Akpabio seeks probe into Natasha’s assassination allegation (Sun)
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has written a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, requesting a probe into an alleged assassination plot made against him by suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Akpabio’s petition is contained in a letter dated April 3, 2025, in which he denied the allegation and called for Akpoti-Uduaghan to be prosecuted for defamation.
The senate president also urged law enforcement agencies to treat the matter with the seriousness it deserves. Read more
NBC bans Eedris Abdulkareem’s protest song ‘Tell Your Papa’ from radio, TV (Punch)
The National Broadcasting Commission has barred Nigerian radio and television stations from airing the trending song “Tell Your Papa” by veteran rapper, Eedris Abdulkareem, citing its “objectionable nature.”
In a memo dated April 9, 2025 and issued by the Coordinating Director of Broadcast Monitoring, Susan Obi, the commission declared the track Not To Be Broadcast (NTBB) under Section 3.1.8 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
This section prohibits content deemed inappropriate, offensive, or in breach of public decency from being aired on Nigerian broadcast platforms. Read more
Lagos, Rivers, FCT, 28 other states to experience flooding – FG (Vanguard)
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has warned that 1,249 communities across 176 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 33 states and the FCT fall within the high flood-risk areas in 2025.
The warning was issued during the official presentation of the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, in Abuja.
According to the forecast, an additional 2,187 communities in 293 LGAs across 31 states and the FCT are expected to experience moderate flood risk this year. Read more
Traffickers using digital platforms to lure Nigerians – FG (DailyTrust)
The federal government has expressed concern that human traffickers are increasingly using digital platforms to lure and exploit victims.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), raised the alarm in Abuja yesterday.
Fagbemi described the situation as a fast-evolving and borderless threat that demands urgent action. Read more
NERC fines eight DisCos N628m for breaching energy caps (Tribune)
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has fined eight electricity distribution companies (DisCos) a total of N628 million for violating monthly energy caps for unmetered customers between July and September 2024.
The sanctioned DisCos include Abuja, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, and Yola.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the commission said the affected DisCos must also issue credit adjustments to the impacted customers by May 15, 2025. Read more
‘Japa’: Youths Need Capital Not ₦10,000 Freebies, Says AfDB’s Adesina (Channels)
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, says Africa’s youth bulge is a demographic asset that has to become an economic asset through rigorous investment in human capital development and financing.
The former Nigerian agriculture minister said youths in Nigeria and other 51 countries in Africa don’t need freebies under the guise of empowerment schemes but capital to fund their ideas and translate same into enduring wealth.
“In the case of young people and the japa syndrome, it’s a big loss for us,” Adesina said during an exclusive interview aired on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday. Read more
211,000 out of 2m candidates sit for mock UTME – JAMB (Guardian)
Over 211,000 candidates on Thursday sat for the 2025 Mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) across designated Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in the country.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who disclosed this while monitoring the exercise at a CBT centre in Bwari, Abuja, revealed that the results of the mock examination will be released on Friday.
“They will have the results tomorrow (Friday). The results will be ready. Those who finished, we are working now on their results, but we want to compare them with the second batch, the third batch, and so on. And see that everything is working well. But later by tomorrow (Friday), they will have the results,” he said. Read more
Ed Sheeran promises new music every “two, three weeks” (NME)
Ed Sheeran has revealed that he plans to share new music every two or three weeks.
The pop singer shared the news during a new episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, where he shed insight into his lyrics and his plans for new music.
During the interview, Sheeran also spoke to host Alex Cooper about his newly-released single ‘Azizam’, which is set to feature on an upcoming album titled ‘Play’. Read more
Tanzania’s opposition leader Tundu Lissu arrested after rally (AfricaNews)
Prominent Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu was arrested Wednesday after addressing a political rally. In a statement on X his party called the Chadema party said: “So far, the exact reasons for his arrest have not been made clear.
Party leaders are closely monitoring the situation to determine the reasons for his arrest and his current whereabouts.” Recent months have seen a spike in attacks on opposition figures. The rally in Mbinga was one of many across the country aimed at mobilizing voters and demanding reform ahead of the upcoming general election.
As tensions rise ahead of the vote, human rights groups and critics are questioning the government’s commitment to political freedoms. Many fear that without significant reforms, Tanzania’s elections may not be free or fair, undermining the legitimacy of the entire process. Read more
Cannes Competition Lineup: Aster, Trier, Dardennes, Reichardt, Ducournau, Wes Anderson & More (Deadline)
The Official Selection for the 78th Cannes Film Festival was revealed Thursday, with 19 movies in Competition. See the full lists below.
Familiar names who will launch new works in the Competition in May on the Croisette include Wes Anderson, who brings his latest flick The Phoenician Scheme; Richard Linklater will launch his Paris-shot Nouvelle Vague; Jochim Trier debuts his latest feature Sentimental Value; and Titane Palme d’Or winner Julia Ducournau returns with Alpha.
