US commends Nigeria over arrest of Ansaru armed group leaders (VON)
The United States Government has commended the Nigerian government over the arrest of two members of the Ansaru militant group, Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Mahmud al-Nigeri.
The commendation was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the United States Mission in Nigeria on its X handle.
The Federal Government of Nigeria announced the arrest of al-Nigeri and Usman on Saturday. Read more
Alaafin lambasts Ooni in fiery clash over chieftaincy title (Punch)
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, on Monday strongly criticised the decision of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, to confer the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on a businessman, Dotun Sanusi.
The Ooni, at the weekend, bestowed the title on Sanusi during the unveiling of 2geda, an indigenous social media and business networking platform, held at Ilaji Hotel, Ibadan.
Conferring the title, Ogunwusi described Sanusi’s commitment to the cultural and economic growth of the Yoruba race as unparalleled. Read more
NAPTIP rescues 25 Saudi-bound women from trafficking ring (Channels)
Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have rescued 25 women from a human trafficking ring.
In a statement, NAPTIP spokesman Vincent Adekoye said the women suspected to be victims of labour exploitation were en route to Saudi Arabia before they were intercepted in Abuja, Nigeria.
The unsuspecting victims were picked up in front of a popular hotel in the highbrow area of Wuse II, Abuja, where they had gathered, awaiting their trafficker. Read more
My journey to throne was bumpy, guided by God – Oba Ladoja (Guardian)
The Olubadan-elect of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, has described his path to the throne as “bumpy, filled with trials, and only made possible by the grace of God.”
Addressing a large crowd of well-wishers at his Bodija residence in Ibadan on Monday, the former Oyo State governor reflected on a journey that spanned more than three decades through the intricate traditional chieftaincy hierarchy of Ibadanland.
“I never imagined destiny would call me to the throne at this time,” Oba Ladoja admitted, visibly moved as he recounted the moment he received news of the passing of his predecessor, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin. “It came as a rude shock. I had envisaged that our king would still reign for another five to ten years,” he said. Read more
Tinubu arrives Japan for TICAD9 (Nation)
President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Japan to participate in the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), which kicks off on Wednesday in Yokohama.
President Tinubu, who arrived at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo at about 12:55am local time on Tuesday, was welcomed by Ambassador Hideo Matsubara, the Japanese Ambassador in Charge of TICAD, along with the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar.
TICAD9, which follows after the last one held in Tunisia in 2022, will hold from Wednesday, 20 to Friday 22 of August. Read more
NSITF tenders apology to labour over publication on NLC headquarters (Tribune)
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has formally tendered an apology to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over a controversial publication concerning the ownership title of the Congress national headquarters in Abuja. The Fund also used the opportunity to clarify issues raised by the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the Congress on its operations, particularly regarding the Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS).
In a letter addressed to the NLC leadership, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Fund, Dr. Oluwaseun M. Faleye, acknowledged receipt of the Congress letters dated July 22, 2025, and August 13, 2025, and assured that the Fund remains committed to protecting Nigerian workers. We sincerely appreciate your keen interest in safeguarding the Employees Compensation Scheme, which remains a critical pillar in the protection of Nigerian workers, the NSITF boss stated. Read more
JAMB inaugurates committee on exam infraction (Leadership)
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has inaugurated a special committee to investigate cases of technology-driven malpractice detected during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Inaugurating the 23-member Special Committee On Examination Infraction yesterday in Abuja, JAMB’s registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, decried the rising sophistication of exam fraud, revealing that the results of 6,458 candidates remain under investigation for alleged involvement in high-tech cheating.
“This year we come across a number of strange things and we felt that it would be better if we expand our resources. And we believe that God has endowed this nation with a lot of resources that we can tap from,” Oloyede said. Read more
Hamas source says group agrees to latest Gaza ceasefire proposal (BBC)
Hamas has agreed to the latest proposal from regional mediators for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Israel, a source in the Palestinian armed group has told the BBC.
The proposal from Egypt and Qatar is said to be based on a framework put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff in June.
It would see Hamas free around half of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages – 20 of whom are believed to be alive – in two batches during an initial 60-day truce. There would also be negotiations on a permanent ceasefire. Read more
DR Congo and M23 rebels miss deadline to reach peace agreement (AfricaNews)
Democratic Republic Of Congo
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 movement have failed to reach a peace deal in Doha on Monday, missing the deadline they had set in earlier meetings.
This raises fears that the two parties might reverse the progress made to end hostilities.
Fighting in the eastern DRC escalated in January, when the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized large parts of the area, including the regional capital of Goma. Read more
FTC sues ticket resale company, alleging eras tour price gouging scheme (HollywoodReporter)
The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against a Maryland-based ticket resale company on Monday, alleging that the company broke federal law to obtain hundreds of thousands of tickets to Taylor Swift‘s Eras tour and other major concerts and scalp them for millions of dollars in profit.
