Why I became taxi driver in the US — Actor Joseph Benjamin (Punch)
Nollywood actor Joseph Benjamin has revealed the reason behind his decision to become a cab driver in the United States Of America.
Benjamin 46, who relocated to America in 2016, revealed while appearing on the latest episode of the Teju Babyface Deep Dive podcast hosted by the comedian, Monday, that he drove cabs to pay his bills.
“I got to America on a promise that I had some gigs waiting for me. So I thought I was going to have a soft landing there. I packed up everything from Nigeria, bought a one-way ticket, and came to America. Read more
Fans react to Josh2Funny performance at America’s Got Talent (Guardian)
Nigerian comedian, Josh2funny, has continued to cause a divide among his fanbase after his hilarious performance at the America’s Got Talent show.
After his hilarious performance at the America got talent, of which he was however not given the golden buzz but received a red buzz instead, meaning he is not going to the next stage.
Fans are divided against the judges decision not to give him the red buzzer; various reactions have trailed in the comment section, see some below. Read more
AY breaks silence on fire incident, thanks fans for support (DailyTrust)
Nigerian entertainer, Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY, has been in the news over the fire incident at his residence in Lekki, Lagos.
While the comedian who is currently in the US with his family kept mum, days later, his sister-in-law shared a video of the damage caused by the fire.
Breaking his silence about the situation, the humour merchant, via his verified Instagram account, shared nice pictures of himself and his wife. Read more
Kalu, Lawan, Tambuwal, Buhari, others named senate committee chairmen (Sun)
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has unveiled chairmen of various standing committees of the upper legislative chamber, with former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu emerging as chairman of the Committee on Privatisation.
The announcement by Akpabio was made immediately after the Senate resumed from its break on Monday night in Abuja.
Former Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, emerged as the Chairman, Committee on Defence, while the former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, is Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, while ex-Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal clinched Housing Committee chairman. Read more
Why I used 10-year-old niece as drug courier – Lagos trader (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command has nabbed a female trader, Taye Abass, who allegedly trafficked a hard drug known as Colorado, through her niece (name withheld) to evade police checks.
The woman who lives in the Oko Oba area of Lagos confessed to the offence while being paraded by the police at the state headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday.
Abass said she always used the girl to transport the drugs from their house to her shop to avoid being checked, as no one would suspect a small girl. Read more
UIites applaud Orire Agbaje’s appointment to Tinubu’s tax reform committee (Tribune)
University of Ibadan Students, community members and colleagues of Orire Agbaje have applauded and expressed excitement at the announcement of her appointment as member of Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.
Tribune Online gathered from Orire’s class representative, Stephen Alabi that her appointment is well deserved, as she has demonstrated her potential to achieve such a remarkable feat sooner rather than later.
Stephen revealed via his WhatsApp; “to say I am over the moon is an understatement. Read more
FG allocates ₦15b to fund Safe Schools Initiative (Guardian)
The Federal Government said it has allocated a total of ₦15 billion to fund the implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative for 2023.
National Coordinator of the Safe Schools Initiative, Halima Illiya Ibrahim, said this at a press briefing held in Abuja.
Ibrahim said the initiative aimed to enable children affected by conflicts and insecurity to continue their education unhindered and chart a way forward in addressing attacks on schools. Read more
Woman docked for allegedly biting ‘‘mediator’’ (Vanguard)
A 27-year-old woman, Chioma Okeke was on Wednesday docked in a Grade I Area Court in Kado, Abuja for allegedly biting a mediator, who attempted to bring peace during an argument.
The police charged Okeke with causing grievous hurt.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Prosecution Counsel, Stanley Nwafoaku, told the court that the matter was reported at the Utako Police Station by the complainant, Ms Roseline Isonguyoyo. Read more
3 white men face assault charges in Alabama riverfront brawl (Guardian)
Three arrest warrants were issued on Tuesday by authorities in Montgomery, Alabama, relating to the chaotic riverfront brawl that broke out on Saturday during which punches were thrown, people were hit with chairs, and others were thrown into the river.
