Tinubu, Ambode meet as Sanwo-Olu hosts president (Punch)
The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, hosted President Bola Tinubu at the Lagos House, Marina.
Sanwo-Olu was joined by his predecessors, former governors Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode.
This was the first time since Ambode left office in 2019 that all the four governors of the state since 1999 would be seen together at a public event. Read more
FG reviews Eko/Apongbon Bridges re-opening to July 9, issues eviction notices (Guardian)
The Federal Government on Thursday said it has decided re-open both Eko and Apongbon Bridges to traffic ahead of schedule by midnight of July 9, 2023 to alleviate the suffering of road users.
The Director, Highways, Bridges and Designs in the Federal Ministry of Works, Mr Omotayo Awosanya gave the hint while leading top engineers from the Federal team and Lagos State on inspection tour of the bridges.
The team earlier had a closed door meeting with Buildwell Plants and Equipment Industries Ltd, contractors on the project at their construction yard in Costain. Read more
Road crash claims 14 lives in Edo (Sun)
From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Fourteen persons died while eight others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a crash involving an articulated touch and a bus at the Edo State section of the Benin-Lagos expressway.
The accident happened at 11am at Ovia River notorious for accidents due to a failed section of the road by the Ovia River.
It was gathered that the crash happened when a truck heading towards Benin from Lagos rammed into an 18 seater bus slow down at the failed portion. Read more
Alaba market: Govs Uzodimma, Peter Mbah, Deputy Speaker Kalu meet Igbo leaders in Lagos (Vanguard)
To resolve the current underlining misunderstanding between the people from the South East and some authorities in Lagos State following the outcome of the 2023 elections, Igbo leaders in Lagos, Thursday called on their governors and other top representatives to seek a political solution.
The call came when the leaders had a meeting with the governors of Imo and Enugu States, Senator Hope Uzodinma and Chief Peter Mbah together with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Benjamin Kalu and other business leaders from the South-East in Lagos.
Speaking at the meeting, business mogul and Chairman, Chikason Group, Mr Chika Okafor, said: “We are not trouble makers and we also want one Nigeria, let peace reign. We call on our leader in the South-East to seek a political solution to the challenges people from the east are facing in Lagos.” Read more
Lekki Port receives 1st transshipment vessel destined for Cotonou (Guardian)
The management of Lekki Deep Sea Port has announced the arrival of the CMA CGM RIMBAUD, the first transshipment vessel to call at the container terminal of Lekki Deep Sea Port.
The vessel, which arrived at approximately 1.00 pm today, June 29, contains cargo from two of the largest container shipping lines in the world, CMA CGM and Maersk.
The service originated from the Far East, passing through Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Nansha, Tanjung Pelpas, Singapore to Kribi, Cameroun, before finally arriving at Lekki Port. Read more
RMD, Kunle Afolayan, other Nigerians join Oscars’ Academy (DailyTrust)
Veteran Nigerian actor, Richard Mofe-Damijo; iconic filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan as well as other six trailblazers in the Nigerian film industry have joined the Oscars Academy.
In a post on its website on Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) stated that the members who joined the class of 2023, make them voting Oscar members.
On its website, the academy wrote in part, “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extended invitations to 398 distinguished artists and executives to join the organization in 2023. Membership selection is based on professional qualifications, with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity. Read more
INEC denies wasting taxpayers’ money after ‘‘glitch’’ in result upload (Channels)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Thursday, denied wasting taxpayers’ money following its inability to upload all the February 25 presidential election results on its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
In March, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, admitted some glitches experienced during the conduct of presidential and National Assembly polls.
However, speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, on Thursday, INEC spokesman, Festus Okoye said it is wrong to suggest that the electoral body wasted taxpayers’ money. Read more
Ex-Bayelsa acting gov, Binabo, is dead (Tribune)
Former Acting Governor and one-time Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, His Excellency Rt. Hon Nestor Binabo, has passed away.
Binabo died in the early hours of Thursday at an undisclosed hospital in Abuja.
