Hoodlums unleash violence in Lagos community (Nation)
Hoodlums on Thursday unleashed violence on residents and commuters at Ijanikin Community in Ojo Local Government Area (LGA) leaving several people injured.
The rampaging crowd suspected to be cultists were said to have disrupted activities at the Shoe/Bags and Textile Market causing traders to scamper to safety.
It was gathered that they also blocked the Badagry Expressway, grounding vehicular movement to and fro Lagos in that axis.
According to sources, the violence broke out following disagreements between two monarchs in the area. It was learnt that one of the monarchs was planning his 15th anniversary, which irked supporters of his rival. Read more
Woman sells 3-week-old baby for N600k in Ogun (Punch)
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 23-year-old woman, Mary Olatayo, for allegedly selling her three weeks old baby for N600,000.
The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
Oyeyemi said the suspect was arrested following a complaint from the father of the baby.
The PPRO said the father reported the matter at Mowe divisional headquarters, narrating that he met Mary Olatayo sometime ago and they started dating each other.
He said “The man stated further that Mary got pregnant in the process and he rented an apartment for her where she lived till she was delivered of a baby boy.
“He complained further that the lady suddenly disappeared with the baby from the apartment three weeks after delivery only for her to be found in a hotel where she had gone for a hookup with another man.
“All efforts to know where the baby is proved futile. Read more
Police commission union to embark on indefinite strike (Sun)
The Joint Union Congress of the Police Service Commission said its members will embark on an indefinite strike with effect from August 29, 2022.
The Union in a notice to the management of the commission said they are embarking on the strike because of a breach in the agreement between it and the management.
Chairman of the Joint Service Union, PSC chapter, Mr Adoyi Adoyi, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday saying that the strike is coming amidst disagreement between workers of the commission, the Chairman of the commission, Mr Musiliu Smith, and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, on which body should be responsible for recruitment, promotion, and appointment of constables and officers. Read more
We are seeing rising cases of spinal, joint pains — LUTH doctors (Vanguard)
Medical experts at the Lagos University Teaching hospital, LUTH, on Wednesday said most cases of spine and joint pains are due to postural challenges even as they raised the alarm over the increasing number of younger persons coming down with health conditions associated with postural problems.
The experts who called for more awareness on the benefits of maintaining good posture always said most health challenges including spine, cervical and low back pain among others are associated with postural.
Speaking during a lecture tagged: “Postural Challenges and Barriers to Productive Active Service Life” to mark LUTH’s 60th Anniversary, the Chairman of, the Medical Advisory Committee, Prof Wasiu Adeyemo urged Nigerians and health workers to take charge of their posture while walking, working, sitting, and lying down. He said there is a need for all individuals to be fit in order to be productive at work and at home.
Adeyemo lamented that many Nigerians are ignorant of the need for good postures and their many benefits and implications when not observed. Read more
Lagos lawyer arraigned for trafficking 11-year-old girl (Punch)
A lawyer, Igwe Ifeoma, has been arraigned before Chief Magistrate P.E Nwaka sitting at the Magistrate’s Court, Yaba, Lagos State, on Wednesday, on charges bordering on child trafficking, assault of an 11-year-old girl, Esther Onwa.
Ifeoma is facing six counts of conspiracy to traffic a child, child trafficking, inhuman treatment, unlawful assault, and inflicting bodily injuries.
The charges read in part, “That you, Barrister Igwe Ifeoma, on the said date, time and place, in the aforesaid Magisterial District, did take away one Esther Onwa, 11, in order that she would be held or treated as a slave or servitude under your custody.
“That you, Barrister Igwe Ifeoma, on the said date, time and place, in the aforesaid Magisterial District, did unlawfully assault one Esther Onwa, 11, by repeatedly inflicting various degrees of bodily harm on her ears, left eyes, her back, neck, laps, buttocks, and other parts of her body. Read more
Bachelor wins N5m in Dangote Cement Promo (ThisDay)
A bachelor, who is preparing for his wedding, has won a star prize of N5 million at the ongoing Dangote Cement Promotion.
This was contained in a statement that was signed by Media Officer, Mr. Jibrin Abubarka, in Lokoja, yesterday, which said that it was jubilation galore for the young man who won the state prize during the Dangote Cement promo in Abuja.
