Labour Party factions return to the trenches (Leadership)
Warring factions in the opposition Labour Party (LP) have returned to the trenches following another round of crisis that has rocked the party with the suspension of prominent politicians.
The faction of the Labour Party led by Julius Abure has announced the suspension of six prominent and elected members, including the party’s only elected governor, Alex Otti of Abia State and two senators.
The trio of Abure, Nenadi Usman and Lamidi Apapa all claim leadership of the party and are relying on the outcome of the Supreme Court judgement. Read more
Adeboye visits Jos, declares end to bloodshed in Plateau (NewTelegraph)
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has sympathized with Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the people of Plateau State over the recent violent attacks, prophetically declaring an end to the bloodshed in the State.
Adeboye made the declaration during a courtesy visit to Governor Mutfwang at the New Government House, Little Rayfield, Jos.
He described the killings as senseless and heart-wrenching, adding that the Church remains deeply concerned about the persistent loss of innocent lives. Read more
EFCC drops Mercy Chinwo’s name from fraud case against EeZeeTee (Punch)
In a dramatic turn of events, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has removed gospel singer Mercy Chinwo’s name from its amended charges against gospel music executive Ezekiel Onyedikachi, popularly known as EeZeeTee.
The EFCC had initially accused EeZeeTee, CEO of EeZee Global Concept Ltd, of fraudulently converting Chinwo’s earnings.
However, during proceedings on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Lagos, the commission filed a fresh eight-count charge, shifting focus to alleged breaches of financial regulations. Read more
Senate passes 2 key Tax Bills (DailyTrust)
The Senate passed two of the four Tax Reform Bills, on Wednesday.
The bills are expected to reform Nigeria’s tax laws.
Lawmakers approved the bills after considering and adopting recommendations from the Senate Committee on Finance, led by Sen. Sani Musa. Read more
Farmers lose N1.3b as ‘Tomato Ebola’ hits farms (Sun)
Nigerian farmers have lost more than N1.3 billion due to the recent outbreak of Tuta absoluta, the devastating tomato leaf miner pest widely dubbed “Tomato Ebola,” in three major tomato-producing states, the federal government has revealed.
Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a four-day capacity-building workshop for financial institutions.
The event was organised by HortiNigeria in partnership with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) Plc. Read more
VDM regains freedom from EFCC custody — Lawyer (Channels)
Popular rights activist and social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has been released from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
His lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, confirmed it in a phone conversation.
Operatives of the anti-graft agency apprehended him (VDM) in Abuja on Friday. Read more
NANS president apologises to Seyi Tinubu (Guardian)
A self-acclaimed President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Atiku Abubakar Isah, has said the claims he made against President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, are false.
In a statement on Wednesday, Atiku addressed the claims which he made in a video that went viral on social media.
In the video, he alleged that Seyi Tinubu and the Minister of Youths and Sport, Ayodele Olawande, invited him to Lagos, where he was offered N100 million to support President Tinubu. Read more
Black smoke as Vatican conclave fails to elect new pope on first ballot (AlJazeera)
Thick black smoke has emerged from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signalling that the cardinals sealed off inside have failed to elect a new pope in their first conclave vote.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Vatican City’s St Peter’s Square to await the smoke, which came about three hours and 15 minutes after the 133 cardinals were sequestered.
Cardinals from about 70 countries were called back to Rome following Pope Francis’s death on April 21 after 12 years as head of the Catholic Church. As they were shut off from the outside world on Wednesday, their mobile phones were surrendered, and airwaves around the Vatican were jammed to prevent communications until a new pope is elected. Read more
Patricia Clarkson recalls Harvey Weinstein telling her she’d “never work again” (Deadline)
Patricia Clarkson recalls Harvey Weinstein threatening her career.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA/Yuki Iwamura-Pool/Getty Images
More than 20 years later, Patricia Clarkson is recounting her unfortunate experience with Harvey Weinstein.
The Oscar nominee explained that the disgraced producer tried to submit her at the 76th Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress, despite her lead role in Miramax‘s 2003 film The Station Agent.
“I hate when actors put themselves in false categories. I think that’s something that needs to be addressed by the Academy. Too often it happens,” she told Business Insider. “When you are supporting, you should be truly a supporting player, and when you’re the lead, you have to step up and go into a harder category. I was the lead in Station Agent, so I said, ‘No, Harvey, I’m not going into supporting.’” Read more
Kenya sentences 4 men for trying to smuggle ants out of the country (AfricaNews)
A court in Kenya has sentenced four men to one year in prison or to pay a fine of $7,700 each, for trying to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of the country.
