Kidnapped Kaduna Catholic priest, 5 villagers killed (DailyTrust)
The kidnapped Kaduna Catholic priest, Very Rev. Fr. John Mark Chietnum, has been killed by his abductors.
Another priest, Rev. Fr. Donatus Cleopas, who was kidnapped with him, has, however, escaped from the kidnappers’ den.
They were abducted on July 15 at the Rector of Christ the King Parish in Yadin Garu in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna state.
A statement by the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Rev. Fr Emmanuel Uchechukwu Okolo, said the decomposed corpse of Rev. Chietnum was discovered on Tuesday.
He was said to have been murdered the same day they were abducted.
Until his death, Rev Chietnum was the CAN Chairman, Jema’a Local Government Area and the coordinating CAN chairman, Southern Kaduna. Read more
Masked men, task force arrest Okada riders, passengers (Punch)
Some masked men and officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, aka Task Force, on Tuesday, raided commercial motorcyclists at Berger Bus Stop, Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro noted that the masked men pushed down the Okada riders from their bikes at the area where they clustered to pick passengers.
Our correspondents, who witnessed the exercise, observed that the operatives came in two vans and whisked away the alleged offenders in three Toyota Hiace buses.
The seized motorcycles were packed in four different trucks. Read more
143 stranded Nigerian returnees from Libya arrive Lagos (Vanguard)
A fresh batch of 143 stranded Nigerian returnees from Libya, Tuesday, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
They were received by the National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria, NEMA, an agency set up by the Federal Government, responsible for tackling disaster-related issues through the establishment of concrete structures and measures.
According to NEMA Director General, Mustapha Ahmed, “The Returnees were brought back to Nigeria through the Cargo Wing of the MMIA, with Al Buraq Air Boeing 737-800 registration number 5A – DMG at about 1518 hours.
“The profile of the individuals consists of 96 male adults, eight boys are eight, and one male toddler. We had a total of 36 female adults, a girl, and a female toldler. Read more
Panic as Lagos fuel tanker explodes, destroys vehicles (Punch)
There was pandemonium at Mile 2, in the Otto Wharf area of Lagos State, on Tuesday, when a diesel tanker exploded and destroyed several vehicles.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident occurred around 3pm at an articulated vehicle motor park in the community.
Video clips of the incident seen by our correspondent showed several vehicles burning as men of the state fire service battled the inferno while residents scampered for safety.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the agency activated its response plan after receiving a distress call to the incident. Read more
Davido asks INEC to issue Adeleke certificate of return (Nation)
Afrobeats star Davido has called out the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its delay in issuance of certificate of return to Osun Governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke.
The music star wondered why two days after Adeleke emerged victorious at the poll, he was yet to receive his certificate of return.
He subtly reminded the commission and all stakeholders that the will of Osun people must not be tampered with.
He tweeted: “48hrs after our @AAdeleke_01 victory at the Osun Gubernatorial elections, we are yet to receive our certificate. Read more
Oyetola pencils 50 lawyers, APC, Adeleke trade words (Punch)
Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola may engage no fewer than 50 lawyers, including senior advocates, to challenge the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Ademola Adeleke, in last Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
A member of the governor’s legal team, Kunle Adegoke, gave this indication in an interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday just as the PDP and the governor-elect warned the Independent National Electoral Commission against allowing the All Progressives Congress to tamper with election materials.
The governor’s legal team has been sifting through the election results in preparation for taking serious legal action against the declaration of Adeleke as the governor-elect by the INEC.
The electoral body had on Sunday declared Adeleke the winner of the governorship election in the state. The Returning Officer for the election and Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said Adeleke got a total of 403,371 votes to beat the incumbent APC governor, who polled 375,027 votes and 13 other candidates in the keenly contested race. Read more
APC unveils Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate despite opposition (Guardian)
Amid the furore over a single faith, joint ticket and barring a last-minute change of heart, the All Progressives Congress (APC) will, today, formally unveil its vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, to the public.
