Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Davido, others bag 2024 BET Awards nominations (Tribune)
Nigerian Afrobeat artists Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Davido, Tems, Asake, Seyi Vibes and Lojay have all received nominations across various music categories at the 2024 BET Awards.
The nominations were announced on Thursday by Black Entertainment Television (BET), the organizers of the annual BET Awards.
The 2024 BET Awards, scheduled to air live from Los Angeles, United States on Sunday, June 30, will witness performances from Latto, Sexxy Red, and GloRila, among others. Read more
Nigerians waiting to see if Tinubu’s Govt is serious – Atedo Peterside (DailyTrust)
Atedo Peterside, the founder of Stanbic IBTC and ANAP Foundation, has said that Nigerians are waiting to see if the President Bola Tinubu administration means business.
Peterside, who spoke on the economy under Tinubu during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Thursday, faulted the N90billion subsidy for the 2024 Hajj, saying it was not good for the nation’s economy.
He said, “What investors are looking for before coming in to reactivate the economy is policy consistency. The government must show them that it is doing all the right things, putting in place the right policies and the right coordination. Read more
Students loan application portal opens May 24th (Sun)
Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced that the application portal for the students loan will open on May 24th, asking interested students to access the portal on www.nelf.gov.ng to begin application.
This was contained in a statement released in Abuja, on Thursday, by NELFUND Media and Public Relations Lead, Nasir Ayitogo.
He said the opening of the application portal marks a significant milestone in the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fostering accessible and inclusive education for all Nigerian students. Read more
African first ladies unite to combat cancer (Leadership)
In a powerful display of solidarity, first ladies from across Africa gathered in Abuja this week to confront the continent’s growing cancer crisis head-on.
Hosted by Nigerian First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, the 3rd Regional Seminar on Cancer Awareness served as a call to action for accelerated prevention and treatment effort
Acknowledging several initiatives of the current administration in cancer management, including improved budgetary funding for health in 2024 and expanded access to cancer treatment, the Nigeria’s First Lady said that reversing the grim statistics of cancer prevalence in the country in the last five years is a major priority, starting with mobilising resources to promote early detection. Read more
Patient’s husband apologises to UBTH doctors over assault on colleague (Vanguard)
The husband of a deceased patient, Christopher Owegie, has apologised to the Association of Resident Doctors at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) for assaulting one of their members.
In a statement, he said “I, Christopher Owegie, wish to express my deepest apology to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital’s resident doctors for the incident that occurred with one of the members at the hospital on April 6th, 2024. Read more
Police grill Ataoja of Osogbo over petition by co-monarch (Nation)
The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Olanipekun Oyetunji was on Thursday grilled by the police over a petition purportedly by a co-monarch in Olorunda local government area.
There was rumpus in Osun State capital on Thursday over the whereabout of Ataoja with members of All Progressives Congress(APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) trading words over claims that Oba Oyetunji was arrested by the police.
But The Nation learnt that Oba Oyetunji was invited to Abuja by security operatives over a petition by a king under his domain relating to fund. Read more
West Africa must unite to defeat terrorism, banditry, Tinubu tells Faye (Channels)
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday said West African countries must unite to crush banditry, terrorism and other criminal activities plaguing the region.
Tinubu stated this at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while receiving President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal where he called for an alignment of purpose and structure in West Africa to effectively address the challenges confronting the region.
“We must defeat human trafficking; we must defeat terrorism, banditry, and poverty in our society. That must be our focus and commitment,” a statement by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, quoted Tinubu as saying. Read more
Mosques are sacred places of worship for Muslims – Ilorin emirate backs group that stormed Kwara Chrislam centre (Punch)
The palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, has justified the action of members of an unidentified Muslim group who stormed a worship centre that plays host to both Christian and Islamic services in the Alalubosa area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
As seen in a video that surfaced on Facebook and sighted by our correspondent on Thursday, the group members who said they were acting on the instruction of Sulu-Gambari, revealed that the worship centre was originally a mosque but has been housing worshippers outside the religion.
The group, led by a man referred to as “Olojatuntun,” declared that such practice was an anomaly that would not be tolerated. Read more
Blake Lively stars in “It Ends with Us” trailer (RTE)
The trailer for the big-screen adaptation of the Colleen Hoover bestseller “It Ends with Us” has been released ahead of the film’s arrival in cinemas in August.
The synopsis says “It Ends with Us” tells the story of “Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own business”.
“A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ relationship,” the synopsis continues. Read more
A$AP Rocky performs Cam’ron Karaoke during Rihanna date night (HipHopDx)
A$AP Rocky has performed a classic Cam’ron track for the lady in his life, Rihanna, during the couple’s latest date night.
In a video that went viral on Wednesday (May 15), the billionaire can be seen mouthing “That’s my baby daddy!” while making appropriate hand gestures as the Mobster cuts up on the classic track, “Oh Boy.”
The pair, of course, share two sons: RZA and Riot Rose. Read more
Canada sanctions Israeli settlers as attacks on Palestinians skyrocket (AlJazeera)
The Canadian government has announced it will impose sanctions on four Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank as settler violence against Palestinians surges during Israel’s war in Gaza.
In a press release on Thursday, Canada’s Global Affairs ministry said it was sanctioning Israeli settlers for the first time over “violent and destabilizing” actions against Palestinians.
