by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the plenary earlier today, said the funds were for 2020 budget deficit, financing of critical projects, and some states of the federation. The President also presented a revised 2020 Appropriation Bill and 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper. The National Assembly had recently approved a loan of N850bn for the Federal Government, while another of $22.79bn, which the Senate has already approved, is pending before the House.

A Canadian court has ruled against Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on Wednesday in her extradition case to the US on fraud charges. However, the company said it has faith her innocence will ultimately be maintained. Meng, the CFO of the telecom giant and eldest daughter of its founder is wanted by the U.S for alleged fraud. The US authorities alleged that she lied to HSBC Bank about Huawei’s relationship with its Iran-based affiliate Skycom, putting the bank at risk of violating US sanctions against Tehran. In a statement posted on Twitter, Huawei Canada said; “Huawei is disappointed in the ruling today by the Supreme Court of British Columbia, we have repeatedly expressed confidence in Ms Meng’s innocence”. “Huawei continues to stand with Ms Meng in her pursuit for justice and freedom.” “We expect that Canada’s judicial system will ultimately prove Ms Meng’s innocence. Ms Meng’s lawyers will continue to work tirelessly to see justice is served,” the comp

Saudi Arabia will end its nationwide coronavirus curfew from June 21, except in the holy city of Mecca, the interior ministry said Tuesday, after more than two months of stringent curbs. Prayers will also be allowed to resume in all mosques outside Mecca from May 31, the ministry said in a series of measures announced on the official Saudi Press Agency. The kingdom, which has reported the highest number of virus cases in the Gulf, imposed a full nationwide curfew during Eid el-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The ministry said it will begin easing restrictions in a phased manner this week, with the curfew relaxed between 6 am and 3 pm between Thursday and Saturday. From Sunday until June 20, the curfew will be further eased until 8 pm, the ministry added. The kingdom will lift the lockdown entirely from June 21. “Starting from Thursday, the kingdom will enter a new phase (in dealing with the pandemic) and will gradually return

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has appointed the award-winning Nigerian musician, producer and songwriter, Cobhams Asuquo, as its National Ambassador. UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Peter Hawkins, announced the appointment in a statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Wednesday. Hawkins said that the appointment made the celebrated artist UNICEF Nigeria’s first National Ambassador in the last 15 years. Asuquo, a lawyer by training, is a singer and musician who shot to fame when he produced the debut album of Nigerian soul sensation “Asa”. This include Asa’s hit singles, “Fire on the Mountain” and “Jailer”. Hawkins explained that as UNICEF National Ambassador, Asuquo would help raise awareness on concerns around children’s rights and solutions, including issues around birth registration, immunisation, education and protection from violence. “I am delighted to welcome Asuquo to the UNICEF family, particularly on Nigerian Children’s Day, dedicated to ev

Brazil’s health ministry has said it would not change its recommendation to treat coronavirus with hydroxychloroquine, despite the World Health Organization’s decision to suspend trials of the drug over safety concerns. Like his US counterpart Donald Trump, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has touted the supposed benefits of hydroxychloroquine and a related drug, chloroquine, against the new coronavirus. Studies, however, have questioned their safety and efficacy against the disease, including one published Friday in respected medical journal The Lancet that found the drugs actually increased the risk of death. That led the WHO to suspend a worldwide clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment Monday. “We’re remaining calm and there will be no change” to the Brazilian guideline issued last week, health ministry official Mayra Pinheiro told a news conference. The guideline recommended doctors in the public health system prescribe either chloroquine or hyd

Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has revealed the country's intention to end travel warning for tourist trips. According to him, the travel ban would be lifted for 31 European countries from June 15. If the coronavirus situation allows, 26 other European Union nations and Britain as well as four non-EU countries in the Schengen passport-free zone (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) will be allowed into Germany. Magazine Focus on Tuesday cited DPA news agency on a report that a verdict on European tourism may be agreed by the cabinet on Wednesday.

Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu has lifted the ban on religious gathering which was put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus in the state. The Governor made this known at a press briefing earlier on Wednesday, as he stated that the ban was lifted after consultations with religious leaders and other stakeholders in the state. Akeredolu said that while the weekly Friday Jumat services and Sunday Church services will commence first, other programmes within the week are not yet approved to take-off. He stressed; For churches, not more than three people are expected to sit on a pew while the equivalent applies to the sitting positions in the mosques and other worship centres as well. Water and soap must be provided at all entries into the centres or halls of worship 2hile all worshipers must be made to wash their hands in the standard pattern. approved and practised since the beginning of the pandemic. He also explained that; Hand sanitizers must be provided

President of the United States, Donald Trump has threatened to close down social media platforms after Twitter labelled two of his tweets “unsubstantiated” and accused him of making false claims. Twitter targeted tweets in which the president said that mail-in voting would lead to fraud and a “Rigged Election” in November. Under the tweets, Twitter posted a link which read “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” — a first for the social network which has long resisted calls to censure the president. In response, Trump fought back, tweeting that “Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen.” Trump repeated his allegations, saying “we can’t let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. “Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!

