The Senate has passed a bill seeking to make it mandatory for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to prioritise local automobile manufacturers and indigenous companies in their procurement processes through the second reading.
The passage followed a submission by Sen Patrick Ndubueze during plenary on Thursday.
Speaking in support of the bill, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin underscored the economic benefits of such a policy, noting that there has been a sustained public call for increased support for Made-in-Nigeria products.
“There has been a clamour for the government to patronize locally made goods. This is not just patriotic, it is a sound economic decision. Supporting indigenous companies will help grow our economy, create jobs, and reduce our dependence on imports,” he stated.
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The bill, which was widely backed, aims to strengthen the local manufacturing sector, enhance job creation, and reduce capital flight by encouraging government patronage of Nigerian-made goods, particularly in the automobile industry.
Meanwhile, the upper chamber called on President Bola Tinubu to assent to the Nigerian Forest Security Service (Establishment) Bill, 2025, which was recently passed by the National Assembly and is currently awaiting presidential approval to tackle insecurity.
This resolution was adopted after the submission of two bills sponsored by the Senate minority leader, Sen. Abba Moro and Sen. Sunday Karimi, strongly condemning the abduction of His Royal Highness, Oba James Dada Ogunyanda, the Obalohun of Okoloke, in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State as well as deadly attacks on communities in Benue State by suspected herdsmen.
In the first motion, the Senate expressed dismay over the abduction of a Kogi monarch by suspected kidnappers who stormed his palace around midnight on Thursday, May 15, firing gunshots before whisking him away to an unknown location.
As lawmakers called for immediate security intervention across affected regions, they noted that the bill could be revisited to accommodate the President’s proposed Forest Guard initiative, aimed at curbing rising insecurity, particularly in forested and rural areas.
The Senate further urged the Federal Government to direct all security agencies to deploy their resources for the immediate rescue of the monarch.
Venue: Copper Box Arena, London Date: Saturday 17 May
British heavyweight Johnny Fisher feels he may have been “too pally” with Dave Allen before December’s controversial victory in Saudi Arabia.
The Romford Bull was dropped in the fifth round but overcame Allen in a contentious points decision win, leading to Saturday’s rematch at London’s Copper Box Arena.
Having built a friendship after a sparring session several years before, there was plenty of mutual respect between the pair in Riyadh.
“I sort of forgot we’re not mates,” Fisher told BBC Sport.
“You’re there to dispatch the other guy. I probably got brought into being a bit too pally with him.”
While fight fans gravitate to drama, not every bout needs a Chris Eubank Jr egg-slap or a Derek Chisora table-flip to build hype.
Yet too much respect can blunt that edge necessary for battle. Anthony Joshua was also accused of being over-friendly with Andy Ruiz Jr before his shock defeat in 2019.
Fisher, 26, insists he will tone down the niceties and set the record straight.
Teared down by the media & Harry Maguire comparisons
Fisher competed in just a handful of amateur bouts before turning professional.
After 11 stoppage wins in his first 12 bouts, he was a clear favourite against Doncaster’s Allen – a seasoned campaigner widely considered to be past his best.
But when Fisher was announced as winner by split decision, boos echoed around the Kingdom Arena and the boxing fraternity voiced their opinions on social media.
Trainer Dave Coldwell said Allen had been “robbed of his night” and former world champion Charlie Edwards described the outcome as “sad to watch”.
Fisher – a huge ticket seller with a loyal fanbase, thanks in part to his social-media star father ‘Big’ John Fisher – felt a backlash from “those in the media circles”.
“People love to build you up and when things don’t go to plan, they’re ready to tear you down. But I’ve known that from the beginning,” he said.
“If you’re going to be affected by that, you’re in the wrong game.
‘I believe I won by one round’
Getty Images
After taking time out for a family holiday over Christmas, Fisher watched the fight back and felt the criticism was a little unjust and not a true reflection of public opinion.
“When you hear the noise in the media, you’d think it was all negative. But walking down the street, people kept telling me it was a great fight and praising the resilience I showed,” he added.
“Looking at it impartially, look at it honestly, and break it down with my team, I really had a positive outlook on it.
“Even with a knockdown, yes, it’s close, but I still truly believe I won it by one round.”
