Don’t frame-up Atiku, PDP warns APC (Punch)
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday warned the All Progressives Congress against any attempt to frame up the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar over his comments on national issues. It said it has taken note of the statement by the APC warning Atiku against making comments on the state of the nation and that his “patriotic reactions” to pressing national issues amounted to a felony. The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan in a statement emphatically stated that Atiku’s comments on national issues had been patriotic and within his constitutional right of freedom of speech, not only as a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but also as a former Vice President, as well as a leader and the presidential candidate of the PDP. Read more
30 ships carrying various products expected at Lagos ports (Guardian)
A total of 30 ships laden with foods and other goods are expected in Apapa and Tin Can Ports in Lagos from July 31 to Aug. 8. The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said this on Wednesday in its daily, “Shipping Position”. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that none of the ship is sailing in with petroleum products. Read more
Security: Zamfara Assembly suspends LG Chairman, District Head (Punch)
Zamfara House of Assembly has suspended the Chairman of Maradun Local Government Council, Alhaji Ahmad Abubakar for allegedly working against state government directive on security matters. News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Gov. Bello Matawalle has initiated peace dialogue with bandits as part of measures to address security challenges facing the state. The governor also banned extrajudicial killings of Fulani herders or attacking them across the state. Read more
Tambuwal leads 8 witnesses to defend own election (Guardian)
Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, on Wednesday, led eight witnesses to defend his election at the Sokoto State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. Ahmed Aliyu, the All Progressive Congress (APC) Governorship candidate had gone to the Tribunal seeking to upturn the victory of Tambuwal in the 2019 Governorship election in the state. Counsel to Tambuwal, Mr Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, closed his defense after he presented the eight witnesses including officials of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that were subpoenaed to testify. Read more
I’ll revive Kogi economy in four years – Melaye (Nation)
Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, on Wednesday, pledged to revive the state economy and bring it to an enviable height within four years. Melaye disclosed this at a media interactive organised by the Kogi State council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) for governorship aspirants, at the NUJ Press Centre, Lokoja. Read more
USAID presents ISO accreditation certificate to NAFDAC (Punch)
The United States Agency for International Development has presented an International Standards Organization certificate of accreditation to the National Agency for Drug Administration and Control laboratory in Lagos. The USAID-NAFDAC collaboration also served to launch the pharmaceutical manufacturing roadmap. A statement by the US Mission in Abuja on Wednesday, explained that the certificate was presented by the USAID Mission Director, Stephen Haykin, to Federal Ministry of Health Director, Food and Drug Services, Dr. Mashood Lawal. Read more
Aregbesola calls for change of attitude by Nigerian youths (Nation)
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State on Wednesday suspended teachers’ postings in the state especially at the Local Government level. Umahi made the disclosure on Wednesday in Abakaliki while swearing-in the newly constituted board of the state Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB). The governor said that the move was inevitable as councils in the state were presently autonomous which made the government to devise ways of handling the present situation. Read more
Clerics in Madinah to educate pilgrims on ethics —NAHCON (Punch)
No fewer than 11 Islamic scholars (clerics) have so far arrived Madinah, at the instance of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria to educate Nigerian pilgrims on the ethics of Hajj. Alhaji Ahmed Maigari, the Madinah Coordinator of NAHCON, disclosed this newsmen in Madinah on Wednesday. He said that apart from their spiritual function to ensure they (pilgrims) gain maximum benefits from the pilgrimage, the clerics would also teach civic education responsibilities to the pilgrims. Read more
Two Imo students with best WASSCE results get scholarship (Guardian)
