I’m under pressure to release ministerial list, says Buhari (Punch)
President Muhammadu Buhari admitted on Thursday night that he had been under unprecedented pressure to release the names of his ministerial-nominees. The President, who made a brief remark during a dinner he had with the leadership of the National Assembly, however, maintained that he would not be stampeded into releasing the list. He stated that when he first came into office in 2015, the majority of ministerial appointees were not known to him personally. Read more
Atiku’s witnesses claim presidential election results were falsified (Nation)
Nine witnesses called on Thursday by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last presidential election, Atiku Abubakar insisted that results of the elections were falsified to favour the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari. The witnesses, who said they served as Local Government and state Collation Agents of the PDP,made sunday allegations of result manipulation, voters’ intimidation and harassment, mutilation and tearing of result sheets, and cancellation of election where the petitioners won. Read more
I didn’t operate 250 bank accounts, Okorocha replies Ihedioha (Punch)
The immediate past governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha has denied the allegation by his successor, Emeka Ihedioha that he operated 250 bank accounts when he was in office. Okorocha, who denied the allegation through his media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo, in Owerri, challenged the governor to make public the details of the bank accounts. Okorocha, who now represents Imo West in the Senate said that he prudently managed the accounts of the state. Read more
Three more Ijegun fire victims die in LASUTH (Nation)
Three more Ijegun pipeline fire victims yesterday died at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, bringing the casualty figure from 12 to 15. Ten comprising seven at the Gbagada General Hospital and three in LASUTH died on Monday. Two died on the fire scene last Thursday. Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretary Dr Titilayo Goncalves said the three suffered third-degree burns. Read more
AfCFTA: Develop national industrial policy, infrastructure master plan —Senate tells FG (Punch)
The Senate on Thursday asked the Federal Government to develop a national industrial policy and infrastructural development masterplan for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement. It also urged the Federal Government to create more economic zones to reduce the cost of production in the country. These were part of the resolutions of the red chamber after considering a motion by Senator Barau Jibrin on Nigeria’s membership of AFCTA. Read more
Customs loses 200 personnel yearly in anti-smuggling fight (Nation)
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it loses no fewer than 200 personnel yearly to the fight against smuggling. The Customs Comptroller-General, Retired Col Hameed Ali, said this yesterday at a meeting organised by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with the service chiefs and heads of paramilitary organisations. Others participants at the meeting were stakeholders from the Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) industries. Read more
Buhari receives UN General Assembly President-elect, says he mustn’t fail Nigerians (Punch)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday asked the President-elect of the United Nations General Assembly, Ambassador Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, to justify the confidence reposed in him by Nigeria and the rest of the world by performing well in office. Buhari and the Nigerian-born Muhammad-Bande met for the first time on Thursday in Abuja after his emergence as the President of the 74th UNGA on June 4 in New York. Read more
Proprietor of ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ school remanded in prison (Nation)
An Ikeja special Offences Court yesterday remanded the proprietor of a ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’ training school in Lagos, Chinedu Frank, in prison custody. Frank is standing trial before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo over an alleged $20,000 fraud He is facing a seven-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence and possession of fraudulent documents brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC). Read more
World Population Day: Nigeria still battles high maternal mortality rate —NPC (Punch)
