Barely hours following the release of the embattled singer Portable, he releases a song detailing his car debt and why he refused to pay in due time.
It would be recalled that the singer was forcefully arrested after trying to make a run for it when approached by the car dealer and police.
Barely hours following his release on bail, Portable entered the studio, wrote and released a song titled ‘Spiderman’ about his arrest and debt.
According to the singer, the secret to living long is to owe debt while emphasizing his reason for running as a personality when faced with danger.
The lyrics say in part, “Call me Spiderman, I saw danger, I jumped the fence. They say I owe money; if you want to live long, owe them debt, let them owe you. It’s a rich man who owes a car debt.”
Reactions as Portable drops song about his arrest following release
BusayoOtebata said: “You can’t even hate on this guy fr😂😂😂 One minute you’re disgusted by what he does and the next minute you’re laughing 😂.”
Real_ijbconcept penned: “If you want to live long you must owe debts and they must owe you too. Na rich man dey owe debts. Baba werey ni bobo yii.”
Wizebaba quizzed: “Or maybe it was all staged??”
iamkelechiO wrote: “I’d have been surprised if he didn’t drop a song about his arrest saga. 😂”
However, Brazil’s Ferreira won the second frame on every card, before dominating Rebecki in the final round.
With nine seconds left in the fight, 39-year-old Ferreria dropped Rebecki and secured a TKO of the grounded 31-year-old.
Rebecki’s face was left a mess, with blood dripping from his eyes – both of which were swollen, almost to the point of closure.
After the fight, Rebecki shared a photo of the damage on Instagram, seemingly posting from his hospital bed. The Pole wrote the caption, “Zycie”, meaning “life”.
You can see the photo below. Discretion is advised.
Conor McGregor’s comeback has already broken the UFC’s live-gate record, according to Dana White – two months before fight night.
McGregor will face Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303 on 29 June, marking the Irishman’s first fight in three years. In July 2021, McGregor suffered a broken leg in his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier.
Yet fears over McGregor’s abilities and fitness have seemingly done little to dampen hype for his comeback. According to UFC president White, McGregor vs Chandler has set a new live-gate record for the promotion, at “way over $20m”.
Fans have criticised the steep ticket prices for UFC 303, which takes place at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, but many tickets have already been sold – seemingly including VIP packages, which have been priced at over $12,000 in some cases.
The UFC’s current live-gate record is $17.7m, set by McGregor’s knockout win against Eddie Alvarez in 2016. The pair headlined UFC 205, which took place at Madison Square Garden when the UFC staged an event in New York City for the first time.
In second place is McGregor’s defeat by Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018. The Russian submitted McGregor at the T-Mobile Arena, with the live gate at just under $17.2m.
McGregor, 35, is seeking his first win since January 2020, as the former dual-weight champion prepares to take on Chandler.
Chandler, 38, last fought in November 2022, losing to fellow American Poirier by submission.
China has rolled out the red carpet to welcome Russian president Vladimir Putin for a potentially consequential and heavily symbolic state visit that will be closely watched in the West.
Mr Putin’s second visit in less than a year comes as Western nations, led by the US, are putting pressure on China to stop throwing its economic and industrial weight behind Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The two-day trip is Mr Putin’s first abroad since starting his new term as president earlier this month.
Mr Putin arrived in Beijing on Thursday morning to a grand fanfare, with a red carpet reception outside the Great Hall of the People where a marching band played the Red Army Choir classic Moscow Nights. There he was greeted by Chinese president Xi Jinping, and the two shook hands for the cameras before doing laps of the grounds.
Mr Putin is meeting Mr Xi for the fourth time since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, and has been billed as marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between their countries.
Mr Xi told Mr Putin he was prepared “to consolidate the friendship between the two peoples for generations to come”.
“In the new journey ahead, China is willing to always be Russia’s trustworthy good neighbour, good friend and good partner, strengthening generation-after-generation friendship between the two peoples and jointly achieving rejuvenation of their respective countries as well as upholding justice in the world,” he said.
He also congratulated his “old friend” Mr Putin for winning a fifth term as president that will keep him in power until at least 2030.
Mr Putin and Mr Xi are set to discuss ways to strengthen their “no limits” partnership which was announced at a previous meeting between them nearly two years ago.
The West has been testing this partnership by pressuring China to end economic and industrial support that has enabled Russia to blunt the impact of American and European sanctions cutting it off from global markets and supply chains.
China’s bilateral trade with Russia soared by 26 per cent to a record $240bn last year.
Analysts told The Independent that Beijing and Moscow will try to find ways to expand bilateral trade and sidestep Western sanctions.
“The Putin-Xi meeting is both consequential and symbolic as they will definitely seek to strengthen their partnership in the face of enormous fatigue and reluctance to support the war in Ukraine among Western leaders,” said Swaran Singh, an international relations expert and professor of diplomacy at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Vladimir Putin meets Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow in 2013 (Getty)
For Mr Putin, the visit is a chance to show off his alliance with the world’s second largest economy and signal that he still has powerful friends, despite being otherwise largely isolated on the global stage.
“Putin’s visit to Beijing, which is usually full of pomp and show, will be a good opportunity of portraying himself as an acceptable leader while seeking endorsement from Xi for his actions in Ukraine,” Mr Singh said.
On the eve of his visit, Mr Putin hailed the Chinese leadership’s understanding of the “root causes and global geopolitical significance” of the Ukraine war and welcomed Beijing’s peace plan to end the conflict.
“We are seeking a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means,” he told the Chinese news agency Xinhua. “We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours.”