Cannes will open this year with Leave One Day, by first-time French filmmaker Amelie Bonnin. Festival boss Thierry Frémaux said during his presser this morning that it was the first time a debut film has been selected to open the festival. Also hitting the Croisette for the first time is horror auteur Ari Aster, who returns to feature filmmaking with his buzzy A24 feature Eddington. Read more
China confirms devastating news about Hollywood movies amid Donald Trump trade war (Movieweb)
In the wake of Donald Trump’s ongoing (and ludicrous) global trade war, the China Film Administration (CFA) has now confirmed some devastating news for Hollywood.
Following speculation, China will now slash the number of American movies released in the nation following Trump’s decision to increase tariffs on the country to 125%.
The CFA released the following statement in response to questions from reporters regarding whether the tariffs increase would impact imports of American movies in China. Read more
Judge convicted of shooting her ex-boyfriend as he slept (CBS)
A magistrate judge in Pennsylvania accused of shooting and wounding her ex-boyfriend in the head as he slept was convicted Wednesday of attempted homicide and aggravated assault charges.
Sonya McKnight was taken away in handcuffs after the trial judge rejected a defense request that she be released. She faces up to 60 years in prison when she’s sentenced May 28.
The shooting occurred on February 10, 2024 at the home of her ex-boyfriend, Michael McCoy, CBS affiliate WHP-TV reported. McKnight had lived there, but McCoy repeatedly asked her to leave when their relationship ended, authorities said. Read more
Why this 100-year-old novel is still misunderstood (BBC)
The Great Gatsby is synonymous with parties, glitz and glamour – but this is just one of many misunderstandings about the book that began with its first publication a century ago, in April 1925.
Few characters in literature or indeed life embody an era quite so tenaciously as Jay Gatsby does the Jazz Age.
Almost a century after he was written into being, F Scott Fitzgerald’s doomed romantic has become shorthand for decadent flappers, champagne fountains and never-ending parties. Read more
Female athletes to be in majority at 2028 LA Olympics after big win for women’s soccer (CBC)
Female athletes will be in the majority at an Olympics for the first time at the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games thanks to a big win for women’s soccer.
The Olympic women’s soccer tournament will be bigger than the men’s edition for the first time in 2028, the International Olympic Committee decided Wednesday, with 16 teams for women and now just 12 for men — flipping the gender imbalance at the Paris Olympics which had 16 men’s teams and 12 in the women’s tournament.
That decision by the IOC executive board helped push the core quota of athletes for LA to 50.7 per cent women and 49.3 per cent men — 5,333 for women and 5,167 for men, the IOC said. Read more
PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf fight makes Masters even more special (USAToday)
Every year since the world could see the place on television, this little town near the border of Georgia and South Carolina has been the epicenter of our retreat out of a long winter and into spring.
That’s always been the secret sauce of the Masters. Not the exclusivity of the club, nor the difficulty of the course, nor really the fact that it’s the only major championship in golf anchored to one place every year.
Mostly, it’s the visuals, the colors, perfectly green fairways framed by the towering pines and flowers that pop off the television screen like an invitation to once again start going outside. As always, every inch of this place is spectacular. Read more
Novak Djokovic crashes out of Monte Carlo Masters in opening match of clay season (Independent)
Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Monte Carlo Masters in his opening match of the clay-court season as Alejandro Tabilo made it successive wins against the 24-time grand slam champion.
Djokovic had won 10 consecutive matches on clay stretching back to last season’s French Open and Olympics, where the Serbian won gold at Roland Garros, but he fell to a 6-3 6-4 defeat.
Chilean left-hander Tabilo, ranked 32 in the world, also defeated the 37-year-old Djokovic on clay at last year’s Italian Open in Rome and has now won both meetings against the former World No 1. Read more
Doncic hits 45 points on emotional Dallas return (BBC)
Rarely does the home team crowd want the visiting team to win.
But rarely does a team trade a generational star – a revered star at that – entering his prime, infuriating a fanbase and invoking vitriol toward ownership and the front office led by general manager Nico Harrison.
Luka Doncic made an emotional return to Dallas Wednesday for the first time since the Mavericks moved him to the Lakers just days before NBA trade deadline in early February. Read more
From homelessness to the NFL, QB ‘Whisperer’ Quincy Avery’s shares his ‘resilient’ journey in new doc (People)
Quincy Avery doesn’t take “no” for an answer. Not even from himself.
So when the former Morehouse College football player graduated and found himself without a job in 2008, he drove to California and talked himself into an unpaid coaching position with the UCLA football team and began working his way up the ranks. All the while, Avery was sleeping in his car and living out of the team’s locker room.It’s a determination that likely came from Avery’s mom, the now successful quarterback coach tells PEOPLE in a new interview. In similar fashion, Avery’s mom once talked her way into a job at Xerox when he was a kid and his family needed the work. Read more