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Tinubu: Stop negative talk, National Theatre revival shows Nigeria will succeed

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Wednesday, urged Nigerians to stop speaking negatively about the country, declaring that Nigeria is a nation of proud, confident, and dedicated people destined for success.

Speaking at the reopening of the renovated National Theatre, now the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, which coincided with the nation’s 65th Independence Anniversary.

Tinubu said the landmark’s revival was proof that the country could overcome setbacks and achieve greatness.

“Let’s believe in Nigeria, let’s put this country first. If you have a bad dream, forget it—Nigeria will succeed,” the President told the gathering, adding: “This is the giant of Africa; it won’t fall, it won’t disintegrate in my hands.”

Tinubu said the theatre’s rebirth must create jobs and expand opportunities in the creative economy. He directed CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, and the Bankers’ Committee to set up an endowment fund, pledging his own contribution.

“The worst is over; we have turned the corner. With proper management, prosperity will come,” he assured.

 Speaking at the event, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said the transformation of the National Arts Theatre into the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts is a strategic investment in Nigeria’s youths, Nigeria’s stories and rightful place on the global  cultural stage.

The CBN Governor explained that the ₦68 billion funding from the Bankers’ Committee was not corporate social responsibility but a deliberate stake in the creative economy.

“This is more than a building; it is an investment in our youths, in our stories, and in Nigeria’s rightful place on the global stage,” he said.

He recalled the Theatre’s FESTAC ’77 legacy, years of neglect, and its revival into a modern hub with world-class performance halls, cinemas, galleries, and upgraded facilities.

He commended President Bola Tinubu, Lagos State, and cultural partners, urging that the Centre remain a beacon of creativity and national pride.

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has applauded the Bankers’ Committee for championing the transformation of the National Arts Theatre, describing it as a landmark rebirth of Nigeria’s cultural pride.

Soyinka said he accepted the honour with mixed feelings, warning against the indiscriminate naming of monuments after leaders. He recalled challenging a past ruler for dedicating a public space to “a brutal dictator.”

The playwright lamented the neglect of Africa’s theatre pioneers but praised those who turned the once-derelict complex into a world-class hub. With humour, he recalled how poor design once “nearly electrocuted actors” during performances.

Soyinka thanked President Bola Tinubu, Lagos State, and the Bankers’ Committee, urging that the revived theatre remain a stage for African creativity, unity, and global cultural expression.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has hailed the restoration of the National Arts Theatre, now renamed the Wole Soyinka Center for Culture and Creative Arts, as a landmark in Nigeria’s cultural revival.

Sanwo-Olu said the theatre, once host to FESTAC ’77 but later abandoned, has been restored through federal, state, and private collaboration. He described it as a foundation for future creative possibilities and a global hub for culture.

The renaming honours Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, while Sanwo-Olu praised Tinubu’s support, calling the edifice a beacon of unity, pride, and Nigeria’s artistic rebirth. (Vanguard)

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Soyinka accepts National Theatre naming honour

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has accepted the renaming of Nigeria’s National Theatre in his honour despite his past criticism of public monuments named after individuals.

At the reopening of the refurbished venue in Lagos on Thursday, the 90-year-old playwright acknowledged “mixed feelings” about the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, as the complex in Iganmu is now known.

“I am notorious for having criticised many appropriations of public monuments by some of our past leaders, where everything is named after them,” Soyinka said.

“However, when I examined the history of theatre in Nigeria, and the lack of recognition for my predecessors, I believe somebody has to carry the can.”

The renaming, announced in July 2024 by President Bola Tinubu’s administration without Soyinka’s prior knowledge, sparked debate given his opposition to self-glorifying tributes.

The National Theatre, built in the 1970s under military rule, had fallen into disrepair, which Soyinka once described as a “slum” unfit for cultural events.

He recalled a near-fatal incident in the 2000s when exposed wiring endangered actors during a performance of his play Camwood on the Leaves.

The building’s Bulgarian-inspired conical design, which he had mocked as a “general’s hat,” became a symbol of neglect.

