9-year-old girl raped while guarding dad’s farm (DailyTrust)
A 9-year-old girl guarding her father’s farm has been allegedly raped in Akilibu village, located off the Abuja-Kaduna highway in Kachia LGA of Kaduna State.
The incident happened on Saturday afternoon when the victim, along with her younger sibling, was guarding their father’s farm against encroachment from goats.
Disclosing the incident through a phone conversation with our reporter yesterday, the father of the minor, Muhammadu Kabiru, narrated that although most of the animals were mostly under guard in the community, few of them still roamed around. Read more
FG’s failure to make fresh offer stalls minimum wage talks (Vanguard)
Failure of the Federal Government negotiating team to present a fresh offer beyond the N60,000 it offered last week has stalled further negotiation.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday, given a marching order to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, to prepare cost implications of the new minimum wage and present an affordable, sustainable and realistic figure to him yesterday, saying government’s new offer must be ready by yesterday as the basis of negotiation with Labour.
The President asked the minister to come up with the cost implications of a new minimum wage and present an affordable, sustainable and realistic figure within two days. Read more
Northern senators fume as lawmakers move to restrict cattle herders (Sun)
Amidst a rancorous session, the Senate, yesterday, passed a bill to establish the National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for second reading.
Despite heated debates, the senators voted in favour of the bill sponsored by Titus Tartenger Zam (Benue North West) meant to control and regulate cattle rearing ranching business across the country.
Zam argued that ranching remained the only viable alternative for cattle breeding in Nigeria and also advocated an urgent need to transition from traditional livestock keeping methods to the modern methods which are safer and healthier to both the herds and the herders. Read more
Lagos unveils Ikorodu 20-year master plan (Punch)
The Ikorodu Sub-Region Master Plan for 2016–2036 has been handed over to the community leaders, elders and other stakeholders by the Lagos State Government.
This was revealed in a report obtained by our correspondent from the state government official portal on Wednesday.
Before the recent significant population increase, according to the state government, Ikorodu was primarily an agrarian region with a small number of villages. This population increase was accompanied by a number of problems, including flooding, land management conflicts, and traffic congestion. Read more
Cubana’s trial for Naira abuse stalled (Leadership)
The ongoing trial of socialite Pascal Okechukwu, also known as Cubana Chief Priest, before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged abuse of the naira was stalled yesterday by the absence of his lawyer, Chikaosolu Ojukwu (SAN).
Justice Kehinde Ogundare was forced to adjourn the matter to June 25 after the prosecution informed him that the defence counsel had written about his inability to be in court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the Cubana chief priest before the court on a three-count charge of spraying and tampering with the naira at a social event contrary to the Central Bank Act of 2007 provisions. Read more
Bloomberg: Nigeria may suspend import levies on food to ease inflation (ThisDay)
Nigeria is considering suspending import duties on staple food, drugs and other essential items for six months to slow inflation in Africa’s most-populous nation, Bloomberg reported yesterday.
The government may also waive levies on fertilisers, poultry feed, flour and grains, according to a document seen by the news medium that has been sent to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his consideration.
As part of a plan to get its finances in order, the administration will also stop borrowing from the central bank through so-called ways and means advances. Read more
LG Electronics supports Abule-Osun with solar-powered borehole in Lagos (Independent)
LG Electronics, a renowned global leader in technology and innovation, has made a generous contribution by providing a solar-powered borehole to the Abule Osun community in Lagos, Nigeria. This marks the second similar project in Nigeria, demonstrating the company’s commitment to addressing the pressing issue of access to clean drinking water in local areas.
The solar water pumping system reaches a depth of 120m and has a pumping capacity of around 40m3 per day, equipped with advanced treatment technology to guarantee safe drinking water. Moreover, a 3000-liter tank ensures a continuous 24-hour water supply for the residents of Abule Osun, significantly improving their daily lives. Read more
Gani Adams asks court to strike out Igboho’s N500m defamation suit (Vanguard)
Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams has asked an Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan to strike out the suit filed against him by Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Sunday Igboho, over alleged defamation of character.
Igboho in the suit is seeking an order compelling the defendant to pay N500 million as aggravated damages over the alleged leaked audio conversation, which he claimed impugned his reputation.
Igboho is also seeking, among others, “A declaration that the content of an audio clip between the defendant (Adams) and a third party named Nuru Banjo that took place sometime in November 2021, and further published on all news media platforms, including Youtube, is slanderous, libelous and defamatory.” Read more
Kelly Osbourne makes surprising health confession after declaring her body is “pickled from all the drugs’’ (Standard)
Kelly Osbourne has said she hopes that her past substance abuse use will keep her from getting cancer.
The TV star, 39, made the admission during a recent episode of her family’s The Osbournes Podcast, and lightheartedly claimed she has “pickled” her body from “all the drugs and alcohol”.
Speaking to her family, she quipped: “I’m hoping that I’ve embalmed myself so I don’t ever get cancer. Read more
I Kissed a Girl’s Hannah reveals unseen connection with another girl on the show (Digitalspy)
I Kissed a Girl’s Hannah has revealed that she had an unseen connection with another girl on the reality dating show.
Hannah and Amy were the last couple to form in the Masseria, but with Hannah left feeling insecure due to Amy’s strong connection with Fiorenza, she ultimately turned Amy down during the final kiss-off.
However, during an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Hannah shared that she had another connection of her own with Eva. Read more
Baby Reindeer’s Richard Gadd explains why he never revealed the ‘‘real’’ Martha to co-star Jessica Gunning (HuffPost)
Two months on from the release of Baby Reindeer, the hit Netflix show is continuing to spark new conversations.
