Police Assault: Katsina journalist didn’t get fair hearing, says colleague (DailyTrust)
A Katsina-based journalist has said that the embattled female journalist in Katsina State, Ruqayya Aliyu Jibia, who was alleged to have been assaulted by the police in the state was not given fair hearing.
Rukayya has said she went into hiding because her life was under threat.
Rakayya’s colleague, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that he witnessed the incident as it unfolded.
He said that Rukayya’s vehement protest against how the state police command paraded four teenagers landed her in trouble. Read more
Nigeria Air’s plane lands in Abuja airport (Vanguard)
An airplane from Nigeria Air landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Friday.
Vanguard earlier reported that an aircraft in Nigeria Air colours was sighted at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.
Recall that the Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, had stated that an aircraft in Nigeria Air colours was on its way to Nigeria in less than 24 hours Read more
Buhari takes Tinubu on tour of Aso Rock Villa (Channels)
President Muhammadu Buhari has led President -elect, Senator Bola Tinubu, on a brief tour of parts of the Presidential Villa.
They had both observed their Friday prayers in the presidential villa mosque before embarking on a tour of some departments.
President Buhari led the President-elect through the Council Chamber and exited at the press gallery where state house correspondents were waiting to ask him questions before his exit on Monday. Read more
Chrisland: How Snapchat group revealed Whitney was electrocuted – Father (Punch)
Adeyemi Adeniran, the father of a student of Chrisland High School Opebi, Whitney, who died during the school’s sporting activities at Agege Stadium, Lagos State, on Thursday, told a High Court sitting in the Ikeja area of the state that he got to know his 12-year-old daughter was electrocuted through a group created on a social media application known as Snapchat.
In his narration to Justice Oyindamola Ogala, the deceased’s father said he was at work when his wife, Blessing, called and informed him that she was told that their daughter, who left home very healthy, slumped at the stadium and was rushed to the hospital.
Adeyemi said his wife told him that the principal of the school said Whitney was already regaining consciousness when they rushed her to the Agege Central Hospital. Read more
EFCC launches investigation into late Sir Alakija’s Lagos property (ThisDay)
The Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into the property of late Sir Adeyemo Alakija, which is located at No 10 Keffi Street, South West, Ikoyi, Lagos, following a petition to the commission by two of the grandchildren of Alakija, over the undated Vesting Deed prepared by Messers O. Akindeko registered at the Federal Land Registry, Ikoyi, allegedly made by two executors of the Will of late Alakija over his property at Lagos.
According to a family source, the petition dated November 28, 2022, was filed by Ms. Modupe Alakija and Ms. Oreoluwa Alakija, children of the first twin son of late Sir Alakija, Taiwo Alakija, who is also deceased.
In the petition, the duo claimed that the property is a family property and does not belong solely to Mr. Alaba Alakija, who is claiming that by the undated Vesting Deed, he is the sole owner of the property. Read more
Dangote refinery: Tackle unemployment with more industries, says cleric (Sun)
Prophet Sam Olu Alo, the Planter of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Grace of Mercy Prayer Mountain, Adamimogo, Worldwide, has hailed Nigerian businessman and industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, for building the world’s largest oil refinery, calling on governments at all levels, corporate organisations and well-to-do Nigerians to build industries to reduce unemployment in the country.
The clergy noted that building industries would help create jobs, especially for the youth, and this would go a long way in reducing crimes and criminalities and other vices occasioned by unemployment.
Alo who made the call at the just concluded Exodus (Ayajo Majemu) of CAC, Grace of Mercy Prayer Mountain, held at the Adamimogo Jesus City, Lekki-Epe, Expressway, Lagos, tagged: “No More Limitation” said the issue of unemployment needs to be confronted aggressively, appealing to the haves in the country to heed the clarion call. Read more
Atiku breaks silence on Supreme Court’s dismissal of suit against Tinubu (Nation)
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 election, Atiku Abubakar, on Friday said the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the case of the PDP is not a setback to his quest for justice.
Atiku tweeted his legal team is primed to robustly prove that the election of February 25 was fraudulent.
The Nation reports the Supreme Court dismissed the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking to void the joint ticket of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettma as presidential and vice presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last election. Read more
Police confirm killing of community leaders in Imo (Guardian)
The Imo State Police command confirmed that gunmen killed Victor Ijioma, the traditional ruler of Orsu Obodo, a community in the Oguta Local Government Area (LGA).
