24 terrorists killed in 6 days as troops intensify offensive (Channels)
Combined Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have killed 24 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in a renewed offensive into enclaves across various locations within the North-East theatre of operations.
Among those killed were five logistics suppliers who were ambushed in night operations.
The coordinated operations took place between 4th and 9th July in Sambisa Forest, Timbuktu triangle, the Mandara Mountains, and other known locations. This resulted in the recovery of several arms, ammunition, logistics, and other fighting equipment. Read more
Senate replaces Natasha as committee chairman (Punch)
The Senate has named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during Thursday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle. Read more
Demola-Seriki: Shea butter export boosting Nigeria’s forex market (ThisDay)
An entrepreneur and founder of Shea Tribe, Kanyisola Demola-Seriki, has explained how the organization is contributing to the country’s non-oil exports and boosting its foreign exchange earnings through exportation of shea butter and shea nut.
Demola-Seriki, a licensed esthetician in a statement made available in Ibadan, said Shea Tribe harnesses Africa’s botanical richness-unrefined shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter and other indigenous oils to create multipurpose, plant-powered skincare products for local and international markets.
Speaking on the economic impact of the business and its nation-building potential, the Secretary General of the Shea Women’s Association of Nigeria (SWAN) explained that Shea Tribe’s long term vison aligns with the national development goals, which according to her include creating direct employment opportunities for the youth and women in the supply chain of the skincare production. Read more
Residents flee as fuel tank spills, ignites fire (Guardian)
A section of Koko community in Warri North Local Council Area, Delta State, has fled to safe locations following a major spill and fire at a large fuel storage tank operated by Sharon Petroleum Nigeria Limited.
Residents reported that the spill from the tank could not be contained by the company, spreading into nearby residential areas in Koko and igniting. The fire was so enormous that people scattered in every direction to escape. The market near the depot was suddenly abandoned as market women hurriedly left their wares behind.
The scent of petrol spread through the Koko community, causing residents to evacuate amid rising fears of an imminent explosion. This was due to the ongoing spill from the company’s largest tank, which was reportedly caused by equipment failure, allegedly resulting from negligence. Read more
Plateau: Drama as police arraign 22 over Mangu wedding guests’ killing (Sun)
The Plateau State Police Command has arraigned 22 suspects in connection with the killing of 13 wedding guests travelling from Kaduna to Plateau on June 20, 2025.
The wedding guests were travelling in a 32-seater bus belonging to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, en route from Mangu to Qua’an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State when they were attacked at Mangun after missing their way.
However, there was drama in court on Thursday, July 10, 2025, as the suspects were brought before Justice Boniface Ngyou of the Plateau State High Court. Read more
Supreme Court affirms Okpebholo as Edo gov (Tribune)
The Supreme Court, on Thursday, affirmed the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the authentic governor of Edo State.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, dismissed the appeal filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Asuerinme Ighodalo, as lacking in merit.
Ighodalo had filed the appeal to nullify the outcome of the governorship election held in the state on September 21, 2024. Read more
Ortom: I don’t believe in coalition, will support Tinubu (NewTelegraph)
Former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has ruled out any possibility of supporting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, led by former Senate President David Mark, to unseat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Makurdi on Thursday, Ortom declared his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid, stressing that power should remain in the South until 2031 in line with the existing zoning arrangement.
“I don’t believe in coalitions and will not be part of it. Instead, I will support President Tinubu for re-election,” Ortom stated. Read more
‘It’s a normal festival – we’re just naked’ (BBC)
Hundreds of people have descended on a campsite for what has been billed as a “normal festival” – just one where everyone is naked.
Thorney Lakes in Langport, Somerset, has once again become home to Nudefest – a week-long event that sits at the centre of the British Naturism calendar.
From a performance by The Wurzels to a volleyball tournament and a cider farm tour, the event attracts hundreds of people from across the UK each year. Read more
Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce reportedly spent 4th of July at exclusive resort in Montana (PageSix)
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce reportedly enjoyed a little fireworks of their own on the Fourth of July.
The “Blank Space” singer and Kansas City Chiefs tight end were spotted spending the holiday weekend at the exclusive members-only Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana, according to DeuxMoi.
The Instagram account added in their most recent newsletter that Kelce and Swift, both 35, have frequently spent time together at the luxury private resort. Read more
Jonas Brothers reuniting saved Kevin Jonas from financial ruin after losing ‘most’ of his money (RollingStone)
Jonas Brothers worked out their differences just in time for Kevin Jonas to save himself from financial ruin. During a recent appearance on Lewis Howes’ podcast The School of Greatness, the eldest member of the sibling trio revealed that his funds were drained from an unsuccessful investment partnership that followed the band’s breakup in 2013.
“I invested in a bunch of property and doing other things and I was building at the time. Sadly, it wasn’t the right partnership, if you know what I’m saying,” Jonas said. While his money wasn’t completely cleared out, he added, he did lose “most of it, like, down to the one 10 percent left.” It was a stark contrast to his previous reality. “I’ve seen the beginning of the success to financial success — not knowing what money really was and understanding it — to not having [it], to losing almost all of it,” he said. Read more
Superman or ‘Superwoke’? Right-wing critics of the new DC movie say the latter (NBC)
Superman arrived on Earth a refugee from a dying world, adopted by farmers in the American heartland. But as the Man of Steel lands in theatres with a new reboot this weekend, some conservative critics are taking issue with the superhero saga being framed as an immigrant’s story.