Based on creator and star Richard Gadd’s real-life experiences as a struggling comedian who gets stalked by a woman he meets by chance (played by Jessica Gunning), the word-of-mouth hit spent nearly one month in the top spot of the UK streamer’s TV rankings and dominated headlines.
Despite the runaway success of the show, much of the attention has revolved around whether enough was done to protect the real identities of people portrayed in the series. Read more
Reese Witherspoon calls BFF Laura Dern “Dern” “because my name is Laura”: ‘We can’t both be Laura!’’ (People)
Although Reese Witherspoon doesn’t go by her given name, she can’t address her friends by their shared name — including Laura Dern.
Witherspoon, 48, joined friend and former Big Little Lies costar Nicole Kidman for a conversation with Vanity Fair on Wednesday, June 5. Throughout their chat, Kidman, 56, asked Witherspoon why she refers to their former castmate Dern, 57, strictly by her last name.
Witherspoon began to tell a story about a phone call she had with Dern on the HBO series, but then Kidman quickly interjected to reveal, “I hate how you call her Dern though!” She explained after Witherspoon asked “Why?” that it’s “because it sounds weird.” Read more
Keanu Reeves’ rock band Dogstar announces US summer tour (MusicNews)
Dogstar have announced their U.S. ’Summer Vacation Tour 2024’.
The rock band – which consists of bassist Keanu Reeves, guitarist and vocalist Bret Domrose and drummer Rob Mailhouse – are currently touring across Europe, and the group have now revealed American fans will also get the chance to see them on stage from August.
In a statement, the band said: “We are having the best time out here on the road interacting with fans at these shows, we wanted to keep it going! Read more
Slovak PM Robert Fico says could return to work ‘‘in several weeks’’ (AlJazeera)
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has posted a speech online, his first appearance since he was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt three weeks ago.
In a pre-recorded speech on his Facebook page on Wednesday, ahead of the European Parliament election, Fico said the attack caused serious damage to his health and that “it will be a small miracle if I return to work in several weeks”.
Fico has been recovering from multiple wounds after being shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters on May 15 in the town of Handlova, about 140km (87 miles) northeast of the capital, Bratislava. Read more
King and Queen appear emotional amid tributes to “courage” of D-Day veterans (Sky)
The King and Queen appeared to be moved to tears as they paid tribute to the “courage and service” of veterans at commemorations for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
At an event in Portsmouth, the King said it was “our duty” to ensure the “sacrifice” made by the wartime generation in “replacing tyranny with freedom” was never forgotten.
Pictures showed the King appearing to wipe a tear from his eye at an event which saw him make his first public speech and his most high-profile appearance since his cancer diagnosis earlier this year. Read more
Late invitee Olawoyin ready to grab Eagles chance (Punch)
The invitation of Turkey-based versatile winger Ibrahim Olawoyin for the 2026 World Cup qualifying Group C fixtures against South Africa and Benin Republic could be Finidi George’s first masterstroke as head coach of the Super Eagles, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
This is based on the outstanding qualities of the Rizespor man, who was handed a late call-up as a replacement for Nathan Tella after the Bayer Leverkusen star excused himself from both matches due to family concerns.
Olawoyin, 26, has been a star player for Rizespor since joining them from Ankara Keçiörengücü in January, netting three times and rendering four assists in 13 starts of 15 matches in the second stanza of the season. Read more
Maddison cut from final England squad for Euros (France24)
James Maddison will not be included in England’s 26-man squad for Euro 2024, British media reports said.
The Tottenham attacking midfielder was part of Gareth Southgate’s 33-man training group but has not made the cut for the final squad for the tournament in Germany, the BBC and Sky Sports said late Wednesday.
The Euros start in just over a week’s time and England are among the favourites. Read more
Knee surgery set to rule Novak Djokovic out of Wimbledon following French Open withdrawal (IrishIndependent)
Novak Djokovic is to undergo knee surgery in Paris which will rule him out of Wimbledon, according to reports in France.
The 24-time grand slam champion suffered a knee injury during his five-set win over Francisco Cerundolo in the French Open fourth round on Monday.
Djokovic underwent an MRI scan on Tuesday which revealed a torn medial meniscus in his right knee and forced him to withdraw from the tournament. Read more
Antonio Conte returns to management with Napoli (RTE)
Antonio Conte has been appointed as Napoli’s new head coach.
The former Chelsea and Tottenham boss has signed a three-year contract, keeping him at the Serie A club until 2027.
Conte, who won the Premier League title with Chelsea in 2017, told Napoli’s official website: “Napoli is a place of global importance. I’m happy and excited to sit on the Azzurri bench. Read more
Alex De Minaur’s French Open dream is over after crushing Zverev loss (DailyMail)
Alex De Minaur was proud of leaving his heart out on Court Philippe Chatrier but his hopes of reaching the French Open semi-final have been ground into the Roland Garros clay-court dust by relentless Olympic champion Alexander Zverev.
The first Australian man into the quarter-finals since Lleyton Hewitt two decades ago, de Minaur’s improbable adventure came to a halt as the towering German prevailed 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.
But De Minaur was far from disgraced in Wednesday’s straight-sets at the end of a glorious breakthrough Roland Garros adventure in which he’d proved he could live with the best, even on his least productive surface. Read more
Favoured Celtics battle Doncic and the Mavericks in NBA Finals (RNZ)
A Celtics team desperate for championship glory face Luka Doncic and a Dallas Mavericks squad eager to play spoiler in an intriguing NBA Finals matchup that tips off Friday (NZ time) in Boston.
Led by superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the sharpshooting Celtics have had a relatively easy road to the finals.
Coming out of the weaker Eastern Conference as the top seed, they breezed past the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat, dispatched the Cleveland Cavaliers and swept the Indiana Pacers, who were without point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the final two games. Read more