Anxiety as ex-depot petrol price rises to N490 per litre (Vanguard)
There was palpable anxiety among members of the public yesterday, following a rise in the ex-depot price of petrol by 4.3% to N490 per litre. As a result, some petrol stations have started selling above N500 per litre, N12 higher than the N488 per litre price in the Lagos area.
But findings by Vanguard showed that NNPC Limited still sells the product to major marketers at N446.57 per litre.
A visit to private depots in Lagos showed that independent marketers, who lift at N490 per litre ended up selling it at N520 per litre at their stations depending on the location in Lagos. Read more
Slain Cop: Navy says ratings will be court-martialed (Punch)
The Nigerian Navy, on Tuesday, said the errant ratings involved in the alleged killing of an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Hezekiah Abiona, in the Satellite Town area of Lagos State, would soon be court-martialed.
This development came after the slain cop’s son, Benjamin, and wife, Esther, accused the naval authorities of feigning ignorance of their anguish after the ratings, Onyekachi Egwin and Nnamani Anointing, allegedly stabbed their breadwinner to death in the line of duty.
They also said the investigation into the case was going at snail’s speed, arousing suspicion that the naval authorities were trying to sweep the case under the carpet. Read more
G-5 members absent as PDP leaders review performance at 2023 polls (Nation)
Prominent leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met on Tuesday in Abuja to review the party’s performance at the last general election.
The meeting, which was chaired by the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, listed 183 chieftains from across the six geopolitical zones for attendance.
Damagum canvassed the need to reconcile aggrieved members and to strengthen the party for future challenges. Read more
4 nabbed for snatching cars from UBER drivers (DailyTrust)
The police at Zone 2 Command, in charge of Lagos and Ogun states, have arrested four members of a car snatching syndicate, who specialise in stealing cars from UBER drivers in Lagos.
The suspects, Adams Michael Onoriode (44), Ojokola Matthew (40), Osihkena Mercy (27), and Ejeh Esther (29), were arrested from their hideouts in Edo State.
The police identified the leader of the gang as Adams and that he is in charge of the operational unit of the gang. Read more
10th NASS: Battle shifts to Reps’ principal officers (Leadership)
Following the emergence of Hon Tajudeen Abbas and Hon Benjamin Kalu as presiding officers for the 10th House of Representatives, the battle over who gets what has been shifted to principal officers of the House.
The principal officers of the House are Majority (House) Leader, Deputy Leader, Chief Whip, Deputy Whip, Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the zones jostling for the position of House Leader are North East, North Central and South south. Read more
Millionaires emerge in maiden GYB Essay Competition for Kogi journalists (Guardian)
Two journalists in Kogi State became millionnaires on Tuesday at the presentation of prizes to the different categories of winners in the maiden edition of the GYB Essay Competition for journalists in the state.
The Correspondent of The Sun Newspaper in Kogi State, Emmanuel Adeyemi, won the competition with a total score of 75.8 per cent. He was followed closely by Richard Elesho of The News, who scored 72.6 per cent.
The Correspondent of Independent Newspapers in the state, Julius Atabor, was the second runner-up, with a total of 70.6 per cent, while Adeiza Momohjimoh of Nigerian Link and Bashir Muhammad of New Telegraph were tied for the Fourth Place, each scoring 70.4 per cent. Read more
EFCC releases Ortom after 10 hours in custody (DailyTrust)
Ex-Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has been released from custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Daily Trust had reported how the former governor granted the invitation of the commission around 10:00am on Tuesday.
He drove into the Makurdi zonal office of the agency, which is located at Alor Gordon street in the state capital, accompanied by two of his former IDES. Read more
Jubilation as Acting IGP Egbetokun arrives Force Headquarters (Sun)
There was jubilation at the Force Headquarters when the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun resumed office after being decorated by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Egbetokun’s convoy entered the Force Headquarters around 1 pm on Tuesday afternoon.
A large number of officers lined up at strategic positions to welcome the new IGP. Read more
Taylor Swift Announces International Eras Tour Dates for 2024 (Pitchfork)
Taylor Swift has announced her first 2024 dates of the Eras Tour. Next year, Swift will play shows outside of North America, stopping in Singapore, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe. See all of Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour dates below.
After a troubled ticketing rollout, Swift began the Eras Tour in Arizona in March. She most recently performed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, June 17, and she’ll resume the tour this Friday, June 23, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For now, her last U.S. concert will be at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium on Wednesday, August 9. A couple of weeks later, Swift heads to Mexico for the first of her Latin American concerts.
On July 7, Taylor Swift will release Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). The new album has guest appearances from Fall Out Boy and Paramore’s Hayley Williams. Read more
With festivals and reflection, America marks Juneteenth (NBC)
Americans from coast to coast celebrated Juneteenth this weekend, taking to the streets to commemorate the end of slavery after the Civil War.
Black people in the U.S. have observed Juneteenth since the late 1800s. In the summer of 2021, after nationwide protests over systemic racism renewed interest in Juneteenth, President Joe Biden signed legislation that made June 19 a federal holiday.
The holiday honors the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — 2½ years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Read more
Adele threatened to scrap $58m mansion deal if ‘Rocky’ poolside statue wasn’t included, Stallone says (CNBC)
Sylvester Stallone faced off against many foes in his decades playing the boxer Rocky Balboa, but he was no match for Adele.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Stallone revealed that the “Hello” singer drove a hard bargain when it came time to close the deal for his Los Angeles mansion last year.
While the two had agreed on a $58 million price tag for the eight-bedroom, 12-bathroom, 21,000-square-foot home, negotiations hit a snag when Adele revealed that she wanted to keep one of the home’s most unique features.