Montgomery police chief Darryl Albert announced on Tuesday that one man is in custody and two others were expected to turn themselves in. Montgomery mayor Steven Reed said none of the three are residents of the city.
The three white men named by Montgomery police were Richard Roberts, 48, who faces two charges of assault, Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, both facing one charge of assault. Read more
Lampedusa: Dozens of migrants killed in shipwreck off Italian island (Sky)
Forty-one migrants have been killed in a shipwreck off the island of Lampedusa in Italy, according to local media reports.
The ANSA news agency cited accounts from survivors of the shipwreck, who told rescuers they were on a boat that had set off from Sfax in Tunisia, which sank on its way to Italy.
The survivors said the boat, which was carrying 45 passengers, capsized and sank after only a few hours. Read more
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards honoured with Rolling Stones tribute in hometown (Mirror)
Rolling Stones legends Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been immortalised in bronze in their hometown Dartford Borough Council paid tribute to two of its most famous former residents.
The statues, honouring their monumental contributions to music, were unveiled in Dartford, the birthplace of these iconic musicians on Wednesday.
The striking sculptures, affectionately named The Glimmer Twins, depict frontman Sir Mick in full swing, belting into a microphone, while Richards masterfully strums his guitar. These artistic marvels are the creation of renowned artist Amy Goodman, commissioned by Dartford Borough Council for this special project. Read more
Robert Swan, The Untouchables and Hoosiers actor, dies at 78 (Variety)
Robert Swan, The Untouchables actor and founder of Harbor Country Opera, has died of liver cancer. He was 78.
His death was confirmed by a family friend, who said his dream was to turn his award-winning screenplay about Samuel Johnson, the man first credited with creating the modern dictionary, into a movie.
Swan was known for his work in several feature films, including his role as a Mountie captain in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987), which starred Kevin Costner and landed Sean Connery an Oscar. He appeared in Oliver Stone and Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 Natural Born Killers as Deputy Napalatoni. Read more
Sky loses UK Oscars coverage after 2 decades (Deadline)
UK film fanatics will no longer be able to watch coverage of the Oscars on Sky.
The Comcast-owned pay-TV giant has foregone the rights to show the world’s biggest movie awards ceremony in the UK, following a 20-year run hosting coverage of the LA bash. Deadline understands rightsholder Disney is close to striking a deal with a new UK buyer.
Sky won the rights from the BBC 20 years ago. It most recently showed the ceremony across four channels: a dedicated Sky Cinema Oscars channel, Sky Showcase, Sky Arts and Sky News, along with streaming service Now TV. Coverage tended to run from around 11 p.m. GMT, when the red carpet begins, to roughly 5 a.m. GMT. Read more
Tom Hardy is the actor Americans find hardest to understand (NME)
Tom Hardy has been named the male celebrity American viewers struggle to understand the most in a new survey.
In a study conducted by Preply, over 1,500 Americans were asked on their use and opinions of using subtitles when watching streaming platforms and content online.
The survey found 51 percent of Americans used subtitles most of the time, while 70 per cent used the feature to better understand actors with accents. Read more
Carcinogens found at US nuclear missile sites as reports of cancer surface (AlJazeera)
The United States Air Force has detected unsafe levels of a likely carcinogen in underground launch control centres at a nuclear missile base in Montana where a striking number of men and women have reported cancer diagnoses.
The discovery “is the first from an extensive sampling of active US intercontinental ballistic missile bases to address specific cancer concerns raised by missile community members,” the US Air Force Global Strike Command said in a statement on Monday.
In the samples, two launch facilities at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana showed PCB levels higher than the thresholds recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Read more
I horned my football skills in the streets- Garba Lawal (DailyTrust)
Olympic gold medallist and former Super Eagles midfielder, Garba Lawal has said his career in football started while playing along the streets with his peers.