On Thursday, Tinubu inaugurated the restored theatre, rehabilitated with funding from Nigerian banks after years of decay. Soyinka, who staged Death and the King’s Horseman there in 1977, praised the effort as a “tasty morsel” of redemption, reversing his earlier support for a private takeover.

The centre is expected to host international festivals and youth programmes aimed at strengthening Lagos’s creative sector.

Soyinka, Africa’s first Nobel literature laureate in 1986, used the event to recognise figures such as Hubert Ogunde and Duro Ladipo, who helped establish Nigerian theatre during colonial and post-independence periods.

A co-founder of the Orisun Theatre Company in the 1960s, Soyinka’s works, including The Bacchae of Euripides, combine Yoruba traditions with global themes. His activism, including imprisonment during the 1967–1970 Biafran War, has also defined his public life.

Tinubu described the naming as a tribute to a figure of rare stature. (Guardian)

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Philippine quake death toll rises to 72

The death toll from a powerful earthquake in the central Philippines rose to 72 on Thursday, rescuers said, as officials turned their efforts to the hundreds injured and thousands left homeless.

Firefighters and rescuers pulled a woman and her child from the rubble of a collapsed hotel overnight Wednesday in the city of Bogo, near the epicenter of the 6.9-magnitude quake that struck on Tuesday.

The body of another woman was also retrieved from the site earlier in the day, AFP journalists saw.

The national government said 294 people were injured and around 20,000 had fled their homes. Nearly 600 houses were wrecked across the north of Cebu island and many are sleeping on the streets as hundreds of aftershocks shake the area.

Cebu provincial governor Pamela Baricuatro made several urgent appeals for help on Thursday, saying thousands needed safe drinking water, food, clothes and temporary housing, as well as volunteers to sort and distribute aid.

“Many homes were destroyed and many families are in need of help to recover… They need our help, prayers and support,” she said on Facebook.

President Ferdinand Marcos flew to Cebu with senior aides on Thursday to inspect the damage and coordinate relief efforts. He did not immediately speak to the press.

A tiny village chapel is serving as a post-quake home for 18-year-old Bogo resident Diane Madrigal and 14 of her neighbors after their houses were destroyed. Their clothes and food are scattered across the chapel’s pews.

“The entire wall (of my house) fell so I really don’t know how and when we can go back again,” Madrigal told AFP. “I am still scared of the aftershocks up to now, it feels like we have to run again.”

Mother-of-four Lucille Ipil, 43, added her water container to a 10-meter line of them along a road in Bogo, where residents desperately waited for a fire truck scheduled to bring them water.

“The earthquake really ruined our lives. Water is important for everyone. We cannot eat, drink or bathe properly,” she told AFP. “We really want to go back to our old life before the quake but we don’t know when that will happen… Rebuilding takes a long time.”

Many areas remain without electricity, and dozens of patients were sheltering in tents outside the damaged Cebu provincial hospital in Bogo.

“I’d rather stay here under this tent. At least I can be treated,” 22-year-old Kyle Malait told AFP as she waited for her dislocated arm to be treated.

More than 110,000 people in 42 communities affected by the quake will need assistance to rebuild their homes and restore their livelihoods, according to the regional civil defense office.

Search and rescue efforts appeared to be winding down in Bogo early Thursday, as rescuers milled around awaiting instructions.

“As of now, all those who were reported missing were already retrieved,” Cebu fire bureau official Liewellyn Lee Quino told AFP.

Rescuers were sent to re-check a collapsed hotel hours after three bodies were retrieved.

“The final check is important so that we can assure the community here that no one is forgotten inside these establishments, and that they can choose to destroy this place completely (for redevelopment),” Quino said.

Earthquakes are a near-daily occurrence in the Philippines, which is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.Most are too weak to be felt by humans but strong and destructive quakes come at random, with no technology available to predict when and where they might strike. (JapanToday)

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Wildlife advocate and primate expert Jane Goodall dies at 91

Scientist and global activist Jane Goodall, who turned her childhood love of primates into a lifelong quest for protecting the environment, has died at the age of 91, the institute she founded said on Wednesday.

