NNPC price increase: NLC calls for immediate withdrawal (Sun)
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday said the new price increase template announced by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) was unacceptable and should be withdraw immediately.
Describing it as an ambush that runs against the spirit and principles of Social Dialogue, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero said the federal government should immediately instruct the NNPC to withdraw “this vexatious Pricing template to allow free flow of discussions by the parties.”
Ajaero warned that Nigerians would not accept any manipulations of any kind from any of the parties especially from the representatives of the Government.
“We are worried that the Government through the NNPC despite the ongoing meeting of Stakeholders in the oil and Gas sector to manage the unilateral but unfortunate announcement by the President to withdraw subsidy on petroleum products, went ahead this morning to announce a new regime of prices under a new pricing template,” he said Read more
Pastor laments as mob beat mentally ill son to death (Punch)
A clergyman, Femi Kolade, is currently lamenting the death of his 27-year-old son, Sunday, in the hands of an irate mob in Lagos.
Sunday, who was said to have a history of mental illness, was said to have been taken for a thief and was beaten to death last week Wednesday on Ajibola Street, Alakara, in the Ayobo area of the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos.
Kolade, in an interview with PUNCH Metro on Tuesday, said his son visited a friend in the area but because of his mental illness, residents of the street who thought he was a thief descended on him. Read more
Super TV Boss Murder: Absence of defence lawyer stalls trial (ThisDay)
The ongoing trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged murder suspect of Super Television Chief Executive Officer, Usifo Ataga, was stalled yesterday due to the absence of her counsel, Mr. Onwuka Egwu.
The former 300-level Mass Communication undergraduate of the University of Lagos is standing trial on a nine-count charge bordering on murder, forgery and stealing preferred against her by the Lagos State Government.
She is also charged alongside one Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu. Read more
Adegoke’s Murder: Receptionist bags 2 years jail term (Vanguard)
The receptionist at the Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife Osun State, Adedeji Adesola, who lodged late Timothy Adegoke into the hotel, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment.
Adesola faced trial along with Dr Rahman Adedoyin, owner of the hotel along with five other workers.
While Adedoyin, Manager and checker of the hotel, Adeniyi Aderogba and Oyetunde Kazeem were found guilty of murder among other charges, Adesola was convicted of manufacturing evidence. Read more
PEPC: Staff illness stalls Wednesday hearing of Obi, LP’s petition (Tribune)
The scheduled hearing of the petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), was delayed on Wednesday due to the ill-health of key staff in the party’s secretariat.
The petition challenged the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
The five-member panel of Justices, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, had fixed Wednesday for the further hearing of the LP’s petition at 9 am, followed by the hearing of the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, also challenging Tinubu’s election, at 2 pm. Read more
Why Tinubu government should dismantle EFCC – Agbakoba (Guardian)
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government to dismantle the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to succeed in the corruption war.
Agbakoba said in an interview on The Morning Show of Arise Television on Wednesday.
He urged the President to relieve the EFCC chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
“We need to talk about anti-corruption, the anti-corruption process is not working,” he said. Read more
NAPTIP dismisses 5 officers for serious misconduct (Channels)
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has dismissed five of its personnel, including a Deputy Director, for various offences.
This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by NAPTIP spokesman, Adekoye Vincent.
According to the communique, the offences range from corruption; demanding and receiving bribes from suspects and relatives; leaking confidential information to suspects that endangered the lives of colleagues; violation of oath of secrecy; stealing and alteration of official records and Absent Without Official Leave. Read more
Lily-Rose Depp shuts down claims Britney Spears inspired her character in The Idol (Standard)
Lily-Rose Depp addressed claims her character in the upcoming HBO series, The Idol, was based on Britney Spears.
The 23-year-old plays Jocelyn, a pop star who is attempting to reclaim her career after suffering a nervous breakdown, which has led some to compare the fictional character to Spears, 41.
And now the daughter of Johnny Depp has clarified that the Oops!…I Did It Again singer didn’t inspire her role. Read more
Channing Tatum on how daughter Everly inspired new Sparkella book (People)
When it came time to tackle another subject for his next children’s book, Channing Tatum, 43, once again found inspiration close to home with his daughter Everly, 10, whom she shares with ex-wife Jenna Dewan.
His new book, The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie, follows the best-selling author’s two previous books in the Sparkella series, all illustrated by Kim Barnes.
“The first one came kind of so easy, about your anxiety and your anticipation of going on the first day of school,” Tatum tells PEOPLE for this week’s issue. “And for the second one, it was once you have these high expectations and it’s not going like you planned, how do you make the best out of it?” Read more
Rick Astley appears on BBC Breakfast wearing his pyjamas (BelfastTelegraph)
Rick Astley has appeared on BBC Breakfast live from his South London home wearing a set of pyjamas.
The Never Gonna Give You Up hitmaker, 57, looked as though he had not long been awake before telling co-hosts Jon Kay and Sally Nugent about performing at Glastonbury this year.
The singer-songwriter, who returned to the charts in 2016 for the first time in nearly 30 years with the release of his number one album 50, will perform on the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm on June 24. Read more
Dierks Bentley explains why he turned down acting for music (AS)
Dierks Bentley’s heart of “Gold” is dedicated to country music.
Many musicians have crossed over to Hollywood to pursue an acting career within the last few years. However, this business venture does not sound appealing to Bentley. The country crooner recently told Entertainment Tonight that he was offered an audition for an on-screen role, but turned it down.
