The Rock, John Cena, Others Mourn Bray Wyatt

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena were among the many pro wrestling superstars to remember and honor Windham Rotunda, also known as Bray Wyatt, following his death Thursday at the age of 36.

WWE head of creative Triple H announced the news of Wyatt’s death Thursday, leading to an outpouring of love and support from others in the sports entertainment industry:

The Rock provided some heartfelt words regarding Wyatt on X, formerly known as Twitter, in addition to another pro wrestling legend in Terry Funk, who died Wednesday at the age of 79:

The Rock had a memorable encounter with Wyatt and The Wyatt Family at WrestleMania 32 in 2016 when they interrupted his promo.

Johnson and Wyatt had an entertaining promo battle of their own, and The Rock proceeded to beat Wyatt Family member Erick Rowan in an impromptu match.

Cena was also involved in that segment, as he helped The Rock fight off the Wyatts. That marked one of the many times Cena and Wyatt worked together on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Wyatt was one of Cena’s greatest on-screen rivals. Cena recognized that fact in his post, noting that Bray “brought the best” out of him:

Cena defeated Wyatt at WrestleMania 30 in what was the biggest match of Wyatt’s career to that point, as he had debuted on the main roster less than one year earlier.

Recently, Cena and Wyatt met in one of the most unique contests in WrestleMania history, facing off in a Firefly Fun House match at WrestleMania 36 in 2020.

Both Cena and Wyatt showed off their acting chops and delivered a never-before-seen performance, and it was Wyatt who ended up in the win column.

In addition to The Rock, Cena and Triple H, several other current and former WWE Superstars made their feelings known regarding Wyatt over the past two days as well, including Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Bayley, Saraya, Alexa Bliss, The Miz and Matt Hardy:

Wyatt will go down as not only one of the most creative minds in WWE history, but in the entire existence of the pro wrestling business.

Then one-time WWE champion and two-time universal champion left an indelible mark on the industry and clearly meant so much to so many involved.

I Kissed Rubiales Without Consent-Spanish Female Footballer

Spanish Women’s World Cup winning midfielder Jenni Hermoso said she did not consent to being kissed by the country’s federation chief Luis Rubiales, after he refused to resign Friday following worldwide outcry over the incident.

In a statement released by the women players’ union Futpro, Hermoso and 80 other players said they would not accept an international call-up “if the current leadership continues” at the Spanish football federation.

Rubiales, 46, said in a speech at an emergency RFEF meeting that his kiss on Hermoso’s lips was “mutual, euphoric and consensual” and that she had said “OK” when he asked her if he could give her “a peck”.

He also asserted that “she was the one who lifted me in her arms and brought me close to her body”.

But,Hermoso hit back strongly against his claims later Friday.

“I want to clarify that at no time did I consent to the kiss that he gave me and in no case did I seek to lift up the president,” Hermoso said in the Futpro statement.

“I do not tolerate my word being questioned and much less that they invent words that I did not say.”

Futpro said in the statement that every player signing it, which included the 23 World Cup winners, were taking a stand.

“We want to finish this statement asking for real structural changes, that help the national team to keep growing, to be able to transfer this great success to later generations,” it read.

“It fills us with sadness that such an unacceptable event is succeeding in tarnishing the greatest sporting success of Spanish women’s football.

“After all that happened during the medal ceremony at the Women’s World Cup, we wish to declare that all the players signing this document will not return to a national team squad if the current leadership continues.”

Before the World Cup, 15 players had taken a similar stance against the federation but many relented and three were part of the team’s triumph in Australia and New Zealand.

Many players, including double Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, had written messages of support for Hermoso on social media, some including the phrase “it’s over” — potentially referring to Rubiales’ leadership of Spanish football.

AFP

Police Risk 25-Year Jail Term For Torturing Suspects-Falana

Lagos lawyer,Femi Falana has cautioned the police over use of torture to extract information from suspects under detention.

According to him,the new police act prohibits torture and prescribes 25 -year in prison for any police officer/officers found guilty of torture.

