Andy Murray

Andy Murray claimed the biggest win of his comeback and a place in the last 16 of the Western and Southern Open on Monday, taking out self-destructing fifth seed Alexander Zverev 6-3 3-6 7-5.

Working his way back to match fitness after undergoing a second round of hip surgery in January, Murray offered hope that he was on the right track with a tidy first-round win over Frances Tiafoe on Saturday.

But it is Mondays win over the big-hitting German on a steamy, hot New York afternoon that will provide a huge confidence boost in the run-up to the U.S. Open that starts next week.

Neither player will include the contest in their career highlight reels, particularly a scrappy third set that was riddled with unforced errors and momentum swings.

Murray would be the first to take control in the third, racing ahead 4-1, but was left mumbling and scolding himself as Zverev broke the Briton twice on his way to sweeping the next four games and taking a 5-4 lead.

But serving for the match Zverev double-faulted three times to gift Murray a break and extend the match.

Murray then held serve and finished off the crumbling German, with the help of two more double faults, with a final break to register his first win over at top-10 ranked opponent since 2017.

It was a big one to get through, said Murray. Im satisfied to get through it against a top player having not played for such a long time and I get another opportunity to compete again tomorrow.

This will give me an idea of where my body is at, said Murray, a past winner of the Western and Southern, which is normally held in Cincinnati but was moved this year in order to move players inside a protective bubble ahead of the U.S. Open.

Next up for Murray is another big hitter, Canadian Milos Raonic, who advanced to the last with a 6-3 7-5 victory over Briton Daniel Evans. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

At present, there are nine vaccines that are part of this dynamic portfolio, said WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus at a virtual news briefing, referring to the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility.

He added that nine other vaccines were under evaluation for the longer term.

According to him, COVAX is a mechanism for joint procurement and pooling risk across multiple vaccines so that whatever vaccine is proven to be safe and effective, all countries within the facility will be able to access them.

He said that global competition for vaccine doses could lead to prices spiking exponentially in comparison to COVAX.

The COVAX allocation framework aims at ensuring that low, middle and high-income countries all receive the vaccine in a timely way as soon as there is supply of a safe and effective vaccine, he said.

According to the WHO chief, it is important to provide the vaccine to those at highest risk, including health workers, people over 65 years and those at higher risk of dying from COVID-19 due to certain diseases they already have.

A number of vaccines are now in the final stage of clinical trials, and we all hope we will have multiple successful candidates that are both safe and effective, he said.

He added that the goal of COVAX would be to deliver at least two billion doses of vaccines by the end of 2021. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Ummul Idris
Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has urged medical practitioners in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to lead the fight against COVID-19 with the knowledge of infection prevention and control protocols.

Dr Robert Egot, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the NMA in FCT, made the appeal in his remark at the inauguration of newly elected officers of the FCT chapter of the association in Abuja on Monday.

Egot said that medical doctors must also adhere to the protocols of the COVID-19 at their various facilities.

He added that during this pandemic, we urge every doctor in the FCT to lead the fight against COVID-19 with the instrumentality of the knowledge of infection prevention and control protocols and encourage the adherence of same in all health facilities.

We are also not oblivious that this has aggravated the welfare challenges faced by our members and we are poised to face them headlong from day one in office.

Egot said that the new executives would usher all doctors in the FCT to a new era of excellence, purposeful service and transparent leadership.

We hope to connect every doctor in FCT with reliable and accurate information of the many activities of this executive.

The aim is to reach every doctor and make them feel the impact of NMA in FCT and ensure a good sense of belonging to a body of professionals.

As such, we are inviting members with the best ideas, creative excellence and ingenuity, as we embark on this service, first to our colleagues, the patients we care for and the society at large.

The new Chairman, Dr Enema Amodu, emphasised the need for members to put the association first above personal interests, as well as the need for selflessness and dedication to service.

Amodu said that the new executive would run an open government, while urging doctors in the territory to bring their best ideas.

He added that the new executive would make the FCT NMA better than it met it.

The new members of the executive are Umemmuo Uche as Vice Chairman; Dr Okpechi Chinedu; Secretary, Dr Ogunmola Mercy; Assistant Secretary, Dr Aigbovo Roland; Treasurer, Dr Obayi Onwura; Financial Secretary and Dr Abah Robert; Social Secretary.

Source: NAN News

Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has urged the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole to deploy more of intelligence in prosecuting the ongoing counter insurgency in the Northeast.

Buratai stated this while addressing troops deployed at Army Super Camp 3 Buratai, in Biu Local Government Area of Borno on Monday.

He said that the task of dealing with the remnants of terrorists hiding in some areas must be intelligence driven, adding that the intelligence corps of the army had achieved so much in recent times.

He commanded the troops for their commitment to the fight and the successes they had so far recorded.

He also charged them to braze up for the final defeat of the insurgents, urging them to be courageous and professional in performing the task ahead.

According to him, operations of this nature must continuously be evolved and address issues as they come.

Your efforts have paid off and have been recognised with the successes so far achieved in the counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations.

What is remaining is for us to consolidate and push the remnants of the terrorists out of the remaining enclaves as well as the areas they have been moving about in the bush, the forests and some hamlets and even some towns.

Henceforth, all our operations will be driven from what we gather from the intelligence corps. Our operations have always been guided by intelligence but we are going to do more this time around.

You should braze up for the final phase but it is going to be very tough and I expect you to get going, he said.

Buratai also promised to continue to improve on the welfare of he personnel as well as their operational needs.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Buratai had earlier inaugurated the 500m access road to the camp and a 200KVA transformer to boost electricity supply to the camp.

The access road was constructed by the team of Nigerian Army Engineers to enhance the responsiveness of the troops from the camp.

