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Ex-Presidents of Panama Charged With Money Laundering
Panama’s former two presidents, Ricardo Martinelli and Juan Carlos Varela, were charged yesterday with money laundering, as two separate scandals destroyed the political legacy of the former allies turned enemies.
Martinelli was charged with money laundering over the so-called “New Business” case in which a publishing group was said to buy with government funds during his 2009-14 term.
Martinelli, 68, was in a ouyrage mood as he left the public prosecutor’s office in Panama City.
“I’m going to be frank with you, this pisses me off, this political persecution that has no end… they want to involve me (in the case) in order to do away with me,” he said, after refusing to testify.
Varela for now “was charged with money laundering in the Odebrecht case,” the public prosecutor’s office told AFP.
The appearance of the two former presidents “could mean, if there is any optimism, that… no one is above the law,” Carlos Barsallo, head of the Panamanian office of Transparency International, told AFP.
Source___Channels TV
President Buhari Suspends leader of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund with his 11 Top Officials
President Muhammadu Buhari has make known the indefinite suspension of Mr Adebayo Somefun, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
A statement yesterday from the Head of Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Charles Akpan, discloses that the President also suspended 11 top officials of the agency.
They include Jasper Azuatalam (Executive Director, Finance and Investment), Olukemi Nelson (Executive Director, Operations), and Tijani Sulaiman (Executive Director, Administration).
Others are Olusegun Bashorun (General Manager, Administration/Human Resources/Maintenance), Lawan Tahir (General Manager, Finance), Chris Esedebe (General Manager, Claims and Compensation), Olodotun Adegbite (Deputy General Manager, Investment and Treasury Management), and Emmanuel Sike (Deputy General Manager, Finance and Accounts).
Also affected by the suspension are Olutoyin Arokoyo (Deputy General Manager/Acting Head, Legal), Dorathy Tukura (Deputy General Manager, Administration), and Victoria Ayantuga (Assistant General Manager, Internal Audit).
As per the statement, their suspension from office arose from their poor Financial Regulations and Procurement Act, and other acts of gross misconduct.
Source___Channels TV
Nigeria’s COVID-19 Infections Exceed 27,000 Mark With 626 New Cases
Nigeria’s COVID-19 Infections yesterday crossed the 27, 000 mark as the country confirmed 626 new cases.
This is according to a tweet on the official handle of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). There is also an alarming fact that, the country is becoming one of the epicentres of the pandemic.
Giving a breakdown of the new cases, the agency said they were recorded in 20 states in the West African country, bringing the total infections to 27,110.
Lagos State had the highest number of fresh infections for the day – 193 – and is followed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with 85 cases of the virus with Oyo State having 41 persons infected.
Source___Channels TV
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and his government have resign
The French government led by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and his government have given their resignations, which the french President Emmanuel Macron has accepted according to the Elysee Palace.
There was no answer to why on the given statement issued on Friday, but a cabinet shuffle had been widely expected after Macron make known to chart a new course for the last two years of his term.
The government will continue to handle “day-to-day matters” until a new government is formed, the presidency said. The Elysee Palace later said the new prime minister was expected to be named “within hours”.
It was not immediately clear whether Philippe would be called upon to form the new government.
Source___Aljazeera
Well known Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan dies aged 71
Saroj Khan, One of the most celebrated and most prominent choreographers in India has died at the age of 71.
Khan’s career took off in the late 1980s, when she worked on a slew of hit numbers with leading stars like Madhuri Dixit and the late Sridevi.
She died of cardiac arrest in hospital in Mumbai city, local media discloses.
Her nephew, Manish Jagwani also confirmed to PTI news agency that Khan died of cardiac arrest.
Born in 1948, her coming into the Bollywood film industry was as a child artist.
In the 1950s, Khan became a back-up dancer, appearing in films like Bimal Roy’s Madhumati, where she was choreographed by dance director B Sohanlal, who she later married.
From here on, Khan’s career evolved into that of an assistant choreographer until 1974, when she got her break in the movie Geeta Mera Naam.
Khan choreographed Sridevi in the song Hawa Hawai from the 1987 blockbuster hit Mr India, kicking off her career as a dance director to be reckoned with.
Bollywood took to Twitter to mourn Khan’s death of this celebrated star, with many, such as superstar Akshay Kumar and director Kunal Kohli, thanking her for her work.
Source___BBC
Senegal set to ease air borders
Senegal government announced of easing the country’s air borders starting from July 15.
“The reopening of air borders will take place from July 15, and international flights will resume according to a defined health protocol,” President Macky Sall said yesterday, during his address to the nation on the situation of the coronavirus escalation.
