How witches dealt with me after ‘Koto Orun’-Iya Gbonkan (Nation)
Popular Yoruba actress Margaret Bandele Olayinka aka Iya Gbonkan has claimed she was severely dealt with by witches after her role in the movie ‘Koto Orun’.
The veteran, who is well known for playing the role of a witch in most movies, said they used to come to her every other night around 12 midnight compelling her to join their fold.
But the 64-year-old thespian noted she always refused their request because according to her, ‘shedding and drinking of blood wasn’t in her lineage’.
However, Iya Gbonkan speaking in an interview with U & I EvergreenTV stated that the attack from the witches became worse after starring in ‘Koto Orun’ stating they beat her one certain night and almost destroyed her face. Read more
Wike declares total support Sanwo-Olu’s re-election bid, donates N300m to Lagos women (Sun)
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike on Tuesday declared total support for the re-election bid of Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the 2023 general elections.
Wike who has been running battle with his political party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over the emergency of its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said of Sanwo-Olu of All Progressive Congress (APC) is the best man for the job of governor in the state, due to his performance.
The Rivers State governor made the declaration at the ongoing 22nd National Women’s Conference (NWC) holding in Lagos.
The annual conference with the theme: ‘Spring Forth, Stand Out,’ which begins today, will end on October 20, 2022. Read more
Immigration probes officials over extortion at Lagos airport (Punch)
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Isah Idris, on Monday, ordered the investigation of a case of extortion perpetrated by officers of the agency at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The order followed a recent outcry on Twitter by a Dubai-bound Nigerian, who alleged massive extortion of under-40 Nigerians travelling to the Gulf city.
Idris also ordered “the withdrawal” of the entire shift on duty at the time of the incident.
This is according to a statement signed late Monday by the Comptroller-General, titled ‘Alleged misconduct at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.’ Read more
“I was misquoted”, Lagos CAN chairman recants on endorsement of Tinubu (Vanguard)
The Lagos State chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Stephen Adegbite, on Tuesday, said he was quoted out of context by a section of the media in his purported endorsement of the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Adegbite had stirred the ire of many church leaders within and outside the apex Christian body who had taken a firm position against any political party that floats same-faith presidential ticket after he reportedly said, “God will punish us, if we don’t support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
According to him, mischief makers misrepresented his remarks during the presentation of the stewardship report of 12 years sojourn in the Senate presented by the Senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District in the Upper Legislative Chamber, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, OON.
He said, “Dearly beloved, it’s quite possible that you have read a story published by a national daily where the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Lagos State, Rt. Rev. Dr. S.T.V Adegbite was quoted as saying ‘God will punish us, if we don’t support Tinubu – Lagos CAN.’ Read more
Protesters besiege APC secretariat, demand removal of FCT chairman (ThisDay)
Hundreds of protesters Tuesday besieged the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) demanding the immediate removal of the party’s FCT Chairman, Abdulmalik Usman.
The protesters, comprising youths, women and men, insisted that the FCT Congress 2021 must be recognised, adding that Usman must be removed for his refusal to accept the new party executive of FCT.
The protesters, who took over the APC secretariat in the early hours of Tuesday, grounded activities for hours, and insisted on seeing the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
The aggrieved protesters were armed with various inscriptions like: ‘Oath of office can only be taken twice, APC FCT chairman, Abdul Malik Usman, has taken oath of office twice, it is impunity to keep him; ‘FCT Congress 2021 must be recognised’; ‘FCT APC chairman must go for refusal to accept the new party executive of FCT!!!; ‘We say no to party impunity of FCT’, ‘National Chairman APC, do not condone impunity’; “APC must not only preach equity and justice but must demonstrate equity and justice’, among others.
The protesters, who were bent on having audience with Adamu, who had arrived the party secretariat shortly before the protesters seized the secretariat, accused him of collecting bribe from certain politicians from the FCT in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure that the opposition party wins FCT during the 2023 election. Read more
CHI Limited emphasises importance of juice consumption daily (Leadership)
In celebrating the fourth annual Chivita World Juice Day, CHI Limited has stated the importance of daily consumption of fruit juice intake.
Experts recommended the regular consumption of fruit juice as a key ingredient to providing important nutrients for overall health and wellness.
