Shireen Abu Aqleh, an Al-Jazeera reporter was shot dead on Wednesday as she was covering an Israeli army raid on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. 

The Qatar-based TV channel said Israeli forces shot Abu Aqleh, 51, deliberately and “in cold blood” while Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it was “likely” that Palestinian gunfire killed her.

Abu Aqleh, a Palestinian Christian who also held US citizenship, was a prominent figure in the channel’s Arabic news service.

Another Al Jazeera journalist, producer Ali al-Samudi, was wounded in the incident, the broadcaster added.

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An AFP photographer at the scene said Abu Aqleh was wearing a press flak jacket when she was shot. The photographer reported that Israeli forces were firing in the area and then saw Abu Aqleh’s body lying on the ground.

The Israeli army confirmed it had conducted an operation in Jenin refugee camp early Wednesday but firmly denied it had deliberately targeted a reporter.

The army said there was an exchange of fire between suspects and security forces and that it was “investigating the event and looking into the possibility that journalists were hit by the Palestinian gunmen”.

“The (army) of course does not aim at journalists,” a military official told AFP.

A statement from Al Jazeera said: “In a blatant murder, violating international laws and norms, the Israeli occupation forces assassinated in cold blood Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Palestine.”

It called on the international community to hold the Israeli forces accountable for their “intentional targeting and killing” of the journalist.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Israel was seeking a “joint pathological investigation into the sad death of journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh”.

“Journalists must be protected in conflict zones and we all have a responsibility to get to the truth,” Lapid added.

The US ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, tweeted that he was “very sad to learn of the death of American and Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh” and called for “a thorough investigation into the circumstances of her death”.

The Israeli prime minister said Palestinian gunmen in the camp were likely responsible for Abu Aqleh’s death.

“According to the information we’ve gathered, it appears likely that armed Palestinians — who were indiscriminately firing at the time — were responsible for the unfortunate death of the journalist,” Bennett said in a statement.

The wounded Al Jazeera producer, Samudi, said there were no Palestinian fighters in the area where Abu Aqleh was shot.

“If there were resistance fighters, we would not have gone into the area,” he said in testimony posted online, stating that the Israelis “fired towards us”.

In recent weeks, the army has stepped up operations in Jenin, a historic flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Several of the assailants blamed for deadly attacks on Israelis in recent weeks were from the area.

The army said that during its operation in the camp, “massive fire was shot toward Israeli forces by tens of armed Palestinian gunmen”.

People in the camp “also hurled explosive devices toward the soldiers, endangering their lives. The soldiers responded with fire toward the sources of the fire and explosive devices. Hits were identified.”

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The fatal shooting comes nearly a year after an Israeli air strike destroyed a Gaza building that housed the offices of Al Jazeera and news agency AP.

Israel has said the building also hosted offices for key members of the Hamas Islamist group, which controls the Israeli-blockaded Gaza strip.

The Palestinian Authority called Abu Aqleh’s killing an “execution” and part of an Israeli effort to obscure the “truth” about its occupation of the West Bank.

Hamas called the incident “a premeditated murder”.

Qatar’s assistant foreign minister Lolwah Al Khater said Israeli troops had killed Abu Aqleh “by shooting her in the face” in what she called an act of “state sponsored Israeli terrorism”.

Tensions have risen in recent months as Israel has grappled with a wave of attacks which has killed at least 18 people since March 22, including an Arab-Israeli police officer and two Ukrainians.

A total of 30 Palestinians and three Israeli Arabs have died during the same period, according to an AFP tally, among them perpetrators of attacks and those killed by Israeli security forces in West Bank operations.

dead Al-Jazeera reporter being wheeled into a hospital

Journalist Killed During Israel West Bank Raid

Real Betis broke a four match winless streak by beating Valencia 3-0 in LaLiga. 

It was a rematch of the Copa del Rey final won by Betis in a penalty shootout last month.

Tuesday's second half goals by Willian Jose, Sergio Canales and Borja Iglesias took Betis within three points of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid and three behind city rivals Sevilla.

On Wednesday Atletico visit Elche and Sevilla hosts relegation-threatened Mallorca. Each then have two matches left.

Manuel Pellegrini's Betis had been near the top most of the season but lost ground recently as they focused on the final stages of the Copa del Rey.

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Betis last played in the Champions League in 2005-06.

"While there is still a mathematical chance, we have to keep believing," Pellegrini said. "All we can do is win our last two matches, even though we know it will be difficult for the other teams to lose points."

At the other end of the table a 35th-minute goal by Alex Collado boosted Granada's chances of avoiding relegation, lifting them five points clear of relegation. Visitors Athletic Bilbao had Mikel Vesga sent off with five minutes left and remain outside the seven European qualifying slots.