In the lawsuit, filed in federal court on Monday and reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, the FTC alleged that Key Investment Group violated the Better Online Ticket Sales Act — better known as the BOTS Act — to work around Ticketmaster’s ticket purchase limits and obtain nearly 380,000 concert tickets between November of 2022 and December of 2023.
The company spent about $57 million for the tickets and resold them for about $64 million. Read more
Gisèle Pelicot’s daughter alleges her father, the convicted rapist, abused her, too (CBC)
Caroline Darian, daughter of Gisèle Pelicot, tells her own story
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
The explosive mass rape trial of Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men in Avignon, France, may have come to an end Dec. 19, but for his daughter, Caroline Darian, the story was nowhere near over.
That trial ended with Dominique Pelicot found guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his then-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, over the course of a decade, as well as inviting other men to do so while he filmed the abuse. Fifty other men, most accused of raping her while she was unconscious, were also found guilty. Read more
Zoë Kravitz reviews Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl album (MusicNews)
Zoë Kravitz has given five stars to pal Taylor Swift’s upcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl.
The Batman actor told Extra that she had “heard bits” of the LP during a junket interview for her new film, Caught Stealing.
“It’s fantastic, of course. No skips,” she opined.
Interviewer Tommy DiDario pointed out that having “no skips” is rare, to which Kravitz responded, “For her, it’s not.” Read more
‘Flames that consumed the hills’: Portugal, Spain reel from wildfires (AlJazeera)
Thousands of firefighters backed by the military are battling dozens of wildfires across Spain and Portugal as the death toll has increased to six since the outbreaks began.
Two firefighters were killed on Sunday – one in each country, both in road accidents – taking the death toll to two in Portugal and four in Spain.
The Iberian Peninsula has been particularly affected by wildfires that have ravaged Southern Europe this summer. They have been fuelled by heatwaves and drought blamed on climate change. Read more
Trump sets up private Putin and Zelensky meeting to thrash out peace deal alone (Metro)
Donald Trump will set up a private sit down between enemies Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin so they can discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
The US president pivoted from a trilateral meeting to setting up a private one between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents after a daylong meeting at the White House with Zelensky and seven European leaders.
‘At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,’ wrote Trump on his Truth Social platform on Monday evening. Read more
Itauma gets career-best payout after Whyte KO (Punch)
Moses Itauma earned a career-best payout of approximately $1.5m after his devastating knockout victory over Dillian Whyte in Riyadh on Saturday night.
The 20-year-old British-Nigerian fighter’s guaranteed purse of $1m could rise to $1.5 million with bonuses, following his emphatic first-round stoppage of the veteran heavyweight at the ANB Arena.
Whyte reportedly earned around $2.7m for the bout, despite suffering his second knockout defeat in recent years when Itauma floored him with a thundering right hand after just 119 seconds. Read more
Peter Rufai: Family announce burial arrangements (Guardian)
The family of late Nigerian football legend, Prince Peter Rufai, has announced the funeral arrangements of the former Super Eagles goalkeeper.
A statement signed by Sunny Bruce Rufai on behalf of the family on Monday, Service of Songs and public presentation of his biography will be held on Thursday, August 21st, at Raji Rasaki Estate Field, off Raji Rasaki Road, Amuwo Odofin, at 4:30 pm prompt.
Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, at 22nd of August, 2025, at the Catholic Church of Visitation, First Avenue, Festac Town, at 10:00 am, while interment follows immediately at Ikoyi Cemetery. Thanksgiving Service will be held at the Catholic Church of Visitation, Lagos, at 8:00 am.. Read more
Sinner retires from Alcaraz final with illness (BBC)
An emotional Jannik Sinner retired from the Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz with illness, only six days before he begins his US Open title defence.
World number one Sinner was out of sorts from the first point of the highly anticipated showpiece, and trailed 5-0 after 23 minutes on another hot day.
He sat with ice on his head at the first changeover after going a double break down, and called for the trainer after losing another two games. Read more
Toto Wolff admits F1 movie scene ‘makes me cringe’ (PlanetF1)
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff pointed out one particular scene in the F1 movie that makes him cringe.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff doesn’t believe his cameo in the F1 movie is quite as great as producers claimed.
According to Wolff, “I think I did the scene five times!” because he was trying to secure the best take.
This summer, F1: The Movie starring Brad Pitt hit theaters after several years in the making, and it proved to be the summer blockbuster its producers had hoped it would be. Read more
Iga Swiatek storms to big rankings breakthrough after clinching her first Cincinnati title (Tennis365)
Iga Swiatek’s stunning return to form continued to gather momentum as she won the Cincinnati Open title for the first time in her career with a straight-sets win over Jasmine Paolini.
The former world No 1 slipped down the WTA Rankings after struggling on her favoured clay courts during April and May, with her defeat against Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open ending her reign as the queen of Roland Garros.
That defeat also cemented Sabalenka’s dominance over her long-time rival, but Swiatek swung momentum back in her favour with what was seen as a shock win at Wimbledon. Read more