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Let’s sustain legacies of ECOWAS’s founding fathers – Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has called on West African leaders to uphold and pass on the vision of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ‘s founding fathers as the regional bloc marks its 50th anniversary.

In a keynote address on Wednesday in Lagos, the President urged leaders to look beyond the artificial borders created by colonialists and embrace one another as a family, Mr Bayo Onanuga, his spokesman, said in a statement.

Tinubu, the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, noted that the founding fathers foresaw a more united, harmonious, and purpose-driven regional bloc that would benefit many generations.

“Today, we celebrate not only five decades of history but the enduring spirit of unity, resilience, and shared destiny that defines our community.

“In 1975, our founding leaders envisioned a West Africa where borders unite rather than divide – a region of free movement, thriving trade, and peaceful coexistence. That vision is still alive,” said Tinubu.

The President said the regional bloc had lived up to the founders’ expectations in many respects, including peacekeeping, trade liberalisation, free movement of citizens, and working together to tackle security issues and global pandemics.

“ECOWAS is a beacon of African unity. In overcoming colonial legacies, we brought together Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone nations under one vision —an achievement of global significance.

“Our region has pioneered free movement, expanded intra-regional trade, and deepened integration through instruments like the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and Joint Border Posts.

“These measures have facilitated business, cultural exchange, and mobility across West Africa,” Tinubu stated.

On peace and security, he said ECOWAS had acted decisively to restore constitutional order and counter instability.

“Our regional cooperation on counterterrorism and financial crime, including through GIABA, reflects our shared commitment to peace and safety.

“In governance, ECOWAS has upheld democratic norms through election observation, mediation, and institutions such as the ECOWAS Parliament and Court of Justice — cementing accountability, rule of law, and people-centred governance,” the President stated.

President Tinubu pointed to progress in agriculture, infrastructure, and digital innovation, singling out the ECOWAS Infrastructure Master Plan (2020–2045) and new platforms advancing regional growth and gender equality.

However, he emphasised the need for more vigorous policy implementation and urged member states to ensure citizens felt the tangible benefits of integration.

“Our young people and women – who form the majority – must be at the heart of ECOWAS development. We must invest deliberately in their education, entrepreneurship, healthcare, and leadership. Their success is the key to our future stability and prosperity.

“For nearly 40 years, Nigeria has supported regional capacity building through the Technical Aid Corps. We remain committed to deploying skilled professionals to ECOWAS countries and will continue to honour every eligible request,” the President added.

He urged leaders to close their ranks and work together to ensure the success of the economic bloc.

“As we look to the next fifty years, let us renew our compact with one another – with courage, clarity, and conviction.

“The work of integration is never done. Each generation must carry the flame forward, lighting the path of unity and shared progress for those who come after.

“Let us imagine a West Africa where our borders are zones of cooperation, not conflict; where our economies thrive through joint effort; and where our people, diverse yet bound by destiny, walk together toward peace, prosperity, and justice,” he said. (Vanguard)

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UK to spend £1.5bn on six new weapons factories

The government will spend £1.5bn on at least six new munitions and explosives factories to “better deter our adversaries”, Defence Secretary John Healey has said.

The factories will support up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons and create about 1,800 new jobs, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

The announcement is part of the government’s strategic defence review (SDR), which is due to be published on Monday.

The Conservatives said they welcomed investment in new munitions but shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge called for “greater ambition for the pace and scale of rearmament our armed forces require”

The war in Ukraine has highlighted serious deficiencies in the West’s ability to produce weapons and munitions, and senior British military officers have long warned about the UK’s depleted stockpiles.

As part of its review, the government said it would build new factories to make key munitions and explosives as part of its plans to have an “always on” munitions production capacity that could be scaled up quickly.

It also said the UK would purchase more than 7,000 British-built long-range weapons, including drones and missiles, over several years.

According to the MoD, the new funding will see UK munitions spend hit £6bn during this parliament.

Ministers said the extra investment – which came after Healy said that UK defence spending would rise to 3% of GDP by 2034 at the latest – would strengthen the armed forces and boost British jobs.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “A strong economy needs a strong national defence, and investing in weaponry and munitions and backing nearly 2,000 jobs across Britain in doing so is proof the two go hand-in-hand.

“We are delivering both security for working people in an uncertain world and good jobs, putting more money in people’s pockets.”

Healey said the UK’s defence industry would become an “engine for economic growth” and would “boost skilled jobs in every nation and region”.

