The prospect of a “no deal” Brexit was fast becoming the central battle of the race to succeed Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday, as environment minister Michael Gove became the latest candidate to declare.
May said on Friday she was quitting over her failure to deliver Brexit, potentially opening the way for a new leader who could seek a more divisive split with the European Union and lead to confrontation with the bloc or a possible parliamentary election.
Marine Le Pen’s far-right party edged just ahead of the centrist alliance of President Emmanuel Macron in exit polls as French voters led what pollsters expected to be a nationalist surge in an EU parliament election on Sunday.
The defeat for the president was narrow amid a sharply increased turnout that was matched across the continent in what Brussels is portraying as a positive sign, in spite of gains for anti-EU groups.
The Iyanoba Traders Association has urged its members at the Iyanoba Ojo Lagos Market in South west Nigeria to cultivate the habit of disposing refuse properly thereby avoiding sanctions from authorities in the state.
The leader of the association, Mr Basil Ezendu, gave the advice in an interview with Journalists in Lagos.
According to Ezendu, the leadership of the market and the local government have made provision for trash bins, but the bins are not being put to use in most parts of the market while the whole place is filled with leftover materials from produce sold at the market.
“Greater part of the market is occupied by those selling agric commodities and the quantity of refuse coming from such items are hug; so it becomes herculean to control.
“It becomes worrisome these days that the refuse is now spilling over to the Lagos Badagry Expressway, compounding the perennial traffic situation of the road that has remained under construction for years, ” he said.
He therefore advised the market dwellers to always obey the Thursday market environmental sanitation, adding that the exercise would go a long way toward making the market free of accumulated refuse.
Police in France were on Saturday hunting a suspect following a blast in a pedestrian street in the heart of the city of Lyon that wounded more than a dozen people just two days ahead of the country’s hotly contested European Parliament elections.
President Emmanuel Macron called the explosion that happened Friday, apparently from a package packed with shrapnel, an “attack” and sent his interior minister, Christophe Castaner, to Lyon.
Police issued an appeal for witnesses on Twitter as they sought the suspect, a man believed to be in his early 30s on a mountain bicycle caught on security cameras in the area immediately before the explosion.
The Bishop of Lagos Central, Methodist Church Nigeria, Rt. Rev. Samuel Nortey, on Friday called on political leaders at all levels to always consider the plight of the underprivileged in their actions.
Nortey said the fear that the downtrodden might rise up against the political class could come to pass if leaders do not have the interest of the citizens at heart.
Nigeria’s diversity will remain a source of strength for the development of the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari said this in Abuja on Thursday while receiving Letters of Credence from the Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria, Mr Shimon Ben-Shosan.
President Buhari said Nigeria and Israel have enjoyed cordial bilateral relations, highlighting that many Nigerian Christians look forward to performing pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Israel.
‘‘I congratulate you on your appointment as Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria. Enjoy your stay in Nigeria and take time to go round to see the beauty and diversity of the country,’’ the President told the Israeli Ambassador.
An emotional Theresa May says she will step down as the British Prime Minister on June 7, 2019 amid tears.
Making her resignation speech, the second female prime minister of the UK said: “It is now clear to me that it is in the best interest of the UK for a new PM to lead that effort”.
“I am today announcing that I will resign as Conservative leader on Friday 7 June. I have agreed with the party chairman that the process for electing a new leader will begin in the following week.”
“I have kept Her Majesty the Queen fully informed of my intentions, and I will continue to serve as her Prime Minister until the process has concluded,” she added.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday received reports of killings in Katsina State with shock, assuring government will restore peace and stability in the polity.
The President directed Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu and Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin to constitute an assessment team to intervene immediately in the state and bring a feedback.
President Buhari, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, also specifically instructed the security chiefs to find out how the operation was carried out by the perpetrators, not minding the Holy month of Ramadan and put in place structures to prevent future occurrence.
The President, who has been briefed on the criminal and political intents of the attacks in Katsina and other parts of the North, described the carnage as senseless.
FIFA has abandoned plans to expand the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to include 48 teams.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had proposed expanding the tournament but the sport’s world ruling body has now determined this is not practical.
FIFA had been exploring if logistical and political complexities could be overcome to expand the tournament from 32 to 48 teams, which would have required at least one more country being used in the Persian Gulf to accommodate an additional 16 matches in the region.
FIFA said in statement: “Following a thorough and comprehensive consultation process with the involvement of all the relevant stakeholders, it was concluded that under the current circumstances such a proposal could not be made now.
“Additionally, FIFA and Qatar have once again explored the feasibility of Qatar hosting a 48-team tournament by in particular lowering certain key FIFA requirements.
“A joint analysis, in this respect, concluded that due to the advanced stage of preparations and the need for a detailed assessment of the potential logistical impact on the host country, more time would be required and a decision could not be taken before the deadline of June.
“It was therefore decided not to further pursue this option.”