The party’s national organising secretary, Sulaiman Muhammad Argungu, made this known, yesterday, on the party’s official WhatsApp platform accessible to journalists.
The unveiling will be witnessed by members of the National Executive Committee (NEC), Progressives Governors’ Forum, APC Caucus in the National Assembly, members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), presidential aspirants at the June Special National Convention and APC state chairmen, among others, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja. Read more
Count us out of strike, ASUU’s faction, CONUA declares (Vanguard)
A faction of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, operating under the aegis of Congress of Nigerian University Academics, CONUA, has denounced the ongoing strike by the nation’s public university lecturers.
CONUA,which broke away from ASUU,has asked to be counted out of the ongoing strike, insisting that it was not part of the action that has grounded public varsities for almost six months now.
The ASUU’s factional body,in a statement, by its National Coordinator, Niyi Sunmonu, and the National Publicity Secretary, Ernest Nwoke, said it was a separate union of university academics in the country.
It condemned the ongoing strike by ASUU, saying the action which it noted had grounded public universities in the country,was in bad faith. Read more
New NNPC will guarantee energy security, Buhari declares at unveiling of oil company (Guardian)
President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja unveiled the new Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Limited), affirming that the company is mandated by law to ensure that Nigeria’s national energy security is guaranteed.
Speaking at the historic occasion at the State House Conference Centre, the President said Africa’s largest National Oil Company (NOC) would also support sustainable growth across other sectors of the economy as it delivers energy to the world.
At the event, which featured a Special rendition of the Theme Song “Energy for today, Energy for tomorrow, Energy for Everyone” by an ensemble, the President recounted how God had used him to consistently play an important role in shaping the destiny of the country’s NOC in the last 45 years.
He expressed optimism that the NNPC Limited will sustainably deliver value to its over 200 million shareholders and the global energy community; operate without relying on government funding and free from institutional regulations such as the Treasury Single Account (TSA). Read more
Netflix loses almost a million subscribers (BBC)
After enjoying a long reign as the king of streaming, Netflix faces a tough fight to keep its crown.
It lost almost 1m subscribers between April and July, as the number of people quitting the service accelerated.
But that was not as many as the streaming giant had feared.
Asked what may have stopped subscriptions sliding further, the firm’s chief executive, Reed Hastings, said: “If there was a single thing, we might say ‘Stranger Things.'”
The new season of the hit drama has been a phenomenal success, and may have helped stem the exodus of Netflix customers.
UK ticket holder scoops £195,000,000 in biggest National Lottery win of all time (Metro)
A UK ticket-holder has scooped a record EuroMillions jackpot of £195 million – the biggest National Lottery win of all time.
Players have been urged to check their tickets to find out if they are the country’s newest multi-millionaire.
The winning EuroMillions numbers were 06, 23, 27, 40, 41 – plus the Lucky Star numbers 02 and 12.
Whoever bought the winning ticket will score an eye-watering £195,707,000. Read more
Jafar Panahi sentenced to six years in jail (Guardian)
The director Jafar Panahi has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment by the Iranian judiciary, who are seeking to enforce a previously handed-down sentence.
Panahi, who has won the top prizes at the Venice and Berlin film festivals, and is the director of films including The Circle, The White Balloon, Crimson Gold, Taxi and This Is Not a Film, is one of three film-makers arrested in Tehran in less than a week.
Panahi was detained on 11 July at the prosecutors’ office, which he visited along with lawyers and colleagues to ask after the wellbeing and whereabouts of fellow Iranian film-makers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Aleahmad, who had been detained three days before.
He and Rasoulof were previously arrested in 2010 for “propaganda against the system”, critiquing the government in their films and at protests. He was sentenced to six years in jail, of which he served two months before being granted a conditional release that was revocable.
Girls Aloud’s Kimberley and Nicola reflect on ‘magical’ Sarah Harding tribute event (DailyStar)
Girls Aloud stars Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts have said their grief is still “raw” almost a year after the death of their bandmate Sarah Harding.
