COP28: Tinubu, King Charles meet to strengthen Nigeria-UK partnership (Guardian)
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday announced he met with King Charles of England with a view to strengthening the partnership between Nigeria and the United Kingdom (UK).
Tinubu disclosed this in a statement on X ahead of the COP28 Climate Action Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“I had a productive meeting with His Majesty, King Charles III of England who is also the Head of the Commonwealth and a passionate climate advocate,” he wrote. Read more
Lagos Assembly begins assessment of deplorable roads (Tribune)
Lagos State House of Assembly has commenced an assessment of roads in the state to ascertain their current conditions.
This move by the House Committee on Works and Infrastructure is coming days after lawmakers at the House decried the parlous conditions of some roads within the state.
Chairman of the House Committee on Works and Infrastructure, Hon. Desmond Elliot, said the committee has the approval of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, and the House to thoroughly look into the challenge and come up with recommendations to help the state. Read more
Rema: “Calm down” singer cancels December shows for health reasons (BBC)
Years of touring have taken their toll on Nigerian singer Rema, who says he is now cancelling all performances in December to focus on his health.
The Afrobeats star announced the decision on Wednesday on Instagram, saying it “breaks my heart”.
“I need time to recuperate,” he told fans, promising “2024 we go again”. Read more
Kidnapping: Brothers, 1 other jailed for life in Kwara (DailyTrust)
A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital, on Thursday, sentenced Serikin Fulani of Kwara, Usman Adamu, his brother and one Gidaddo Idris to life imprisonment.
They were arraigned for conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping.
The convicts were accused of kidnapping one Abubakar Ahmad and collecting N1 million ransom before releasing their victim after 20 days in captivity. The incident happened in the middle of last year.
The case was prosecuted by Kwara State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Idowu Ayoola. Read more
You’re wrong, Aworis are Lagos’ first settlers, Lagos monarch counters Oba of Benin (Punch)
The Olofin of Isheri and Adimula of Awori Kingdom, Oba Sulaimon Bamgbade, on Thursday said the Aworis were the first settlers in Lagos.
Bamgbade urged the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, to retrace the origin of the Benin Kingdom to Ile Ife, like the Aworis have always done.
This is coming in response to a recent comment by Oba Ewuare II, who traced the origin of Lagos to the Binis. Read more
INEC condemns siege on state headquarters office in Kogi (VON)
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Kogi State, central Nigeria has condemned the seizure of its headquarters in Lokoja the state capital by a mob that barricaded all entrances to the office and prevented access to staff to carry out routine duties.
A press release signed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Hale Gabriel Longpet stated that “the siege also prevented attorneys representing political parties involved in the recent off-cycle governorship election from inspecting documents/materials used in the election”.
Longpet said that it took the intervention of the Nigerian Army to calm the situation down at the State Headquarters and that “the security agencies have assured us that they will maintain normalcy in our premises”. Read more
NDLEA won’t tolerate sabotage of drug war, Marwa warns officers (Vanguard)
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has warned that there will be no room for internal sabotage in the renewed war against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the country.
Marwa gave the warning in his remarks at the passing out ceremony of an additional 2,500 cadets of Senior Officers Basic Course 16 on Thursday 30th November 2023 at the NDLEA Academy, Jos Plateau state.
While reminding the gathering that the ceremony completes the addition of 5,000 personnel to the NDLEA workforce, he charged them to make their impact felt. Read more
INEC: Police give SDP stalwart 24 hours to substantiate allegation of bias (ThisDay)
The Police Command in Kogi State has given a Spokesperson for the Social Democratic Party in the state, Farouk Adejoh, 24 hours to substantiate what it described as his reckless allegations claiming that the Commissioner of Police was responsible for recruiting and supporting thugs in support of a certain political party or personalities.
The Command, in a statement on Thursday, signed by its Public Relations Officer, SP William Ovye Aya, said if Adejoh failed to comply within the timeframe, the Police might have no option than to invoke its “operational processes to hold him to account for his reckless and unsubstantiated claims.”
The Police Command warned SDP in particular and other political parties to desist from disturbing the peace of the state, insisting that anyone who tries to obstruct operations at the Independent National Electoral Commission Office would face the full wrath of the law. Read more
Woman, 70, gives birth to twins after IVF becoming one of world’s oldest mums (Mirror)
A 70-year-old mum has become the oldest woman in Africa to give birth after welcoming twins through IVF treatment, her hospital said.
Safina Namukwaya delivered a baby girl and boy on Wednesday afternoon via a caesarean, the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Kampala, Uganda, said. Medics at the hospital said the mother and her two babies are doing well after they were delivered via a caesarean.
The hospital said: “This story isn’t just about medical success; it’s about the strength and resilience of the human spirit.” It’s believed Ms Namukwaya welcomed a baby girl called Sarah in 2020, so she’s become a mother three times over in as many years. Read more
Jennifer Garner’s kids gave her advice before playing a teen in ‘‘Family Switch’’ (People)
Jennifer Garner didn’t have to go far when researching her role in her latest film, ‘‘Family Switch’’.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the premiere of the movie in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the 51-year-old actress admitted that she couldn’t help but ask “a bunch of questions” to her three children before preparing to play a teenager in the Netflix comedy.