Goodall died of natural causes while in California on a speaking tour, the Jane Goodall Institute said in a social media post.

“Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said on Instagram.

The primatologist-turned-conservationist spun her love of wildlife into a life-long campaign that took her from a seaside English village to Africa and then across the globe in a quest to better understand chimpanzees, as well as the role that humans play in safeguarding their habitat and the planet’s health overall.

Goodall was a pioneer in her field, both as a female scientist in the 1960s and for her work studying the behavior of primates. She created a path for a string of other women to follow suit, including the late Dian Fossey.

She also drew the public into the wild, partnering with the National Geographic Society to bring her beloved chimps into their lives through film, TV and magazines.

She upended scientific norms of the time, giving chimpanzees names instead of numbers, observing their distinct personalities, and incorporating their family relationships and emotions into her work. She also found that, like humans, they use tools.

“We have found that after all there isn’t a sharp line dividing humans from the rest of the animal kingdom,” she said in a 2002 TED Talk.

As her career evolved, she shifted her focus from primatology to climate advocacy after witnessing widespread habitat devastation, urging the world to take quick and urgent action on climate change.

“We’re forgetting that we’re part of the natural world,” she told CNN in 2020. “There’s still a window of time.”

In 2003, she was appointed a Dame of the British Empire and, in 2025, she received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Born in London in 1934 and then growing up in Bournemouth on England’s south coast, Goodall had long dreamed of living among wild animals. She said her passion for animals, stoked by the gift of a stuffed toy gorilla from her father, grew as she immersed herself in books such as “Tarzan” and “Dr. Dolittle.”

She set her dreams aside after leaving school, unable to afford university. She worked as a secretary and then for a film company until a friend’s invitation to visit Kenya put the jungle – and its inhabitants – within reach.

After saving up money for the journey by boat, Goodall arrived in the East African nation in 1957. There, an encounter with famed anthropologist and paleontologist Dr. Louis Leakey and his wife, archaeologist Mary Leakey, set her on course to work with primates.

Under Leakey, Goodall set up the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve, later renamed the Gombe Stream Research Centre, near Lake Tanganyika in present-day Tanzania. There she discovered chimpanzees ate meat, fought fierce wars, and perhaps most importantly, fashioned tools in order to eat termites.

“Now we must redefine tools, redefine man, or accept chimpanzees as humans,” Leakey said of the discovery.

Although she eventually paused her research to earn a PhD at Cambridge University, Goodall remained in the jungle for years. Her first husband and frequent collaborator was wildlife cameraman Hugo van Lawick.

Through the National Geographic’s coverage, the chimpanzees at Gombe Stream soon became household names – most famously, one Goodall called David Greybeard for his silver streak of hair.

Nearly thirty years after first arriving in Africa, however, Goodall said she realized she could not support or protect the chimpanzees without addressing the dire disappearance of their habitat. She said she realized she would have to look beyond Gombe, leave the jungle, and take up a larger global role as a conservationist.

In 1977, she set up the Jane Goodall Institute, a nonprofit organization aimed at supporting the research in Gombe as well as conservation and development efforts across Africa. Its work has since expanded worldwide and includes efforts to tackle environmental education, health and advocacy.

She made a new name for herself, traveling an average of 300 days a year to meet with local officials in countries around the world and speaking with community and school groups. She continued touring to the end of her life, speaking at Climate Week in New York City just last week.

She later expanded the institute to include Roots & Shoots, a conservation program aimed at children.

It was a stark shift from her isolated research, spending long days watching chimpanzees.

“It never ceases to amaze me that there’s this person who travels around and does all these things,” she told the New York Times during a 2014 trip to Burundi and back to Gombe. “And it’s me. It doesn’t seem like me at all.”

A prolific author, she published more than 30 books with her observations, including her 1999 bestseller “Reason For Hope: A Spiritual Journey,” as well as a dozen aimed at children.

Goodall said she never doubted the planet’s resilience or human ability to overcome environmental challenges.

