US court confirms Hushpuppi’s sentencing date, keeps mum on Kyari’s extradition (Channels)
The United States Attorney’s Office for Central District of California, Los Angeles, says the September 21, 2022 sentence date for alleged international Internet fraudster Ramon Abbas, aka, Hushpuppi, remains unchanged.
The court’s Director of Media Relations, Thom Mrozek, made this known on Friday in response to an email inquiry by Channels Television.
Since Hushpuppi’s conviction last year for alleged $1.1m fraud, the court has moved his sentence date at least three times. Hushpuppi was initially scheduled for sentencing on February 14 but it was moved to July 11 before it was again postponed for September 21 this year.
Asked exactly when 39-year-old Hushpuppi would be sentenced by the court, Mrozek said the suspect had long pleaded guilty last year and would be sentenced later this year. “Mr. Abbas is currently scheduled to be sentenced by a federal judge in Los Angeles on September 21,” he said. Read more
Why I wore sneakers to NBA conference — Shettima (Tribune)
The vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election, Kashim Shettima has said that he deliberately wore sneakers to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) 62nd annual general conference, on Monday to snub the audience.
The former governor of Borno State, who was at the event to represent his principal and running mate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been trending on social media over his choice of outfit for the conference.
While explaining the motive behind the dressing in a social media video posted on Thursday, Shettima said he deliberately wore the dress to snub the audience and a certain presidential candidate who had planned mischief against him.
In his words, the banker cum politician said, “I was in Lagos for the NBA conference. It was held in Eko Hotels, it was largely funded by the Lagos State Government, the APC government of Lagos State. Subsequently, they moved to Eko Atlantic city, a product of an idea conceived by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Read more
Fire guts Owode Onirin mart in Lagos (Vanguard)
Pandemonium broke out on Thursday evening when fire suddenly broke out at Owode Onirin Market, known for sales of iron rods, along Ikorodu Road, Lagos State
As of press time, 10.30 pm, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service was combating the intense fire to prevent it from spreading to adjoining structures.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire started at about 8 pm, with no casualty reported yet.
Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, who confirmed the incident, said the situation has been brought to normalcy. Read more
2023: What I told Tinubu’s wife when she asked me to campaign for her husband (DailyTrust)
Dele Momodu, Publisher and Politician, has narrated an encounter with Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Momodu was one of the aspirants who lost in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Primaries won by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
On Thursday, Momodu and Tinubu’s wife met at the funeral of Kemi Nelson, a prominent member of the Lagos APC.
Narrating his encounter with the incumbent senator in an Instagram post, Momodu wrote, “Only two people, apart from the photographers, witnessed what happened between me and Senator Oluremi Tinubu yesterday, at the funeral service of Chief Kemi Nelson, at (the) Archbishop Vining Memorial Church in Ikeja, Lagos. Before some people add salt and pepper to it, I need to state precisely what happened. Read more
Ohanaeze Lagos disowns Ohanaeze Political Forum (Independent)
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State chapter has said that as a socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze doesn’t have a political association and lampooned those who founded an association called, Ohanaeze Political Forum.
The socio-cultural organization in a press conference Thursday presided over by newly elected executive members led by chief Sunday Ossai, also called Stainless stated that an election was conducted by the organization on the 16th of June 2022 which brought in a new exco led by chief Ossai, based on the electoral guideline stipulated by Ohanaeze worldwide constitution and Lagos chapter bye-law, on a four-year single term, without any option of renewal or tenure elongation.
Speaking about what he called excesses of the former president, Ossai said, “The former president, Chief Solomon Ogbonna, still parading himself as the president of Ohanaeze Lagos State baffles Ndigbo in Lagos because what he is doing is a sacrilege, even when an election has been conducted and a winner emerged. We cannot go on offensive or physical combat. We are doing everything within the ambit of the law to get him out of the Ohanaeze secretariat. Read more
Crisis rocks Lagos LP over governorship candidate (Guardian)
Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Ifagbemi Awamaridi, on Thursday, approached the Federal High Court to restrain the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour as the standard-bearer.
A faction of the party in the state, headed by Kayode Salako, had insisted that Awamaridi was a placeholder and conducted a substitution primary, which witnessed Vivour’s emergence as gubernatorial candidate even though he allegedly joined the party last month.
But Awamaridi, who was not present at the primary, insisted that he was never a placeholder but the authentic candidate of the party, vowing that he would not step down for anybody.
The plaintiff said he had deliberately decided to remain silent to recent developments in the party because he was the one duly recognised by INEC. Read more
Lagos makes case for regulation of groundwater (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has said it has presented an abstraction licence, borehole permit and water treatment plant certification to Eko Hotels and Suites Limited for 2022 after it certified it to have fully complied with state regulatory provisions.