“The hard-fought lessons from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine show a military is only as strong as the industry that stands behind them,” he added. (BBC)

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Trump tariffs can stay in place for now, appeals court rules

US President Donald Trump can keep collecting import taxes, an appeals court has ruled, a day after a trade ruling found the sweeping global tariffs to be illegal.

A federal appeals court granted a bid from the White House to temporarily suspend the lower court’s order, which ruled that Trump had overstepped his power by imposing the international duties.

Wednesday’s judgement from the US Court of International Trade drew the ire of Trump officials, who said it was an example of judicial overreach.

Small businesses and a group of states had challenged the measures, which are at the heart of Trump’s economic and international agendas.US President Donald Trump can keep collecting import taxes, an appeals court has ruled, a day after a trade ruling found the sweeping global tariffs to be illegal.

A federal appeals court granted a bid from the White House to temporarily suspend the lower court’s order, which ruled that Trump had overstepped his power by imposing the international duties.

Wednesday’s judgement from the US Court of International Trade drew the ire of Trump officials, who said it was an example of judicial overreach.

Small businesses and a group of states had challenged the measures, which are at the heart of Trump’s economic and international agendas.

In its appeal, the Trump administration said the decision issued by the trade court a day earlier had improperly second-guessed the president and threatened to unravel months of hard-fought trade negotiations.

“The political branches, not courts, make foreign policy and chart economic policy,” it said in the filing, which threatened to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court if the earlier ruling was not put on hold.

Shortly before Thursday’s tariff reprieve from the appeals court, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told a press briefing: “America cannot function if President Trump, or any other president, for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges.” (BBC)

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Mother who sold six-year-old daughter given life term in South Africa

A South African woman convicted of kidnapping and trafficking her six-year-old daughter has been sentenced to life in prison, along with her two accomplices.

The jail terms for Racquel “Kelly” Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn come more than a year after Joshlin Smith mysteriously disappeared outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town.

Despite a highly publicised search for the girl, who vanished in February 2024, she is yet to be found.

South African prosecutors say she was sold into slavery however this was not definitively proven during the trial.

It is believed that Smith, who was addicted to drugs, needed the money.

The sentencing follows an eight-week trial that captivated South Africa, with witnesses and prosecutors making a number of shocking allegations.

Judge Nathan Erasmus said he “drew no distinction” between the trio in handing down the sentences.

“On the human trafficking charge, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. On the kidnapping charge, you are sentenced to 10 years imprisonment,” he said to loud applause in the courtroom.

Judge Erasmus took over an hour to deliver the sentence and was measured as he gave a brief summary of the case and highlighted points that stood out during the trial.

He rebuked the trio, especially Van Rhyn and Smith, saying they showed no remorse for their actions.

“There is nothing that I can find that is redeeming or deserving of a lesser sentence,” he said.

He also spoke of the impact their conduct had on the community of Middelpos, where the girl lived, saying it had left residents “fractured”.

Smith, 35, and her accomplices showed no emotion as their sentences were read out in the community centre in Saldanha where the trial was held to allow residents to attend proceedings.

Police said the search for the little girl would continue, even beyond South Africa’s borders.

“We will not rest until we find [out] what happened to Joshlin. We are continuing day and night looking for her,” Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile told local media.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the sentence and lauded the work of its team in proving that Joshlin was “sold [and] delivered to the intended buyer” for the purpose of “exploitation, namely slavery or practices similar to slavery”.

During the trial, the identity of the “intended buyer” was never revealed.

The BBC asked the NPA for further details, however a spokesperson was unable to provide any.

Emotions were high ahead of the sentencing, with angry community members saying the trio should get a “harsh sentence because they deserve it”. (BBC)

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Crunchyroll Anime Awards: ‘Solo Leveling,’ ‘Look Back’ Big Winners at Star-Studded Tokyo Ceremony

Solo Leveling was the big winner Sunday night at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, taking home anime of the year, best action, best new series, and multiple performance and music honors in a starry ceremony that brought together anime’s most passionate global fans. Held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo, the annual celebration honored the top talent in Japanese animation across 28 categories — drawing a record-breaking 51 million fan votes worldwide to decide the winners.

In the feature film category, Look Back, the emotional adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot manga, earned Film of the Year, while fan-favorite Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba added to its legacy with best continuing series and best animation. The genre-defying Dan Da Dan picked up several creative awards, including best opening sequence, best anime song, and best character design.