Fisher says a torn biceps and cancelled fights hindered his preparations in the first fight. He relocated his training camp to Spain and believes he will win “in better fashion”.
Allen, 33, meanwhile is armed with a new-found confidence and is vowing to knock his friendly foe out.
Blue Ivy recently joined mum Beyonce on stage during her Cowboy Carter tour in the same pair of Durango cowboy boots that I own, and I can confirm they’re unbelievably comfortable
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Blue Ivy has been joining Beyonce on stage (Image: Getty Images)
The Cowboy Carter tour is in full swing in the US right now, and Beyonce has been joined on the tour by her daughter Blue Ivy. Whilst joining her mum on stage, Blue Ivy – and Beyonce’s back up dancers – all donned the same pair of cowboy boots, which were captured in a TikTok video from user Renaissance Tour.
The cowboy boot of choice was Durango’s 16 inch Crush Boot, and although the 16 inch style isn’t available to UK shoppers, other almost identical boots in the Durango Crush collection are. The Durango Crush Western Boots are now on sale at Debenhams down from £200 to £169.99, and as something of a cowboy boot aficionado, I happen to already have them in my collection – and can confirm just how comfortable they are.
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I picked up my pair of Durango Crush Western Boots before heading on holiday to Arizona, where I wore them for a real life western horse ride. They were comfortable, secure and looked the part – not to mention did their job as a pair of bonafide cowboy boots.
Blue Ivy was spotted wearing the boots during Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter Tour(Image: @RenaissanceTour/TikTok)
Whilst the heel isn’t high, usually any pair of heeled shoes will leave the balls of your feet sore after hours of wear. However the Crush boots have a cushioned flex sole that gives shock absorption and comfort, as well as moving with each step to stop aches that occur in stiffer boots.
The loop tabs at the top make them easy to pull on and off, and the pointed toe is just the right width to keep your feet secure without pinching or rubbing. One factor to consider is that the calf shaft isn’t the widest – it was just about right for me with a pair of skinny jeans tucked in, but if you have wider calves you may want to opt for a wider fitting boot.
I wore the Durango Crush Cowboy Boots in Arizona(Image: Debenhams/Faith Richardson)
A great alternative is Ariat’s Heritage R Toe Western Boot, £160, which comes in a choice of either regular or wide calf sizes. They’re also available in sizes 3 to 8, with half sizes available, and have a classic cowboy look that would look just as good on a ranch as on the Cowboy Carter tour.
If you prefer a pair that’s less authentic cowboy and more western-inspired streetwear, Next’s Tan Brown Suede Forever Comfort® Cowboy Boho Knee High Boots are £90 and have a more laidback, boho style. The soft slouchy suede is more relaxed and perfect for pairing with floaty midi dresses and 70s-inspired mini skirts, and you can pick them up in either tan or black.
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However if you want to go full authentic cowboy – and follow in Blue Ivy’s footsteps – the Durango Crush Western Boots are a great choice. They’re currently still available in all sizes from a 4 to a 9, with half size options, and Durango has plenty of other options on Debenhams if that exact style isn’t for you.
Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa’s new film is a warning about despots — and the danger of failing to spot them until it is too late.
“Two Prosecutors”, which premiered at the Cannes film festival on Wednesday, tells the story of an idealistic young prosecutor who takes up the case of a political prisoner languishing in one of Joseph Stalin’s jails in the 1930s.
“Don’t be naive, that’s the message to viewers, and to myself,” Loznitsa told AFP of the plot to the Cannes darling’s first feature in nearly a decade.
Russia after 25 years of Vladimir Putin’s rule resembles the Soviet Union, Loznitsa said, but his message also resonates at a time of backsliding in many democracies.
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“Russian society today is different from Soviet society in the 20th century, but the essence is the same,” said the 60-year-old director.
Asked whether he thought there was a danger of tyranny in the United States under President Donald Trump, he replied, “It could happen to any society.”
“There are people who have a real talent for making society bend to their deepest desires,” he said. “Stalin was extremely talented at that.”
The Soviet leader, who used his purges to eliminate political enemies, is the subject of a new biopic announced in Cannes, “The Revolution According to Kamo”, by the acclaimed Hungarian auteur Kornel Mundruczo.
Expulsion
Loznitsa has not been to Ukraine since 2021 and lives between Germany and Lithuania, but he told AFP that he hoped to return to his homeland to make a film one day.
