In their first innings of the one-off Test match at Trent Bridge, Zimbabwe are defeated by Sam Cook to take their first Test wicket for England.
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Umo Eno, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, has instructed all of his commissioners and appointees to either defect from their positions or resign.
Governor Eno confirmed what has been rumored as rumors on social media for a while when he issued the directive on Thursday at the State Executive Council.
If you haven’t heard that I’m moving party by now, you should know what else, according to Governor Eno.
He informed the commissioners and appointees that they are not required to join him in the APC and that they cannot permit them to remain in his cabinet while they are members of another party.
READ ALSO:  : Supporting Tinubu’s Second Term Isn’t a PDP – Umo Eno Betrayed.
“So, we want our commissioners, members of the Excos, appointees, because some of you are telling me not to join me, that you are free, that you are absolutely free, but that you won’t be in my state executive council,” commissioners, and members of the Excos have been informed.
You should just be prepared to resign as soon as I announce that I’m moving because you are an appointee and I value your loyalty. You can’t play anti-party in my cabinet; it’s just a threat. You should normally not even anticipate it, he told the appointees. “I won’t beg you to come,” he said.
The governor claimed that despite his admiration for the PDP, he cannot guarantee a winning outcome in the party’s ongoing internal conflict.
I support the PDP, and I want to continue, but it’s obvious that I don’t have a plan in place to ensure that our elections will go smoothly, not because we won’t win. We will win this election in this state today thanks to the hard work that everyone of us has put forth, even if we run against a single party. There is no denying that. Although we’ve put a lot of effort into it, we are aware that our party is not unified at the national level.
Mark Jones, 59, the former Wales dual-code rugby player, passed away.
Jones was reportedly killed by a heart attack while working out in a Middle Eastern gym, according to Wales Rugby League.
Prior to joining Tredegar RFC, Jones moved to Neath in 1985, one of the dominant teams in Welsh rugby, where he started his senior rugby career in union with the local side Tredegar Ironsides.
While playing for Neath, the number eight quickly established himself as one of the “hard men” of the game, and throughout his career in both codes he frequently received punishment for violent conduct on the field.
Jones, however, did not suffer from his international success, and he spent 15 years playing rugby league for Wales before joining Hull.
At the age of 21, he scored a late try on debut in a 21-15 defeat to make his Wales bow in union against Scotland at Murrayfield in March 1987.
After switching codes to the league in October 1990 as part of a Welsh exodus, Jones injured a number of ankles, initially limiting his time playing for Hull.
In the 13-man game, Jones won 11 caps for Wales, including two during the renowned 1995 World Cup campaign, in which Wales advanced to the semi-finals. In February 1992, he also played one game for Great Britain against France.
After four seasons with Hull, Jones spent one season at Warrington before reuniting with Ebbw Vale.
His time with the Steelmen turned out to be the most notorious of his career, with Stuart Evans, a well-known Wales prop, being banned for four weeks with both of them.
Then, in the 1998-99 league season against Pontypridd, Jones struck a young Ian Gough, requiring eye surgery on his eye socket. Referee Derek Bevan sent him off with a third three-week ban.
In spite of his crimes, Jones won his 15th and final cap in June 1998 against Zimbabwe, just before he turned 33. He was then given a recall to Wales and was given a recall.
Before the end of his career, Jones worked as a lab technician for an international oil company in the Middle East for Pontypool and Aberavon.
Jones took rugby coaching during his time at the academy.
In his autobiography Fighting To Speak, Jones released a reflection on his turbulent career in 2023.
Lyn Jones, a former Wales flanker and Neath, was among those who paid tribute to his former teammate.
Mark was a gentleman, according to Lyn Jones, who spent six or seven seasons at the Gnoll with the help of the back row.
He was a very uncompromising player, Mark, and a real pleasure to play with, but unfortunately, many other people.
Lyn Jones claimed that Mark Jones’ autobiography was a genuine, objective appraisal of his life, which “helped him put his entire life out there and became his legacy, really.”
