Hoodlums clash in Lagos market, set shops, goods on fire (Vanguard)
Suspected hoodlums have set shops and goods on fire, following a clash at the Ile-Ipo market in the Alimosho LGA of Lagos.
Vanguard gathered that the crisis began on Wednesday night following a dispute that ensued from a betting game between some traders.
The dispute resulted in an ethnic fight which was later hijacked by hoodlums. Read more
Female student found dead inside Kano apartment (DailyTrust)
A female student at Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Aisha Yahaya, has been found dead in her off campus apartment.
Yahaya, a 300-level female student of Food and Science Technology, was found dead after she retired to her room.
The student was said to have written her first examination in the ongoing first semester examination in the university. Read more
Naira abuse: EFCC, Cubana Chief Priest to settle out of court (Punch)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and celebrity barman, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, have reached an agreement to resolve the naira abuse charge outside of court.
The out-of-court settlement was disclosed when the proceedings resumed on Thursday.
Cubana Chief Priest appeared before Justice Kehinde Ogundare, facing three counts related to abusing the national currency at a social gathering. Read more
Ikorodu road repair: Educationist hails Tinubu (Nation)
A frontline educationist, Dr. Oladega Adebogun, has praised President Bola Tinubu for authorising the speedy and comprehensive rehabilitation of the Ikorodu-Imota-Itoikin-Epe Road.
Adebogun, during an interactive session with the media, said Tinubu has renewed the hope of residents and commuters in the community..
“The road, ranked as one of the worst in Nigeria, had become an albatross to past successive administrations. It had posed a recurrent nightmare to residents and commuters,” he lamented. Read more
Troops kill 715 terrorists, rescue 465 hostages in April, says DHQ (Leadership)
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said troops across the country killed 715 terrorists, arrested 146 others and rescued 465 kidnapped hostages in April.
The Director Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba disclosed this on Thursday during an update on military operations.
Maj.-Gen. Buba said troops recovered 937 assorted weapons, 23,034 assorted ammunitions and stolen products worth over N2,572,397,190.00 during the period. Read more
Lagos APC salutes workers, urges more resilience (Nation)
Chairman of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC), Cornelius Ojelabi, has appreciated workers, especially Lagos State workers, for their forthrightness, dedication and resilience.
Ojelabi, who noted that no administration succeeds without a happy and productive workforce, said all the successes recorded so far in the state were because of the efforts of the workers who are ‘very dedicated and responsible’.
The chairman praised them for their diligence and commitment to duty, but called for more resilience and patience. Read more
Police arrest 3 over killing of suspected cultist (Vanguard)
Tactical team of Kwara State police command has arrested three suspected cultists over the killing of the leader of another cult group, while manhunt has been launched to arrest other fleeing suspects involved in the inter cult attacks.
Spokesperson of the command DSP Ejire Adetoun Adeyemi who disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Ilorin yesterday identified the suspects in police net as Sulaiman Ismail Mamud Ibrahim and Mudashir Saheed.
The statement noted that ,“On April 30, 2024 at about 01:30hours, an altercation erupted between two suspected cultists identified as Adams Isah, also known as “Number One,” aged 28, and Rasaq Olorunwa, aged 28.
“Both are male residents of Budo-Oke in Eiyenkorin. The altercation escalated, resulting in Rasaq Olorunwa stabbing Adams Isah in the chest with a knife.” Read more
ASRI flags off construction of students hostel in FUT Minna (ThisDay)
One of Nigeria’s foremost philanthropists and businessmen, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, through his ASRI, has flagged off the construction of a 108 bed space hostel at the Federal University of Technology Minna, Niger State.
The project is expected to cost N250 Million and will be completed within the next three months.
The intervention of the ASRI in providing hostel accommodation in the FUTMinna is coming only after that of an indigenous businessman, the Sardauna of Minna, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu, and the federal government-owned TETFUND.
The ASRI has also intervened in similar projects, including construction of lecture halls in 16 universities in Africa. Read more
Meryl Streep to receive honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes (France24)
Meryl Streep will receive an honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on May 14, organisers said Thursday.
Streep, 74, is one of the most feted actors in Hollywood history, with a record 21 Oscar nominations and three wins.
Her career has run the gamut of modern classics, from dramas such as The Deer Hunter, Out of Africa and Kramer vs Kramer to family favourites like The Devil Wears Prada and Mamma Mia!. Read more
Anthony Hopkins to play composer George Frideric Handel in ‘‘The King of Covent Garden’’ biopic (Variety)
Anthony Hopkins is taking on yet another iconic figure, this time from the world of music.
The stage and screen legend — a two-time Academy Award winner — is attached to star as George Frideric Handel in “The King of Covent Garden,” set during the period the famed opera composer worked on his choral masterpiece “Messiah.” Embankment Films has launched global pre-sales on the project, which is scheduled for a late fall 2025 release.
Andrew Levitas (Minimata) will direct “The King of Covent Garden” from a script by Tim Slover, with the filmmakers pitching the feature as “a powerfully majestic celebration of genius breaking all the rules to create an anthem inspiring the popular imagination of global audiences.” Dan Lupovitz (Death Defying Acts, Simpatico) and Kevan Van Thompson (Ballerina, Jojo Rabbit) will produce. Read more
TikTok and Universal settle music royalties dispute (BelfastTelegraph)
Millions of songs will be restored to TikTok after the social media platform settled a dispute with Universal Music Group over royalties.
The end of the row means users will once again be able to make TikTok videos featuring songs from artists such as Adele, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, with their return expected in the next two weeks.
