Atiku meets Makinde, Fayose, other PDP stalwarts in Ibadan (Vanguard)
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday met Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose and other party stalwarts in South-West.
The meeting, which is to discuss the future of the party ahead of the 2023 general elections. It took place in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Atiku who came in company of his running mate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and other top hierarchy of the party were received by the deputy governor of the state, Bayo Lawal at the Alakia Airport, Ibadan. Read more
Tinubu’s Health: Every individual has his own percentage of illness – Olusi (Independent)
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Tajudeen Olusi has cautioned those mocking the health of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the party, saying no human being is free from health challenges.
Speaking in an interview with DAILY INDEPENDENT on Tuesday, Olusi, a former National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and deputy leader to Tinubu in Lagos APC said the fact that Tinubu has been moving around the country since winning the APC ticket without breaking down shows that nothing is wrong with his health.
The former House of Representatives member in the Second Republic said Tinubu will prove his critics wrong by campaigning across the country, winning the presidential election and will be sworn in on May 29 2023.
In his words “Every individual has his own percentage of ill-health. I, as I’m speaking with you, I have a number of ailments that I take care of. The same also applies to many people”. Read more
Cross River: Ayade shuts out civil servants for lateness to work (Sun)
Cross River State Governor Prof Ben Ayade has clamped down on some civil servants attached to the Governor’s Office in Calabar for lateness to work.
The civil servants who number about a hundred were locked out and prevented from entering their offices on Wednesday morning.
The decision to discipline the affected workers follows the arrival of the governor to the office quite early without seeing most workers on their duty posts.
Ayade, who returned to the state after a long foreign trip, had also locked the workers out, complaining about their attitude to work. Read more
Lady offers Ekweremadu’s daughter kidney, family kicks (Punch)
A 24-year-old female skit maker, Annastasia Olamma, has said her family is against her decision to donate one of her kidneys to Sonia Ekweremadu, daughter of a former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
Olamma had on Tuesday made the offer after Sonia announced that she needed a kidney donor because she had been diagnosed with rare kidney disease, FSGS Nephrotic Syndrome.
Sonia made the announcement on social media months after her parents were arrested in the United Kingdom and charged by the UK Metropolitan Police with conspiracy to facilitate the travel of another person for organ harvesting.
Reacting, Olamma stated that she was ready to donate her kidney to save Sonia and would want nothing in return. Read more
Poly student commits suicide in Kebbi (Leadership)
Twenty-five-year-old, Musa David, a student of Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic (WUFP), Birnin Kebbi has committed suicide.
Musa David who is of Department of Banking and Finance allegedly committed suicide while in the custody of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Birnin Kebbi.
However, the NSCDC has refuted the allegation which was widely circulated in the state capital yesterday. Leadership gathered that late Musa before he carried out the act, was suspected to have taken hard substances.
His abnormal behaviour forced his aunty, one Mrs Augustina Galadima, who lives in the Gangare Hostel in Badariya in Birnin Kebbi metropolis to seek the help of an NSCDC officer who allegedly took him to the corps’ office for safety. NSCDC spokesperson, Akeem Adeyemi, described the incident as unfortunate.
In a statement he issued in Birnin Kebbi, Adeyemi said Musa who was in their office for safe-keeping on the order and agreement with his relations, took excuse from the official of the command to ease himself but, after a while, he came out from toilet with blood gushing out of his throat. “One of our officers sought help and he was taken to Sir Yahaya General Hospital to save his life. It was at the hospital where he was receiving medical attention he gave up,” he said. Read more
‘My life is in danger’, Nigerian prof who criticised Queen Elizabeth cries out (DailyTrust)
Nigerian-born American professor, Uju Anya, who wished Queen Elizabeth II ‘excruciating death’, has said she no longer feels safe.
Anya, who is a Professor of Second Language Acquisition at the Department of Modern Languages, Carnegie Mellon University, US, in an interview with PUNCH, said her life is under threat.
“I feel like my life is in danger. I don’t feel safe anymore because of these lies being peddled around against me. I left Facebook four years ago. I don’t have a Facebook account.”
“People are putting out fake statements, saying I am a member and financier of IPOB or Independent Biafra or any political candidate like that, and they are using a fake Facebook account that bears my name. It is a lie. There is nothing like that.
She added that she does not have any connection with IPOB as some rumour mongers have described her.
