Coronavirus variants are to be known by letters of the Greek alphabet to avoid misreporting and stigmatising nations where they were first detected, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced.

The new system applies to variants of concern – the most troubling of which four are in circulation – and the second-level variants of interest being tracked.

“While they have their advantages, these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall, and are prone to misreporting,” the WHO said in a statement.

“As a result, people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatising and discriminatory.”

The four coronavirus variants considered of concern by the United Nations agency and known generally by the public as the UK, South Africa, Brazil and India variants have now been given the letters Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta according to the order of their detection.

Other variants of interest continue down the alphabet.

“The labels don’t replace existing scientific names, which convey important scientific information and will continue to be used in research,” WHO’s technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove tweeted.

“These labels will help with public discussion about VOC/VOI as the numbering system can be difficult to follow.”

WHO in the statement said it encouraged media outlets and national authorities to adopt the new labels.

The Presidential Steering Committee, (PSC) on COVID-19 has announced that it would deactivate the international passports of Nigerians who flouted the 2021 Health Safety Regulations as its concerns travel advisory.

The PSC Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, made this known in Abuja.

”Pursuant to the travel advisory issued, I wish to inform you that the PSC has initiated series of sanctions against those that have violated the 2021 Health Safety Regulations.

”To this end, the PSC has published the names and particulars of over 200 violators that evaded the quarantine requirement.

“This is considered a serious infraction and the PSC will proceed to do the following: deactivate the passports of Nigerians involved, for a period of not less than one year; revoke the visas of foreigners that have abused our hospitality, and prosecute the violators where necessary.”

Mustapha warned that Nigeria cannot afford a third wave of coronavirus and will do everything to protect its territory.

“In the next couple of weeks, the PSC will focus on three major things, increase testing especially in the states, increase oxygen reserve capacity in case there is a third wave and increase vaccine acquisition drive,” he said.

On the travel ban against Emirates Airlines, the SGF said: “for some times now, Nigeria has been discussing with the authorities of the United Arab Emirates on the resumption of flights between the two countries.

“Nigerians must eschew sentiments by ensuring that friends, relations and associates arriving from countries of concern and indeed all countries obey the quarantine and post-arrival protocols. It is our duty to make sure this occurs.

Tolu Oniru-Demuren, popularly known as Toolz says losing her father not long after she had a miscarriage was her most traumatic experience.

The presenter who is popular for hosting The Midday Show on The Beat 99.9 FM. spoke when she appeared on the latest episode of #WithChude, a series by Chude Jideonwo.

Toolz recalled feeling lost at the time, noting that it was her spirituality that enabled her to deal with the situation.

“… you know after losing my first pregnancy, not long after that I lost my dad, it was and perhaps is still the most traumatic thing that has ever happened, and I remember I had like one or two out of body experiences because I could not believe I was going through this, I literally could not believe this was happening to me,” she said.

“I still think back and I don’t even know how I got through it, my spirituality was extremely important during that period.

“I don’t always like talking about it… I just remember going through it and feeling lost, so so incredibly lost and I used to be online all the time looking for women that had similar experiences.”

She added that her experience during the period showed many Nigerian women battling the same thing hardly open up on their struggles.

The mother of two said her resolve to share her story was to encourage those going through similar experiences as many often resort to blaming themselves.

“A lot of women go through it but they don’t usually talk about it. My mom went through it but she doesn’t like talking about it, she rarely talks about it,” she added.

“I just remembered going online, looking for information, trying to find somebody that had gone through the exact same thing; What happened? How did they continue? How did they get back to normal? And I didn’t find a lot.

“I found a few but I didn’t find a lot of Nigerian women that talked about it. So when I think about that I know that somebody is gonna be watching that is going through something like that, I think it’s so important for me to just say ‘look, it’s not your fault it’s not always in our control but you get through it’. I mean look at me, I got two boys now.”

Reports that Professor Godswill Obioma, registrar of the National Examination Council(NECO) was assassinated have been debunked by competent sources in Minna.

Both the police and officials of NECO said Obioma died a natural death and also reconstructed the timeline of his death.

According to senior NECO officials, Obioma arrived from Abuja on Monday morning, not Monday night.

NECO officials who visited him at about 9 a.m at his Dutse Kura quarters in Minna, were told by Obioma that he would soon report in the office.

But by 2pm, Obioma had not shown up, making another delegation to go to his home.

The delegation found him alone in his master bedroom, sprawled on the floor, face down.

He was stone dead.

His brother, who stayed in Minna was invited to see the body.