Jones, a former Ospreys coach, continued, “He was able to correct himself in many ways and overcome his speech impediment because of it. And, you know, getting to know him for the first time in two years after being away for a while was wonderful.
Jones was a giant in both codes, according to Clive Griffiths, who served as his coach for the Wales Rugby League for a while. His later selection for the Great Britain team speaks for his skill as a player.
He played rugby for Wales until the rugby union returned to the professional level in 1995. He was a constant member of the Welsh squad from 1991 to 1995.
Everyone admired him first and foremost as a man. His book is just so fascinating to read about his life, which I just read.
It’s like losing a member of my family, in my opinion. The team of 1995 has a very tight relationship with us, and we stay in touch. Right now, it’s difficult to explain how intensely that group of players feels.
Banana producer Chiquita has announced mass layoffs in Panama amid an ongoing strike.
The United States-owned banana giant said on Friday it was letting “all” daily labourers go for the “unjustified abandonment of work at our plantations”.
Workers have been on strike for more than a month, as part of nation-wide industrial action protesting new social security laws lowering pensions. The government has branded the strikes “illegal” and said the sackings are the result of workers ‘ “intransigence”.
Chiquita said in a statement that the strike had caused “irreversible damage..]and] at least $75 million in losses”, adding that those affected by the layoffs are required to collect severance payments.
The company did not elaborate on the number of people affected by the decision. However, the Reuters news agency reported that about 5, 000 workers out of 6, 500 have lost their jobs, referring to an unnamed source.
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino defended Chiquita’s actions at a news conference on Thursday.
“The company will have to act accordingly, dismissing those necessary to save its operation in Bocas]a Caribbean province in Panama]. Believe me, it hurts me, but this intransigence is not good”, he said.
“The strike is illegal”, Mulino added. “The next step according to the Labour Code is dismissal with just cause because this is a de facto strike, not a legitimate strike”.
However, Francisco Smith, secretary-general of the Banana Industry Workers Union (Sitraibana), told the Panamanian television channel Telemetro on Thursday that the strike was legal because the “deputies who approved bill 462 harmed the banana sector”.
Passed in March, Bill 462 introduced changes to the Social Security Fund that could lead to a possible reduction in pensions.
The introduction of the law led to significant anger, with unions, including banana workers, joining a national strike on April 23.
The government and Sitraibana held a preliminary meeting on Thursday to discuss amendments to the bill, which would include protections for banana farmers.
Still, Smith said, “the strike continues, we continue fighting in the streets… The strike is indefinite”.
The banana industry makes up the country’s economy in large part.
The Princess of Wales was left in fits of giggles after an awkward moment during a challenge with Prince William. The royal couple headed to Scotland for the official naming ceremony of HMS Glasgow, the first of eight Type 26 anti-submarine frigates to be built in the city.
Kate is the sponsor of the vessel and pressed a button to smash an exclusive bottle of whisky into the hull to cheers and applause. After the ceremony, the couple had a tour of the vessel, which is being fitted out, before meeting staff from BAE Systems, apprentices and members of HMS Glasgow’s company in a nearby training centre.
READ MORE: Prince William’s unexpected response after fan comments on Kate Middleton’s appearance
They then competed to complete a pipe puzzle connecting pieces of copper piping – a secondary school Stem activity – under the watchful eye of BAE apprentices.
The prince later complained he did not realise it was a competition, saying to laughter from Kate, “It’s a race? – that’s fine, then I’ll race”. However, William was left disappointed when it was Kate who was declared the winner.
But just as she looked to celebrate, one of the pipes on her structure fell down causing the princess to catch it – leaving her in floods of laughter.
Afterwards, apprentice Natalie Black guided Kate through the test and said afterwards: “We had a little discussion about what her kids get up to and I complimented her on how well she was doing up the bolts and she said it was just like playing with the kids’ toys.”
