Nigeria-Niger mega rail project threatened, over 1,000 trucks trapped (Punch)
The Nigeria-Niger Republic railway project may be at risk after the rupture of the diplomatic ties between Nigeria and Niger following the July 26 coup in which President Muhammed Bazoum was ousted from office by military officers led by Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani.
This came as over 1,000 trucks conveying goods worth over N350m to Nigeria other West African nations have remained trapped at the borders for over one week following the closure of the respective gateways to the two neighbouring countries.
The Federal Government and the Nigerien junta had ordered the immediate closure of all land borders between the two countries after the political development in the landlocked country. Read more
Ministerial screening: Group expresses feelings over rejection of El-Rufai (Sun)
A group, Concerned Citizens of Kaduna State (CCK) has hailed the reports of security agencies allegedly indicting former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai from being confirmed as ministerial nominee by the Senate.
El-Rufai is currently undergoing security checks following his nomination by President Bola Tinubu among those to be confirmed as ministers by the Senate.
Based on the findings, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, and two other nominees are currently undergoing security checks. Read more
“An irreparable loss”, Nigerians mourn passing of Pastor Odukoya (Vanguard)
Nigerians have taken to social media to mourn the passing of the Senior Pastor of Fountain of Life Church Pastor Taiwo Odukoya.
Odukoya’s death was announced in a statement on the church’s Facebook page.
“The fountain of Life Church Family, in total submission to the will of God Almighty announces the passing unto greater glory of our Father, Teacher, a great servant of the Most High God, Pastor Daniel Taiwo Odukoya….” Read more
Man jumps into Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge lagoon (Nation)
A yet-to-be-identified person has jumped into Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge water, The Nation has learnt.
Eyewitnesses on the route confirmed the incident.
The Nation learnt onlookers have besieged the spot to see how they can put up rescue efforts.
Although the official rescue team has been alerted, the police have cordoned off the area… Read more
Lagos okays digital learning device for schools (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has endorsed SuccessTAB digital learning device as a recommended learning device for all schools and students across the state.
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Abayomi Abolaji, in a statement, said the rich educational content and advanced applications of SuccessTAB had added value and transformed education in Lagos State.
“Lagos State fully endorses SuccessTAB, recognising its remarkable impact on education for all students and schools across the state. Read more
Tinubu mourns Pastor Odukoya (Vanguard)
President Bola Tinubu has expressed his pain of loss with the family, friends and congregants of the Fountain of Life Church, over the passing of the Senior Pastor, Taiwo Odukoya, 67.
President Tinubu in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale sends his heartfelt condolences to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and associates of the highly revered religious leader, whose teaching, outreach and good work expanded the frontiers of charitable endeavour with particular respect to the education and health sectors.
The President noted the worthy contributions of Pastor Odukoya to the development of the country, supporting the weak and vulnerable while providing a platform for many to realize their dreams through the teaching of the word of faith. Read more
Tinubu appoints 400-level student into tax reforms committee (Channels)
President Bola Tinubu has appointed a 400-level student of the University of Ibadan (UI) Orire Agbaje as a member of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.
The committee was inaugurated in Abuja on Tuesday. According to the presidency, Orire Agbaje is an Economics student and the president of the institution’s tax club.
“One of the members of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms inaugurated today by President @officialABAT is Miss Orire Agbaje, a 400-level Economics student of the University of Ibadan, who is also the President of @ui_taxclub, President of @SEIHUnibadan, and a Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) Scholar,” the president tweeted. Read more
Medical Doctors to call off strike after Senate intervention (Leadership)
Striking members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) are set to call off their two-week-old strike after a closed-door meeting with the leadership of the Senate on Tuesday evening.
Addressing journalists shortly after the closed-door meeting with President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and other Principal Officers of the Senate, national president of NARD, Dr Emeka Innocent Orji, stated that: “We had a very fruitful meeting with the Senate led by the President of the Senate and from our discussions with them, we are very hopeful that when we table our discussions today before the NEC, something positive would come out.
“From our interaction with the President of the Senate and the practical demonstration he did before us today, we are very confident that there would be light at the end of the tunnel in the next 24 hours. Read more
Taylor Swift leads 2023 MTV Video Music Award nominations (MusicNews)
Taylor Swift leads the nominations for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) with eight nods.
Nominations were announced on Tuesday and female artists dominated, with SZA in the running for six awards, and Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, Kim Petras and Nicki Minaj close behind with five each.
Sam Smith also landed five nominations, while Shakira, BLACKPINK and Diddy were recognised in four categories.
For the first time since the Artist of the Year category was introduced in 2017, all the nominees are women – with Swift, Doja, Minaj, Shakira, Beyoncé and Karol G in the running. Read more
Tory Lanez sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion (Guardian)
Musician Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for the shooting of fellow artist Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.
Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was found guilty in December 2022 of three felonies related to the shooting, which left his fellow artist injured in the foot.
Prosecutors had called for the 30-year-old Canadian rapper to be sentenced to 13 years in prison. Lanez’s defense team had called for probation and a residential drug treatment program that would help the artist deal with alcoholism, which they say he developed to cope with childhood trauma. Read more
Blackpool Grand Theatre needs £500k of repairs, council told (BBC)
Nearly £500,000 worth of repairs needs to be carried out at a Grade II listed theatre, the venue has said.
Rainwater leaks into parts of Blackpool’s Grand Theatre means it needs renovation work to its dome.
Plans for the repair work have been submitted by the Grand Theatre Trust, which owns the venue, to Blackpool Council for approval.
