Newcastle are showing interest in Jamie Gittens over a summer move, Wrexham are set to offer Fulham’s Tom Cairney a deal worth £50,000-a-week, Liverpool expect Florian Wirtz to stay in Germany.
Newcastle have scouted Borussia Dortmund’s 20-year-old English winger Jamie Gittens, and could also make a summer move for his team-mate, Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, 27. (Mail – subscription required)
Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney, 34, is a target for Championship-bound Wrexham, with the former Scotland international set to be offered a deal worth £50,000 a week when he leaves the Cottagers on a free transfer. (Talksport)
Liverpool expect Florian Wirtz to stay at Bayer Leverkusen or join Bayern Munich but will make an approach if the 22-year-old Germany attacking midfielder wants to leave the Bundesliga. (Times – subscription required)
Veteran English forward Jamie Vardy will leave Leicester City this summer but the 38-year-old has no intention to retire and believes he could still play in the Premier League. (Sky Sports)
Fresh talks between Bayern Munich and their 26-year-old France defender Dayot Upamecano have begun over a new deal until 2030. (Sky Germany)
Lazio will pay Arsenal a fee worth 9m euros (£7.57m) to sign 25-year-old Portuguese left-back Nuno Tavares in a loan deal with an obligation to buy. (Fabrizio Romano)
Manchester United and Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, 22, faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford with boss Ruben Amorim having to sell players before he can buy this summer. (Telegraph – subscription required)
Bournemouth have set a £45m price tag for their 21-year-old Hungary left-back Milos Kerkez, who is wanted by Liverpool. (iSport)
Unknown gunmen have abducted a traditional ruler in Kogi State, Oba James Ogunyanda, the Obalohun of Okoloke, from his residence in the early hours of Thursday.
The incident occurred around 2:00 a.m. in Okoloke, a quiet community in Yagba West Local Government Area, when a group of heavily armed men invaded the monarch’s palace.
A source, who identified himself as Lucky Omoyele, said the attackers overpowered palace guards before whisking the traditional ruler away to an unknown destination.
He revealed that the kidnappers have yet to make contact or issue any ransom demands.
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Omoyele added that concerned residents have since gathered at the palace to pray for the monarch’s safe return and are calling on the government to take urgent action.
The abduction is one of several recent incidents that have heightened insecurity in the area and left residents in a state of anxiety.
The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the incident and said an investigation is ongoing.
A joint task force comprising security operatives and local vigilantes has reportedly launched a manhunt to locate and rescue the monarch.
Also reacting, the Chairman of Yagba West Local Government Area, Tosin Olokun, condemned the abduction in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Adeyemi Sunday.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service swiftly contained a minor fire outbreak on Wednesday afternoon at Ifako Ijaiye General Hospital, located on Iju Road, Ifako Ijaiye, in Lagos.
The director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed the incident and the emergency team’s response.
The fire, which broke out in a nursing room on the second floor of the hospital’s main three-storey building, was reported at approximately 15:20 hours.
Emergency responders arrived promptly and successfully doused the flames, preventing the fire from spreading and causing further damage to the facility.
READ ALSO: 10 Killed In Fresh Plateau Attack Linked To Cattle Rustling, Farm Destruction
According to the statement, the incident was confined to the room where it originated due to the rapid intervention.
No casualties were recorded, and there was no disruption to healthcare services.
Normal operations have since resumed, with medical services to the public continuing without interruption.
The director noted that an investigation into the cause of the fire is currently underway.
Fire Alert!
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has successfully doused a minor fire incident that occurred in a nursing room on the second floor of the main three-storey building at Ifako Ijaiye General Hospital, located on Iju Road, Ifako Ijaiye, Lagos.
The Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, has disclosed that cement manufacturers in Nigeria have agreed to freeze the price of cement for Renewed Hope Projects.
He disclosed this after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in the State House, Abuja on Thursday.
Rabiu added that the initiative, which is to support the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, will apply to any contractor that is involved with renewed hope projects.
He said, “Alhaji Aliko Dangote of Dangote Cement approached me, and I concurred with him that we should do everything to support Mr President Renewed Hope Agenda, and we have decided that we are going to freeze the price of cement for any contractor that is involved with the renewed hope project, or projects.
“So, what it means is that any company or anybody that is involved or that is doing a project that is under renewed hope, the price of cement will be frozen. There will be no increase for the foreseeable future. We are doing that to support Mister President’s renewed hope initiative. And that is something that Alhaji Aliko Dangote actually proposed.
“I must say, I must give him credit, and I concur with him. So we’ve agreed. We are going to do that. We are going to send out the letter sometime next week to the ministry. And I also want to commend the Honorable Minister of Works, Engineer Umahi, for the initiative he took to ensure that all the roads are concrete roads.
“Because concrete roads are more durable, they take much longer, you know, in terms of durability and the price is going to be, the cost is going to be cheaper than even bitumen.”
