APC govs visit Wike in Rivers (Punch)
Some governors elected under the platform of All Progressives Congress are currently meeting with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2023 election.
The governors include Kayode Fayemi; Rotimi Akeredolu and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Ekiti, Ondo, and Lagos states, respectively.
Others in their entourage include the Ekiti State Governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji; former Ekiti State governor and Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Ayodele Fayose, among others.
It was learnt that Wike, who lost the PDP presidential ticket to Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, is meeting with the APC chieftains and others at his country home in the Port Harcourt area of the state. Read more
Man narrowly escapes assassination in Lagos (Independent)
There has been apprehension in the family of a man simply identified as Sunny Afuye as he narrowly escaped being killed by some assailants who invaded his residence in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
Sources disclosed that some gunmen invaded the house where the man and his family had just moved to around 1:00 am on Sunday, June 5, 2022.
The assailants vandalised the house while looking for him and the rooms were also ransacked.
It could not be ascertained if the gunmen carted away any valuable items from the house as the whereabouts of the man and that of his family is unknown. Read more
Asake to celebrate Ileya with fans at Sinatra (Nation)
For Ahmed Ololade aka Asake Mr. Money, the 2022 Ileya festivities will be celebrated with fans.
The ‘Sungba’ singer promised fans in a viral video that he would be performing live in concert at Sinatra, a lifestyle bar in the Adeniyi Jones area of Lagos State on Sunday, July 10.
“I’ll be performing at the Sinatra Ileya special white party. Come outside and let’s do it the Mr. Money way,” Asake said in the video.
Tagged ‘Asake Live Under the sky,’ the concert is billed to be an all-white Ileya-special party and an avenue to add fun to the long holidays. Read more
Inmates on death row in Rivers hit 442 (Punch)
The Nigerian Correctional Service, Rivers State command said it would partner with relevant agencies of government to decongest its custodial centres in Rivers State, saying the facilities now house 4, 403 inmates.
Of the total number across the four custodial centres of the Nigerian Correctional Service in the state, namely Port Harcourt, Degema, Ahoada and Elele, 442 including females are on death row.
The Controller of Corrections in Charge of Rivers State Command, Felix Lawrence, disclosed this while speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt shortly after the send-forth and reception ceremony for the outgone State Controller and the new Controller in the state.
Lawrence said the command would partner with the Rivers State Judiciary and the police as part of measures to decongest the custodial centres in the state. Read more
Osinbajo receives London-Lagos biker, cautions against polio complacency (Vanguard)
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says there is a need to sustain the campaign against polio, warning that the disease is “very crafty.”
Osinbajo handed down the warning on Thursday at Presidential Villa, while receiving the Nigerian Biker, Kunle Adeyanju, who embarked on a polio-inspired charity ride from London to Lagos.
Adeyanju, who arrived in Lagos on May 29, was accompanied to the Presidential Villa by a retinue of bikers and members of the Rotary Club.
The vice president said he was pleased to receive Adeyanju on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that a trip of 12,000 kilometres of uncertain terrain and 12 countries was no mean feat. Read more
Pioneer Bishop of Zaria Catholic Diocese, Dodo, dies (Punch)
The Catholic Bishop of Zaria Diocese in Kaduna State, Most Reverend George Jonathan Dodo, is dead.
Dodo, who was the pioneer Bishop of the Diocese, was said to have died in the early hours of Friday after a brief illness.
The Diocesan Vice-Chancellor of Zaria, Reverend Father Abraham Bisan Make, announced the demise of the clergyman in a statement in Kaduna on Friday.
The statement enjoined all to pray for “his peaceful repose” while adding that “information regarding his burial will be announced as soon as possible.” Read more
7 Kano pilgrims deported from Saudi Arabia over fake visa (DailyTrust)
Seven intending pilgrims from Kano State, who departed to Jidda on Thursday, have been sent back over fake visas issued to them.
Five of the deported pilgrims travelled to Saudi Arabia for hajj through tour operators, while the two others were from the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board.
One of the deported pilgrims, Dahiru Yau Musa, told Daily Trust that he secured his visa through the Quraish Travel Agency, while the remaining four got theirs from Mafimishkila Travel and Tours.
He said they did not know they were issued fake visas until they reached King Abdulaziz Airport. Read more
Building Demolition: Soludo orders punishment of task force men for harassing pastor (DailyTrust)
The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, on Friday, said the official of the state task force who manhandled Prophet Chukwuemeka Ohanaemere ‘Odumeje’ while demolishing his building would face the consequences.
The task force officials supervising the demolition had manhandled the prophet who tried to prevent workers from demolishing his structures.
“When the team arrived in the company with armed security operatives, we saw them struggling with the prophet while the operator of the bulldozer was busy demolishing the structures,” an eyewitness had said.
Governor Soludo in a statement via his Facebook page on Friday restated his commitment to upholding law and order and respecting human rights in the state.
