Author: Opalim Lifted

Turkish football club Galatasaray has accused Jose Mourinho of making “racist statements,” saying it will initiate criminal proceedings against the Fenerbahce manager over his comments following the teams’ 0-0 draw in the Super Lig. While it was unclear which statements Galatasaray was referring to, Mourinho said the home side’s bench had been “jumping like monkeys” and that the match would have been a disaster if a Turkish referee had been in charge. Known for his love and preference for African players in his ranks, with the signing of former Chelsea stars like Didier Drogba, Mikel Obi, Salomon Kalou, and other…

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has slashed its ex-depot price of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to N825. Esan Sunday, head of media relations and branding communications at Dangote Group, announced the reduction in a statement on Wednesday. The development comes more than three weeks after the refinery reduced petrol price from N950 per litre to N890. The new price means that the refinery has significantly cut the ex-depot price by N125 from N950 per litre in January. “This recent price reduction will also ensure that Nigerians pay between N860 and N865 per litre for petrol at the pump…

A man in Shanghai was defrauded of nearly $28,000 after falling victim to a long-distance “relationship” with an AI-generated girlfriend, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday. The scammers used generative artificial intelligence software to create realistic video and still images of a young woman, who they presented as the fictional “Ms. Jiao”, the state broadcaster CCTV reported. The victim, identified as Mr. Liu, transferred nearly 200,000 yuan (nearly $28,000) to what he believed was his online lover’s bank account. The scammers used the fake images to persuade him that his “girlfriend” needed financial help to open a business and cover…

Forty-six people were killed when a Sudanese military transport plane crashed into a residential neighbourhood on the outskirts of Khartoum, the regional government said Wednesday. The Antonov aircraft went down on Tuesday night near Wadi Seidna air base, one of the army’s largest military hubs in Omdurman, northwest of the capital. The army, which has been at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, said the plane crashed during takeoff, killing and injuring both military personnel and civilians. “After a final tally, the number of martyrs reached 46, with 10 injured,” the Khartoum regional government’s media…

Five-time men’s singles champion Quadri Aruna showcased a flawless performance on the opening day of the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, advancing to the knockout stage of the prestigious tournament with easy wins against Tunisia’s Myshaal Sabhi and Benin Republic’s Abdel-Kader Salifou. Quadri Aruna dominated his preliminary matches, securing convincing 3-0 victories in both matches. Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo also secured his spot in the knockout round. Meanwhile, Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu stunned the Tunisian fans with a 3-1 victory over local favourite Wassim Essid. In a surprising turn of events, Egypt’s third seed Mohamed El-Beiali suffered a 3-0 defeat against Madagascar’s…

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has sparked controversy after dismissing the Africa Cup of Nations as not a major tournament while discussing Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or this year. Speaking on Sky Sports after Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Manchester City on Sunday, Carragher suggested that Salah’s nationality and Egypt’s international record could hinder his chances of claiming football’s most prestigious individual award. “I think the problem [is] the fact he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in the major tournament as such or maybe got a great chance of winning,” Carragher said. “I think it’s either…

Inter Milan beat Lazio in the Coppa Italia last eight to set up a semi-final against city rivals AC Milan. Marko Arnautovic’s sublime first-half volley gave Simone Inzaghi’s men the breakthrough before substitute Hakan Calhanoglu secured the victory from the penalty spot late on. Serie A leaders Inter have a top-of-the-table match against Napoli on Saturday, so captain Lautaro Martinez and centre-back Alessandro Bastoni were only on the bench in the cup. Inter boss Inzaghi has had to deal with injuries to Yann Sommer, Marcus Thuram and Joaquin Correa in recent weeks and his problems mounted further when Matteo Darmian…

Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and five other former African Heads of State, have moved to tackle the debt crisis in Africa. As a result, seven former African Heads of State have come together to sign the Cape Town Declaration, a decisive call for urgent debt relief and fairer borrowing terms for African nations. This was disclosed in a statement, entitled, ‘Historic initiative to be launched to tackle Africa’s debt crises’, by African Leaders Debt Relief Initiative. The declaration marks the launch of the…

Prominent leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), including former President Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and other party’s topnotch members, were conspicuously absent at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling party on Wednesday. Others who did not attend the APC NEC meeting, which was held at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, included former Governors Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; former Senate President Ahmed Lawan, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, and host of others. However, President Bola Tinubu,…

Ruggedman, the ace Nigerian rapper, has revealed why he does not have children. The 51-year-old rapper, whose real name is Michael Stephens, opened up about his personal life in a recent episode of TVC’s ‘Your View Pidgin’. Ruggedman shared that he made a vow to himself when he was younger to never have a child out of wedlock. The ‘ Baraje’ hitmaker explained that he believes parenthood requires a lot from both parties involved and should only be taken with someone he loves. The rapper, who is not married, admitted that he sometimes questions whether he made the right decision.…