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AFCON 2023 Race: Super Eagles To Play São Tomé In Marrakech As Mauritius FInally Lose Out

By
Emenike Agu
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Sao Tome and Principe has been restored into Group A of the qualifying series for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals after the CAF Appeals Board threw out Mauritius from the pool following the successful appeal of the former.

The case has done a yo-yo with São Tomé and Príncipe winning on the field of play, Mauritius winning their case at the Disciplinary Board against the former for fielding a player who tested positive for COVID19, and the Appeals Board now restoring São Tomé and Príncipe to the race and ejecting Mauritius.

Mauritius had protested to CAF that São Tomé and Príncipe player, Luis Leal Dos Anjos did not undergo the obligatory PCR test during their match on 24th March, 2022 in the frame of the AFCON 2023 qualifiers, but the Appeal Board ruled that “given that neither the CAF Disciplinary Code nor CAF’s COVID-19 protocols provide any sanctions for missing an obligatory PCR test, it is legally baseless to consider the player in question to be ineligible.”

Head Coach of Nigeria, Jose Santos Peseiro woke up to the news in New Jersey, where the Eagles play Ecuador in a friendly match on Thursday, and simply said: “We are focused on the friendly game with Ecuador. It is neither here nor there. We play whoever is in front of us.”

The latest decision means the NFF’s plans for the away match on 13th June, after the game against Sierra Leone in Abuja on 9th June, have now been diverted from east (Mauritius) to west (Marrakech), as São Tomé and Príncipe do not have an approved playing ground in their country and play their home matches in the dainty Moroccan city.

TETFund Projects In Benue Varsity Hits N7bn

By
Rhoda Onuzulike
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The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has committed about N7 billion to its various intervention projects in Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi, from 1999 to date.

The Chairman of the Governing Council and Pro-Chancellor of the University, Sebastine Hon, made this known, in Abuja, when he led management of the institution on a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono.

Hon, who congratulated Echono on his appointment as TETFund boss, commended President Muhammadu Buhari over his choice, even as he described the Executive Secretary as, “one of our illustrious alumni, having graduated with a degree in MBA in  Management from our University.”

While expressing delight over the various TETFund projects that now dot the university, the Pro-Chancellor appealed for the speedy completion of other ongoing projects.

He said: “We are here to also acknowledge and express the profound appreciation of the Visitor, the Council, management, staff and students for the support both in terms of content-base interventions and infrastructure the state university has benefitted from TETFund from 1999 till now.”

“Our campus is dominated with TETFund-sponsored legacy structures including the central library, laboratories, lecture theatres, faculty buildings, student social centre, and entrepreneurship development centre, not excluding research (IBR, NRF, ARJ, AMB), academic training and conferences (foreign and local), post-doctoral, bench work and developments in ICT.

Speaking further, the Pro-Chancellor called for a waiver to access the 2021/2022 TETFund’s allocations to enable the university address its challenges as well as special intervention on the institution’s library that was recently torched by heavy storm. On his part, the TETFund boss, who commended BSU for its massive contribution towards the production of relevant manpower in the country, said the University is one first to be established in the entire northern part of Nigeria by state government

First Ever University of Professional Studies Coming Soon in Nigeria

By
Rhoda Onuzulike
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The establishment and registration of University of Professional Studies (UNIPRO), Ijesha, Osun State, by the National Universities Commission (NUC) may soon see the light of the day.

The recently concluded incorporation of the Ademola Ojo Emmanuel Foundation by the Corporate Affairs Commission concluded is presently engaged in the establishment of UNIPRO, its chairman, Prof. Ademola Ojo Emmanuel, said.

Emmanuel who is Nigeria’s first Professor of Cyber Security & IT Management said the incorporation of the foundation, with reputable trustees, means a huge leap towards the realisation of the first-ever university, wholly devoted to professional studies, in Nigeria.

Once Upon A Time – June 1 – 1998 – European Central Bank Is Founded In Brussels

By
Angel Gimalo
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597 Ethelbert, an Anglo-Saxon king, is baptized, having converted to Christianity weeks earlier.

