Author: Opalim Lifted

Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz scored as Euro 2024 hosts Germany reached the quarter-finals by beating Denmark in a game that was interrupted by a spectacular storm. The last-16 tussle at Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion was suspended for around 20 minutes towards the end of the first half, as lightning lit up the sky and the pitch was soaked by hail and heavy rain. But the game was also notable for calls by the video assistant referee, with Nico Schlotterbeck having had an early header ruled out by VAR, while Denmark were denied in the second half when Joachim Andersen’s strike…

Marseille have appointed Roberto de Zerbi as the French club’s new manager. De Zerbi left Brighton at the end of last season after two years in the Premier League. The Italian has signed a three-year deal and succeeds Jean-Louis Gasset, who retired at the end of the campaign. “I had a very strong desire to join the club,” De Zerbi said, adding he wanted to “help the club regain the position that Marseille deserves”. “He shares our vision for the future of the club,” owner Frank McCourt said. Former Shakhtar Donetsk coach De Zerbi joined the Seagulls in September 2022…

A storm has stopped Germany and Denmark’s Euro 2024 last-16 match in Dortmund, as thunder and lightning raged overhead in the first half and hailstones started to fall. With just over 30 minutes played and the score 0-0, referee Michael Oliver took the players off the pitch. “Due to adverse weather conditions, the match has been suspended,” screens inside the stadium read. The hosts came in as favourites having strolled through the group stages with two impressive performances in their opening two games, meaning they had qualified with a game to spare when they faced Switzerland, though the nature of…

Holders Italy made a limp exit from Euro 2024 as a sparkling display from Switzerland helped them set up a potential quarter-final meeting with England. The Swiss dominated from the start and took a deserved lead when the impressive Ruben Vargas crossed for Remo Freuler, who took a touch before hammering a low shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Vargas, who plays his club football in Germany for Augsburg, made it 2-0 just 27 seconds into the second half when he picked up Michel Aebischer’s pass near the left-hand corner of the Italy area and expertly bent the ball into the far…

Former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and the outgoing Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, have called on Nigerian pastors to preach more against bribery, corruption, stealing, and others. The duo said this on Saturday at the Inaugural Daniel Taiwo Odukoya Lecture held in Lagos. They said Christian values, if well practiced, could bring transformative change to the country. The late Taiwo Odukoya was the co-founder and senior pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, Lagos. He died on August 7, 2023, in the United States. The lecture was titled, ‘Strengthening the Christian Voice in Government…

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, former Vice President of Nigeria and Global Advisor, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), emphasized that Africa’s only permanent friends should be those who permanently support the continent’s interests. Osinbajo stated this recently during the session on “Navigating Economic Transformation in a Polycrisis World: Strategies for Global Africa” at the Afreximbank Annual Meetings held in Nassau, The Bahamas. He also explained that the theme of the meeting, ‘Owning our Destiny: Economic Prosperity on the Platform of Global Africa’ speaks to the “great ambition of Global Africa, the continent, her diaspora, and the socio-economic coming together…

Former First lady, Patience Jonathan revealed that if she is requested to return to the presidential villa to function as Nigerian First Lady, she will decline. In a viral video clip, Mrs. Patience, who spoke on Friday at a public function, said “the stress of Nigeria is too much,” stressing that she looks younger than when she was in office. According to her, “If you call me now for villa, I wouldn’t go there. I won’t. Don’t you see how young I am? The stress is so much. “The stress in Nigeria is so much. If God manages to bring…

Mauritanians head to the polls on Saturday in a presidential election that sees incumbent Mohamed Ould Ghazouani taking on six challengers in the West African desert nation that will soon become a gas producer. Ghazouani, 67, a former top soldier, has promised to accelerate investments to spur a commodities boom in the country of 5 million people, many of whom live in poverty despite its fossil fuel and mineral wealth. So from that day on, I haven’t eaten. Given the dominance of the ruling party, many widely expect Ghazouani, elected for a first term in 2019, to win Saturday’s vote.…

The Nigerian naira has emerged as the worst-performing currency in the world in the first half of 2024. Bloomberg’s report on Friday said devaluation, insufficient dollar liquidity, and market volatility have hindered efforts by the Central Bank of Nigeria to strengthen the currency. Besides the naira, Egypt’s pound and Ghana’s cedi were the world’s other worst performers in the first six months of the year. Tracking data from FMDQ, Bloomberg said that the naira weakened for a ninth straight day to 1,510 per dollar by the close on Thursday. “The losing streak is the longest since July 2017 and takes…

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said Nigeria will soon overcome the current socio-economic challenges facing it, adding that the Federal Government is doing its best to salvage the situation. Jonathan, who was represented by the traditional ruler of the Abureni Clan in Bayelsa and Rivers states, Collins Daniel, stated this in Yenagoa on Friday while declaring open the Nigerian Bar Association’s Yenagoa Branch Law Week 2024 with the theme, ‘The legal profession in a time of socio-economic uncertainty’. He commended the NBA, Yenagoa Branch, led by Somina Johnbull, describing the theme as apt in view of the present economic realities…