Sarah passed away in September 2021 at the age of 39 after battling breast cancer.
Her bandmates Kimberley, Nicola, Cheryl and Nadine Coyle are getting together this weekend to take part in Race For Life in her memory and predict it will be “magical”.
Opening up on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio show, Nicola said Sarah’s death was “still such a shock”. Read more
Queen break records as ‘Greatest Hits’ becomes first album to sell seven million copies (Independent)
Queen have made chart history by becoming the first ever act to surpass seven million album sales.
Their 1981 Greatest Hits record has become the best selling album of all time in the UK, according to the Official Charts Company.
The compilation album features classic hits such as “We Will Rock You”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, and the group’s top-selling behemoth “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
The record has now exceeded the seven million milestone through a combination of physical sales, downloads and streams. Read more
Method Man on why artists shouldn’t sign to other artists’ labels (HipHopDX)
Method Man says that up-and-coming artists shouldn’t sign to other artists’ labels because they won’t get the attention they deserve.
Method Man says that young artists are better off not signing to labels owned by fellow artists because their music will also come second to that artist. The legendary Wu-Tang rapper explained his opinion on the matter during a recent interview with Math Hoffa for My Expert Opinion.
“I always felt like you can’t sign to somebody who is still trying to be an artist,” Meth explained. “It’s hard. They can’t give you the time or attention that you probably need and deserve unless you are your own machine.”
The group did admit there have been exceptions, with Method Man and Hoffa citing Drake, Lil Wayne, and Rick Ross, before adding that they probably have a staff that is focused on running the labels. Read more
Extreme heat in UK adds further air travel disruption as it melts airport runway (CBS)
Parts of the U.K. are literally melting because of extreme heat. On Monday, Luton Airport, about 30 miles north of London, had to suspend flights because the excessive heat damaged part of its runway, adding further strain to an already tumultuous travel season.
The airport tweeted on Monday that the high temperatures caused “a surface defect” to be identified on the runway, later saying that the high surface temperatures had caused a small section of the surface to lift. Monday was another day of what the U.K.’s Meteorological Office identified as “extreme heat,” which they attribute to “exceptional, perhaps record-breaking, temperatures.” The Luton area, according to the office, saw temperatures as high as 35º Celsius – or 95 degrees Fahrenheit – on Monday.
The runway was fully operational again within a few hours, but the impact from the heat is just the latest in a string of airline travel woes across the globe. Just last week, London’s Heathrow Airport had to cap airline passengers to deal with soaring travel demand and staff shortages. In recent weeks, thousands of flights have been canceled in the U.S., with hundreds of thousands seeing delays. Millions of people have been impacted.
And the latest issue at Luton is indicative of a far greater issue – the numerous significant tolls that extreme heat can take on infrastructure. Read more
Organisers seek partners as Nigeria 2022 Ludo Championship begins
(Guardian)
Organisers of the maiden Nigeria Ludo Championship, which began yesterday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, have called on corporate Nigeria to support the development of the sport.
The championship, which is organised by Gbolad Continental Ventures, in conjunction with Lagos State Sports Commission, according to the organisers, will help revive ludo as a widely accepted game, enjoyed by Nigerian families.
The organisers said the championship has attracted participants from all age grades, including people with disabilities.
Unveiling the programme for the championship, the convener of the event, Olaide Graham, said participants are grouped into two categories, Tertiary and General.
“We aim to put the Ludo Championship into Nigeria’s sports calendar, starting with the South West. Read more
Manchester City have declined to chance to sign Neymar (SportsIllustrated)
Due to the sales of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus wages have been freed up at Manchester City for the potential signing of another attacker to help the squad depth in the wing positions with Neymar being a possible option.
The Brazilian superstar has supposedly been made available for transfer this summer after the long situation to do with Kylian Mbappe’s contract situation.
The French international in the end signed a new deal to renew his stay in Paris after flirting with Real Madrid all summer and the new contract effectively has made him the new sporting director of the club with every decision going through him.