4000 BC Approximate domestication of the horse in the Eurasian steppes near Dereivka, central Ukraine (hypothesis only)

1215 Peking [Beijing], then a city of over one million, under control of Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured and looted for a month by the Mongols under Genghis Khan

1676 Battle of Öland: allied Danish-Dutch forces defeat the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea, during the Scanian War (1675–79)

1964 Kenya becomes a republic with Jomo Kenyatta as its 1st President

1998 European Central Bank is founded in Brussels to define and execute the European Union’s monetary policy

HISTORICAL EVENTS TODAY

TODAY IN FILM & TV

1980 1st transmission of CNN, the Cable News Network

TODAY IN MUSIC

1968 Simon & Garfunkel’s single “Mrs Robinson” from “The Graduate” hits #1 (first rock song to win Grammy for Record of the Year)

MORE FACTS

1974 The Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims is published in the journal Emergency Medicine

1495 First written record of Scotch Whisky appears in Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, Friar John Cor is the distiller

VP Osinbajo Presides Over FEC Meeting

By
Koko Lawrence
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Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday presided over the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

President Muhammadu Buhari is on a state visit to Spain.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, a professor, are attending the council meeting.

Ministers at the meeting are those of Education, Adamu Adamu, Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, Labour, Chris Ngige, Police Affairs, Muhammadu Dingyadi and Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen.

Others ministers present at the meeting are those of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouk; Health, Osagie Ehanire; Power, Abubakar Aliyu; and Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu.

Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva and his counterparts in Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora; and Labour, Festus Keyamo, are also at the meeting.

At the last meeting on May 18, FEC approved N169.7billion for the reconstruction of four roads under the tax credit scheme.

Okada Ban: LASG Deploys 600 Anti-Okada Enforcement Squad

By
Koko Lawrence
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As the enforcement on the ban on commercial motorcycles in six local government areas of Lagos State and their local councils begins today, the Lagos State Government, yesterday, inaugurated Anti-Okada Squad to enforce the ban.

No fewer than 600 recruited members of the squad attended the orientation exercise at the Adeyemi Bero auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, organised by the state Ministry of Transportation.

This came as the Lagos State Police Command said it was ready to carry out enforcement of the ban to the latter, warning commercial motorcyclists to stay clear of the banned routes or leave Lagos.

Besides, the Lagos State Ferry Services, LAGFERRY, said it had deployed more boats for operations to cushion the likely attendant effects of the ban on commuters.

State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Fredrick Oladeinde, explained that the aim for setting up of the squad was to ensure effective enforcement of the order on the ban.

According to Oladeinde, “In line with the commencement of the ban on motorcycle operations within six LGAs and the respective Local Council Development Areas, the Ministry of Transportation inaugurated an anti-Okada squad.”

It was gathered that the squad would be complemented by armed members of the Nigeria Police, the Army and other security agencies.

Peter Umeadi Wins APGA’s Presidential Primary

By
Koko Lawrence
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Professor Peter Umeadi, Wednesday, clinched the Presidential ticket of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA at a special convention attended by party leaders and members drawn from the six geo-political zones of the country.

At a special convention at the Katampe-Abuja national headquarters of the party, a total of 150 delegates affirmed the candidacy of Prof. Umeadi by a voice vote.

National chairman of the party, Chief Victor Oye while thanking party members for travelling the length and breadth of the country to attend the convention, expressed optimism that come 2023, Umeadi would be sworn in as President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

On his part, the former Chief Judge of Anambra State, Umeadi promised to make Nigeria a great country every Nigerian would be proud of, if elected.

Germans Get €9-A-Month Travel Ticket In Response To Energy Price Rises

By
Koko Lawrence
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For the next three months, Germans will be able to travel the country for just €9 (£7.50; $9.50) a month in a drive to tackle the soaring cost of living.

All local and regional transport on trains, buses and metro is included in the government’s initiative, although inter-city trains are not.

The cheap tickets are also aimed at getting people to leave their cars.

However, fuel tax has also been reduced by around 30 cents a litre for petrol, bringing prices down below €2.

