Author: straightnewsng.com

The 25-year-old Australian Ashleigh Barty won her first Wimbledon title, beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 in the final on Saturday. Barty, who wore a specially-designed dress in tribute to Cawley’s iconic scallop one she sported in 1971 on the 50th anniversary of fellow indigenous Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley’s maiden crown, adding the Wimbledon crown to her 2019 French Open title. “It took me a long time to verbalise, to dare to dream it and say it,” said Barty, who was also fulfilling a childhood dream. “I didn’t sleep a lot last night, I was thinking of all the what-ifs.…

The Federal Government says it will take the final decision on the new hazard allowance for health workers. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, stated this on Thursday while briefing journalists after a meeting of the Presidential Committee on Salaries, relevant Federal Government stakeholders, professional associations, and trade unions in the health sector. Ngige explained that the government allowed enough time for the Nigerian Medical Association and the Joint Health Sector Unions to harmonise their different positions on hazard allowance, but they were unable to do so. Consequently, the minister said the matter would be taken back…

The heavyweight title defence by Tyson Fury against Wilder has been postponed after the champion and members of his camp contracted Covid-19, the World Boxing Council confirmed on Friday. In a brief post on Twitter, the WBC confirmed the July 24 bout had been postponed but did not say when the trilogy fight would be rescheduled. “Fury vs Wilder III will be postponed,” the WBC said. “We wish Tyson Fury’s team and him speedy recovery from COVID.” Multiple reports in the US and Britain have said Fury and several members of his team had tested positive for Covid-19 at their…

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, and Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, may head for a showdown over the custody of artefacts looted during the invasion of the Benin Kingdom in 1897 by the British led by Captain Philip. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki and the other top government officials are currently in Germany to facilitate the return of the stolen artefacts. While the monarch favours the return of the artefacts to a museum to be built by the palace within its premises, or in the alternative, a museum to be built…

Fear and confusion greeted Oron Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State on Friday, following the alleged killing of four persons by a team from the Inspector-General of Police. It was gathered that the trigger-happy policemen busted into a meeting of ‘rice drivers association’ and opened fire on them, killing four and injuring several others. Eyewitnesses said the meeting meant to elect new executive members was peaceful as they had concluded electing their chairman and other executive members. It was further learnt that the election was witnessed by some top security operatives in the area. In fact, the Commander of the Army Base in Oron…

Workers of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) were stranded on Friday following the sealing of the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers state by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). FIRS, it was gathered, took the action because of failure of the NDDC to remit its N26 billion arrears of taxes. A source from the commission, who spoke in confidence, said the commission owed the Rivers State Revenue Service billions of naira adding that the Rivers government might come for their money after the actions of the FIRS. The Nation observed on Friday the main gate to the headquarters…

Despite their on-going divorce, Kanye West is reportedly helping Kim Kandarshian with KKW re-branding. According to report, the exes are getting along fine more than three months after their split, as he is helping her in a rebranding of her makeup business KKW Beauty. West, 44, helped Kardashian, 40, ‘come up with the new name’ of her makeup brand, a source Thursday told Page Six, a name which has yet to be announced. The new business direction has nothing to do with her divorce, the source said, as ‘it has been in the works for awhile. ‘Kim’s decision to rebrand…

Two women in Nigeria’s Delta State lost seven children when the driver of a petrol tanker lost control after suffering a brake failure on Thursday, July 8. The affected were pupils of Army Day Secondary School, Effurum in Delta State and among the 15 crushed to death on their way home after school. A media aide to Delta state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Ossai Success Ovie, who confirmed the incident, said a mother lost four children in the tragic incident while another lost three children. ”I heard about the Tragedy that happened in Warri today opposite Army barracks along NPA expressway.…

The Special Assistant on New Media to President Muhammadu Buhari, Lauretta Onochie, Thursday, equalled the Biblical Peter’s three times ignoble denial of not being a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. ”I am not a member of APC,’’ Onochie, who appeared before the Senator Kabiru Gaya, APC, Kano South-led Senate Committee on INEC, for screening as a National Commissioner, denied her party three times just Peter denied his Master, Jesus Christ three times. She told lawmakers that she stopped being a card-carrying member of APC in 2019, two years ago and almost soon as President Buhari was re-elected…

More than four million people across the world have died of COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University published Thursday, July 8, 2021. Out of the four million fatalities be, three countries- The US, India and Brazil account for more than a third of all global deaths. The United States, which has the highest number at 606,000, is followed closely by Brazil and India. The milestone comes as new cases and deaths are dropping in the US and Europe, where significant numbers of people have been vaccinated, but countries like Indonesia and Haiti are seeing an uptick in infection…