Drainage worker dies in Lagos tunnel after 5 days of search and rescue (Vanguard)
The Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) has confirmed the death of a man trapped in an underground tunnel for five days around the Onipanu area of the state.
The LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday.
He said the man was rescued dead in the evening on Friday. Read more
Man arrested for vandalising streetlights on Third Mainland Bridge (DailyTrust)
Officials of the Lagos State Neighbourhood and Security Corp (LNSC) have apprehended a 46-year-old man, Friday Nwafor, for allegedly vandalising safety hand railing and street lights on Third Mainland Bridge.
The suspect, along with some others still at large, was said to have removed the newly fixed handrailing and solar street lights during the recent rehabilitation work carried out by the government.
City & Crime gathered that the suspect was arrested on Tuesday night. It was also gathered that officials of LNSC are now after other fleeing members of the gang and their buyers. Read more
Invictus Games: Prince Harry Inspects Guard Of Honour, Meets CDS (NewTelegraph)
The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, arrived the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) complex on Friday, where he held a closed-door meeting with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, and other senior Military officers.
Harry, who visited the Defence Complex in company of his wife, Meghan (Duchess of Sussex), and other foreign officials, inspected a Guard of Honour mounted by personnel drawn from the three Services.
New Telegraph reports that the royal visit, which is at the instance of the defence chief, will afford the retired military officer the opportunity to promote the Invictus Game in the country. Read more
N80.2b fraud: Court rejects Yahaya Bello’s request to stop trial (Punch)
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has rejected the request by the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, to halt trial in the hearing of the N80.2bn fraud charges brought against him.
Bello asked the court to stay execution in his trial before Justice Emeka Nwite because there is an appeal filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, before the Court of Appeal, against the contempt application filed by the defendant against the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukayode.
Justice Nwite, in his ruling on Friday, however, rejected the application made by Bello through his lawyer Abdulwahab Mohammed. Read more
Tinubu commissions lithium factory in Nasarawa, vows to expand mining sector (Nation)
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday, commissioned a lithium processing factory in Nasarawa State, built by a Chinese firm, Avatar New Energy Materials Company Limited.
The commissioning took place at Kama Otto in Nasarawa Local Government Area, in collaboration with the Nasarawa State Government.
Tinubu who was represented by the president of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said the commissioning of the Avatar New Energy Materials Company Limited was an example of a good partnership between the federal government, state, and investors. Read more
Bandits kill 30 farmers in Zamfara (DailyTrust)
Bandits have attacked two farming communities in Zamfara State where they killed at least 30 farmers, including a respected Islamic cleric.
And elsewhere in Plateau, two herders and over 200 cattle were killed.
Police Spokesman in Zamfara, ASP Yazid Abu Abubakar, confirmed the attacks on two local government areas of the state, but said details would be given later. Read more
Estate agent jailed 3 years for N700k theft (Punch)
An Ikeja Special Offences Court has sentenced an estate agent, Peter Nwogu-Anucha, to three years imprisonment for stealing N700,000.
Justice Rahman Oshodi on Friday held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt the charge of stealing proffered against the convict and his company, Business Defense Solutions Ltd.
Oshodi said the evidence before the court showed that the complainant, Mr Obinna Ukpabi, indicated interest in leasing a property from the convict through a realtor. Read more
PAP Administrator tasks students on academic excellence (Leadership)
The administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Otuaro, has charged students under the amnesty scholarship scheme to intensify efforts to sustain their record of academic excellence in universities.
Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) scholarship students at Edwin Clark University, Kiagbodo, Western Delta University, Oghara, and Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Agbarha-Otor respectively, all in Delta State on Thursday.
The administrator who earlier visited PAP scholarship students at the Igbinedion University, Okada and Benson Idahosa University, Benin, described the visits as part of his tour of partnering institutions to interact with the management and students. Read more
Olivia Rodrigo and collaborator Dan Nigro named 2024 Songwriters of the Year by ASCAP (People)
Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro are celebrating their success!
The collaborators, who have co-written songs together for several years, have been named the 2024 Songwriters of the Year by ASCAP — the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
Rodrigo, 21, and Nigro, 41, were recognized for their talents at the organization’s annual awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 8, at the Houdini Estate in Los Angeles. Read more
Miss USA and Miss Teen USA resign their crowns, citing mental health and personal values (WashingtonTimes)
The reigning winners of Miss USA, Noelia Voigt, and Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, resigned from their titles within days of each other this week in a shock to the Miss Universe Organization.
The resignations leave the longstanding pageant group without its top two titleholders for the first time in 72 years, shining a spotlight on its practices. The resignations have drawn calls for more transparency into Miss USA and its parent organization, both of which have faced controversy and scrutiny in the past.
Voigt, crowned in September 2023, was the first Venezuelan American to win her title. Read more
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie set to reunite for a brand new reality TV show (Hello!)
Nostalgia is set to make a glamorous comeback as Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, the duo who captured hearts with their hit show The Simple Life, are reuniting for a new reality TV adventure.
This exciting revelation has sparked an all-out bidding war among production companies eager to capture the magic that only Paris and Nicole can deliver.
According to Page Six, this fresh venture promises to be a departure from the format of their original show, which aired from 2003 to 2007. Read more
Eurovision grand final will conclude this year’s contest (BelfastTelegraph)
The grand final marks the end of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest which has been mired in controversy.
