Entertainment

Joanna Lumley says wartime-style rationing could help solve climate crisis

Joanna Lumley has suggested that a system of rationing similar to that seen during wartime, under which people would have a limited number of points to spend on holidays or lavish consumer goods, could eventually help to tackle the climate crisis.

The Absolutely Fabulous actor, who has long campaigned against single-use plastic, said legislation could be the only way to curb the amount of waste produced by the public. “These are tough times, and I think there’s got to be legislation,” she told the Radio Times.

“That was how the war was – stuff was rationed – and at some stage I think we might have to go back to some kind of system of rationing, where you’re given a certain number of points and it’s up to you how to spend them, whether it’s buying a bottle of whisky or flying in an aeroplane.”

Lumley, who has been involved in conservation work, said that while many people remained poor, it was largely “the western world that stuffs its face and chucks stuff away”.

“Perhaps people have got to think a bit harder,” she said. “Maybe more of our holidays should be at home or taking trains, and not hopping on a plane to Magaluf for the weekend … Every plastic bottle you don’t buy, every piece of litter you pick up, every piece of meat you don’t eat, every small thing counts.”

Her comments come a week after Boris Johnson promised that transitioning to net zero could happen without sacrificing the things people love, claiming in a foreword to the government’s net zero strategy that technology would allow “guilt-free” flight by 2050.

While green taxes risk hitting the least affluent the hardest, rationing is seen by some as a fair and universal way to limit consumption. Critics, however, say it sacrifices economic growth.

As far back as 2006, the then environment secretary, David Miliband, argued that each citizen should be issued with a carbon “credit card” – to be swiped every time they bought petrol, paid an energy utility bill or booked a plane ticket – under a nationwide rationing scheme.

The historian Mark Roodhouse wrote in 2007 that rationing would be more effective than a carbon tax if governments needed “to reduce carbon emissions quickly and dramatically”.

In a new documentary on ITV next week, Lumley travels around the UK following the adventurer Sacha Dench – known as “the human swan” – as she attempts an epic 3,000-mile journey around the British coast in an electric paramotor.

According to ITV, the pair “meet environmental heroes along the way who show them surprising and fascinating ways to live more planet-friendly lives”.

But in September, just days from her journey’s end, Dench and her support pilot and photographer Dan Burton, who was flying a conventional paramotor, collided in mid-air over the western Highlands.

Burton, 54, a father of two from Devon, died, and Dench, 46, was seriously injured and remains in hospital. Lumley was not filming with them at the time.

“The shock was so vivid because it seemed such a short time since I’d been with them both,” Lumley told the Radio Times, explaining that the news reached her while she was working on a separate project in Berlin. “I couldn’t believe Dan would be [with us] no more … Dan’s family bravely insisted we complete the film, and Sacha sent a message, despite her critical injuries, saying: ‘Get the film finished.’ I was terribly moved.”

The resulting documentary, Joanna Lumley and the Human Swan, airs on ITV on 1 November and will be dedicated to Burton.

Entertainment

Kano censorship board suspends 22 popular Hausa film series

The Kano State Censorship Board has suspended the airing of 22 popular Hausa series films for allegedly violating regulatory guidelines.

The board described the action as a strategic move aimed at enforcing compliance and promoting professionalism within Kannywood, the Hausa-language film industry.

In a statement issued by the board’s Information Officer, Abdullahi Sani Sulaiman, the affected titles include Labarina, Dadin Kowa, Manyan Mata, Garwashi, Jamilun Jidda, and Gidan Sarauta, among others.

The statement said the decision followed a management meeting and due consultation and was directed late Sunday by the Executive Secretary of the board, Abba El-Mustapha.

Other suspended series films are Dakin Amarya, Mashahuri, Wasiyya, Tawakkaltu, Mijina, Wani Zamani, Mallaka, Kudin Ruwa, Boka Ko Malam, Wayasan Gobe, Rana Dubu, Manyan Mata, Fatake, Gwarwashi, Jamilun Jiddan, Shahadar Nabila, Dadin Kowa, Tabarma, Kishiyata, and Rigar Aro.

The board emphasised that it is legally empowered to censor all films meant for production, marketing, streaming, or broadcast prior to their release, and to regulate all related stakeholders both within and outside the state.

“All producers or owners of the suspended films are hereby instructed to cease streaming or airing their content on television or the internet and to submit their productions to the board for censorship approval within one week, starting from Monday, 19th May 2025 to 25th May, 2025, to avoid legal consequences,” the statement said.

The Hausa film industry has, in recent years, shifted toward producing series films as a result of diminishing returns from traditional filmmaking. These series are typically uploaded on YouTube and aired on television, with most episodes released on a weekly basis.

Entertainment

Cubana Chief Priest’s Lekki Restaurant shut down by Lagos govt

The Lagos State Government has taken action against DONALD Restaurant, a popular establishment in Lekki owned by nightlife entrepreneur Pascal Okechukwu, widely known as Cubana Chief Priest.

The restaurant was shut down following an incident where two employees were caught illegally disposing of waste on the roadside.

Muyiwa Gbadegesin, the Managing Director and CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), announced the closure on his X handle.

He stated that the Chairman of the Lekki Estate Residents Association (LERA) had alerted LAWMA in the early hours of Saturday, May 18, 2025, about illegal dumping of waste along Durosimi-Etti Street in Lekki Phase 1.

According to Gbadegesin, “A white Ford van with Abuja registration plates GWA 136E was caught in the act of indiscriminately discharging waste.”

The vehicle was traced back to DONALD Restaurant, a nightlife establishment situated on Road 14 within the estate.

The suspects were apprehended on the scene by LERA’s Chief Security Officer and taken into custody at the LERA Secretariat.

Reports indicated that the individuals attempted to bribe the security team with ₦100,000, an offer that was firmly rejected.

LAWMA’s Monitoring and Compliance Team was immediately deployed to the location, where they took custody of the suspects and sealed the premises for gross environmental violations in breach of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017.

Gbadegesin added that the suspects would be prosecuted in line with the law.

“LAWMA remains resolute in its commitment to enforcing environmental regulations across Lagos and urges all residents and businesses to adhere strictly to proper waste management practices. A clean and livable city is everyone’s responsibility,” Gbadegesin stressed.

Entertainment

Daughter of actress, Jumoke George trafficked to Mali returns after four years

Adeola, the daughter of veteran Nigerian actress Jumoke George, who was reportedly trafficked to Mali and had been missing for four years, has finally returned home to Nigeria.

The emotional reunion was announced by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), via her verified X (formerly Twitter) account.

“Breaking! Adeola, daughter of popular actress, Jumoke George, who cried out that she had not heard from her daughter in four years, is back home from Mali where she was trafficked to. Just received her, with Biola Adebayo who broke the story and Niyi Johnson. Details later!” Dabiri-Erewa posted.

The post included images of a visibly emotional reception, showing the young woman with actress Biola Adebayo and actor Niyi Johnson, who both played instrumental roles in drawing attention to the case.

Jumoke George had previously gone public with her distress, lamenting her daughter’s disappearance and appealing to the public for any information.

The case gained momentum after Biola Adebayo highlighted the issue, prompting wider media attention and eventual rescue efforts.

Although full details of Adeola’s ordeal in Mali are yet to be disclosed, her return marks a major success in the fight against human trafficking and a moment of immense relief for her family.