The outrage, primarily from right-wing commentators, began percolating in the last week, before many had even seen the film. The criticism centers around recent comments made by director James Gunn, who underscored how Superman’s immigrant identity is weaved into the film’s storyline.
“I mean, Superman is the story of America,” Gunn told The Times of London newspaper in an interview published last week. “An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country. But for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.” Read more
Olivia Dean: ‘I know my worth and how i deserve to be loved’ (Elle)
Olivia Dean was in Bangkok when she realised her life had changed. ‘We did a show there in February and went to a bar afterwards,’ says the singer, leaning towards me from the other side of the table, eyes excitable and in storytelling mode. ‘And the band was playing my track “Dive”. I was like, “No way! This is crazy. I’m in a bar in Bangkok and they’re doing a cover of my song.”’ Did they do a good job? A grin stretches slowly across her face as she leans back. ‘They did a great job.’
Full of humility, Dean may not be the first to admit that her life changed a while before that. The Brit School graduate has been on a victory lap ever since the release of her debut EP Ok Love You Bye, which was recorded in a converted east-London pub and almost immediately amassed millions of streams, earning her a deal with EMI Records. Read more
New York faces landlord exodus over Zohran Mamdani’s housing plans (Newsweek)
Zohran Mamdani’s stunning victory in New York City’s mayoral primary race has blindsided local landlords and real estate professionals, who poured millions into Andrew Cuomo’s campaign, hoping to stop the young, left-wing candidate’s ascent.
Now, they are scrambling to block the 33-year-old state politician from City Hall, where the self-described Democratic socialist is likely to keep his promise to freeze rent for over 2 million New Yorkers and reform the city’s tax system to make “richer and whiter neighborhoods” pay more.
A Victory Fueled By Renters
Two-thirds of New Yorkers rent their homes in what is one of the most expensive markets in the country. About 44 percent of all rental units in the city are rent-stabilized—which means that there are limits to how much landlords can raise rent each year. In the city’s free market, on the other hand, landlords can increase rent by how much they see fit. Read more
Nigeria drop to 44th in FIFA rankings, retain 5th in Africa (Guardian)
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have dropped from 43rd to 44th in the latest FIFA World Rankings released on Thursday, reflecting a slight decline in global standing despite maintaining a strong position among African football nations.
The rankings, updated by FIFA following over 200 international matches played in recent months—including FIFA World Cup qualifiers and regional tournaments—place Nigeria as the fifth-highest ranked team in Africa. The top four teams on the continent remain Morocco (12th), Senegal (18th), Egypt (34th), and Algeria (36th).
Despite the drop, Nigeria continues to rank ahead of long-standing regional rivals Ghana and South Africa, who occupy 76th and 56th positions globally, respectively. Ivory Coast, who recently overtook Nigeria in a previous ranking, now sit just below the Super Eagles after dropping four places. Read more
2026 World Cup: Musa says only miracle can save Nigeria (NewTelegraph)
Former Super Eagles captain and newly appointed General Manager of Kano Pillars, Ahmad Musa, has made a striking statement regarding Nigeria’s dwindling hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Speaking during his first official press conference since taking the reins at Kano Pillars, Musa expressed concern over Nigeria’s current standings in the qualifiers.
He remarked that unless FIFA intervenes in the controversial match between South Africa and Lesotho, Nigeria’s participation in the upcoming World Cup remains highly unlikely. Read more
Semenya’s right to a fair hearing violated – ECHR (BBC)
Caster Semenya’s right to a fair hearing was violated by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court when she lost a 2020 appeal against World Athletics regulations that effectively barred her from competing, Europe’s top court has ruled.
The double 800m Olympic champion won a partial victory at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in her long legal battle over athletics’ sex eligibility rules.
Semenya, 34, was born with differences of sexual development (DSD) and has been unable to compete in the 800m since World Athletics brought in rules in 2019 restricting testosterone levels for track events from 400m up to the mile. Read more
Lionel Messi makes history with latest goal-scoring onslaught (NBC)
Lionel Messi became the first player in Major League Soccer history with four consecutive multi-goal games, scoring twice to lead Inter Miami past the New England Revolution 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Miami (10-3-5) has won four straight and is unbeaten in its last five.
Defender Tanner Beason misplayed a header and Messi capitalized, scoring on a half-volley to open the scoring in the 27th minute. Read more
Truck driver who filmed Diogo Jota car crash aftermath disputes police report (Metro)
A truck driver who filmed the aftermath of Diogo Jota’s car crash has disputed claims that the Liverpool footballer was speeding in his Lamborghini before the accident.
Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva both died last Thursday when they were travelling along the A-52 motorway in north-west Spain in the early hours of the morning.
Jota’s bright green Lamborghini Huracan suffered a suspected tyre blowout before it veered off the road and burst into flames. Read more