He gave the warning in Lagos,during the unveiling of Complaint Response Unit (CRU) for the Lagos State Command by the Acting Inspector General of Police IGP Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun.

To ensure compliance,he said magistrates would be assigned to visit and inspect police formations on monthly basis.

Falana,who commended Egbetokun for being an upright cop,said: “We met 34 years ago. Since then, I have never heard any negative report about him.

He urged the police to be upright and diligent in carrying out their professional duties, saying that by doing that, they will have no course to be afraid.

“We represent those who bring cases against you, and we also defend you when frivolous cases are brought against you. I have represented the military and police personnel more than any other group or persons in the country. I will give the IG the utmost support in Lagos,” Falana added.

IGP Egbetokun,who also commissioned a number of completed projects including police clinic at MOPOL 22 premises at Oduduwa, GRA, said that his visit to Lagos State Police Command was with nostalgic feelings and like killing two birds with a stone.

He said the first was to commission the CRU and to have quality interaction with his officers and men.

He commended the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State for complying with his order on creating Complaint Response Unit.

He assured that introduction of CRU was not to witch hunt the police, rather to make officers and men rise to their professional responsibilities.

He said:“This is not to witch-hunt the police, but to promote and enhance accountability. We don’t want complaints to be made in the social media by members of the public anymore, but to the CRU. We will equip the unit, train and retrain officers who will man them including oversees training.”

He said that his policing strategy is aimed at modern policing, adding that community policing would be rebuilt to diverse community policing.

He urged the officers to be carry out their duty diligently saying that everything is about getting result.

He added:“We will together change the police narrative in this country for better. We must stop extortion because extortion is giving us bad name. God bless officers who are doing the right thing. We have a President and Commander-in-Chief who is committed to the welfare of the police. You will be given necessary tools to work, but you must shun misconduct. You must show excellence performance,” the IGP tasked officers and men of Lagos State Command”.

Nigeria Will Soon Stop Importing Fuel-FG

Mohammed Shosanya

The federal government has again expressed its commitment to stopping petroleum product importation soon, as efforts are being redoubled to restore the nation’s local refining capacity.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, during an inspection tour of the rehabilitation work progress at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Ltd. plant, in Port Harcourt on Friday,according to a statement by Garba Deen Muhammad, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Limited.

The Minister,who was in the company of his counterpart, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ambassador Gabriel T. Aduda, and the Group CEO, NNPC Ltd., Mr. Mele Kyari, said considering the level of progress recorded in the PHRC rehabilitation project, the plant will come back on stream by December this year.

He added:”Our objective in coming here today is to ensure that in the next few years, Nigeria stops fuel importation. From what we have seen here today, Port Harcourt Refinery will come on board by the end of the year, Warri will come on stream by the end of the first quarter of next year, and Kaduna will also come on board towards the end of next year. If you add that to the Dangote Refinery, we will be able to stop fuel importation, and Nigerians will enjoy the full benefits of deregulation”

He also expressed his satisfaction with the ongoing rehabilitation work at the Port Harcourt refinery, noting that once all the refineries are back on stream, Nigerians will enjoy a better supply of petroleum products, and foreign exchange will be domesticated, leading to an improved economy.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo said:“We are here to go into the field. Yesterday was the era of subsidies. Today, we don’t have subsidies. Today, people are in a desperate situation to heave a sigh of relief; and see how to live. You all know that petrol is very vital to our economy. All hands must be on deck to ensure that the refineries are working”.

During the visit, the two Ministers also participated in the Refineries’ Rehabilitation Steering Committee meeting and held a meeting with the refinery’s Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) Contractors.

Earlier in his remarks, the Group CEO, NNPC Ltd., Mr. Mele Kyari, said bringing back the refineries to their optimal levels is a national aspiration, and the Company remains focused on delivering that.

“We are aware of our nation’s challenges in terms of fuel supply. But we are not here to give excuses. We are focused on delivering this rehabilitation project, our two other refineries, and all other investments towards revamping the nation’s refining capacity. We are hopeful that in 2024, this country will be a net exporter of petroleum products,” Kyari stated.