Hosted for the third year in a row by voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira, this year’s show again welcomed a diverse slate of celebrity presenters, further underlining anime’s global appeal. Appearances were made by Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves, Stranger Things stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo, Latin music icon J Balvin, Japanese actor Kanata Hongo and Japanese Academy Award-winner Mayu Matsuoka. Also on hand were singer Rina Sawayama, Brazilian pop star Pabllo Vittar, model Saya Ichikawa, actor Dean Fujioka and Damiano David of Maneskin fame.

The night’s most poignant moment came when Attack on Titan was awarded Crunchyroll’s first-ever Global Impact Award, a new honor recognizing a franchise’s profound influence on anime and global pop culture. Director Yuichiro Hayashi accepted the award on behalf of studio Mappa and the series’ many creators, following the release of Attack on Titan: The Last Attack in late 2024, which concluded the long-running saga.

Fans were also treated to live performances from some of anime music’s biggest acts, including Creepy Nuts with their viral hit “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” from Mashle: Magic and Muscles, Japanese rock legends Flow with “Days” in honor of Eureka Seven, and a three-song medley by J-pop star Lisa, including her Demon Slayer anthem “Gurenge.”

“Fans form deep emotional connections to anime. These are not just series, films or songs, but rather works of art that help define the identity of anime fans,” said Rahul Purini, president of Crunchyroll. “With an incredible 51 million votes this year, the 2025 Anime Awards are celebrating the creators in Japan who have captured the hearts of fans and are powering anime’s prominence in global pop culture.”

Crunchyroll partnered with Sony Music Solutions Inc. and Dempsey Productions to deliver the high-energy show, which will be available to stream via Crunchyroll’s YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as Sony Pictures Core and other Sony Group platforms.

Sony Group has identified anime as a key pillar of its growth strategy, with Crunchyroll sitting at the center of its holdings in the sector. On Sony’s most recent earnings call in May, the conglomerate revealed that Crunchyroll now counts 17 million subscribers worldwide. Crunchyroll, Aniplex and Sony Pictures will collaborate later this year on the North American and international release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, a trilogy of films that concludes what is currently the world’s most bankable anime franchise. Crunchyroll and Aniplex are also co-producing an anime series based on the blockbuster samurai adventure PlayStation game Ghost of Tsushima.

Full List of 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards Winners

Anime of the Year: Solo Leveling

Film of the Year: Look Back

Best Original Anime: Ninja Kamui

Best Continuing Series: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc

Best New Series: Solo Leveling

Best Opening Sequence: “Otonoke” – Creepy Nuts (Dan Da Dan)

Best Ending Sequence: “request” – krage (Solo Leveling)

Best Action: Solo Leveling

Best Comedy: Mashle: Magic and Muscles – The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc

Best Drama: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Best Isekai Anime: Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World – Season 3

Best Romance: Blue Box

Best Slice of Life: Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!

Best Animation: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc

Best Background Art: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Best Character Design: Dan Da Dan

Best Director: Keiichiro Saito (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)

Best Main Character: Sung Jinwoo (Solo Leveling)

Best Supporting Character: Fern (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)

“Must Protect At All Costs” Character: Anya Forger (Spy × Family, Season 2)

Best Anime Song: “Otonoke” – Creepy Nuts (Dan Da Dan)

Best Score: Solo Leveling – Hiroyuki Sawano

Voice Performance Awards

Japanese: Aoi Yuki (Maomao – The Apothecary Diaries)

English: Aleks Le (Sung Jinwoo – Solo Leveling)

Arabic: Hiba Snobar (Anya Forger – SPY × FAMILY Season 2)

Brazilian Portuguese: Charles Emmanuel (Sung Jinwoo – Solo Leveling)

Castilian Spanish: Masumi Mutsuda (Sung Jinwoo – Solo Leveling)

French: Adrien Antoine (Kafka Hibino – Kaiju No. 8)

German: Daniel Schlauch (Monkey D. Luffy – One Piece)

Hindi: Lohit Sharma (Satoru Gojo – Jujutsu Kaisen, Season 2)

Italian: Ilaria Pellicone (Kyomoto – Look Back)

Latin Spanish: Miguel Ángel Leal (Eren Jaeger – Attack on Titan Final Season: The Final Chapters – Special 2)

(Source: THR)

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Margaret Atwood to receive The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Canada Honor

As Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale builds towards its series finale, Margaret Atwood, who wrote the 1985 novel on which the popular TV drama starring Elisabeth Moss is based, will be honored by The Hollywood Reporter at its Women in Entertainment Canada event on May 29 in Toronto.