Confirming his death in a WhatsApp post, one of his sons, Mr Binabo Momos, wrote, “I thought you’d pull through, Dad. But God knows best.” Read more
Naomi Campbell, 53, joins list of fellow celebs to have children after 40 (Mirror)
Naomi Campbell has shocked her fans after announcing the arrival of her second child at the age of 53.
The legendary supermodel confirmed the news on Instagram on Thursday evening with a sweet photo of her cradling her newborn son, with her daughter reaching over to hold her baby brother’s hand as Naomi held on to them both.
She wrote: “My little darling, know that you are cherished beyond measure and surrounded by love from the moment you graced us with your presence.
“A True Gift from God, blessed! Welcome babyboy. #mumoftwo. It’s never too late to become a mother.” Read more
Emily Deschanel, Sam Trammell and Noma Dumezweni to star in sci-fi romance ‘‘ReEntry’’ (Variety)
Emily Deschanel, Sam Trammell and Noma Dumezweni lead “ReEntry,” the first film from the production company PlotNaut, helmed by filmmakers Brendan Choisnet and Daniel Nayeri.
The sci-fi romance stars Deschanel as Elenore, a woman grappling with the disappearance of her husband (Trammell), after he enlists in a scientific experiment run by Dumezweni’s character. But, a year later he returns, and she learns he’s from a parallel dimension. She soon has to decide whether to pursue the man who is 99% of the husband she married or wait for the return of the man she once knew.
Deschanel is best known for her 12-year run on the hit Fox series Bones, as well as the drama Continue and most recently Netflix’s Devil in Ohio. Likewise, Trammell starred for seven seasons on True Blood, as well as Homeland and The Fault in Our Stars and Dumezweni most recently starred in The Little Mermaid, The Watcher and The Undoing. Read more
Dolly Parton reveals her thoughts on AI in the music industry (FarOut)
Speaking at a press conference in London, Dolly Parton has offered her thoughts on the use of artificial intelligence in the music industry.
The legendary singer-songwriter was at the Four Seasons Hotel London on June 29th ahead of the release of her new album Rockstar, arriving on November 17th. The LP is released through Butterfly Records and features an array of star-studded special guests including Paul McCartney on the same track as Ringo Starr.
When asked about AI, Parton said: “I have to decide how much of that high-tech stuff I want to be involved in because I don’t want to leave my soul here on this earth. I think with some of this stuff I’ll be grounded here forever … I’ll be around, we’ll find ways to keep me here.” Read more
Bow Wow voices disapproval on the current state of Hip-Hop (AS)
Although mostly retired from making music, Bow Wow (FKA Lil Bow Wow) used to be a chart-topping machine in the hip-hop industry as a youth. Whether it be his 2005 hits “Let Me Hold You” and “Like You,” which both landed inside the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 or his 2006 Chris Brown-assisted radio magnet “Shortie Like Mine,” Bow Wow certainly knows what it takes to attract an audience.
So, when approached about how hip-hop has not earned a No. 1 song or album so far in 2023 at this year’s BET Awards, the 36-year-old gave a passionate theory to explain the genre’s disappointing year.
“People are putting out trash-ass music. Everything sounds alike, everything’s repetitive, same tempo, ain’t nobody doing nothing different,” he told Power 106 FM reporter Bryhana Monegain. “It’s just roll out the bed, everybody can do that.” Read more
Authors sue OpenAI claiming mass copyright infringement of hundreds of thousands of novels (THR)
Another lawsuit has been filed against OpenAI over its unauthorized collection of information across the web to train its artificial intelligence chatbot, this time by authors who say ChatGPT infringes on copyrights to their novels.
The proposed class action filed in San Francisco federal court on Wednesday alleges that OpenAI “relied on harvesting mass quantities” of copyright-protected works “without consent, without credit, and without compensation.” It seeks a court order that the company infringed on writers’ works when it illegally downloaded copies of novels to train its AI system and that ChatGPT’s answers constitute infringement.
Generative AI companies are being bombarded by legal challenges over the material used to train their AI systems as courts wrestle with whether the practice qualifies as fair use. Read more
US school guard cleared of negligence over Florida shooting (RTE)
A jury in the United States has acquitted a former sheriff’s deputy accused of failing to protect students during a mass shooting at a Florida school more than five years ago.
