Army rescues 21 underage pregnant teenagers In Abia baby factory (Nation)
Soldiers attached to the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Barracks; 14 Brigade Headquarters of the Nigerian Army in Ohafia, Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State on Sunday raided and rescued 21 pregnant teenagers in Abia State baby factory.
Two babies (a boy and a girl) were also rescued.
The Nation gathered a 34-year-old chef Katherine Oyechi Ngwanma was arrested in the raid while the owner of the facility who apparently got wind of the invasion fled. Read more
Fuel subsidy: NLC boycotts talks with FG, insists on Wednesday strike (Sun)
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was absent as the Federal Government met with a section of the labour union, yesterday.
But the Trade Union Congress at the reconvened meeting presented a list of demands in the aftermath of the petrol subsidy removal and hike in petrol price.
The demand include increase in minimum wage to cushion effects of the increase in petroleum prices, tax holiday for some categories of people as well as revert to status quo as negotiations continued. Read more
Condemnation trails Ondo deputy gov’s alleged assault on wife (Guardian)
There are concerns over alleged domestic violence by Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, against his wife, Oluwaseun. With the situation sparking outrage in the state, there have been calls for condemnation of the alleged action, given that the deputy governor is a public officer and is being looked upon as a role model.
A civil society group, the Society for Women Empowerment (SWE), yesterday, gave Aiyedatiwa a seven-day ultimatum to publicly apologise to his wife for allegedly manhandling her.
The group accused Aiyedatiwa of repeatedly assaulting and abusing his wife, even in the presence of his staff and friends. However, the Deputy Governor’s Press Secretary, Kenneth Odusola, in a swift reaction, denied the allegation, saying his boss reserved the right to privacy on issues pertaining to his family. Read more
Shelve planned strike, Sanwo-Olu urges NLC (Punch)
The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday, pleaded with the Nigeria Labour Congress that “it is not the time for strike.”
The governor, who spoke to journalists at the inauguration thanksgiving service held at the Cathedral Church of Christ Marina, Lagos, on Sunday, noted that all presidential candidates during the electioneering campaign promised to remove fuel subsidy if they were voted into office as President.
“So what has changed? What has the current President said, or what has he done that is different from what any of the other aspirants would have done?” Sanwo-Olu asked. Read more
Ikoyi Prisons boss laments lack of vehicles to convey inmates to courts (Vanguard)
The Deputy Comptroller and Officer in charge of Ikoyi Prisons, Julius Ogueri, has appealed to Lions Club and other charity organisations to donate a bus to Ikoyi prison to enable it to transport inmates to court on a daily basis.
Ogueri made the appeal during the commissioning of the renovated and equipped Lagos Ikoyi Lions Club Vocational Centre at the Ikoyi prison facility built by the club.
He lamented a situation where a vehicle conveying inmates to the court broke down on the road, saying: “We have a lot of challenges. One is the challenge of how to convey the inmates to the courts because most of our vehicles are unserviceable. We had a situation where one of our vehicles conveying inmates to court broke down on the way, we had to look for an alternative vehicle to transport them to court. This is a security risk and embarrassing. Read more
Sit-at-home: Bishops, Enugu town unions back Mbah, call for Kanu’s release (Sun)
Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Rev. Godfrey Onah, Anglican Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, and the Enugu State Association of Presidents-General of Town Unions, have backed efforts by Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, to end sit-at-home in the state starting from today.
They equally expressed support for the governor’s call for the release of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from detention, saying it was the right path to national healing and stability in the South East.
Speaking to reporters after leading a prayer session for a smooth end to sit-at-home in Enugu State and the entire South East at the the Chapel of Redemption, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC), yesterday, Chukwuma, who also doubles as the Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, appealed to the people to support the government’s move through compliance. Read more
FCTA to develop bicycle lanes in Abuja metropolis (DailyTrust)
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has come out to disclose that it will support the development of bicycle lanes in the provision of arterial and district infrastructures across the Federal Capital City (FCC), Abuja, in furtherance of climate change mitigation and for the comfort of the cyclists.
The FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, gave this assurance over the weekend in Abuja, while flagging-off the 2023 World Bicycle Day, with the theme: “Cycling – A Better Way To Enjoy the City”.
