Buhari meets family members of Abuja-Kaduna train abduction (Guardian)
Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari is meeting with family members of the Abuja-Kaduna train abduction in Abuja.
Presidency in a tweet disclosed that Buhari is meeting with people whose relatives were abducted in the train that was attacked by terrorists.
Eight passengers were declared dead from the attack, about 60 persons were kidnapped and many were injured when terrorists opened fire on about 970 passengers on board in late March.
The Kaduna-bound train derailed after explosives believed to be planted on the rail track went off close to Rigasa area of the state. Read more
Effective enforcement: Restore old glory of LASTMA- newly appointed Sanwo-Olu’s SA tasks officers (Vanguard)
The newly appointed Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa has tasked officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, to restore the glory days of the agency for the good of all and sundry.
Giwa stated this at a roundtable with Heads of Departments and Directors of the enforcement agency on Wednesday, held at the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
The Special Adviser, who started his career as Senior Special Assistant on LASTMA in 2007, recalled that LASTMA has seen better days as this was not the way things were in the foremost enforcement agency back in the days.
He added that a lot of things have to come back away from the alleged indiscipline acts, urging officers to brace up with the great ideas that would reposition and revitalize the traffic management authority. Read more
VIN: Nigerians can’t afford second-hand vehicles, say agents (Punch)
Importation of used vehicles into Nigeria has declined since the introduction of the Vehicle Identification Number, VIN, by the Nigeria Customs Service.
A member of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Ugochukwu Nnadi, disclosed this to our correspondent in a telephone call on Tuesday, claiming that the policy had made it difficult for Nigerians to afford second-hand or used vehicles.
“Yes, there is a drop in the importation of used vehicles generally. In fact, by the time those whose vehicles were already at the ports before this VIN valuation would clear all their products at the ports, the drop might rise further.
“Some people’s vehicles are already at the ports and they don’t have any option than to manage to bring them out.” Read more
LASAA seeks compliance with election campaign guidelines (Nation)
Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has released guidelines that will guide politicians and parties as they embark on campaigns ahead of the 2023 general election.
It urged politicians and parties participating in the election to comply with the guidelines.
LASAA Managing Director Mr. Adedamola Docemo said in a statement that the guidelines were issued in accordance with the agency’s responsibilities on the use of billboards/wall drapes, banners, A-frames and posters, to establish sanity and protect the environment from defilement, visual blight and other adverse effects of unregulated display of political campaign materials.
He said the guidelines were issued without prejudice to any political party, association or aspirant, stressing that “it is our intention to ensure fairness and equality among concerned stakeholders, while judiciously performing our duties and applying the rules without sentiment or bias.” Read more
Bwari attack: Guard Brigade buries slain soldiers (Sun)
The bodies of one officer and four soldiers from the Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army killed in a terrorists ambush at Bwari, in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), have been laid to rest in Abuja amidst tears.
The deceased officer, Captain Attah Samuel and the four soldiers were buried at the Guards Brigade Cemetery, Maitama, Abuja.
The soldiers were killed while on a clearance operation in the area.
Assistant Director Army Public Relations in Charge of the Brigade Captain Godfrey Anebi Abakpa, made this known in a statement.
The statement made available to Daily Sun reads; “Guards Brigade Nigerian Army and the entire Barracks community was today 10th August 2022 thrown into state of mourning as the remains of Captain Attah Samuel and four other soldiers who recently paid the supreme price during a clearance operation in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were laid to rest at the Guards Brigade Cemetery, Maitama , Abuja.
Until their demise, the gallant soldiers were serving with 7 Guards Battalion, Lungi Barracks Maitama and 176 Guards Battalion Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja respectively.
While reading the funeral oration of the deceased officer and soldiers, the Commanding Officers of 7 Guards Battalion Lt Col Salim Yusuf Hassan and Commanding Officer 176 Guards Battalion, Lt Col Joshuah Kolowale Adisa described the late Captain and Soldiers as thoroughly bred Infantrymen who were genuinely committed to their duties in defence of Nigeria and whose contribution and services would be greatly missed. Read more
Alleged N109b Fraud: Trial of suspended Accountant General, Ahmed Idris stalled (Channels)
The trial of the suspended Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, has been stalled following an application for adjournment by his legal team.