The Executive Secretary of Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, Mrs Funke Adepoju, stated this on Thursday during the presentation of the licence and permits to the management of the hotel at the commission’s head office in Alausa, Ikeja.
Adepoju explained that the commission, in its regulatory role, issued drilling licences to commercial borehole/water well drillers and practitioners’ water abstraction licences as a form of regulation for groundwater management, given their environmental impacts and the health of residents.
She said, “The official presentation of Abstraction Licence, Borehole Permit and Water Treatment Plant Certification for 2022 to Eko Hotels and Suites Limited is in recognition of the regulatory compliance of the state’s guidelines on the regulation of groundwater and delivery of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services. Read more
Taste2fame unveils Nigeria’s 1st culinary show for chefs, mixologists (ThisDay)
Creativity-themed culinary reality show, Taste2Fame has launched into the Nigerian airspace bringing with it an opportunity for food enthusiasts and cocktail mixologists to showcase their creativity by creating original recipes and new dishes out of existing ones.
With an impressive lineup of judges led by the legendary Iyabo Lawani, Taste2Fame sets the stage to showcase the culinary skills and creativities of 14 contestants chosen from different states across Nigeria to compete for the grand prize of N10,000,000.
According to the Executive Director, Chris Moweta Taste2Fame,… the show will task contestants on professionalism, creativity, versatility, presentation and dynamism. In addition, the show will explore foods and drinks across Nigeria and beyond, create new recipes from existing ones and give viewers something to salivate about every single episode. Read more
Food sellers lament high cost of foodstuff, other commodities (DailyTrust)
Food sellers in Kaduna State have lamented over the high cost of foodstuff and other commodities in the state, which they said is making business more difficult.
Daily Trust reports that the high inflation currently being experienced in the country has caused a rise in goods and services.
A cross-section of food sellers at Bakin Dogo market yesterday lamented over their inability to purchase large quantities of foodstuff for their business.
A food seller, Wasilat Yusuf, who has been in the business for over 20 years and has been managing after food stuff increases said keeping her business afloat has been a major challenge. Read more
Court nullifies Ebonyi LG election (Sun)
The Federal High Court Abakaliki Division, Ebonyi State, on Thursday, nullified the local government and councillorship elections conducted in the state on July 30, 2022 for non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.
This happened barely a week to the inauguration of a new council leadership in the state’s State Local Government system.
The court nullified the elections for also making the Laws under which it was conducted secret.
The Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) conducted the council election for the 13 council areas and 171 ward councilors with the All Progressives Congress (APC) winning all the seats.The chairmen were to be sworn in on September 1, 2022. Read more
Neil Gaiman leaked script to sabotage ‘The Sandman’ movie (NME)
Neil Gaiman has revealed he deliberately leaked a script for a Sandman movie, describing it as the “worst script I’ve ever read”.
The author, known for his comic book series The Sandman, discussed a script he was sent by producer Jon Peters (Wild Wild West, A Star Is Born) for a potential movie adaptation in an interview with Rolling Stone.
“I haven’t read that whole script, [but] I’ve read as much of the script as I could take,” Gaiman said. “And I’m not sure if it would’ve been an action movie or quite what it would’ve been. It was a mess. It never got better than a mess. It had giant mechanical spiders in it.”
Explaining other details from the script, he added: “Lucifer, Morpheus, and the Corinthian were identical triplets. They were a family of identical brothers, and it was all a race to see who could get the ruby, the helm, and the bag of sand before midnight in 1999, before the new millennium started, because whoever got it would be the winner.” Read more
Idris Elba wants to make more films in Africa (FilmNews)
Idris Elba wants to develop the film industry in Africa.
The 49-year-old actor stars in the new movie ‘Beast’, which has been shot in South Africa, and revealed that he wants to pave the way for more major films to be made on the continent.
Idris, whose mother and father hail from Ghana and Sierra Leone respectively, told the “i” newspaper: “I’m really keen on the development of Africa. My parents come from Africa and more than anywhere in the world, I feel like that continent deserves some real tender care and love and thought.
“Young Africans view me as a leader or a beacon. And I feel like I could bring something. So I’m keen to bring what I’ve learned in the media and amplify it in Africa.” Read more
Brandy to star in new A24 horror film ‘The Front Room’ (NME)
Brandy Norwood will star in a new psychological horror film called The Front Room, which is being written and directed by Max and Sam Eggers – the younger brothers of The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman filmmaker Robert Eggers.