Adesola said the FCT Administration will pay attention to the development of the bicycle lanes already designed in the Abuja Master Plan as it will go a long way to sustain the campaign for climate change by reducing emissions. Read more
82 fleeing ISWAP terrorists drown in Borno (Leadership)
No fewer than 82 Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists and their families have drowned in a river in the axis of Damasak in Borno State.
It was gathered that the terrorists and their families from the Lake Chad axis drowned in a desperate attempt to escape massive troop incursions between June 2 and June 3, 2023 while trying to cross over to Niger Republic.
According to intelligence report obtained from credible sources by a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad, Zagazola Makama, which was made available to LEADERSHIP, the separate incidents were recorded between Bulama Modori, Kaneram, Dogomolu and Jokka communities. The river stretches from Komadougou Yobe, into Lake Chad through Niger. Read more
Dua Lipa reveals shocking backstage behind the scenes secrets (Hello!)
Behind the scenes with a renowned popstar, one might expect a whirlwind of wild escapades and unending excitement, but British sensation Dua Lipa reveals a surprisingly different picture. It turns out that this vibrant artist has a proclivity for literature, leading to the formation of an on-tour book club.
At 27 years of age, Dua, with her soulful voice and thrilling performances, has given an insider’s glimpse into her life on tour from 2016 to 2019.
Speaking at the Hay Festival, she shared how her book club came to fruition. “Before when I was touring, I was travelling a lot. So, I just made a very conscious decision. Like if I wasn’t sleeping, I was reading,” she confessed. Read more
Barry Newman, Vanishing Point and The Limey actor, dies at 92 (Variety)
Barry Newman, the Emmy-nominated actor who starred in the 1971 cult action thriller Vanishing Point and as the eponymous lawyer in the NBC series Petrocelli, died on May 11. He was 92. No further details are currently available on his death.
In Vanishing Point, Newman played former race car driver Kowalski, a speedster that darts around in a Dodge Challenger after becoming entangled in a criminal conspiracy. The film is regarded as one of the defining American action films of the ’70s by genre enthusiasts.
Two decades and change later, Newman would play a heavy in Steven Soderbergh’s fractured crime yarn The Limey, which featured a second act car chase involving the actor getting back behind the wheel. Read more
Disney’s Moana live-action remake takes exciting step forward (DigitalSpy)
The live-action Moana remake has taken an exciting step forward, with Disney close to securing a director for the project.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, the studio is lining up Thomas Kail, the director of Broadway hit Hamilton, to helm the project.
The remake of the 2016 animated film was announced in April, with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role Maui. Jared Bush, who wrote the script for the original film, will also be returning in a screenwriting capacity. Read more
WGA congratulates DGA on its deal; says strike will continue and that its bargaining positions remain the same (Deadline)
The Writers Guild is congratulating the Directors Guild on achieving a tentative agreement on a new film and TV contract but says its strike will continue unabated and that its own bargaining positions “remain the same” as at the start of the strike on May 2.
“As always, we will see you out on the picket lines this week,” the WGA Negotiating Committee said in a message sent to members this afternoon. Titled “Onward,” the message is the WGA’s first public comment about the DGA’s tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
The DGA deal with the AMPTP, which was reached late last night, “achieves major breakthroughs in addressing the international growth of the entertainment industry and makes significant gains across key economic and creative rights while reaffirming the critical role of DGA directors and their teams,” DGA leaders said. Read more
Taylor Swift voices support for LGBTQ community during Chicago concert (MusicNews)
Taylor Swift celebrated Pride Month by voicing her support for her LGBTQ+ fans during a concert in Chicago, Illinois on Friday.
The Shake It Off singer took time out of her Soldier Field show on Friday to give a shout out to those who are “loving who they want to love” and “identifying how they identify” in honour of Pride Month.
“This is a safe space for you. This is a celebratory space for you. And one of the things that makes me feel so prideful is getting to be with you, and watching you interact with each other, and being so loving, and so thoughtful, and so caring,” she said, according to footage recorded by concertgoers. Read more
Statik Selektah taps Wu-Tang, Logic, Joey Bada$$ and more on fully loaded new album (HipHopDX)
Statik Selektah has called on industry heavyweights such as Logic, Joey Bada$$ and several Wu-Tang Clan members to appear on his upcoming album, Round Trip.
