WHO declares monkeypox global health emergency (BBC)
The monkeypox outbreak has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization.
The classification is the highest alert that the WHO can issue and follows a worldwide upsurge in cases.
It came at the end of the second meeting of the WHO’s emergency committee on the virus.
More than 16,000 cases have now been reported from 75 countries, said WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
There had been five deaths so far as a result of the outbreak, he added. Read more
Maritime workers union shelves planned strike (Vanguard)
Members of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, and Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, have suspended their plan to embark on an industrial action.
This development was made possible by the intervention of the management of Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, led by its Managing Director, Mohammed Bello Koko.
The decision not to embark on strike anymore was made after a meeting between the NPA boss and the leadership of the unions in Lagos.
The development is seen by industry watchers as pleasant considering the negative impact the strike would have had in the transport sector. Read more
Wife to donate kidney to Eedris Abdulkareem (Nation)
Yetunde, wife of ailing veteran rapper Eedris Abdul Kareem, has been reported to be his kidney donor
On July 6, Abdul Kareem via his Instagram revealed he’d been diagnosed with kidney failure, seeking prayers and good wishes from Nigerians.
According to the statement, the “Jaga Jaga” singer is undergoing dialysis in a hospital in Lagos with the transplant date fixed for the end of the month.
Though the family member wasn’t disclosed by the singer’s team, an insider claimed the wife has opted to be the donor. Read more
Syndicate forging Customs signature to clear cargoes at seaport arrested (Tribune)
A syndicate which comprises four clearing agents who specialise in forging the signature of the Customs Area Controller of Tin-Can Island customs command has been arrested.
Disclosing this during a media briefing on Friday, the Customs Area Controller of Tin-Can Island Customs Command, Comptroller Adekunle Oloyede explained that luck ran out of the four clearing agents when they attempted to take imported vehicles out of the port using forged signatures.
According to Oloyede, “You know that the signature aspect of the clearance procedure has not been automated. Very soon, we will be automating that aspect too.
“It’s because the signature aspect of the clearance procedure has not been automated, these unscrupulous agents, four in number, attempted to clear some imported vehicles out of the port with my forged signature. Read more
NPC conducts trial census in LGAs under siege in Sokoto (DailyTrust)
The National Population Commission (NPC) has conducted trial census in nine local government areas of Sokoto state.
The local government areas include Wurno, Rabah and Tureta which have been experiencing bandits attacks.
Others areas were Shagari, Wamakko, Gwadabawa , Silame, Sokoto South and Tambuwal.
Speaking after monitoring the exercise in some of the areas, the national commissioner in charge of Sokoto, Chiso Dattijo, expressed satisfaction with the way residents cooperated with the enumerators.
“I am impressed with the way the trial census is taking place, especially areas that have been experiencing bandits attacks.” Read more
Presidential assessment: Tinubu, Obi camps slam Atiku (Punch)
The Labour Party and the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation on Friday berated the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, for saying he will win the election next year.
Specifically, the Director-General of Asiwaju Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation, Adebayo Shittu, told Saturday PUNCH that the outcome of the 2023 general election would shock Atiku.
He said, “Talk is cheap. Tinubu will be waiting for him. Despite coming from Adamawa, Atiku’s people will prefer to vote for Tinubu.
“When people ask me why I think so, I tell them the evidence is there for all to see. What has Atiku done for his people in Adamawa since he became a politician? Read more
Don Jazzy, D’Prince lose mother to cancer (DailyTrust)
Legendary Nigerian beatmaker, Don Jazzy and his brother, D’Prince, who is a popular Nigerian singer have lost their mother to cancer.
Breaking the sad news via his verified Instagram page, the Mavin boss described his mother as his supporter and backbone. He noted that even though she battled cancer, she was so strong till the end.
“I lost my sweet mother this morning. The matriarch of our family. My supporter and backbone @indianpicolo.
“I am beyond devastated. I have never felt pain like this in my life but I am consoled by the good life she lived. She was loved by everyone that ever met her. She was so strong till the last minute for us even while she battled cancer. Read more
Organ harvesting: Doctor accused of conniving with Ekweremadu (Punch)
A United Kingdom-based doctor has been accused of conniving with the Nigerian ex-Deputy Senate President facing trial on trafficking and organ harvesting in the UK, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife to traffic a homeless man into the UK to harvest his kidney for their daughter.
The doctor, Obinna Obeta, 50, from Southwark, south London, is charged under the Modern Slavery Act, Daily Mail reports.
Obeta, who appeared at Bexley Magistrates’ Court on 13 July, is charged with arranging the travel of 21-year-old Davi Ukpo from Nigeria to the UK.
