Kaduna: Abducted female doctor still in captivity after 7 months (DailyTrust)
Dr Ganiyat Popoola, a doctor who was kidnapped seven months ago in Kaduna, is still in captivity.
Popoola, a medical practitioner at National Eye Care Kaduna, was abducted along with her husband and visiting nephew when bandits raided the staff quarters of the hospital, on December 27, 2023.
On Thursday, doctors addressed the media after holding a peaceful protest at the National Eye Care Kaduna premises. Read more
Monkeypox: Nigeria records 39 cases in 33 states, FCT (Nation)
Thirty-nine cases of Mpox have been detected in 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said yesterday.
The agency said the cases so far recorded in the affected states are as follows: Bayelsa (16), Cross River (five), Ogun (four), Lagos (four), Ondo (three), and Ebonyi (three), declaring the above states as leading in the disease prevalence.
It said Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, and Taraba states have been placed on high alert. Read more
Senate denies Kawu’s N21m pay for lawmakers claim (Punch)
The Senate has refuted claims that lawmakers in the Red Chamber receive N21m in salaries and allowances.
The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South), made this clarification on Thursday in response to statements by Senator Sumaila Kawu.
In an interview with British Broadcasting Corporation Hausa Service on Wednesday, Kawu claimed that he earns a cumulative N21m monthly in salary and allowances. Read more
Housemaid negligently sets 4-bedroom apartment on fire in Ilorin (Vanguard)
A female housemaid negligently set a four-bedroom flat of her employer on fire on Thursday in Ilorin.
The incident was confirmed by a statement issued by Hassan Adekunle, Head of the Department of Media and Publicity, Kwara Fire Service.
Adekunle said the maid was trying to light the gas cooker while liquefied gas had already saturated the kitchen. Read more
Bandits abduct mobile policeman as soldier escapes in Plateau (Nation)
Bandits have abducted a mobile police (Mopol) officer while the soldier with him escaped around Kampani community of Wase local government area of Plateau state.
Sources from the community hinted the incident occurred on Wednesday evening as the police officer and a soldier were on their way from Zurak community to Kamapani when the bandits suddenly ambushed by the bandits.
The source said that while the mobile policeman was abducted, the soldier escaped. Read more
Niger religious leaders condemn attack on RCCG church (Tribune)
The Director General of the Niger State Bureau for Religious Affairs, Dr Umar Farooq Umar Abdullahi, has called on both the Christian and Muslim communities in the state to unite against those who threaten peace.
This appeal was made shortly after the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Kontagora Local Government Area was set ablaze by unknown individuals suspected to be arsonists.
On Thursday, Dr. Abdullahi, leading a delegation of Muslim leaders, visited the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, at the CAN State Secretariat in Minna. Read more
Court forfeits $2.04m, properties, shares linked to Emefiele (Channels)
The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the interim forfeiture of a cash sum of $2,045m linked to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Akintayo Aluko also ordered the interim forfeiture of seven landed properties linked to the suspended CBN Governor.
The lands are listed as: “two fully detached duplexes of identical structures, lying being and situated at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos; an undeveloped/bare land, measuring 1919.592sqm with Survey Plan No. DS/LS/340 LYING, being and situate at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos; a bungalow lying, being and situate at No. 65a Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos; four bedroom duplex lying, being and situate at 12a Probyn Road, Ikoyi; Industrial complex under construction on a 22-plot of land, lying, being and situate in Agbor, Delta State; 8 units of the undetached apartment on a plot measuring 2457.60sqm OF lying, being and situate at No. 8a Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi, and a full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land measuring 2217.87sqm lying, being and situate at 2a Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos”. Read more
‘Since I have known Tinubu, he uses only one wristwatch’ – Shettima (Vanguard)
Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu in his efforts to tackle the country’s socio-political, economic, and security issues.
This comes as he shared details of the modest lifestyle of the president while speaking at the launch of Professor Modupe Adelabu’s book, Navigating the Politics of Universal Education Policies in Nigeria, in Abuja on Thursday.
Shettima while asserting that President Tinubu is deserving of the trust of Nigerians assured citizens that the tough measures being implemented by the government will soon yield positive results. Read more
Zoë Kravitz says good films can come from bad people – and shares her admiration of Roman Polanski’s work (NME)
Zoë Kravitz has spoken out about the importance of separating the art from the artist, while expressing her admiration for Roman Polanski’s films.
In a new interview with Esquire, the Blink Twice writer-director said she does not shy away from appreciating a cancelled directors’ work, citing Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby and The Tenant as two of her favourite movies.
Polanski left the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl, who has since defended the director. Polanski has denied sexual misconduct claims from five other women. The director is still making films, with his most recent feature The Palace debuting at Venice 2023. Read more
Taylor Swift brings on Ed Sheeran at London Eras gig (MusicNews)
Taylor Swift has welcomed Ed Sheeran to the stage to perform with her during the first London Eras Tour show.
Fans at Swift’s first show at Wembley Stadium went wild for the surprise appearance that included a medley of the duo’s collaborations.
The two performed their duets Everything Has Changed and End Game during the surprise song section at the first of five London shows. Read more
Katy Perry to be given the Video Vanguard Award at the 2024 MTV VMAs (ABC)
Katy Perry will receive the Video Vanguard Award at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards next month. She will also perform.
Previous recipients include Shakira, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Missy Elliott.
Perry will return to the MTV VMA stage for the first time since 2017, when she performed and hosted the award show. Read more
Mark Zuckerberg divides opinion with 7-foot statue of wife Priscilla Chan (Independent)
Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled an elaborate piece of artwork in honor of his wife, Priscilla Chan.
