Controversy over Tinubu’s fall at June 12 parade (Sun)
Mixed reactions have trailed President Bola Tinubu’s fall while boarding the presidential parade vehicle at the Eagles square, Abuja during the commemoration of the Democracy Day, yesterday.
The incident occurred as he approached the vehicle shortly after his arrival at the venue.
Although he momentarily lost his footing, the president quickly regained his balance with support from his aide-de-camp (ADC) and continued with the programme. Read more
Minimum Wage: NLC reacts to Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech (NewTelegraph)
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has reacted to the Democracy Day Speech of President Bola Tinubu, where he gave assurance of a new minimum wage for the workforce, saying he failed to give them the much-expected gift on June 12.
The Acting President of NLC, Comrade Prince Adewale Adeyanju who reacted on behalf of the union said the President may have accurately recounted parts of our democratic journey’s history, but that it is evident that he has been misinformed regarding the outcome of the wage negotiation process.
He said they expected the President to harmonize the two figures submitted to him by the Tripartite Committee in favour of workers and masses, stating that it would have been a fitting Democracy Day gift. Read more
Alia approves law stopping life pensions for Benue ex-govs, deputies (DailyTrust)
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has signed into law 10 bills recently passed by the state House of Assembly, including the bill that abrogated an earlier law that provided for life pensions for former governors and their deputies.
Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Aondona Dajoh, who earlier presented the bills to the governor, said the bills were a testament to the commitment of the 10th Benue Assembly to making laws that will impact positively on the people of the state.
Alia, while performing the exercise on Tuesday night at Government House in Makurdi, explained that the laws were meant to protect the general safety of Benue people and also ensure that their rights as citizens are not abused by other people. Read more
Tinubu’s Renewed Hope mantra aligns with MKO’s vision – Sanwo-Olu (Punch)
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, said the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu aligned with the vision of the late MKO Abiola, the adjudged winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Sanwo-Olu added that former President Muhammadu Buhari deserved commendation for naming June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day in recognition of Abiola’s struggle for democracy.
Represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, the governor spoke at a programme held at Abiola Crescent, Ikeja, Lagos, to honour the memory of Abiola. Read more
Our democracy was midwifed by dictatorship — Fashola (Channels)
A former Lagos state governor and minister, Babatunde Fashola, has described Nigeria’s democracy as being heralded by dictatorship, and not from the free will of the citizens.
Fashola spoke on Wednesday at The Platform Nigeria, a programme by the Lagos-based church, Covenant Nation, to mark the 2024 Democracy Day.
Themed ‘Democracy and Free Market’, Fashola also noted that the current privatisation of most businesses in the country was heralded by the military through Decree No. 25 of 1988 later amended in 1999, known as the Privatisation and Commercialisation Decree. Read more
ACU student’s death: Oyo Assembly wants tertiary institutions to rejig internal security (Tribune)
Sequel to the death of a student at Ajayi Crowther University (ACU) Oyo, the Oyo State House of Assembly has tasked tertiary institutions in the state to rejig their internal security architecture.
Among others, the state Assembly asked the management of tertiary institutions to install Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at hostel corridors and other strategic locations on campuses.
The Assembly also said it was imperative for schools’ managements to establish and empower campus security task forces particularly involving student representatives in security of institutions. Read more
Ex-APC Vice Chair Salihu Lukman dumps party (Leadership)
A former National Vice Chairman, North-west of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has resigned his membership of the ruling party.
Lukman conveyed his decision in a letter to selected party leaders titled: ‘APC and The Future of Nigerian Democracy’ made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.
The former Director General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum said his decision was sequel to President Bola Tinubu’s intolerance to criticisms and anti-people policies which he noted to be completely contradictory to even his campaign document, ‘Renewed Hope’. Read more
Arase: 22 CSOs urge President Tinubu to reverse removal of PSC (Vanguard)
Following the sudden removal of the Chairman of the Police Service Commission by President Bola Tinubu and the announcement of a replacement, 22 Civil Society Organizations in the country have called on the President to reverse the action without delay saying it violated the Police Service Commission act.