His body was thereafter evacuated to Abuja.

Both the police and NECO officials debunked the assassination story as fake news and the testimony of the wife, Elizabeth as cock and bull stuff.

Obioma, 67, was appointed last year May as registrar and CEO of the agency.

He hailed from Abia state.

An irate Italian woman was filmed attacking another female passenger during an argument about facemasks on a Ryanair flight from Ibiza to Milan.

The woman lashed out at flight crew as she was dragged off the plane.

The flight required all passengers to wear a facial covering for the duration of the flight to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Footage of the flight circulated online last week. It is not clear when the incident took place.

According to local media reports, the Italian woman had been asked by other passengers to wear her mask.

The woman reacted by verbally insulting them.

As the confrontation escalated, she proceeded to spit on them and physically assault them.

Crew members intercept to escort the woman from the plane, which is yet to take off, and video footage shows her lashing out at flight attendants as she is removed from the flight.

The incident was caught on camera and quickly spread on social media.

Ryanair requires all passengers to wear masks during flights, covering the nose and mouth.

The mask can only be removed to eat or drink.

It is unclear if the woman faced any further disciplinary action.

Armed robbers numbering about 20 were said to have invaded Alaafia Estate at the Orogun area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, dispossessing residents of their money and other valuables.

It was gathered that the hoodlums used Point of Sale machines to transfer money from the accounts of some residents, who did not have cash.

They were said to have collected the Personal Identification Numbers and went away with the ATM cards of some when they could not transfer money from their victims’ accounts due to network failure.

The robbers, it was gathered, had stormed the estate about two weeks before the Sunday operation, which was said to have lasted from 11pm on Sunday to about 2am on Monday.

Punch correspondent gathered that about 25 families were robbed during the Sunday attack.

The armed robbers were said to have angrily destroyed properties at House 25, where they accused some of the occupants of peeping to see the way they operated during their previous visit to the estate.

It was gathered that the police were eventually alerted and the arrival of some armed policemen stopped the robbery, as the hoodlums took to their heels.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Adewale Osifeso, said the police received a distress call around 3am and deployed some of its men to the scene.

He said, “On sighting the policemen, the hoodlums fled the scene after they were thoroughly resisted. In the process, a pistol was recovered along with three cutlasses and a bag containing both male undergarments and SIM cards.”

He said efforts were on to apprehend the hoodlums.

To reduce his sentence, Mike Tyson slept with a prison counselor.

Mike Tyson has had an eventful life. During his career, the former heavyweight boxing champion amassed a fortune of over $300 million and lived a luxury lifestyle that included $7 million necklaces, $2 million gold bathtubs, and exotic pets, but he also had a number of run-ins with the authorities.

Tyson was arrested for raping an 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant when he was in the zenith of his fame. Tyson was convicted and sentenced to six years in jail in 1992, despite his claims of innocence.

Tyson was only sentenced to three years in prison. Few people are aware, however, that he was given a fourth year due of his terrible behavior while incarcerated. Years later, the Hangover star admitted to sleeping with a jail counselor to shorten his sentence.

During his first six months in prison, Mike Tyson got himself into a lot of trouble.

While imprisoned, Mike Tyson was able to put a stop to race riots.

During a 2020 interview with VLAD TV, Tyson reflected on his time in prison, stating that he misbehaved mostly due to his dissatisfaction with the results of his trial.

Tyson explained, “I got in problems for the first six months and whatnot, cussing, getting written up.” “By that time, I’d gotten the hang of things. ‘Hey, I can handle this.’ The next thing you know, I’m dating one of the counsellors, and she’s allowing me to have sex with her.”

Because he was so difficult to deal with at first, Tyson claims he got another year added to his sentence.

“So far, I’m doing well. But I have to pay back the year I spent getting write-ups for the first six months…. I’m like a prisoner who is a star student. Everything is dependable. ‘Hey Mike, remember when you were a jerk for the first six months?’ There’s a bang. They extended my contract for another year.”

He slept with a jail counselor in order to shorten his sentence.

Lil Loaded, the Dallas rapper behind the 2019 viral summer hit “6locc 6a6y,” has died at age 20.

The Dallas County medical examiner’s office confirmed that the young rapper, whose legal name was Dashawn Robertson, had died. Officials did not reveal the cause of his death.

Ashkan Mehryari, an attorney for the rapper, told USA TODAY the cause of death was suicide. “Sadly, I am able to confirm Mr. Robertson passed away today,” Mehryari wrote in a statement.

