We want neutral candidate to get APC ticket – Surulere Elders (Vanguard)
The bloodshed that followed the All Progressives Congress primary election for the Chairmanship ticket in the Surulere Local Government Area last week has been roundly condemned by some elders in the community.
The elders, who said it was a shame that party leaders have failed to conduct simple party elections have called on the decision makers to disqualify the candidates of the warring sides and instead pick a neutral aspirant.
It has been gathered that the Speaker of House of Representatives, Right Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, is the main sponsor of one of the aspirants, Sulaimon Bamidele Yussuf, who is the current vice chairman in Surulere while Tajudeen Ajide, the chairman, are the brains behind Idris Aregbe’s chairmanship ambition. Read more
Special status for Lagos is for good of Nigeria, says Sanwo-Olu (Leadership)
Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has restated the need for special economic status for the state, given its role in the nation and the burdens it bears for the country.
The governor who spoke on Tuesday at the South West Zonal Public Hearing of the House of Representatives Special Committee on the Review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, held at Marriott Hotel, Ikeja Lagos stated that the continuous request for a special status for the state is for the interest of every Nigerian.
According to the Governor, the need for this special status has been sufficiently articulated and justified, adding that, “It suffices for me at this point to restate that this request is by no means a selfish one, but one that is actually in the interest of every Nigerian and of Nigeria as a nation. The progress and prosperity of Nigeria is inextricably linked to the progress and prosperity of Lagos State.’’
While stating the issues of state Police and Fiscal Federalism as top priority for the state in the ongoing review process, the Governor who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat emphasized that a special status for Lagos State must be a concern not only for the people of the state alone, but for all Nigerians. Read more
Police rescue kidnapped victim in Adamawa (Guardian)
The Police Command in Adamawa says the operatives of the command in Song Local Government Area have rescued 22-year old Usman Manu, a kidnapped victim.
DSP Suleiman Nguroje, the spokesman of the command, also announced in a statement in Yola on Wednesday that one of the kidnappers was neutralised.
He said that the kidnappers demanded for a ransom of N3 million after their operation between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m on May 28.
“Based on the report reaching us, armed men, numbering four invaded their houses, situated at Gola village, placed them at gunpoint and kidnapped a 22-year old Usman Manu.
“The kidnappers later called and demanded for a ransom of N3 million and directed that the ransom be taken to them in a certain place situated at a remote side of Zumo mountain. Read more
14,468 passports ready for collection in Lagos State – NIS (Vanguard)
The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has released 14,468 passports for applicants in Lagos State to collect.
The Lagos Passport Controller, Lagos Passport Command, Mr Sunday Fagbamigbe, confirmed the figure while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, in Lagos.
Fagbamigbe said the figure covered applicants in the three passport offices in Lagos State.
NAN reports that NIS suspended fresh passport applications to allow clearance of backlog of all passport applications received before May 17. Read more
Gulak: Uzodimma replies Fani-Kayode (Guardian)
Enraged by the comments made against him by a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani – Kayode, the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, on Wednesday, said the former minister would not “benefit” from the assassination of Ahmed Gulak.
In a statement issued by Uzodimma’s Chief Press Secretary / Media Adviser, Oguike Nwachukwu, the Imo governor provided an update on the murder of the former Political Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, wondering what Fani -Kayode, wanted to make out of the murder.
The statement said: “From the look of things, it seems former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode wants to make capital of the unfortunate gruesome murder of former Political Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak in Imo State weekend. Read more
FG reacts to Twitter’s removal of Buhari’s tweet, says social media giant has taken sides (ThisDay)
The federal government has accused the social media giant, Twitter, of taking sides in the agitation of the proscribed Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) in the South-east geo-political zone.
The Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while reacting to Twitter deleting President Muhammadu Buhari’s Tuesday’s tweet referencing the civil war and threatening South-east trouble makers, accused Twitter of double standard.
He told reporters after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja Wednesday that while Twitter had in the past ignored inciting tweets by the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, and his cohorts, displaying the same biases it did during the ENDSARS protest where government and private properties were being looted and set on fire, it finds Buhari’s tweet offensive. Read more
Police uncover AK-47 illegal factory in Plateau (Nation)
A local AK-47 fabrication factory has been uncovered by the police high command in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, it was learnt on Wednesday.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba in Abuja paraded two middle aged men Joe Michael and Iliya Bulus arrested for the alleged fabrication of weapons alongside other 79 suspects.
The suspects according to Mba, were arrested by the operatives of the two major Units of operational and investigative team of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and Special Tactical Squad (STS) of the Force across the country for various offences ranging from kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery, culpable homicide, gun running to illegal production and distribution of fake number plates.
Addressing reporters while parading the suspects, Mba expressed sadness that the locally fabricated guns are fast becoming the weapons of choice for criminals terrorizing the country and it portends a great danger to the security of the nation if not immediately curbed. Read more
Senate passes law to abolish HND/BSC dichotomy (Guardian)
The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to abolish the discrimination between holders of Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) from tertiary institutions.