Mr Putin added that they plan to have “closer cooperation in industry and high-tech, outer space and peaceful atom, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and other innovative sectors”.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are meeting for the fourth time since the start of the Ukraine war (Getty)
“Putin’s visit to Beijing, which includes a delegation of Russian cabinet members and the heads of state-owned banks and energy corporations, shows the Russia-China ‘comprehensive partnership of strategic coordination for a new era’ continues to move forward with full force,” said Dr Jonathan Ward, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC and author of The Decisive Decade.
Dr Ward noted that with Chinese support for Russia in Europe and Russian support for China on Taiwan, “there may be much more dangerous activity to come in the years ahead as these two authoritarian states continue to deepen their relationship”.
Trade between China and Russia soared to a record $240bn last year (Getty)
Washington has claimed that Beijing is aiding Russia’s war in Ukraine by providing satellite intelligence, parts for fighter jets, microchips and other equipment while filling Moscow’s war chest with record oil imports. For this, the US has sanctioned several Chinese companies and threatened to blacklist Chinese banking institutions unless they suspend business with Russian companies.
China has not directly sold arms to Russia since the Ukraine war began, but has exported so-called “dual-use” components that can be used in weapons manufacturing as well as to non-military ends. Beijing claims it is neutral in the Ukraine conflict and insists it hasn’t broken US sanctions over the war.
But Beijing’s tactical backing of Moscow has also angered the European Union, with questions over Ukraine overshadowing a recent trip to France by Mr Xi that was supposed to serve as a charm offensive. Mr Xi, during his first visit to Europe in five years, insisted that “China is neither the creator of the crisis, nor a party to it or a participant”.
“I don’t think China will significantly increase its support to Russia that may lead to Russia having a much stronger war-fighting capability. Very likely, China will continue to argue its commercial transactions with Russia are normal international trade and attempt to maintain roughly the same level of trade relations with Russia,” Li Mingjiang, an associate professor at Singapore’s Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told The Independent.
“Now that the US and European countries are exerting quite strong pressures on China’s export of dual-use technologies and equipment to Russia, Putin may seek commitment from the Chinese leader that China will not waver under Western pressures.”
While Mr Putin is likely to seek further support from Beijing as it gains ground in Ukraine, Mr Xi needs Moscow to counterbalance the US.
America’s support for Taiwan – which it formally acknowledges is a part of China but says it will support against any attempt at forceful occupation by mainland forces – its naval presence in the South China Sea, repeated threats of sanctions and escalating trade war have greatly damaged relations with the Asian superpower.
In this context, Mr Singh said, the Chinese president will not fundamentally change his approach to showing support for Russia.
The actress asserted that most celebrities engage in online feuds solely for the sole purpose of chasing clout.
She recently spoke with Hip TV, where she stated that some musicians utilize online beef as a publicity ploy for new music or projects they intend to release.
According to Nkechi Blessing, when she sees celebrities arguing online, she ignores it and does not get involved because she recognizes that they sometimes plan the ‘fight’.
Nkechi Blessing, Nigerian actress
In her words;
“My thoughts on celebrities bashing each other on the Internet, I feel it’s some form of publicity stunt. By the time they come out on social media to exchange words, is either they have a new single coming up or they’re about to drop a song.
“So most times when I see celebrities fighting online, I just walk away because most times we sit down and plan these things.
“Sometimes, it’s not actually bad blood. As I said they might want to release a single so they will need all the clout and engagements to get their songs out there in your faces. So that’s it literally.”
Mohbad’s widow, Wunmi Aloba has broken her silence following the pathologist’s statement that the cause of deathof her husband was unknown.
On September 12, 2023, Ilerioluwa Aloba popularly known as Mohbad passed away in suspicious circumstances.
After Nigerians demanded justice, his body was exhumed on September 21 so that an autopsy could be performed to ascertain the cause of his death.
The pathologist testified that the 27-year-old singer’s body had already deteriorated when the test was conducted, making it impossible to determine the cause of death during a coroner’s inquest on Wednesday, May 15.
Late Mohbad and wife, Wunmi
A witness at the hearing also told the judge about the singer’s problems with Sam Larry and Wunmi.
Wunmi, the mother of Mohbad’s son, then posted a blank, dark page on her Instagram Stories to express her sorrow.
She also shared a photo of Mohbad and wrote: “Ilerioluwa masun (do not sleep)”
The share of coal in India’s power sector dropped to less than half for the first time in decades, indicating a major milestone in the South Asian country’s shift towards renewables.
In the first quarter of 2024, India added a record-breaking 13,669MW of power generation capacity, with renewable energy accounting for a substantial 71.5 per cent share.
This marks a pivotal moment as coal’s share of the total power capacity dropped below 50 per cent for the first time since the 1960s.
The figures, published in a quarterly report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) on Wednesday, showed that India is on path to reach its target of 50 per cent cumulative power generation capacity from non-fossil fuel-based sources by 2030 way ahead of its time.
Even though the country continued to generate more electricity from coal, the additional renewable capacity point to a more sustainable future for India’s electricity sector, the report said.
Experts said this spike in more renewable projects comes as the world recovers from recent pandemic and war related shocks, and India is paving its way ahead as a renewable powerhouse.
“After a slump from 2019 to 2022 due to supply-chain issues and global price spikes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the market has rebounded and gone from strength to strength,” said the report’s contributing author, Vibhuti Garg.
“There is strong investor interest in the Indian utility-scale renewable energy market,” he added. “The primary reasons are the large-scale potential for market growth, central government support in terms of targets and regulatory frameworks, and higher operating margins.”
India issued a record-breaking 69GW in utility-scale renewable energy projects, according to the report released by IEEFA and JMK Research.
India has also rocketed to third in the world’s solar power generation rankings, behind only China and the US, according to Ember’s fifth annual Global Electricity Review of 80 countries, released last week.