“I would like to do a film there but I don’t know to what extent it’s possible,” he said ahead of the premiere of “Two Prosecutors”, which is competing for the Palme d’Or top prize at Cannes.
In 2022, Russian-speaking Loznitsa was ejected from the Ukraine Film Academy for criticising the country’s policy of boycotting Russian films after Moscow’s invasion of the same year.
Leading Ukrainian intellectuals and other filmmakers have also denounced him despite his repeated condemnations of Russia’s aggression since 2014 and his work recording it in documentaries such as “Donbass” and “The Invasion”.
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His film “The Kiev Trial”, a documentary about post-war trials in Ukraine of Nazis and their collaborators, provoked “not a single word in the Ukrainian press”, he said.
“On one hand, it’s surprising to me, but on the other I understand why it happens. It’s a result of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine because in a situation like that, society becomes a lot more radical and a lot more cruel,” he said.
“But my situation is nothing, it’s really very small compared to the suffering that many people are enduring there.”
While Loznitsa hopes to return to work in a peaceful Ukraine one day, he said he has little hope that ongoing peace negotiations will produce results.
Shopping Writer Meghan has got her hands on this Bellissima Air Styler that’s one of Amazon’s top-selling hairstyling tools – putting it to the test, she says she ‘was not expecting these results’
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‘I put Amazon’s top-selling Belissima Styler to the test—the results shocked me’(Image: Meghan Coon)
As someone who was born with naturally very curly hair, I never had to learn how to create curls with heated tools – if I wanted to rock curly hair on any given day, I’d just leave my hair dry naturally and be done.
That said, I’ve been dipping my toe into the world of hair stylers in recent years, and one I’ve always been curious about is the iconic Dyson Air Wrap – but they’re not known for their affordable price tags, as a typical set retails for £500, so they’re not the most feasible choice when it comes to your average budget.
I recently got my hands on this Air Multi Styler from Bellissima. It retails for substantially less than the likes of Dyson and is so popular that it’s nearly always sold out on Amazon. The retailer’s top-selling air styler is currently up for grabs for the reduced price of £159.99, but it’s running incredibly low in stock, so you’ll need to be super speedy to snatch one up before it’s out of stock again.
If you miss your chance on Amazon or don’t mind splashing a tad more cash, you can pick up the same Bellissima Prodigy Air Multi Styler directly from Bellissima (where it’s currently up for grabs for the discounted price of £179.99 down from £249.99) or you can shop at Boots, where the set is available for the same price.
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The Bellissima Prodigy Air Styler comes with six different heads(Image: Meghan Coon)
Set to be the ultimate air styler for stepping up your hair routine with easy and damage-free hairstyles, the Prodigy comes with an impressive six heads to switch between, offering plenty of versatility when it comes to picking your preferred look. The set includes a handy beauty bag that’s ideal for keeping your kit safe and easy to take with you when you travel, and the following six styling options: detangle and smooth (flat brush head), extra wavy (round brush), volumise and straighten (oval brush), two coanda prodigy (curling wands), and gentle dry (a hair dryer attachment).
The air styler also offers plenty of flexibility to best suit your hair and styling needs, as it comes with three fan speeds, three temperatures and a cold blast, which is recommended for locking in your look.
Boasting Hi-Pro Ceramic Technology that promises shiny and glossy hair, without damage, this styler comes armed with a digital motor and digital heat control that ensures five times the pressure of a conventional hairdryer, providing ultra-fast drying while the tool checks the temperature 50 times per second, avoiding heat damage. The gadget also boasts Ion Care Technology, which means you don’t have to worry about frizz and flyaways, as it prioritises shinier and smoother locks.
Bellissima Italia Prodigy Air Multi Styler
£249.99
£179.99
Buy Now on Bellissima
On to my experience with the styler; as I said earlier, I’m not proficient when it comes to hairstyling tools, but this device was surprisingly easy and hassle-free. Yes, it did take me some time to get into a rhythm, but when I was using the Coando Curlers, I found it to be seamless to use, and I barely had to do anything. Thanks to Bellissima’s Coanda Technology, which generates 200 micro-flows of air, your hair wraps around cylinders smoothly without you needing to painstakingly wrap every segment around or risk burning your fingers.