He is also accused of conspiring with 60-year-old Ike Ekweremadu – a barrister and former deputy president of the Nigerian Senate – to arrange or facilitate the travel of the man with a view to him being exploited through organ harvesting. Read more
Aviation fuel scarcity: Expect flight cancellations, delays – Airline operators (Sun)
Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has said passengers should expect more flight delays and cancellations as a result of the scarcity of aviation fuel. In a statement by the association’s spokesperson, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, he said the situation is foreseen but an unintended consequence of the aviation fuel scarcity in the country.
He pleaded for the understanding of the travelling public to bear saying efforts are currently being made to address the development and restore normal flight operations.
“This is to notify the members of the public, especially consumers of air transport services in the country, that the aviation sector has been hit by a major crisis with the acute scarcity of aviation fuel otherwise known as Jet-A1.
“For this reason, there will be major disruptions in scheduled flight operations including cancellations and unnecessary delays across all airports in the country. This is a foreseen but unintended consequence of the aviation fuel scarcity in the country. Read more
$1b Lord of the Rings TV show wows at Comic-Con (BBC)
“We wanted to find a huge, Tolkienian mega epic!”
That’s how showrunner Patrick McKay described his mission for The Rings of Power – Amazon Prime’s hotly anticipated Lord of the Rings TV spin-off, as he unveiled a new trailer and unseen footage at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday.
In his armoury: a huge cast of comely elves, a rare female dwarf, the Hobbits’ ancestors, a seriously impressive CGI city, a mystery menace, an entwife and a surprise Balrog.
The Rings of Power is the most expensive show ever made, at $1bn (£832m) for five seasons – and this is fans’ best guide to how it will look, sound and feel.
But what everyone really wants to know is, can it compete with Peter Jackson’s beloved Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the winner of 17 Oscars, benchmark for composers, and populariser of second breakfast? Read more
Keanu Reeves ready to ‘kill everyone’ in new John Wick 4 teaser (BelfastTelegraph)
Keanu Reeves is ready to “kill everyone” in a new teaser trailer for John Wick 4, revealed on the second day of San Diego Comic-Con 2022.
A sneak peak and film poster was debuted by the actor during a surprise appearance at the Collider’s Directors on Directing panel at the convention on Friday.
John Wick: Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski was part of the panel, before Reeves arrived, saying: “Sorry to crash the party, they threw me out here.”
The hyper-violent John Wick series follows the eponymous hero assassin, played by Reeves, as he attempts to take revenge on those who have wronged him. Read more
Foreigner reveals how their music resonates from generation to generation (Fox)
Rock band Foreigner brought the heat to FOX Square Friday, performing their classic hits “Feels Like the First Time” and “I Want to Know What Love Is” at the “Fox & Friends All-American Summer Concert Series.”
The band spoke with “Fox & Friends” hosts Brian Kilmeade, Steve Doocy and Ainsley Earhardt on stage before the performance.
Foreigner joins Kid Rock on tour this summer. Even though both artists are from different eras, Foreigner’s lead singer Kelly Hansen says the reason it works is that he thinks the fan base is the same, and there’s a great turnout.
Hansen shared the secret of the band’s success and how the music resonates just as much from generation to generation. Read more
Nicki Minaj announces new music and the Barbz go insane (AllHipHop)
Nicki Minaj fans rejoiced when she announced the release date for her new single and the return of Queen Radio on Friday (July 22).
The diamond-selling rapper revealed Queen Radio is coming back on August 11. She also informed fans about her song “Freaky Girl” dropping on August 12.
Nicki Minaj hyped up her upcoming single with several posts on Twitter. She referred to herself as Nick James since “Freaky Girl” samples Rick James’ “Super Freak.”
“#NickJames is coming to do what the girls SHOULD’VE done,” she wrote. “#NickJames is coming to show the girls why they should’ve just sat there & ate their foods. #NickJames is coming to show the boys how to REALLY gag the girls. Pauz #NickJames is coming to restore hope in mankind.” Read more
BBC worried as The Crown is set to tell the story of the Diana documentary drama (DailyStar)
BBC bosses are braced for further humiliation over the Princess Diana scandal – thanks to popular Netflix drama The Crown.
The new series will reflect “what is now known’’ about the circumstances that led to the Panorama interview with the princess and how she was treated.
The 1995 TV grilling by former BBC reporter Martin Bashir made global headlines as the Princess of Wales spoke openly about her marriage to Charles and revealed all about his lover Camilla Parker Bowles.
Diana famously said: “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.” Read more
Bobbie Faye Ferguson dies: ‘Designing Women’ and ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ actress was 78 (Deadline)
Bobbie Faye Ferguson, an actress who had credits in television and film, died June 25 of natural causes, according to a news report. She was 78 and lived in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Born in Memphis, TN on Oct. 10, 1943, she grew up in Eudora, AR, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello with a degree in Speech and Communications.
Representing her university, she finished in the Top Ten in the Miss Arkansas Pageant. She also was Teacher of the Year in Little Rock, where she taught history at McClellan High School.