Senate president Ahmad Lawan said the passage of the bill will serve as a motivation to HND holders from polytechnics.
“This particular (HND discrimination) issue has been on the front burner for a long time,” Lawan said during Wednesday’s plenary.
“I recall that in the House (of Representatives) between 2003 and 2007, this was one bill that was so important and it is a way of encouraging our polytechnic graduates.
“This should not take away the kind of training they give but should be a motivation for our polytechnic graduates.” Read more
Toll likely to return on federal highways (Nation)
Tolling will soon return to the highways after their concessioning, the Federal Government said on Tuesday.
It noted that 75 companies have submitted concession bids for 12 highways under the first phase of the Highway Development Management Initiative (HDMI).
Head of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mrs Abimbola Asein, said the roads are Benin-Asaba, Abuja-Lokoja, Onitsha-Aba-Owerri, Shagamu-Benin, Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga, Kano-Maiduguri, Kano-Katsina, Lokoja-Benin, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Ilorin-Jebba, Lagos-Abeokuta and Lagos-Badagry.
Asein, in a statement by Director of Press and Public Relations Boade Akinola, said the HDMI was designed to attract investment and funding. Read more
Kenya govt appeals ruling against BBI constitutional changes (AlJazeera)
The government of Kenya has formally challenged a ruling by the country’s High Court last month that said President Uhuru Kenyatta’s proposed constitutional reforms were illegal.
The sweeping constitutional changes – popularly known as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) – were shot down by the court on May 14, in a blow to Kenyatta and his allies who wanted the amendments put to a referendum before next year’s elections.
In a formal appeal filed in court on Wednesday, Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto said the five-panel bench had “erred” in determining that the president did not have the legal authority to spearhead such amendments.
The High Court’s conclusion that Kenyatta could also be sued in a personal capacity for pursuing such an initiative was also incorrect, the government’s top lawyer argued in appeal documents seen by the AFP news agency. Read more
Kevin Spacey returns to work on controversial first movie since 2017 misconduct allegations (Metro)
Kevin Spacey has been spotted in Turin, Italy as he prepares to film his first movie since being the subject of multiple sexual misconduct allegations in 2017.
The actor, 61, was seen sitting at a café table clinking glasses with actor Robert Davi as well as walking through the city with his manager Evan Lowenstein, 47.
Kevin was seen wearing face masks for the outing, including one with Banksy’s Girl With Balloon mural printed on the front of it and a companion attempted to shield the actor’s face from cameras as he got into a car.
Kevin will play a detective who was wrongly accused of being a paedophile in the low-budget Italian film L’uomo che disegnò Dio (The Man who drew God). Read more
Kharg fire: Large Iranian navy ship sinks in Gulf after blaze (BBC)
A large Iranian navy ship has sunk after catching fire in the Gulf of Oman during a training mission, state news agencies say.
The oiler replenishment ship IRIS Kharg caught fire near the Iranian port of Jask in the early hours of Wednesday.
An Iranian navy statement said firefighters had fought the blaze for more than 20 hours in an effort to save the vessel before it went down.
The ship’s crew were safely evacuated and no casualties were reported. Read more
Budapest mayor tries to rename streets in protest against China (AlJazeera)
The liberal opposition mayor of Budapest announced on Wednesday he would rename streets in the Hungarian capital near a planned campus of a Chinese university to commemorate alleged human rights abuses by Beijing.
One street will be named after the Dalai Lama, exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, labelled a dangerous separatist by Beijing.
Another will be called “Uighur Martyrs’ Road” after the mainly Muslim ethnic group that Washington and other capitals say has been victim of a Chinese genocide.
A third will be called “Free Hong Kong Road” and a fourth street will be renamed after a Chinese Catholic bishop who was jailed. Read more
Fiery head-on car crash kills 4, including 3 sisters (NYPost)
A fiery head-on car crash in Idaho killed four people from California on Saturday, including three young sisters.
A 22-year-old man and the sisters — ages 16 to 26 — were in a Honda Civic that plowed into a GMC Sierra on Highway 95 near Marsing, where the speed limit is 65 mph.
All three people in the GMC survived even though the pickup caught fire after the collision, Idaho State Police said in a news release. They were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, cops said.
It wasn’t clear who was driving the Civic, but state police identified three of the deceased on Tuesday: Melissa Rojas-Carrasco, 26, Jasmin Rojas-Carrasco, 22, and Juan Pablo Farias, 22. Read more
New French edition of ‘Mein Kampf’ published (Guardian)
A new French edition of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” was published on Wednesday with the text reflecting the “abominably badly written” original, according to its translator.
One of the world’s most notorious books, first published in two tomes in 1924 and 1925, it laid out the ideological foundations for National Socialism including its embrace of violence and anti-Semitism.
The only current French translation, first published in 1934 and still in print, improves the often repetitive and turgid prose of the original, which is difficult to read even in German, according to French translator Olivier Mannoni.