The Federal Government has revealed that it would roll out the course of action for the reopening of schools in the country. The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 made this known during a briefing earlier today in Abuja. While congratulating children in the country on the occasion of this year’s Children’s Day, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation urged stakeholders to begin to take steps that would aid the reopening of schools in the country. He said, “I wish to inform Nigerians that the Federal Ministry of Education will roll out measures for the self-reopening of schools. “The Presidential Task Force wishes to use the occasion of this celebration to congratulate our children and assure them, their parents and all stakeholders alike that all hands are on deck to reopen schools at a safe time. “We, therefore, use this medium to urge states, local governments, proprietors and all other stakeholders to begin to take steps that will facilitate a

Notable figures across entertainment, sports, and politics are speaking out against the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who allegedly suffocated while being detained by police. The tragic incident occurred Monday in Minneapolis, after officers attempted to arrest Floyd on suspicion of forgery. A passerby filmed an officer kneeling on the back of Floyd's neck, as the 46-year-old was face down on the pavement screaming, "Please, I can't breathe!" The officer ignores Floyd's pleas and refuses to release the man from his hold. Moments later, Floyd goes quiet and appears to lose consciousness. He was transported to the hospital and was pronounced dead. LeBron James and Snoop Dogg were among those who juxtaposed the disturbing image of the kneeling officer to a photo of Colin Kaepernick's #TakeaKnee demonstration against police brutality. Kaepernick's girlfriend, Nessa, retweeted the side-by-side pictures, which showed "This ..." ove

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has added two new molecular laboratory centres to its testing facilities across the country, increasing the number from 26 to 28. Announcing this yesterday, the NCDC on its Twitter page, @NCDCgov, said the laboratories include the Afriglobal Medicare Laboratory in Ogun State and the Sahel Centre for Molecular Diagnostics and Research in Katsina State. It said: “This brings the total number of molecular laboratory network with COVID-19 testing capacity in Nigeria to 28.”

NASA and SpaceX are set to launch a crewed mission Wednesday to the International Space Station from U.S. soil for the first time since 2011. Two NASA astronauts will be on board the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft in what is the final part of the testing phase of NASA’s work with private companies to return to launching Americans into space. Since the retirement of the space shuttle program, NASA has relied on partnering with the Russian space agency in order to send U.S. astronauts to the ISS. U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are expected to be at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for Wednesday’s launch. There were concerns earlier this week that weather could interfere, but the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron said Tuesday that prospects seemed to be improving, and that there was a 60% chance of favorable conditions. If the launch is unable to go forward Wednesday, NASA and SpaceX would try again Saturday. A Wednesday launch would put the s

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said it has put in place arrangements on passenger facilitation, ahead of resumption of flights. The GM Corporate Affairs of FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu, stated this while speaking at an aviation webinar organised by Women in Aviation (WIA) Nigeria with the theme: “Aviation: The New Norm in the post COVID-19.” Yakubu warned passengers to expect delays and long hours of checks and re-checks from when they arrive the airport until they depart. She said noted escorts of VIPs would no longer be allowed to follow their principals into the terminal. “We are going to expect flight delays, flights will experience delays from checks and re-checks. If you are travelling, I will expect a potential traveler to leave home hours before his flight. Why do I say this? “Because there is going to be a lot of checks in the front of the terminal we have been told that some may activities and procedures will take place in front of the terminal. S

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday evening announced that Non-essential retailers are to be allowed to reopen in England in June. Shops selling clothes, furniture, electronics or books, as well as auction houses and tailors are to be allowed to offer their services again from June 15. Outdoor markets can reopen as of June 1. Retail premises must be made “COVID-secure,” Johnson said. On March 23, Johnson closed all stores that did not serve primary needs as part of efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Supermarkets and pharmacies remained open. The prime minister had already announced on Sunday that schools in England would be opened again for certain classes from June. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are going their own way in the fight against the coronavirus. Britain is the country with the most COVID-19 victims in Europe. So far, 36,914 deaths have been recorded, Johnson said on Monday evening. It is believed there is also a high number of u

