DONALD OTITO

A health worker helps his colleague with his PPE during a community testing in Abuja on April 15, 2020, as authorities race to contain the spread of COVID-19. Sodiq Adelakun/Channels TV   Lagos state on Saturday reported 1,040 new cases of COVID-19, according to data gathered by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. In a late-night tweet, the disease control agency put the total number of cases recorded nationwide at 1,883 with one additional death. To date, the country has recorded 130,557 virus cases across its 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Of those confirmed cases, 103,712 have been discharged and 1,578 have resulted in deaths. Other states which recorded new cases on Saturday include FCT (298), Anambra (86), Rivers (54), Taraba (45), Ogun (42), Oyo (40), Akwa Ibom (38), Sokoto (30), Ebonyi (30), Imo (28), Kaduna (28), Osun (27), Kano (21), Benue (19), Edo (17), Gombe (15), Ekiti (9), Delta (8), Jigawa (3), Kwara (2), Bayelsa (2) and Plateau (1).   CHANNELS...

Medical workers wearing protective suits as a precaution against COVID-19 deliver a patient to the fever clinic at a hospital in Beijing on January 13, 2021. GREG BAKER / AFP     A partial lockdown was imposed on the Chinese capital Wednesday, with 1.6 million residents banned from leaving Beijing, after a handful of cases were detected. Seven cases were reported in the city on Wednesday, including six in southern Daxing district. All 1.6 million residents of Daxing must not leave Beijing unless they have received special permission from the authorities and tested negative for Covid-19 in the past three days, the district said. Meetings of 50 or more people in the district have been banned, while “weddings should be postponed and funerals simplified,” the district government said. It also ordered all kindergarten, primary and secondary students in the district to study at home. Residents of five Daxing neighbourhoods where the cases were detected were ordered to remain in...

President Donald Trump pardoned his former Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon, as part of a last-minute clemency spree before he leaves office. The White House announced that Trump was pardoning Bannon and 72 others early Wednesday, just hours before president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony was set to begin. Trump also commuted the sentences of 70 people. Bannon was arrested in the summer and is accused of defrauding people who donated to a campaign to privately build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. A trial was planned for May. “Prosecutors pursued Mr Bannon with charges related to fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project. “Mr Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen,” the statement issued on behalf of Trump said. Bannon joined Trump’s team in 2016 and took charge of the campaign. The 67-year-old is credited with playing a significant role in Trump...

Joe Biden, President-elect, United States of America. Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the U.S. on Wednesday, capping off a chaotic election season in a country still divided by Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of voter fraud. The inauguration ceremony will start at 10:30 am (1530 GMT) with Biden and incoming Vice President Kamala Harris sworn into office at noon. Hundreds of thousands of people usually attend the ceremony, but this time around there will only be a small crowd due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has now killed more than 400,000 Americans. Security precautions have also been bolstered after rioters supporting outgoing President Trump stormed the Capitol earlier this month. More than 25,000 National Guard troops will be working in Washington to secure the inauguration. In a break with tradition, Trump will not attend Biden’s swearing-in and subsequent gathering of all living presidents. Vice President Mike Pence will be in attendance. Trump ...

Foreigners caught not wearing face masks on the Indonesian resort island of Bali are being subject to an unusual punishment: push-ups. Video footage circulating on social media this week shows tourists in T-shirts and shorts being made to do the exercise in sweltering tropical heat as masked security officials stood over them. Bali authorities made wearing a face mask in public mandatory last year as Indonesia battled a raging Covid-19 outbreak. In recent days, however, scores of foreigners have been caught without face coverings, said security official Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara. More than 70 people paid a fine of 100,000 rupiah ($7), but about 30 others said they did not have the cash. Instead, they were ordered to do push-ups. Those not carrying a mask had to do up to 50, while those who were wearing one improperly were punished with 15. “At first, they would claim that they didn’t know the regulation,” Suryanegara told AFP. “Then they said they forgot, or that the mask was w...

By Nwafor Sunday Following the seven days ultimatum given to herdsmen to ‘vacate the forests’ of Ondo state, by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, and of course a riposte from the Presidency faulting his order, a former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Wednesday, condemned Gabar Shehu’s intervention, noting that quit notice cannot be given to law-abiding citizens in any part of Nigeria, but can be given to those that kill, steal and seek to destroy the lives of others. Akeredolu had last two days ago, ordered herdsmen to leave Ondo forest, stating categorically that the ‘unfortunate incidents happening in his state are traceable to the activities of some bad elements masquerading as herdsmen’. He said: “These felons have turned our forest reserves into hideouts for keeping victims of kidnapping, negotiating for ransom and carrying out other criminal activities. “As the Chief Law and Security Officer of the State, it is my constitutional obligation to do everything lawful to protect t...

NWANOSIKE DONALD OTITO  Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, has announced that school resumes on 20th January, 2021, for the continuation of 1st Semester examination for 2019/2020 academic session, in accordance with the 4 weeks close down of schools for covid-19 guidelines issued by the Federal Government of Nigeria.  This was made know through the memo released by the Polytechnic Registrar, Dr. E. J. Onyemenonu, on this day 18th Jan. 2021. According to the memo, continuation of 1st Semester examination for 2019/2020 academic session starts on 1st February 2021. It also, mandated all students writing the examination to pay their school fees on or before 1st February 2021. The memo which stated that students are to fill undertaking forms to be of good conduct from the polytechnic website online, also said that the forms are to be signed and stamped at the High Court, Magistrate Courts, Justice of Peace or Notre Public and submitted to the Dean, Student Affairs for ...