Foreign object hits, damages Shettima’s plane at JFK Airport, New York (Vanguard)
Vice President Kashim Shettima’s trip to Samoa to represent Nigeria at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit has been cancelled after a foreign object hit his plane during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York.
A statement issued last night by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said “The foreign object damaged the cockpit windscreen of the plane.”
According to the statement, “President Tinubu, acting promptly, has approved a ministerial delegation to represent Nigeria at the summit in the Samoa capital of Apia while the plane’s repair has commenced. Read more
No deadline on circulation of old series of Naira banknotes – CBN (Independent)
Contrary to rumours making the rounds to the effect that old series of the N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes shall cease to be legal tender on December 31, 2024, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has declared that there is no deadline for use of the old bank notes.
The clarification is contained in a statement signed by Mrs. Sidi Ali, Hakama, the apex bank’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, which was made available to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.
The CBN described as false claims suggesting that the old series of the N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes shall cease to be legal tender on December 31, 2024, declaring it calculated plans to disrupt the country’s payment system. Read more
NAMA engages in training, technical tests of personnel (ThisDay)
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has moved to solve the protracted problem of the shortage of Air Traffic Controllers by increasing the number of the personnel, promoting some others as incentive and also retiring others who have put the required number of years in the service.
The agency recently conducted annual proficiency checks for 339 air traffic controllers and promoted 69 others who passed the required tests for promotion, as the organsiation has over the years suffered dearth of the technical personnel who play critical roles in airspace management.
The Managing Director of NAMA, Farouk Ahmed Umar, who made this disclosure during the annual air traffic management workshop of the agency held at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos recently, listed other the achievements of his ten-month administration in the area of air traffic management to include a total of 87 air traffic controllers in the agency who had passed the NCAA Certification Examination Rating on Aerodrome, Approach and Area (Procedural and Surveillance), and another set of 91 air traffic controllers who got new or renewed Air Traffic Control (ATC) licences in compliance with ICAO Document (9426). Read more
3 dead in Port Harcourt helicopter crash (Channels)
Three persons have been confirmed dead in a helicopter crash that occurred in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Thursday.
The accident occurred at 11:22 a.m. along the waterways in Port Harcourt when the helicopter, a Sikorsky SK76 with registration 5NBQG and operated by East Wind Aviation, took off from Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the FPSO – NUIMS ANTAN oil rig.
A total of eight persons were confirmed on board, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Odutayo Oluseyi.
Lagos warns against building conversion for commercial use (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has warned that buildings should be used solely for their intended purposes — either commercial or residential.
The Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory Agency General Manager, Olayinka Abdul, said this was to avoid overwhelming the load capacity on such edifice’s structural balance.
She called for detailed assessments of structures, as most materials are being produced substandardly, thus jeopardising the safety of durable structures that will stand the test of time. Read more
Abia pensioners berate Otti over claims of clearing outstanding pensions, gratuities (Tribune)
The leadership of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) Abia State Council has berated the State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, over his claims of clearing all outstanding pensions and gratuities owed to pensioners in the state.
The State Chairman of the Union, Comrade Chukwuemeka Irondi, stated this today during a press conference in Umuahia regarding the true position of the purported clearance of arrears. He said the governor did not clear a kobo of the 45 months of unpaid pension arrears from the previous administration, as presented by the State Council of the Union.
Irondi, accompanied by other executive members of NUP, noted that what the governor cleared were only the arrears for ten months owed between June 2023 and March 2024, which were incurred by his administration. He added that some pensioners have yet to receive their payments as of today. Read more
Benue State withdraws from suit seeking to declare EFCC illegal (Vanguard)
The Benue State government has formally applied to withdraw from the suit that is asking the Supreme Court to declare the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as an illegal organization.
Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia had on Wednesday, directed the Attorney General of the State and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Fidelis Bemsen Mnyim, to proceed on indefinite suspension for unilaterally joining Benue State as a plaintiff in the suit which was originally brought before the apex court by Kogi state.