So it appears the young forward does not want the former Barcelona man at the club anymore with PSG only looking to recoup £50 million for the number 10. Read more
Ahead Australia 2023 FIFA Women World Cup (Guardian)
Super Falcons’ official malt drink, Amstel Malta Ultra, has commended the ‘gusty’ display by the Nigeria women’s team in their semifinal clash against Atlas Lionesses of Morocco at the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The brand said though missing the final ticket hurts, Nigerians and global football fans are happy with the never-say-die attitude exhibited by the Super Falcons on Monday night in Rabat.
Morocco, who is the host of the biennial continental tournament, needed the lottery of penalty kicks to deny the Super Falcons a 10th WAFCON final appearance and by extension a chance for a record-extending 10th African crown.
Despite being reduced to nine players in the 71st minute following the debatable red card to Rasheedat Ajibade, with Halimat Ayinde already sent off earlier, the Super Falcons showed the true Nigerian spirit as they held the hosts for the remainder of the second half and all through the extra time before the ensuing penalty kicks. Read more
Donny van de Beek praises Harry Maguire’s ‘big personality’ to shake off boos (IrishIndependent)
Donny van de Beek believes Manchester United captain Harry Maguire showed “big personality” with his impressive reaction to some merciless booing during the opening stages against Crystal Palace in Melbourne.
The Erik ten Hag era continued with another promising pre-season friendly win on Tuesday evening in Australia, where the Red Devils recorded a 3-1 victory at the cavernous MCG.
Anthony Martial opened the scoring with his third goal in as many games, before Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho finished fine team moves in the second half.
There was a Joel Ward consolation and late red card for United youngster Will Fish but the main talking point in Melbourne was the jeers that met every Maguire touch at the start of the match. Read more
Hamilton justifies Covid mask ‘personal choice’ (F1i)
Lewis Hamilton has explained why he is still overprotective of his health and continues to wear a mask in the F1 paddock despite a relaxation of Covid rules.
The global Covid pandemic has simmered down since the end of last year which has led to a return to relative normalcy in the paddock, where mask-wearing is no longer mandatory.
Hamilton was among several F1 drivers who have tested positive for Covid in the past two years, the Briton contracting the virus and being forced to miss the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain at the end of 2020.
Today, as a matter of a “personal choice”, Hamilton continues to protect himself. The seven-time F1 world champion explained why. Read more
Pogačar has to attack Vingegaard every stage if he wants to win the Tour de France -Contador (VeloNews)
Former Tour de France winner Alberto Contador believes that Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) must attack Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) every day if he wants to defend his title from last year.
Pogačar currently sits second overall, 2:22 behind Vingegaard after cracking on the Col du Granon on stage 11.
“I think that Pogačar will need to try every day. That’s what he needs to do if he wants to win the Tour de France. Vingegaard is solid and strong but sometimes the leader has a bad day and if you don’t try…” Contador, who is commentating for Eurosport/GCN, told VeloNews at the start of stage 16 in Carcassonne.
The Spaniard also pointed to the fact that Jumbo-Visma lost two riders on stage 15 and that they are now down to six riders, the same number as UAE Team Emirates. Read more
Anthony Joshua torn apart ahead of Oleksandr Usyk fight as boxing icon makes money claim (Express)
Legendary trainer Teddy Atlas has ripped into Anthony Joshua. Atlas claims Joshua ‘accepts losing too easily’ and looks like ‘a guy who has earned too much money’.
Since losing to Oleksandr Usyk in September, ‘AJ’ has been met with waves of criticism from people inside the boxing world. Among those names is Atlas, who has slammed the Brit for his mental fragility.
“I think Usyk is gonna win [against Joshua]. I can’t go against Usyk, how can I go against the guy, he gives you no reason to,” Atlas said during the latest episode of his podcast ‘The Fight’.
“He was an undefeated Cruiserweight champ and unified all the titles, the best Cruiserweight ever besides Holyfield, he’s an Olympic gold medallist. He doesn’t know how to lose. I think that Joshua is too good a loser. Read more