“Yes, there is hope … It’s in our hands, it’s in your hands and my hands and those of our children. It’s really up to us,” she said in 2002, urging people to “leave the lightest possible ecological footprints.”

She had one son, known as ‘Grub,’ with van Lawick, whom she divorced in 1974. Van Lawick died in 2002. In 1975, she married Derek Bryceson. He died in 1980. (JapanToday)

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Nigeria @ 65: FCT one of Nigeria’s safest places – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared Abuja one of the safest cities in Nigeria, crediting both security measures by the administration and the commitment of residents to peace and harmony.

Speaking in his Independence Day anniversary message on Wednesday, Wike commended residents for intentionally living in peace and harmony, “in spite of a few distractions.”

He stressed that Abuja’s relative calm was not accidental, but the result of deliberate efforts by the government and the cooperation of citizens.

“Residents have also remained intentional about living together in peace and harmony in spite of a few distractions.

Consequently, the FCT has become one of the most peaceful places to reside in the entire country.

“This is not only due to the security measures we have put in place, but also because of zero tolerance of residents for insecurity, and their readiness to promote peace in every part of the Territory.”

While commending the capital’s record, Wike urged residents not to be complacent. He assured that his administration, working with law enforcement agencies, was committed to ensuring security and law and order at all times.

“I, therefore, appeal to all residents to go about their lawful businesses, to be watchful over their neighbourhoods and to report all suspicious movements to the law enforcement agents.”

The Minister also reminded residents that the FCT would once again set the pace for Nigeria’s election season, when it holds its Area Council elections in February 2026.

He appealed for calm, orderly campaigns and urged residents to choose leaders who had the interest of their people at heart.

“Come February 2026, the FCT will kick off the electioneering process in the country as residents head to the polls to elect new chairmen and councillors for the six area councils.

“I implore residents to go about campaigning for candidates of their choice in a peaceful and orderly manner. I also encourage everyone to come out en masse when the time comes, to vote for leaders who evidently have their interest at heart; leaders who have vision and capacity to attract development and prosperity to the people,” he said.

Wike’s comments on security in the FCT follows recent news of the death of 29-year-old Somtochukwu Maduagwu, a reporter and News anchor with Arise Television News, who died on Monday, after jumping from the third floor of her apartment building to escape armed robbers.

The Minister has pledged support for Police investigation, describing her death as tragic and unacceptable. (Punch)

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FG begins payment of N32,000 pension increment to retirees – PTAD

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate has announced the start of implementation of the new pension increments for pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme, saying the adjustments will be reflected in the September 2025 payroll cycle.

In a statement signed by Management and posted on its X handle, PTAD said the increase package includes a fixed N32,000 payment alongside percentage increases of 10.66% and

12.95% for eligible categories, which will benefit about 832,000 pensioners under its management.

Recall that PTAD in August announced President Bola Tinubu approved a series of measures, including new welfare benefits for pensioners under DBS.

The approval follows a formal request by PTAD’s Executive Secretary, Tolulope Odunaiya, seeking an emergency budgetary allocation to implement pension reforms and welfare benefits for the scheme’s retirees.

The measures include a N32,000 pension increment, percentage increases for pensioners of defunct and privatised agencies, pension harmonisation for all DBS pensioners, enrolment into the National Health Insurance Scheme, and the settlement of long-standing unfunded pension liabilities.

In the statement on Tuesday, PTAD said the partial release of N820.188 billion by the Federal Ministry of Finance from the emergency funding has made it possible for pensioners to begin receiving the enhanced payments immediately.

The statement read, “Further to the President’s approval of the emergency budgetary allocation for the payment of the new pension increment rates for Pensioners under the Defined Benefit Pension Scheme (DBS) that was earlier published by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate on Friday, 8th August, 2025, the Directorate is delighted to announce the commencement of the implementation of the 832,000, 10.66% and 12.95% pension increment for eligible pensioners under the management of PTAD, in the September 2025 pension payroll cycle.