Rev. Fr. Alia, who was irked by the development, noted that both the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, which may be affected by the suit, are anti-graft agencies that are currently helping the state to recover funds that were stolen from its treasury. Read more
Gombe Varsity: ASUU suspends 6-week strike (DailyTrust)
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the Gombe State University (GSU) suspended its six weeks strike, on Thursday.
Chairman of the ASUU-GSU branch, Dr Suleiman Salihu Jauro, in a statement said the decision to suspend the strike was a result of an agreement reached between the Gombe state government and the union.
Daily Trust reports that academic staff at the GSU had declared a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike on September 11, over a number of demands ranging on funding and welfare issues. Read more
Nicole Kidman hides her face when her AMC ad plays at the movies, says new ad is “brewing’’ (EW)
Nicole Kidman, De Facto President of AMC Theaters, likes to go to the movies just like everyone else — but unlike everyone else, she’s the face of an entire movie theater chain.
And so she likes to hide that face whenever she saunters in, out of the rain to laugh, to cry…to care. Because dammit, she needs that, too.
At the premiere of season 2 of Special Ops: Lioness, the Oscar-winner described how she would unwind after filming tough scenes by going to the movies in Fort Worth, Tex., and her reaction to seeing her viral ad. Read more
Mozambique ruling party declared winner of election amid fraud claims (AlJazeera)
Mozambique’s ruling party candidate, Daniel Chapo, has been declared the winner of the country’s presidential election amid claims of rigging by the opposition.
Chapo, from the Frelimo party which has been in power for almost half a century, secured more than 70 percent of the votes, the National Election Commission (CNE) said on Thursday.
His main opponent, the independent candidate Venancio Mondlane, came second with more than 20 percent, while the candidate of the opposition party Renamo, Ossufo Momade, came third with more than five percent, according to the CNE. Read more
Great British Bake Off slapped with warning for first time in show’s history (DailyRecord)
A Great British Bake Off Halloween special was considered unsettling enough to receive a trigger warning for its spooky edition.
The Channel 4 favourite, typically broadcast pre-9pm watershed, flagged the first-ever Halloween Week from 2022 as “isn’t suitable for younger viewers”. This cautionary note appeared on the online episode under a prominent red “Guidance” icon. Initially featured on the app and website before playback, it has now disappeared, reports the Mirror.
Presenters Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas were seen in Halloween costumes, whilst the set was adorned with thematic decorations like balloons and skeletons. Contestants, including ultimate winner Syabira Yusoff, crafted apple and pumpkin creations for judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood. Read more
Investigation into accident that hospitalized 8 on set of Eddie Murphy’s The Pickup finds no safety violations (People)
An investigation into an April accident on the set of Eddie Murphy’s upcoming movie The Pickup found the production did not violate any safety regulations.
On Thursday, Oct. 24, a spokesperson for the Occupational Health and Safety Administration told PEOPLE its investigation of the incident and inspection, which concluded Oct. 17, “did not result in violations of workplace safety and health regulations.”
A spokesperson for Amazon MGM Studios declined to comment. Read more
Mel Gibson says Kamala Harris has ‘‘got the IQ of a fence post,’’ voices support for Donald Trump (Variety)
Kamala Harris has decidedly proven to be the more popular presidential candidate among talent in the entertainment industry this election, with recent campaign rally appearances including Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Julia Roberts and Spike Lee. But Donald Trump can now count a new Hollywood name among his supporters: Mel Gibson. In a new video published by TMZ on Thursday evening, Gibson offered a brief interview to a cameraman while heading toward TSA at an airport.
“I don’t think it’s going to surprise anyone who I vote for,” Gibson said. The cameraman, after some thought, answers with, “I’m gonna guess Trump. Is that a bad guess?” Read more
Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival opens with calls for peace from tycoon co-founder Naguib Sawiris and claims of censorship (Deadline)
Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival got underway on Thursday amid calls for peace in the region as well as claims of censorship after an Egyptian short work with a Palestine-related subtext was pulled as the opening film at the eleventh hour without reason.