Ranked ninth in 2015, India has now surpassed Japan, which, along with fellow G7 member Germany, has a stubbornly high demand for coal.
“A renewables-powered future is now becoming a reality,” said Aditya Lolla, Ember’s Asia programme director. “Solar power, in particular, is growing at an unprecedented pace.
“Our report concludes that the rapid growth in solar and wind has brought the world to a crucial turning point – likely this year – where fossil generation starts to decline at a global level.”
However, India continues to grapple with coal dependence, especially during adverse weather conditions and surges in power demand.
While the report says this dependence isn’t likely to end this year, the record growth in renewable capacity shows that despite this challenge, India’s renewable energy sector shows no signs of slowing down.
This article was amended on 16 May 2024. It originally stated that coal no longer accounts for the majority of India’s power supply, but that was incorrect. Coal no longer accounts for the majority of the capacity of India’s power stations.
Stand-up comedian Shyam Rangeela, who is known for his viral impressions of the prime minister, said he had submitted all the documents needed for his nomination from northern Uttar Pradesh state’s Varanasi, a holy city by the River Ganges and Mr Modi’s high-stakes constituency.
However, Mr Rangeela said late on Tuesday his application was rejected on the ground that he did not take an oath or affirmation as required for all candidates in a format prescribed by India’s Election Commission as part of a nomination checklist.
He said this was a step he was not informed about by the authorities.
“I have seen how democracy was murdered today,” Mr Rangeela told reporters after his nomination papers were rejected.
“They don’t want me to contest from here. They took my nomination papers after 3pm on Tuesday while I was alone. I am a first-timer and I did not know the process. No one told me that I was required to take an oath,” he said, adding that his lawyers were also not allowed inside the premises or informed.
The district magistrate of Varanasi said Mr Rangeela’s nomination paper was rejected as the affidavit submitted by him was found to be “incomplete”, according to The Wire.
Indian comedian Shyam Rangeela running against Modi (The Independent)
Mr Rangeela, 29, had earlier said his efforts to file nomination papers in Varanasi, a seat Mr Modi, 73, has not lost since 2014, had been rejected by local officials for the past three days running.
He had called the initial acceptance of his candidature documents by the officials a “win for us in a democracy”.
In a video shared on his social media on Tuesday, he said officials were denying him entry inside the district magistrate’s office, just hours before Mr Modi was scheduled to file his nomination papers.
Flanked by his cabinet ministers and a heavy posse of security personnel, Mr Modi filed his papers in the city on Tuesday around 11.40am, after offering prayers at Ganges, a spectacle which dominated all major Indian news channels for much of the day.
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi waves on the day he votes during the third phase of the general election, in Ahmedabad (REUTERS)
The comedian said: “Mr Modi filed his nomination… surrounded by his security staff and cabinet minister. No one could have come close to him, while we sweated for days outside the office to successfully file our nomination.”
Mr Rangeela had vowed to be the face of all independent candidates looking to compete against Mr Modi, stating that voters should be allowed to choose who they want as their leader in a democracy. He said he wanted to give voters options other than Mr Modi, even if he did not have the political acumen to actually pose a threat to the prime minister.
“You don’t need to fear anything at all, I am an independent face and I will remain in the race without any other political party’s support. We, independent candidates, are all one,” Mr Rangeela had said as words of encouragement to other aspirants.
He added that his decision stemmed from what he claimed was “unfairness and discrimination against political competition” in some of the big seats such as Surat in Mr Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate Mukesh Dalal was declared the uncontested winner from Surat after other eight candidates in the fray withdrew following the rejection of the Congress opposition party candidate Nilesh Kumbhani’s nomination.
Local officials claimed Mr Kumbhani’s nomination was rejected due to discrepancies in signatures of his proposers, but several local opposition politicians have alleged serious cases of obstruction and police intimidation.
Varanasi will be voting on 1 June and will see Mr Modi running in the race for the third time with his major competition in the city being Ajay Rai from the opposition Congress party.
Results this time around will be announced alongside the rest of the country’s on 4 June.
A massive manhunt was underway in France on Wednesday for armed assailants who ambushed a prison convoy, killing two prison officers, seriously injuring three others and springing the inmate they were escorting. The prime minister vowed the gang would be caught, saying, “They will pay.”
“We are tracking you, we will find you and we will punish you,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said in parliament, to applause from lawmakers. “They will pay for what they have done.”
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said “unprecedented” efforts were being deployed. Hundreds of officers were mobilized in the search for the escaped convict, Mohamed Amra, and the assailants who laid in wait for the prison van transporting him, ramming a car into it before opening fire on Tuesday.
The violence of the attack shocked France. Prison workers held moments of silence Wednesday outside prisons in Paris and elsewhere to commemorate the officers who were killed.
Darmanin, speaking Wednesday on RTL radio, expressed hope that Amra could be caught “in the coming days.” Without giving full details about the extent of the manhunt, he said 450 officers had been deployed in the region of the attack in Normandy in northern France to search for the assailants and clues about their whereabouts.
“The means employed are considerable,” he said. “We are progressing a lot.”
The attack appeared to have been carefully prepared. The convoy was transporting Amra back to jail in the Normandy town of Évreux after a hearing with an investigator in Rouen when it was ambushed on the A154 freeway.
The prison van and another prison escort vehicle had just gone through a toll booth on the freeway when the van was rammed head-on by a car. The Paris prosecutor’s office said the car had been stolen and had gone through the toll booth a few minutes ahead of the prison convoy and then waited there.
Another car followed behind the convoy, seemingly boxing it in. Assailants sprang from the cars and opened fire, spraying the prison vehicles, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.