Stallone had planned to take the Rocky statue he installed overlooking the property’s infinity pool, but was met with an ultimatum from Adele. Read more
Robert Downey Jr. reveals gritty details of life in prison (ClutchPoints)
While promoting Sr. on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman, Robert Downey Jr. opened up about the gritty details of his life in prison and his struggle with addiction. Sr. is the documentary film of RDJ’s father, per TooFab.
The conversation opened with addiction, which is something both Dax Shepard and Robert Downey Jr. have in common: “[When] you discovered drugs, you were like, ‘Yes, what a joke, this is hilarious. Now I feel like a cartoon character. Now I’m really getting one over on the universe. I’m having a blast in this technicolor, kaleidoscopic dream of mine.’ And then it catches up with you because again, it’s a f*****g tragedy.”
As recovering addicts, both Shepard and RDJ experience addictive tendencies in similar ways, a sort of neuroticism. That personality trait doesn’t disappear even in recovery. Read more
Here’s what James Cameron has said about diving to the Titanic wreckage (CNN)
James Cameron isn’t just one of Hollywood’s most successful directors ever, he’s also a lover of deep sea exploration.
Those paths have crossed in two of his biggest hits, “Avatar” and “Titanic.”
While Cameron has not publicly commented on the current search for the Titanic tour OceanGate submersible with five people on board, he has personally made 33 dives to the wreckage site.
CNN has reached out to representatives of Cameron for comment. Read more
UN urges South Sudan to make progress toward elections (VOA)
The top United Nations official in South Sudan on Tuesday urged leaders in that country to accelerate implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, including holding elections late next year.
“Now is not the time to take our eyes off the ball in South Sudan,” Nicholas Haysom, head of the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, told the U.N. Security Council. “What we can learn from Sudan is how quickly hard-won peace gains can unravel.”
This is a critical year for the world’s youngest country. A new constitution must be drafted and preparations completed for the first national elections scheduled for December 2024. Read more
Push to rebuild Ukraine’s economy starts with UK’s $3b (BBC)
Ukraine’s economy will need external help for many years to come, a senior World Bank official has told the BBC.
The war-torn country “also has a lot of potential to turn a lot of its assets into economic opportunity and recovery”, according to Anna Bjerde.
The managing director for operations was talking before a major international conference in London on rebuilding Ukraine’s economy.
Last year the country’s economy shrank 29% to just over $140bn (£109bn). Read more
Kylian Mbappé scores French record 54th goal of the season in France’s victory over Greece (CNN)
Kylian Mbappé scored his 54th goal of the season for club and country in France’s 1-0 win over Greece in Euro 2024 qualifying, setting a new French goalscoring record.
The previous record was 53 goals in a single season set by the late striker Just Fontaine during the 1957-58 campaign.
It also took the Paris Saint-Germain forward level with Erling Haaland’s tally for the season, though the Manchester City striker can regain the lead when Norway faces Cyprus on Tuesday. Read more
Heartland coach eyes Super 8 success (Punch)
Head coach of Heartland, Christian Obi, says the Naija Super 8 playoffs provide a big opportunity for the club’s players to showcase their talent and make money.
The former Nigerian league and cup winners stunned many by landing a spot in the glamorous Naija Super 8 at the expense of other top-flight teams in the South-East, most notably Enugu Rangers.
“I feel very good to be going to the Naija Super 8. It’s a platform to showcase the talents I have in my team and again it’s another opportunity for the players to also have encounters with more experienced players and officials. It’s a plus to us as a team in the sense that it will also prepare us for next season. Read more
NFF wants Peseiro to take $70,000 monthly salary cut (Sun)
The NFF has asked Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro to take a huge cut from his monthly salary of $70,000 to keep his post.
Peseiro’s one-year contract will run out on June 30, 2023.
The broke football federation have struggled to pay the Portuguese coach and he is known to be owed salaries running over several months.
The Federal Government had initially agreed to foot the salaries of the Super Eagles. Read more
Ronaldo scores winner on historic 200th cap (BBC)
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored a last-minute winner on his historic night as he became the first men’s player to win 200 international caps in their Euro 2024 qualifying win over Iceland.
The 38-year-old turned home Goncalo Inacio’s header from close range.
The goal was initially ruled out for an Inacio offside but was awarded by the video assistant referee. That was Ronaldo’s 123rd international goal, extending his world record. Read more
Daniel Ricciardo drops Red Bull return bombshell amid shock AlphaTauri rumours (PlanetF1)
Daniel Ricciardo has publicly admitted that a return to a Red Bull seat would be the “fairytale ending” to his Formula 1 career.
It’s the first time since his return to the team as third driver that he has acknowledged in public that a return to race alongside Max Verstappen would be his goal, having spent 2023 on the sidelines so far after being dropped by McLaren.
Ricciardo, who won seven races for Red Bull before leaving the team for Renault at the end of 2018, was quickly snapped up by Christian Horner to act as reserve to Verstappen and Sergio Perez this year after he and McLaren ended their association a year earlier than scheduled, after two overall underwhelming seasons alongside Lando Norris. Read more
Andy Murray misses out on Wimbledon seeding after crushing Queen’s defeat (Metro)
Andy Murray’s quest to become seeded for Wimbledon came to an end on Tuesday after a crushing opening round Queen’s Club loss to Alex de Minaur.
The British tennis legend needed to win to keep his hopes alive of being ranked inside the top 32 ahead of this year’s Championships – which start on July 3.
But the 36-year-old former world No.1, who plays with a metal hip, suffered a 6-3 6-1 defeat to the Australian world No.18 at the grass-court event in London. Read more