The World Health Organisation has announced that it has suspended a clinical trial of the anti-malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine in coronavirus patients. The UN agency said it did so out of safety concerns. It said it was concerned about safety of the drug, after a study from The Lancet revealed higher mortality rates among COVID-19 patients who took the drugs. “The authors reported that among #COVID19 patients receiving the drug, when used alone or with a macrolide, they estimated a higher mortality rate”, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday. He said hydroxychloroquine and chloraquine drugs are accepted as generally safe for use in patients with autoimmune diseases or malaria. Hydroxychloroquine has been touted by President Donald Trump as a cure for coronavirus. He even revealed he took the medication for two weeks as prophylactic Read Tedros full statement below: On Friday, The Lancet published an observational study on hydroxycholoroquin

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said that schools will remain closed until a vaccine for the novel coronavirus is ready. Without a vaccine, sending children to school “spells disaster,” Duterte said during a late-night television address yesterday. “I will not allow the opening of classes where students will be near each other. “Unless I am sure that they are really safe, it’s useless to be talking about opening of classes,” he said. The Department of Education had set the opening of the school year for Aug. 24 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, three months after its traditional start in June. But the department stressed that “school opening will not necessarily mean traditional face-to-face learning in (the) classroom.” “The physical opening of schools will depend on the risk severity grading or classification of a locality,” it added when it announced the new school calendar. Schools have been conducting online lessons for students who have access to computers an

Super Eagles goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi will become a full South African citizen this year following his five-year stay in the country. Akpeyi will be issued a South African passport by the country’s government after spending the last five years playing for two clubs in the ABSA Premier League. The 33-year-old linked up with Chippa United from Warri Wolves in 2015 after impressing in a friendly encounter between Nigeria and South Africa. The experienced goalie later moved to Kaizer Chiefs in 2018 following injury to Itumeleng Khune and is now the Amakhosi’s first choice. Akpeyi, who recently signed a new two-year deal with the club, will now be registered as a South African in the PSL which will allow Orlando Pirates sign another foreign player.

The Iraqi Health Ministry said that it will maintain the partial curfew after the holiday of Eid-el-Fitr to curb the spread of coronavirus pandemic. According to the Ministry, further health preventive measures will be taken starting from next week. “The health measures after Eid al-Fitr holiday … will include continuing the partial curfew, and the ministry will assess the epidemiological situation after the holiday to take measures appropriate to the health situation,” the health minister Hassan al-Tamimi said in a statement. Al-Tamimi attributed the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases to the lack of abidance by some citizens to the health preventive measures and curfew instructions. Iraq has recorded 4,469 COVID-19 cases, 2,738 recoveries and 160 deaths. Since the outbreak of the disease, Iraq has been taking measures to contain the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, including a nationwide curfew. On May 10, the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed

Spain, on Monday, urged foreign tourists to return from July as one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns eased, with streets gradually filling again and some pupils returning to school. The world’s second-most visited nation closed its doors and beaches in March to handle the COVID-19 pandemic but has seen out the worst and plans to lift a 14-day quarantine requirement on overseas arrivals within weeks. “It is perfectly coherent to plan summer vacations to come to Spain in July,’’ Tourism Minister, Reyes Maroto, told radio station Onda Cero as Spain geared up to salvage a tourism industry that normally draws 80 million people a year. The hard-hit capital Madrid is coming back to life on Monday, with people allowed back into its main Retiro Park and a few bars and restaurant terraces reopening. “This is great, I was really looking forward to it. “And so was my dog!’’ said interior designer, Anna Pardo, walking her pet in the sunshine in the Retiro. Strolling, jogging and chatt

President Donald Trump yesterday suspended travel from Brazil, which has emerged as a major new hotspot in the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said. Non-Americans who have been in Brazil in the 14-day period prior to when they seek admittance to the US cannot come to America, said White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Trade is not affected by the new rule. “Today’s action will help ensure foreign nationals who have been in Brazil do not become a source of additional infections in our country,” she said in a statement. With more than 360,000 confirmed cases, Brazil now has the second-biggest caseload in the world, after the United States. It has registered more than 22,000 deaths. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is a political ally of Trump and with his brash, not politically correct way of speaking, he has been dubbed the “Tropical Trump.” And, like Trump, Bolsonaro has downplayed the health crisis, famously comparing the virus to a “little flu” and arguin

To all our Muslim readers all over the world, May Allah bring you joy, happiness, peace and prosperity on this blessed occasion. Wishing you and your family God's blessings on this happy occasion of Eid! Eid Mubarak! Stay safe ❤️❤️❤️

Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says the country’s top flight LaLiga can resume as early as June 8. The announced date is four days earlier than when the division had hoped to hold the restart of the suspended 2019-20 season. Although no official date of when the action will return has been confirmed. And Sanchez said Spain has done what it needed to do and now new horizons can open for everyone. “The time has come to recover many of our daily activities. From June 8 La Liga will be able to return,’ Sanchez said on Saturday. “Spanish football has a huge following but it will not be the only recreation activity that will return.” Spanish clubs were given the go ahead to restart training this week, two months after the coronavirus brought the game to a halt across Europe. Spanish football was suspended on March 12 amid the Covid-19 pandemic but LaLiga side stepped up their training sessions on Monday morning. Players are no longer training on their own. They can tra

Ex-Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino has said he is open to coaching again in England’s Premier League and will make a decision on his future based on the kind of project put to him by any potential employer, whether in the top six or not. The Argentine took Spurs to the Champions League final last year but his side were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool. He was sacked in November, ending a successful but ultimately trophy-less 5-1/2 years in charge of the club. Reports in the British media have said the 48-year-old is among the top contenders to replace Steve Bruce at Newcastle United if a proposed Saudi-backed takeover of the club goes through. “I love England,” Pochettino told Sky Sports. “My idea is to keep living in London, but at the same time I’m open to different countries, to listen and see what happens. “I’m ready and we’re a much better coaching staff now. We’ve learnt a lot from our experiences at Espanyol, Southampton and Tottenham. We have a lot to provide to t

The acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf has disclosed that the United States will exempt some foreign athletes who compete in professional sporting events in the United States from entry bans imposed because of the novel coronavirus epidemic. “In today’s environment, Americans need their sports. It’s time to reopen the economy and it’s time we get our professional athletes back to work,” Wolf said in a statement issued by the department announcing he had signed an order for the exemption. President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing to reopen the U.S. economy after drastic measures to combat the pandemic this year put tens of millions of people out of work. Major U.S. professional sports were shut down as part of the effort to tackle COVID-19, the respiratory disease cause by the coronavirus which has killed more than 96,000 people in the United States and infected more than 1.6 million. In its response to the epidemic, the Trump administration has also im

President Donald Trump has demanded that US state governors allow places of worship to reopen immediately, as the country moves gradually towards a lifting of COVID-19 lockdown measures. “Today I am identifying houses of worship – churches, synagogues and mosques – as essential places that provide essential services,” Trump told a news conference at the White House. “The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now, for this weekend,” he said. “If they don’t do it, I will override the governors. In America, we need more prayer, not less.” Establishing what constitutes essential services has been a prerogative of state and local officials, rather than the federal government, and many have restricted houses of worship from holding group services to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In some areas, churches have opened under strict social distancing rules, while in others, pastors and priests have held services

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the state government is trying to get the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to allow flights from Lagos to Abuja to operate, following the increasing impact of the closure of the airports on the state’s economy. The governor lamented that the aviation industry, as well as the entertainment, hospitality and transportation sectors, had been “significantly” affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Federal Government on March 23 shut all international airports in the country before it later extended the closure to all airports in the country, banning all local and international flights. Sanwo-Olu spoke as a panellist at a webinar hosted by FSDH Merchant Bank yesterday. The webinar, titled, ‘A global pandemic: local realities and peculiarities – a view from the frontlines’, was anchored by the Chairman, FSDH Holding Company, Mr Hakeem Belo-Osagie, and the bank’s Managing Director, Mrs Hamda Ambah. Other panellists inc

The Muslim holiday of Eid el-Fitr, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, will begin on Sunday in Saudi Arabia, authorities in the kingdom said on Friday. “Saturday will be the last day of the sacred holy month of Ramadan and Eid el-Fitr will take place on Sunday,” the royal court and the supreme court said, quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency. Religious authorities in Jerusalem, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Libya and Lebanon also said that Eid would begin on Sunday. The timing of Eid is determined by the position of the moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar. The holiday is normally celebrated by families gathering together. But most Muslim majority countries around the world have called on their citizens to limit their movement and face to face contact during this year’s celebrations, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia, home to the world’s most holy Muslim sites, has put in place a full curfew for the holiday

Few days ago, news were flying round on some blogs that Lanre Gentry, estranged husband of actress and businesswoman, Mercy Aigbe, had married another woman simply identified as @fab_mrsgentry after he shared her picture on social media. However, in a recent interview, he clarified that the woman in question was his brother’s wife and not his new lover as many had assumed. He said, “Who said that I have a new wife? A lot of people just make assumptions based on my Instagram posts. The lady that I referred to as my wife is my younger brother’s wife. She lives in London with her family. I called her my wife because she’s my brother’s wife. People didn’t read my post very well. I wouldn’t tell my supposed wife to greet her family. “I don’t know why some Nigerians are quick to jump to conclusions when they see innocent and harmless posts online. Mercy Aigbe knows the lady I celebrated very well. This is not the first time that people have speculated that I’ve married another woman ba