The assailants and Amra then fled. Two burned cars were subsequently found which investigators are examining, Beccuau said.
One of the officers killed was a 52-year-old captain in the prison service, where he had worked for nearly 30 years, and a father of two, Beccuau said. The other officer killed, aged 34, was a married father-to-be, she said.
Amra, 30, has a long criminal record, with at least 13 convictions for robbery and other crimes, the first when he was just 15, she said.
It comes as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced a new $2 billion (£1.6bn) weapons deal during a visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, before suggesting Washington could sign a bilateral agreement with Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Mr Blinken did not go into detail about what would be included in the latest pledge, which will be drawn from the $61bn package passed by Congress last month.
But during a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, he said the US was focused on sending Patriot missile systems and other forms of critical air defence.
Mr Blinken said that the support for Ukraine comes at a “critical time” as the country faces a renewed Russian onslaught.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Ukrainian president met with senior military personnel, including commander-in-chief Oleksandry Syrskyi, to discuss the difficult situation in the Kharkiv region.
His press secretary Sergii Nykyforov announced on Facebook after the meeting that Mr Zelensky had “instructed that all international events scheduled for the coming days be postponed and new dates coordinated” so that he could focus on Kharkiv.
Ukrainian servicemen of the 92nd Assault Brigade fire BM-21 ‘Grad’ multiple rocket launcher toward Russian positions, in the Kharkiv region (AFP via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin held his own meeting with his top war generals in the Kremlin on Wednesday (AP)
King Felipe of Spain had been due to hold a reception for Mr Zelensky on 17 May and host a meal in his honour. The Ukrainian President had also been expected to sign a bilateral security cooperation agreement with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following a joint declaration by Nato last year. He was later scheduled to visit neighbouring Portugal.
But the situation in Kharkiv has deteriorated quickly as Russian forces appear to have moved within artillery range of the city centre of the region’s namesake capital, where more than 1.3 million civilians are currently living.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his own meeting with top military generals, as well his new defence minister Andrei Belousov and his predecessor Sergei Shoigu, now the secretary of the security council, said the work of the military was “proceeding according to the plan”.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed to have captured two more villages in the northernmost of their two attacks across the border into the Kharkiv region.
Russia attacks across Ukraine border
Kremlin forces have seized 12 towns since Friday and are contesting Vovchansk
Kremlin troops have advanced nearly five miles towards the region’s capital since last Friday, when the first units of infantry rushed into the “grey zone”, a portion of land that was previously outside the control of both the Russian and Ukrainian forces.
The recent captures of the towns of Hlyboke and Lukyantsi mean that Putin’s forces have taken eight towns in that sector of fighting and an additional four in the neighbouring attack towards the small city of Vovchansk. According to DeepState, a Ukrainian war tracker, Russia’s forces have occupied a total of more than 50 square miles of land in the Kharkiv region in just six days.
Ukraine’s military, in its latest update, claimed that they had repelled multiple attacks along both sectors of fighting.
After a local Vovchansk police chief said Russian forces had “taken positions in the streets” of the town, Ukraine’s military said they had “expelled [Russian] forces … in the northern and northwestern suburbs”.
Ukrainian tracker DeepState said Russian forces were using artillery to “level everything to the ground” in the two areas of fighting.
Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant has publicly hit out at prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans for a post-war Gaza – vowing to oppose any long-term military rule by Israel.
Pressure has been growing on Mr Netanyahu for weeks over Israel’s conduct in Gaza, with the international community calling for a ceasefire and even staunch ally the US baulking at a full-scale assault on the border city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering. The Israeli prime minister claims the offensive is crucial to eliminating Hamas. Mr Netanyahu’s attempts to keep his hardline government coalition partners onside in promising an attack on Rafah is said to have caused splits in the country’s war cabinet, with these bursting into the open with Mr Gallant’s remarks.
Israel launched its heaviest-ever bombardment of Gaza, plus a ground assault and a blockade, in retaliation for a bloody attack by Hamas on 7 October during which around 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were taken hostage, including toddlers. Since then, Palestinian health workers in the Hamas-run territory say Israel’s bombardment has killed at least 35,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom were women and children.
In a televised news conference, Mr Gallant said that, since soon after the conflict erupted with a shock Hamas attack on 7 October, he had tried to promote a blueprint for an alternative Gaza administration made up of Palestinians. Those efforts “got no response” from various decision-making cabinet forums under Mr Netanyahu, said Mr Gallant, who comes from the prime minister’s Likud Party.
“I call on the prime minister to announce that Israel will not rule over Gaza militarily,” Mr Gallant said. “An alternative to Hamas governance should be established … Indecision will erode the military gains [of the war].” Fellow war cabinet member Benny Gantz voiced support for Mr Gallant, saying he “spoke the truth”.
The incident took place in Handlova, a small mining town about 120 miles northeast of the capital Bratislava, after a government meeting on Wednesday.
The 59-year-old premier was hit in the stomach during the broad daylight attack, and underwent major surgery.
Robert Fico’s security team bundled him into a car after he was shot (Reuters)
A man was detained after the shooting and is in custody (Reuters)
Speaking late on Wednesday, deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba said the operation “went well” and added: “I guess in the end he will survive … he’s not in a life-threatening situation at this moment.”
After the incident, Fico was bundled into a car by his security team before being taken to hospital for treatment.
A suspect, understood to be a 71-year-old former security guard, has been detained after dramatic images showed a man handcuffed on the ground.
The shooting occurred in front of the local House of Culture, where Mr Fico came to meet with supporters.
“I was just going to shake his hand,” said a man who witnessed the shooting. His wife said she “almost became deaf” after hearing three or four shots ring out.