This served as the backdrop of discussion for this year’s Chivita World Juice Day which was celebrated recently with the theme ‘Supporting Everyday Wellness’. This year’s edition which is the fourth in the series, brought the benefits of fruit juice consumption to the centre stage of national discourse by highlighting its importance in complementing and enhancing a wholesome lifestyle.
Speaking in an interview to mark the day, an assistant chief dietitian/nutritionist with the Lagos State Health Service Commission, Dr Olusola Malomo stated that as humans we all desire a healthy life, and as such, rely heavily on the nutrients, vitamins and minerals derived from our daily food consumption to stay healthy. Read more
MAPOLY management suspends payment of registration fee for new students (Tribune)
The management of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, has suspended the payment of registration fees for all newly admitted students.
This development was coming on the heels of a protest embarked on by the students of the institution on Monday, demanding the reversal of various fees increased by the management.
The protest temporarily disrupted the ongoing second-semester examination of the school.
The institution’s Public Relations Officer, Yemi Ajibola, in a statement obtained by Tribune Online, on Tuesday, said the suspension of the registration fee by new students was at the intervention of the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun. Read more
Police give N56m to 16 widows, children of slain police officers (Channels)
The Ogun State Police Command has given the families of 16 slain officers N56 million as financial support.
The Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, presented the cheques to the beneficiaries on Tuesday at the Command’s Headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta, the state capital.
Some of the beneficiaries, including 16 widows and children of the slain officers, wept profusely while being presented with the cheques.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Bankole said the financial support was to alleviate the hardships facing the families of the fallen heroes. Read more
Gunmen kidnap Anambra Catholic priest (Punch)
A priest with the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Rev. Fr. Joseph Igweagu, has been kidnapped in Anambra State.
It was gathered that Igweagu, a parish priest in charge of St Joseph’s Parish, Abata Nsugbe, Anambra East Local Government Area of the state, has been missing since October 12.
He was said to be abducted while returning after celebrating a Funeral Vigil Mass at Umunnachi in the Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.
A statement by the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, made available to journalists on Tuesday, said the Archdiocese is doing everything possible to secure his freedom. Read more
Michael B Jordan confirms Creed III release date ahead of directorial debut (Metro)
Michael B Jordan treated fans to the first look of him in character as Adonis Creed for the third instalment.
The upcoming sequel is the ninth overall in the Rocky franchise, with Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad returning alongside Jordan.
Loki and Lovecraft Country star Jonathan Majors has also joined the cast as Anderson Dame, the latest adversary to go up against the protagonist.
The Black Panther actor shared the official promo of opponents Adonis and Anderson at the end of the boxing ring, with the tagline reading: ‘You can’t run from your past.’ Read more
Lewis Capaldi and Jonny Greenwood among winners at Ascap awards (BelfastTelegraph)
Lewis Capaldi and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood were among the big winners at the Ascap London Music Awards.
The event, organised by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, celebrates British songwriting and composing talent for their US successes.
Scottish singer Capaldi, who in 2021 won Songwriter of the Year, took home the Winning Hot Dance/Electronic Award for his work on Lasting Lover, performed by Sigala and James Arthur.
Ascap also recognises the best composers in film and TV with 11 awards. Read more
Popular Haitian singer Mikaben dies after collapsing during Paris gig (NME)
Singer-songwriter Mikaben has died after he collapsed backstage during a concert in Paris on Saturday (October 15).
The 41-year-old Haitian musician, who was known for songs including ‘Ou Pati’, abruptly stopped the show at the Accor Arena to exit the stage. According to reports, he then collapsed backstage.
E! News reports that medical professionals performed CPR on Mikaben, whose real name was Michael Benjamin, and fans were asked to leave the venue. His death was confirmed by the arena’s management team in a Twitter post sent in the early hours of Sunday (October 16) morning.
Writing in French, the message translated to: “Last night during the Carimi concert one of the singers, Michael Benjamin, Mikaben of his artist name, died following a malaise on stage and despite the intervention of the emergency services.” Read more
Usher serenades Issa Rae onstage during Las Vegas performance (HuffPost)
Issa Rae was beaming during Usher’s performance Saturday in Las Vegas, and while the “Insecure” actor is certainly a fan, that glow was the result of being serenaded in front of thousands as Usher brought her onstage for an intimate rendition of “Superstar.”
“Issa, do you mind if I just sing a couple songs to you?” Usher asked her at the Dolby Live venue at the Park MGM. “Can I just serenade you a little bit?”