At the resumed trial before Justice Adeniyi Ajayi of the FCT High Court on Wednesday, counsel to Idris, Gordy Uche, told the court that he needed more time to interact with his client following the meeting his client had with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) the previous day based on the invitation of the anti-graft agency.
The defence team accused the EFCC of contempt, stating that the commission lacks the right to continue investigations since more the matter is already in court but counsel for the commission, Rotimi Jacobs refuted Uche’s claims.
He said that the suspended accountant general of the federation is the one that approached the commission for settlement. Read more
2 more suspects linked to Owo attack arrested (Punch)
The Defence Headquarters on Thursday said two additional suspected terrorists linked with the Owo attack have been arrested.
The Chief of Defence Staff , General Lucky Irabor, had during a meeting with media executives and editors on Tuesday announced the arrest of some suspected terrorists including the mastermind of Owo attack.
The PUNCH reports that armed men stormed the St Francis Catholic Church, Owo on 5 June 2022 and killed no fewer than 40 worshippers.
However, in a statement on Thursday, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Jimmy Akpor, said the duo of Al-Qasim Idris and Abdulhaleem Idris were arrested at the Omialafara (Omulafa), Ose LGA in Ondo State during a joint operation with the DSS, Police . Read more
Wike invites Gbajabiamila to commission Rivers legislative quarters (ThisDay)
The Governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike has invited the Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila to commission the official residences of the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly Friday.
Wike personally wrote a letter to Gbajabiamila inviting the Speaker to commission the Legislative Quarters, built by his administration.
Gbajabiamila is expected to commission the residence and assist in handing over the same to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
It was further gathered that the official quarters for the Rivers Assembly members comprise 32 fully furnished 4-bedroom duplexes for each member. Read more
Herdsmen kill 6, wound several others in Benue (Independent)
Armed Fulani herdsmen on Wednesday night killed six persons and left several others with gunshot and machete wounds in Logo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State.
The incident occurred at Tse Ngojov and Tse Valem Yaweh of Mbagum community in Tombo council ward of Logo LGA of the state at about 9 pm.
Paul Hembah, Special Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom on Security who confirmed the incident to Daily Independent on Thursday noted that the Council Chairman, Salome Tor had earlier briefed him on the incident.
He explained that as sad as the incident was, Governor Ortom has directed that the wounded be moved to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), while arrangements should be made, preparatory to the burials of the dead. Read more
Michael Jackson’s estate and Sony Music settle lawsuit over alleged fake songs (NME)
A lawsuit against the Michael Jackson estate and Sony Music, that alleged the label had released songs by a Jackson impersonator, has been settled after eight years.
Back in 2014, Jackson fan Vera Serova filed a class-action lawsuit against Sony Music, the Jackson estate and producers.
They claimed that three cuts on the late singer’s posthumous 2010 album ‘Michael’ – ‘Monster’ (featuring 50 Cent), ‘Keep Your Head Up’ and ‘Breaking News’ – were sold as official Jackson recordings, despite multiple accusations that they’d been sung by someone else.
In 2010, Jackson’s mother Katherine Jackson claimed that “some of the tracks on the album are fake”. His sister LaToya Jackson said: “It doesn’t sound like him.” Taryll Jackson, Jackson’s nephew, also commented on how the songs had been made in a “sneaky and sly” fashion. Read more
Chance The Rapper explains meaning behind ‘Star Line Gallery’ album title (HipHopDX)
Chance The Rapper has broken down the meaning behind his new album title, Star Line Gallery.
During a recent interview on Sway in the Morning, the Chicago rapper explained the title of his upcoming project, telling the story of Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey starting a shipping line in 1919 and connecting countries across the globe.
“I was inspired by Marcus Garvey in the early 1900s, 1919 through 1922, so 100 years ago now,” he said. “He started and ran this very important, integral shipping line. He had a fleet of ships, these giant ocean liners which are the size of cruise ships, that he owned and funded with common Black folks’ money.
