Ayra Starr shares emotional moment with Rihanna (Sun)
Nigerian singer, Ayra Starr, has stated that she made an excellent decision in choosing Rihanna as her musical idol.
In a recent interview with ETalk TV, Starr hailed Rihanna as โan amazing person and somebody to look up to.โ
She recalls meeting Rihanna for the first time and learning that the wealthy pop diva liked her music. Read more
Melaye makes first court appearance as lawyer (Punch)
Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, on Friday, made his first courtroom appearance as a lawyer, stepping into legal practice after years in politics and public life.
Dressed in a full wig and gown, Melaye appeared before Justice Emeka Nwite at Court 8 of the Federal High Court, Abuja, marking his debut since being called to the Nigerian Bar.
โSenator Dino Melaye at the Federal High Court Abuja today. Appeared before Justice Emeka Nwite of Court 8,โ Melaye shared on his verified Facebook page on Friday. Read more
NCDC issues alert on dengue fever, cholera, mpox, diphtheria outbreaks (Channels)
The Federal Government has issued an alert warning Nigerians of the outbreak of infectious diseases across the country.
Issuing the warning on Friday via its website, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) confirmed the widespread outbreak of cholera, dengue fever, Mpox, diphtheria, and yellow fever.
The public health agency warned of serious public health risks if urgent action was not taken, arguing that the ongoing outbreaks required immediate national attention. Read more
Plans are in motion to bring Peter Obi back โ PDP (NewTelegraph)
Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ibrahim Abdullahi, on Thursday, stated that the party is taking measures to bring Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, back into its fold.
Speaking on Arise News, Abdullahi stated that plans are underway to return Peter Obi to the opposition party.
He described the former Governor of Anambra State as a product of the PDP and a great asset to any political party. Read more
Alleged terrorism: โLet Kanu provide defence for his actionsโ โ Prosecution tells court (Nation)
A Federal High Court in Abuja has been urged to order the detained leader of the proscribed separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu to enter a defence in the terrorism charge in respect of which he is being prosecuted.
Prosecuting lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), who made this request during Fridayโs proceedings, also urged the court to reject the no-case submission made by the defence.
He prayed the court to instead, order him to explain why he engaged in terrorism activities that promoted violence and destruction, including the killing of not less than 170 security officials. Read more
Anyaoku-led summit advocates sameโday elections, state police, independent candidacy (Guardian)
Participants at the National Constitutional Summit have called for elections into a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution, rejecting the 1999 Constitution as inadequate and imposed.
The summit, held in Abuja and convened by the Eminent Patriots of Nigeria, brought together retired statesmen, legal scholars, former lawmakers, and civic actors. It concluded with a communiquรฉ demanding wide-ranging reforms aimed at overhauling Nigeriaโs governance framework.
Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary-General and chair of the summit, said the delegates were unanimous in their position that Nigeriaโs current constitution lacks legitimacy. Read more
Atikuโs resignation familiar pattern, we expect his return โ Damagum (DailyTrust)
The Acting National Chairman of Peopleโs Democratic Party (PDP), Iliya Damagum, has described the resignation of its 2023 Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, from the party as a familiar pattern with politicians.
Damagun stated this on Friday at the Government House, Bauchi, while responding to questions from journalists on the exit of Atiku and others from the party.
He said that the party seems to be taking a wait-and-see approach and now expecting Atiku to potentially return in the future. Read more
‘There were bodies everywhere’: Druze residents describe ‘bloodbath’ in Syrian city Suweida (BBC)
Over the last five days, Rima says she has witnessed “barbaric” scenes.
The 45-year-old Druze woman has lived in the southern Syrian city of Suweida her whole life, and never thought her once-peaceful hometown would become the scene of a bloodbath.
“There were bodies everywhere outside our building,” she told the BBC in a phone interview, using a pseudonym out of fear for her safety. Read more
EU hits Russian oil, shadow fleet with new sanctions over Ukraine war (AlJazeera)
The European Union has approved a new raft of stiff sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, including a lower oil price cap, a ban on transactions with Nord Stream gas pipelines, and the targeting of more shadow fleet ships.
โThe message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war,โ EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement on Friday.
Kallas said the EU move amounts to โone of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to dateโ linked to the war, which is now in its fourth year. Read more
Erotic mosaic held by Nazi officer goes on view in Pompeii (ArtNews)
An ancient mosaic that may have been looted by a Nazi officer has returned to its home in Italy decades after being stolen.
