Oyetola, Adeleke in tight race as counting commences (Punch)
The counting of votes has commenced in the ongoing governorship election in Osun State.
Official ward results showed that the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party are in a tight race.
Though 15 political parties participated in the election, the top contenders are the candidate of APC, Governor Gboyega Oyetola and the candidate of the PDP, Ademola Adeleke.
This is the second time the two candidates would be meeting.
Both Oyetola and Adeleke contested for the Osun governorship seat in 2018, which Oyetola won after a rerun. Read more
Why we attacked Tinubu’s convoy in Lagos – Suspect (DailyTrust)
Eight members of different cult gangs that reportedly attacked the convoy of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Lagos have confessed to carrying out the attack.
The suspects, who were recruited by different gang leaders on the Lagos Island, admitted being paid to perpetrate the act.
One of the suspects, who identified himself as Ramon Aniseoju, said they were recruited to disrupt the movement of the convoy and not to allow it get to its final destination.
“We were paid to prevent those on the convoy from getting to the palace of the Oba of Lagos and to dispass them,” he said.
The suspects were arrested from their different hideouts on the Lagos Island by detectives from Zone 2 Command Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos. Read more
There’s still hope for Nigeria – Davido (Nation)
Award-winning singer Davido has expressed hope for a better Nigeria over voters conduct in the ongoing Osun governorship poll.
The “Stand Strong” crooner commended Osun electorates for refusing to sell their votes.
Davido, applauding the scenario, confessed the development proves there’s still hope for Nigeria. Read more
Ikeja Electric shuts down customers vending, billing channels for upgrade (Vanguard)
Ikeja Electric has shut its customers billing and vending channels and infrastructures for 48 hours, between 15th to 17th July 2022 , to enable it carry out an upgrade.
A statement by the management yesterday said customers of the Disco should buy energy ahead the shut down as they might not be able to access necessary information , vending and data.
A Public Notice issued by the organization reads : ” Ikeja Electric wishes to notify it’s customers that in a bid to improve on our billing and other integrated platforms, we will be carrying out a 48 hours Customer Information System ,CIS, 2.0 system upgrade between 15th and 17th July,2022.”
”Customers ability to perform the following underlisted on our platforms may be impeded during this period of upgrade. However, our Engineers will endeavour to complete the upgrade within the scheduled time,as well as minimise the impact on customer experience.” Read more
Army detains soldiers on Kuje Prison duty in underground facility (Leadership)
Investigations in the terrorist attack at the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre have continued as the Nigerian Army has detained the soldiers on duty on that fateful day for questioning.
LEADERSHIP Weekend recalls that terrorists broke into Kuje prison in Abuja on July 5 and freed hundreds of inmates, including 64 Boko Haram members.
The military, the intelligence services and the Nigerian Correctional Services have been under pressure because of the security failures to prevent the attack and/or repel the terrorists when they launched.
This is just as sources have revealed the constraints prison authorities face in the administration of custodial facilities across the country. The Controller General of the NCoS is said to be mostly in the dark regarding intelligence updates and getting access to the president. Read more
Osun election: ‘Ebi yi to ge,’ says 84-year-old man who voted to end hunger (Vanguard)
A senior citizen, Pa Peter Awogboro has said the determination to end hunger was the motivating factor for him to participate in the Osun State governorship election on Saturday.
The 84-year-old, who is a resident of Ibokun in Obokun local government area of the state said he and others in that environment are tired insensitive and cruel political leaders causing hunger in the state.
The octogenarian while speaking in Yoruba language told Vanguard that “Ebi yi to ge (The hunger is enough)”.
Pa Awogboro said: “I’ve been voting for more than ten years now. I was in Lagos working for about 15 years back. I’ve voted today. This hunger is enough. We should not experience hunger again… Read more
Bandits ambush soldiers in Plateau (DailyTrust)
Bandits have ambushed a team of soldiers at Zurak Kampani community, Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The bandits, according to locals, arrived the community when residents were involved in market activities.
Zurak Kampani community is over a 100km drive from the headquarters of the LGA.
Major Ishaku Takwa, the spokesperson of a multi-security taskforce, Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), maintaining peace in the state, confirmed the ambush but said no soldier was killed in the incident.
But a resident of Wase town, Abdullahi Usman, had earlier told our correspondent that the bandits killed one soldier and injured one other. Read more
Benue herdsmen crisis: Over 200 displaced in Okpokwu LGA attack ― SEMA boss (Vanguard)
No fewer than 200 persons have been reportedly displaced in the recent attack on Igama community in Okpokwu Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue state by suspected armed herdsmen.
It would be recalled that Igama community was recently attacked by suspected armed herdsmen leading to the death of about 16 persons and displacement of several persons while many sustained injuries.
The Executive Secretary of Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Dr. Emmanuel Shior who made this known weekend while flagging off the monthly distribution of food and non-food items to the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in official and unofficial camps in parts of the state, lamented that the attack had added to the burden of the state government. Read more
Lagos-Ibadan: Julius Berger knocked over open bridge joints (Punch)
Angry motorists have slammed a construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, over the poor construction work on the Longbridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
They wondered if the company could deliver such “a shoddy job” in its home country in Germany, just as they blamed the Federal Government for not supervising the construction work.