Usher, who began his residency at the resort and casino in July, posted the tantalizing footage Monday on Instagram. It showed him singing for the Emmy-nominated actor while gazing into her eyes before taking Rae onstage by the hand to sit with him on the steps.
“Come on, we’re just gonna flip the whole show up,” he told Rae. “I want you to just sit right here with me.” Read more
Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans to open Cairo International Film Festival; new team unveils 2022 line-up (Deadline)
Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age drama The Fabelmans has been announced as the opening film of 44th Cairo International Film Festival, running from November 13 to 22.
This year’s edition of the historic Egyptian festival will unfold under the direction of a new management team following the departure of former head Mohamed Hefzy in March.
Veteran actor Hussein Fahmy returns as president at the festival, a role he held in the past, while respected Egyptian film programmer Amir Ramses has taken up the baton of artistic director.
This year’s main International Competition features Ahmad Abdalla’s 19B (Egypt), Firas Khoury’s Alam (Palestine), Nicolas’s Giraud’s The Astronaut (France), Pierre Földes’s Blind Willow Sleeping Woman (France), Damian Kocur’s Bread And Salt (Poland), Maksym Nakonechnyi’s Butterfly Vision (Ukraine), Ali Cherri’s The Dam (France, Lebanon), Ivan Löwenberg’s I Don’t Want To Be Dust (Mexico), Ridha Behi’s The Island Of Forgiveness (Tunisia), Emmanuelle Nicot’s Love According To Dalva by (Belgium), Kei Ishikawa’s A Man (Japan), Luis De Filippis’s Something You Said Last Night (Canada), Eleonora Veninova’s Things Unsaid (Macedonia) and Gregorio Graziosi’s Tinnitus (Brazil). Read more
The stories of Latinos in Hollywood ‘there from the beginning’ are unearthed in a new book (NBC)
In the silent movie era, Mexican American actor Ramon Novarro starred in the blockbuster “Ben-Hur,” helping bring MGM Studios to prominence. Mexican American designer Bill Travilla created the iconic white dress Marilyn Monroe wore on the subway grate in “The Seven Year Itch.”
Those are just some of the examples and stories — from unsung Latino artists to some of the world’s most beloved stars — in Luis I. Reyes’ recently published book, “Viva Hollywood: The Legacy of Latin and Hispanic Artists in American Film.”
“Latinos have been involved in the film industry since the beginning of Hollywood,” said Reyes, a scholar and the author of several books about the history of Latinos and the film industry. “We are not recent immigrants or new arrivals to this world. We were there from the beginning.”
Latinos have been present across every decade of Hollywood history, Reyes points out, taking a comprehensive look from the silent era to the present day. Read more
Somalia faces worst famine in half a century, UN warns (Alarabiya)
Somalia faces famine on a scale last seen half a century ago, the United Nations has said as it set a new target of more than $2bn in funding needs.
“Things are bad and every sign indicates that they are going to get worse,” James Elder, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday via video link from the drought-stricken Horn of Africa nation.
“Without greater action and investment, we are facing the death of children on a scale not seen in half a century,” Elder said.
In August, 44,000 children were admitted to health establishments with severe acute malnutrition, a condition that means a child is up to 11 times likelier to die from diarrhoea and measles than a well-fed counterpart, Elder said. Read more
Okocha writes off Africa’s 5 at Qatar 2022 (Nation)
Super Eagles legend Austin Okocha has expressed fears on the chances of African representatives at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The continent will be represented at the Mundial by Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Cameroon.
The West African duo of Senegal and Ghana, as well as Central Africa’s Cameroon, are the only countries to have reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
While Okocha admitted that Senegal and Morocco have a chance to create one or two upsets, the former Paris Saint Germain midfielder feared the other three teams may be the whipping boys of their groups. Read more
Nasarawa kicks off maiden Inter-security Agencies football competition (Sun)
The Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, on Sunday, declared open the first edition of the INTER-SECURITY AGENCIES football competition holding at the Federal University, Lafia, the State Capital.
The event tagged “Governor Sule Inter- Security football Competition” commenced on Monday with the State’s Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Amb. Lucky Isaac Yargwa, representing the governor.
He said “Today is, indeed, a historic day in Nasarawa State as it births the first Inter-Security Agencies football activity for a better security service delivery and better society.