On Friday (June 2), the Boston native posted a sneak peek at his upcoming album on Instagram, revealing the tracklist and cover art, as well as its release date: June 9.
“June 9th! Swipe for tracklist! (cover layout by @domdirtee , illustration by @chrisbmurray , photo by @photorobnyc ) @massappealrecs x Showoff,” Statik wrote in the post’s caption. Read more
Russia says it thwarted major Ukrainian offensive (BBC)
Russia’s defence ministry says it has thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive and killed 250 Ukrainian troops.
There has been no comment from Kyiv and the Russian claim has not been independently verified.
The ministry said Ukraine had launched the offensive in the Donetsk region on Sunday using six mechanised and two tank battalions.
A Ukrainian counter-offensive had been promised, but on Sunday, Kyiv called for silence ahead of the operation. Read more
Lobi Stars, Enyimba clash heralds NPFL Super 6 play-off matchday 2 fixtures (DailyTrust)
Action in the ongoing Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Championship Play-Off as MatchDay 2 of the title-deciding competition at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Arena in Lagos will continue today with the clash between former champions Lobi Stars and Enyimba heralding other mouth-watering fixtures.
It promises to be a grueling encounter in the first match of the day as both Lobi Stars and Enyimba who finished as runners-up in Group A and B failed to win their opening matches of the play-off.
While Remo Stars came back twice to force Enyimba to a 2-2 draw, Lobi Stars were held to a goalless draw by unbeaten Bendel Insurance in the final match of the day. Read more
Zlatan Ibrahimovic retires: Swedish great ends football career at 41 (BBC)
AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic has retired from football at the age of 41, bringing to an end one of the modern era’s most glittering careers.
“I say goodbye to football but not to you,” the Swede told the San Siro crowd after Sunday’s last game of the season.
Ibrahimovic had already announced he would leave the Italian club.
He scored 511 goals for clubs including Paris St-Germain, Manchester United and both AC and Inter Milan, winning league titles in four countries. Read more
Ange Postecoglou to Tottenham: Spurs close in on appointing Celtic boss as new manager (Standard)
Tottenham are closing in on the appointment of Ange Postecoglou as their new manager.
A deal to take the Treble-winning Celtic boss to north London could be completed this week as Spurs zero in on their top target, Standard Sport understands.
Postecoglou has emerged as the leading contender to become the long-term successor to Antonio Conte, having suitably impressed chairman Daniel Levy and incoming chief football officer Scott Munn. Read more
Doubles team disqualified after ball girl struck (RNZ)
A women’s doubles team was disqualified from the French Open after Japan’s Miyu Kato hit a ball girl with a ball.
Between points, Kato sent a cross-court ball towards the ball girl, hitting her shoulder and leaving her visibly distressed.
Kato was initially given a warning by the umpire but after protests from opponents Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo, they were disqualified.
She later apologised to the ball girl on Twitter. Read more
Iga Swiatek finds ”Bakery” meme disrespectful to opponents (ESPN)
Iga Swiatek underlined her credentials Saturday as a French Open favorite after serving up double bagels again with a 6-0, 6-0 win, but the world No. 1 refused to be swept up in the “Iga’s Bakery” social media craze.
Swiatek thrashed Wang Xinyu without dropping a game to cruise into the fourth round, the second time in a month she had won by that scoreline after beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Rome.
The 22-year-old Polish player has dropped only eight games in three matches in Paris this year, while nine opponents have lost at least one set 6-0 to her this year. Read more
Verstappen sets Red Bull challenge after storming win (RN365)
Max Verstappen has challenged Red Bull to keep its dominance up for the remainder of the season after storming to victory at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Dutchman resisted pressure from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz at the opening turn of the race before defeating the rest of the pack by 24 seconds at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, securing a Grand Chelem [by finishing first in every session of the weekend plus earning the fastest lap].
The result was his fifth victory of the year in seven races, with teammate Sergio Perez the only other driver to finish on the top step. Read more