Lagosians worry over wastes, flooding as plastics take over (Guardian)
With threat of flooding as a result of blocked drains, Lagosians have said attitudinal change by residents could avert flooding in the megacity.
At present, waste management has become an additional strain to the challenges confronting Lagos, which include traffic congestion and air pollution.
While there have been some improvements in the areas of waste policies, enforcement team from Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and several platforms for recyclers, compliance from residents have not been feasible as they still dispose of their waste indiscriminately, leading to blocked drains and channels. Read more
Traders count losses, as FHA demolishes structures, markets in FESTAC (Vanguard)
The Federal Housing Authority (FHA), has demolished hundreds of illegal structures in FESTAC Town, in the ongoing clean-up exercise of the area.
Over 500 stalls and makeshift shops were reportedly demolished.
The Managing Director of the FHA, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, had earlier issued a quit notice to the illegal occupants to relocate, warning that the authority would demolish illegal structures in FESTAC and environs.
Some of the victims, mostly women, were hostile and refused to speak to Vanguard at the scene as they expressed anger over the losses.
However, it was learned that about a week ago the traders were served quit notice with information that the demolition is to pave the way for construction of a road, and not because sold as been speculated.
Also, traders were allowed to take out their goods and valuables before the shops were demolished. Read more
Pastor kidnapped by Boko Haram eight months ago freed in Borno (Punch)
After seven months in Boko Haram captivity, a pastor with the Church of Christ in Nations, Rev Polycarp Zongo, has regained his freedom.
Zongo, who presides over a branch of the church in Jos, Plateau State, was kidnapped by the terrorists on October 19, 2020.
He was on a journey to a ministers’ conference in Gombe State when he was abducted by the insurgents.
About 12 days after the abduction, his church members and well-wishers gathered on the church premises at the Low Cost area of Jos in jubilation when the news of his release filtered in, but the information turned out to be untrue, a development which left the people and his family members traumatised. Read more
Osinbajo test-drives locally-assembled electric car, says innovation fantastic (Punch)
VICE-President Yemi Osinbajo has described Nigeria’s first locally-assembled electric car as a fantastic innovation.
He said this in Abuja on Tuesday shortly after the unveiling of the Made-in-Nigeria fair featuring the exhibition of the first electric car assembled in Nigeria, among other locally manufactured products.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘Electric car assembled in Nigeria is a fantastic innovation; I can tell because I just drove it, says Osinbajo.’
According to the statement, Osinbajo proceeded to test-drive the automobile in the company of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, and the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, Jelani Aliyu. Read more
Igbo congress warns against another civil war (Guardian)
The World Igbo Congress (WIC) has warned against another civil war in Nigeria, especially one contrived with the Igbo as antagonists.
It, therefore, called for cessation of the shoot-on-sight order in the South East by the Federal Government and immediate withdrawal of troops from the region.
In an open letter to South East governors, made available to The Guardian yesterday, the Igbo congress said that the 1966 version would be child’s play, should another armed conflict arise.
It stated: “Any governor, who has invited the military to Igbo land, should request that they be withdrawn.” It reminded the governors that they were as guilty as the Federal Government for the blood of defenceless and innocent Igbo youth being spilled in Igbo land and elsewhere. Read more
Uzodimma introduces Insurance policy for police officers in Imo (Vanguard)
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has announced a policy that would insure the lives of personnel of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) in the state.
Uzodinma made this disclosure during his visit to the Police Command Headquarters in Owerri, on Tuesday.
He was at the command to commiserate with the NPF over the officers who lost their lives in the recent attacks by unknown gunmen in the state.
The governor, who also presented six brand new operational security vehicles to the command, reiterated his commitment to ridding the state of all forms of crime and criminality. Read more
How minister laundered $37m through property deal – EFCC chair (Punch)
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has described the real estate sector as one with grand scale corruption in the country.
The EFCC boss added that about 90 to 100 percent of resources are being laundered through the sector.
Bawa stated this while featuring on Sunrise Daily, a current affairs programme, on Channels Television on Tuesday.
He said the commission investigated a female minister, who he said, bought $37.5m property from a bank and deposited $20m cash.
Bawa, who is marking his 100 days in office, did not however disclose the identity of the suspect or whether she is a current or former minister. Read more
Group reminds Nigerians on NIN-SIM linkage as June 30 deadline nears (Guardian)
Fourteen days from now, the June 30 extended deadline handed to Nigerians by the Federal Government for National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identification Modules (SIM) cards’ registration and linkage would expire.