“This achievement has been made possible through the partial release of 820.188 billion by the Federal Ministry of Finance, from the initial 845 billion emergency funding approval granted by the Federal Government.

“This milestone clearly reaffirms the Federal Government’s dedication to safeguarding the welfare and entitlements of DBS Pensioners in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

The directorate thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the emergency allocation.

It also acknowledged the role of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun; the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite; the Accountant-General of the Federation and key presidential aides and parliamentary committees for their “timely interventions” and support.

The statement also expressed appreciation to organised pension groups, including the Nigeria Union of Pensioners and the Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria, for their cooperation during negotiations and implementation planning.

“We further assure all our DBS Pensioners and Stakeholders that the Directorate will continue to collaborate with the relevant authorities towards release of the outstanding approved funds and subsequent fulfilment of all future obligations relating to the pension increments and the landmark reforms,” the statement added.

The DBS covers pensioners who retired before the introduction of the Contributory Pension Scheme in 2004, including those from defunct public institutions, privatised agencies, and treasury-funded parastatals.

In a statement signed by Management and posted on its X handle, PTAD said the increase package includes a fixed N32,000 payment alongside percentage increases of 10.66% and

12.95% for eligible categories, which will benefit about 832,000 pensioners under its management.

Recall that PTAD in August announced President Bola Tinubu approved a series of measures, including new welfare benefits for pensioners under DBS.

The approval follows a formal request by PTAD’s Executive Secretary, Tolulope Odunaiya, seeking an emergency budgetary allocation to implement pension reforms and welfare benefits for the scheme’s retirees.

The measures include a N32,000 pension increment, percentage increases for pensioners of defunct and privatised agencies, pension harmonisation for all DBS pensioners, enrolment into the National Health Insurance Scheme, and the settlement of long-standing unfunded pension liabilities.

In the statement on Tuesday, PTAD said the partial release of N820.188 billion by the Federal Ministry of Finance from the emergency funding has made it possible for pensioners to begin receiving the enhanced payments immediately.

The statement read, “Further to the President’s approval of the emergency budgetary allocation for the payment of the new pension increment rates for Pensioners under the Defined Benefit Pension Scheme (DBS) that was earlier published by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate on Friday, 8th August, 2025, the Directorate is delighted to announce the commencement of the implementation of the 832,000, 10.66% and 12.95% pension increment for eligible pensioners under the management of PTAD, in the September 2025 pension payroll cycle.

“This achievement has been made possible through the partial release of 820.188 billion by the Federal Ministry of Finance, from the initial 845 billion emergency funding approval granted by the Federal Government.

“This milestone clearly reaffirms the Federal Government’s dedication to safeguarding the welfare and entitlements of DBS Pensioners in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

The directorate thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the emergency allocation.

It also acknowledged the role of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun; the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite; the Accountant-General of the Federation and key presidential aides and parliamentary committees for their “timely interventions” and support.

The statement also expressed appreciation to organised pension groups, including the Nigeria Union of Pensioners and the Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria, for their cooperation during negotiations and implementation planning.

“We further assure all our DBS Pensioners and Stakeholders that the Directorate will continue to collaborate with the relevant authorities towards release of the outstanding approved funds and subsequent fulfilment of all future obligations relating to the pension increments and the landmark reforms,” the statement added.

The DBS covers pensioners who retired before the introduction of the Contributory Pension Scheme in 2004, including those from defunct public institutions, privatised agencies, and treasury-funded parastatals.

Over the years, many have faced irregular payments, delayed harmonisation, and inadequate healthcare access, challenges that the new reforms are expected to address. (Punch)

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Jane Fonda relaunches Cold War-era Hollywood free speech movement

Jane Fonda and hundreds of Hollywood celebrities have relaunched a Cold War-era free speech protest movement, warning that the Trump administration is engaged in a coordinated campaign to silence critics.

Actors Natalie Portman, Sean Penn and Anne Hathaway are among the more than 550 signatories to the revived “Committee for the First Amendment,” along with director Spike Lee and “West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin.

