Unpaid salaries: Two workers die in Ondo

Two members of the Ondo State civil service have lost their lives as a result of the inability of the state government to pay their salaries for five months, the Joint Negotiating Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress said on Wednesday.

The Chairman of the JNC, Mr. Sunday Adeleye, disclosed this to journalists in Akure, while monitoring the compliance of workers to the strike called by the NLC and TUC as a result of the delayed salaries.

He added that another worker was caught stealing garri in Okitipupa town, Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state last week.

Some workers at the offices of the state’s Board of Internal Revenue and the Local Government Service Commission at Alagbaka, Akure, who opted not to participate in the industrial action, which commenced on Wednesday, were flogged and chased out by the monitoring team.

PDP Caretaker Committee illegal: Court Declares

Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos has declared as invalid the caretaker committee constituted over the weekend to take over the  affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party from its acting National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff.

The judge, in a ruling on Monday, directed the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, to enforce his order, barring the members of the constituted caretaker committee from taking over the affairs of the party.

Fuel Price Hike: FG Meets Labour Today As Reps Summon Kachikwu

The Federal Government has invited the leadership of organised labour to a meeting in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Monday to discuss the increase of fuel pump price from N86 and N86.50k to N145.

Representatives of organised labour and the civil society had, after a meeting in Abuja on Saturday, given the Federal Government till midnight on Tuesday to reverse the increase or face an indefinite national strike.

The group gave the strike notice in a joint communiqué issued by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress after the meeting.

The General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Sunday that organised labour had received invitations via text messages from the Ministry of Labour on Sunday to attend the meeting with the government at the office of the SGF.

OMG!!! Kim Says No To Kanye

Kanye West wants to have more children, but Kim Kardashian would rather not. The reality TV star had previously described her pregnancy with Saint West as "the worst experience".  Nonetheless, West is broody.

After being asked by sister Khloe Kardashian if she wanted more kids, Kim gave a resolute no.

"I said no way. I was so set on my two kids and how happy I was with my life the way that it is, but Kanye has been mentioning it every single day lately for the past 10 days," Kim said on Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

"You've been counting the days?" asks Khloe.

"Yeah," replies Kim. "I'm like why is he doing this to me?!"

The couple already have two children, North West and Saint West.

Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale's Divorce Is Finalized

A Los Angeles judge finalized the couple's divorce on April 8 after reviewing a detailed judgment that splits their property and business interests. Stefani will retain her interest in her band, No Doubt, while Rossdale will keep his interests in his group, Bush.

Stefani filed for divorce in August after nearly 13 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. She is now dating country star Blake Shelton. All three musicians have worked on NBC's music competition show "The Voice."

Stefani and Rossdale will share joint custody of their three sons, who range in ages from 2 to 9.

From scripted to spectacular Lakers' win transforms Kobe Bryant's send-off .

From the way Kobe Bryant shot and shot and shot to the way the night was basically turned into a long Nike commercial, what unfolded Wednesday at Staples Center felt incredibly contrived.

It was also spectacular.

"I can't believe this has actually happened," Bryant said.

Most of the night was scripted. And if the Lakers, Nike and Kobe Inc. could also have scripted the end of the game, they would have.

But they couldn't.

Something organic had to emerge from this artificial environment. On most nights this season, the results were dreadful. On Wednesday night, they were magical.

Bryant finished with 60 points. He scored 15 of his team's final 17 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 31.6 seconds remaining.

Everyone knew Bryant would come out gunning, but no one could have expected this.

Even the most cynical of us had to smile

Volkswagen Is Recalling 680,000 Cars in the U.S. for Airbag Problems

Volkswagen VLKAY 1.04% said on Wednesday it was recalling 680,000 cars of its namesake brand in the United States because Takata-made airbags in them could be defective.
The recall affects models built between 2006 and 2014, a spokesman said, declining to comment on how much the recall could cost.
Daimler DDAIF 1.26% said late on Tuesday it would recall 840,000 U.S. vehicles with Takata airbag inflators that could be defective, resulting in a charge of 340 million euros ($382.53 million) for the carmaker.

Software Update Ruins Some iPhones - Apple Could Face Lawsuit

Lawyers are taking a long look at Apple’s practice of disabling newer iPhones that have been repaired by third-parties.
People who have iPhones running iOS 9 sometimes see “Error 53” when trying to restore the phone through Apple’s iTunes software after being prompted to connect the device to a computer. The error, which prevents the user from using the device, seems to occur on the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, and iPhone 6S Plus after their Touch ID sensors are repaired by unapproved retailers.
The Guardian first reported on the error message last week. On Tuesday, The Guardian published another report indicating law firms in the U.S. and U.K are considering bringing lawsuits against Apple for rendering devices useless after repair.