As such, the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMs) has encouraged yet to be registered subscribers to do so within the space of time still available.
Already, feelers from the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy are not showing possible extension, after the exercise had been extended for about four times.
It is even more serious as a new policy on SIM cards has revealed that the Federal Government will order the deactivation of all unverified subscribers off the networks. Read more
Billionaire Mackenzie Scott gives away £2b more (BBC)
Billionaire MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated another $2.7b (£1.9bn) to a range of charities.
Ms Scott said in a blog post that she wanted to give the money to those “that have been historically underfunded and overlooked”.
She wrote that she had chosen 286 organisations working on racial inequality, the arts and education.
Ms Scott is one of the world’s richest women.
Much of her fortune comes from her 2019 divorce from Mr Bezos, who is currently the world’s richest man. Read more
Harvey Weinstein to be extradited to California for additional sexual assault charges (CBC)
A New York judge on Tuesday approved disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s extradition to California, where he faces additional sexual assault charges. The decision ends a legal fight prolonged by the COVID-19 pandemic, the defence’s concerns about Weinstein’s failing health and a squabble over paperwork.
Judge Kenneth Case said there was no reason to delay Weinstein’s transfer any longer, denying his lawyer’s request to keep him at a state prison near Buffalo, N.Y., — where he is serving a 23-year sentence for a rape conviction last year — until the start of jury selection in the Los Angeles case.
Los Angeles authorities plan to collect Weinstein, 69, from the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, N.Y., at the end of June or in early July, prosecutors said at Tuesday’s extradition hearing in Buffalo. That will give Weinstein’s lawyer time to appeal Case’s decision.
Weinstein requires medical care, lawyer argues
Weinstein’s lawyer, Norman Effman, argued he should remain in Wende’s hospital-like maximum-security setting while receiving treatment for maladies including a loss of eyesight, rather than being shipped cross-country to a Los Angeles jail cell. Read more
Airbnb reportedly pays tourist $7m after rape (BBC)
Airbnb paid a tourist $7m (£5m) after she was allegedly raped at knifepoint at a rental property in New York City, according to media reports.
Bloomberg News reported an Australian traveller received the payout after an attack on New Year’s Eve in 2015.
The victim and her friends picked up the keys to the property from a nearby shop that evening, it says.
The report suggests the suspect had made a copy of keys to the apartment, which he accessed before an attack. Read more
“In The Heights” star Leslie Grace struggled with imposter syndrome on first film role (Metro)
In The Heights star Leslie Grace resonated a lot with her character Nina Rosario in the movie, from struggling with the weight of other people’s expectations as well as feelings of imposter syndrome as she took on her first acting role – in a blockbuster summer release, no less.
The musical, which was first performed in 2005 before going on to a three-year Broadway run in 2008 and Olivier Award success in the UK in 2016, has several breakout songs, including Nina’s big solo Breathe.
Talking to Metro.co.uk about how she personally related to the song, Leslie praised the ‘beautiful job’ that Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes did with the songs and script, ‘really capturing things that we struggle to put into words’, which is something she confessed to having difficulty with.
She explained: ‘It [Breathe] was super relatable, I mean I felt like I was reading parts of my own life when I listened to Breathe – and even just from the audition process, like reading Nina’s sides. Read more
Israel says it carried out airstrikes on Hamas compounds after incendiary balloons launched from Gaza (CBC)
Israel mounted airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday — the first since the end of 11 days of cross-border fighting last month — in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli military said its aircraft attacked Hamas armed compounds in Gaza City and the southern town of Khan Younis and it was “ready for all scenarios, including renewed fighting in the face of continued terrorist acts emanating from Gaza.”
The flare-up, a test for Israel’s fragile new government, followed a march in East Jerusalem on Tuesday by Israeli nationalists that had drawn threats of action by Hamas, the ruling militant group in Gaza.
The strikes, the military said, came in response to the launching of the incendiary balloons, which the Israeli fire brigade reported caused 20 blazes in open fields in communities near the Gaza border. Read more
Producer pulls out of controversial Christchurch massacre film as critics ask Rose Byrne to quit (Metro)
Amid growing ‘white saviour’ backlash, a producer on upcoming film They Are Us has pulled out of the project.