The Canadian author, poet and activist will receive the ICON Award at this year’s second annual WIE Canada gala ceremony. Atwood wrote the Handmaid’s Tale book on which the Hulu TV series, from creator Bruce Miller, is based. Her follow-up 2019 novel, The Testaments, is currently being adapted as a sequel series.

The Handmaid’s Tale explores the complicated lives of handmaids who are sex slaves forced to give birth for infertile elite couples. Cultural and political observers have noted that the themes and concepts of the Canadian-born author’s celebrated novel are eerily familiar in today’s climate that sees the Donald Trump administration making repeated strikes against the rights of women, immigrants, LGBTQ individuals and other marginalized communities.

The WIE Canada’s ICON Award was created to recognize Canadian cultural icons who have advanced greater representation of women in the media and entertainment industry and whose artistic vision has reached global audiences.

Having written around 50 books of fiction, poetry, critical essays and graphic novels, Atwood will publish her memoir, Book of Lives, later this year. She has also received awards like the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Franz Kafka International Literary Prize, the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award and the Los Angeles Times Innovator’s Award.

WIE Canada earlier announced that Tantoo Cardinal will receive the Equity in Entertainment Award, lifestyle journalist Jeanne Beker will be given the IMPACT Award; and The Sex Lives of College Girls star Amrit Kaur will receive the Breakthrough Award at this year’s event.

The upcoming second annual WIE Canada summit will again bring together the Canadian industry across TV, film and music to celebrate and recognize the achievements of women driving the industry forward.

The event’s return follows a successful first-ever WIE Canada summit on May 30, 2024 that was attended by iconic Canadian entertainers in the TV, film and music fields like Lilly Singh, Nia Vardalos, Devery Jacobs, Kim Cattrall, Catherine Reitman and Jully Black. (THR)

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Delta Assembly speaker, 21 PDP lawmakers defect to APC

The Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Dennis Guwor, and 21 other Peoples Democratic Party, on Tuesday, defected to the All Progressives Congress.

News Agency of Nigeria reports that the defection of the 22 lawmakers was a sequel to the significant shift in the state’s political landscape.

The defection means that the assembly has been turned into a one-party legislature, as the remaining seven members are from the APC.

Guwor, while announcing the defection on Tuesday during the resumption of plenary after the Easter break, noted that the decision was the result of extensive consultations with their constituents and political leaders across the state.

The move, he said, aligned with Section 109 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

According to him, the political shift toward APC was in response to the realignment of stakeholders and the desire to align with the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership.

“The mass defection of members of the Peoples Democratic Party, led by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, to the APC, was made in the overall interest of the people of the state,” he said.

Guwor explained that the decision followed extensive consultations held on April 23 which culminated in the April 28 official reception at the Government House and the Cenotaph, respectively.

“We are fully committed to partnering with the federal government to deliver greater development to the people of Delta.

“On behalf of the house, I commend the courage and visionary leadership of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori in making this strategic and timely decision.

“As a legislative body, we stand with His Excellency in this endeavour.

”This renewed partnership between the state and the federal government must be supported and allowed to flourish so that we can begin to enjoy its benefits in the shortest possible time,” he stated.Related News

Guwor also announced that he had received 22 letters, including his own, notifying him of the change of party affiliation from PDP to APC.

He said the defection was driven by instability within the PDP national leadership and divisions within the South-South Zonal Executive Committee, leading to internal conflicts and disunity.

The speaker affirmed the constitutional basis for the defection, citing Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“With this action, the Delta House of Assembly is now composed entirely of members from the All Progressives Congress. We thank our constituents for endorsing this progressive course of action,” he said.

The speaker, who appreciated members for their contributions so far, urged them to ensure the completion of all pending bills as the second legislative session nears its end.

After the development, the Majority Leader, Mr Emeka Nwaobi, moved a motion for the adoption of the letters of change in the political party.

The motion, which was unanimously adopted by the assembly when put to a voice vote by the speaker, was seconded by Mr Ferguson Onwo (APC-Isoko South II).

Addressing newsmen shortly after the plenary, the majority leader said that the defection was prompted by the crisis within PDP.

“Our decision was based on the instability at the national level and the factionalisation at the South-South level.

”Consequently, we chose to move to the ruling All Progressives Congress, in accordance with Section 109 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended,” he said. (Punch)

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Bayern Munich win Bundesliga title to end Harry Kane’s trophy wait

Harry Kane ended his long wait for the first team trophy of his career as Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga title – without playing – on Sunday.

Bayern’s celebrations were dramatically put on hold a day earlier when Yussef Poulsen scored a stoppage-time goal to earn RB Leipzig a 3-3 draw and make the leaders wait.

