Author: Opalim Lifted

Retired footballer Diego Forlan lost 6-1 6-2 in 47 minutes on his professional tennis debut in a doubles event in his native Uruguay. The former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid striker, 45, and Argentine partner Federico Coria lost to Bolivian pair Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos after receiving a wildcard for the Uruguay Open in Montevideo. The tournament was on the ATP Challenger Tour – the level below the main ATP Tour. Both Forlan and Coria and their opponents held serve to start the match, but Arias and Zeballos quickly pulled away after earning a break in the third game…

Darius Ishaku, the former governor of Taraba State, and Bello Yero, the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state, will await the court outcome of their preliminary objection, which challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice S.C. Oriji, to hear their trial. The court made this decision on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, during the matter’s hearing. EFCC Spokesman Dele Oyewale disclosed this in a statement. The two former Taraba State’s top shots are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) through its subsidiary, NNPC Gas Marketing Limited (NGML) has signed a Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) with Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE. NNPCL said the deal would see NGML supplying 100 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day (MMSCF/D) to the Dangote Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, for an initial period of 10 years. The company spokesman, Olufemi Soneye said the agreement was signed on Tuesday at Dangote’s Corporate Head Office in Lagos by NGML’s Managing Director, Justin Ezeala, and Aliko Dangote, President and CEO of Dangote Group. Soneye noted…

Captain Harry Kane is unhappy with the number of players who have withdrawn from the latest England squad, insisting “England comes before club”. Nine players have dropped out of the squad for Lee Carsley’s final two matches as interim manager before Thomas Tuchel takes charge in January. “I think England comes before anything. England comes before club,” Kane told ITV Sport. “England is the most important thing you play as a professional footballer and Gareth [Southgate] was hot on that and he wasn’t afraid to make decisions if, you know, that started to drift from certain players.” When asked if…

Donald Trump will make a triumphant return to the White House to meet President Joe Biden Wednesday, in the Republican’s first visit since departing under a torrent of scandal nearly four years ago. Trump’s meeting with Biden comes as he moves swiftly to name his administration, including the world’s richest man Elon Musk as head of a new group aimed at slashing government spending. Biden invited his sworn rival to meet in the Oval Office — despite the fact that 78-year-old Trump, who has consistently refused to admit his 2020 election loss, never afforded Biden the same courtesy. Biden, 81,…

South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan was arrested and charged Wednesday with using the group’s resources for his own purposes in a fraud and theft case amounting to 1.3 million rand ($72,000), police said. Jordaan, who led South Africa’s successful bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, denied the charges in a Johannesburg court. “The allegations are that between 2014 and 2018, the president of SAFA used the organisation’s resources for his personal gain,” a police statement said. He was accused of hiring a private security company for his own protection and a public relations company without…

American actor, producer and director Denzel Washington has revealed that he will be starring in the third installment of Marvel Studio’s superhero film, Black Panther. Washington made this known in a chat with Australia Today during the press tour for the upcoming epic historical-action movie Gladiator 2. He also hinted on his plans to retire from acting. Washington made this known in a chat with Australia Today during the press tour for the upcoming epic historical-action movie Gladiator 2. He also hinted on his plans to retire from acting. “I played Othello at 22. I am about to play Othello…

The Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, has reacted to a claim that Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu is an asset of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). David Hundeyin made the claim, saying the revelation came to light after the CIA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) “filed a memorandum opposing our motion for summary judgment in the FOIA disclosure case about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s drug trafficking investigation records.” Hundeyin said the CIA filing effectively confirmed that “Nigeria’s sitting president is an active CIA asset.” According to an excerpt…

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has said it would convey a special meeting of its General Council to advance the process for selecting the next Director-General. A statement issued by Chair of the General Council, Ambassador Petter Ølberg of Norway on Tuesday, said the meeting will be held on November 28-29, 2024. The meeting follows the announcement by the Chair on 9 November that no candidates for the position of Director-General had emerged by the 8th of November nomination deadline, other than the incumbent Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. In his communication to members, Ambassador Ølberg said that, based on his contacts…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has blamed corruption by contractors in Nigeria’s power sector for the incessant national grid collapse. Ola Olukoyede, the Chairman of the EFCC, disclosed this at the commission’s headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday when members of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes visited him. According to him, the level of corruption in the Nigerian electricity supply industry is capable of illuminating tears. Chronicle NG reported that the national grid collapsed twice last week, throwing the country into darkness. In 2024 alone, the National Grid collapsed at least twelve times. Why the national grid…