A post on Mr Fico’s Facebook page following the shooting described his condition as life-threatening. A spokesperson for Handlova Hospital, where Mr Fico was first treated, said he was conscious when he arrived and that medics there were able to stabilise his “life functions”. He was later transferred to a higher-level hospital by helicopter.
The prime minister is undergoing treatment in hospital (AFP/Getty)
Pictures later showed Mr Fico – covered by a blanket and surrounded by medics – being wheeled into a hospital in Banska Bystrica, a city about a 45-minute drive from Handlova. Deputy speaker Lubos Blaha adjourned the day’s session of parliament until further notice.
Slovakian president Zuzana Caputova condemned “a brutal and ruthless” attack on the premier.
“I’m shocked,” Ms Caputova said. “I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment and a quick recovery from this attack.”
In a later statement, Ms Caputova said that “a physical attack on the prime minister is primarily an attack on a person, but also on democracy”.
Peter Pellegrini, Slovakia’s president-elect and an ally of Mr Fico, described the attack as “a threat to everything that has adorned Slovak democracy so far”.
“I am horrified by where the hatred towards another political opinion can lead,” he added.
“We don’t have to agree on everything but there are plenty of ways to express our disagreement democratically and legally.”
The prime minister was taken to hospital in Handlova before being transferred to Banska Bystrica by helicopter (Google Maps)
Leaders across Europe began to condemn the shooting and send their best wishes to Mr Fico and his family.
“I strongly condemn the vile attack on prime minister Robert Fico,” EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on X.
“Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good.
“My thoughts are with PM Fico and his family.”
Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland and former president of the EU Council, said: “Shocking news from Slovakia. Robert, my thoughts are with you in this very difficult moment.”
Rishi Sunak said: “Shocked to hear this awful news. All our thoughts are with prime minister Fico and his family.
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato secretary general, said he was shocked and appalled by the shooting.
“The news about the shooting of Slovak prime minister Robert Fico is shocking,” said Czech prime minister Petr Fiala. “I wish the prime minister to get well as soon as possible. We must not tolerate violence, it must have no place in society.”
Fico is wheeled into hospital in Banska Bystrica after being wounded in a shooting in Handlova (AP)
Following the shooting, Slovakia’s biggest opposition party called off a planned protest against government public broadcaster reforms set for Wednesday evening.
The Slovak government meeting in Handlova was part of a tour of the country’s regions by Mr Fico after he returned to power last year.
He is in his fourth stint as prime minister after his scandal-tainted leftist Smer, or Direction, party won Slovakia’s parliamentary election at the end of September 2023 on a pro-Russian and anti-American platform. He formed a parliamentary majority by signing a coalition government deal with the leftist Hlas, or Voice, party and the ultranationalist Slovak National Party.
Slovakia, a country of 5.5 million people that shares a border with Ukraine, had been – up to that point – a staunch supporter of Kyiv since Russia invaded in February 2022, donating arms and opening its borders for refugees fleeing the war.
Mr Fico stopped that military aid and opposed EU sanctions on Russia while wanting to block Ukraine from joining Nato. During the election, Mr Fico vowed to pursue a “sovereign” foreign policy, promised a tough stance against migration and non-governmental organisations and campaigned against LGBT+ rights.
Known for his tirades against journalists, Mr Fico has previously labelled a major television network, two nationwide newspapers and an online news site his enemies and said he won’t communicate with them.
The prime minister is an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin (AFP/Getty)
Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban said he was shocked by the attack (AP)
In April, Slovakia’s government approved controversial plans for an overhaul of the country’s public radio and TV broadcasting – a move critics said would result in the government taking full control of the media.
During a three-decade career, Mr Fico has moved between the pro-European mainstream and nationalistic positions opposed to European Union and US policies, his latest election win being based around the latter. He has also shown a willingness to change course depending on public opinion or changed political realities.
Mr Fico, the son of a forklift truck driver and shop worker, grew up in Topolcany, a small town in Slovakia’s west, in what was then Czechoslovakia – a satellite state of the Soviet Union.
He attended local primary and secondary schools, then signed up to study law at the respected Comenius University, 100km away in the capital, Bratislava.
In 1986, a 23-year-old Fico joined the Communist Party and in 1988 he married a fellow lawyer.
World leaders have offered their support to Fico following the attack (AP)
The shooting comes three weeks ahead of crucial European parliamentary elections, in which populist and hard-right parties in the 27-nation bloc appear poised to make gains.
Slovakia’s major opposition parties, Progressive Slovakia and Freedom and Solidarity, cancelled a planned protest against a controversial government plan to overhaul public broadcasting that they say would give the government full control of public radio and television.
“We absolutely and strongly condemn violence and today’s shooting of premier Robert Fico,” said Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Simecka.
“At the same time, we call on all politicians to refrain from any expressions and steps which could contribute to further increasing the tension.”
Milan Nic, a former adviser to the deputy foreign minister of Slovakia, said that the attack was unfortunately not an “isolated incident”.
He said he was “sorry” to say that he believed the shooting had been “coming” due to the country’s increasingly polarised politics – and threats made against politicians on social media – as he called for calm on all sides.
Fico speaking with supporters on Wednesday before the shooting (AP)
“I would expect all leaders of the parties in parliament to step up in front of the cameras and call on their supporters to calm down,” he said.
He urged them “to unite in condemnation of this act and to stop with the threats against the lives of politicians, to set back from the brink”.
He added: “We are at the edge of an abyss. This terrible incident – an assassination attempt – should be a wake-up call to step back from that abyss.
“And not only in my country, but I think throughout Europe and the Western world.”
Mr Fico and his Smer party won Slovakia’s 30 September parliamentary elections.
