10 killed in fresh Plateau attack linked to cattle rustling, farm destruction (Channels)
At least 10 people have been killed and several cows rustled in renewed violence in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The recent escalation of violence in Riyom stems from farm destruction, cattle rustling, and attacks on livestock carried out by individuals from both Fulani and Berom communities.
According to a statement from Operation Safe Haven, the recent insecurity in the council area began on Monday, May 12, 2025, when suspected youths slaughtered and rustled cattle that had encroached on their farms in Dayan village, Riyom Local Government Area. Read more
2025 UTME: Candidates seek total cancellation as JAMB admits errors (DailyTrust)
Some of the candidates who wrote the 2025 University Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have called for total cancelation of the results.
They spoke to Daily Trust yesterday in their reactions to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board’s admittance to errors that affected candidates’ performance in the examination.
There had been outcries in different quarters over the poor performance in the results, wherein over 1.5 million candidates failed to score 200. While many had cited technical glitches in some of the centres; others had blamed poor time management and students preparation. Read more
Customs denies allegation of poisoned rice linked to multiple deaths in Lagos (Vanguard)
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command has debunked widespread allegations that it seized and distributed bags of poisoned rice, allegedly leading to multiple deaths, including that of a soldier in Badagry, Lagos State.
In a statement issued by Isah Sulaiman, the Customs Public Relations Officer for the Seme Area Command, the NCS described the narrative as “false, misleading, and entirely baseless.”
The circulating reports claimed that the Seme Area Command had confiscated and released bags of rice without the knowledge of the supposed owner, who allegedly invoked traditional powers that led to fatal consequences. Read more
Renewed terror attacks temporary, CDS assures (Nation)
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, said the pockets of renewed attacks by Boko Haram and its splinter group, Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) should not be a cause of concern, describing them as eclipse of the terrors groups.
Boko Haram/ISWAP have launched attacks on some military formations and communities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States in the North East resulting in death of soldiers and destruction of military equipment.
But the CDS said the military is determined and ever committed to end the attacks. Read more
Tinubu to join world leaders at Pope’s inauguration (Punch)
President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja for Rome, the capital of Italy, on Saturday at the invitation of Pope Leo XIV.
Accompanied by top Catholic leaders, “President Tinubu will attend a solemn mass marking the beginning of the Pontificate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome and the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church,” Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, revealed in a statement he signed Thursday.
The statement is titled ‘Pope Leo XIV invites President Tinubu to his inauguration on Sunday.’ Read more
Police re-arraign VeryDarkMan for ‘‘cyberbullying’’ Iyabo Ojo, Tonto Dikeh, others (Guardian)
The Inspector-General (I-G) of Police, on Thursday, re-arraigned controversial social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly called VeryDarkMan (VDM), for allegedly cyberbullying actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh.
VDM was also alleged to have cyberbullied famous Nigerian producer and singer Samuel Oguachuba, also known as Samklef, among others.
He was re-arraigned before Justice Musa Liman of the Federal High Court in Abuja on a five-count charge.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. Read more
Virologists warn of H5N1 bird flu pandemic (Leadership)
Over 40 of the world’s leading virologists have raised alarm over the increasing risk of a global H5N1 bird flu pandemic.
The virologists said the deadly virus is evolving and advancing to human-to-human transmission.
In a report published in the Lancet Regional Health—Americas, the Global Virus Network (GVN) on
Thursday, they said urgent steps were needed to avert another global health catastrophe.
They described H5N1 as a strain of avian influenza, which has historically infected birds and, over the past two years, begun infecting mammals such as pigs and cattle. Read more
Chris Brown charged with assault in Britain (France24)
Brown, 36, is known for mid-2000s hits such as “Kiss, Kiss” and a litany of legal troubles including a felony conviction for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.
He was arrested again in the early hours of Thursday at a hotel in Manchester, the Metropolitan Police said.
The singer, who has faced criminal accusations including sexual assault and domestic violence, remains in custody and will appear in court in the northwestern city at 10:00 am (0900 GMT) on Friday, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. Read more
How India & Pakistan share one of the world’s most dangerous borders (BBC)
To live along the Line of Control (LoC) – the volatile de facto border that separates India and Pakistan – is to exist perpetually on the razor’s edge between fragile peace and open conflict.
The recent escalation after the Pahalgam attack brought India and Pakistan to the brink once again. Shells rained down on both sides of the LoC, turning homes to rubble and lives into statistics. At least 16 people were reportedly killed on the Indian side, while Pakistan claims 40 civilian deaths, though it remains unclear how many were directly caused by the shelling.