The Imo state police spokesperson Henry Okoye said that the Imo state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Barde, has drafted a high-powered team of police officers to track down the gunmen.
“Mr Barde commiserated with the families of Mr Ijioma and the slain prime minister, asking God to grant them the fortitude to bear the sudden losses,” Okoye said. Read more
Margot Robbie recalls her infamous “Wolf Of Wall Street” scene and 1 worry she had about filming with Leonardo DiCaprio (CinemaBlend)
Margot Robbie, the talented Australian-born actress, has made a major impact on Hollywood in the short amount of time that has elapsed since her breakthrough role in The Wolf of Wall Street alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, received critical acclaim and showcased Robbie’s acting prowess in a role that demanded sex appeal (which could explain the internet’s obsession with her feet) and fierce determination. As the movie approaches its tenth anniversary, Robbie recently shared her worries while shooting that infamous scene with DiCaprio.
In an interview with Vogue, Margot Robbie takes a look and breaks down some of her most iconic looks. Not only does she discuss her fashion choices, but she also reveals an intriguing Wall Street behind-the-scenes detail: she was worried she would “stab” DiCaprio with her heels while filming one of her most iconic scenes. Read more
Celine Dion cancels world tour dates as ‘severe’ spasms prevent her performing (BelfastTelegraph)
Celine Dion has cancelled the remaining 42 dates on her Courage World Tour after suffering “severe and persistent” muscle spasms which have prevented her from performing, it was announced.
The Canadian singer, 55, is being treated for a rare neurological condition called Stiff Person Syndrome and is “working hard on her recovery” but has cancelled the remaining tour dates for 2023 and 2024.
On Friday, a statement said the singer had been “unable to successfully prepare and perform” for the remainder of the tour which had been scheduled to run from August 26 in Amsterdam, with back-to-back shows until her final performance of 2023 in Helsinki on October 4. Read more
Former firefighter leads Ken Loach film tipped for Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival (ITV)
A former firefighter will walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival as the star of Ken Loach’s latest film The Old Oak.
The feature, which was filmed in County Durham, is being predicted as the one to take home the ceremony’s top award, the Palme d’Or.
Dave Turner, from Blaydon, plays the landlord and central character in The Old Oak which is all about the struggles faced by the last pub in a former mining village trying desperately to stay open.
Like in his previous films, Ken Loach picked Mr Turner and many of the other characters because of their lack of acting experience. This is his first major acting role after working as a Tyne and Wear firefighter for 30 years. Read more
Judge throws out lawsuit over nude scene in 1968 film Romeo and Juliet (CBC)
A Los Angeles County judge on Thursday said she will dismiss a lawsuit that the stars of 1968’s Romeo and Juliet filed over the film’s nude scene, finding that their depiction could not be considered child pornography and they filed their claim too late.
Superior Court Judge Alison Mackenzie ruled in favour of a motion from defendant Paramount Pictures to dismiss the lawsuit brought by Olivia Hussey, who played Juliet at age 15 and is now 72, and Leonard Whiting, who played Romeo at 16 and is also 72.
Mackenzie determined that the scene was protected by the First Amendment, finding that the actors “have not put forth any authority showing the film here can be deemed to be sufficiently sexually suggestive as a matter of law to be held to be conclusively illegal.” Read more
Why Jeff Lynne was “reluctant” to become a rock star (FarOut)
Being a traditional rock star was never what Jeff Lynne had in mind. The Electric Light Orchestra leader had plenty of goals: work with his heroes, get a few hit records, continuing where The Beatles left off. But when it came to standing on stage and soaking in the adulation from thousands of fans, Lynne was a bit hesitant.
“By this point, we were playing stadiums,” Lynne told Rolling Stone regarding the release of ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ and its parent album Out of the Blue in 1977. “I think the biggest crowd was 83,000. It was fun but kind of scary as well. I’d think, ‘I hope the Beatles are on afterwards — otherwise, we’re gonna get murdered’.”
Ultimately, it wasn’t the crowds that killed Lynne’s enthusiasm for stadium shows but the limitations of audio equipm ent at the time. “The concerts were horrible,” Lynne added. “I couldn’t hear the strings, and half the time, you had to turn them off because they used to run around while they played them.” Read more
Dua Lipa releases new song ”Dance the Night” for ”Barbie” movie (UPI)
Dua Lipa is back with new music.
The 27-year-old singer-songwriter released a single and music video for the song “Dance the Night” on Friday.