Abdelwahab Shawky’s short film “The Last Miracle” was to have opened El Gouna’s seventh edition, but a festival press release Wednesday announced it had been replaced by Cannes Palme d’Or-winning short “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” by Croatian director Nebojša Slijepčević.
The festival said the “adjustment to the original line-up” was because Shawky’s film “could not be screened” without giving a reason. Read more
Putin ends BRICS summit that sought to expand Russia’s global clout but was shadowed by Ukraine (ABC)
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday closed a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, praising its role as a counterbalance to what he called the West’s “perverse methods.”
The three-day summit in the city of Kazan was attended by leaders or representatives of 36 countries, highlighting the failure of U.S.-led efforts to isolate Russia over its actions in Ukraine.
The conflict came up repeatedly at the meeting, which saw the first visit to Russia from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in more than two years and drew an angry reaction from Kyiv. Guterres called for “a just peace” in Ukraine, in line with the U.N. Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions. He also urged an immediate end to the fighting in Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan. Read more
CAF WCL: Edo Queens captain Osakpolor targets trophy (Punch)
Edo Queens captain Efe Osakpolor has one aim in mind heading into the CAF Women’s Champions League, which is to lift the trophy at the end of the tournament that will run from November 9 to 23 in Morocco.
The soft-spoken defender underscored this ambition while sharing her thoughts on their chances at going all the way at the tournament that is in its fourth edition, featuring eight teams.
She said, “We’re ready to make history and show what we’re capable of on the continental stage. Read more
CAF Awards 2024: Super Eagles, Angola, others nominated for National Team of the Year (Channels)
The Super Eagles have been shortlisted as one of the nominees for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) National Team of the Year (Men)
CAF released the 10-nation nominees with the Super Eagles who were runner-up at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast early this year.
The nomination followed the Eagles’ outstanding performance which saw them making it to the final of the last Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire. Read more
Felix double fires Chelsea in Conference League rout (JapanToday)
Joao Felix ended his goal drought with a brace as Chelsea powered to a 4-1 win against Panathinaikos in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday.
Portugal forward Felix has struggled to make an impact since returning for a second spell with Chelsea in August.
Yet to start a Premier League game following his move from Atletico Madrid, the 24-year-old seized the chance to prove a point to Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca. Read more
Jack Wilshere: Former England midfielder leaves Arsenal academy role to join Norwich City as first-team coach (Sky)
Former England midfielder Jack Wilshere has left his role in the Arsenal academy to join Norwich as first-team coach.
Wilshere, 32, returned to his former club in July 2022 as head coach of Arsenal’s U18s and guided them to the FA Youth Cup final, in which they lost to West Ham.
The move to Sky Bet Championship Norwich will see Wilshere work alongside Johannes Hoff Thorup’s backroom staff, with Narcis Pelach having left to take over as boss at Stoke last month. Read more
Doncic scores 28, Thompson adds 22 in Dallas debut as Mavs top Spurs 120-109 (DailyMail)
Luka Doncic had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Klay Thompson added 22 points in his Dallas debut and the Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs 120-109 in the opener for both teams Thursday night.
Kyrie Irving had 15 points for the defending Western Conference champions, who got eight assists from Doncic and seven rebounds from Thompson.
Victor Wembanyama shot just 5 of 18 from the field for 17 points to open the young French phenom’s second year with the Spurs. Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie scored 18 apiece. Read more
Mike Tyson makes worrying “death” admission ahead of Jake Paul boxing fight (Mirror)
Mike Tyson has admitted he’d rather die in the ring than in hospital if he slips up in his upcoming showdown with Jake Paul next month.
The former world champion hasn’t fought a professional contest since losing to Kevin McBride back in 2005. While he officially hung up his gloves that night, Tyson did return to the ring four years ago in an exhibition showdown with fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr.
As for Paul, the 27-year-old is set to step foot in the ring for the third time this year. After defeating former UFC fighter Mike Perry in his last outing, ‘The Problem Child’ is confident he can add another big name to his resume. With a record of 10-1, his only defeat in the sport of boxing came against Tommy Fury last year. Read more