“This Committee was initially created during the McCarthy Era, a dark time when the federal government repressed and persecuted American citizens for their political beliefs,” said a statement published on Wednesday.

It added: “Those forces have returned. And it is our turn to stand together in defense of our constitutional rights.”

U.S. actor and activist Fonda is spearheading the effort.

Her father, actor Henry Fonda, was an early member of the first “Committee for the First Amendment” in the 1940s.

Back in the early days of the Cold War, Senator Joseph McCarthy led draconian measures in the United States to stifle supposedly “Un-American” dissent, with a particular focus on Hollywood.

The original committee, which also featured Golden Age icons Judy Garland, Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra, called out government repression and harassment, sending delegations to Washington and delivering radio broadcasts to highlight the threat.

The relaunch of the committee “is not a warning shot. This is the beginning of a sustained fight,” said its website.

It comes in the wake of Disney’s decision to briefly pull late-night show Jimmy Kimmel off-air following pressure from the U.S. government and its broadcast regulator.

Kimmel — who had made remarks about the killer of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk — was restored to the airwaves last week following widespread outrage over alleged government censorship.

The comedian described the efforts to silence him as “un-American.”

But President Donald Trump has described domestic media coverage of him as unduly negative and therefore “illegal.”

The newly reconstituted committee’s statement pledges to “stand together — fiercely united — to defend free speech and expression from this assault,” and warned Hollywood companies against succumbing to government pressure in future.

“And to those who profit from our work while threatening the livelihoods of everyday working people, bowing to government censorship, and cowering to brute intimidation: we see you and history will not forget,” it said. “This will not be the last you hear from us.” (JapanToday)

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White House freezes funds for Democratic states in shutdown slap

President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday froze $26 billion for Democratic-leaning states, following through on a threat to use the government shutdown to target Democratic priorities.

The targeted programs included $18 billion for transit projects in New York, home to Congress’s top two Democrats, and $8 billion for green-energy projects in 16 Democratic-run states, including California and Illinois. Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, warned that the administration might extend its purge of federal workers if the shutdown lasts more than a few days.

The moves made clear that Trump would carry out his threat to take advantage of the shutdown to punish his political opponents and extend his control over the $7 trillion federal budget, established by the U.S. Constitution as the domain of Congress.

The pressure tactics came as the 15th government shutdown since 1981 suspended scientific research, financial oversight, environmental cleanup efforts and a wide range of other activities.

Some 750,000 federal workers were ordered not to work, while others, such as troops and Border Patrol agents, began to work without pay. The Department of Veterans Affairs said it would provide burials at national cemeteries, but would not erect headstones or mow the grass.

Vance said at a White House briefing that the administration would be forced to resort to layoffs if the shutdown lasts more than a few days, adding to the 300,000 who will be pushed out by December. Previous shutdowns have not resulted in permanent layoffs.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said it would lay off 1% of its 14,000 employees, according to an internal letter seen by Reuters.

Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, said the funding freeze for subway and harbor projects in his home of New York would throw thousands out of work.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, also from New York, said Trump was targeting regular Americans for partisan aims.

“He is using the American people as pawns, threatening pain on the country as blackmail,” Schumer said.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he was concerned that the freezing of infrastructure funds for New York could make it harder for Congress to exit the shutdown.

“They need to be really careful with that, because they can create a toxic environment here,” Tillis said. “So hopefully they’re working with the leader, and the leader with them, on not creating more work to get us out of this posture.”

Republican Senate Leader John Thune dismissed concerns that the spending freeze amounted to hostage-taking.

“Well, vote to open up the government and that issue goes away, right? I mean, it’s pretty straightforward,” he said at a press conference.

Meanwhile, the Senate again rejected efforts to keep the government functioning as both a Republican proposal that would fund the government through November 21 and a Democratic vote that would pair funding with additional health benefits failed in floor votes.

Trump’s Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, but they need the support of at least seven of Schumer’s Democrats to meet the chamber’s 60-vote threshold for spending bills.

At issue on the government funding front is $1.7 trillion for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of annual spending. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.

