Djokovic, wife recover from COVID-19

 

  Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena, who last week both tested positive for coronavirus following his exhibition tournament in the Balkans, have now tested negative, his press service said Thursday. Neither the 33-year-old player nor his partner felt any symptoms, the statement said.

  The couple had been self-isolating since returning to Belgrade from Zadar in Croatia, the town which hosted the second leg of Djokovic’s ill-fated Adria Tour.

  Four players — Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki — tested positive for the virus after the event which saw little social distancing and packed stands. The world number one’s coach Goran Ivanisevic also contracted COVID-19.

  Players had embraced across the net, played basketball and even danced in a nightclub during the week of the first leg played in Belgrade. Djokovic was widely criticised for hosting the tournament. The Serbian star issued an apology, saying he was “so deeply sorry” that the tournament “caused harm”.

On Wednesday, the player donated more than 40,000 euros ($45,000) to Serbian town Novi Pazar which has been badly affected by the pandemic. Serbia, with a population of about seven million people, has registered nearly 15,000 coronavirus infections and 281 deaths.

Dubai Police Extradites ‘Hushpuppi’ To United States

 

   Criminal mastermind Raymond Igbalode Abbas, known as ‘Hushpuppi’ has been extradited from the United Arab Emirates to the United States.

   This was revealed in a statement by the Dubai Police on Thursday in which the US Federal Bureau of Investigations extended its gratitude to the UAE crime watchdog for its role in apprehending and extraditing ‘Hushpuppi’.

Buhari Swears In 45 Commissioners, 1 Chairman Into FCC, RMAFC, And FCSC

  President Muhammadu Buhari has sworn into office 45 commissioners and 1 chairman into the Federal Character Commission (FCC), the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), and the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC).

Of the 45 commissioners, 37 and 1 chairman were sworn into the FCC, 6 commissioners sworn into the RMAFC, and 2 commissioners sworn into the FCSC.

After the brief ceremony which held at the council chambers of the presidential villa in Abuja, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, called on the newly sworn-in officers to deliver on their respective mandates in the next 3 years as their appointments are strategic towards re-energizing the system.

Channels

President Buhari Nominates FCT Chief Judge for International Criminal Court

   

 

   President Muhammadu Buhari nominated the incumbent Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Ishaq Usman Bello as the nation’s candidate to be Judge of the International Criminal Court, Hague.

  The International Criminal Court (ICC) which began functioning on 1 July 2002, is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal that sits in The Hague, Netherlands. The ICC has jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

    The elections are scheduled for the nineteenth session of the Assembly of States Parties, to be held at the United Nations, New York, from 7-17 December 2020, the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) will elect six judges to fill one-third of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) 18 judicial seats.

   Prior to this nomination, Hon. Ishaq Usman Bello has served on several bar/Bench committees before his appointment as a Member, National Judicial Council. He has also handled huge special responsibilities under the Judiciary including; Chairing Election Petition Tribunals, representing Nigeria and leading brother judges to attend Conferences, symposiums and seminars around the world.

     As the Chief Judge of the FCT, Bello paid attention to the de-congestion of prisons in Abuja. He started visiting prisons within his jurisdiction, releasing over forty awaiting trial prisoners in the process. By the end of October 2017, he was appointed as the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Prison Reforms and De-congestion, now Presidential Committee on Correctional Service Reforms and De-congestion, by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami. The committee’s responsibility was to lead the reform processes of the Nigerian prison system.

“Avoiding being infected remains the best choice for everyone''- Boss Mustapha

   

  

   The federal government has again raised the alarm over non-compliance to safety measures against coronavirus. Boss Mustapha, Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, expressed concern at a briefing on Thursday in Abuja.

He said PTF found that non-compliance had been largely fueled by skepticism and ignorance about the virus. Mustapha noted that stigmatisation had further impacted on the willingness of people to come out to seek help and tell their stories.

“The nature of this pandemic demands that we must detect and treat in order to address it. COVID-19 is not a condition to be ashamed of as it has no respect for status, nationality, race, creed, tribe among others”, he said.

  The SGF stated that every person infected must be treated to prevent spread and avoidable fatalities. He added that the PTF had deepened community engagement and risk communication in the phase of national response.

Mustapha said PTF had been communicating to Nigerians, the dangers of complacency and non-compliance with COVID-19 measures. He reminded that presently, “there is no known vaccine for the virus and that all over the world, non-pharmaceutical measures still remained the most effective”.