Acting Chairman of the National Population Commission, Mr. Yusuf Anka, says Nigeria still lags behind in the Cairo Commitment, with its high maternal mortality rate. Anka said this at the commemoration of the 2019 World Population Day on Thursday in Abuja, with the theme: 25 years of ICPD: Accelerating the promise. The News Agency of Nigeria reports the International Conference on Population and Development was held in Cairo where an agreement was reached by 179 countries. Read more
Seven civilians killed in attacks in northeast Mali (Guardian)
Gunmen killed seven civilians in two attacks Thursday in northeastern Mali near the border with Niger, a local politician and a security source said. The six gunmen first shot dead five people who were in a car a few dozen kilometres from the town Menaka, the elected official said. “Then they went into a hamlet and killed two more civilians,” he added. A security source confirmed the information, saying the gunmen were riding motorcycles. Read more
Trump retreats on census citizenship question (BBC)
President Donald Trump will no longer pursue adding a question on citizenship to the 2020 US census questionnaire. Instead, he said he had directed officials to obtain the information through an executive order for government agencies, as court challenges would have delayed a census. “We will leave no stone unturned,” Mr Trump said. Read more
Body of 18-month-old boy ‘abducted from aunt’s house’ found dumped in landfill (Metro)
The body of a missing 18-month-old boy who was reportedly abducted from his aunt’s house was found dumped in a landfill, police say. Cedric Jackson was last seen alive early Wednesday morning at his aunt’s apartment in Dallas, Texas. Police and FBI investigators used search dogs to scour a regional landfill in Rowlett and found Cedcric’s body on Thursday, authorities announced. Read more
Turbulence injures 35 on Air Canada flight to Sydney (BBC)
At least 35 people suffered minor injuries after an Air Canada flight hit a severe patch of turbulence. The plane – which had 284 people on board – was travelling from Vancouver to Sydney on Thursday but had to be diverted to Hawaii. Medical staff examined the injured after it landed at Honolulu’s airport at 06:46 local time (16:46 GMT). Read more
Clashes kill more than 100 fighters in northwest Syria (Guardian)
More than 100 fighters were killed in clashes between regime and jihadist-led forces in northwest Syria, a war monitor said Thursday, as violence raged on the edge of an opposition bastion despite a September truce deal. Eight civilians also died in the latest violence, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Six of them, including a child, were killed in regime air strikes on the town of Jisr al-Shughur. A car bombing killed 13 people in nearby Afrin, the city that Turkey-backed rebels seized last year from Kurdish fighters. Read more
Man, 25, arrested for murder of pregnant mum and her baby (Metro)
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering pregnant Kelly Mary Fauvrelle and her baby son in south London last month. Detectives investigating the fatal stabbing of Kelly Mary Fauvrelle and her baby son, Riley arrested a 25-year-old man today. Ms Fauvrelle, 26, eight months’ pregnant when she was killed in the bedroom of her home in Thornton Heath, Croydon, South London in the early hours of June 29. Read more
US politician insists on chaperone for interview with female reporter (BBC)
A Republican candidate for Mississippi governor has refused to be interviewed by a female reporter unless she brings a male colleague with her. Larrison Campbell, 40, said she had asked to shadow Robert Foster on a 15-hour “ride-a-long” on his campaign, but was denied because of her sex. Mr Foster said he was acting out of precaution and he did not want to raise any suspicions about his marriage. Read more
Billie Eilish finally collabs with Justin Bieber on Bad Guy remix and fulfills her childhood dreams (Metro)
Billie Eilish has only gone and teamed up with Justin Bieber. Yes, after stanning the Sorry hitmaker since she was a mere child (even though she kind of still is), the 17-year-old has fulfilled her dreams by collaborating on Bad Guy. That’s right, the pair have just gone and dropped a remix of the iconic Eilish track – and it’s everything we’ve been waiting to hear. Read more
Cameron Boyce died of ‘natural causes’ as devastated dad shares last picture of Disney star (Metro)
Cameron Boyce died of ‘natural circumstances’ according to the coroner’s office. The Descendants star tragically passed away on 6 July, aged 20, after suffering an epileptic seizure in his sleep. And a statement from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office appears to have confirmed this. ‘Preliminary information suggests the death occurred under natural circumstances,’ it read. Read more
FIFA U-17 World Cup: Golden Eaglets to face Hungary, Ecuador, Australia (Punch)