She later moved to Dallas, TX, where she taught speech and debate at Skyline High School and was one of the founding members and acting teachers at the KD Studio. Read more
US says Russia losing hundreds of troops per day in Ukraine (TimesOfIsrael)
A senior US defense official said Friday that Russia is likely suffering hundreds of casualties per day in Ukraine, and has lost thousands of officers in the war, as fighting grinds on in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
Russia’s losses include thousands of lieutenants and captains, damaging its military’s chain of command, the official told the Reuters news agency.
The US believes 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine, and 45,000 wounded.
In addition to the mid-level officers who have been killed, “many” Russian generals have been lost on the battlefield as well, the official said. Read more
WAFCON 2022: It is disappointing we could not retain trophy – Ogbonna (Guardian)
Glory Ogbonna, Super Falcons defender, has said that the team is disappointed over its inability to retain the African Cup of Nations trophy it won in 2018.
Ogbonna, made this known when she spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from the team’s base in Morocco.
She said that their mission at the Women Africa Cup of Nation (WAFCON) was to retain the trophy and also qualify for the Women World Cup at the championship concluded in Morocco on Saturday.
She said that while they were happy that they were able to qualify for the World Cup, they were, however, sad that they failed to retain the trophy. Read more
Golden State Warriors sign new player (SI)
On Friday night, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Golden State Warriors have agreed to a deal with Trevion Williams.
Charania: “Undrafted Purdue center Trevion Williams has agreed to a deal with the Golden State Warriors, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Exhibit 10 contract to compete for a roster spot for Williams, who averaged 7.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 14.2 minutes for Boston in summer league.”
Williams is 21-years-old, and he averaged 12.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists for Purdue last season.
The deal is for an Exhibit 10, according to Charania, so he is not guaranteed to make the roster. Read more
Man Utd left waiting for Frenkie de Jong answer after “annoying” transfer admission (Mirror)
Manchester United’s pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is the transfer saga of the summer… and it’s likely to rumble on for a while yet.
The Red Devils agreed an initial £56million fee with Barcelona for the Dutchman, 25, nearly a month ago but are still trying to persuade him to move to England. De Jong doesn’t want to leave the Spanish club, despite their desire to accept United’s money.
Right now, it’s impossible to predict which club De Jong will be playing for come September. Many United supporters would prefer to see them look elsewhere after the player’s lukewarm response to their interest, but that would be a regrettable decision.
At just £56m, De Jong would be an absolute bargain for United. He’s a previous winner of the UEFA’s Champions League Midfielder of the Season award and was named in FIFA’s World XI in 2019. Players of that calibre are rarely available for that amount of cash. Read more
Italy duo Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Bernardeschi ready for Toronto FC debuts against Charlotte (ESPN)
Italy internationals Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi are set to make their MLS debuts when Toronto FC hosts Charlotte FC on Saturday night.
Insigne, who arrives from Serie A power Napoli, likely won’t play a full 90 minutes after working his way back from a calf injury sustained while training with the Italian national team.
“Both are excited, and everybody’s excited to get them going,” Toronto coach Bob Bradley said. “We’ll have to figure out exactly what it means in terms of minutes and things like that, but both of them are ready to go.”
Each signed four-year contracts with Toronto. Read more
Brock Lesnar appears at WWE Smackdown after rumored exit (NYPost)
The Beast arrived in Boston.
Brock Lesnar surprised fans Friday night while appearing at WWE Smackdown.
Multiple reports indicated that Lesnar walked out of Smackdown after the news that Vince McMahon is retiring as CEO and chairman of the company. Now, it appears it was just a storyline.
The news was first reported by Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer; Sean Ross Sapp tweeted that he heard Lesnar was “pissed off.” Read more
World Athletics Championships: Matt Hudson-Smith wins 400m bronze to add to GB haul (BBC)
Great Britain’s Matt Hudson-Smith won his first global medal, claiming world 400m bronze with a gutsy run in Eugene.
The 27-year-old went hard over the first 300m and then held off the challenge of American Champion Allison and world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk to take the final podium spot.
The USA’s Michael Norman won gold in 44.29 seconds, ahead of Grenada’s London 2012 champion Kirani James.
“This is just the beginning,” Hudson-Smith, who ran 44.66, told BBC Sport. Read more
Neymar says he wants to stay at PSG (Guardian)
Neymar said Saturday that he wants to stay with Paris Saint-Germain and does not “need to prove” himself to anyone after five years with the French club.
The 30-year-old Brazilian said no one from PSG had spoken to him regarding his future but he wants to continue playing in the French capital alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
“I still want to stay here with the club,” Neymar said after PSG’s 3-0 win over J-League side Urawa Reds on the club’s tour of Japan.
“So far the club hasn’t said anything to me so I don’t know what their plans are for me.
“I don’t need to prove myself to anyone — I just need to play my football and I have to be happy playing football,” he added. Read more