The Group Managing Director, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Olakunle Alake, presented the star prize award to the winner, Mr. Mamza Joshua Ayuba, amidst pomp and pageantry.
Ayuba, 35, described the award as a dream come true. Read more
Showcase yourself, Don Jazzy advises upcoming artistes (Punch)
Nigerian music icon, Michael Collins Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy, has encouraged upcoming artistes to showcase their talents on their social media pages.
The Mavin Records boss, who is famous for his talent hunting on social media, revealed that three of his most recent signees were discovered via their Instagram pages.
Sharing a screenshot of his first chat with the rising stars, Don Baba as he is also known, said he contacted Ayrra Starr, Boyspyce and most recently, Bayanni, because he could see promising samples of their works on their various pages.
“Dear upcoming artistes, from these 3 screenshots you can see I reached out to Ayra, Boyspyce and Bayanni myself,” he wrote in a letter posted via his Instagram page on Thursday. Read more
mRNA Vaccine: Buhari welcomes exploratory interactions between Nigerian scientists, BioNTech (Leadership)
President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja welcomed the exploratory interactions between Nigerian biomedical scientists, officials of the Federal Ministry of Health and BioNTech company, to support the production of messenger RNA vaccines in Nigeria.
The President met with Mr. Holm Keller, the Executive Chairman of KENUP Foundation and representative of the CEO of BioNTech, the mRNA vaccine patent holder, in Africa.
The President in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, expressed confidence that the interactions between the parties would be productive, leading to collaborations at many levels, from clinical trials to research and development of new vaccines and eventually support vaccine manufacturing facilities in the country.
‘‘We are impressed with the numerous possibilities said to be around the mRNA technology and hence seek cooperation with well-intentioned organizations, including yours, to build a strong bilateral partnership with your company and your affiliate bodies, as science gets closer to understanding the possibilities around successful mRNA technology. Read more
Teachers of Smart Schools to receive intensive training before deployment — UBEC Boss (Tribune)
THE Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, has said that all teachers to be deployed to the 37 Smart Schools being constructed by the Federal Government will receive training similar to that which is being offered to their counterparts in Korea.
According to the memorandum of understanding(MoU) jointly signed by the UBEC and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Korean experts are expected to train the teachers to be deployed in line with the established standards set for the schools meant to serve as models in the country.
He stated this while receiving a six-member team of the Korean experts led by Professor Youngwoo Park, when the team paid him a courtesy call at the end of their two-week visit to Nigeria in the UBEC headquarters.
Bobboyi said the Smart Schools initiative would boost the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), for teaching and learning, saying this becomes necessary to ensure that Nigeria competes favourably in the present world of technology. Read more
NCDMB hands over vocational school to UI (Punch)
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has handed over the University of Ibadan Vocational School to the tertiary institution.
The board said it constructed the vocational school in line with its capacity-building mandate and the Nigerian Content 10-year Strategic Roadmap.
Handing over the facility to the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, described the feat as a milestone in Nigerian content development.
He said the strength of Nigeria’s economy and prosperity was in the hands of craftsmen, artisans and gifted workmen. Read more
Olivia Rodrigo surprises fans at Billy Joel’s Madison Square Garden concert (People)
Olivia Rodrigo and Billy Joel are one dynamic duo!
The “Drivers License” singer, 19, surprised attendees at the “Piano Man” crooner’s concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Wednesday evening with a two-song performance.
Dressed in a black top with a brown and yellow patterned skirt and black leather boots, Rodrigo first performed her popular single “Deja Vu” — a track which references both Joel, 73, and his megahit “Uptown Girl.”
The pair then performed that 1983 Joel song together, which appeared on his ninth studio album, An Innocent Man. They later embraced in a warm hug after the set. Read more
Angola election 2022: Ruling MPLA leads with most votes counted (DW)
Frustration over poverty and unemployment had given the main opposition party its best-ever chance of winning the vote in a country that has been ruled by the MPLA party since independence almost 50 years ago.
Provisional results from Angola’s general election on Thursday indicated that the ruling party was heading for victory.
With 86% of votes counted, the National Electoral Commission (CNE) put the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) on 52.08% of the vote.
The opposition National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) was at 42.98%. It claims the results were unreliable and that its tally showed it was in the lead. Read more
“Batgirl” is dead: Secret ‘funeral screenings’ on Warner Bros. lot (NYPost)
At least someone got to see Batgirl.