Critics worried Slovakia under Fico would abandon the country’s pro-Western course and follow the direction of Hungary under Mr Orban, who congratulated Mr Putin on his re-election in Russia’s sham presidential election in March.
Thousands have repeatedly rallied in the capital and across Slovakia to protest against his policies.
Grammy award-winning artist, Burna Boy, has openly declared his respect for a select group of Nigerian music industry veterans, including Timaya, D’banj, Larry Gaaga, 2Baba, and Wande Coal.
The artist made these remarks during a recent Instagram live session with fans, responding to veteran producer ID Cabasa’s call for younger Nigerian singers to honour industry legends.
According to Burna Boy, these artists have played pivotal roles in his life and career, marking them as the only true ‘OGs’ he acknowledges.
“Timaya showed me that achieving stardom was possible. I will respect him for the rest of my life,” he expressed, highlighting the personal impact these figures have had on his journey in music.
Burna Boy also appreciated D’banj for his early support, noting, “D’banj supported me back then. He paid for the ‘Wan Da Mo’ video.” This kind of backing during his formative years in the industry is something Burna Boy holds in high regard.
Larry Gaaga and 2Baba were not left out of his accolades. Burna Boy recounted the support he received from Larry Gaaga during challenging times and appreciated 2Baba for collaborating with him when he was less known.
“These are people I will respect for the rest of my life,” he added.
The singer also chuckled as he made a light-hearted comment about ID Cabasa’s influence, suggesting that while Cabasa might be a legend to others like Olamide, personal experiences shape individual perceptions of who qualifies as an OG in the industry.
Burna Boy’s comments come amid a debate over who is Nigeria’s biggest music artist, between himself, Davido, and Wizkid, whom Nigerians refer to as the “big three.”
I think This Is Us is one of the best TV shows to have ever been written. So listening to the new rewatch podcast, That Was Us, hosted by Mandy Moore, Sterling K Brown and Chris Sullivan, was a real treat.
The first episode took me back to how floored I was after watching the pilot episode, where Rebecca (Moore) went into early labour, Randall (Brown) finds his biological father (Ron Cephas Jones), Kevin (Justin Hartley) faces a personal and professional crisis and Kate (Chrissy Metz) finds herself at a low point.
The co-hosts first talk about how they got the role and their first table read – which is also when they first met each other – and how tricky it can be because not everyone brings their A-game. But luckily for them, the script was extraordinary and everyone did.
Police officers chase runaway emu around Ohio field
It was heartwarming to hear some of the stars of the show have a candid conversation about such a pivotal point in their careers. They are thoughtful and honest and still have that family bond, which imitates the very essence of the show. “There’s a certain level of objectivity that is hard to have when you are in the midst of everything,” Brown admits, and I agree.
Maybe I should rewatch the show alongside Moore, Brown and Sullivan, and experience that moment again, the one when I realised that all the characters are connected at the end of the pilot.
(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)
2. Nobody Panic
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Genre: Comedy
Nobody Panic, produced by Plosive Podcasts and hosted by Tessa Coates and Stevie Martin, has reached its 300th episode.
To mark what is truly a remarkable milestone, for a podcast that has proven to be a listener’s guidebook to navigating adulthood without screaming all the time, the co-hosts tackle a big, small, fun and sometimes scary question: how to plan a wedding?
Without panicking, the pair take that bold step and share a lot of advice for anyone about to tie the knot – well for Coates, who is getting married, it’s equivalent to wading into admin hell.
Usually, people are told to not mention that they are planning a proper wedding when making enquiries to vendors because the price bracket automatically doubles. But Coates and Martin think otherwise, to avoid any disappointment.
A surprising revelation was Coates also revealing that she had accidentally set up an entire company to reduce the price of plates. I think there’s an art to not taking yourself too seriously, and Coates and Martin do it well.
(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)
3. I Think You Should Read
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms
Genre: Arts
The second Acast Amplifier podcast in Ireland, I Think You Should Read, hosted by bookworms Rachel and Áine is a great podcast for people who race through books and are always looking for their next read.
Thanks to the highly successful podcast incubator programme – this time in Ireland – Rachel and Áine were able to produce and launch their new podcast and receive benefits worth a maximum of €100,000, including a €2,000 grant.
The premise is that the hosts ask their guests what book they think everyone should read and why. And then go and read it for themselves and judge it very harshly. But in this week’s episode, the co-hosts are pretty impressed with what their guest Mark O’Connell, author of A Thread of Violence: A Story of Truth, Invention, and Murder, has recommended – The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception by Emmanuel Carrère.
It’s always great hearing people talk about why they love and hate books because it’s all so subjective, and that’s what makes I Think You Should Read such a fascinating podcast.
(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)
4. Pass the Meerkat
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube
Genre: Comedy
When Pass the Meerkat, created by 9ine Degrees, released the first episode of their animated series and podcast in 2019, it was an innovative and exciting offering to the podcast space.
In the latest episode, co-hosts and friends Peter Olasoji, Peter Adebayo, Mansur Saadu, Tim Akinbogun, Deji Maxwell, Vish Patel, Emmanuel Jaiyeola, Sheikh Sesay and Fabion Simms, who was welcomed back after taking some paternity leave to focus on his newborn son, mostly speak about Adebayo’s recent destination wedding and his stag do in France.
But before he spoke about how marriage has given him a new sense of responsibility and why he had so many of his family and friends present – 21 to be precise – Olasoji talks about how fatherhood has been so far.
Think boy’s WhatsApp group chat and hilarious animated skits, the lads on Pass the Meerkat all have interesting takes on a variety of topics and can share some crazy stories in such an engaging way. But I think how palpable their long-term friendship is – some met at university – is what I love the most about it.
