Why I won’t pray for late Murphy Afolabi — Islamic cleric (Punch)
An Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yelma’e, has said Islam forbids him from praying for the departed soul of popular actor, Murphy Afolabi, because he mostly used his roles in movies to promote actions that are against the Islamic religion.
The cleric, in a video clip posted on YouTube and reposted by @mufasatundeednut on Instagram on Thursday, said he would never pray for Afolabi because he usually acted as herbalist, among other roles forbidden in Islam.
Noting that there was a need for religious teachers and students to start reflecting on the portrayal of actions against Islamic teachings, the cleric said praying for Afolabi’s departed soul especially when most of his roles in films contravened Islamic practice would amount to hypocrisy. Read more
Labour Party disowns Lamidi Apapa (Guardian)
The Labour Party (LP) on Thursday disowned Lamidi Apapa as its acting chairman.
“The shameful conduct of Mr. Lamidi Apapa at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday, 17th May 2023, has once again brought to the fore the desperation of certain elements in the political class to deploy all manner of subterfuge and criminality to divide and despoil the massive goodwill currently being enjoyed by the Labour Party all over Nigeria,” Labour Party spokesman, Comrade Chris Uyot said in a statement.
“It is very unfortunate that Mr. Lamidi Apapa who continues to act lawlessly as an impostor ascribing to himself a vague status as the Chairman of the Labour Party and on the claims of representing the Nigeria Labour Congress, is clearly receiving protection from institutions of the state whose mandate is the preservation of law and order. Read more
Court remands Seun Kuti for additional 4 days (Nation)
A Sabo-Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Thursday granted an application for extension of remand of afrobeat singer Seun Kuti for additional four days.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Adeola Olatubosun, extended Kuti’s remand until May 22.
Mr Simon Lough (SAN), who led a police legal team to the court, had moved the application. Read more
We got jobs while serving – Pioneer Corps Members (DailyTrust)
Some pioneer corps members of the National Youth Service Corps on Wednesday said they got many job offers during their national service year.
They spoke to Daily Trust in Abuja during the commissioning of the NYSC Information Communication Technology Centre.
Amb. Gregory Kas Enegwea, a graduate of the University of Ife, who served in 1973, had said between his final year in school and the period of the national service, he got nine jobs. Read more
Lagos Safety Commission raises the alarm over activities of fraudsters, impersonators (Leadership)
The Lagos State Safety Commission has raised the alarm over activities of impersonators and fraudsters, urging members of the public to disregard information about payments into private bank accounts to get safety compliance certificates.
Director general of the Commission, Lanre Mojola who stated this in Lagos said the attention of the commission has been drawn to certain impersonators that portray themselves to be staff or consultants of the Lagos State Safety Commission.
He warned members of the public not to pay any money into individual accounts other than designated government accounts, adding that the warning became imperative in view of reported cases of unscrupulous individuals parading themselves as officials of the Commission, thus extorting unsuspecting members of the public. Read more
Police release names of victims of US Embassy convoy attack, say 2 suspects arrested (ThisDay)
Anambra State police command said it had raided a camp occupied by hoodlums operating in Ogbaru Local Government Area, and arrested two persons, in connection with Tuesday’s attack on a US Embassy convoy in the area.
The command has also released the names of those in the US government vehicles when the gunmen attacked the convoy. It said three US embassy officials and four policemen were killed in the attack.
The state police commissioner, CP Echeng Echeng, stated this on Thursday, during a press conference in Awka, Anambra State, saying that the suspects were arrested on Wednesday. Read more
10th NASS: Nigerian professionals in UK back Akpabio, Abbas (Punch)
Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th Assembly in June, a group under the auspices of the Association of Nigerian Professionals in the United Kingdom has called on political stakeholders across the country to support the Senate Presidency bid of senator-elect for Akwa North-West, Godswill Akpabio.