“Some online blogs have been peddling fake rumours about me. I have not issued any statement since Thursday. The PUNCH is the first and (will be) the only Nigerian medium I have spoken to.”
“It is urgent that the world knows that these people are trying to put me in harm’s way. Nothing that anybody sees with my name on Facebook is true. I am not a member of IPOB. Read more
Police arrest IPOB members allegedly responsible for killing 2 officers in Ebonyi (Independent)
Some members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that were allegedly responsible for the killing of two officers last year have been arrested by the Ebonyi State Police Command.
The state Police spokesperson, Chris Anyanwu In a statement said the suspects were nabbed along Ishieke road in a yellow mini-bus while probably heading for a deadly mission.
The police mouthpiece recalled that some armed men in May 2021, attacked the Divisional Police headquarters in Ugbodo in the Ebonyi local government area of the state where they killed an Inspector and a Sergeant on duty.
Anyanwu said the command has since then deployed its tactical teams to monitor the movement of the hoodlums.
According to him, the personnel recently acted on credible information and intercepted the suspects who were driving in a mini-bus without a registration number.
3 missing as boat capsizes in Taraba (Leadership)
Three persons have been reported missing in Ibi local government area of Taraba State when a boat loaded with passengers capsized at River Benue bank.
The council’s chairman, Hon Bala Bako, who confirmed the incident, said it occurred yesterday.
He said the boat from Ibi was heading to Sarkin Kudu Market when the disaster took place.
Bako said, “While taking off from the Ibi coast, the boat engine went off. In the course of starting the engine, it went and hit a building at the bank and the boat broke into pieces. It was at that point that many of the passengers were rescued while a woman and two other children were discovered missing.” Read more
Aslan forced to cancel 3Arena show after singer Christy Dignam suffers health setback (IrishIndependent)
Legendary Dublin band Aslan have been forced to cancel their 3Arena show in Dublin this Saturday after lead singer Christy Dignam, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, suffered a health setback.
In a video message, the other members of the band reassured fans that the gig would go ahead at a later date and that their number one priority was Christy’s health.
The 3Arena gig was due to be the band’s biggest show of their career to date, celebrating 40 years since they formed in 1982.
Christy was diagnosed with amyloidosis, a rare blood disorder cancer, in 2013 and has been receiving treatment since. Read more
Saoirse Ronan is ‘gutted’ she couldn’t be in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ due to schedule conflict (People)
Saoirse Ronan is not a Barbie girl.
The 28-year-old actress reveals in the new issue of PEOPLE that she had intended to appear in the buzzed-about movie helmed by Greta Gerwig, who directed her in 2017’s Lady Bird and 2019’s Little Women. Ronan’s Mary Queen of Scots costar Margot Robbie headlines as the titular doll.
“I was supposed to do a cameo because I live in London and they were [filming] there,” Ronan tells PEOPLE. However, due to her schedule filming The Outrun, an upcoming drama about a recovering alcoholic that she’s been filming in Scotland, the plan didn’t pan out.
“There was a whole character I was going to play — another Barbie,” Ronan reveals. “I was gutted I couldn’t do it.” Read more
Almodóvar pulls out of first English-language feature film (ABC)
Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodóvar says that he is withdrawing from his first English-language feature, “A Manual for Cleaning Women” produced by and starring Cate Blanchett.
Almodóvar, 72, told entertainment news website Deadline Hollywood that he was unable to handle the commitment.
“It has been a very painful decision for me,” Almodóvar told Deadline Hollywood. “I have dreamt of working with Cate for such a long time. Dirty Films has been so generous with me this whole time and I was blinded by excitement, but unfortunately, I no longer feel able to fully realize this film.”
A new director hasn’t been announced yet by Blanchett’s Dirty Films production company. Read more
Asghar Farhadi named President of Zurich Film Festival jury (Deadline)
Asghar Farhadi will preside over the jury for the International Feature Film Competition at this year’s Zurich Film Festival.
Farhadi will judge the festival’s competition category alongside Swiss director Petra Volpe (The Divine Order) and producer Daniel Dreifuss (All Quiet on the Western Front).
The acclaimed producer Christine Vachon (Boys Don’t Cry) will head the festival’s Focus Competition sidebar. Vachon will be joined by Swiss filmmaker Fred Baillif (The Fam), Austrian filmmaker Katharina Mückstein (L’animale), editor Maria Fantastica Valmori (Once More Unto the Breach), and Swiss journalist Roger Schawinski.