According to Variety, the A24 film – which was adapted from a short story by English author Susan Hill – follows a “young, newly pregnant couple forced to take in an ailing stepmother who has long been estranged from the family.” Alongside Norwood, The Front Room will also star Kathryn Hunter, Andrew Burnap and Neal Huff.
“It’s official! THE FRONT ROOM from The Eggers’ Brothers. Can’t wait for y’all to see this,” Norwood wrote on Instagram when sharing the news. “God you’re Awesome!!!! I trust you with my entire life. Thank you for this amazing opportunity to work with this unbelievable cast, crew, and the studio everyone wants to work with and of course my Eggers fam.”
The Front Room will mark the latest in a long line of films that Norwood has starred in over the past 25 years, debuting in the titular role of 1997’s Cinderella. She appeared in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer the following year, was in the voice cast for 2001’s Osmosis Jones, and in 2016 appeared in romantic comedy The Perfect Match. Read more
Simu Liu says he’s ‘excited’ to join Jennifer Lopez in upcoming movie ‘Atlas’ (People)
Simu Liu is looking forward to embracing the dark side.
The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor, 33, confirmed he will join the cast of the Jennifer Lopez-led thriller Atlas as one of the film’s major antagonists.
“Excited to be joining this phenomenal cast of humans as I ENTER MY VILLAIN ERA MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH,” Liu tweeted alongside a link to a Deadline article announcing the casting news.
Liu will be seen in the upcoming films One True Loves and Barbie films. Earlier this year, he released a memoir titled We Were Dreamers. Read more
Canadian filmmakers protest National Film Board hiring process (GlobeandMail)
A group representing independent Canadian filmmakers is protesting what it says is the involvement of the current head of the National Film Board in the hiring process of his successor to lead the federal government institution.
According to advocacy group NFB/ONF Creation, Claude Joli-Coeur – whose term as NFB government film commissioner and chair ends this fall – is on the committee tasked with interviewing candidates and selecting a shortlist to recommend to the government, which ultimately makes the appointment. The group said it became aware last week of his participation from two applicants who were interviewed for the job.
“This is a violation of the principles of good governance and the appearance of impartiality which underlies public trust in our institutions,” NFB/ONF Creation said in an Aug. 18 letter sent to Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez.
“This is clearly a conflict of interest situation and unhealthy for the future of an organization desperately in need of fresh leadership with a new vision,” the group’s spokesperson Munro Ferguson told The Globe and Mail. Read more
Eminem & Snoop Dogg returning to MTV VMAs for ‘metaverse-inspired’ performance (Billboard)
Eminem and Snoop Dogg are set to perform their current single “From the D 2 the LBC” on Sunday’s 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.
It’s billed as “a first-of-its-kind performance … inspired by the world of the Otherside metaverse.” MTV partnered with Yuga Labs to bring this creative element to life.
This will be the first VMA performance by either star in more than a decade. Eminem last performed on the VMAs in 2010, when he opened the show with “Not Afraid” and, joined by Rihanna, “Love the Way You Lie.” Snoop Dogg last performed on the VMAs in 2005 in tandem with Diddy when they paid tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. by performing his hits “Juicy” and “Warning.”
Eminem and Snoop last performed together on the VMAs in 1999, when they joined forces with Dr. Dre to close the show with Eminem’s “My Name Is” and “Guilty Conscience” and Dre’s “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang,” which featured Snoop. Read more
‘Britney was broken and I’ve been holding her hand through new single’, says Elton John (Mirror)
Sir Elton John has opened up on how his highly anticipated collaboration with Britney Spears came about and revealed he’s excited at how much confidence the tune can give the star.
The tune titled Hold Me Closer was released today (Friday) and is the Toxic singer’s first new tune in six years. And music icon Elton, 75, admits she “sang fantastically”.
He admitted the idea to collaborate with Britney, 40, was first mentioned by his husband David Furnish. Elton said he has always been an admirer of the songstress so was immediately keen on the idea to help her get her career back on track after her conservatorship came to an end last year.
Brit had claimed she was retired from music in the aftermath, but speaking to The Guardian, Elton admitted he was “excited” at the collaboration. He told the publication how they had to make sure she was happy with the tune being released and got her approval. Read more
Australia drug bust: Largest-ever crystal meth haul found in marble (BBC)
Almost two tonnes of methamphetamine has been seized by Australian police – the biggest bust of the drug in the country’s history.
Police found 1,800kg of what is known locally as ice inside shipping containers at a Sydney port.
The record haul was concealed in marble and has a street value of more than A$1.6bn ($1.1bn; £942,000).