The group applauded the choice of Tajudeen Abass, the party’s candidate for the House of Representatives Speakership, saying that he has what it takes to effectively discharge his duties in that capacity.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen and signed by the group’s coordinator, Engr. Innocent Udoidiong, and the secretary, Mr Kingsley Omolu, after an emergency meeting of the group convened to consider issues affecting the welfare of Nigerians based in the UK, among others. Read more
13 Nigerians from Saudi Arabia expected today (Vanguard)
13 Nigerians who fled from the war in Sudan to Saudi Arabia are expected in Abuja today, following the evacuation procedure by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA.
The students were scheduled to depart Jeddah today on board Qatar Airways and are expected to arrive today at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.
The spokesperson of NEMA, Manzo Ezekiel said in a statement that “the return of the 13 Nigerian students from Saudi Arabia is part of the evacuation of stranded Nigerian citizens in the war-torn Sudan by the Federal Government through NEMA and other relevant Agencies. Read more
”Killers of the Flower Moon” teaser introduces Martin Scorsese epic (UPI)
Apple Original Films is giving a glimpse of the new film “Killers of the Flower Moon”.
The studio shared a teaser trailer for the epic Western crime drama Thursday featuring Leonardo DiCaprio.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is based on the David Grann non-fiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. The film centers on the murders of Osage Nation members in the 1920s after oil was discovered on tribal land. Read more
Italy floods leave 9 dead and force 13k from their homes (BBC)
More than 20 rivers have burst their banks in Italy, leaving nine people dead and forcing 13,000 from their homes after six months’ rainfall fell in a day and a half.
Almost every river flooded between the north-east coast at Rimini and the city of Bologna, 115km (70 miles) away.
Some 280 landslides took place and more evacuations were ordered overnight.
“It was a very bad 48 hours. Water and mud took over our whole village,” said Roberta Lazzarini, 71. Read more
Indiana Jones swings on to red carpet at Cannes (National)
The premiere of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” will be screened on the French Riviera at Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, with Harrison Ford due on the red carpet for one last crack of the whip as the world’s favourite adventuring archaeologist.
Ford has vowed this will be the last time he dons the famous fedora, and teaser images promise some classic indy action in the streets of Tangiers and Sicily, as well as supporting roles for Mads Mikkelsen and Antonio Banderas.
It is also rumoured the 80-year-old star has been de-aged for an extended flashback sequence for the new film, due for general release next month. Read more
Olly Murs and Louise Redknapp to headline 2nd Caroline Flack tribute festival (Mirror)
Caroline Flack’s close friends Louise Redknapp and Olly Murs will be headlining Flackstock Festival three years after her death.
She lost her life to suicide at the age of 40 on 15 February 2020 and in the wake of her tragic death, one of her final social media posts went on to influence the ‘Be Kind’ movement.
Since her death, her pals banded together to create Flackstock Festival in honour of the TV presenter.
Last year’s festival, which featured performances from Ronan Keating and Tom Grennan, was a huge success and will be returning this summer. Read more
Sir Ringo Starr is ”ready to rock” ahead of US tour (MusicNews)
Sir Ringo Starr is feeling “ready to rock” ahead of his US tour with his All Starr Band.
The 82-year-old former Beatles drummer is finally set to embark on his delayed 22-date jaunt, which he cancelled due to coming down with COVID-19 for a second time in 2022.
And the legendary sticksman has insisted he has never found touring or performing live to be “gruelling”. Read more
Reporters Without Borders and media leaders call for liberation of Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai (RFI)
Reporters Without Borders and over a hundred international media leaders called on Tuesday for the “immediate release” of Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai, an “emblematic figure in the fight for press freedom in Hong Kong and globally,” who was detained by Chinese authorities in 2020 and is still in jail.
Lai founded the Apple Daily, a newspaper known for its criticism of the Chinese government, but was forced to shut it down.
The NGO statement, signed by publishers and editors-in-chief from 42 countries, including 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureates Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa, warns that Lai may face “a possible life sentence under the draconian national security law.” Read more
Alleged Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira bragged to Discord friends about breaking rules (NYPost)
Alleged Pentagon documents leaker Jack Teixeira was warned twice to stop taking notes on classified information — and bragged about breaking the rules to his friends, prosecutors said.
In court papers filed Wednesday, Justice Department lawyers claimed the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman jotted down top-secret information during confidential meetings that he would then spread across a social media channel dedicated to video games and guns.