Scot Peterson was the resource officer on duty when a gunman entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, near Miami, on 14 February 2018, killing 17 people and wounding 17 others.
He had been charged with 11 counts of child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury. Read more
Former Greek PM Alexis Tsipras resigns from party leadership (UPI)
Former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Thursday that he is resigning as leader of the Syriza party after it won less than 18% of the vote and just 48 of the 300 available seats in the country’s Parliament.
The humbling defeat in Sunday’s elections left the once-powerful Syriza looking to regain momentum as a minority party in Greece. Tsipras, who has led the party since 2009, served as Greece’s first left-wing prime minister.
“I took over a small party of the left at the age of 34. The journey we took together was dangerous, full of pitfalls, but exciting,” Tsipras said. “From a small party, Syriza became the backbone of Greece’s progressive party. Read more
Nwaneri snubs Chelsea, Man City to sign new Arsenal deal (Guardian) Arsenal wunderkind, Ethan Nwaneri, is on the verge of extending his stay at the Emirates despite overtures from Chelsea and Manchester City.
The 16-year-old became the Premier League’s youngest-ever player when he came off the bench in a 3-0 win against Brentford in September aged just 15 years and 181 days.
The 2007-born midfielder was handed his chance due to Martin Odegaard’s absence through illness, replacing Fabio Vieira for the final minute at the Gtech Community Stadium. Read more
Cremonese confirm Dessers in talk with Rangers (Punch)
Cremonese sporting director Simone Jacket insists Rangers are holding up a deal for Cyriel Dessers.
The former Genk forward scored a miserly seven goals in all competitions last season for Cremonese.
The Nigerian international is one of the targets Michael Beale has in mind for the forward areas in his summer Ibrox revamp, with others like Feyenoord’s Danilo and Benie Traore of Hacken also on the Ibrox club’s radar. It’s the striker contracted to the Serie B side, though, who has been linked for the longest. Read more
Lionel Messi didn’t choose Inter Miami to go on vacation, new manager says (Fox)
When Lionel Messi made the decision to head to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, it wasn’t just to head to a sunny destination, his new manager said.
Gerardo “Tata” Martino was named the new Inter Miami manager, and during an introductory press conference on Thursday, he discussed Messi and Sergio Busquets – two players he coached during their time together on the Argentina national team – coming to Miami to further their soccer careers.
He admitted Miami is usually a vacation destination for a lot of players around the world, but they’re ready to compete. Read more
MPs urge Premier League to agree EFL funding deal or risk forced settlement (BBC)
The Premier League and English Football League must “urgently” agree on sharing more revenue with clubs down the football pyramid, or risk having a settlement forced on them, say MPs.
A report by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee says that if no funding settlement is reached soon, the government should bring forward the setting up of an independent football regulator “to impose a deal”.
The MPs want “an increased, strategic redistribution from all leagues down to the grassroots” in order “to safeguard the long-term stability of the game”. Read more
Coco Gauff beats Jessica Pegula to reach Eastbourne semis (StraitsTimes)
Coco Gauff secured her first win over a top-10 player in 10 months by beating doubles partner Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Eastbourne International on Thursday.
The 19-year-old American won the last six games of the match from 3-0 down in the second set to snap a seven-match losing streak against top-10 opposition.
The world number seven will face another compatriot in the semi-finals of the grass court tournament – 2014 champion Madison Keys, who posted a 6-4, 6-1 win over Petra Martic. Read more
Rod Pampling leads US Senior Open by 2 strokes after 1st round (ESPN)
Retief Goosen got right to the point after the first round of the U.S. Senior Open by punishing SentryWorld.
“You got to hit the fairways, otherwise, you’ve got no shot,” the two-time U.S. Open champion said Thursday after a 1-under 70 that left him tied for second, two strokes behind Rod Pampling.
Defending champion Steve Stricker — from Madison, about 100 miles to the south — had two double bogeys in a 72 that ended his PGA Tour Champions record for consecutive rounds of par or better at 55. Read more