The dispute had seen a number of major artists have their music withdrawn from the platform by Universal, after the two firms failed to come to an agreement in contract renewal discussions over payments to artists and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to clone artists and their music. Read more
Prince William and Kate share new photo of Princess Charlotte to mark her 9th birthday (CBS)
Britain’s Prince William and wife Kate released a new photo of their daughter Princess Charlotte to mark her ninth birthday on Thursday. The photograph, taken within the last few days by the Princess of Wales, shows the couple’s second child smiling in the garden of their home in Windsor, west of London.
“Happy 9th Birthday, Princess Charlotte!” read the message accompanying the photo on the royal couple’s official X account. “Thank you for all of the kind messages today.”
Kensington Palace, the official residence of William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, regularly releases photos — often taken by Kate, who’s said she enjoys photography as a hobby — to mark birthdays and other notable dates. Read more
Ash from Indonesia’s Ruang volcano could disrupt flights over Borneo till May 5, says MetMalaysia (StraitsTimes)
Volcanic ash from Indonesia’s Mount Ruang’s latest eruption on April 30 could enter Borneo airspace with possible disruptions to flight operations until May 5, said Malaysia’s weather agency.
In its aviation weather warning issued on April 30 night, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said dust from the volcano could potentially endanger flights.
MetMalaysia director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah said operations in the Kota Kinabalu Flight Information Region might be affected. Read more
Arizona Senate votes to repeal 1864 abortion ban (BBC)
Arizona’s Senate has voted to repeal a 1864 law banning abortion, the last major push in the Democrat-led effort to erase the law from state books.
Two Republicans joined Senate Democrats to support the repeal bill, which narrowly passed the House last week.
Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, hailed the result and is due to formalise the removal of the law. Read more
Jeremiah Manele is new Solomon Islands Prime Minister (RNZ)
Jeremiah Manele has been elected prime minister of Solomon Islands polling 31 votes to 18 over rival candidate and former opposition leader Mathew Wale with no abstentions.
The final result of the election by secret ballot was annouced by the Governor General Sir David Vunagi on the steps of Parliament a short time ago in Honiara.
Going into the vote, Manele’s camp had claimed the support of 28 MPs while Wale’s camp said they had 20. Read more
They smeared my name over Eagles job – Amuneke (Punch)
Former Super Eagles assistant coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, has reacted to what he termed “misleading reports in the media” (not in The PUNCH) after he applied to coach the national team.
Amuneke was a top contender for the Eagles job, but on Monday, he lost out to his former teammate George Finidi after the Nigeria Football Federation appointed the Enyimba coach as Jose Peseiro’s successor.
Prior to the NFF’s announcement, the media had been awash with reports that Amuneke had a frosty working relationship with officials of the NFF, particularly when he was in charge of the Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles. Read more
Finidi to open Super Eagles camp with home-based stars (Sun)
New Super Eagles coach, Finidi George, will open a training camp made up of home-based players ahead of next month’s must-win 2026 World Cup qualifier against South Africa, according to SCORENigeria.
The Super Eagles are hard pressed to beat Bafana Bafana of South Africa in Uyo on June 7 so as to get their World Cup qualifying campaign back on track after a laboured start.
They were held to a 1-1 draw in Uyo by Lesotho, before they again drew 1-1 with Zimbabwe in November. Read more
Newcastle’s Tonali escapes with suspended ban for further betting breaches (France24)
Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been handed a suspended two-month ban and fined £20,000 ($25,000) for breaches of betting rules, the English Football Association said on Thursday.
The Italian international is already currently serving a 10-month ban handed down by the Italian authorities for betting offences that will rule him out of the rest of the club season and Euro 2024.
Tonali had been charged by the FA with a further 50 breaches between August and October last year after he made the move to Newcastle. Read more
Manchester United leading the race to sign Olise – sources (ESPN)
Manchester United are considered frontrunners to sign Michael Olise should the winger leave Crystal Palace this summer, sources have told ESPN.
The 22-year-old is understood to have a release clause in his contract which becomes active after the end of the season and United’s new INEOS ownership have identified Olise as key target in their summer rebuild.
It is unclear exactly how much a deal to sign Olise would cost but the figure is significantly higher than the £35 million ($43.7m) clause in his previous contract. One source put the amount between £50m and £60m. Read more
Mike Tyson told specific Jake Paul fight rules could work in his favour (Mirror)
Mike Tyson has been told two-minute rounds will work in his favour against Jake Paul.
“Iron Mike” will return to the ring on July 20 when he faces social media sensation Paul and up to fans 80,000 fans could be in attendance on the night. Tyson will be 58-years-old on fight night but the bout is still being sanctioned as a professional bout by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.
Paul and Tyson will wear 14oz gloves and no headgear, with the fight unfolding over eight, two-minute rounds. Fans have since argued the bout shouldn’t be professionally sanctioned if the rounds are two-minutes long instead of three, but Olympic silver medalist and hot prospect Ben Whittaker thinks the rule could help Tyson. Read more
IOC names 36 athletes to the Paris 2024 Refugee Olympic Team (SwimSwam)
The International Olympic Committee has named 36 athletes from 11 countries to the Refugee Olympic Team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, marking the largest such team since the program was introduced for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The team was approved by the IOC’s Executive Board and relied on the United Nations’ Refugee Agency to verify refugee status. The IOC says that it considered “first and foremost, each athlete’s sporting performance.”
The 2024 team will include two swimmers: Alaa Maso and Matin Balsini. Read more