A select group of folks — mostly people who worked on the show, both cast and crew, as well as representatives and executives — reportedly have been invited to private screenings of the “shelved” film on the Warner Bros. Studio lot this week, multiple sources told The Hollywood Reporter.
One insider even described the viewings as “funeral screenings” before the footage is locked away in a vault — but it’s unknown if that vault is physical or digital.
On Tuesday, the filmmakers behind the movie, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, said they were not even able to access any footage from the film once Warner Brothers declared it dead. Read more
Oscars: Canada sets ‘Eternal Spring’ as its Best International Feature entry (Deadline)
The pan-Canadian Selection Committee has chosen director Jason Loftus’ Eternal Spring as its entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.
The animated documentary highlights the work of internationally renowned comic book illustrator Daxiong (Justice League, Star Wars) who, as a member of the banned Falun Gong spiritual group, was forced to flee China after police raids in the city of Changchun.
Combining present-day footage with 3D animation inspired by Daxiong’s art, Eternal Spring retraces the events that precipitated the crackdown on their 20th anniversary, with eyewitness accounts of persecution and details of the fight for political and religious freedoms. Read more
Korea’s SM Entertainment expands to Saudi Arabia (IQ-mag)
The deal will see SM discover, nurture and produce local S-pop (Saudi pop) artists with the active support of the Saudi Ministry of Investment, with plans to establish a venue “that can hold music festivals year-round”.
SM also plans to build a metaverse platform to “share Korean and Saudi culture” and “actively promote local business… production of various contents, and production and sales of products using IP”.
“I am delighted to have signed a business agreement with the Saudi ministry of investment,” says SM executive producer Lee Soo-man. “I hope that through this agreement, me, SM, and Saudi Arabia can bear good results.
“With the CT (Culture Technology) system I built, I will discover talented local talents, produce S-pop, and build a music ecosystem that young people in Saudi Arabia can enjoy. Furthermore, I hope that it will contribute to the development of the future cultural industry in Saudi Arabia.” Read more
Barbie Ferreira announces she’s leaving HBO’s ‘Euphoria’ (CNN)
Barbie Ferreira is leaving “Euphoria.”
Ferreira, who plays Kat on the show, revealed the news on her Instagram Story on Wednesday, saying she will not be returning to the HBO drama ahead of its third season.
“After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary eyed goodbye,” Ferreira wrote.
She continued, “I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today. I put all my care and love into her and I hope you guys could feel it. Love you katherine hernandez.”
The sex-positive character Kat explores online sex work and in Season 1 of the show and she began a relationship with Ethan (played by Austin Abrams). Read more
Taiwan to deploy drone defence systems after rock-throwing video emerges (RNZ)
Taiwan will next year begin deploying drone defence systems on its offshore islands, the defence ministry said, after footage emerged of Taiwanese soldiers throwing stones at a Chinese drone that buzzed a guard post near China’s coast.
Taiwan has complained of repeated Chinese drone incursions near its offshore islands as part of China’s war games and drills after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei this month, which infuriated Beijing.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the strong objections of the government in Taipei.
The brief video clip, circulated first on Chinese social media before being picked up by Taiwanese media, shows two soldiers throwing stones at a drone that got near their guard post. Read more
Olivia Wilde says being served custody papers from Jason Sudeikis on stage was ‘vicious’ (BBC)
Olivia Wilde opening the letter while on stage in a theatre in Las Vegas on Tuesday
“This is for me?” Wilde asked after being handed the envelope at a film convention
US actress and director Olivia Wilde has described being served custody papers on behalf of former partner Jason Sudeikis, the Ted Lasso star, while she was on stage as “vicious”.
Wilde was handed the documents in a brown envelope while talking about her new thriller Don’t Worry Darling at CinemaCon in Las Vegas in April.
Footage showed her looking surprised after opening the envelope.
“In any other workplace, it would be seen as an attack,” she told Variety.
“It was really upsetting. It shouldn’t have been able to happen. There was a huge breach in security, which is really scary. Read more
2022 U-20 WWC: Falconets arrive Abuja from Costa Rica (Leadership)
Nigeria’s Falconets have arrived Abuja early Thursday morning following their elimination from the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup tournament in Costa Rica.