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players of Real Betis football club jubilating after winning a match 

Real Betis win at Valencia to revive Euro dream

On Monday, two journalists were murdered in Mexico’s violent eastern state of Veracruz, according to authorities, who said they were investigating whether the crime was related to the women’s work.

Yessenia Mollinedo, director of the news portal El Veraz, and Sheila Garcia, a reporter for the site, were shot in the municipality of Cosoleacaque, the state prosecutor’s office said.

“All lines of investigation will be exhausted, including their journalistic activity,” Veracruz Attorney General Veronica Hernandez said in a statement.

Media rights groups Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Article 19 said they were gathering information about the double murder.

Mexico is on course for one of its deadliest years yet for the press, prompting calls from rights groups for authorities to end a culture of impunity.

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Even before Monday’s murders, nine journalists had been killed in Mexico since the start of the year, according to RSF and Article 19.

Last week Luis Enrique Ramirez, a columnist for the newspaper El Debate, was murdered in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, the stronghold of notorious narco kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s cartel.

In such cases authorities try to determine if the crime was linked to the victims’ work — a task that can be difficult in areas with a strong organized crime presence, like Veracruz.

The Veracruz Commission for the Care and Protection of Journalists urged authorities to make the journalism of Mollinedo and Garcia “the main line of investigation of the cowardly crime.”

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More than 150 journalists have been murdered since 2000 in Mexico, one of the world’s most dangerous countries for the media, with only a fraction of the crimes resulting in convictions.

The victims are often reporters working for local media in states plagued by drug cartel-related violence, many of whom combine journalism with other jobs because of the low pay.

The United States and the European Parliament have urged Mexico to ensure adequate protection for journalists following the recent string of killings.

members of the press protesting in Mexico

Two Mexican Journalists Killed, Officials Probe Motive

Temilade Openiyi, Nigerian singer popularly known as Tems, becomes the first Afrobeats artiste to debut at the No. 1 spot on Billboard Hot 100 charts.

The songstress hit the mark with her feature on “Wait For U” by American rapper, Future.

The track also featured Canadian artiste, Drake, and is the seventh on Future’s new LP album, I Never Liked You.

While this is her first No.1, Tems had earlier debuted on the Hot 100 last year October, with her feature on Essence remix. The hit song by Wizkid also featured Justin Bieber, and peaked at No. 9 on the charts.

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Afrobeats star, Wizkid, was the first Nigerian to reach the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 with his feature on Drake’s song, One Dance.

However, the song, which also featured British singer Kayla, did not debut at number one, and only reached the top of the charts a few weeks after its release.

Tems debuts at No.1 on Billboard Hot100 chart

Releasing the new single just five days before the release of his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, the rapper clearly has a lot planned for his fans this week.

In the music video for The Heart Part 5, directed by Lamar and Dave Free, Lamar morphs into deep fakes of O.J. Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Kobe Bryant, Will Smith and Nipsey Hussle.

The track samples Marvin Gaye’s 1976 single I Want You,” and Lamar picks up where he left off on 2017’s The Heart Part 4.

The music video also includes a “special thanks” to South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.

Lamar’s recent releases have been tech-savvy as he announced the release of his album last month via a new Oklama website.

Using the website, he also announced that Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers would be his last release on TDE.

“May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling,” he wrote. “There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown.”

Kendrick Lamar’s fifth studio album follows his Pulitzer Prize and Grammy-winning album DAMN., which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2017.

KENDRICK LAMAR RELEASES ‘THE HEART PART 5’ MUSIC VIDEO

Canada-based Nigerian singer, Stephanie Otobo, has again slammed Apostle Johnson Suleman of the Omega Fire Ministry Worldwide, accusing the cleric of poisoning her and trying to kill her.

In a series of tweets on Monday, the singer shared photos of their video chats, as she rolled out allegations against the cleric.

Otobo and Suleman were first in the news in 2017 when the singer sued the preacher for assault and sexual harassment.

Sharing a picture of the alleged sexual organ of the cleric, she wrote on Monday, “Oracle of God, can you deny this? Your fingernail and the scar on your left thigh?”

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Defending her posts, she wrote, “If these screenshots were fake, how did I get his pictures that aren’t public pictures in the first place and how come I’m the first to release this kind of pics of him?

“He has changed his hairstyle twice since I came out to speak up with receipts. He has done alot to appear different.”

Rolling out allegations against the pastor, she said, “He did everything to stop my music career. He was scared that I’ll be influential.

“He even poisoned me, paid my friends to set me up and bribed some members of my fam to assassinate me. Lured me to come to make a false confession at his church in Auchi that I lied against him.”

At the time of filing this report, the pastor is yet to react to the recent callout.

When she earlier accused him and slammed him with a $5m suit in 2017, the pastor denied her allegations and took legal action against her.

a Canada based singer and a Nigerian clergy man

Stephanie Otobo slams Apostle Suleman again, releases photos

Seven soldiers and four backup troops have been killed in two ambushes in Burkina Faso’s troubled north, the army said. 