“I don’t think I’d be good enough to [do] those things,” he told E.T. ’s Rachel Smith. “It requires more time away from home, and I just, I don’t want to.” Read more
Stephen King helped The Boogeyman movie adaptation get theatrical release (FilmNews)
Legendary author Stephen King helped the movie adaptation of his short story The Boogeyman get a release in cinemas.
The supernatural horror movie, starring Chris Messina and Sophie Thatcher, was supposed to be released on the Hulu streaming service but executives at 20th Century Studios switched it to theatrical following positive test screenings and feedback from King.
“We showed this movie to Stephen King at the end of last year,” director Rob Savage told the audience before a screening in London on Tuesday. “We rented out his favourite cinema in Maine, he went there with a bucket of popcorn and I had somebody from 20th sitting in the back row live-tweeting the entire thing, ‘Stephen King just jumped’, ‘Stephen King laughed at this joke.’ Read more
“The Flash” director says he wants Ezra Miller to reprise superhero role in potential sequel (Deadline)
“The Flash” director Andy Muschietti is opening up about wanting to work with Ezra Miller again in a potential sequel where they would reprise their role as Barry Allen.
“If [a sequel] happens, yes,” Muschietti said during an appearance on The Discourse podcast (via The Playlist). “I don’t think there’s anyone that can play that character as well as they did. The other depictions of the character are great, but this particular vision of the character, they just excelled in doing it. And, as you said, the two Barrys – it feels like a character that was made for them.”
Miller has been embroiled in multiple scandals. Earlier this year they plead guilty to unlawful trespassing in a burglary case in Vermont after cutting a plea deal ahead of the hearing. Last year, Miller agreed to mental health treatment after a string of run-ins with the law. Read more
Israeli cancer breakthrough says which patients should get immunotherapy (JPost)
A “groundbreaking” bio-sensing technology that predicts the response of cancer patients to anti-PD1 – an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy – with significantly greater accuracy than current methods has been developed by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba.
Since anti-PD1 is the leading immunotherapy treatment in cancer patients, such an achievement can impact the quality of life of thousands of cancer patients worldwide every day, they said.
IcAR technology enables the measurement of the functionality, in principle, of any immuno-modulator targets in medical oncology. Read more
MFR award thrills basketball icon Ugboaja (Leadership)
Former D’Tigers star player, Christopher Ejike Ugboaja, has applauded immediate-past President Muhammadu Buhari for conferring on him the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).
Ejike Ugboaja, a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, was among 340 Nigerians and friends of the country former President Buhari conferred the 2023 special national awards on Sunday as his parting gift.
Aside Ugboaja, Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen, who is doing Nigerians proud in Italian Serie A with Napoli, was also conferred with the MFR award. Read more
Federation Cup: Lagos, Ijebu-Ode to host semi finals (Nation)
The Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos and Otunba Dipo Dina Stadium in Ijebu-Ode will be the host venues for the semi-finals of the men’s edition of this year’s NFF/TINGO Federation Cup competition.
Bendel Insurance FC and Warri Wolves will lock horns at the MJA on Lagos Island, and whichever side is able to climb higher on the land will be eligible to play for the prestigious trophy next month.
Rangers International, who won the Africa Cup Winners’ Cup in 1977 after a string of FA Cup (former name of Federation Cup) triumphs, will square up to ambitious Plateau United FC at the Otunba Dipo Dina Stadium in Ijebu-Ode. Read more
Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani completes Sampdoria takeover (IrishNews)
A consortium that includes Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani has completed its takeover of Italian club Sampdoria.
Leeds’ majority shareholder Radrizzani’s company Aser Group and finance company Gestio Capital announced they had concluded a deal to save financially-stricken Sampdoria late on Tuesday night.
In a statement released on Sky Sports Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio’s social media sites, Radrizzani said: “We are nothing short of thrilled to be able to announce that we have completed the acquisition of this extraordinary club. Read more
Ex-Ajax and Netherlands star Quincy Promes prosecuted for smuggling 1,370kg of cocaine (Mirror)
Former Ajax star and Netherlands international Quincy Promes is being prosecuted by Dutch authorities for helping to smuggle 1,370 kilograms of cocaine into Europe.
Promes spent two years with Ajax between 2019 and 2021, scoring 22 goals in 53 appearances for the Dutch giants. He left for Spartak Moscow in February 2021 but now finds himself in hot water back in the Netherlands.
The country’s Public Prosecution Service has confirmed that Promes has been accused of attempting to smuggle in two batches of about 650 kilos and 713 kilos. These were intercepted in the port of Antwerp in January 2020. Read more
Lionel Messi set to make sensational joint transfer this summer (SportBible)
Lionel Messi could be set for a sensational joint transfer in the summer, reports claim.
Messi will soon become a free agent but L’Equipe say that Barca and Inter have discussed a unique arrangement for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner’s services.
The deal would essentially be a buy-and-loan exchange. The scenario would see Messi sign for David Beckham’s MLS franchise but immediately be loaned out to his beloved Barcelona, where he has scored a staggering 672 goals. Read more
Sebastian Vettel agrees deal with new racing team after F1 exit (PlanetF1)
Sebastian Vettel has become a co-investor of the German national sailing team in SailGP in his first move since his retirement from Formula 1 at the end of 2022.
Vettel brought the curtain down on a glittering F1 career at the end of last season, having claimed four World Championships and 53 grand prix wins and represented the Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin teams among others.
With Vettel known to have a range of other interests, much speculation has surrounded the next chapter of his life with the 35-year-old teaming up with double Olympic sailing bronze medallist Erik Heil, Brazilian-born gold medal-winning Olympian Kahena Kunze and team owner Thomas Reidel to enter a German team in SailGP – an emerging competition described as the F1 of the seas. Read more