Kate was given another task – to complete a traditional ship’s clinometer, which measures the lean angle of a vessel – and tightened a wing nut on the simple tool which will go on display on HMS Glasgow’s bridge.
During the reception, the princess repeatedly spoke about how impressed she was by the sheer scale of the ship, the number of people involved in the build and the technology on board.
Talking to the ship’s company and their families, she said: “It’s so exciting to see it all come together, all the technology is so impressive,” adding, “What’s really interesting as well is seeing the international interest.”
She admitted that she was still getting to grips with the naval language, telling one woman: “I’m still learning all my naval lingo. There are a lot of abbreviations that I don’t fully understand. I’ve got a lot to learn.”
Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Sir Martin Connell thanked the royal couple for their support and all those involved in the Type 26 endeavour.
He said: “From the first ever HMS Glasgow, sailing under the Royal Navy flag at the end of the 17th century to the ship we see here in the 21st century, HMS Glasgow has evolved and adapted to meet the warfighting and operational demands of its day.
“Each metamorphosis saw shipbuilders adapting materials and designs so that crews could operate each successive HMS Glasgow on operations and in conflict and war. The result of this being 11 battle honours – HMS Glasgow’s pedigree is awe-inspiring.”
“Game time is a challenge. It’s always been a little bit of a challenge for Northern Ireland squads”.
Since Michael O’Neill’s return as Northern Ireland manager in 2022, when he inherited a much younger squad than the one he had taken to Euro 2016 during his first stint, he has consistently stressed the need for his players to be playing as often as possible at as high a level as possible.
As such, the final weekend of the domestic seasons in England and Scotland could prove important for his international squad.
While the likes of Callum Marshall, Jamie Donley and Dale Taylor are on the books of Premier League teams, with that trio having spent the season on loan in League One, just two players in O’Neill’s 26-man squad for friendlies against Denmark and Iceland next month featured in England’s top tier this season.
Liverpool’s Conor Bradley picked up a Premier League winners ‘ medal, with Crystal Palace’s Justin Devenny doing likewise in the FA Cup.
However, citing the challenging experience of facing Alexander Isak in defeat by Sweden in March, O’Neill knows regular exposure to such talents would be hugely beneficial.
“In the past, we would have had more players playing their club football at a higher level”, he said.
“If you look back to the team that went to the Euros, there was probably maybe as many as six, seven, eight players playing at Premier League level and had played at that level for quite a number of years, most of their career, if not all of their career.
That could change for two of his panel on Saturday with key defenders Dan Ballard and Trai Hume involved in the Championship play-off for Sunderland against Sheffield United at Wembley.
Ballard came through the ranks at Arsenal but did not feature for the club before moving to the Stadium of Light in 2022, while Trai Hume took a different path to the Black Cats, playing more than 50 games in the Irish League.
O’Neill said he is” desperate “for Sunderland to achieve promotion, believing the pair are capable of playing Premier League football.
” I think sometimes we maybe underestimate our players in that situation. I do believe they are, “he said of their ability to step up a division.
” There would be a lot of clubs aware of how consistent they have been in the Championship, and we have seen other players step up from the Championship and do well in the Premier League, but it is a challenge.
“Sometimes, I believe, it’s preferable to join a team than to join a club. If you enter that position, as Sunderland might, you already have a strong club presence, and they are also considered first-choice players, which is crucial.
With Ethan Galbraith and Jamie Donley both on loan at Leyton Orient and competing in the League One play-off final on Sunday, O’Neill will also be monitoring that game.
Paddy McNair, 30, and George Saville, 31, both from Millwall, are the two most experienced players in Northern Ireland’s squad for the upcoming month’s games.
O’Neill believes his players are at the same stage of their professional and professional careers as their younger counterparts, but one that is still in its early stages with Nations League promotion secured in November.
He said, “I do believe the squad is progressing in two ways: it can progress when it joins as a team and they can progress when they return to their clubs.”
“I believe this squad is still a long way from where it should be in terms of where the players will be in their professional roles as well as their international careers,” he said.