The CSO’s also said Tinubu disregarded the rule of law and called on the National Assembly to Maximize its powers of checks and balances of the actions of the Executive.
They are the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Center (RULAAC), NOPRIN Foundation, Open Society on Justice Reform Project, Confluence of Rights, Nigeria, Criminal Justice Network of Nigeria, Justice for Peace and Development Initiative, Legal Resources Consortium, Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuilding – Kaduna, Rural and Urban Development Initiative, Dataphyte Foundation and Equity International Initiative (EII). Read more
Miley Cyrus jokes of dad Billy Ray Cyrus’ “narcissism” as she addresses their relationship amid Firerose divorce (Hello!)
Miley Cyrus knows she has somewhat tricky family dynamics, and she isn’t afraid to address them.
The “Flowers” singer is a product of her mom Tish Cyrus’ marriage to Billy Ray Cyrus; the two were married from 1993 until 2022, and together also share Braison, 30, Noah, 24, plus Tish is also a mom to Brandi, 37, and Trace, 35.
For years the Grammy-winning singer has been reportedly distanced from her dad — and Hannah Montana co-star — and just as the “Butterfly Fly Away” singer announced his already tumultuous divorce from estranged wife Firerose, his daughter has given insight into what their relationship looks like today. Read more
Kate Winslet and James Cameron address rumours of ‘‘rift’’ after Titanic (Standard)
Kate Winslet and James Cameron have shut down speculation that they were involved in a feud after filming Titanic.
Rumours of an alleged dispute reignited when the pair reunited on the set of sci-fi epic sequel Avatar: The Way Of Water, years after Winslet claimed she would not work with the Canadian filmmaker again after starring in his 1997 hit Titanic.
Despite public perception, Cameron told Variety “there was never a rift between us”. Read more
Moment skydiver realises parachute fails as he falls 13,000ft to his death (Mirror)
A skydiver’s final moments as he realised to his horror that his parachute had failed have been caught in harrowing footage.
Expert parachutist Begma Andrey Vladimirovich had jumped 13,000ft as part of a group of skydivers over an airfield in Putilovo, near St Petersburg, Russia. But the moment of adrenaline turned to sheer horror when the 38-year-old’s parachute failed to deploy, leaving him to plummet to his death.
The jump was being recorded at the time, with the footage showing Begma’s desperate final struggle. The divers had jumped to form a circle before pulling their ripcords, but the footage later revealed harness ropes had become entangled. Read more
Disney’s Live-Action ‘‘Moana’’ finds star in Catherine Laga‘aia (THR)
After an extensive search, Disney has found the next Moana. Newcomer Catherine Laga‘aia will star as the titular character in the remake of the 2016 hit animated film. The 17-year-old actor hails from Sydney, Australia, and joins Dwayne Johnson in the feature, reprising his role as demigod Maui.
“I’m really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorites,” said Laga‘aia in a statement. “My grandfather comes from Fa‘aala, Palauli, in Savai‘i. And my grandmother is from Leulumoega Tuai on the main island of ‘Upolu in Samoa. I’m honored to have an opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young girls who look like me.” Read more
Andrea Bocelli’s concert film celebrating 3 decades of music to hit theatres this fall (People)
Andrea Bocelli is hitting the big screen!
On Wednesday, June 12, it was announced that the Italian tenor’s concert film, Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration, will be released globally in theaters by Fathom this fall.
The documentary, which documents the three-day upcoming July event honoring Bocelli’s 30th anniversary in music, will take place in his hometown of Lajatico, Italy, at the Teatro del Silenzio (Theater of Silence). Read more
9 killed in Russian aerial attacks on Zelensky’s hometown ahead of G7 summit (LBC)
Russian forces have launched new deadly attacks on Ukraine, killing at least nine people on Wednesday, a day before the leaders of countries that are some of Ukraine’s biggest backers were to discuss how to slow Moscow’s offensive.
Ukrainian authorities said that along with the nine killed, 29 others, including five children, were wounded when Russian missiles hit an apartment block in Kryvyi Rih, which is President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown.