“But what he did with it was he created a trade route between the United States, all of the Black islands and the continent of Africa, and that created a network of people where people from all over the world were interconnected and working with each other and taking trips together, and created this connectivity that didn’t exist before.” Read more
Armie Hammer documentary trailer shares his messages to alleged victims (Newsweek)
The trailer for the House of Hammer documentary coming to Discovery+ has sent ripples through the internet.
The upcoming three-part documentary series details the allegations made against actor Armie Hammer, and delves deeper into the family history of the Hammer dynasty.
The Social Network star Hammer became a trending topic worldwide after the trailer’s release, as people reacted to the revelations teased within it.
Multiple accusations of abuse have been made against Hammer as messages leaked last year showed him discussing sexual fantasies which included violence, rape and cannibalism. Read more
Rage Against The Machine cancel their 2022 UK and European tour (NME)
Rage Against The Machine have been forced to cancel their forthcoming UK and European tour dates.
The band returned to action only last month after an 11-year absence, kicking off a North American tour with Run The Jewels which had originally been due to start in March 2020.
However, during the second show of the rescheduled tour in Chicago on July 11, frontman Zack de la Rocha injured his leg mid-performance. De la Rocha has since continued the tour with RATM, though he has been seated on stage while performing during each subsequent gig. Read more
Emma Thompson weighs in after Sean Bean sparks backlash over intimacy coordinator
comments (HuffPost)
Dame Emma Thompson has spoken out in defence of intimacy coordinators, after fellow actor Sean Bean sparked a backlash with his recent comments about them.
Speaking to the Australian radio show Fitzy & Wippa, the two-time Oscar winner was asked for her thoughts after Sean came under fire for saying he thought intimacy coordinators “spoiled the spontaneity” of sex scenes.
“It would inhibit me more because it’s drawing attention to things,” said the former Game Of Thrones star, who played Ned Stark in the hit fantasy series. “Somebody saying, ‘Do this, put your hand there, while you touch his thing’…
“I think the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise.” Read more
Orlando Bloom to receive humanitarian award from Location Managers Guild (THR)
Orlando Bloom is set to be honoured by the Location Managers Guild International.
The actor will receive the group’s humanitarian award at the upcoming ninth annual LMGI Awards, held Aug. 27 at the Los Angeles Center Studios. Comedian Melissa Peterman will host the ceremony and gala.
Bloom will be celebrated for his support of UNICEF that dates back to 2007, with the actor named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2009. He received UNICEF’s Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award in 2015 to recognise his work for the rights of children worldwide, and he has more recently helped draw attention to the struggles of Ukrainian youths forced to flee their country amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
“The LMGI proudly salutes Orlando Bloom in recognition of his incredible work with UNICEF and many other charities where he has consistently gone above and beyond as an active, engaged campaigner for real solutions to urgent global issues,” LMGI president and awards committee chair John Rakich said in a statement. Read more
Germany puts reserve officer on trial over spying for Russia (Aljazeera)
A reserve officer of the German Armed Forces has been put on trial for allegedly passing sensitive information to the Russian foreign intelligence service GRU between 2014 and 2020.
The 65-year-old is on trial at the Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court, and if convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
According to the indictment, the man from Erkrath near Dusseldorf betrayed information on the inner workings of the Bundeswehr’s reserve system and on civilian-military cooperation in crisis situations.
The information is also said to concern the effects of the sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea and the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, a project that was halted following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. Read more
Bayelsa United gets outstanding allowances, bonuses (Nation)
The Bayelsa State government yesterday released funds to clear their outstanding allowances and winning bonuses of Bayelsa United Football Club ahead of their crucial weekend’s tie against Warri Wolves.
The team has also received in advance their match winning bonuses for the decisive game against the Warri side, as a win for Bayelsa United would guarantee their promotion to the elite Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
Addressing the chairman, coaches and players, the Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, charged them to go all out against Warri Wolves in the make or break encounter.
The Deputy Governor told the team to put behind their shock defeat in the Aiteo Cup, adding that grabbing three points from their two remaining games this season is all they need to gain promotion to the NPFL. Read more
Raspadori tipped as Osimhen’s perfect partner (Punch)
Italian football expert Maurizio Pistocchi has tipped young Sassuolo striker Giacomo Raspadori as the perfect attacking partner for Nigeria international, Victor Osimhen, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Ahead of the 2022/23 Serie A campaign, Napoli are still without a striking partner for Osimhen, following the exit of captain Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens.