The festival’s Documentary Film Competition will be headed by Alexander Nanau, Atanas Georgiev, Joelle Bertossa, Nina Numankadić, and Sushmit Ghosh. Read more
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits recently retaken city of Izyum (NBC)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the recently retaken city of Izyum on Wednesday, greeting soldiers and thanking them for their efforts in retaking the area, as the Ukrainian flag was raised in front of the burned-out city hall building.
Russian forces left the war-scarred city last week as Ukraine pressed forward in a sweeping counteroffensive that has reclaimed vast swaths of territory in the country’s northeastern Kharkiv region in a matter of days.
Much of Izyum has been devastated. Apartment buildings are blackened by fire and pockmarked by artillery strikes. The entire center of one residential building had collapsed, a gaping hole and piles of rubble where homes used to be.
“The view is very shocking, but it is not shocking for me,” Zelenskyy said in brief comments to the news media, “because we began to see the same pictures from Bucha, from the first de-occupied territories … so the same destroyed buildings, killed people.” Read more
Mel C recalls being sexually assaulted the night before first ever Spice Girls gig (Metro)
Mel C has recalled being sexually assaulted the night before she performed with the Spice Girls for the first time in Istanbul.
The singer bravely opens up in her new autobiography, Who I Am, and spoke about the incident, saying it made her feel ‘violated’.
‘So here we were, the eve of the first ever Spice Girls show,’ she explained.
‘So I treat myself to a massage in the hotel and what happened to me, I kind of buried immediately because there were other things to focus on.
‘I didn’t want to make a fuss but also I didn’t have time to deal with it.’
The Wannabe hitmaker, 48, added that she thought it was important for her to include in the book and ‘finally deal with it and process it’, and that it could be helpful for other people.
‘I felt violated, I felt very vulnerable, I felt embarrassed and then I felt unsure,’ she added on the How To Fail podcast. ‘I do want to talk about it because it has affected me. But I buried it.’ Read more
Russian council could be dissolved after calling for Vladimir Putin’s removal over Ukraine war (SCMP)
A group of St Petersburg local politicians who called for President Vladimir Putin to be sacked over the war in Ukraine faces the likely dissolution of their district council following a judge’s ruling on Tuesday, one of the deputies said.
Nikita Yuferev said the judge decided that a series of past council meetings had been invalid, paving the way for it to be broken up by the regional governor.
Another council member, Dmitry Palyuga, said the same court then fined him 47,000 roubles (US$780) for “discrediting” the authorities by calling for Putin’s removal. Court officials could not be reached by telephone for comment.
Four more members of the Smolninskoye local council are due to appear in court in the next two days. Read more
Marcus Rashford is left out of Man United’s Europa League squad for trip to Sheriff Tiraspol after missing training (DailyMail)
Marcus Rashford has not been included in Manchester United’s squad for their Europa League match against Sheriff Tiraspol, after missing training today.
Rashford joins Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who all didn’t train on Wednesday and won’t be on plane to Moldova.
The news of Rashford’s omission comes on the eve of Gareth Southgate announcing his latest England squad for the final Nations League Games later this month.
The Man Utd striker hasn’t played for his country since the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy in July 2021, after a run of bad form and fitness last season saw him overlooked by the England manager. Read more
Gavi: Midfielder signs new Barcelona contract until 2026 with £865m release clause (BBC)
Spain international midfielder Gavi has signed a new contract with Barcelona until 2026, with a 1bn euros (£865m) release clause.
The 18-year-old has played for Barcelona since 2015 and was under contract until 2023.
He made his first-team debut in August 2021, aged 17 years and 24 days, becoming the fourth-youngest player in Barcelona history.
Gavi has started in every La Liga campaign this season. Read more
Bayern beat Barcelona on Lewandowski return, Liverpool grab late winner (Guardian)
Bayern Munich got the better of Barcelona as Robert Lewandowski returned to face his former club on Tuesday, while a late Joel Matip goal allowed Liverpool to beat Ajax and get their Champions League campaign up and running.
There was also a surprise defeat for Tottenham Hotspur at Sporting Lisbon, and Atletico Madrid were beaten on their trip to play Bayer Leverkusen.
Both Spanish visitors to Germany came away on the losing side, with Barcelona going down 2-0 at the Allianz Arena in Group C as Lewandowski came back to the club he left in the summer after eight prolific seasons in Bavaria.