The film focuses on the story of the harrowing week following two mass shootings at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, which left 51 people dead and last week it was announced Rose Byrne had been cast as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
However, amid criticism of the film and accusations Hollywood was ‘exploiting’ the tragedy, veteran New Zealand producer Philippa Campbell announced her resignation.
She said in a statement, as per The Hollywood Reporter: ‘I’ve listened to the concerns raised over recent days and I have heard the strength of people’s views. I now agree that the events of March 15, 2019 are too raw for film at this time and do not wish to be involved with a project that is causing such distress.’ Read more
Falcons aim to end 22-year winless run against US (Punch)
The Super Falcons face a daunting task ending their five game winless run against US women’s national team in the early hours of Thursday at this year’s Summer Series – a four-nation tournament in the US, The PUNCH reports.
Randy Waldrum’s charges have failed to win any of their past five encounters against the Americans in 22 years.
The nine-time African champions having been on the losing side in four Women’s World Cup confrontations in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015 and once at the Olympics in 2000.
They managed a miserly two goals, conceding 17 goals in those encounters, witheir highest defeat to the Americans a 7-1 humiliation at the 1999 Women’s World Cup in the US. Read more
Emotional Andy Murray fights back the tears after winning return at Queen’s (Metro)
An emotional Andy Murray fought back the tears after securing a first singles win on British soil since 2018.
It was a first win at Queen’s for five years for Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion, and he has since been through injury hell.
Since beating Stan Wawrinka at Eastbourne three years ago, he has retired from the sport, unretired and undergone a hip resurfacing operation, won a doubles title at Queen’s, enjoyed a singles title win – over Wawrinka again – in Antwerp and then seen his progress halted by a combination of the pandemic and more injury setbacks.
He admitted on the eve of the tournament that he didn’t know if his body could stand up to the demands of top-level tennis, and it’s clear that every win – even a straightforward one over an uninterested Benoit Paire – will mean a lot to the 34-year-old in the twilight of his career. Read more
US Open: Phil Mickelson needs Torrey Pines win to complete Grand Slam (BBC)
Phil Mickelson spent four days defying those waiting for him to capitulate to win the US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island last month and it was a victory to fuel hopes that he can, at long last, complete the career Grand Slam at this week’s US Open.
On Thursday, a day after his 51st birthday, the American veteran begins his quest for the one major he has yet to win. He does so at Torrey Pines in his home city of San Diego – the anticipated script could not be better.
Despite winning the most recent major, the bookies view him as only a 50-1 shot, but the dream of becoming only the sixth man to complete the full set of golf’s biggest prizes is very much alive.
Mickelson has been runner-up in America’s national championship on six occasions. The first of those near misses came 22 years ago when Payne Stewart pipped him at Pinehurst before celebrating with his iconic fist pump standing on one leg. Read more
Multiple fans injured by parachuting protestor at Euro Cup (CBC)
Several spectators were treated in the hospital for injuries caused by a protestor who parachuted into the stadium before France played Germany at the European Championship, UEFA said Tuesday.
Debris fell on the field and main grandstand, narrowly missing France coach Didier Deschamps, when the parachutist struck wires for an overhead camera attached to the stadium roof.
The governing body of European soccer called it a “reckless and dangerous” act and said “law authorities will take the necessary action.”
“This inconsiderate act … caused injuries to several people attending the game who are now in hospital,” UEFA said. Read more
Paul Pogba speaks out on Antonio Rudiger bite after France beat Germany (Metro)
Paul Pogba has played down Antonio Rudiger’s bite following France’s win over Germany at Euro 2020 and has called on UEFA to not suspended the defender over the incident.
France made a positive start to their Euro 2020 campaign as Mats Hummel’s first-half own goal sealed a 1-0 victory at the Allianz Arena.
But Rudiger caused controversy before the break after he was caught biting Pogba when they were together off the ball.
The Manchester United midfielder complained to Spanish referee Carlos del Cerro Grande, who took no action, while VAR did not appear to review the incident. Read more
Fury v Wilder III: Was this their weirdest press conference yet? (BBC)
The self-titled Gypsy King was in jovial form ahead of the July fight
If you have ever watched a Tyson Fury press conference, you will know they don’t often follow the “Q&A” format.
So when WBC world heavyweight champion Fury, 32, and American challenger Deontay Wilder, 35, faced each other in Los Angeles on Tuesday, something was bound to happen.
The pair were appearing to preview their third fight, which takes place on Saturday, 24 July in Las Vegas. Sadly, there was no Batman costume this time. Read more