“This is a deliberate State Government-sponsored event through the Office of the SSA on Sports. Read more
Concerns mount over Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi after she competed without hijab (CNN)
A female Iranian climber, who did not wear a hijab at an international competition in South Korea, left for Iran on Tuesday as Iranian groups based abroad raised alarms over her fate back home.
Elnaz Rekabi, 33, competed without a hijab during the International Federation of Sport Climbing’s Asian Championships in Seoul on Sunday. Videos of her wearing a headband with her hair in a ponytail while competing, spread on social media.
Her return to Iran comes amid nationwide protests in Iran calling for greater freedoms for women, following the death of a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody after her arrest for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.
In a story posted on Rekabi’s Instagram page on Tuesday, the athlete said she was called to climb the wall “unexpectedly” which “unintentionally” created a problem with her hair covering. Read more
Rafael Nadal sets new ranking record as he and Novak Djokovic close in on Roger Federer (Express)
Rafael Nadal set the record for the most weeks at world No 2 in ATP history when the rankings were updated on Monday. The 36-year-old began his 373rd week in the second spot – the same amount of total weeks that his rival Novak Djokovic has spent at world No 1. It also meant that Nadal tied Djokovic on the amount of time they have now spent inside the top three, with both men having a shot at surpassing Roger Federer’s record.
Nadal started his 373rd overall week as the world No 2 on Monday when the rankings updated, despite not playing for over a month. The Spaniard returned to the second spot when Casper Ruud suffered an early loss at the recent Korea Open, allowing the top two rankings to be occupied by two players from the same country for the first time since 2000 with Carlos Alcaraz sitting at No 1.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has now extended his record for most weeks spent at the No 2 spot, with his tally coincidentally tying Djokovic’s record of weeks spent at world No 1 – 373 – though the Serb has not been at the top of the rankings since falling off in June. Nadal’s 373rd week at world No 2 also marked his 672nd overall week in the world’s top three.
Djokovic has also spent 672 weeks in the top three but currently sits at world No 7 so has been unable to extend his streak, though both men are now just 78 weeks away from catching Federer’s record of the most all-time weeks spent in the world’s top three of the rankings with 750. Read more
DP World Tour chief called to resign over ”pathetic” reaction to LIV Golf rebel victory (Mirror)
DP World Tour chief Keith Pelley has been urged to resign by the brother of former LIV Golf star Pablo Larrazabal as tensions continue to rise in golf’s fierce civil war.
CEO Pelley was slammed by Larrazabal’s older brother Alejandro after Spanish compatriot Adrian Otaegui became the first LIV Golf rebel to win a DP World Tour event at the Andalucia Masters. Defectors to Greg Norman’s controversial Saudi-backed series had previously been suspended from playing on the tour after sanctions imposed by Pelley.
But Otaegui was one of four LIV players who successfully campaigned this summer to lift the restrictions. And an awkward but inevitable moment of history arrived last Sunday as a LIV player entered the winners circle for the first time on a main tour.
Otaegui triumphed in style, finishing at a tournament record 19 under-par to secure a dominant win at the notoriously difficult Valderrama. The Spaniard breezed to victory by six shots after a superb third round of 64 on moving day. Read more
Brittney Griner’s wife thanks President Biden for support in WNBA star’s birthday (TMZ)
Brittney Griner is spending her 32nd birthday behind bars in a Russian prison … and her wife, Cherelle, is thanking US President Joe Biden and his administration for working nonstop in hopes of bringing her home before her 33rd.
Monday marked 8 months since the Phoenix Mercury superstar was detained for having cannabis oil in her belongings at a Russian airport … and Cherelle says the separation has been beyond challenging.
“I’ve felt every moment of the grueling seven months without her,” Cherelle said in a video.
Despite Griner’s ongoing imprisonment, Cherelle is hopeful the U.S. is continuing to fight for her freedom. Read more
Portugal forward Jota ruled out of World Cup with calf injury (RFI)
Portugal’s Diogo Jota will miss the World Cup after suffering a serious calf injury, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed on Tuesday.
The winger was stretchered off in the closing stages of Liverpool’s 1-0 Premier League win over Manchester City on Sunday.
“Not good news about Diogo — yes he will miss the World Cup,” Klopp said at a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s home match against West Ham.
“(It’s a) pretty serious injury in the calf muscle and now the recovery process starts. That’s it pretty much. Read more