Coronavirus: Iran temporarily frees 54,000 prisoners to curtail spread
IRAN has temporarily released more than 54,000 prisoners in an effort to combat the spread of the new coronavirus disease in crowded jails. The BBC reported that Gholamhossein Esmaili, the state Judiciary spokesman said inmates were granted furlough after testing negative for Covid-19 and posting bail. “Security prisoners” sentenced to more than five years will not be let out. Iran’s Covid-19 outbreak has killed at least 77 people in less than two weeks.
EFCC recovers, returns looted N263m fund to Kwara state
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday has again returned over N263 million looted funds to the Kwara state government. In a press statement signed by EFCC, the money handed over to Abdulrahaman Abdul-Razak, governor of the state at the anti-graft zonal office llorin was recovered from suspected looters of the state’s treasury following thorough findings.
COVID-19: We are operating in “uncharted territory” WHO says as Nigerian doctor claim to have found possible cure to virus
Tedros Adhanom Ghebryesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday during the daily briefings since the outbreak of novel coronavirus said that public health officials are operating in “uncharted territory” as the number of affected persons increases to over 90,000 across 73 countries and territories.
Stereotypes restrict gender reporting in Nigeria – Experts
A GROUP of professional journalists and activists have identified social conditioning and power dynamics among other issues as the major hurdle that constrain journalists from telling objective gender stories.
Egypt’s ousted president Hosni Mubarak dies at 91
HOSNI Mubarak, Egypt’s president for almost 30 years who stepped down after a popular revolution in 2011, has died. He was 91. Aljazeera on Tuesday reported that Mubarak died weeks after undergoing surgery. According to reports made available by the deceased brother-in-law, General Mounir Thabet, Mubarak passed away at Cairo’s Galaa military hospital.
Reps threaten to have defaulting agencies arrested if…
THE House of Representatives on Monday threatened to issue a warrant on government agencies that fail to appear before its Public Account Committee due to non-compliance of the defaulting bureaus to submit audited accounts of their offices to the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation. Oluwole Oke, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, who issued the threat said the failure of such agencies to submit their accounts for review meant they had something to hide.
FRAUD: Court orders ex-Naval director to forfeit almost N500m to FG
A FEDERAL High Court, Abuja, on Monday has ordered the permanent forfeiture of about N500million found to be fraudulently amassed by a former director of Nigeria Navy Accounts, Tahir Yusuf to the Federal Government. Justice ljeoma Ojukwu ruled that Yusuf, a retired Rear Admiral would forfeit the money which is in naira, dollar and pounds sterling to the government after investigations and evidences proved that he stole it while serving as Director of Nigeria Navy Accounts.
World failing to protect children from ecological degradation, climate change and exploitative marketing practices say experts
NO country is adequately protecting children’s health, environment and futures, a report by health experts around the world has shown. The report titled A Future for the World’s Children? was released on Wednesday by a Commission of over 40 child and adolescent health experts convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and The Lancet.
Google/Fitbit deal: EU says trackers make private health data available to tech giants
THE European Data Protection Board on Thursday raised alarm over a potential breach of privacy and risks that might arise from the Alphabet Inc-owned Google’s $2.1 billion bid for fitness trackers company Fitbit.
Namibia becomes first African country to export red meat to U.S. market
NAMIBIA has become the first African country to export red meat to Philadelphia, the United States after it exported 25 tonnes of beef two decades after series of discussions and haggling over safety regulations and logistics. Reuters reported that the southern African nation, known for free-range, hormone-free beef, is set to export 860 tonnes of various beef cuts in 2020 to the United States, which is expected to rise to 5,000 tonnes by 2025.