I was hoping for defined waves and curls, and I was shocked by how little time it took. I will note that the hair styler is relatively big, longer than your average straightener or curling wand when the Coanda Prodigy curlers are attached—while I got used to this, as a beginner, this does take some time to get used to. That said, once I familiarised myself with how this thing operates (with easy-to-use controls that let you seamlessly switch between temperatures and speeds), it took a surprisingly short period of time to get the curls I was hoping for.
The Bellissima Prodigy Air Styler is currently £70 off via Bellissima(Image: Meghan Coon)
I will point out that I have relatively short and thin hair, so I imagine styling would take longer for someone with thicker and longer hair, but all in all, I think it took me 20 minutes. I did section my hair into three layers to make grabbing sections easier without too much hair getting in the way, but I don’t think this would be necessary depending on the style you’re trying to achieve. I would recommend sectioning if you have more hair than I do, as the air styler did have a tendency to pick up hair outside of my section, if I wasn’t paying attention – so if, like me, you want tighter curls, you’ll need to keep an eye to make sure too much hair isn’t wrapping around the curler.
While I did play around with the other heads, the Coanda Prodigy curlers have definitely proven to be my favourite for getting smoother, more defined curls that beat even my natural hair. Regardless, I was blown away by this set’s versatility and its catering to plenty of hair types and styles. It’s super easy to use, with a coherent set of instructions also included, making it simpler than ever to achieve coveted styles without the need for experience or proficiency with other hairstyling tools.
It’s also important to note that as someone with bleached hair, I always worry about my hair getting fried by too much heat. After using this air styler, my hair didn’t feel dry or brittle at all. In fact, I did think my curls felt noticeably smoother, and my hair appeared to have a bit more of a shine to it. That said, I did use a heat protector spray, which may have contributed to those results. I used the Colour Wow Dream Coat.
And it’s not just me who’s obsessed with this hair styler. Bellissima shoppers have bestowed a near-perfect rating on this set, currently boasting an impressive 4.8 out of 5 stars. One satisfied shopper shares: “I bought this last week, and it’s AMAZING! It dries my (long and thick) hair within 10 minutes. Especially for this price, it is the best out there! Additionally, this product simply looks beautiful and very aesthetically pleasing.”
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Another fan of the Prodigy Air Styler beams: “This air styler is a must have for anyone. I have been amazed by the results, taming my hair to make it smooth and aleek And very simple styling. I’m amazed how the air style works. The curling tongs are great. It comes in a beautiful gag and has several attachments which are easy to attach and swap.”
Investigators in the United Kingdom say a sudden blast of powerful wind was likely behind the capsizing of a superyacht owned by British tech billionaire Mike Lynch, which sank off Sicily last year, killing seven people.
Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among those who died when the 56-metre Bayesian overturned in the early hours of August 19. The voyage was meant to be a celebratory outing following Lynch’s acquittal in a major fraud case in the United States just two months earlier.
In a preliminary report released on Thursday, the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) found that the vessel was “vulnerable” to strong winds – potentially even less severe than those recorded at the time of the incident. The report noted that this vulnerability was unknown to the yacht’s owner and crew, as it had not been documented in the stability guidance available on board.
The agency launched its probe because the Bayesian was registered in the UK. However, it acknowledged that access to key evidence remains limited due to an ongoing criminal inquiry by Italian authorities.
According to the UK report, the Bayesian had been moved the day before the accident to what was believed to be a safer location in anticipation of thunderstorms. But at about 4:06am local time, with the vessel in a motoring state, sails stowed and the centreboard raised, it was hit by winds exceeding 70 knots (81 mph), which caused it to capsize within seconds.
“You have the wind pushing the vessel over and then you have the stability of the vessel trying to push the vessel back upright again,” said MAIB investigator Simon Graves. “What our studies found was that the Bayesian may have been vulnerable to high winds, and these winds were likely present at the time of the accident.”
Among the other victims were Jonathan and Judy Bloomer – both British nationals – Chris and Neda Morvillo from the US, and Canadian Antiguan chef Recaldo Thomas. Fifteen people survived, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares.
Efforts to recover the yacht have stalled since May 9, when a diver was killed during the operation. Salvage work resumed on Thursday. Graves said the final report will cover additional factors such as possible escape routes and what took place on board.