Though they have managed to sign young Georgian playmaker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as a direct replacement for Insigne, they are still in the market for a striker who could form a formidable strike force with the Super Eagles forward.
With Serie A starting in another few days, Napoli are still caught in the middle of a rebuilding process. Read more
Wesley Fofana: Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers says no new bids for defender (BBC)
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers says there have been no new bids for defender Wesley Fofana.
Chelsea are interested in signing the 21-year-old France U21 international and have had two bids rejected.
Rodgers said last week he did not want to sell the centre-back.
Asked whether any new bids had been submitted, Rodgers said: “Not that I am aware of. There were two, but again, nowhere near what the club would even think about.” Read more
Vahid Halilhodzic will miss another World Cup after being sacked by Morocco (DailyMail)
Morocco have sacked Vahid Halilhodzic as the manager of the national side just three months before the start of the World Cup in Qatar.
Halilhodzic helped Morocco secure their place in the showpiece tournament by guiding the team to an unbeaten run in the qualification stages.
However, the Moroccan federation have parted ways with the Bosnian manager due to ‘differences’ in opinion over how the national team should prepare for the tournament.
As a result, Morocco has just 101 days to find their new manager and integrate him into the team as the tournament in Qatar is due to start on November 21. Read more
Serena Williams loses first match since announcing plans to retire (CBS)
On Tuesday, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced that she plans to retire from the sport. In her first match since making those intentions known, Williams lost 6-2, 6-4 to Belinda Bencic in the second round of the National Bank Open.
“It’s been a pretty interesting 24 hours,” Williams said after Wednesday’s match. “I’m terrible at goodbyes. But goodbye, Toronto.”
This was just Williams’ third tournament over the past year, as he’s been hampered by a leg injury.
Bencic, who is ranked 12th in the world, was coming off winning a gold medal for Switzerland at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The 25-year-old growing star certainly is no stranger to the big stage; she reached the US Open semifinals back in 2019. Read more
Tyson Fury flies to Iceland with dad to fight Thor Bjornsson before plan goes pear-shaped (Express)
Tyson Fury has travelled to Iceland in search of Thor Bjornsson after ‘The Gypsy King’ revealed that his fight with Derek Chisora is ‘off’. However, the Icelandic strongman was ‘nowhere to be seen’.
Fury flew to Iceland in the hopes of meeting Bjornsson in his home country but the former World’s Strongest Man winner is currently out in Rome filming a movie. In a series of videos posted to social media Fury detailed his journey and claimed he had ‘driven’ his foe out of Iceland.
“You know where we are guys? Iceland. And you know what we’re doing here? We’re looking for Thor, come out and fight like a man,” said Fury in a video at the Keflavik Airport. He continued: “So we came to Iceland to fight Thor, he’s not here so from now on if you want any smoke from The Gypsy King you’re going to have to come to Morecambe Bay to find me.”
In another video, sporting a Viking helmet, the Mancunian added:”Thor, considering you’re not here you’ve left Iceland to me, I am the new Viking. I own this place now, it’s mine.” Read more
Michael Jordan game-worn Chicago Bulls jersey could fetch eye-watering £4m at auction (DailyStar)
NBA aficionados will have to break open the piggy bank if they’re to win Michael Jordan’s match-worn jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals next month.
One of the most iconic jerseys in sports history will go on auction in September, and fans of Netflix’s The Last Dance will be well aware of its legacy. Jordan, 59, won the last of his six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls in 1998, the swan song season that became the focus of the docuseries.
However, this is the first time a red jersey from that series will be sold at auction, putting many supporters and sports enthusiasts on alert. The estimated sale price for the item is between $3million (£2.5m) and $5m (£4m), which could make it the most expensive piece of Jordan memorabilia ever sold.
The sneakers Jordan wore during the famous ‘flu game’ (Game 5 of the 1997 Finals) sold for just shy of $105,000 in November 2013. A white and red jersey from the 1998 Finals against the Utah Jazz later sold for $173,240, highlighting the additional demand for that iconic red. Read more