Author: Opalim Lifted

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes was substituted in the 16th minute of their Premier League match at home to Fulham after picking up an injury. The Brazilian centre-back, 27, went down after appearing to hurt his hamstring, before hobbling off to be replaced by Jakub Kiwior. It is a potential blow to Mikel Arteta’s side, who travel to Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, before hosting Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals first leg on Tuesday. The Gunners have been blighted by injury problems this season, with talisman Bukayo Saka returning to the squad for the match against Fulham…

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland will be out for up to seven weeks with the ankle injury he suffered in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final win at Bournemouth, says manager Pep Guardiola. The Norwegian was substituted in the 61st minute after scoring the equaliser as City went on to beat the Cherries 2-1 and reach the semi-finals. A video was posted on social media showing the 24-year-old leaving the Vitality Stadium on crutches and with his left ankle in a protective boot. “They told me the doctors say between five to seven weeks,” said Guardiola. “So hopefully the end of the…

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has predicted sunny weather and cloudiness from Tuesday to Thursday across the country. NiMet’s weather outlook released on Monday predicted sunny skies on Tuesday with few cloud patches over the northern region with chances of isolated thunderstorms over parts of Adamawa, Kaduna and Taraba States later in the day. According to NiMet, sunny skies with patches of cloud are anticipated over the North Central region with slim chances of isolated thunderstorms over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi States during the morning hours. “Later in the afternoon or evening hours, isolated thunderstorms…

Filling stations in Lagos have increased the price of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to N930 per litre. Eyewitnesses confirmed on Monday that First Royal petrol station along College Road, Ogba, Lagos, increased its price from N860 to N930 per litre. AS Sallam Petroleum, opposite First Royal, and MRS Oil filling station, in Festac, also increased their fuel price from N860 to N930. However, Mobil petrol station, at Abeokuta bus-stop, off College Road, Ogba, increased its pump price to N935, up from N865 per liter. The hike in fuel price followed Dangote refinery’s decision to temporarily stop…

The head of the junta in Burkina Faso has pardoned 21 soldiers convicted of involvement in a failed coup in 2015, according to an official decree seen by reporters on Monday. The troubled west African country, Burkina Faso has been run since September 2022 by military leaders following a coup headed by Captain Ibrahim Traore. Traore announced an “amnesty pardon” in December last year for several people convicted over the 2015 attempt to overthrow the transitional government in place after the fall of former president Blaise Compaore. “The following persons, who have been convicted or prosecuted before the courts for…

Myanmar declared a week of national mourning on Monday over the country’s devastating earthquake, as the death toll passed 2,000 and hopes faded of finding more survivors in the rubble of ruined buildings. National flags will fly at half-mast until April 6 “in sympathy for the loss of life and damages” from Friday’s massive quake, the ruling junta said in a statement. The Myanmar junta also announced a minute’s silence on Tuesday, to begin at 12:51:02 pm (0621 GMT) — the precise time the 7.7-magnitude quake struck. People should stop where they are to pay tribute to the victims, the…

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has been told that it was already too late for him to buy the character and integrity that he has lacked from birth and that no one could have known him better than President Olusegun Obasanjo, under whom he served as Vice President for eight years. Lere Olayinka, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, was reacting to a statement by the Atiku Media Office that character was the reason the decision of the committee set up by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to select its…

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) have issued a scathing joint statement demanding the immediate resignation of Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adelabu Adebayo, citing incompetence and a failure to address the country’s chronic electricity crisis. The statement, signed by Comrade James Ezema (Deputy National Publicity Secretary, CNPP) and Alhaji Ali Abacha (National Secretary, CNCSOs), condemned the Minister’s performance, describing him as “a classic example of a round peg in a square hole.” Criticism of Nigeria’s Power Sector Under Adelabu’s Leadership The coalition highlighted the dire state of Nigeria’s electricity supply,…

Marcus Rashford said he is playing better since joining Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United after scoring his first two goals for the Birmingham side in a 3-0 win over second-tier side Preston North End to reach the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday. England forward, who has scored 138 goals in 426 appearances for his hometown club United, was omitted from their squad by manager Ruben Amorim before his loan move to Villa was announced last month. Rashford’s revelation that he was ready for a new challenge was followed by Amorim calling into question the 27-year-old’s work rate, saying…

Arsenal and Tottenham will contest the first North London derby to be held outside the UK when the two teams face each other in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong this summer. The London rivals will play in the newly-opened Kai Tak Stadium on July 31 as part of their preparations for the 2025-26 season. The match, scheduled for 7:30pm local time (11:30am BST), will be the first time that the two teams have met outside the UK. The fixture is part of the Hong Kong Football Festival, which will see Premier League rivals Liverpool take on AC Milan on…