On Tuesday, August 13, the Meta founder took to Instagram to show off a photo of Chan alongside a seven-foot sculpture of herself displayed in their backyard. “Bringing back the Roman tradition of making sculptures of your wife. Thanks @danielarsham,” he captioned the image.
The statue itself featured Chan’s likeness made from turquoise stone, as the sculpture was draped in a metallic dress. However, many followers were split over Zuckerberg’s dramatic gesture for his wife. While some fans loved the statue, others viewed it as being too over the top. Read more
Michigan man thought $257,631 lottery prize was scam (UPI)
A Michigan man delayed collecting his $257,631 lottery jackpot for six months for one simple reason: he thought it was a scam.
The 41-year-old Arenac County man told Michigan Lottery officials he didn’t realize he was gaining entries to the BIG CA$H Second Chance Jackpot by playing eligible games at MichiganLottery.com, so he was suspicious when he received an email about a $257,631 prize in the Feb. 14 drawing.
“I saw an email back in February informing me that I won a $257,631 second chance prize, but I figured it was just a scam and I deleted the email,” the player said. “In addition to the email, I received several calls about the prize over the last few months, but I still thought it was a scam. Recently, I decided to look into it, and when I found out it was a real prize, I was floored!” Read more
UK-donated tanks used in Kyiv’s Russia incursion (BBC)
UK-donated Challenger 2 tanks have been used by Ukraine as part of its surprise incursion into Russia, a UK source has confirmed.
The Ministry of Defence is not officially commenting on what specific UK weapons are being used by Ukraine.
However, following Kyiv’s incursion into Russian territory, the ministry reiterated that Ukraine had “a clear right” to use UK-supplied weapons for “self-defence against Russia’s illegal attacks”. Read more
Google says it disrupted Iranian attempts to hack Trump and Biden campaigns (WashingtonTimes)
Google’s Threat Analysis Group said Wednesday it stopped Iran-sponsored efforts to hack into the campaigns of former President Trump and President Biden.
The new revelation of Tehran’s attempted hacks comes amid word of a larger cyber onslaught from Iran aiming to denigrate Mr. Trump, the Republican candidate for president.
TAG, a Google unit focused on combating government-backed hackers, said it detected and disrupted a “small but steady cadence” of “phishing” attempts from the Iranian APT42 hacking group to gain access to the email accounts of senior campaign officials on both sides. Read more
Gombe referees gear up for Copa challenge with mock fitness test (DailyTrust)
In preparation for the upcoming National Referees’ Copa Test, the Gombe State Referees Council has organized a mock fitness test for its members. Council Secretary Ishaya Usman explained that the exercise aims to ensure members are fully prepared both physically and mentally, with just a week left before the National Fitness Test begins.
Around fifty referees from Gombe are expected to participate, including eleven who will take the Premier League Referees Fitness Test in Abuja. Usman outlined that the fitness test includes a 27-minute run for female referees and a 23-minute run for male referees, along with warm-up exercises, short runs, and a 40-meter sprint completed in six laps. Read more
D’Tigers drop 4 spots in latest FIBA Rankings (ThisDay)
While D’Tigress’ fairytale run at the just concluded Paris 2024 Olympic Games resulted in the senior Nigerian women’s basketball team’s elevation, the reverse was the case for the male team, D’Tigers who slumped four spots in the latest FIBA Rankings released on Thursday.
The men’s team failed to cut to the Olympics and has experienced poor form in recent performances. While the women moved up from 12th to 8th, the men slumped by the same four spots. D’Tigers garnered 299.7 points to drop four places to 42nd globally. The Nigerian men’s team also placed 6th in Africa.
South Sudan had the only double-digit leap among the Top 50. Their first-ever Olympics brought them their first win at the competition in their debut game and a jump from 34th to 23rd in the FIBA World Ranking. They are now the top-ranked African team, overtaking Côte d’Ivoire. Read more
Done Deal: Super Eagles goalkeeper joins Tanzanian club Tabora United (CompleteSports)
Super Eagles goalkeeper Victor Sochima has joined Tanzanian club Tabora United, reports Completesports.com.
Sochima put pen to paper after completing his routine medical.
The 25-year-old joined Tabora United as a free agent following his departure from former Nigeria Premier Football League champions Rivers United. Read more
Breakdancer ‘Raygun’ lifts lid on ‘devastating’ Olympic reaction as petition hits 50k signatures (Mirror)
Rachael Gunn, the breakdancer known as ‘Raygun’, has spoken out after being attacked by online trolls, who have accused her of cheating her way to the Olympic Games
The Australian breakdancer who went viral for her routine at the Olympic Games has hit out at the trolls who have hounded her.
Rachael Gunn, who performs under the name Raygun, lit up social media with clips of her breaking routine inspiring memes and enjoyment, as well as hate. The 36-year-old university lecturer took a very different approach to the other competitors, performing some eye-catching moves. Read more
Naomi Osaka opens up about her struggles to get back on track (AfricaNews)
Naomi Osaka has opened up about her struggle to get back to previous levels in tennis since her maternity break.
The Japanese former world number one and four-time grand slam winner returned to the WTA Tour in January, following the birth of her first child, a daughter.
Results have not gone her way though – Osaka has not been able to get past the quarter-finals at any event she has entered and on Monday she was beaten in the second round of qualifying for the Cincinnati Open in Ohio, USA. Read more
Arsenal aim to pick Man City’s pockets in title race (France24)
Mikel Arteta reportedly hired a group of pickpockets to teach his Arsenal stars a valuable lesson and is now planning to steal the Premier League title from Manchester City.
Arteta’s side suffered an agonising end to last season as City pipped them to the trophy by just two points on the final day.
Arsenal lost only one of their last 18 league games but still couldn’t hold off City’s relentless charge to an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League crown. Read more