Authorities said the giant insects were destined for collectors in Europe and Asia in what is seen as an emerging trend of trafficking lesser-known wildlife species.
Two of the men are Belgian teenagers who told the court they were collecting them as a hobby and did not think it was illegal.Read more
Arizona man shot to death in road rage ‘returns’ to address his killer (BBC)
Chris Pelkey died in a road rage shooting in Arizona three years ago.
But with the help of artificial intelligence, he returned earlier this month at his killer’s sentencing to deliver a victim’s statement himself.
Family members said they used the burgeoning technology to let Mr Pelkey use his own words to talk about the incident that took his life. Read more
Rihanna breaks silence over third pregnancy (MusicNews)
Rihanna has broken her silence about her third pregnancy.
The Barbadian singer shocked fans when she revealed her baby bump before she and rapper boyfriend A$AP Rocky hit the red carpet at the Met Gala on Monday night.
The Umbrella hitmaker and Rocky, who have been dating since late 2019, are already parents to sons RZA, two, and Riot, 21 months.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the star-studded event, Rihanna said she was feeling “good” about her third pregnancy. Read more
‘‘Cult Of The Lamb’’ takes on The Met Gala in viral video (NME)
A fan has used the hit game “Cult Of The Lamb” as inspiration for a number of outfits that wouldn’t look out of place at The Met Gala.
Last night (May 5) a number of celebrities, actors and musicians attended The Met Gala, an annual high fashion fundraiser held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in Manhattan. It’s widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious fashion event.
This year’s theme was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style and The Met Gala 2025 saw Jenna Ortega wear a dress made entirely of rulers while Lorde’s outfit was an “easter egg” with “more to be revealed”. Read more
President Cup: Women’s quarter-finals set to ignite nationwide rivalries (DailyTrust)
The stage is set for a thrilling showdown in the quarter-finals of the 2025 President Federation Cup (Women’s), with four blockbuster fixtures scheduled for today, across four different venues nationwide.
The one-day action promises drama, skill, and intense competition as eight top teams battle for a coveted spot in the semi-finals.
In Benin City, Rivers Angels, one of Nigeria’s most decorated women’s teams, will take on Remo Ladies of Ogun State. Rivers Angels, boasting a rich history in domestic and continental football, will look to assert their dominance, but Remo Ladies, known for their youthful energy and resilience, will be determined to cause an upset. Read more
PSG finish off Arsenal to reach Champions League final (Guardian)
Paris Saint-Germain clinched a place in the Champions League final as goals by Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi gave them a 2-1 win over Arsenal in the second leg of their last-four tie on Wednesday, securing a 3-1 aggregate triumph.
Ruiz crashed in a shot from the edge of the area in the 27th minute at the Parc des Princes to leave PSG firmly in the driving seat after they had withstood an early bombardment from the visitors.
Already leading in the tie after Ousmane Dembele’s goal in last week’s first leg, PSG then saw Vitinha have a second-half penalty saved. Read more
Joshua plans huge investment in Watford (Leadership)
Anthony Joshua is in talks over a potential investment into Sky Bet Championship club Watford.
Joshua, a two-time world heavyweight boxing champion is reported to have a net worth of around $83 million.
The 35-year-old was born in Watford and is well liked in the area. Read more
Rohit Sharma announces retirement from Test cricket (AlJazeera)
India captain Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect but says he will continue playing one-day internationals (ODIs), which have been his strong suit.
The 38-year-old had quit Twenty20 internationals immediately after leading India to their second 20-overs World Cup title in the West Indies last year.
“Hello everyone, I would like to share that I am retiring from Test cricket,” Rohit posted on Instagram on Wednesday. Read more
Raducanu & Norrie claim Rome wins as Boulter beaten (BBC)
Britain’s Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie won their first-round matches at the Italian Open as Katie Boulter failed to progress in Rome.
Raducanu, making her first appearance at the tournament after a three-year absence, had to dig deep to win 7-5 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 against Australian Maya Joint.The British number two felt the level of the match was “really high” and said: “I’m really proud of myself as well because that was a great performance, I think, on all fronts.” Read more