It proposes to bid for Arts Council England funding in the autumn towards the cost of the work. Read more
Talk to Me sequel in the works from A24 after original’s breakout success (People)
Brace yourself for more Talk to Me.
On Tuesday, A24 announced plans for a sequel to the horror movie, which the distributor picked up after its debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
The next installment, Talk 2 “Me” will be written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman and directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, the real-life brothers and former YouTubers who directed Talk to Me. Read more
Amazon nations launch alliance to protect rainforest at key summit (AlJazeera)
Eight South American countries have agreed to launch an alliance to protect the Amazon, pledging at a summit in Brazil to stop the world’s biggest rainforest from reaching “a point of no return”.
Leaders from South American nations also challenged developed countries to do more to stop the enormous destruction of the world’s largest rainforest, a task they said cannot fall to just a few countries when the crisis has been caused by so many.
The closely-watched summit of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) adopted on Tuesday what host country Brazil called a “new and ambitious shared agenda” to save the rainforest, a crucial buffer against climate change that experts warn is being pushed to the brink of collapse. Read more
Russian “spy” arrested in Ukraine over role in alleged plot to blow up President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (ABC)
Ukraine’s intelligence agency says it has detained a woman allegedly helping Russian authorities plan an air strike on an area President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited last month.
The Security Service of Ukraine, known as the SBU, said “the spy” had attempted to establish where and when Mr Zelenskyy would be, during his trip to the Mykolaiv region, in the country’s south.
The area is partly occupied by Russian forces and is near the front lines of the war in Ukraine, which has raged since February last year. Read more
William Friedkin: French Connection and Exorcist director dies aged 87 (Standard)
Oscar-winning film director William Friedkin, whose career included hits such as The French Connection and The Exorcist, has died aged 87.
Friedkin, who won the best director Academy Award for The French Connection, died on Monday in Los Angeles.
Among those paying tribute was actor Elijah Wood who said Friedkin was “a true cinematic master”. Read more
France beat Morocco to set up clash with Australia at Women’s World Cup (France24)
Eugenie Le Sommer scored twice as France eased to a 4-0 win over Morocco at the Women’s World Cup on Tuesday and set up a quarter-final with co-hosts Australia.
Morocco had upset the odds to qualify for the last 16 at the expense of Germany in their debut appearance at the tournament but they never managed to lay a glove on Herve Renard’s French side in Adelaide.
Kadidiatou Diani opened the scoring on the quarter-hour mark and it was 3-0 just after the midway point in the first half as Kenza Dali and Le Sommer added further goals. Read more
FIFPRO to assist Super Falcons recover unpaid wages from NFF (DailyTrust)
FIFPRO, the association responsible for 65,000 professional footballers worldwide has said that it had begun actions to assist the Super Falcons players in resolving their pay dispute with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Prior to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where they were just ousted in the round of 16 by England, the Falcons had been at odds with the NFF over unpaid match bonuses and camp allowances dating back to 2021.
Nigeria arrived at the Women’s World Cup after a dispute with the NFF over pay and conditions, with coach Randy Waldrum alleging that he was due seven months’ wages and that some of his players had not been paid in two years. Read more
Wolves confirm Julen Lopetegui’s exit as Gary O’Neil waits to take over (Guardian)
Wolves have parted company with Julen Lopetegui after a breakdown in the relationship between club and manager, with Gary O’Neil poised to replace him days before the start of the season.
Lopetegui had been due to take training on Tuesday evening but spent the afternoon in discussions with the club’s hierarchy over terminating his contract. He signed a three-year deal last November but a financial settlement has now been agreed.
In a statement, the Wolves sporting director, Matt Hobbs, said Lopetegui has left the squad in “great shape which will give his successor the best possible chance of success”. He added: “While our ambition had been to move into the new season together, it is public knowledge that there were differences of opinion on some key topics, and it was agreed by all parties that it would be best to part ways ahead of the new campaign.” Read more
PGA Tour’s Andy Pazder resigns before FedEx Cup playoffs (ESPN)
Longtime PGA Tour executive Andy Pazder resigned Tuesday, two days before the start of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, according to a memo sent to tour members.
Pazder, who spent more than 30 years with the tour, was its chief tournaments and competitions officer. He was previously executive vice president and chief of operations and senior vice president of tournament administration for the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and Korn Ferry Tour. He joined the tour in 1989.
In the memo to players, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, the tour said executive vice president and president Tyler Dennis would assume Pazder’s responsibilities. Read more
PSG sign Portugal striker Goncalo Ramos on loan from Benfica (ESPN)
Paris Saint-Germain have signed Portugal striker Goncalo Ramos from Benfica on a season-long loan with an option to buy, the Ligue 1 club announced on Monday.
“It is a great pride and an immense happiness to join Paris Saint-Germain. PSG is one of the biggest clubs in the world with one of the best squads,” the 22-year-old said in a statement.
Ramos made his debut for Benfica in 2020 after joining the club’s academy aged 12 and scored 41 goals with 16 assists in 106 appearances for the Portuguese champions. Read more
Anthony Joshua: Eddie Hearn set to announce Dillian Whyte replacement (BBC)
Anthony Joshua will fight at London’s O2 Arena as planned on Saturday, with promoter Eddie Hearn set to announce Dillian Whyte’s replacement imminently.
Whyte returned “an adverse finding” from a doping test last week, meaning the heavyweight rematch was cancelled.
A “devastated” Whyte, 35, said he was “completely innocent”.
Hearn told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I believe that a fight will be signed and an announcement made on Monday night or first thing in the morning.” Read more