Author: Opalim Lifted

Manchester United have signed Bayern Munich pair Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in a move that could cost nearly £60m. De Ligt has signed a five-year contract, and Mazraoui a four-year deal, both with the option to extend for a further year. Mazraoui could be immediately called upon by United to deputise at left-back for the injured Luke Shaw – who is expected to return after the first international break – when they host Fulham in the Premier League on Friday (20:00 BST). United have agreed to pay £38.5m plus £4.3m in add-ons for 25-year-old centre-back De Ligt, who…

A Norwegian man has managed to board a flight at Munich airport without a ticket two days in a row, and even flew to Sweden on the second occasion, police said Tuesday. The 39-year-old sneaked past security at Germany’s second-busiest airport for the first time on August 4. Passengers are supposed to scan boarding passes at an automatic gate but he stood close to another traveller and got through without one, the Bild daily reported. He then snuck past airline staff at the gate and boarded the flight. But the aircraft was fully booked and his deception was discovered as…

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday received a vote of confidence from members of the Council of State, comprising former Presidents and past Heads of State, as well as former Chief Justices of the Federation. Tuesday’s Council of State meeting is the first presided by Tinubu since he assumed office. The Council members condemned the recent #EndBadGovernance protests, which Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, described as having a sinister motives with the sponsors allegedly targeting a change in government. Alake spoke while briefing State House Correspondents on the outcome of the meeting. Former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu…

The English Premier League (EPL) launched on Tuesday a new account on X (formerly Twitter) to explain VAR decisions during matches in the 2024/25 season. The new profile “will provide explanations and near-live updates on refereeing and operational issues for each match,” explained the Premier League. The account will also publish “factual explanations of refereeing decisions on the pitch and the involvement of the video referee, including the role of technology in the decision-making process”, added the EPL. The EPL explained that it put the idea into practice because FIFA doesn’t allow VAR audio to be broadcast live on television.…

West Ham United have signed defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United for £15m. The 26-year-old has penned a seven-year deal with the Hammers. Wan-Bissaka left Crystal Palace for Manchester United in a £50m move in 2019 and scored two goals in 190 appearances for the Red Devils. The defender is West Ham’s eighth signing of the summer, joining Jean-Clair Todibo, Crysencio Summerville, Luis Guilherme, Niclas Fullkrug, Wes Foderingham, Max Kilman and Guido Rodriguez in moving to London Stadium. “It was a no brainer for me to join West Ham – I’m excited and happy to be here,” said Wan-Bissaka. “I…

The gospel music industry is mourning the untimely death of the rising star, Aduke Ajayi, known professionally as Aduke Gold. The news of her passing was shared on Tuesday by fellow gospel artist, Esther Igbekele, who posted a tribute on social media with a picture of Aduke Gold with the caption, “A general has fallen. RIP.” Her death follows the recent loss of another prominent gospel singer, Egbin Orun, who died on April 28, 2024. Igbekele had also confirmed Orun’s death via an Instagram post. Igbekele wrote, “Despite the competitive nature of the gospel music industry, Aduke Gold made a…

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is in contention to win the PFA player of the year award for a second successive year, while Chelsea’s Lauren James could win a historic double. Haaland has been named on the six-player shortlist for the men’s category after scoring 27 goals last season to finish as the Premier League’s top scorer. James’ selection in the women’s category means she could become the first woman to win both the PFA young player of the year and PFA player of the year awards in the same year. The 22-year-old was on Monday named on the young player…

Following the disappointment of the Paris 2024 Games, the Federal Government of Nigeria vowed that preparations for the next Olympics will start “now”. Nigeria finished the Games on a disappointing note after failing to win a medal in France. But the Ministry of Sports Development has assured of its readiness to “turn the tides around and restore our sporting glory”. Despite Nigeria’s medal drought at the games, the performance of our athletes sparked excitement around the 774 Local Government Area in Nigeria, with Nigerians staying up late at night to watch their team compete. “The journey in Paris has inspired…

The Nigeria Police Force disclosed that it raided the second floor of the Complex of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja last Wednesday in search of some incriminating documents to establish a case against an international “subversive” element that is a threat to Nigeria’s democracy. Adejobi said the second floor which has an office used by the suspect was raided, and not the 10th floor housing the NLC HQ. “We recovered evidence to prove that the suspect is a threat to the nation, the man is a suspected subversive element,” Adejobi said. Last Wednesday, the NLC said heavily armed…

The European Union (EU) on Monday issued a stern warning to Elon Musk, urging him to curb the spread of harmful content on his social media platform, X. This came just hours before the tech billionaire is set to interview former US President Donald Trump live on the platform. The EU’s internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, reminded Musk of his legal obligations under the bloc’s Digital Services Act, which mandates that digital platforms actively police and remove illegal content and disinformation to protect users. Breton’s letter, posted on X, emphasised that these obligations apply universally across the platform, including to…