But Leverkusen, who had to win at Freiburg on Sunday to mathematically stay in the hunt, were held to a 2-2 draw that crowned the Bavarians this weekend after all.

Kane was forced to watch on against RB Leipzig after picking up a fifth yellow card of the season, moving to the touchline in expectation before Poulsen spoiled the party in the 94th minute.

But the 31-year-old England captain will be back for Saturday’s home game against Monchengladbach as Bayern can look forward to celebrating with their fans at the Allianz.

Kane has played a huge role in securing Bayern’s 34th league crown, topping the Bundesliga scoring charts with 24 goals, but in his 15th season as a pro – and two years after leaving boyhood club Tottenham – he has finally got his hands on silverware.

After 11 straight Bundesliga titles, Bayern fell short last season in Kane’s first year with the club, when invincible Bayer Leverkusen finished top. But Bayern have regained the championship this time with two rounds remaining.

Kane, who has lost Champions League and Carabao Cup finals at club level and twice lost European finals with England, has broken goal-scoring records in Germany but now has the team title he has craved.

Bayern boss Vincent Kompany, who won the Championship with Burnley in 2022/23, has claimed his first major honour as a manager, while Kane’s former England and Tottenham team-mate Eric Dier is also celebrating the first team trophy of his career. (SkySports)

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Marvel’s Thunderbolts* proves a hit at box office

Marvel and Disney’s newest release Thunderbolts* has proved a hit at the box office, after taking an estimated $162m (£122m) internationally.

The film, which both production houses hope will kickstart a new franchise, is based around lesser-known superheroes who have to take on human and superhuman threats whilst fighting their own personal battles.

It stars Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan in two of the main roles, alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Harbour.

Whilst not all critic reviews have been favourable, the movie has been a hit with superhero fans – drawing in an impressive 95 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

It means the film receives the third highest audience score for a Marvel title, tying with Spider-Man: Far From Home and behind Shangi-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Not all critics have not treated the film as favourably, with Empire’s John Nugent noting that the film is “missing a bit of colour – literally, in the washed-out palette and CG shadow-threat that dominates the latter half of the film — and figuratively, in its subject matter”.

He adds that the topics covered, including suicide, depression and domestic violence are “not always sensitively handled”.

Radheyan Simonpillai at The Guardian gives the film three stars, citing that although the film is “the best thing to come from the brand [Marvel] since WandaVision“, “Thunderbolts often irritates because the depression and trauma the movie supposedly grapples with so often lives on the surface”.

Simonpillai is full of praise for Pugh though, “who can wrestle sincerity out of a screenplay (and a franchise) that has so little”.

However, Clarisse Loughrey from The Independent looks on the film a little more favourably, giving it four stars and calling it “the best Marvel movie in years”.

“Thunderbolts does feel different to what’s come before.

“It’s the first of its kind to seem genuinely self-aware – Thunderbolts might actually then be the ultimate Marvel film for now,” she adds.

Audience fatigue when it comes to Marvel films is a genuine concern for the studio, which has been trying to pivot away from the characters from the main Marvel Cinematic Universe since the release of Avengers: Endgame in 2019.

It is perhaps why Deadpool & Wolverine was a big hit for Marvel last summer, as it featured characters that have been less front and centre for them, with Thunderbolts* potentially following a similar path. (BBC)

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Epic will use an EU account to bring Fortnite back to the US App Store

Epic Games plans to use its Sweden developer account to submit Fortnite to Apple’s US iOS App Store, according to CEO Tim Sweeney.

On Wednesday, following the major ruling in Epic Games v. Apple that blocked Apple from collecting fees on purchases outside of apps, Sweeney said that Fortnite would return to the US App Store “next week.” (Apple has appealed the ruling.) But Apple terminated Epic’s App Store developer account in 2020 after Epic introduced an in-app payment system into Fortnite that ultimately led to the whole legal battle, so it was unclear how Epic might bring the game back to the US App Store until Sweeney’s post.

“We have conversed with Apple on the topic,” Sweeney said in an X post over the weekend. He noted that Epic created its Sweden account last year so it could launch the Epic Games Store and Fortnite in the EU. (That account was banned and reinstated in 2024 over another dispute.)

Fortnite won’t be back on iOS on Monday or Tuesday, Sweeney said. “Beyond that, we’re working as hard as possible and aren’t certain what day it will be ready.” Epic Games didn’t immediately reply to a request for more details about when the game might return.

Fortnite’s latest season, which is Star Wars-themed, kicked off last week. (Verge)