Author: Opalim Lifted

Scotland’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time are in significant peril after calamitous defending allowed Brazil to sweep them aside 3-0 in Miami and finish top of Group C. Steve Clarke’s side knew they could all-but confirm a historic passage out of the group stages with a point against the record tournament winners. Before the game, the statisticians said a record of three points and a minus three goal difference would give a team a 42% chance of claiming one of the eight best third-place team spots in the last 32. But…

Soufiane Rahimi and Gessime Yassine scored late goals for Morocco to deny Haiti their first-ever World Cup point in Atlanta. Morocco pegged the Caribbean nation back twice – thanks to goals from Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari – before Rahimi scored with 12 minutes to go and Yassine secured the victory. The win was not enough for Morocco to top Group C as Brazil comfortably beat Scotland in Miami and the 2022 semi-finalists will now face either the Netherlands, Japan or Sweden in the last 32. But they did deny Haiti a memorable night – despite the team ranked 83rd…

Switzerland sealed their place in the last 32 of the World Cup by defeating co-hosts Canada to finish top of Group B. Goals from Ruben Vargas and Johan Manzambi in the opening 12 minutes of the second half were enough to secure top spot in Vancouver. The victory also ensured Switzerland are only the third nation – alongside Argentina and France – to reach the knockout stages in each of the last four World Cups. As a result, they will face one of the third-placed teams from Group E, F, G, H, I or J in Vancouver on 3 July.…

Bosnia-Herzegovina boosted their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup for a first ever time by defeating Qatar in their final Group B fixture. They finished level on four points with co-hosts Canada, but had to settle for third place due to their head-to-head record. That meant they missed out on automatic qualification for the last 32, but could still progress as one of the best eight third-placed teams in the tournament. Temperatures touched 29C on Wednesday in Seattle, but Bosnia began with intent as Ermedin Demirovic and Ivan Sunjic forced Qatar goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada into sprawling…

The US State Department says it is revoking the passports of Americans with significant outstanding child support debt. Passport revocations for unpaid child support of more than $2,500 are allowed under a rarely enforced 1996 federal law. Previously, the consequence was imposed only when people with such debt sought to renew their passports. However, in a statement on Wednesday, the department said it would coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to revoke the passports of Americans who have accumulated “significant” outstanding child support debt. A revoked passport may no longer be used for travel, even if…

Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin, has directed traditional worshippers across Edo South Senatorial District to embark on a spiritual campaign against kidnappers, armed robbers, and other violent criminals operating in Edo State. According to NAN, the monarch gave the directive on Tuesday during a meeting with native doctors, priests, priestesses, and other adherents of traditional religion at his palace in Benin City. The Oba of Benin said the exercise would involve prayers and spiritual interventions aimed at restoring peace and security in the state. “The message is from the ancestors. Edo people at home and in the diaspora…

France has recorded its first confirmed case of Ebola virus disease, with health authorities tracing the infection to a doctor who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The French health ministry announced the development on Tuesday, describing it as the first time the highly infectious viral disease has been detected in the country. According to AFP, the patient was identified shortly after arriving in France from the DRC, where an Ebola outbreak has been ongoing for months. Health officials said the doctor was isolated immediately upon arrival, before laboratory tests later confirmed the infection. The ministry…

The Senate has passed a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across the country. The bill was approved on Wednesday after lawmakers considered and adopted its 26 clauses during the Committee of the Whole. The proposed legislation seeks to create a constitutional framework for state-controlled police services alongside the existing federal policing structure. The bill aims to strengthen security, improve intelligence gathering, and enable faster responses to local security threats. ‘One of the Most Significant Constitutional Reforms’ Opening debate on the bill, Opeyemi Bamidele said the proposed legislation was an executive bill transmitted by Bola Tinubu. Bamidele described…

The Senate on Wednesday resolved to adopt manual voting for the consideration of the state police bill after its electronic voting device developed a technical fault. The decision followed concerns among lawmakers that some senators could be disenfranchised if the chamber proceeded with the faulty device. Under the arrangement, senators will stand individually, announce their names, and openly declare their positions on the proposed state police framework. Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate leader, moved the motion for the adoption of manual voting. “There is the need to also ensure transparency both within ourselves as people who will be performing this major…

The United States has released the identities of three individuals and six entities allegedly linked to Islamic State (ISIS) financing, including three Nigerian bureau de change (BDC) operators. On Monday, Tommy Pigot, US state department spokesperson, said a Nigeria-based operator was among the three individuals and entities accused of helping the ISIS move funds across borders through money exchange businesses. Pigot said the network spanned from France and Syria to Turkey and Nigeria. According to the US official, the Nigeria-based facilitator’s money exchange businesses served as conduits for ISIS financing. The other two individuals, said to be based in France…