The mosaic depicts a bedroom scene and probably originated somewhere in the area around Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that erupted in 79 CE, trapping Pompeii in ash and effectively freezing the city in time. It shows a nearly nude woman reaching toward a reclining man who gazes at her.
According to the Pompeii Archaeological Park, the mosaic was taken during World War II by a captain for the Wehrmacht, the Nazi armed force division. The park said that this captain โwas responsible for the military supply chain in Italy during the Second World War,โ and that he โdonatedโ the piece to a German citizen. Read more
Jon Stewart says โI honestly donโt knowโ about โThe Daily Showโsโ future after Paramount-Skydance merger (Variety)
Just hours before โThe Late Show With Stephen Colbertโ was cancelled at CBS, Jon Stewart opened up about the uncertain future of โThe Daily Showโ if the proposed SkydanceโParamount merger goes through.
David Ellisonโs Skydance Media is in the process of buying Paramount, which is the parent company of CBS and Stewartโs network Comedy Central. The $8 billion deal is still pending FCC approval more than a year after it was announced. But earlier this month, Trump and Paramount reached a settlement in the presidentโs lawsuit over an interview โ60 Minutesโ did with Kamala Harris, in which Paramount agreed to pay him $16 million. Both Colbert and Stewart have been vocal about their disapproval of the settlement. Read more
The Holy See at the UN calls for urgent measures to protect families (CNA)
The permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, participated in this weekโs โHigh-Level Political Forumโ with two speeches at UN headquarters in New York.
The July 13-15 event focused on the UNโs sustainable development goals, according to Vatican News. In particular, Caccia addressed Goal 3, which seeks to guarantee access to healthcare, and Goal 5, on “gender equality and empowering women.”
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an action plan approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. It is structured around 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets to be achieved within a 15-year period. Read more
Donald Trump reacts to Stephen Colbert news, predicts who is next (Newsweek)
President Donald Trump celebrated the news that CBS is axing Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, and predicted that ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel would be the next host to get the chop.
“I absolutely love that Colbert’ got fired,” Trump posted to his Truth Social platform on Friday morning, July 18.
“His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert! Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show.โ Read more
Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner of Championship club Swansea (Punch)
Snoop Dogg has become co-owner of Championship side Swansea City in an unlikely alliance between the world of rap and football, the Welsh club announced.
The 53-year-old American star joins former Real Madrid stalwart and Croatia World Cup finalist Luka Modric in the clubโs ownership structure.
Snoop Dogg made a surprise appearance on the clubโs social media channels last week, modelling their new home jersey for the 2025-26 season and the club announced on Thursday that he has become an investor. Read more
Man Utd agree ยฃ65m deal to sign Brentford’s Mbeumo (BBC)
Manchester United have had a ยฃ65m bid for Bryan Mbeumo accepted by Brentford.
The Cameroon international could undergo a medical with the club before Ruben Amorim’s squad fly to the United States on Tuesday for their pre-season tour.
The 25-year-old winger is set to become United’s third signing of the summer after the arrivals of forward Matheus Cunha and left-back Diego Leon. Read more
Indian state blames RCB cricket team for deadly IPL stampede (AlJazeera)
State authorities have blamed the management of Indiaโs Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricket team for last monthโs deadly stampede during celebrations for their first Indian Premier League (IPL) title.
Karnataka state authorities singled out the RCB, its partners and the state cricket association for their mismanagement of the event in a report made public on Thursday.
Eleven fans were crushed to death and more than 50 wounded in a stampede near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after hundreds of thousands packed the streets in the southern city of Bengaluru on June 4, to cheer their hero Virat Kohli and other RCB team members. Read more
Adrian Newey issues fresh Aston Martin update after latest McLaren inspection (PlanetF1)
Adrian Newey has revealed that he has been working โpretty much flat outโ since joining Aston Martin on the eve of the F1 2025 season.
It comes after the F1 design guru was once again spotted inspecting the championship-leading McLaren MCL39 on the grid at the recent British Grand Prix.
Newey stands as the most decorated individual in F1 history with involvement in more than 200 race wins and a combined 26 Driversโ and Constructorsโ championship titles for the likes of Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. Read more
Kickball: a unique fusion of football and baseball for girls in Liberia (AfricaNews)
Just before the kick-off, the Girls of Aries energize the crowd with their team song. The Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia buzzes with excitement.
This is kickball, a blend of football and baseball.
Itโs played with feet instead of bats like in baseball, and there are no men involved. Read more