Source: NAN News

Policemen

By Stanley Nwanosike

The Police Command in Enugu State says the screening of candidates for community policing officers in the state will begin on Aug. 26, at the commands headquarters in Enugu.

The commands Public Relations Officer, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, in a statement on Tuesday in Enugu, said that the three days screening would last till Aug. 28, from 7:30 a.m each day.

The Command wishes to inform citizenry of the state, particularly those nominated for the position of Community Policing Officers, that they have been slated for a screening exercise as follows:

Enugu North Senatorial Zone (Igbo-Etiti, Igbo-Eze North, Igbo-Eze South, Nsukka, Udenu and Uzo-Uwanicouncil areas) for Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Enugu East Senatorial Zone (Enugu East, Enugu North, Enugu South, Isi-Uzo, Nkanu East and Nkanu West council areas) for Thursday, Aug. 27.

Enugu West Senatorial Zone (Aninri, Awgu, Ezeagu, Oji-River and Udi council areas) for Friday, Aug. 28, he said.

The police spokesman said that candidates must compulsorily adhere to COVID-19 protocols.

These include hand washing/sanitisation, maintaining of social/physical distance and wearing of face masks, he added. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Apple

Loaves of bread

By Auwalu Yusuf -Birnin Kudu

The Bauchi State chapter of Association of Master Bakers says the rising cost of production of bread might force it to increase the price of the product by 20 per cent.

The states chapter Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Baba, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Tuesday .

He said no fewer than 120 bakeries nationwide had shut down between 2015 and 2020 due to high cost of production.

Baba added that the association was therefore considering a 20 per cent price hike on a loaf of bread to augment the cost.

He noted that a bag of flour which was sold for between N6,800 and N7,000 now sells for between N12,200 and N13,000, likewise prices of ingredients like yeast, baking fat and fire wood.

The chairman attributed the rise in production cost to the high exchange rate of Naira to the dollar.

He noted that before now, some bakeries had in their pay rolls between seven and 540 employees depending on the size of the factory.

He appealed for governments assistance to avoid job loss in the industry, saying poverty and unemployment were dangerous phenomenon to any society. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Malaysian minister

Another row over government corruption allegations broke out in Malaysia on Tuesday, after former Finance Minister Lim Eng demanded incumbent Tengku Abdul Aziz to back up claims that Engs administration improperly handled government contracts.

According to Eng, I dare him to reveal everything so that the Rakyat (Malaysias parliament) can evaluate/compare which company succeeded in getting a tender, which crony got it and which minister applied for projects through direct negotiations.

Abdul Aziz made the allegations on Monday before the parliament, saying that contracts worth 6.61 billion ringgit (or 1.58 billion dollars) were negotiated rather than put up for tender.

He took over as Malaysias Finance Minister in March after the fall of the Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition when Mahathir Mohamad quit as Prime Minister.

Eng, who was Mahathirs Finance minister, has since been charged with corruption over the building of an undersea tunnel from Penang Island to the Malaysian mainland.

The allegations date to his 2008-2012 tenure as Chief Minister of Penang Local Government.

Eng, however, denied the charges, which he said were politically motivated.

The short-lived Pakatan Harapan coalition assumed duty after elections in May 2018 that were fought, in part, over allegations of corruption against another former Prime Minister, Najib Razak, who was sentenced to 12 years in jail in July.

Najibs allies returned to office after the fall of the Mahathir-led coalition in February.(dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Mr Mike Sangster, MD Total E

Mr Auwalu Sarki DPR Boss

By SolomonAsowata

The changes in the global energy landscape has made it imperative for the oil and gas industry to adapt accordingly in order to maintain relevance,remain competitive and thrive.

Mr Auwalu Sarki, the Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), spoke on Tuesday at thevirtual opening ceremony of the Energy Industry Transformation Summit (NEITS).

It was organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Nigeria Council.

Sarki said theme of the summit Changing Global Energy Landscape: Strategies for Industry Sustainability, wasnot only relevant and germane, but timely and apt as well.

The scene of the world is changing rapidly, and the industry must respond and adapt accordingly to survive, maintain relevance, remain competitive and thrive, he said.

According to him, the oil and gas industryhas been affected by a combination of factors including, changing demography with resultant shift in energy supply and demand equilibrium.

He added that globalisation and geopolitics, climate change and drive for alternative energies, as well as technology and innovation, had also affected the industry.

More recently, the effect of the Triple force of COVID-19 pandemic, Oil Price Crash and OPEC production cuts have clearly demonstrated the compelling need for new thinking and approach for strategic repositioning and business optimisation in the industry, Sarki said.

The DPR chief said the agency had adopted several approaches and streamlined its processes to deepen its influencing role as an opportunity house and business enabler for the industry.

He said the approaches included cost control and management, strategic partnership, vertical integrationand diversification and portfolio rationalisation andoperational resilience.

Sarki noted that DPR was proud to be associated with the SPE, which had the ideals and vision of enabling the industry meet the worlds energy demand in a safe, environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.

In his remarks, Mr Joe Nwakwue,Chairman, SPE Council Nigeria, said the world was gradually shifting to cleaner sources of energy due to environmental impacts of oil and gas activities.

Nwakwue said: Awareness and policy geared toward renewable energy use and energy efficiency is spreading. These places a potential cap to oil and gas demand in the future.

The impact of this transition toward a low carbon economy on energy-deficient and energy-hungry countries like Nigeria (where enhanced energy access and availability is crucial to human wellbeing and countrys economic growth and development), is a subject of great concern for sustainability.

Consequently, there is a tendency of having rapid evolution and adoption of renewable energy technology (solar and wind), thereby reducing energy costs, changing lifestyles and habits by our large youth population.

All these are expected to impact the economic futures of the affected countries and the future of Energy. (NAN)

Source: NAN News