Author: Our Reporter

Danish star Caroline Wozniacki played top notch tennis on Sunday to beat Venus Williams in two straight sets 6-4 6-4 in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals in Singapore, to clinch the last trophy of the season. It was her first victory over Venus for the 27 year-old in her career.  She had been beaten by Venus in seven previous matches. The victory was also her first WTA Finals win. She was a runner-up in 2010. It was not an easy ride for her, though, as she had to survive a stirring comeback from Williams in the second set. “I’m still…

Britain’s Anthony Joshua retained his IBF and WBA world heavyweight titles when he stopped bloodied challenger Carlos Takam in the 10th round in Cardiff on Saturday. Unbeaten champion Joshua opened up a dreadful cut above 36-year-old Takam’s right eye in the fourth round and although the durable France-based Cameroonian battled on the fight was halted after a series of heavy blows. Reports monitored from Reuters/NAN says it was far from a straightforward night for Joshua in the Principality Stadium, however, as the 28-year-old appeared to suffer a broken nose in the second round after an accidental clash of heads with…

The gender of a surgeon appears to have little to do with the outcome of an operation, a Canadian study has found. The study also found that patients operated on by women had no more complications or problems after surgery than did patients whose surgeons were men. “Our findings have important implications for supporting sex equality and diversity in a traditionally male-dominated profession,” the study authors wrote. The researchers, led by Dr. Raj Satkunasivam, a Houston Methodist Hospital surgeon previously at the University of Toronto, investigated whether gender plays a role in surgical skills and outcomes. The team analyzed the…

A one-time Commissioner for Education in Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Effiong Edunam has decried the falling standards of education in the country, laying such squarely on the shoulders of government, teachers and students in failing to perform their responsibilities. Dr. Edunam, who spoke this in an interview with StraightNews, acknowledged that the standards of education have fallen in terms of teaching and learning, declaring “And in terms of appropriate inputs for teaching and learning, it is evident at all levels that Nigeria is really lagging behind. If you go to secondary schools, most of them do not have laboratories, they…

Parents are warned against using benzocaine products to relieve teething pain in their babies except under the advice and supervision of health care professionals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. Benzocaine is a local anesthetic found in over-the-counter products such as Anbesol, Orajel, Baby Orajel, Orabase and Hurricane. The use of benzocaine gels and liquids to relieve gum and mouth pain can lead to a rare but potentially deadly condition called methemoglobinemia, in which the amount of oxygen carried through the bloodstream is greatly reduced. Children under two years are at particular risk for the condition, the FDA said…

Operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Special Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal Oil Bunkering Wednesday sealed up a popular  petrol station along the Badagry Expressway for dealing on petroleum products siphoned from vandalised oil pipelines in Lagos State. Journalists gathered that operatives of the Intelligence units of the Task Force received information that a 45000-litre tanker truck had siphoned Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from a vandalised pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Alimosho area of the state. Police sources said the task force led by SP Ugowe Igbinazaka, trailed the tanker truck after it left…

Two students of University of Calabar (UNICAL) have been arrested by operatives of the Cross Rivers state police command for impersonating military officers on their Facebook accounts to defraud unsuspecting applicants. The students- Daniel Onuta 22 and Emmanuel Mba 20- were duping unsuspecting members of the public until police operatives arrested them. Investigations by Vanguard revealed that they defrauded, one Reuben Thomas who paid N400,000 into their accounts. According to Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Inuwa, the fraudsters never knew that they were being tracked by their surveillance unit they were caught. “They have been doing it for long until they…

Qua lboe Power Plant (QIPP) and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET) Thursday signed a $1.1 billion Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 540 Megawatts gas-fired power plant sited in Akwa Ibom State. The project whose signing-ceremony was held in Abuja is expected to raise power generation by 540MW by 2021. The Ikot Ekpene-Ikot Abasi transmission line of the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs) is ready to take power from the 540 gas-fired power plant. Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing presided over the signing of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between the new investors for the Qua lboe…

An Akure High Court has sentenced a motorcycle operator popularly called Okada rider to death by hanging for robbing a woman of N100,000. Yaya Bashiru was convicted by Justice S. A. Bola for robbing Mrs. Bukola Ademola of her valuables and money on two occasions and on another occasion also stole her generating set. He was arraigned with one Idowu Femi, who was later discharged and acquitted by the court for lack of evidence against him by the prosecution. The duo- Yahaya Bashiru and Idowu Femi- were brought before the court on charges of conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery on…

A coalition of public sector workers has expressed disappointment with the manner the sacked ex-Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina was reabsorbed into the Federal civil service. The coalition under the aegis of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) made the call Wednesday, following to the controversies surrounding the reinstatement of Maina, and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reshuffle his cabinet. In a statement by the ASCSN’s Secretary-General, Alade Bashir Lawal, the group expressed disappointment over Maina, who was fired in 2013 for illicit practices in respect to about N2 billion pension…