Good Morning, Welcome to Daily News 24 Roundup of Top Nigerian Newspapers Headlines for Monday, Nov. 29 2021.
Nigeria’s D’Tigers on Sunday beat Uganda 95-69 to lead in the first round in Group A of the African Qualifiers for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The Nigerian team, after their opening 71-79 loss to Cape Verde on Friday when the window one of matches began, had gone on to beat Mali 72-70 on Saturday.
The resurgence saw them taking control of the group on Sunday with an overwhelming defeat of the East Africans.
4. Still ‘not clear’ whether Omicron COVID variant is more severe than Delta – WHO
World Health Organisation (WHO) says it still ‘not clear’ whether Omicron COVID variant is more transmissible or more severe than Delta variant.
WHO, in a statement on Sunday, said that its experts, researchers in South Africa and around the world are currently conducting studies to better understand Omicron.
The UN health agency on Friday named the COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa, the Greek name ‘Omicron’, and labelled it a variant of concern due to its large number of mutations and possible faster rate of infection.
5. Troops wipe out terrorists in Gajiram encounter – Army
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), on Sunday wiped out several Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in an encounter at Forward Operating Base, Gajiram Nganzai Local Government Area of Borno.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Nwachukwu said the land and Air components on OPHK with troops of Sector 3, brought devastating volume of fire on the terrorists who attempted to infiltrate the base using gun trucks and several other weapons.
6. Ganduje mourns elder statesman Sani Buhari-Daura
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has expressed shock over the death of business and an elder statesman, Alhaji Sani Buhari-Daura.
Ganduje commiserated with the deceased family in a statement on Sunday in Kano issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Abba Anwar.
The governor said Buhari-Daura has left a vacuum that would be difficult to fill.
7. South Africa slams travel bans as Omicron spread puts world on edge
South Africa claimed on Sunday that it was being punished for detecting the Omicron variant, as more countries responded with travel bans to the worrying new coronavirus strain.
“This latest round of travel bans is akin to punishing South Africa for its advanced genomic sequencing and the ability to detect new variants quicker,” said a statement released by the Ministry of International Relations.
“Excellent science should be applauded and not punished. The global community needs collaboration and partnerships in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement said, noting that new variants had been identified in other countries with no link to South Africa.
South African officials have entered discussions with countries that have adopted travel restrictions, hoping they will reconsider the decisions, the statement said.
8. Talks to salvage nuclear deal begin amid tensions between US, Iran
Negotiations on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are set to resume on Monday in Vienna amid few signs of progress and a tense atmosphere.
Five months after the last round of talks, high-ranking diplomats from Germany, France, Britain, Russia, and China are returning to the Austrian capital to mediate between representatives of Tehran and Washington.
“We don’t think the West wants an agreement,” Iranian chief negotiator Ali Bagheri said on the eve of the talks.
9. Omicron could have originated in HIV patients – German
The surprising number of mutations in the Omicron Coronavirus (COVID-19) variant could signal that it originated in a patient with HIV or another immunodeficiency, a top German immunology expert said.
Carsten Watzl, secretary general of the German Society for Immunology, told dpa that it was not only conceivable but also probable, citing similar findings that have been published in other cases.
The virus can replicate over many weeks in people with weakened immune systems, Watzl said.
10. TAJBank wins Islamic Bank of the Year award
Non-interest bank, TAJBank, has emerged as the “Islamic bank of the year” in the recently held Banks and Other Financial Institutions Awards (BAFI) 2021 organised by BusinessDay Newspapers.
This is coming two months after the bank clinched the Leadership Newspapers 2020 Bank of The Year award.
The management of BusinessDay Newspaper, in a letter, stated that TAJBank was honoured with the award based on its innovativeness in products packaging and customer-friendly services.