The first attack near the town of Solle on Thursday led to the deaths of two soldiers and four civilian volunteers helping the army while five paramilitary troops perished in another raid the same day at Ouanobe, the army said in a statement received Friday.

The ambushes were staged by “terrorists,” according to the army, using a term to signify jihadist groups active in Burkina Faso’s north.

Nine people were wounded, it said, adding that the bodies of some 20 attackers had been found during clean-up operations.

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Weapons, ammunition, transport, and communication equipment were also seized or destroyed.

Jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have regularly carried out attacks in northern and eastern Burkina Faso since 2015, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing almost two million.

Unrest linked to jihadist groups also plagues Burkina Faso’s West African neighbours Mali and Niger.

The three land-locked countries rank among the poorest in the world and their armed forces are ill-equipped against a foe skilled at hit-and-run raids, ambushes and planting roadside bombs.

In December 2019, Burkina set up an auxiliary force called the Volunteers for the Defence of the Motherland (VDP), which is among the units that has suffered most losses.

Recruits are given two weeks’ military training and then work alongside the army, typically carrying out surveillance, information-gathering or escort duties.

On January 24, anger at the security forces’ casualties sparked a mutiny in the army, leading to the overthrow of elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

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The new strongman, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, has declared security to be a priority.

But bloody attacks continue, despite the creation of “dialogue committees” — a bridge-building experiment in which community leaders talk with local jihadists to try to end the violence.

On April 8, 12 soldiers and four VDP members were hit in an attack in northern Burkina.

On April 24, 15 people were killed, including nine soldiers, in a coordinated assault on two units, also in the north, according to army figures.

11 Persons Dead In Burkina Faso Ambush – Army 

US President Joe Biden on Thursday named Karine Jean-Pierre as the next White House press secretary, the first Black person to hold the high-profile post.

Jean-Pierre, who will also be the first openly LGBTQ+ person in the role, will replace Jen Psaki, under whom she served as deputy, from May 13.

Biden in a statement praised Jean-Pierre’s “experience, talent and integrity,” saying he was “proud” to announce her appointment.

The outgoing spokeswoman, bringing Jean-Pierre behind the podium for the traditional briefing of accredited journalists at the White House on Thursday, praised, in a voice sometimes choked with emotion, the qualities of her deputy, whom she hugged several times.

Jean-Pierre “will be the first Black woman, the first out LGBTQ+ person to serve in this role,” said Psaki, who said from the outset that she would step down during Biden’s term.

Jean-Pierre’s promotion is “amazing because representation matters and she is going to give a voice to so many and show so many what is truly possible when you work hard and dream big,” Psaki added, opting not to comment on media reports that she will be joining TV channel MSNBC after leaving the White House.

Also visibly moved, the future press secretary said: “This is a historic moment and it’s not lost on me. I understand how important it is for so many people.”

The 44-year-old Jean-Pierre, who has a daughter with her partner, a CNN journalist, has already taken to the famed podium in the White House’s James S. Brady Press Briefing Room as Psaki’s number two.

From May she’ll take center stage at the daily White House press conference, which is broadcast live and highly scrutinized.

Before her, only one other Black woman, Judy Smith, had been deputy White House press secretary, during George H.W. Bush’s presidency in 1991.

A long-time advisor to Biden, Jean-Pierre worked on both of former president Barack Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012 and then on Biden’s campaign in 2020 before joining his team at the White House.

She also served under Biden during his tenure as Obama’s vice president.

Jean-Pierre was previously chief public affairs officer for liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org and worked as a political analyst with NBC and MSNBC, the White House statement said.

Raised in New York, French-speaking Jean-Pierre was born in Martinique to Haitian parents who emigrated to the United States, where her father drove a taxi and her mother was a home health worker.

It was in New York that she took her first steps into politics before also becoming a leading figure in the non-profit sphere, having graduated from the prestigious Columbia University.

Jean-Pierre has often said her family’s background, emblematic of the “American dream,” was a determining factor in her career.

But she has also written of “the pressure of growing up in an immigrant household to succeed” in a book published in 2019.

An advocate for combatting mental health stigma, the new White House spokeswoman has also shared her own stories of being sexually abused as a child as well as suffering from depression and at one point attempting suicide.

On Thursday, when asked about the message she wanted to deliver to American youth, she said: “If you are passionate about what you want to be, where you want to go, and you work very hard to that goal it will happen.

“You’ll be knocked down and you’ll have some tough times and it won’t be easy all the time but the rewards are pretty amazing, especially if you stay true to yourself.”

Biden Appoints First Black White House Press Secretary

A presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kayode Fayemi, denied betraying Asiawju Bola Tinubu, saying the office of the President is not an inheritance.