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube
Genre: Personal stories
In the latest episode of Lagos Meets London, a podcast that launched in February 2023 and aims to bridge the gap between both the vibrant and dynamic cultures of Lagos and London, hosts Toyosi Ojulari, Alice Oyeniyi and Hakeem Badru talk to the first woman to solo drive from London to Lagos, Nigeria, Pelumi Nubi.
After a quick game of naming as many countries in Africa, they asked Nubi, who is now an ambassador of Nigeria tourism, about the ups and downs of her travels. Particularly about her experience in Liberia, where she struggled to cross the border and had to sleep in her right-handed purple Peugeot car called Lumi for two nights.
Before embarking on this life-changing trip, the solo travel advocate and founder of luxury travel agency Oremi Travels shared that she has already visited over 80 countries – 87 to be exact – but knew that this trip would be different, after going from 12,000 followers on Instagram to 100,000 after just announcing her intentions.
Lagos Meets London made Nubi feel right at home, which helped to set the relaxed, comedic and frank tone of the episode. They were genuinely curious, proud and inspired by her achievements, which I’m sure many listeners would be too.
(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)
6. God is my Creative Director
Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube
Genre: Arts
When Buku approached multidisciplinary artist Laci Jordan at Everyday People, she was initially anxious. But after their short yet meaningful interaction, Jordan quickly went to make a note of some of the affirmations the founder and host of God is my Creative Director (GIMC) showered her with. “You are the personification of possibility,” Buku told Jordan on the dance floor.
Apart from this being such a beautiful way to meet her next guest, it perfectly illustrates the heart behind the LMN Creative Studios-produced show, which invites creatives and entrepreneurs from various spaces to have faith-inspired conversations about God’s role in their journeys.
After working at CAA as a senior graphic designer, Jordan needed a job that would accommodate how much she was evolving but couldn’t find the right role until she realised that the answer was her all along.
Hearing Jordan talk so passionately to Buku about being more than enough, how she initially grappled with identifying as a creative, imposter syndrome, the urges she has to pivot, comparison and why she refuses to put herself in a box, was so refreshing.
Short sleep and insomnia can devastate the body and accelerate old age. Scientists have evidence that every sleepless night not only affects our well-being, but also increases our subjective age.
Sleep is a key element of mental and physical health, and lack of it makes us feel tired, lethargic and deprived of energy.
What does this mean for us and can this process be reversed? Scientists have conducted studies that have shown how much lack of sleep affects the aging process.
Scientists from the University of Stockholm conducted research that showed that insufficient sleep can accelerate the aging process of the body by up to several years.
Sleep accelerates old age
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Sleep is a key element of mental and physical health
In the first study, scientists examined 429 people aged 18 to 70, asking about their subjective age and sleep habits. The research results may be surprising, because it turned out that each sleepless night increased their subjective age by an average of 0.23 years.
For another study, scientists involved 186 people aged 18 to 46 who slept only four hours for two nights and nine hours for the next two nights. Reducing the amount of sleep increased their subjective age by as much as 4.4 years.
Research has also shown that people with the early bird sleep chronotype have a lower subjective age than those who are most active in the evening and go to bed very late. However, sleep disorders are more difficult to cope with.
How insufficient sleep affects you
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Short sleep and insomnia can devastate the body and accelerate old age
Insufficient sleep makes us feel older. Sleep deficiency may not only weaken immunity, but also worsen mental condition, weaken cognitive functions, and cause memory problems.
Research has shown that changing your sleep habits and practicing better sleep hygiene can significantly improve your well-being and prevent premature aging.
In addition, it is also worth taking care of physical activity, leading a healthy lifestyle and moving regularly. Movement, especially outdoors, oxygenates the body, stimulates the circulatory system and causes more nutrients to reach individual organs.
An oxygenated body regenerates more easily, so after a long walk we fall asleep and rest faster.
How to speed up sleep?
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Insufficient sleep can accelerate the aging process of the body by up to several years
People who suffer from insomnia and sleep disorders should change their evening habits.
It is good to take a walk every day before going to bed (if possible) and to air the bedrooms thoroughly.
In addition, experts recommend limiting the use of electronic devices, not watching stimulating films or series, and turning off social media. Blue light emission can disrupt melanin production and worsen insomnia problems.
Singer Adekunle Gold has poured encomiums on the legendary musician, Innocent Idibia, aka 2Baba, as his debut solo album, ‘Face2Face’ turns 20.
According to Gold, the project is “undeniably the blueprint for Afrobeats.”
He noted that the ‘African Queen’ hitmaker’s timeless artistry and influence continue to inspire generations of musicians.
Sharing the album cover via his X handle, Adekunle Gold wrote: “God bless you, @official2baba! 20 years ago, you dropped a project that’s undeniably the blueprint for Afrobeats.
“Your timeless artistry and influence continue to inspire generations of musicians and fans alike.”
2Baba, then known as 2Face, released his debut solo album, ‘Face2Face’ on May 15, 2003, after breaking away from the boy band, Plantashun Boiz.
The album, which arrived under Kennis Music, housed the lead single ‘Nfana Ibaga’ and the classic ‘African Queen,’ which transcended the Nigerian and African soundscape.
‘Face2Face’ is regarded by music buffs as the blueprint for debut albums in the Afrobeats scene.
Abill for an act to establish the Federal Polytechnic in Onueke, Ezza LGA of Ebonyi, scaled second reading in the Senate on Wednesday.
This followed the presentation of the general principles of the bill by the sponsor, Kenneth Eze (APC-Ebonyi), at plenary on Wednesday.
Presenting the bill, Mr Eze said it was read first on August 1, 2023.