The players and their officials were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, by the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mohamed Sanusi, and representative of the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Toyin Ibitoye.
Recall that the players and their officials were stranded at the Istanbul Airport for 24 hours due to their inability to secure transit visas.
The viral photos of the players seen sleeping on the bare floors of the airport in Istanbul had caused outrage among Nigerians. Read more
Novak Djokovic confirms he has been refused entry to the United States and will not play in the US Open (DailyMail)
Novak Djokovic has announced he will not be traveling to New York for the upcoming US Open after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19,making himself ineligible to enter the country.
‘Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for the US Open,’ Djokovic tweeted Thursday ahead of the US Open draw. ‘Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again.
‘See you soon tennis world!’
Djokovic is a 35-year-old from Serbia who owns 21 major championships, one behind Rafael Nadal for the men’s record. Read more
USA, UK deny Nigerian boxers visas for international bouts (Sun)
Nigerian boxing took a bit of an up and down movement when two of its boxers were invited to fight in the United States and the United Kingdom but they were however denied visas, much to the surprise of the Secretary General of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control.
Remi Aboderin, Secretary General, NBBC and President, West African Boxing Union expressed shock and dissatisfaction at the turn of events while speaking to Sports247.
“I really can’t explain. Rilwan Oladosu is a WBF champion, our former National champion. And despite being invited to fight in America by his promoter, with his P1 visa paid for, meaning he’s recognized as an outlet to do business and leave the country afterward and all the documents are there even if at any point he couldn’t express himself well at the embassy,” Remi told Sports247. Read more
Alexi Lalas hails ‘incredible’ Jesse Marsch for making Leeds ‘a team that everyone wants to see (DailyMail)
The success of American coach Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United squad has captured the attention of football fans stateside.
Leeds have two wins and seven points across their first three matches, including last weekend’s massive win over Chelsea.
The influence of Marsch and his two new American midfielders – Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams – isn’t going unnoticed as Leeds sit in third place early on in the season.
Back in the United States, Americans are beginning to tune into matches in droves – with those surrounding the US Men’s National Team particularly interested. Read more
Champions League draw has elite 32-team lineup, no new names (USAToday)
The Champions League draw will have no new names in the 32-team lineup after the last confirmed entry ended an unlikely run by a Norwegian team.
Bodø/Glimt, which spent much of the past two decades in the Norwegian second division, had been hoping to cap its recent rise by joining Europe’s elite competition but lost in extra time to Dinamo Zagreb in the playoffs Wednesday.
Dinamo joined Rangers and Copenhagen, which also advanced through their playoffs to complete a group-stage lineup stacked with 14 former former champions who have won 56 of the 67 European Cup or Champions League titles. Seven more teams are previously beaten finalists.
The elite group includes defending champion Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, who are still fighting Champions League organizer UEFA in the European Court of Justice for the right to form their own breakaway competition.
Jury awards Vanessa Bryant $16m in lawsuit over Kobe crash photos (NYPost)
A federal jury has found that Los Angeles County must pay Vanessa Bryant $16 million dollars after first responders snapped and shared grisly photos of the fatal 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband, 13-year old daughter and seven others.
The panel of nine jurors agreed that deputies and firefighters invaded the privacy of Kobe Bryant’s widow and brought her emotional distress by taking photos of the remains of the NBA star and his daughter Gianna.
Vanessa Bryant wept quietly as the verdict was read following 4 1/2 hours of jury deliberation, and walked out of court holding the hand of her 19-year-old daughter Natalia.
The jurors also awarded $15 million to plaintiff Chris Chester, who lost his wife Sarah and daughter Payton in the Calabasas, California wreck. Read more
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali vows ‘no more racing in Russia’ (Fox)
The annual Russian Grand Prix scheduled for next month was canceled following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but Formula One president and CEO Stefano Domenicali vowed this week that another race would never be held in the country again.
F1 terminated its contract in May after canceling the race in February following the “sadness and shock” that followed the early days of Russian attacks on Ukraine, according to reports at the time, but Domenicali clarified the sports stance on the issue this week, stating that F1 has no plans to hold future events there.
“I’ve always believed that you should never say never,” Domenicali told Sport Bild magazine, per GrandPrix.com. “But in this case, I can promise for sure — we will no longer negotiate with them.
“There will be no more racing in Russia.” Read more