Three men have been charged over their alleged roles in importing the drugs from the Middle East. Read more
NFF Elections: Electoral Committee releases time-table (Vanguard)
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Electoral Committee 2022 has released the time-table for the NFF elections slated to hold Friday, 30th September in Benin city, Edo State.
The election will see a new administration take over from the Amaju Pinnick administration that has held sway of Nigeria football for eight years.
According to the committee, the electoral process will begin on Monday, 29th August with the sales of nomination forms, endorsements and return of forms. It is expected to span till Thursday, 8th September, 2022.
The screening of the candidates is fixed for Friday, 9th and Saturday, 10th September with the shortlist of successful candidates to be announced on the 12th by the electoral committee. Read more
AITEO Cup: 3 quarter final matches to hold Saturday (ThisDay)
The cities of Jos, Kaduna and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja will witness top class football action this weekend as the quarter-final matches of this year’s AITEO Cup competition (men’s version) take place.
Niger Tornadoes and Lobi Stars are the combatants in Jos to determine a slot in the semi finals while top-tier teams Wikki Tourists and Nasarawa United clash in Kaduna.
Kogi United, the surprise team of this year’s competition, are up against Kano Pillars at the Area 3 Stadium, Abuja.
The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation, at its meeting of 18th August adopted the resolutions of a peace meeting of Club representatives with NFF officials that agreed to a rebooting of the AITEO Cup Competition 2022 (men’s version) from the quarter-final stage. Read more
Chelsea ‘could send goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina back to Chicago Fire on loan in 2023 (DailyMail)
Gabriel Slonina could be back in Major League Soccer in 2023, with his new club Chelsea prepared for him to continue his development away from Stamford Bridge.
That’s according to The Athletic, who say that the London side that signed the 18-year-old for $15million this summer will weigh up how best for him to develop later this year.
The publication says that one option could be for him to return to his boyhood team, Chicago Fire, for another season.
At present, Slonina has returned to Chicago on loan for the remainder of the 2022 campaign. Read more
Liverpool draw Rangers in Champions League group stages, Man City get Borussia Dortmund (Sky)
Liverpool and Rangers will meet in a battle of Britain in the Champions League after being paired in Group A.
The Scottish side, who overcame PSV on Wednesday to qualify for the group stages, will face the Reds for the first time in a competitive match, as well as group games against Dutch champions Ajax and Italian side Napoli.
Erling Haaland will get a speedy reunion with former club Borussia Dortmund after Manchester City, last season’s beaten semi-finalists, were drawn against the German club, Sevilla and FC Copenhagen in Group G.
Chelsea will come up against former defender Fikayo Tomori after the 2021 winners were paired with AC Milan in Group E. Thomas Tuchel’s side will also face Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb and will be favourites to progress to the knockout stage. Read more
Zak Brown assures no ‘ill will’ between McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo (PlanetF1)
Zak Brown says Wednesday’s announcement of Daniel Ricciardo leaving McLaren is “sad” with the team wishing him “all the best” for his future.
Ricciardo put an end to rumours about his future when, on the eve of the Belgian Grand Prix, the 33-year-old announced this season would be his last with McLaren.
It had long been speculated Ricciardo’s time with McLaren was running short, Brown saying back in May already the driver’s performances had “generally not kind of met his or our expectations”.
A few days after that he spoke of “mechanisms” that could see an early end to their relationship. Read more
2 women file lawsuits against former boxer George Foreman, alleging sexual abuse, rape (ABC)
Two women who said former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman sexually abused them in the 1970s have filed lawsuits in a Los Angeles court.
Foreman, 73, has denied the allegations since they first became public last month, and spokespeople referred questions about the lawsuits to an earlier statement by him.
The women filed separate lawsuits under the pseudonyms Gwen H. and Denise F. in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Foreman is referred to as DOE 1 in the lawsuits, but is described in them as the professional boxer who defeated Joe Frazier in 1973 to become the heavyweight champion of the world before losing the title to Muhammad Ali in 1974. Read more
Vanessa Bryant to donate proceeds from the $16m trial payout to Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation (People)
Vanessa Bryant will donate proceeds from her multi-million dollar payout awarded to her from her lawsuit against Los Angeles County to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.
On Wednesday, a jury awarded Bryant $16 million after she sued L.A. County over the leaked images of the bodies of Kobe Bryant, their daughter Gianna Bryant and other victims of the fatal January 2020 helicopter crash.
Her lawyer, Luis Li, said on Thursday, per The Los Angeles Times that she plans to give the verdict award to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, a nonprofit that continues Kobe and Gianna’s legacies by offering opportunities to underprivileged young athletes.
According to The Times, Li did not share how much Vanessa plans to donate. Read more