Imo State governor Emeka Ihedioha has awarded a full academic scholarship to study in any Nigerian university to the two best students from the state in the 2019 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). The students are Stephany Chizobam Ugboaja and Favor Alozie. They both scored ‘A1’ in all subjects of their 2019 WASSCE results. An aide to Ihedioha, Izuchukwu Akwarandu, to the governor made the disclosure on Wednesday. Read more
‘I’m alive,’ corper mistaken for Precious Owolabi cries out (Punch)
A National Youth Service Corps member, Chijioke Oraeki, serving in Ogun State, has said that he is not Precious Owolabi, the corper who was shot during the police-Shi’ites clash in Abuja. Owolabi later died of his injuries. Oraeki said that his picture had been used in stories relating to the death of the young man, claiming that he had died. Read more
Mozambique leader vows to hunt down jihadist attackers (Guardian)
Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi vowed Wednesday to hunt down and unmask attackers involved in a string of deadly assaults that have battered the country’s northern region and killed least 250 people. For nearly two years, suspected Islamists have staged raids on remote communities in the gas-rich, Muslim-majority Cabo Delgado province, torching homes and sometimes even beheading civilians. The identity of the militants remains unclear and their motives unknown. Read more
US sanctions Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (BBC)
The US Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions against Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The sanctions freeze any assets of Mr Zarif in America, or controlled by US entities, the department said. “Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei),” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. Read more
US Navy fighter jet crashes in California (Metro)
A US Navy jet crashed in California Wednesday, according to the US Naval Air Forces. Officials said the US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet jet crashed near an Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California. F/A stands for ‘Fighter/Attack’ It is unclear if the pilot survived the crash or if anyone was reported injured. Rescue efforts are underway. Read more
Qaeda heir Hamza bin Laden killed: US media (Guardian)
Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza, chosen heir to the leadership of Al-Qaeda, has been killed, US media reported Wednesday citing American officials. NBC News said three US officials had confirmed they had information of Hamza bin Laden’s death, but gave no details of the place or date. The New York Times subsequently cited two US officials saying they had confirmation that he was killed during the last two years in an operation that involved the United States. Read more
US interest rate cut fails to impress Trump (BBC)
The US central bank has cut interest rates for the first time since 2008 but not won over President Donald Trump. Mr Trump, who had demanded a big rate cut, was unimpressed with the Federal Reserve’s 0.25 percentage point cut that took the federal funds target range to 2-2.25%. In a tweet, the president scorned Fed chair Jerome Powell, saying: “As usual, Powell let us down.” Read more
Russian army ordered to tackle massive wildfires (BBC)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the army to help tackle massive wildfires raging in Siberia and other regions in the east. The decision was taken after Mr Putin was briefed on the growing crisis by the head of the emergencies ministry. About three million hectares (7.4 million acres) have been affected, in what Greenpeace is describing as an “ecological catastrophe”. Read more
Top crack dealer spent £175,000 earnings on designer clothes (Metro)
Police have released a picture showing the incredible haul of goods a top county lines dealer bought with his drug sales. Stefan Miller, 30, spent his earnings on a £27,450 Rose Gold Daytona watch and £13,000 on 44 pairs of trainers from the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci. Miller, of Wandsworth, London, made £175,000 from dealing while he was a ringleader of a drug operation using young 14 to 16-year-old boys as ‘runners’ around Gloucestershire. Read more
YouTube ‘King of Random’ dies in paragliding accident (BBC)
YouTuber Grant Thompson, star of the “King of Random” channel, has died in a paragliding accident. The 38 year old, whose channel had 11 million subscribers with billions of views, failed to return from a trip in Utah on Monday. Thompson had a GPS device which helped locate his body the next day. Read more
Busta Rhymes ‘escorted off first class flight in London’ after row with woman over hand luggage (Metro)
Busta Rhymes was reportedly escorted off a first class flight in London after an alleged argument with another passenger. The Pass The Courvoisier rapper is said to have been taken off the British Airways flight by police moments after it landed at London’s Heathrow Airport from JFK Airport in New York on Tuesday morning. According to the Mail Online, Busta Rhymes became angry after finding hand luggage in the space above his seat and demanded to know: ‘Who’s got all their stuff in my locker?’ Read more