Mr Zelensky said the strike has again proven that “Ukraine, together with its partners, must strengthen its air defences” — something that he has repeatedly appealed for with Ukraine’s western partners. Read more
Gaza ceasefire plan hangs in balance as Hamas seeks changes (MEMO)
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said on Wednesday that Hamas had proposed numerous changes, some unworkable, to a US-backed proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, but that mediators were determined to close the gaps, Reuters reports.
The proposal outlined by US President Joe Biden envisages a truce and a phased release of Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians jailed in Israel, ultimately leading to a permanent end to the war.
At a press conference with Qatar’s Prime Minister in Doha, Blinken said some of the counter-proposals from the group administering Gaza had sought to amend terms that it had accepted in previous talks. Read more
NPFL: Heartland relegated after 4-1 thrashing in Ikene (Punch)
Former Nigerian champions Heartland FC of Owerri have been relegated to the Nigeria National League for the third time in their history after losing 4-1 against Remo Stars during an NPFL match-day 36 game in Ikenne on Wednesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
They returned to the second tier just one season after they were promoted back to the top flight.
Rooted 19th in the NPFL table with just 35 points before the game, Heartland needed a win against their title-chasing hosts to keep their hopes of surviving the drop alive, but Remo wasted no time in piling more misery on their visitors courtesy of a brace from Stanley Joseph plus other goals from Franck Mawuena and Jide Fatokun. Read more
2026 WCQ: Finidi wrong to have benched Boniface against South Africa, Benin – Ayere (CompleteSports)
Sylvester Ayere, First team assistant coach at Dubai second division side Fleetwood United, has blamed Super Eagles coach Finidi George for benching Victor Boniface against South Africa and Benin in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Recall that Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw against South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo before losing 2-1 to Benin on Monday.
Reacting to the results, Ayere, in a chat with News Central TV, stated that the former Enyimba coach should have started the Bayer Leverkusen star against South Africa and Benin. Read more
Juventus name ex-Bologna boss Motta as new manager (BBC)
Italian club Juventus have appointed former Bologna boss Thiago Motta as their new manager.
The 41-year-old, who played for Italy and Juve’s Serie A rivals Inter Milan as a midfielder, has signed a three-year deal until June 2027.
He replaces Massimiliano Allegri, who was sacked two days after he led the side to the Italian Cup.
Motta oversaw Bologna’s qualification for the Champions League last season, finishing fifth in the table. Read more
Pulisic goal helps USMNT draw with Brazil pre-Copa América (ABC)
Christian Pulisic scored with a clever free kick to help the United States to a 1-1 draw with Brazil in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday night, as the two teams prepare to play in this summer’s Copa América.
Rebounding from a 5-1 loss to Colombia last weekend, the U.S. stopped its 11-match losing streak against the Brazilians in a wide-open match. The Americans are now 1-18-1 with the draw against Brazil, getting their only win in a 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal.
Matt Turner had 11 saves, the most for an American goalkeeper since Tim Howard’s 15 in the second-round 2-1 loss to Belgium at the 2014 World Cup. Read more
Celtics’ Porzingis ruled out for NBA Finals game 3 (France24)
Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis lost his last-minute fitness battle Wednesday and was ruled out for game three of the NBA Finals in Dallas with what the team has called a “rare” lower left leg injury.
The Latvian power forward had insisted he would try to play despite being diagnosed with a “torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg” after game two on Sunday.
The 28-year-old had returned from a month-long injury layoff with a right calf strain and helped the Celtics seize a 2-0 lead against his former Mavericks team in the best-of-seven championship series. Read more
Titmus sets a women’s 200-meter freestyle world record at Australia’s Olympic swimming trials (WashingtonTimes)
Ariarne Titmus set a world record in the women’s 200-meter freestyle on Wednesday at Australia’s Olympic swimming trials.
Titmus finished in 1 minute, 52.23 seconds in the final, taking almost two-thirds of a second off Mollie O’Callaghan’s world mark of 1:52.85 set at last year’s world championships.
O’Callaghan placed second at the Australian titles in 1:52.48. Read more