“It is clear that the dissemination of the classified national defense information that the Defendant unlawfully posted was even more widespread and diverse than previously known,” the documents state. Read more
Nigeria hits Ghana today as WAFU B Girls Cup of Nations begins Saturday (Guardian)
Nigeria’s women U-20 football national team, Falconets, are expected to arrive in Ghana, today, ahead of the maiden edition of the WAFU B Girls Cup of Nations, which begins on Saturday in Kumasi.
The competition will bring together seven countries within the sub-region to compete for honours. The countries are Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger, Ghana and Benin.
Nigeria are paired with Niger, Burkina Faso and Togo in Group B, while hosts, Ghana, face Benin and Cote D’Ivoire in Group A. Falconets’ Coach, Chris Danjuma, last week, unveiled the squad for the competition, where Nigeria will face Niger Republic in their opening game at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday. They will face Togo three days later at the same arena and round off their group stage campaign with a game against Burkina Faso at Paa Joe Stadium on May 28. Read more
Argentina 2023: Flying Eagles arrive in Mendoza (Punch)
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles arrived in the city of Mendoza on Wednesday evening, four days before their opening match of the FIFA U20 World Cup finals against the Dominican Republic.
The team led by Head Coach, Ladan Bosso touched down at Aero Puerto International Airport, Mendoza and was received by NFF’s Head of International Competitions, Dayo Enebi Achor and officials of the Local Organizing Committee of the championship.
The Nigeria Football Federation had set up a pre-World Cup training camp for the Flying Eagles in Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, where the team defeated an Argentine second-division team, Almirante and battled out a 3-3 draw with fellow World Cup finalists Colombia in friendlies. Read more
FIFA could extend Toney’s ban worldwide (RTE)
The Football Association is expected to ask FIFA to extend Ivan Toney’s ban globally unless an appeal leads to the suspension being overturned.
As things stand the 27-year-old will not be able to play again until January 17 next year after he was banned for eight months by an independent regulatory commission for admitting 232 breaches of FA betting rules.
The FA could only apply to FIFA for a worldwide extension if a ban is still in place once the appeals process is complete. Read more
New York/New Jersey FIFA World Cup 2026 logo unveiled in Times Square (CBS)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy were on hand in Times Square Thursday to unveil the logo for the New York/New Jersey FIFA World Cup 2026 host city.
MetLife stadium in East Rutherford will host World Cup games.
“I’ve got soccer fever,” Murphy said. “I want to give FIFA a big thank you for bringing the World Cup back to New Jersey and New York. From the very beginning, our region has been at the heart of American soccer. We’re ready for the world’s biggest event. Big events are in our blood, they’re in our DNA, and they’re what we do best.” Read more
Rafael Nadal pulls out of French Open after failing to recover from hip injury (IrishTimes)
Rafael Nadal will miss the French Open after failing to regain full fitness from a hip injury suffered at the Australian Open in January, the 14-times Roland Garros winner said on Thursday, adding 2024 could be the final year of his career.
The Spaniard announced his decision at a press conference on Thursday ahead of the start of the tournament on May 28th. “It’s not a decision I made, it’s a decision my body made,” he told reporters at his tennis academy in Mallorca.
“I need to stop for a while,” Nadal added, while also declining to set a firm date for his return. “Maybe two months, maybe three or four months.” The 22-time grand slam champion added that he hoped to play in Paris next year, but he expected the 2024 season to be his last on the ATP Tour. Read more
Ferrari show touch of class with incredible €1m donation to flood fund (PlanetF1)
Ferrari has made an incredible donation of €1 million to the Emilia-Romagna relief effort following the devastating floods.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix race weekend, which was set to be held at Imola Circuit and serve as Round 6 of the F1 2023 campaign, has sadly been cancelled after heavy rainfall on the Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of the event led to further flooding chaos in the region.
For Ferrari this is the area which they of course identify as their “homeland”, as do AlphaTauri with their Faenza factory having become a sanctuary in recent days for some staff who were forced to flee their homes. Read more