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have been drawn in Group B of the 2019 FIFA Under-17 World Cup scheduled to hold in Brazil from October 26 to November 17. The Eaglets who face Hungary in their opening match on October 26 also have Ecuador and Australia to contend with in the group stage. Former Super Eagles full-back Celestine Babayaro was one of the two FIFA Legends and tournament veterans present at the draw ceremony, with Brazilian Sonny Anderson the other one. Read more
Nigeria beat Algeria, set for Tunisia in quarterfinal (Guardian)
Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigers continued their winning run at the ongoing FIBA U-16 African Basketball Championship in Praia, Cape Verde with a comprehensive 75 to 64 win over bottom-placed Algeria in their final group game on Wednesday and are billed to face Tunisia in the quarterfinal. The Junior D’Tigers took the first quarter 24 to 12 despite having a slow start to the game with the Algerians drawing first blood in the early minutes of the game. Nigeria maintained their lead in the second quarter, taking the game 15 to 11 points and went into the half time break with a comfortable 16 points lead. The half ended 39-23 in favour of Nigeria. Read more
Rohr predicts tough AFCON semis (Punch)
Super Eagles’ coach, Gernot Rohr, has said the Nigerian team would approach their semi-final game with the mindset that it would be the toughest to be played at ongoing Africa Cup of Nations. He said this while addressing the players alongside officials of the Nigeria Football Federation on Thursday morning at the Le Meridien Cairo Airport Hotel. This is as the three-time champions resumed training at the Aerosport pitch inside the Cairo Airport on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s encounter at the Cairo International Stadium. Read more
Algeria beat Ivory Coast on penalties to reach semi-finals (Guardian)
Africa Cup of Nations title favourites Algeria defeated the Ivory Coast 4-3 on penalties in Suez Thursday to the relief of Baghdad Bounedjah and set up a semi-final showdown with Nigeria. The quarter-final finished 1-1 after extra time with Sofiane Feghouli giving Algeria a 20th-minute lead that was cancelled by Jonathan Kodjia on 62 minutes. In the shootout, Youcef Belaili struck the woodwork when he had a chance to clinch victory for Algeria, then Ivory Coast captain Serey Die hit the same post and his team were eliminated. Read more
Madagascar fairytale ends as Tunisia sweep into semi-finals (Guardian)
Tunisia ended Madagascar’s fairytale Africa Cup of Nations run in the quarter-finals on Thursday with a 3-0 win over the tournament debutants in Cairo. Ferjani Sassi’s heavily deflected strike gave Tunisia the lead early in the second half at Al Salam Stadium and Youssef Msakni squeezed home a second on 60 minutes. Naim Sliti added a third in injury time to send Tunisia through to a semi-final showdown with Sadio Mane’s Senegal, with the Carthage Eagles into the last four for the first time since clinching their only title when they hosted the 2004 edition. Read more
Griezmann close to Barca move – Reports (Punch)
Atletico Madrid’s World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann is nearing a transfer to Barcelona, according to reports on Thursday in his native France and in Spain. Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo says the Catalans will pay Griezmann’s release clause of 120m euros ($135m) and the 28-year-old has signed a five-year deal at the Camp Nou. French daily L’Equipe add Barca have already sent the bank transfer to the capital city club. Read more
Harvey Elliott watches Liverpool thrash Tranmere Rovers 6-0 as move from Fulham edges closer (Metro)
Harvey Elliott watched on from the stands as Liverpool thumped local neighbours Tranmere Rovers 6-0 in their first game since winning the Champions League last month. The 16-year-old is edging closer to a move to Liverpool from Fulham with a compensation package set to be decided by a tribunal after the two clubs failed to agree a transfer fee. Elliott has agreed youth terms at Liverpool after turning down a contract at Fulham and is expected to be integrated into Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad upon his arrival at Anfield. Read more
Floyd Mayweather backs Anthony Joshua to beat Andy Ruiz Jr in their rematch (Metro)
Floyd Mayweather insists Anthony Joshua can bounce back against Andy Ruiz Jr after suffering his shock defeat to the Mexican last May. Ruiz Jr’s victory shocked the boxing world, but Mayweather, who went 50-1 in his career, is backing the beaten champion to bounce back. Joshua and Ruiz are expected to fight again at the end the year and Mayweather explained boxing was unpredictable. Read more