Category Nigeria News

White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signalling that cardinals locked inside have elected a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Thousands of pilgrims and curious onlookers in St Peter’s Square cheered and applauded as the smoke appeared and bells began to ring, indicating the 2,000-year-old institution has its 267th pope.

All eyes now turn to the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, to see who has been elected to succeed Pope Francis, an Argentine reformer who died last month after 12 years as leader of the worldwide Church.

The new pontiff will be introduced in Latin with his chosen papal name and address the world for the first time.

He faces a momentous task: as well as asserting his moral voice on a conflict-torn global stage, he faces burning Church issues from the continued fall-out from the sexual abuse scandal to the Vatican’s troubled balance sheets.

Some 133 “Princes of the Church” from five continents — the largest conclave ever — began voting on Wednesday afternoon.

Sworn to secrecy, on pain of excommunication, their only means of communicating their progress to the outside world was by sending up smoke through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

On Wednesday evening and then again on Thursday lunchtime, the smoke was black, emitting disappointed sighs from the tens of thousands watching.

But on Thursday afternoon just after 6pm (1600 GMT) the smoke emitted was white, confirming that the Catholic Church has a new spiritual leader.

By tradition, he now enters the Room of Tears — where freshly-elected popes give free rein to their emotions — to don a papal cassock for the first time, before returning to the Sistine Chapel so the cardinals can pledge their obedience.

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Akwa, Anambra State capital, for an official visit, where he is expected to inaugurate several “legacy” projects of the state government.

Persecondnews reports that the Nigerian leader touched down at the Chinua Achebe International Airport in Umueri at about 12:17 pm, wearing an Akwete Igbo fabric with a red cap to match.

Tinubu was warmly received by Anambra Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, his Deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, members of the House of Assembly, and other top dignitaries.

Following a ceremonial gun salute from the Nigerian Armed Forces, the President and Governor Soludo proceeded to the commissioning ceremony venue in the governor’s official vehicle.

According to Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, the President is expected to inaugurate several projects, including the new State Government House, Solution Fun City, the new Governor’s Lodge, and the revamped House of Assembly.

“The President will commission some ‘legacy’ projects completed by the Soludo administration,” Obiogbolu said.

During the visit, President Tinubu will also host a high-level Town Hall meeting with key stakeholders in the state at the newly refurbished Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka.

In order to address socio-political tensions, particularly the Rivers State crisis, the Senate has announced plans to work closely with the Executive.

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the leader of the Senate, stated in a statement released on Monday that the main objectives of the country’s reconciliation are to reconcile key stakeholders and address root causes in the interest of national stability and reconciliation.

The upper chamber, according to the statement, will be the first item on the agenda as lawmakers resume with the 2024 Tax Reform Bills.

Senate Over Emergency Rule in Rivers Session READ ALSO.

Its passage makes it necessary to overhaul the federation’s tax system and increase its revenue. This will also aid all levels of government in putting together projects and delivering democracy’s benefits.

The Senate raised questions about the state of insecurity in states like Plateau, Borno, Katsina, and Benue. In light of this, Senator Bamidele emphasized that the legislature would conduct more consultations with security organizations to come up with new strategies to combat terrorism and restore peace in the regions affected.

The South-South Development Commission officials were among the appointments that the Presidency made during the recess. In the upcoming days, the Senate is expected to begin screening these nominees.

Protesters stormed the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) in Area 3 of&nbsp, Abuja on Monday, demanding the immediate release of popular social media influencer m, Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).

Persecondnews correspondent, who was at the scene of the protest, reports that demonstrators gathered at the new generation bank in Abuja as early as 8am, chanting “#FreeVDM” and carrying placards bearing messages such as”Activism is not a sin”, and “VDM has committed no offence”.

They accused the authorities of “unjustly targeting” the activist.

Bankole Ojo, one of the protesters, questioned the EFCC’s involvement in cyberstalking cases, saying, “What’s the business of EFCC with cyberstalking? Is cyberstalking now a fraud case”?

Another protester, Antonio Bamiyi, said: “If GTBank knows they don’t have a hand in it, they should put out a statement instead of CCTV footage. VDM is the voice of the voiceless, EFCC should release him so the protest will end”.

The protesters vowed to continue demonstrating until VDM is freed.

Persecondnews recalls that VeryDarkMan was arrested by EFCC operatives on&nbsp, Friday May 2, over alleged cyberstalking.

His lawyer, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, claimed VDM was ambushed and arrested within the bank premises, an incident that has sparked widespread outrage, with many accusing the EFCC of cracking down on dissent.

“VDM was locked inside the GTB exit door for over five minutes to enable EFCC to arrest him and his friend”, Adeyanju said.

GTBank, has however, denied any involvement in the arrest, releasing CCTV footage that shows VDM walking out of the banking hall towards the car park shortly before his detention.

The protesters questioned the bank’s alleged role in the arrest and condemned what they described as an attempt to silence the influencer for his outspoken activism.

Contacted, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale explained that VDM’s arrest followed multiple petitions alleging misconduct.

“We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners”, he said.

American media stocks fell on Monday after President Donald Trump unveiled a 100% tariff on all movies produced outside the U.S.

When implemented,  the increase could sharply raise costs for Hollywood studios and rattle the global entertainment industry.

Trump’s announcement was short on details. It did not say whether the levies will target films on streaming platforms and those shown in theatres, nor did it specify if the tariffs will be calculated based on production costs or box office revenue.

American movies generated $22.6 billion in exports and a trade surplus of $15.3 billion in 2023, according to the American Motion Picture and Television Industry.

A survey conducted by ProdPro among studio executives regarding their preferred production locations for 2025 to 2026 showed that the top five choices were all outside the U.S.

Streaming pioneer Netflix could particularly be at risk, analysts told Reuters, as it relies on its global production network to produce content for international audiences. Its shares fell 4.9% in premarket action, leading a slide in media stocks.

READ ALSO: Trump Plans ‘100% Tariff’ On All Movies Produced Abroad

Despite Los Angeles’s longstanding reputation as the hub of cinema, studios have over the years shifted production overseas to locations such as the UK due to attractive tax breaks and lower costs. None of the 10 best picture contenders for this year’s Oscars were filmed in the Californian city.

A forced move back to the U.S. would likely drive up production budgets for an industry that now relies on a global supply chain, with shoots in Europe, post-production hubs in Canada and visual effects teams spread across Southeast Asia.