He said, “I have instructed that the task force personnel involved in the manhandling of Odumeje be treated in accordance with the rules of public conduct which he roundly failed to uphold. Read more
Jailbreaks: Aregbesola must be fired now, says HURIWA (Channels)
Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Thursday, said the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, must be sacked with immediate effect over his consistent failure to stop attacks on prisons in the country.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, said it is distasteful and condemnable that over 15 jailbreaks have occurred under Aregbesola in the last five years while over 3,000 inmates have escaped.
The group also urged the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to stop asking rhetorical questions on social media on how the intelligence system of the country failed to detect Tuesday’s attack at Kuje prison in Abuja.
HURIWA said the President should immediately set up a judicial panel of inquiry on prison breaks in Nigeria and ensure that such assaults on the entire security apparatus of Nigeria do not recur. Read more
Roe v Wade: Biden signs order on abortion access (BBC)
President Joe Biden has signed an executive order to boost protections for abortion and contraception access.
Mr Biden has faced pressure from fellow Democrats to respond with bolder action after a recent Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade.
It paved the way for individual US states to decide if and how to allow abortions.
The order includes measures to safeguard access to abortion medication.
It beefs up protection against potential penalties that women seeking abortion may face if they travel across state lines for the procedure, protects access to contraception, and takes steps to protect patient privacy. Read more
Bob Dylan’s one-off ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ record sells for £1.5m (Independent)
A one-off recording of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind’’ has been sold at auction for almost £1.5m.
The winning bid exceeded estimations with the original sale price predicted between £600,000 and £1m.
The auction took place at Christie’s in London, where the record sold for a total of £1,482,000.
The 10-inch disc was the first studio recording Dylan has done of the single since the track was written and originally released in 1962. Read more
A-ha are back with their 1st new music in 7 years (MusicNews)
The Norwegian synth-pop legends – comprising Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy – have released the new single ‘I’m In’ taken from their upcoming album, ‘True North’, the long-awaited follow-up to 2015’s ‘Cast in Steel’.
The ‘Take On Me’ hitmakers have gone in a fresh direction, and to accompany the new record they made a film of the band recording the songs last year in Bodø, the Norwegian city located 90km above the Arctic Circle.
Paul said: “With every album we tweak it, to see if there’s a different way to go about it.”
The lead single has a poignant message behind it. Read more
Riverdale star shares first look at her new Netflix movie (DigitalSpy)
Riverdale star Lili Reinhart has given fans a first look at her new Netflix movie, Look Both Ways.
The film, which is set for release on the streaming service on August 17, was originally titled Plus/Minus and sees Lili taking on a dual role, playing two different versions of the character Natalie.
On Instagram, the actress shared a video showing both sides of her character from the movie’s poster. One version of Natalie, on a pink background, sees her wearing a light pink pantsuit, while the other version, on a blue background, is Natalie wearing dungarees while cradling a baby bump.
Look Both Ways begins on the eve of Natalie’s college graduation, where her life “diverges into two parallel realities”. Read more
Dave Chappelle speech addressing backlash to trans jokes is released on Netflix (NME)
Netflix has released a speech by Dave Chappelle where he addresses the backlash to his previous special The Closer.
A 40-minute special titled What’s In A Name was released on the streaming platform on Thursday (July 7) without any prior announcement, featuring Chappelle’s speech at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C from June 20, 2022.
The speech was part of a ceremony to rename the school’s theatre after the comedian. The school’s decision, however, was criticised following the controversy around Chappelle’s Netflix special The Closer, where some material was perceived as transphobic.
In November last year, Chappelle held a Q&A with Duke Ellington students following the special’s release, where some criticised him for his dismissal of complaints from the LGBTQ+ community. One student reportedly called Chappelle “childish” and a “bigot” during the event. Read more
James Caan’s final movie, “Fast Charlie”, will be posthumously released (NYPost)
James Caan’s legacy will still stay strong.
The “Godfather” alum died Wednesday at the age of 82 but he completed his last film “Fast Charlie” shortly before his passing.
The Screen Media-helmed project is set to be posthumously released in 2023 and the movie has already finished production, a rep for Screen Media told The Wrap.
“Gotham” star Morena Baccarin and Pierce Brosnan are also starring in the Phillip Noyce-directed flick, “Fast Charlie,” an adaption of the 2001 Victor Gischler novel, “Gun Monkeys.” Read more
Russia will not ‘chase after US’ talks says Lavrov at G20 (Independent)
Sergei Lavrov says Russia will not chase after the US for talks after Antony Blinken snubbed the Kremlin’s top diplomat at a G20 summit in Indonesia.
The meeting in Bali was the first time Russia’s top diplomat was meeting some of the country’s harshest critics since it invaded Ukraine in February. The G20 includes western countries that have imposed sanctions on Moscow for its war on Ukraine as well as those such as China and India, which have been far more muted in their response.