A bipartisan group of senators huddled on the floor during the vote, trying to find  a path forward.

“I want to see that a deal is a deal, and I would like to see the Republicans make a commitment to work with us on health care,” said Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who represents many federal workers near the nation’s capital. “But I’ve never said that has to be all I’s dotted and T’s crossed because that could be complicated.”

Democrats are also seeking guarantees that Trump will not be able to ignore spending bills he signs into law, as he has repeatedly done since returning to office.

Both sides sought to pin the blame on the other, looking for advantage ahead of the 2026 midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

Democrats said Republicans were responsible for the disruption, as they control the levers of power in Washington.

Republicans said Democrats were surrendering to partisan pressures to oppose Trump, even though they have routinely backed spending bills in the past. They also repeated a false claim that the Democratic proposal would extend health coverage to people who are in the country illegally. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Democratic plan would only restore coverage to certain categories of immigrants who are in the country legally, such as asylum seekers and people on work visas.

Several government agencies posted notices on their websites blaming the “radical left” for the shutdown – a possible violation of a law known as the Hatch Act meant to insulate nuts-and-bolts government services from partisan politics.

The longest U.S. government shutdown, which stretched over 35 days in 2018-2019 during Trump’s first term, ended in part after flight delays caused by air traffic controllers calling in sick. (JapanToday)

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Demon-hunting HUNTR/X to debut live performance on ‘The Tonight Show’ next week


The singing trio behind HUNTR/X, the fictional music group at the center of the summer’s massively popular animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” is scheduled to perform live for the first time Oct 7 on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

The NBC show announced that Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami will perform their smash hit “Golden” from the Sony Pictures/Netflix film that gave Netflix is first No. 1 box-office title in the streaming company’s 18-year history. The film’s soundtrack topped the charts.

The three will also join Fallon on the couch for interviews. Their appearance will stream the next day on Peacock. Jennifer Lopez is also a guest.

The film centers on Huntr/X, the superstar K-pop trio who double as demon hunters. The members, Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong) and Zooey (Ji-young Yoo), must protect their fans and face their biggest enemy yet: a rival boy band made up of demons in disguise.

Fans have flooded the internet with art, covers, cosplay and choreography in response to the movie, which continues to be a mainstay on Netflix’s weekly Top 10 list since its launch 14 weeks ago. (JapanToday)

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Nicole Kidman files for divorce from Keith Urban after 19 years of marriage

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are getting divorced.

The actress has filed for divorce from the country star, PEOPLE confirms, just one day after news broke that the couple had separated after 19 years of marriage. TMZ was first to report the news.

Kidman filed for divorce on Tuesday, Sept. 30 in Nashville, where the couple has lived since 2007, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. She listed their date of separation as the date of filing, and cited irreconcilable differences as reason for the split.

The pair were married in June 2006 after meeting at a gala in Los Angeles the year prior, and share daughters Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14.

A source previously told PEOPLE that Kidman, 58, “didn’t want this,” and had been “fighting to save the marriage.”

“Nicole’s sister [Antonia] has been a rock and the entire Kidman family has come together to support one another,” the source added.

The filing comes after a summer apart, as Kidman was filming Practical Magic 2 in London and Urban, 57, was traveling on his High and Alive World Tour.

Kidman and Urban often spoke about their bond in the press, with the actress telling PEOPLE in 2024 that she was “so lucky that I have Keith who’s just my love, my deep, deep love.”

Ahead of the 2024 Met Gala, Kidman added that she overcomes her nerves ahead of the annual event by “[having] my man with me.”

A second source told PEOPLE after the pair’s separation that their separation “really hasn’t been a secret,” and the stars have “been living separately for a while now.”

“People close to Keith felt like the split was kind of inevitable,” the source added.

Reps for Kidman and Urban did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The separation came just three months after Kidman celebrated the couple’s 19th wedding anniversary with a sweet Instagram post of the pair cuddling.

“Happy Anniversary Baby ❤️ @KeithUrban,” she captioned the post at the time. (People)