The tax has been brought down to the EU minimum, again for the next three months, so diesel prices are also being cut by around 14 cents a litre.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing has described the €9-a-month tickets as a great opportunity: “It’s a success that we’ve already sold seven million tickets.”

However, rail company Deutsche Bahn is already struggling with overcrowding, delays and cancellations and the prospect of millions of extra passengers has prompted criticism of the plan.

Fewer than 70% of long-distance trains were on time in April, but Wissing says the rail network is only running at 80% capacity. No major rail problems were reported in the hours after the scheme kicked in on Wednesday morning.

As in much of the rest of the world, Germans have been hit by rising energy prices, with inflation up to 7.9% last month. Chancellor Olaf Scholz told members of the German parliament on Wednesday that the main cause of the increase in prices was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The federal government, which includes the Green party, has promised Germany’s 16 state authorities €2.5bn in compensation for the extra costs expected in staffing and fuel.

Although the €9-ticket does not include inter-city travel, it is possible to cross the country using regional trains.

BREAKING: Shanghai Covid Lockdown Ends, Residents Celebrate Freedom

By
Elizabeth Williams
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Shanghai authorities on Tuesday began dismantling fences around housing compounds and ripping police tape off public squares and buildings before the lifting of a two-month lockdown that traumatised residents.

Some Shanghai residents welcomed the end of a tough two-month lockdown at midnight by heading out onto the streets as authorities began to ease the toughest COVID-19 related restrictions in China’s largest city.

Small groups gathered in the city’s former French Concession neighbourhood whistled, shouted “ban lifted”, and clinked glasses of champagne as the draconian rules came to an end.

Dancing retirees, a common evening sight in Chinese cities, came out onto open-air plazas and along the Huangpu River for the first time in weeks under the watchful eye of police, deployed to discourage large crowds from forming.

Yin Xin, a spokesperson for the municipal government, said the city was embracing a “new start”, according to the state-run Global Times, and that its daily briefing on the coronavirus would no longer take place.

The ruthlessly-enforced lockdown fuelled anger and upset in the city of 25 million people and left many struggling to get food or find emergency healthcare. It also hampered manufacturing and other industries, disrupting supply chains at home and around the world.

It was a very difficult time,” Dan Wang, the chief economist at Hang Seng Bank in the city, newsmen. She said she spent 70 days in lockdown.

“A lot of unexpected things happened and a lot of people’s confidence was shaken, and also about the future of China. I think it was probably the largest challenge China has faced in the past decade.”

As of Wednesday, residents will no longer need special passes to leave their compounds and public transport – both buses and the metro system will resume operation. Rail connections with the rest of China will remain limited.

Israel, UAE Sign Historic Free Trade Deal

By
Elizabeth Williams
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Israel has signed a free trade deal with the United Arab Emirates, its first such agreement with an Arab country.

Israel and the UAE in 2020 signed a peace agreement that normalized diplomatic ties between the countries.

The  free trade agreement was signed on Tuesday in Dubai, Israel’s ambassador to the UAE said on Twitter. “Done,” diplomat Amir Hayek wrote, replying to another tweet he posted earlier saying, “the UAE and Israel will sign FTA in the next hour.”

The pact was signed by Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Orna Barbiva and her counterpart, UAE Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, after months of negotiations.

The trade deal is Israel’s first with an Arab country. The move is aimed at boosting trade between the two nations.

Israel has described as “historic” the deal abolishing customs duties on “96% of the products” exchanged between the two sides.

Two-way trade last year totalled some $900 million (€837 million), according to Israeli figures.

For oil-rich UAE, the deal with Israel is its second bilateral free trade agreement after signing a similar accord with India in February.

According to Emirati Trade Minister Thani al Zeyoudi, the free trade deal will push the value of non-oil bilateral trade between Israel and the UAE beyond $10 billion (€9.3 billion) within five years.

How enemies became allies

The two countries, once nominal enemies, turned official allies in 2020, when the foreign ministers of the UAE and Bahrain, as well as Israel’s then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, signed a peace agreement that normalized diplomatic ties between their countries.

The Abraham Accords, as the statement became known, was a landmark achievement under then-US President Donald Trump.

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