The former Kaduna United general manager who played for over two decades before retirement further challenged young footballers to take playing football with seriousness, if they want to excel in the profession.
The former Super Eagle player, who disclosed this in an interview with our reporter in Gombe, lauded Gombe State F.A for organising training and re-training of coaches, noting that such training would serve an avenue for coaches to catch them young. Read more
Coco Gauff defeats Maria Sakkari in Washington for her fourth title. Dan Evans wins the men’s final (USAToday)
Away from a tennis court, Coco Gauff is still, in some ways, a typical teen, rolling her eyes at receiving FaceTime calls from a younger sibling — “I’m at press right now, Bro” — and her father — “Oh, my God” — while two versions of the DC Open trophy she earned Sunday sat on the table in front of her.
With a racket in her hand, Gauff is not typical at all, as her success so far shows. And after the disappointment of a first-round exit at Wimbledon last month, the 19-year-old from Florida appears back to her best as the start of the U.S. Open approaches later this month.
Surging at the end of each set, Gauff defeated Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 in the Washington final for the fourth WTA Tour singles title of her career. Gauff is the youngest women’s champion of the hard-court tournament in the nation’s capital and the first player since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009 to win four WTA tournaments as a teenager. Read more
Loved-up Lionesses enjoy rest day ahead of Women’s World Cup quarter-final vs France (Mirror)
Loved-up Lionesses spent their rest day recharging with a little help from their boyfriends and families today.
Speedy striker Chloe Kelly was pictured cuddling her boyfriend, Scott, on the beach, near to the England base camp in Terrigal. On Tuesday morning after their crucial win against Nigeria, Chloe, 25, posted a snap of her other half with the caption “he’s finally here”.
They were seen walking along the promenade with Chloe’s dad, Noel, who has been out in Oz since the start of the tournament. Ella Toone also went for a romantic walk along the coastal rocks with her boyfriend, Joe Bunney, while Katie Robinson – who had celebrated her 21st birthday the day before, had lunch on the waterfront with her mum and dad. Read more
Carlos Corberan: West Bromwich Albion boss charged with improper conduct by FA (BBC)
West Bromwich Albion head coach Carlos Corberan has been charged with improper conduct after being sent off in the Championship game away at Blackburn.
Corberan was shown two yellow cards for dissent by referee Dean Whitestone during the 2-1 defeat at Ewood Park.
A Football Association statement read: “The manager’s behaviour during the 45th and 75th minutes of the fixture was allegedly improper.
“He has until Friday, 11 August to provide a response.” Read more
Max Verstappen acquires new racing skill after being ‘‘pushed to the limits’’ (PlanetF1)
Max Verstappen admitted he was the “most nervous” he had been in the past year or two when taking on another driving skill, when trying out drifting.
The Red Bull driver headed to Milton Keynes to meet drifting master ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett, for a lesson in how to make a modified 600bhp ‘MADBUL’ Mazda drifting car go to its limits.
It was an ambition fulfilled for the two-time World Champion, though he admitted his nerves at the prospect afterwards. Read more
Terence “Bud” Crawford on how childhood trauma fueled his success as a boxer (CBS)
Terence “Bud” Crawford, an undefeated American boxer, has made history in the ring. The 35-year-old southpaw recently clinched the undisputed welterweight title by defeating Errol Spence Jr., becoming the first male boxer to hold all four major titles in two different weight classes.
Crawford’s journey to becoming a champion was marked by determination and resilience, which he attributes to his childhood experiences. Crawford’s mother used unorthodox methods aimed at toughening him up. He said his mother would pay other children to challenge him physically.
“It just made me more hungry. Hungry, like, ‘Man, my mom is going against me. I’m gonna prove her wrong. My mom said I can’t do this, I’m gonna do it anyways,'” he said. Read more