The attorney told the Dallas Morning News that his client’s death was “very tragic,” adding, “He had a very bright and promising music career ahead of him.”

Lil Loaded’s death comes a week after “6locc 6a6y” was certified gold on May 25 by the Recording Industry Association of America. “6LOCC 6A6Y Certified Gold 🏆🏆 Who runnin dis (expletive) like me 💙💙 … dopest fanbase on earth,” Lil Loaded wrote on Instagram at the time.

The music video for the song has amassed nearly 29 million views on YouTube. The rapper’s follow-up single in October 2019, “Gang Unit,” became an even bigger hit with over 39 million YouTube views.

Cute…cute!

A builder who splashed out on a swimming pool that turned out to be a children’s foot spa says he was “conned” by the advert.

Mick Daffern found what he thought was steal at £7 while browsing for inflatable toys online.

But the dad-of-two didn’t realise the photo in the listing was taken “up close” – and when it arrived he realised he hadn’t done a deep enough dive into the dimensions.

Mick thought the toy was an 8ft adult-sized pool perfect for splashing around in during the scorching Bank Holiday heatwave.

Instead he ended up with a 1ft square blow-up foot spa for children, the Sun reports.

Luckily his daughter Lucy, 9, has been enjoying the toy despite it falling short of her dad’s expectations.

“The perspective confused me. It was a complete con.

“But what we got left me hysterical. I could do 4,000 lengths of this inflatable pool, no sweat.”

It isn’t the first time that perspective has got the better of an online shopper.

Kate Middleton wants to patch up with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for the sake of Archie’s relationship with his cousins, a royal expert claims.

Royal commentator Camilla Tominey said the Duchess of Cambridge “remained keen to bury the hatchet” with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex despite their controversial Oprah Winfrey interview, Daily Express reports.

Highlighting how close Kate is with her sister Pippa and brother James, Ms Tominey added that Prince William’s wife appears to want to patch things up with Harry and Meghan for the sake of young Archie’s relationship with his cousins.

Writing in the Telegraph, the royal expert said: “Having grown up being close to her own siblings, Pippa, 37, and James, 34, the Duchess remained keen to bury the hatchet even after the interview aired to a global audience of millions, seemingly for the sake of two-year-old Archie’s relationship with his cousins.”

A source told the newspaper: “Her natural instinct is to try to smooth things over.”

Harry and Meghan are living in California with Archie, who turned two this month, after quitting royal duties in March 2020.

George, seven, Charlotte, six, and three-year-old Louis are not thought to have seen much of their cousin before he moved across the pond.

The Sussexes, who are expecting their second child, made a series of bombshell claims about the royals during their TV interview with Winfrey, which aired in March.

Harry also laid bare his devastating rift with his older brother as he poured his heart out to the US talk show host.

He told Winfrey: “The relationship is space at the moment. And time heals all things, hopefully.”

The row between the once-close siblings is said to date back to the early days of Harry’s romance with Meghan.

According to the Finding Freedom book, Harry was angered by what he saw as William’s “snobbish” attitude when he urged his younger brother not to rush the relationship.

Ubi Franklin has disclosed that he makes “more money” whenever he comes under fire.

According to the entrepreneur in an interview with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, host of Rubbin Minds, on Sunday, he has become immune to social media criticisms.

Quizzed about the social media backlash that often trails controversies surrounding his relationships, Franklin said he used to cry until he realised that such call-outs often attract clients and wealth to him.

“One thing I tell people is that money follows attention,” he said.

“Whenever they hit me like that, I make more money. I used to feel very bad, go into my room, and cry. But one day I found out that each time I get a hit on social media, somebody new knows me somewhere.

“They’re either buying a property or trying to book an apartment with my firm.”

Ubi who has four children with four women also said; “I can’t change these things. These are my kids. Am I doing the fatherhood duty well? Yes. So I always just turn the negative to positive.”

Franklin added that he is involved in many things “to make sure my kids have a better life”.

He added: “Some of my kids don’t live in Nigeria. You’re spending forex. I can’t remember the last time I went to a club.

“For me, spending had to reduce. I want to leave something in my kids and for them. I’m not in for that thing where people say, ‘I’m not going to leave everything for my kids’”.

“Listen, they have to start from somewhere. For me, my dad left something in me by sending me to school.”

Franklin also narrated how he was recently thrown into a state of panic after his son swallowed a coin.

The former artiste manager said he was in London when the incident happened.