The Longbridge is a five-kilometre bridge stretching from the Warewa end of the expressway to OPIC, Ogun State.
The bridge was among the sections of the expressway firstly reconstructed by the company when the project started. Read more
Adam Scott joins Sony’s ‘Spider-man’ spinoff ‘Madame Web’ (Variety)
Just a few days after landing an Emmy nomination for Apple TV+’s hit drama “Severance,” Adam Scott is joining the cast of Sony’s superhero film “Madame Web.”
The movie stars Dakota Johnson as Madame Web, a clairvoyant whose psychic abilities allow her to see within the spider world itself. The movie will be an origin story for the character, who served as an ally to Spider-Man in the Marvel comics.
The rest of the cast includes Sydney Sweeney, who just received double Emmy nominations for “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus,” Emma Roberts, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim and Mike Epps. S.J. Clarkson directs the spinoff in Sony’s universe of Marvel characters. Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless wrote the script.
Following the success of “Venom,” starring Tom Hardy as the classic Spider-Man villain, Sony began building out its own cinematic universe of Spidey characters. After last year’s sequel, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” Jared Leto starred in “Morbius” earlier this year as the blood-sucking vampire villain Dr. Michael Morbius. Read more
Stranger Things 4 star Joseph Quinn ‘felt like a sociopath’ putting on his Hawkins American accent (Metro)
Stranger Things season 4 star Joseph Quinn has opened up on attempting is Hawkins accent.
The UK actor, who became a solid fan-favourite, played Eddie Munson, Dungeons and Dragons master, who is killed off after sustaining fatal injuries from bats.
Joseph, known by some for appearances on Game of Thrones, seemed to convince fans into thinking his accent was authentic enough, but in reality, practicing for it wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
Speaking on Ed Gamble and James Acaster’s podcast Off Menu, Joseph revealed that putting on a fake American accent actually left him feeling ‘like a sociopath.’ Read more
Sri Lanka seeks way forward after president quits
Published (BBC)
Sri Lanka is seeking a way out of political and economic chaos after its President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned and fled the country.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as temporary leader on Friday and has the ruling party’s backing to take the role permanently.
This makes him the favourite when a new president is chosen next week, but may prove unacceptable to protesters.
Mr Rajapaksa fled to Singapore, sparking celebrations in the street.
He and his family have been blamed for a deep economic crisis, with Sri Lankans facing acute shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies. Read more
Court acquits German nun who offered asylum to two Nigerian women (Vanguard)
A German court has acquitted a German nun, Juliana Seelmann, who was accused last year, of abetting illegal immigration and fined for granting church asylum to two Nigerian women.
In the latest judgment by the court on church asylum on Thursday, the 39-year-old Seelmann was found not guilty of rending help of illegal stay to two Nigerian women in Germany.
According to news agency KNA, the judge of the district court in the northern Bavarian city of Würzburg justified the nun’s acquittal with a decision from February by the Bavarian High Court, which had ruled in favour of a Benedictine monk who had taken in a rejected asylum seeker from the Gaza Strip in 2020. Read more
Londoners warned not to travel on Monday or Tuesday due to extreme heat (Metro)
Londoners are being urged not to travel on Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures are expected to hit 40°C in the capital.
Forecasters have said there is an 80% chance of the UK’s record for the highest ever temperature of 38.7C set in 2019 being broken on Tuesday when the current heatwave peaks.
Now, Transport for London (TfL) is advising passengers to only travel for ‘essential journeys’.
The message comes after the operator has already announced services will be reduced during the heatwave. Read more
Tory leadership rivals trade blows over tax and spending (BBC)
Tory leadership frontrunners have clashed over how best to fund public services and control inflation in the contest’s first TV debate.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss attacked tax rises introduced under ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak as “wrong” and pledged to reverse them.
But Mr Sunak said they were needed to fund the NHS, and accused her of believing in economic “fairy tales”.
Rivals also sparred over Boris Johnson, trans rights and trust in politics.
All five remaining candidates in the Tory leadership race took part in the Channel 4 TV debate, the first of two this weekend. They come ahead of the next round of MPs’ voting on Monday. Read more
Cruise ships still pose a health disaster threat: Ship sanitation officer (NYPost)
Erin Montgomery still gets emotional when she remembers her last trip on the MS Zaandam cruise ship.
“It was horrible,” she tells The Post, bursting into tears. Montgomery, then in her mid-50s, worked as the ship’s sanitation officer. “Having people die on you and you’re helpless to do anything about it.”
On March 27th, 2020, the Zaandam, a luxury cruise line owned by Carnival Corp., was anchored off Panama City. With 1,242 passengers and 586 crew members, they had set sail just three weeks earlier.