Nonetheless, “land and sea borders remain closed until further notice,” he noted.
The President also make known the lifting of the state of emergency and the curfew as of 11. These had been decreed on 23 March, three weeks after the country confirmed its first case of Covid-19 infection.
For Macky Sall, the easing of the air borders meets a serious need to allow the resumption of productive activities to fully get the economy back on track. “Just as we cannot let the virus take over our lives and our health, we cannot let it take over the life and health of our economy,” he said, calling for increased vigilance.
“By lifting the state of emergency, I also recall that the health emergency is still there and imposes on us a duty of vigilance, individual responsibility, and collective responsibility. The danger is still there, and we must continue the fight,” the president concludes.
Source___Standard Newspaper
MORE THAN 40 GAMBIANS SET TO RETURN HOME FROM LEBANON
The Gambian diplomatic mission in Lebanon is working on sending at least 45 Gambians from the country, majority of whom are ladies.
According to Standard Newspaper. Gambia’s Consul General in Lebanon, Khalid Hammoud, discloses the mission he is currently undergoing in the verge of returning of the Gambians who escaped from captivity from their employers.
He make known that the escapees are without passport as they have left behind their passports with their employers.
Consul Hammoud discloses to Standard that he received a phone call from a Gambian call Amie but the communication wasn’t effective because, according to him, she was speaking in a low voice probably out of fear of being overheard by someone.
“I received a call from Amie the other evening but I could not communicate much with her because she said she could not communicate at that time. She said she could only talk later in the night when her owner would be asleep. But I am doing everything possible to locate her and as soon as this is done, I would liase with the immigration authorities to also locate her boss.”
Gambians living in Lebanon are also said to be doing their utmost to facilitate her return to Banjul.
“Currently, we have to issue consular cards for them to be freely moving around town without having any trouble until the day they return home when we will issue them with emergency passports,” he explained.
According to Standard, Gambians living in Lebanon are also said to be trying their level best in order to facilitate her return to Banjul.
Credit___Standard Newspaper
At least three Dead and two Injured In Ogun Road Accident
Not less than three persons have died while two others injured in an accident involving a diesel truck and a Toyota Corolla car around Ajegunle on Papalanto-Ilaro road in Ogun Nigeria
Traffic Compliant and Enforcement Agency confirmed this yesterday.
According to the spokesperson of the agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, the accident was caused by over speeding on the path of the truck driver who in the process collided with the Corolla car coming from the opposite direction.
*Akinbiyi noted that five people were in the Toyota car marked JJJ 91 GD while two people were in the truck with no registration number.*
The TRACE spokesperson discloses that the injured victims were taken to Ilaro General Hospital while the death bodies deposited at same hospital mortuary.
“The truck was inbound Papalanto from Ilaro while the Toyota corolla car was outbound Papalanto to Ilaro when the crash occurred,” he said.
“The truck was inbound Papalanto from Ilaro while the Toyota corolla car was outbound Papalanto to Ilaro when the crash occurred,” he said.
“According to eyewitness account, the truck was on top speed when it suddenly lost control due to break failure and collided with the car that was coming from the opposite direction.
“The accidented vehicles have been deposited at Ewekoro Divisional Police Command, including the truck driver and the motor boy.”
Source___Channels TV
Governor Ganduje To Present Reviewed Budget To Kano State Assembly of Nigeria
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has handed over a reviewed budget to the Kano State House of Assembly.
Dr Ganduje’s administration single out a few days back, that the 2020 budget of over N200billion would be reduced by 30 percent due to the frustrations brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The reviewed budget of N138,279,140,661 was first handed to the state Executive Council meeting, yesterday, by the Commissioner of Planning and Budget, Nura Muhammad Dankadai, before transmitting the document to the State House of Assembly.
The focused areas of the reviewed budget are education, health, and infrastructure.
Source___Channel TV
Nigeria Confirms New Highest Daily Figure Of COVID-19 Infections
Nigeria has confirmed 790 new COVID-19 infections, the highest in a single day, bringing the country’s toll of infections to 26,484.
This was disclosed yesterday evening by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in a tweet via its official handle.
Just like the past days, the new cases were confirmed across 20 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Giving a breakdown of the cases, the NCDC noted that the five states with the highest number of infections were Delta – 166, Lagos – 120, Enugu – 66, Edo –60, and Ogun – 43.
Others included Kano – 41, Kaduna – 39, Ondo – 33, Rivers – 32, Bayelsa – 29, Imo – 20, Kwara – 18, Oyo – 11 and Abia – 10.
Source___Channels TV
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