“Families on the LoC are subjected to Indian and Pakistani whims and face the brunt of heated tensions,” Anam Zakaria, a Pakistani writer based in Canada, told the BBC. Read more
Scarlett Johansson slams Oscars for snubbing Avengers: Endgame for Best Picture and calls out lengthy award shows (EasternEye)
Scarlett Johansson has once again voiced her frustration over the Oscars overlooking Avengers: Endgame for the Best Picture category. The actress, known for portraying Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, expressed her disbelief during an interview. She questioned how a film as groundbreaking and successful as Endgame managed to receive only one nomination, for visual effects, at the 2020 Academy Awards.
“It was an impossible movie that shouldn’t have worked, yet it did, both as a film and as a cultural moment,” Johansson remarked. She pointed out that the film not only pushed creative boundaries but also became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Despite its global impact and critical acclaim, Endgame remained absent from major Oscar categories, including Best Picture.
Tom Cruise climbs on planes as he hits red carpet at ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ London premiere (Standard)
Tom Cruise was clearly keen to kick off proceedings and was one of the first arrivals on the red carpet at the UK premiere for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
The film marks the eighth, and possibly final, instalment of the Cruise-led action spy franchise based on the 1966 television series of the same name.
The 62-year-old Hollywood star was soon joined by director Christopher McQuarrie, 56, as they greeted fans who were ready and waiting with their phones in-hand. Read more
Al Pacino Joins Bobby Moresco-Directed Biopic ‘Maserati: The Brothers’ (Variety)
Al Pacino has joined the cast of “Maserati: The Brothers,” the biopic directed by Bobby Moresco about the family behind the high-performance automobiles that, along with Ferrari and Lamborghini, Italy is known for.
Pacino’s cameo in the film was announced by producer Andrea Iervolino. A rep for Pacino did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In “Maserati” Pacino will be playing businessman Vincenzo Vaccaro, who supported the Maserati family and invested in the early days of the company. Also joining the star-studded film’s cast are Gina La Piana (“Intentional”) and Tatiana Luter (“Rudy Valentino”), according to a Iervolino statement. Read more
Barcelona crowned LaLiga champions as Lamine Yamal nets stunner in win over Espanyol (Standard)
Barcelona secured their 28th LaLiga title on Thursday when they beat city rivals Espanyol 2-0, securing an unassailable seven-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid with two games left to play.
Following a 4-3 loss at Barcelona on Sunday, Real needed to win their final three games and hope the leaders didn’t earn more than one point in the same period to maintain any mathematical chances of claiming the title.
However, their slim title hopes were dashed when Lamine Yamal curled a superb shot into the back of the net in the 53rd minute, with Fermin Lopez securing the victory by striking a loose ball inside the box five minutes deep in stoppage time. Read more
South Africa beat Nigeria 1-0 to reach AFCON U-20 final (Vanguard)
South Africa booked their place in the final of the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2025 after edging Nigeria 1-0 in a tense semi-final clash at the Suez Canal Stadium on Thursday.
A decisive 66th-minute header by Tylon Smith proved the difference in a fiercely contested encounter between two of the continent’s most successful youth sides.
Smith’s towering finish from Neo Rapoo’s corner marked his first goal of the tournament — and one that could not have come at a better time for the Amajita. Read more
Real Madrid set to beat Chelsea and Liverpool to Bournemouth star Dean Huijsen (Independent)
Real Madrid have activated Dean Huijsen’s £50m release clause and are set to beat Chelsea and Liverpool to the signing of the Bournemouth centre-back.
The 20-year-old defender has quickly evolved into one of the Premier League’s stand-out centre-halves, and this year made his international debut for Spain, having switched from the Netherlands.
The Dutch-born Huijsen joined Bournemouth from Juventus for just £12.6m only last summer but has enjoyed a breakthrough season under Andoni Iraola. Read more
Jokic, Strawther star as Nuggets down Thunder to tie series (France24)
A hardfought NBA Western Conference semi-final series will now go to a decisive game seven in Oklahoma City on Sunday after another ferocious duel between the two sides.
Serbian star Jokic was once again the anchor of a composed Denver performance, finishing with 29 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists to shepherd the Nuggets to victory.
Jamal Murray added 25 points while Christian Braun finished with 23. But arguably the most significant contribution came from the bench, with Strawther scoring 15 points. Read more
Vegas charges into major lead as Donald impresses and Mcllroy struggles (Sky)
Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald rolled back the years to get within three shots of the early lead at the PGA Championship, as Rory McIlroy made an error-filled start to his bid for back-to-back major titles.
Donald, who fired the opening tee shot of this year’s major at the Quail Hollow Club, carded a bogey-free 67 – his best start to a major since 2004 – to stay in touch with early leader Jhonattan Vegas, who charged ahead with five birdies in his final six holes.
Vegas’ remarkable run saw him card a seven-under 64 and build a surprise advantage over early clubhouse leaders Cam Davis and Ryan Gerard, who both returned opening-round 66s, while Donald sits in the group tied-third that contains compatriot Aaron Rai and Germany’s Stephan Jaeger. Read more