“Dance the Night” appears on Barbie the Album, the soundtrack for the Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
The “Dance the Night” video shows Lipa filming the music video while facing challenges such as unexpected rain, new choreography and a disco ball falling from the ceiling. Read more
Pope Francis skips scheduled meetings due to a fever, Vatican says (CBS)
Pope Francis skipped meetings Friday because he was running a fever, the Vatican said. There were no details provided about how sick Francis was.
The last time he spiked a serious fever, in March, the 86-year-old pontiff was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with acute bronchitis. He received intravenous antibiotics and was released three days later.
A Vatican official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak about the pope’s health, said Francis didn’t receive anyone in the audience Friday “because of a feverish state.” Read more
Bosso to introduce fresh faces against Brazil (Punch)
The Flying Eagles Nigeria travel to face Brazil at the La Plata on Saturday after securing a spot in the round of 16 following their 2-0 stunning win over Italy on Wednesday and head coach Ladan Bosso has hinted about rotating his squad.
A Salim Fago flying header and a Jude Sunday’s added time strike condemned Italy to defeat at the Mendoza Stadium on Wednesday as the Flying Eagles avenged their 2-0 defeat to the Europeans at the 1987 edition of the competition in Chile.
On the back of a 3-2 win over Brazil in their opening game, the Italians were favourites, but the Flying Eagles matched the Europeans in a different manner from their first match against the Dominican Republic, which thrilled Bosso. Read more
David Moyes rules Gianluca Scamacca out of West Ham’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina (Standard)
David Moyes has confirmed that Gianluca Scamacca will not play again this term but expects the striker to be fit for the start of West Ham’s pre-season.
Scamacca was a £30.5million signing from Sassuolo last summer but has endured a difficult first season in English football, scoring only three times in the Premier League and struggling with injury.
The 24-year-old has not featured for the Hammers since the Europa Conference League last-16 against AEK Larnaca in March and has since undergone knee surgery, but Moyes had previously suggested the Italian could yet recover in time to be involved in next month’s final in Prague. Read more
Insurance, Doma, Sunshine through to FA Cup quarter finals (Punch)
Bendel Insurance carried on their impressive run in the Nigeria Professional Football League to the Federation Cup, after advancing to the quarter-finals of the competition with a 1-0 win over Heartland at the Awka City Stadium, The PUNCH reports.
In-form striker, Ismael Sarki, scored the only goal of the game in the 47th minute after lashing onto a lay-up from Stephen Adodo.
In Abuja, Doma United also booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over second-tier Edel FC. Bidemi Owoku and Daniel Barnabas saw off their opponents with just four minutes between their goals in the first half. Read more
Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid will be announced next week (DailyMail)
Jude Bellingham could be announced as a Real Madrid player as early as next week, after the Borussia Dortmund ace agreed personal terms with Los Blancos, according to reports.
The England international has long been tracked by the LaLiga side and Real Madrid have been the frontrunners since Liverpool dropped out of the race to sign the player due to the high fees he is set to command.
Mail Sport revealed earlier this month that the Spanish side were closing in on their man after the midfielder was reported to have accepted the details of Madrid’s offer, but that the final transfer fee was yet to be discussed between the club and Dortmund. Read more
Lawrence Okolie, Chris Billam-Smith make weight for WBO Cruiserweight title fight (BoxingScene)
Lawrence Okolie broke away from his faceoff with Chris Billam-Smith pretty quickly again Friday afternoon after the friends and former sparring partners made weight in Bournemouth, England.
There wasn’t any trash talk, pushing or anything else confrontational the day before they’ll fight for Okolie’s cruiserweight championship, either. Okolie and Billam-Smith simply made weight, posed for pictures and went their separate ways.
The 6-foot-5 Okolie stepped on the British Boxing Board of Control’s scale at 199 pounds. The 6-foot-3 Billam-Smith officially came in at exactly the same weight, 199 pounds. Read more
Britain’s Cameron Norrie reaches Lyon Open semi-finals but Jack Draper knocked out (BBC)
British number one Cameron Norrie reached his third successive semi-final at the clay-court Lyon Open but compatriot Jack Draper was knocked out.
Defending champion Norrie regained focus after a mid-match slump to beat sixth seed Sebastian Baez 6-2 2-6 6-1.
“I tried to reset and come out with a lot of energy,” Norrie said.
The 27-year-old now faces Argentine fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo, who came back from a set and a break down to beat Draper 4-6 6-4 6-3. Read more