The televised final on Saturday at the Malmo Arena in Sweden will see the big five countries, UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy, joined by reigning champions Sweden and 20 qualifying countries to perform in a bid to win the title.
It is not yet known whether Netherlands entrant Joost Klein will perform, having missed two scheduled dress rehearsals on Friday while an investigation into an unspecified “incident” was carried out. Read more
Movie Academy unveils $500m Academy100 fundraising campaign ahead of 100th Oscars in 2028 (Deadline)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Friday that it is launching Academy100, a $500 million “global revenue diversification and outreach campaign” that will lead up to the 100th Oscars ceremony in 2028.
The fundraising initiative was revealed at a press conference today in Rome hosted by Cinecittà, one of the Academy’s lead supporters for the campaign.
AMPAS said the funds will be used to expand the Academy’s worldwide scope, ensure the success of its next 100 years, and connect audiences through “their shared love of cinema.” Read more
Israeli envoy takes out shredder, destroys UN Charter over Palestine vote (IndiaToday)
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, shredded a copy of the United Nations Charter at the General Assembly in protest over a vote to give additional rights to Palestine. A video of Erdan using a miniature shredder to destroy a copy of the charter, the foundational treaty of the United Nations, has gone viral.
The Israeli envoy’s dramatic act came before the UN General Assembly voted 143 to 9 for a resolution asking the Security Council to make Palestine, which has “observer” status, into a full member. While India voted in favour of the resolution, 25 countries abstained. Nine nations, including the United States and Israel, voted against it. Read more
Russian forces attack Ukraine’s northeast Kharkiv region, opening new front (France24)
Ukraine rushed reinforcements to its northeastern Kharkiv region to hold off a Russian attempt to breach local defenses, authorities said, a tactical switch by Moscow that Ukrainian officials have been expecting for weeks as the war stretches into its third year.
Intense nighttime shelling targeted Vovchansk, in the Kharkiv region and less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. The barrage prompted authorities to begin the evacuation of around 3,000 people.
Then, around dawn, Russian infantry tried to penetrate the Ukrainian defenses near Vovchansk, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said, adding that it had deployed reserve units to fend off the attack. Read more
Aina relishes Chelsea clash (Punch)
Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina says he is looking forward to their match against Chelsea at the City Ground on Saturday (today), Saturday PUNCH reports.
Aina signed for the Blues at the under-11 level and left the club permanently in 2019 after loan moves to Hull City and Torino.
The 27-year-old Nigerian defender will be looking to help the Reds do the double over Chelsea after their 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in September. Read more
Mbappe announces he will leave Paris St-Germain (BBC)
France striker Kylian Mbappe says he will leave Paris St-Germain at the end of the season.
Mbappe, 25, announced the decision in a video released on his social media, external accounts.
“I’ve always said that I would speak with you when the time comes,” Mbappe said.
“It’s my last year at Paris St-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks.” Read more
Everton withdraw appeal over points deduction for breaching financial rules (SportsMole)
Everton have announced that they have withdrawn their appeal against a two-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
The Toffees initially lodged an appeal after they were hit with a two-point penalty by an independent commission for breaching PSR by £16.6m for the three-year period to 2022-23.
Everton were previously docked 10 points in February, which was reduced to six on appeal, after they were found guilty of overspending by £19.5m up to 2022. Read more
Novak Djokovic accidentally hit in head by water bottle at Italian Open (NBC)
Novak Djokovic said he is “fine” after he was accidentally hit on the head by a metal water bottle Friday while signing autographs at the Italian Open.
After Djokovic’s second-round win at the Open, the No. 1 tennis player in the world was signing a hat and a piece of paper for screaming fans as a metal water bottle dropped on his head, according to a video posted to social media.
A fan was leaning over the rail in an attempt to have Djokovic sign his notebook when the water bottle slipped out of his backpack and crashed into Djokovic’s head. Read more
Andrew Nembhard’s clutch 31-footer shoots Pacers past Knicks in G3 (ABC)
Andrew Nembhard made a 31-foot, tiebreaking 3-pointer with 16 seconds left, Tyrese Haliburton scored 35 points and the Indiana Pacers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the banged-up and short-handed New York Knicks 111-106 on Friday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Knicks still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Sunday in Indianapolis. New York led by nine with 9:45 remaining and was in position to take a commanding 3-0 lead, but with Jalen Brunson slowed by a right foot injury, the Knicks couldn’t hold on.
Nembhard scored only five points – all in the final minute – while Haliburton finished with his second straight playoff career high. Pascal Siakam added 26 points and seven rebounds while Myles Turner had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Read more
Former US Open champion and world number 3 announces retirement from tennis (SportsMole)
Former US Open champion and world number three Dominic Thiem has announced that he will be retiring from professional tennis at the end of the 2024 season.
The 30-year-old won his first and only Grand Slam title to date at the 2020 US Open, where he created history with a magnificent comeback triumph over Alexander Zverev in the final.
Thiem became the first man in the Open Era to fight back from two sets down in a US Open final, prior to which he had also taken Novak Djokovic to five sets in the 2020 Australian Open final but ultimately lost to the Serbian. Read more