‘We Will Keep Crashing Rice Prices’
The BUA Chairman also promised to keep the price of rice down, commending President Bola Tinubu for granting waiver on imported food items. He said that his “foresight” helped crash food prices in the country.
Rabiu said BUA Foods keyed into that policy and was able to import quite a lot of wheat, maize and rice.
“At the time food prices were really very high last year. For example, the price of rice was about N100,000 or thereabout per 50 kilo bag. The flour was about N80,000 per bag and maize was about N60,000 per 50 kilo bag, and pasta above N20,000 per Carton. So what we did was, we keyed into that policy and BUA was able to import quite a lot of wheat, maize and rice.
“And the moment the shipment started coming, we started processing, we crushed the prices of some of these commodities. And today I’m happy to inform you that the price of rice is about N60,000 from what it was last year at N110,000. Flour is today N55,000 Naira per 50 kilo bag.
Pop sensation Britney Spears has been mentioned in court today during P Diddy’s trial as his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura took to the stand
Pop sensation Britney Spears has been mentioned in court today during P Diddy’s trial(Image: WireImage)
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs returned to court for another day today as he faces a number of charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The disgraced rapper, 55, was arrested in September and strongly denies all allegations made against him. He has been in prison since his arrest, with a number of bail requests rejected.
Combs’ former partner of 10-years Cassie Ventura took to the stand, with the music mogul’s defence team starting their cross-examination.
Subramanian said that the prosecution and defence teams will need to resolve issues surrounding the cross-examination before the questioning gets underway. Meanwhile, defence attorney Anna Estevao believes the cross-examination could stretch into Friday.
Britney Spears was mentioned during the Diddy trial(Image: WireImage)
On Wednesday, the jury were shown text messages between Combs and Cassie over the years. These included messages about Freak Offs and threats allegedly made by Combs.
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Cassie testified that Diddy brought pop star Britney Spears to her 21st birthday party in Las Vegas. He also allegedly invited singer-songwriter Dallas Austin to the celebration.
At the time, Cassie was already signed to Diddy’s record label, and she told the jury that their relationship had been strictly professional—until that night. During the party, she said, Diddy kissed her, leaving her confused.
“Britney, Diddy, and Cassie are pictured together in Las Vegas in 2007,” the entry notes. Cassie’s then-boyfriend, Ryan Leslie, was also present at the event.
Combs’ legal team indicated that they don’t anticipate finishing their questioning of Cassie until the end of the day on Friday. If that timeline holds, she may need to return to court on Monday so prosecutors can continue with a round of questioning known as re-direct.
Cassie took to the stand in court today(Image: Getty Images Europe)
Subramanian pointed out that both parties had previously agreed Cassie’s testimony would conclude by the end of the week, noting that she is currently pregnant and expecting her third child soon.
In response to the shifting schedule, the judge remarked, “That is the exact opposite of what I was told.”
Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, acknowledged the miscommunication. “That is why there is a sword that I must fall on,” he said, adding that the revised timing was partly due to prosecutors choosing to call two other witnesses before bringing Cassie to the stand.
During court today, Combs’ lawyers asked Cassie if it’s “fair to say” that his career was ruined after she sued him in November 2023, making public for the first time the concept of “freak-offs.”
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“I could understand that,” Cassie responded. Cassie testified earlier this week that when she tied to end their relationship, Combs threatened to end her career by releasing degrading sexual videos of her.
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk
Ange Postecoglou has signalled he will rest key players when Tottenham play Aston Villa on Friday as he “can’t afford to lose another” to injury with the Europa League final less than a week away.
Midfielder Dejan Kulusevski has become the latest first-team regular to suffer an injury that will rule him out of Wednesday’s final in Bilbao against Manchester United.
Fellow midfielders Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison are both also set to miss the final, while defender Radu Dragusin is a long-term injury absentee after suffering a serious knee injury in February.
Head coach Postecoglou rested several players against Crystal Palace last weekend.
Plans to field his strongest side against Villa to “sharpen up” for the Bilbao trip may now have to be scrapped.
“The reality of our existence at the moment is we can’t lose another player to an injury,” Postecoglou said. “It’s just too finely balanced for us considering what’s at stake.
“Look, in a normal world you use this to be sharpening up, but we’re not living in a normal world.
“Even with the best planning we’re still getting hit with these setbacks. From my perspective I’ve got to take that into account when considering the [Aston Villa] game.”
He may take the opportunity to try new combinations in midfield.
“We’ve always had to try to find creative ways to cover the absences we’ve had and we’ll find a way to do that again,” Postecoglou said.
“There’s obviously a few players who will play [on Friday] who haven’t played regularly or a lot lately who will get an opportunity.”
Spurs are 17th in the Premier League table – one place above the relegation zone but out of danger, and one behind United in 16th.
Both Europa League final sides have endured dismal domestic league campaigns but the winner next Wednesday will qualify for next season’s Champions League.