The war on Ukraine loomed large throughout the conference. Other issues on the agenda were rising energy prices, international financial stability, food costs, climate change and poverty.
The Russian foreign minister, who was attending the event despite objections from several western leaders, decried the “frenzied criticism” of the Kremlin, and lashed out at critics for allegedly ruining a chance to tackle global economic issues. Read more
NFF Election: I’m not against Pinnick’s third term bid, says Dare (Vanguard)
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Chief Sunday Dare, has maintained that he is not against the purported agenda of the President, Nigeria Football Federation, Mr Amaju Pinnick, to seek a third term in office.
However, he said the decision of the NFF congress would reign supreme on the matter when they convene in September. .The Minister, who spoke at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, said the government has played its part to ensure that the forthcoming elections of the apex football organisation in Nigeria is rancour free and acceptable by stakeholders.
Dare said, “I am not against Pinnick’s ambition, though he has never told me that he is contesting but I have listened to interviews where he said he is not contesting.
“So, on the basis of that I am saying the right thing should be done. There has been so much crisis over the years and that has necessitated President Buhari to insist that an election should be held on or before September, with major stakeholders being carried along to forestall any recurrence of what we had in the past. Read more
Jack Wilshere handed new Arsenal role after confirming his retirement (Mirror)
Jack Wilshere is expected to be announced as the new head coach of Arsenal’s Under-18s side following his retirement from professional football after an injury-hit career.
The former England international most recently spent the latter half of last season with Danish side Aarhus but things failed to work out as expected and the club confirmed he would not be returning last week. After a 17-year spell there as a player, Wilshere will now come back to Arsenal in a coaching capacity.
Taking to Twitter to confirm his retirement, Wilshere wrote: “I feel privileged to have experienced all that I did during my career. From being the little boy kicking a ball around in the garden to captaining my beloved Arsenal and playing for my country at a World Cup. I have lived my dream.
“In truth it has been difficult to accept that my career has been slipping away in recent times due to reasons outside of my control whilst feeling that I have still had so much to give. Having played at the very highest level I have always held such huge ambitions within the game and if I am truthful I did not envisage being in this position at times. Read more
USMNT’s Luca de la Torre signs for Celta Vigo from Heracles (ESPN)
United States international Luca de la Torre has completed a move to LaLiga side Celta Vigo, it was announced on Friday.
ESPN reported on Thursday that the 24-year-old was set to join Celta from Heracles in a deal worth around $2 million.
The midfielder has signed a contract at the Spanish side until 2026 and becomes the club’s third signing of the summer transfer window.
Heracles’ relegation, combined with the fact that the USMNT is headed to the World Cup in November, made the move necessary for De la Torre, who is eager to cement his spot with the national team in Qatar. Read more
Verstappen sets pace in first Austria practice (BBC)
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set an impressive pace in first practice at the Austrian Grand Prix before qualifying at this ‘sprint’ event.
The world championship leader was 0.255 seconds quicker than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Mercedes’ George Russell was third, a further 0.145secs adrift.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was fourth and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton fifth.
Qualifying sets the grid for a short race on Saturday that defines starting positions for the main grand prix.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen was sixth fastest, followed by the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso’s Alpine – using the medium tyres while everyone else at the front set their times on the softs. Read more
Next week’s British Open winner to earn tournament-record £2.09m (StraitsTimes)
British Open chiefs have revealed that this year’s champion will receive tournament record prize money of £2.09 million (S$3.52 million).
The total prize fund for the 150th British Open at St Andrews next week has increased by 22 per cent to £11.7 million.
Last year’s British Open was won by American Collin Morikawa, who banked US$2.07 million (S$2.9 million) at Royal St George’s.
In an apparent reference to the vast sums of money on offer in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series and increases in prize funds at the other majors, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said on Friday: “There have been significant changes in prize money over the last year. Read more
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen quickest at first Austrian Grand Prix practice session ahead of Friday qualifying (Eurosport)
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was quickest at the first practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Perhaps as expected, the current world champion was dominant at the circuit owned by the drinks conglomerate.
There were plenty of orange-clad Verstappen fans at the Red Bull Ring, and after the Briton-friendly weekend at Silverstone, there was another contrast with the bright sun and warm weather.
While the British Grand Prix was one of the longest circuits of the season, the lap times in Austria were already pushing the one minute mark, with Verstappen quickest at 1:06.302 seconds. Read more
Wimbledon: Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova reach women’s doubles final (BBC)
Czech second seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova reached the final of the Wimbledon women’s doubles with victory over Ukrainian Lyudmyla Kichenok and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko.
Krejcikova and Siniakova, the 2018 winners, defeated the fourth seeds 6-2 6-2 on Centre Court.
The Olympic champions are bidding for a fifth Grand Slam title together.
They will meet top seeds Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai or Desirae Krawczyk and Danielle Collins in the final. Read more