He said: “My son was with me three weeks ago and swallowed a coin. He was playing with it and I took it from him. You know, when I travel to London, I have these coins I keep somewhere. He was playing with it and swallowed it.

“I was just looking at him. What do I do? Do I spank this boy because his mum already said I’m not always hard on him? I didn’t want him to refuse when he’s asked to go to daddy’s house subsequently. For me, that was scary.

“So whenever he has a cut, some men will say I’m not taking care of the boy but that’s not it. These kids are fast in doing things. For me, I respect that they’re with their mothers longer. Appreciate what these women do.

“No matter what, appreciate them because they can be reacting from the pain of what motherhood has denied them.”

The dreaded COVID-19 pandemic has killed 28 Nigerians in the last 24 hours, with new cases soaring again to send fresh panic across the nation.

Figures released by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC late Monday night revealed that 28 Nigerians were killed by the virus in one day.

The NCDC also reported 203 fresh cases, up from the 30 cases reported the previous day.

A coronavirus surge has been experienced in Benue, which recorded 178 fresh infections out of the 203 new cases reported on Monday.

While Lagos raked in 10 fresh cases, a drop from the 26 cases reported the previous day, Ondo recorded six cases; Kaduna, four and Plateau, one case.

The new figures take the overall confirmed COVID-19 infections in Nigeria to 166,518 , with 158,781 recoveries reported so far and 2,099 deaths.

New cases were reported in five States and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

Nollywood actresses, Anita Joseph and Moyo Lawal have clashed on Instagram over the surprised baby shower of actress Uche Ogbodo.

A surprised baby shower was organized for Uche Ogbodo by some close friends and other celebrities. The photos and videos of the event were shared on Instagram by Uche Ogbodo.

After the photos of the baby shower were posted, Moyo Lawal took to the comment section and congratulated her friend, and also apologized for not making it to the event.

“I can’t believe I missed this….so much love”, However, it appears her comment did not go down well with Anita Joseph who also replied back with a shade. “@Moyolawalofficial Abeg Abeg you were in Lekki na, what now happen abegii” she also commented.

But this did not end there as the two have continued to drag each other on social media. According to Moyo, she was supposed to be at the surprised baby shower but could not make it because something came up. She however disclosed that she sent some money to support the preparation of the event.

“I don’t want to see you do awwwww awwwwww on any of these pictures and videos. You send money gifts. Hello, sometimes it’s not all about money. your presence is what matters alright. Before I added you to the group you promised you were gonna come because I asked if you were in Lekki and please stop lying you attend parties. But e get d kind parties wey you dey attend you know this… Let’s not talk about the change you call money Biko” Anita Joseph took to her page to rant.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, has provided a definitive response to claims the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will leave Juventus this summer.

Ronaldo, 36, is fast approaching the final 12 months of his contract with the Turin giants, where all is not well after a disappointing season.

Andrea Pirlo may have led Juve to Coppa Italia success, but his side only managed to scrape Champions League qualification with a fourth-place finish in Serie A – which resulted in his dismissal last week.

Recent reports from Spain claim Ronaldo would like to call time on his spell in Italy and seal a sensational return to Manchester United.

The Portugal icon has also been linked with his other former clubs Real Madrid and Sporting Lisbon, while Paris Saint-Germain harbour long-term interest.

But Rodriguez has poured cold water on claims her long-term boyfriend could leave the Allianz Stadium.

According to Spanish outlet Marca , the model was quizzed on Ronaldo’s future while in the north-eastern city of Jaca over the weekend, and responded: “He is staying.”

Rodriguez’s comments echo those made by Juventus vice-chairman Pavel Nedved and managing director Fabio Paratici in recent months.

“We’ve decided to keep Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s the best player in the world and we are holding on tight,” said Paratici in March.

“We have a project that we started from last season, one game will not change our views or our strategy.

“This line continues and we are very happy with what we’ve done, so we’ll continue working to improve.”

Nollywood actress, Aishat Lawal is a year older today. And she shared beautiful new photos of herself on her Instagram page to the delight of her fans.

Captioning one of the photos, she wrote;

Alhamdulilahi, Plus 1. This year is actually a year of gratitude and thanksgiving, for LIFE in good health, gratitude for what ought to be, for what is and what is to come, I might not be where I wanna be, but I am where God wants and has designed for me to be, In all situations I have learnt to give thanks, Biatiwayepearilari

Movie director, Okiki Afolayan, has said that in his 11-year career, he has never wished to be in front of the camera instead of behind it.