He said the school was an initiative that had the potential to advance human capital development and provide an assured future for youths in Nigeria and Ebonyi in particular.
He said that although education remained a cornerstone of any progressive society, there was still more work to be done to address the skill-based educational needs of underserved regions.
He said polytechnics were renowned for providing practical and skill-based education, specialising in technical disciplines, ICT and applied sciences.
“By establishing a Federal Polytechnic in Onueke, Ezza South LGA, Ebonyi State ensures that the youth of this region have access to quality technical education.”
He said the technical education would enable them to acquire the skills needed for technical competence and self-employment in an increasingly competitive labour market.
Contributing, Jimoh Ibrahim (APC-Ondo) urged the federal government to not only establish the school but also see to the establishment of federal polytechnics in all the senatorial districts to drive and ensure science and technology education in Nigeria.
Mr Ibrahim said the number of young people who finished secondary school annually in Nigeria was on the increase, hence the need to establish more polytechnics to prepare them for skill, science and technology-based education.
Victor Umeh (LP-Anambra) also supported the bill and called for efforts to ensure that the school focuses on the delivery of technical education, given the high number of youths in the state in search of technical and science education.
Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin (APC-Kano), who presided over the plenary, referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Education and Tertiary Institutions for further legislative input to return in two weeks.
The Sokoto State House of Assembly on Tuesday summoned the state Commissioner for Health, Asabe Balarabe, to appear before its committee next Tuesday after failure to honour previous invitations.
The Chairman, House Committee on Health, Kabiru Dauda (APC-Gada East), announced the resolution after the committee’s meeting with the contractor handling the construction of Premier Hospital Binji and the Chief Medical Director of Orthopaedic Hospital Wamakko.
The committee had summoned these officials after identifying irregularities during its oversight visit on May 7.
Mr Dauda expressed disappointment that in spite of two invitations by the committee, the commissioner did not respond in writing or send any representative.
“As lawmakers, we are committed to ensuring the best for our people and protecting the government. Disregarding our invitation is a violation of legislative empowerment and the rule of law. Consequently, the committee ordered the commissioner to appear at the assembly on May 21, at 12:00 pm without fail,” he started.
Regarding the Premier Hospital in Binji, situated in the headquarters of Binji Local Government Area of the state, Mr Dauda expressed the committee’s total rejection of the project’s execution.
He highlighted discrepancies in quality compared to a similar project in Tambuwal LGA despite the fact that both contractors received a 30 per cent down payment.
Mr Dauda lamented the poor quality of work and directed the contractor to return to the site promptly and rectify the deficiencies.
Similarly, concerning the Wamakko Orthopaedic Hospital in Wamakko LGA, the committee resolved to investigate the circumstances surrounding the missing medical equipment from the newly-constructed sections of the facility.
The chairman expressed concern over how unauthorised individuals accessed the hospital and stole vital facilities intended for the benefit of the people of the state and beyond.
Popular Nigerian singer, Adekunle Gold has commended legendary musician, Innocent Idibia, aka 2Baba, as his debut solo album, ‘Face2Face’ turns 20.
Gold insisted that the veteran’s timeless artistry and influence is an inspiration to generations of Nigerians.
According to the musician, the African Queen project is “undeniably the blueprint for Afrobeats.”
Sharing the album cover via his X handle, Adekunle Gold wrote: “God bless you, @official2baba! 20 years ago, you dropped a project that’s undeniably the blueprint for Afrobeats.
“Your timeless artistry and influence continue to inspire generations of musicians and fans alike.”
2Baba, then known as 2Face, released his debut solo album, ‘Face2Face’ on May 15, 2003, after breaking away from the boy band, Plantashun Boiz.
The House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions has condemned the assault on a female doctor by family members of a deceased patient at the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Nasarawa State.
The Chairman of the Committee, Amos Magaji, made the committee’s stance known shortly after members carried out an oversight visit at the FMC Keffi in Keffi Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday.
The four members of a deceased patient allegedly assaulted a female doctor on Tuesday, at about 11pm on the premises of the medical centre.
The victim was slapped several times while trying to pass a walkway overcrowded by the deceased patient’s family members.
Reacting to the development, Mr Magaji who said addressing the incident was the committee’s first engagement on entering the medical centre for their oversight function described it as unacceptable.
He said, “As a committee, we condemn it in clear terms. It is unacceptable for anybody to harass and assault any health worker. Anybody who does that will be handled accordingly. The law of Nigeria will take full effect to ensure that assault, intimidation, harassment of health workers must stop by all means.’’
He assured that his committee would ensure those accused of assaulting the female doctor were prosecuted and made to face the wrath of the law to serve as a deterrent to others.
“If we allow this to pass, people will continue to do it. We don’t want a situation where somebody will stab a doctor. We will bring these people to book and ensure they are punished,” he said.
Mr Magaji added that the committee also went round the medical centre and inspected projects executed by management of the centre within the 2022 and 2023 budget framework.
“Coming into this hospital, what we noticed is that the budgetary allocation for the hospital is by far too low to handle the patient load of this hospital. Nevertheless we have heard the challenges facing the hospital and we will see to it that intervention is done for this hospital and of course in the 2025 appropriation we will ensure enough money is appropriated for the hospital,” he said.
In an interview, the Chief Medical Director of FMC Keffi, Dr Ysahaya Adamu, appreciated the visit of the House of Representatives committee which he said would afford them to know firsthand some of the challenges facing the medical centre.
He said, “We thank them for coming and making very objective assessment of the situation we are in and I am sure they will look at us differently in the next year budget.’’
Mr Adamu who said that one of the four accused of assaulting a female doctor in the hospital had already been arrested assured that every necessary step was already being taken in conjunction with security agencies to arrest the remaining three to face justice.