Fayemi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), spoke in Abuja during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Tinubu, APC National Leader had on January 10 declared his intention to become Nigeria’s President after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa.

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But the Ekiti State Governor, who is seen by many as being a beneficiary of Tinubu, said the ambition of APC presidential aspirants is to make a difference in the lives of Nigerians.

“The Asiwaju that I know and have interacted with will not subscribe to demonising anyone. I don’t believe that he would use terminologies like betrayal,” he said. “This is not an inheritance; it is not a traditional title that we are seeking.”

“The office that we are seeking is to make a difference in the lives of Nigerians. It is about Nigeria which is the commonwealth of all Nigerians,” he added.

Earlier, the governor explained that he believes his entry into the race will rebirth a new Nigeria.

‘After careful consideration of where we are as a nation…I believe that my entry into the race will offer Nigerians the opportunity to examine competing visions for national rebirth,” Fayemi said.

He said it has been his singular honour to have been an active part at various times with other committed compatriots labouring from various works of life, labouring with determination towards rapid and sustained national progress.

“Dear compatriots, it is in the spirit of this abiding faith in our country and the promise of its unfinished greatness that I stand before you today in total humility and in all sense of responsibility solemnly declare to all within our party and Nigerians at large my decision to accept my name to be put forward for consideration by the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership and membership as our party’s standard-bearer in the upcoming contest for a successor to our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari,” he added.

Fayemi speaks on Tinubu's presidential aspiration 

‘Presidency Not An Inheritance’ – Fayemi Denies Backstabbing

The former Lagos State governor, and Presidential aspirants under the ruling all progressive Congress APC Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly been in a closed door meeting with President Muhamadu Buhari.

READ ALSO: Osinbajo To Visit Monarch, APC Chieftains In Ogun

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has it that Mr Sunday Aghaeze a state house photographer confirmed the meeting in a pictorial reports on Tuesday night in Abuja.

The purpose of the meeting was not disclosed and there has not been reports on the outcome neither.

READ ALSO: 2023 Presidency: Tinubu ready to serve Nigeria without earning salaries – Support group

Recall that Tinubu picked up his presidential nomination form last Friday and will be contesting in the primaries come may 30 alongside the vice president Yemi Osibajo and a host of others.

Former Lagos state governor visits President in Aso Rock

Kim Kardashian is now without doubt one of the biggest names to watch out for on the Met Gala red carpet – and the 2022 Met Gala wasn't an exception.

After nailing the theme of 'Camp' with her wet-look latex gown in 2019 – which was personally designed by Manfred Thierry Mugler – and making headlines (while dividing opinions) with her Balenciaga disguise in 2021, Kardashian pulled out all the stops once again in 2022, having a truly sensational vintage moment on the Met Gala red carpet.

Turning to another famous bombshell for inspiration, Kardashian channeled Marilyn Monroe, wearing the actual gown that the Hollywood star wore for one of her most famous performances, which is also one of the most well-known pop-culture moments of all time.

Kardashian slipped into the Jean-Louis dress that Monroe wore to sing 'Happy Birthday Mr. President' to John F Kennedy in 1962. Creating a huge stir at the time, the dress was covered in crystals but almost completely sheer, and Monroe is said to have been sewn into the dress moments before stepping on stage.

"Nowadays everyone wears sheer dresses, but back then that was not the case," Kardashian told American Vogue. "In a sense, it’s the original naked dress. That’s why it was so shocking."

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Reality TV star wears actress iconic dress to the Met gala

Met Gala 2022: Kim Kardashian Wears Marilyn Monroe's Dress

Popular Nigerian actress, Juliet Ibrahim, has revealed her ordeal in her previous relationship.

In an interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, the actress revealed that one of her ex- boyfriends locked her up and raped her daily.

The actress narrated how her former boyfriend, whose name she didn’t expose, locked her up in his room till she was rescued by her sister.

Ibrahim noted that when she confronted her ex-lover and told him that what he did was rape, the latter insisted that they were in a relationship.

She said, “I told him what he did was rape but he said we were in a relationship. But was I ready? That was the question. Did I say I was in the mood?

“I kept saying no, ‘stop it, stop it’. You pin me down and you’re doing whatever you wanted to do. You’re smiling saying, ‘don’t worry’, and you’re kissing whilst I’m crying, that means you’re a rapist and I had to leave that relationship.”

“I fought my way out of that relationship because he even locked me up in his house for days until my sister Sonia came to find me.”

She added, “Everyday, he wanted to do something and that’s rape.”

The actress further advised women to report men who took advantage of them without their express permission, whether they were in a relationship or not.

“But ladies you can report it now, go and report. If your husband is forcing you to do when you’re not in the mood, it is rape and I tell these men that they cannot force a woman,” she advised.

My ex locked me up, raped me daily – Juliet Ibrahim

Nigerian newspapers,on one page.