Woodstock 50 festival officially cancelled (BBC)
A huge US event to celebrate 50 years since the Woodstock festival has been cancelled just two weeks before it was due to start. Organisers blamed a series of “unforeseen setbacks”. The news will come as little surprise to many, as the proposed venue had already been changed and various artists had dropped out. Woodstock 50 originally had Jay-Z, The Killers and Miley Cyrus on the bill. Read more
Pulisic and Pedro shine as Chelsea beat Red Bull Salzburg (BBC)
Christian Pulisic netted his first Chelsea goals and Pedro scored a superb backheel volley as the Blues claimed a 5-3 pre-season win at RB Salzburg. Pulisic produced two neat finishes in the first half, either side of winning a penalty, scored by Ross Barkley. Jerome Onguene pulled one back just after the break, before Pedro’s ingenious backheel finish. Read more
Liverpool beat Lyon 3-1 in Geneva to end pre-season (BBC)
Liverpool came from behind to end a disappointing pre-season campaign with a 3-1 victory over Lyon in Geneva. The Reds had a terrible start when keeper Alisson, in his first friendly game, dropped a simple cross and then fouled Moussa Dembele – with Memphis Depay scoring the penalty. But Roberto Firmino spun and fired an equaliser, before Joachim Andersen’s own goal from Ki-Jana Hoever’s cross. Read more
Arsenal: Gunners beat Angers on penalties in penultimate pre-season friendly (BBC)
Reiss Nelson was on target as Arsenal drew 1-1 with Angers before beating the French side on penalties in their penultimate pre-season game. Nelson, 19, followed up a saved shot from Eddie Nketiah to level after Farid El Melali’s opener for the home side. Substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a late goal ruled out for offside. And Emiliano Martinez saved the decisive penalty from ex-Gunner Jeff Reine-Adelaide to give Arsenal a 4-3 win in the shootout. Read more
Unai Emery insists Arsenal are just ‘following’ Nicolas Pepe amid intense transfer speculation (Metro)
Unai Emery has said that Arsenal are yet to close a deal for Nicolas Pepe and maintains that the club are merely ‘following’ the Lille forward for the time being. Widespread reports suggest that Arsenal will make an official announcement over Pepe’s arrival in the coming days and Lille president Gerard Lopez claimed on Wednesday that an £73million transfer had been agreed. Arsenal have been on the hunt for a new winger this summer and after a £40m bid for Wilfried Zaha was rejected, the club turned to Pepe who impressed with 22 goals and 11 assists in France last season. Read more
Teenage defender Hoever signs new long-term contract with Liverpool (Punch)
Liverpool defender Ki-Jana Hoever signed a new long-term contract with the club Wednesday. The 17-year-old Dutch full-back became the third-youngest player ever to make his debut for Liverpool when he played in the club’s FA Cup tie against Wolves last season. Hoever said he knows he may have to be patient to get match time for the European champions. Read more
Arsenal should consider Tottenham’s Danny Rose if they fail to sign Kieran Tierney, says Danny Mills (Metro)
Former England and Manchester City star Danny Mills has urged Arsenal to make a controversial move for Danny Rose if they fail in their pursuit of Kieran Tierney. Unai Emery identified Tierney as his number one left-back target at the start of the summer and Arsenal are reportedly confident of signing the 22-year-old Celtic star. While Celtic rejected Arsenal’s two opening bids for Tierney, the Gunners are now understood to be closing in on an agreement after restructuring their £25million offer for the Scotland international. Read more
‘We’ll have a good season’: Zidane (Guardian)
French striker Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid defeated Fenerbahce 5-3 in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday which temporarily lifted the summer gloom which has engulfed the Spanish giants and coach Zinedine Zidane. However, problems remain for Real as they have now conceded 16 goals in just five friendly matches. They faced their Turkish opponents having been defeated by Tottenham 1-0 on Tuesday in the first match of a four-team event which also features German champions Bayern Munich. Read more
Caster Semenya: Biology trumps gender identity, says IAAF (BBC)
Athletics’ governing body, the IAAF, has said “biology has to trump gender identity” after welcoming the decision to permit restrictions in testosterone levels of female runners. Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya twice appealed against the new IAAF rule that prevents her from running in the 800m without medication. A Swiss court had suspended the ruling, but that has now been lifted. Read more