The Pole scored a hat-trick on his Champions League debut for Barca as the Catalans beat Viktoria Plzen 5-1 last week.
He was desperately close to opening the scoring in the first half in Munich, but it was Bayern who went in front five minutes into the second half when Lucas Hernandez headed in from a corner.
Leroy Sane burst through four minutes later to make it 2-0 as Julian Nagelsmann’s Bayern made it two wins out of two in the group. Read more
NBA suspends Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver for 1 year over racist and sexist comments (People)
The NBA has suspended Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver for one year and fined him $10 million after an independent investigation found the team’s owner “engaged in conduct that clearly violated common workplace standards.”
On Tuesday, the NBA announced the suspension on Twitter after a months-long independent investigation conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz that was prompted by a Nov. 4, 2021 ESPN story detailing allegations of racism and misogyny within Phoenix’s workplace culture.
60-year-old Sarver, who also owns the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, may not visit any NBA or WNBA team facilities, attend or participate in any events sponsored by the two leagues, or “have any involvement with the business or basketball operations” of the two clubs, according to the NBA’s statement.
He must also “complete a training program focused on respect and appropriate conduct in the workplace” during the course of his suspension. The NBA said it plans to donate the $10 million fine — the maximum permitted by the league’s constitution — to “organizations that are committed to addressing race and gender-based issues in and outside the workplace.” Read more
Serena Williams refuses to accept ‘retirement’ in cryptic interview on tennis career (Express)
Serena Williams has played down the idea that she has “retired” from tennis after playing the final match of her career at the recent US Open. The 73-time title winner announced that she would be “evolving away” from the sport in an essay for Vogue magazine and has refused to use the word retirement, also hinting at the chance of a comeback just ten days after her last match.
Williams played the final tournament of her career at the recent US Open, making it to the third round before taking her final bow following a three-set battle with Ajla Tomljanovic. The 23-time Major champion had announced that she would be “evolving away from tennis” in an essay for Vogue that was published during the Canadian Open, saying goodbye at her home Grand Slam tournament.
The former world No 1 was careful not to label her decision a “retirement”, and has now played down the idea that she has fully retired during an interview with Jimmy Fallon. “I think retirement is something that is super earned and that people work really hard for,” she told the talk show host on Tuesday, appearing on his show ten days after her final match.
“I feel like I’m at an age where I definitely have a lot more to give and there’s a lot more that I want to do so I’m not going to be relaxing, there’s so much more for me.” And Williams has already shown that she’s nowhere near stopping in the days after ending her tennis career, as she hosted a show for her Serena brand during New York Fashion Week. Read more
Ryder Cup 2023: Luke Donald calls on rising stars to impress and force their way onto Team Europe (Sky)
Luke Donald has called on Europe’s young golfers to create their own Ryder Cup legacy and break into next year’s team, as participation for LIV Golf members remains “in limbo”.
The Englishman was announced as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain in August, following Henrik Stenson being stripped of the role for joining the Saudi-backed series, while the qualification campaign for the 2023 team began at last week’s BMW PGA Championship.
Donald was delighted to see several of his likely team impressing at Wentworth, where Shane Lowry claimed a one-shot victory over Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, with Donald hoping to see more Team Europe candidates impress on the next Ryder Cup course at the DS Automobiles Italian Open.
“I think there’s an opportunity every year for young players to come through and make the team,” Donald said. “It would be my goal and an opportunity to try and make it clear how big of an event the Ryder Cup is. Read more
Arsenal vs Manchester City postponed and replaced by rearranged PSV clash (Metro)
Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Manchester City next month has been postponed and replaced by the Gunners’ rearranged Europa League match with PSV Eindhoven.
The north Londoners had been scheduled to take on the Eredivisie giants this Thursday but, due to policing limitations resulting from the Queen lying in state, the fixture had to be postponed.
It will now be played on Thursday October 20 instead, with Arsenal’s previously scheduled match against City the night before making way.
A statement read: ‘The Premier League has agreed with UEFA to postpone Arsenal’s Premier League match with Manchester City, originally due to be played on 19 October, to allow for Arsenal’s rearranged Europa League game with PSV Eindhoven.
‘Arsenal v PSV, originally scheduled to be played on Thursday 15 September, will now be played on Thursday 20 October, 18:00. Read more