He told Sunday Scoop, “I have been a director for over 11 years now and with the grace of God, I have been able to direct over 150 movies.

“Though I initially came into the industry wanting to become an actor, I lost interest along the line. However, my passion to make the film industry a great place never left me, so I decided to pick up the role of a continuity director. After winning many awards, I took up the role of a movie director and here we are now. I love being behind the camera.”

Afolayan also maintained that though movies could not be shot during the COVID-19 lockdown, he was kept very busy working on scripts. He said, “At the height of the pandemic, movies could not be produced. However, that was one of the busiest times for me because I had to read more than 100 scripts in preparation for production after the lockdown. That same period gave many scriptwriters and producers time to work on various concepts. Though we could not go to movie location, there were other activities in place.”

On the issue of directors being accused of demanding sex from actresses before giving them roles, Afolayan said, “I often tell my colleagues that we are perceived in different ways by the ‘outside world’, and it is left to us to correct the wrong options people have of us. I believe it is an issue of wrong perception.

“As one of the executives of the Directors Guild of Nigeria, I can tell you that we are always working to set high standards for the Yoruba movie industry and not make it look like an indecent section of the Nollywood. We have always preached against all forms of indecency and we keep working to make things right.”

Socialite, Mike Nwogu, popularly known as Pretty Mike, is of the opinion that having s.e.x with a lady on the first date does not mean she lacks morals.

In an interview with the Punch, he said, “I have had s.e.x on a first date plenty times. It is a normal occurrence these days.

There is nothing wrong with it. Some people have asked that what happened to getting to know one another well but s3xual intimacy is part of the process.

Sometimes, sex helps in a relationship. Having s.e.x on a first date does not mean that the lady is loose or has no morals. As a matter of fact, one can tell whether a woman has loose morals without even having sex with her.”

Shedding more light on the Instagram post he made during the week where he claimed that a lady attempted to force a child on him after a one night rendezvous.

He said, “I thought of having a DNA test for the child but at the same time, I was hesitant. I got carried away by the sight of the baby and I was overwhelmed with the love I was getting from her. I actually found out I was not the father of the child three years ago.

I did not want to talk about it in the past. You would also notice that I don’t like to talk about my family. I keep them away from the public.

“A lot of women want to trap men with children that are not theirs. But in my case, I also think she did not know who the father is because she had other s3xual partners.

Many ladies have been driven to the streets by the state of the country. Even though that is not an excuse, that is our reality in Nigeria. In a country of about 200 million people, it stands to reason that some would survive while some would not.”

The parents of a nine-year-old girl in the Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State allegedly caught a 60-year-old man, Jeremiah Oyedokun, in the act of defiling their daughter.

Oyedokun of Ileloja Compound, Kaiama, was on Friday around 5.30pm, caught having carnal knowledge of the minor, who he allegedly enticed with N50.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, which confirmed the incident, said its operatives arrested the suspect.

The Public Relations Officer, NSCDC, Kwara State Command, Babawale Afolabi, said in a statement, “Despite the campaign against rape and enlightenment by the corps, another case was reported to our divisional headquarters in Kaiama on Friday, May 28, 2021.

“It happened around 5.30pm, when Jeremiah Oyedokun, 60, of Ileloja Compound, Kaiama was caught in the act by the parents of a girl having carnal knowledge of their nine-year-old daughter from the same area.

“The suspect enticed the victim by giving her N50; the suspect confessed to the crime and the girl has been taken to the General Hospital, Kaiama, for proper medical test.”

Babawale said the case had been transferred to the state command headquarters, Ilorin, for further investigation and prosecution, while the suspect would be charged when courts reopen after the judiciary workers’ strike.

The Chief Provost of Nigerian Immigration Service, Imo State Command, Okiemute Mrere, has been assassinated.

Mrere was murdered on Saturday night on Owerri- Port Harcourt Road in Owerri, Punch correspondent learnt on Monday.

A senior officer of NIS, who confirmed to Punch correspondent, said the slain officer’s corpse was discovered in a bush on Sunday morning.

Mrere was riding a Hilux van belonging to NIS when he was allegedly waylaid, shot and killed.

The source told Punch correspondent that the assailants did not take the victim’s service pistol as it was found on him when his corpse was discovered, the next day.

The official Hilux van that he was riding when he was attacked was riddled with bullet holes, our correspondent learnt.

The source said, “The chief provost of Nigerian Immigration Service, Imo State Command, Okiemute Mrere, has been assassinated. He was killed on Saturday night. He was riding in his official Hilux van when he was attacked, shot and killed.