“You’re turning the volume up so much because it’s all so exaggerated,” says Garner, who shares daughters Violet Anne, 17, and Seraphina Rose, 13, as well as son Samuel Garner, 11, with ex-husband Ben Affleck, 51. “But yes, I definitely went to my teens and asked a bunch of questions. They were all like, ‘Mom, you’re crazy.’ Read more
Lana Del Rey performs ‘‘Unchained Melody’’ at ‘‘Christmas at Graceland’’ special (UPI)
Lana Del Rey took to the stage during the NBC special Christmas at Graceland.
The 38-year-old singer performed at the holiday music event celebrating Elvis Presley, along with Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves, Alanis Morissette, Lainey Wilson, John Legend, Kane Brown and The War and Treaty.
Del Rey delivered a moody rendition of “Unchained Melody,” a song first performed by the Righteous Brothers. Presley famously performed the song in Rapid City, S.D., in 1977, just weeks before his death. A single based on the performance was released in 1978. Read more
‘‘Wonka’’ director addresses decision to cast Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa after backlash (HuffPost)
‘‘Wonka’’ director Paul King has spoken out about his decision to cast Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa in the new Timothée Chalamet film.
The British actor stars alongside the likes of Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman and Sally Hawkins in the musical prequel, which tells the story of Willy Wonka’s origins before he opened the world famous chocolate factory.
The Notting Hill actor’s casting sparked a lot of conversation when the trailer for the new movie was revealed back in the summer, with many voicing their disappointment that the role wasn’t given to an actor with dwarfism. Read more
Shane MacGowan, irascible frontman of The Pogues, has died at age 65 (NPR)
Shane MacGowan, the hard-drinking frontman for Irish punk band The Pogues, has died. He was 65 years old.
His wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, announced his death Thursday morning. No official cause of death was provided, but MacGowan had recently left a hospital in Dublin, Ireland, after a diagnosis of encephalitis.
“It is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Shane MacGowan,” his family said in a statement. “Shane died peacefully at 3am this morning (30 November, 2023) with his wife Victoria and family by his side.” Read more
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger dies aged 100 (BBC)
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who played a pivotal and polarising role in US foreign policy during the Cold War, has died at the age of 100.
He served as America’s top diplomat and national security adviser during the Nixon and Ford administrations.
Despite leaving office in the mid-1970s, he continued to be consulted by generations of leaders for decades. Read more
3 killed, several injured in shooting at Jerusalem bus stop (AlJazeera)
Three people have been killed and several wounded after two gunmen opened fire at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Israeli police said. The attackers were also killed.
Police said 16 people were injured in Thursday morning’s shooting. Emergency services evacuated eight of the more seriously wounded victims to nearby hospitals, the Israeli ambulance service said.
Police in West Jerusalem said the gunmen “arrived at the scene in a vehicle armed with firearms”, including an M16 and a pistol, and opened fire towards a crowd of civilians at the bus station. Read more
Chelsea legend Zola tips Real Madrid as perfect fit for Osimhen (Guardian)
Legendary Chelsea forward Gianfranco Zola believes Napoli’s Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen would be a perfect fit for La Liga giants Real Madrid.
Osimhen made his second appearance against Madrid on Wednesday night since returning from injury.
The top scorer in Serie A has been linked with some of Europe’s heavyweights. Read more
Super Eagles drop 2 places in latest FIFA rankings (Punch)
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have dropped by two spots in the latest FIFA ranking to place 42nd in the world.
In the ranking table on the website of the world football governing body, on Thursday, the Eagles dropped 16.04 points to rank 1474.44 points as against 1490.48 in October.
However, the drop did not affect the team’s placement on the continent, as it still remained the 6th team on the continent, behind Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt, respectively. Read more
Manchester United duo nominated for Premier League awards after faultless November (MEN)
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Month award for November.
The Dutchman, who watched his side throw away a two-goal lead against Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, oversaw a faultless run during the month, guiding his side to three Premier League wins in as many matches. Defeating Fulham (1-0), Luton Town (1-0) and Everton (3-0), United scored five goals and conceded none.
Last Sunday’s triumph over Everton at Goodison Park elevated United to sixth in the Premier League table, just four points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa. They are also now just six points behind leaders Arsenal. Read more
Olympique Lyonnais sack Grosso after 7 league matches (FootballItalia)
Fabio Grosso has officially been dismissed from his position as head coach of Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais after just seven league matches in charge of the club.
The French club issued a press release on Thursday afternoon informing supporters that Pierre Sage will take charge of Lyon on a temporary basis, assisted by Jeremie Brechet, Jean-Francois Vuillez and goalkeeping coach Remy Vercoutre.
This means that Grosso’s backroom staff of Raffaele Longo, Francesco Vaccariello, Vittorio Carello and Mauro Carretta have also been given their marching orders. Read more
PGA Tour commissioner calls Saudi deal deadline ‘‘firm target’’ (ABC)
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is scheduled to meet with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, next week to continue negotiations on a potential alliance, and Monahan said he hopes to reach a deal with the PIF and at least one other investor before the end of the year.
Monahan, speaking at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York City on Wednesday night, called the Dec. 31 deadline for a framework agreement with the PIF and DP World Tour a “firm target.” Read more
Key member of Max Verstappen team leaves with emotional farewell message (PlanetF1)
Max Verstappen’s performance coach Bradley Scanes bid an emotional goodbye to the three-time World Champion on social media.
Verstappen utterly dominated the competition in F1 2023, claiming a sensational 19 wins across the 22 grands prix held as he strolled to a third World Championship title in as many seasons.
Red Bull meanwhile claimed the Constructors’ title, both team and driver securing their respective crowns by more than double the points of their nearest challengers, Sergio Perez and Mercedes respectively. Read more