“Attacks by extremist Israeli settlers – a long-standing source of tension and conflict in the region – have escalated alarmingly in recent months,” the ministry said. “This has undermined the human rights of Palestinians, prospects for a 2-state solution and posed significant risks to regional security.” Read more
A 19-year-old farmworker killed in a Florida bus crash was saving money to get married, his mum says (NBC)
One of the Mexican farmworkers killed in Florida when a pickup truck sideswiped their bus had arrived in the U.S. only 15 days before to work and save money for his marriage, his mother said.
Alfredo Tovar Sánchez, 19, who came to the U.S. through a temporary workers program, never found out that his fiancée is two months pregnant, his mother, María Sánchez, said in an interview this week with Telemundo News.
“I feel I can’t continue without my son,” she said through tears at her home in Mexico. “I’ve been left with so much pain. I don’t know that I can live with this pain.” Read more
Sharon Stone, Stephen Fry and Liam Neeson among stars calling for Kevin Spacey’s Hollywood return (Independent)
Sharon Stone, Stephen Fry and Liam Neeson are among the stars to have called for Kevin Spacey to be allowed to resume his career as an actor.
The actors shared statements of support with The Telegraph in the wake of the Channel 4 documentary Spacey Unmasked, which aired fresh allegations about the American Beauty star.
Spacey was last year acquitted of a number of sexual offences alleged by four men in the UK to have taken place between 2001 and 2013. Read more
Texas governor pardons Daniel Perry for killing Black Lives Matter protester in 2020 (UPI)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday pardoned Daniel Perry, who had been sentenced to 25 years in prison for murdering a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020.
Abbott signed the proclamation after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously to grant Perry a full pardon and restoration of gun rights.
“Among the voluminous files reviewed by the board, they considered information provided by the Travis County District Attorney, the full investigative report on Daniel Perry, plus a review of all the testimony provided at trial,” Abbott said in a statement. Read more
‘‘Lone wolf’’ charged with shooting Slovak prime minister, interior minister says (PBS)
The Slovak interior minister said Thursday that a “lone wolf” has been charged in the shooting that seriously wounded Prime Minister Robert Fico and prompted soul-searching among leaders in the deeply divided society.
Fico was in serious but stable condition Thursday, a hospital official said, after the populist leader was hit multiple times in an attempt on his life that shook the small country and reverberated across the continent weeks before European elections.
The attempted assassination has shocked the small central European nation, with many blaming the attack in part on extreme political polarization that has divided the country. Read more
WAFU B U-17: Golden Eaglets, Burkina Faso settle for 0-0 draw in opener (CompleteSports)
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets on Thursday held Burkina Faso to a 0-0 draw in their opening Group B game at the 2024 WAFU B U-17 qualifiers in Ghana.
It was the first game in the Group which also has Togo and Niger Republic.
After a tight contest, both teams decided to settle for a share of the points. Read more
Napoli eye Omorodion to replace Osimhen (Punch)
Napoli are reportedly monitoring Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion as a potential candidate to replace Victor Osimhen, Sky Italia reports.
The Partenopei are seeking a replacement for Osimhen, who is widely expected to leave at the end of the season for well over €110m.
Omorodion, valued at a minimum of €40m, has impressed on loan at Deportivo Alaves this season, and Atletico could cash in on him amid interest from Napoli, as well as from Premier League trio Arsenal, Liverpool and West Ham United. Read more
Chelsea trio snubbed but N’Golo Kante gets shock recall to France squad for Euro 2024 (Metro)
Chelsea legend N’Golo Kante has been shockingly recalled to the France squad for Euro 2024 but two current Blues stars have been left out.
On Thursday night, Didier Deschamps named his final 25-man squad for this summer’s European Championships and it’s safe to say there were some surprising inclusions and omissions.
Les Bleus are the favourites to triumph in Germany, with arguably the best player in the world right now Kylian Mbappe leading the line and set to captain his country at a major finals for the first time. Read more
10th Nigeria Pitch Awards: Finidi, Osimhen, Obasogie, Ndidi, Ajibade, Soname vie for honours (Vanguard)
Organisers of the Nigeria Pitch Awards are set to take the ‘uncommon transformation’ city of Uyo by storm with the tenth edition of Nigeria’s longest-running football awards scheduled for Saturday, 8th June at the Ibom Meridien Hotel and Resorts.
President of Nigeria Pitch Awards, Shina Phillips said during the week that his team is packaging a show-stopper of an event to mark one decade of an interesting project that has continued to gain strength and relevance on the pillars of authenticity, transparency and credibility, and which is endorsed by the Nigeria Football Federation.
“We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure a memorable tenth edition of the awards. All is set, and we are heading to Uyo not only to put up a super-show, but also to mobilize resources within our capacity to support the Super Eagles to victory in the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against South Africa on Friday, 7th June. Read more
Ronaldo tops highest-paid athlete list – Forbes (BBC)
Cristiano Ronaldo has topped the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career, with Jon Rahm moving up to second.
Ronaldo also headed the list last year following his move to Saudi Arabian football club Al Nassr.
Business magazine Forbes says, external the 39-year-old Portugal forward earned $260m (£205m) – up from $136m (£108.7m) – over the past 12 months. Read more
FIFA to vote on making racist abuse a disciplinary offence (AfricaNew)
World football governing body, FIFA, says it wants all of its national federations to make racist abuse a disciplinary offense.
It detailed the tougher approach to tackle racism on Thursday, after months of consulting with victimized players, including Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior.
“We will make racism a specific offence with mandatory inclusion in the individual Disciplinary Codes of all 211 FIFA member associations, differentiating it from other incidents,” said newly appointed Secretary General, Mattias Grafstrom. Read more