“The rule at the time was to write in good French and to smooth over the asperities of the text,” said Mannoni, who spent five years on the new edition being published by Fayard, a major French publishing house.
Speaking at a press conference last month, Mannoni said his work was true to the “abominably badly written” original, half-written by Hitler during his time in jail, with all of its “dubious syntax” and “interminable and repetitive phrasing.” Read more
Belgium gang rape: 5 arrested over assault on teenager (BBC)
Five teenagers have been arrested in Belgium over the alleged gang rape of a 14-year-old girl, who died less than a week later.
According to Belgian media, images of the attack were shared online.
The victim took her life four days later.
Prosecutors say that three of the suspects, who are minors, are in a youth facility, while two men aged 18 and 19 have been arrested and are due to appear in court on Wednesday.
The prosecution has only confirmed that they are being investigated for “acts that occurred shortly before the death of the victim”. Read more
French Open 2021: Daria Kasatkina knocks out 10th seed Belinda Bencic (BBC)
Russia’s Daria Kasatkina delivered an early surprise at the French Open on Wednesday as she knocked 10th seed Belinda Bencic out in the second round.
The 24-year-old cruised through in straight sets, winning 6-2 6-2 in one hour and 16 minutes on Court Simonne-Mathieu at Roland Garros in Paris.
The world number 37 will now face the winner of Sorana Cirstea against Martina Trevisan in the third round.
Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek also progressed in straight sets. Read more
LeBron James bolts court as Lakers get their ‘ass kicked’ (NYPost)
The Phoenix Suns made LeBron James look away.
Riding an orange wave of support in the desert, the Suns sent the four-time league MVP to the locker room early and took control of their first-round playoff series with a 115-85 dismantling of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
The Suns lead 3-2, one win shy of becoming the first team in 15 tries to send James packing in the first round of the playoffs.
“There’s nobody that’s scared of the moment,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. “We’re a confident team.”
The Suns won in Los Angeles on Sunday to tie the series and went right at the Anthony Davis-less Lakers in front of a revved-up crowd in Game 5. Read more
Euro 2020: Germany get to work in the mountains with lofty ambitions (DW)
Germany’s preparations for Euro 2020 have begun as Joachim Löw’s side looks to make the most of the sun in Seefeld, Austria. With Thomas Müller and Mats Hummels returning, are Germany in with a chance again?
Preparations for a major tournament can only mean one thing for Germany: a return to the mountains. As Der Spiegel’s Peter Ahrens wrote this week, “whenever a tournament is scheduled, Germany head coach Joachim Löw looks to be close to the mountains.”
More often than not, that tends to be in Tyrol, and it is in Seefeld, near Innsbruck, more famous for hosting Winter Olympic events than summer football, that Germany prepares for Euro 2020.
Löw’s last tournament, the return of old faces and an association still battling off-field issues has made for bumpy, if not familiar, circumstances for Germany ahead of a major tournament. Read more
Venus Williams has perfect response to Naomi Osaka French Open drama (NYPost)
Many tennis pros have had interesting reactions to Naomi Osaka’s decision to pull out of the French Open, but Venus Williams’ might take the cake.
The 40-year-old was at a press conference coming off a first-round loss to Ekaterina Alexandrova at Roland Garros, and was asked how she coped with speaking to the media throughout her career. Osaka was originally fined for skipping her first post-match presser, and ended up withdrawing for the tournament as attention over her media boycott intensified.
“For me personally, how I cope, how I deal with it, was that I know every single person asking me a question can’t play as well as I can and never will,” Williams said. “So no matter what you say, or what you write, you’ll never light a candle to me.
“That’s how I deal with it. But each person deals with it differently.” Read more
NBA play-off round-up: Nets clinch series win, Lakers face elimination (BBC)
The Brooklyn Nets clinched a 4-1 series win over the Boston Celtics, while reigning champions the Los Angeles Lakers are on the brink of elimination.
The Lakers, without Anthony Davis, lost 115-85 to the Phoenix Suns and trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
Elsewhere, the Denver Nuggets secured a 147-140 win in double-overtime against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Blazers’ Damian Lillard scored 55 points including a play-off record 12 three-pointers in defeat.
James Harden scored a 34-point triple-double in the Nets’ 123-109 win, adding 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Read more
Serena looks to take advantage of open draw at Roland Garros (Guardian)
Serena Williams continues her latest bid for an elusive 24th Grand Slam singles crown on Wednesday at a French Open now without two of the world’s top three-ranked women’s players.
The 39-year-old Williams has already seen two of her likeliest title challengers, who have both beaten her in major finals in recent years, either fail to start the tournament or pull out in unprecedented circumstances.
World number three Simona Halep, the 2018 Roland Garros champion who defeated Williams a year later in the Wimbledon final, withdrew before the event with injury.The biggest story of the French Open so far has undoubtedly been world number two Naomi Osaka’s shock withdrawal after a press boycott, saying she has been suffering with “bouts of depression” since her breakthrough victory over Williams in the controversial 2018 US Open showpiece match. Read more