Few people realized it at first, but “COVID-19 was tearing through the Zaandam,” write investigative journalists Michael Smith and Jonathan Franklin in their new book “Cabin Fever: The Harrowing Journey of a Cruise Ship at the Dawn of a Pandemic” (Doubleday), out now. Read more
Kane on target again as Tottenham draw 1-1 with Sevilla (Guardian)
Harry Kane scored from Son Heung-min’s pass as Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 against Sevilla on Saturday, to the delight 43,000-plus fans at the Suwon World Cup Stadium.
Spurs faced a much tougher test against the Spanish side in the final game of their preseason trip to South Korea than on Wednesday, when Son and Kane both scored twice in front of 64,000 adoring fans in a 6-3 win over a K-League “all star” team.
Son and Kane, whose every move has been followed avidly since English Premier League side Tottenham’s arrival in Korea last Sunday, both started against the La Liga side.
They only played the second half on Wednesday, but they played for 70 minutes at Suwon World Cup Stadium, near Seoul, before departing to an ovation. Read more
Chelsea complete signing of highly-rated Arsenal youngster Omari Hutchinson (Metro)
Chelsea have completed the signing of the highly-rated teenage forward Omari Hutchinson from Arsenal.
The gifted winger has represented England at youth level, but made his senior international debut for Jamaica in a friendly against Catalonia in May of this year.
Head of Chelsea’s youth recruitment Jim Fraser said: ‘We are delighted that Omari has agreed to sign for Chelsea. He is a brilliant addition who joins us as an exciting emerging talent hoping to make a quick impression in the senior game.’
The 18-year-old winger regularly featured as a member of the first team squad last season and was an unused substitute several occasions during the run-in as Mikel Arteta’s squad was stretched to the limit by injuries and suspensions. Read more
Barcelona reach Lewandowski agreement with Bayern (BBC)
Barcelona have reached a “verbal agreement” with Bayern Munich to sign Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, says the Bayern president.
The 33-year-old, who has one year left on his Bayern contract, told the club last month that he wishes to leave.
Lewandowski scored 50 goals in 46 games last season as he helped Bayern win a 10th straight Bundesliga title.
“It’s good to have clarity for all parties,” said Bayern president Herbert Hainer.
“We have come to a verbal agreement with Barcelona. Read more
Allyson Felix wins bronze in final competitive race at track and field world championships (USAToday)
It wasn’t quite a golden farewell for Allyson Felix.
But it was still a moment she’ll never forget — and one she dreamed of for nearly two decades.
Felix won her 30th major international medal at the 2022 track and field world championships Friday night, running the second leg in the mixed-gender 4×400 relay as the Americans claimed bronze.
“To be able to come here in front of a home crowd, it’s something I’ve always wanted,” said Felix, who burst on to the track scene as a teenager in Los Angeles and has blossomed into one of the brightest stars in the sport. “To be able to have that, obviously not in the prime of my career, to finish here tonight, to have (daughter) Cammy in the stands, to share that moment meant a lot.” Read more
Thomas Tuchel speaks out on Chelsea’s decision to reject chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo (Metro)
Thomas Tuchel hinted Chelsea considered the opportunity to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, but were unwilling to switch their focus from from recruiting No.1 target Raheem Sterling.
The England international’s arrival from Manchester City in a £47million deal was confirmed earlier this week and he is in line to make his non-competitive debut against Club America tomorrow.
Chelsea are, however, unlikely to make further additions to their forward line despite the departure of Romelu Lukaku and the shock availability of wantaway United star Ronaldo.
The 37-year-old is said to have been unimpressed by United’s work in the transfer market this summer and unwilling to lower himself to the ignominy of playing in the Europa League this season. Read more
Serge Gnabry extends Bayern Munich contract until 2026 (Eurosport)
Serge Gnabry has ended speculation over his future by signing a new contract through the 2027 season.
After piling up four Bundesliga titles, two German Cups and a Champions League title, Gnabry is looking forward to more trophies.
He said; “I thought a lot about what I want as a player in the coming years, and came to the conclusion that I want to stay at FC Bayern, win everything again here and experience things – in particular celebrating another Champions League title.
“It’s special because I get to play here with my friends at the highest level. It certainly wouldn’t feel the same at a different club.”
The Germany forward had been linked with a return to the Premier League, with a £34m offer from Chelsea reportedly on the table. Read more
Italy’s Bernardeschi joins Toronto (Punch)
Italy winger Federico Bernardeschi has signed a four-year deal with MLS side Toronto FC from Serie A giants Juventus, the Major League Soccer team announced on Saturday.
The 28-year-old former Fiorentina player spent five seasons with Juventus, winning seven trophies including three consecutive Serie A titles from 2018 to 2020.
Bernardeschi joins fellow Italy international Lorenzo Insigne in Toronto, the Napoli winger having also joined the Canadian club this summer.
“We think he’s a great fit for what we’re trying to build here at TFC and look forward to getting him on the field,” said Toronto FC Head Coach and Sporting Director Bob Bradley. Read more