Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Rafael Nadal surfed a wave of crowd support to stay on track for a third Olympic gold medal on Tuesday, teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz to reach the men’s doubles quarter-finals at Roland Garros. The Spanish dream team, dubbed “Nadalcaraz”, edged out Dutch pair Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof in their second-round clash in cloying heat, winning 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 10-2. The packed crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen made no secret of their support for the Spanish team, regularly chanting: “Let’s go Rafa, let’s go”. The red-shirted Nadal, 38, was dumped out of the singles by Novak Djokovic on Monday…

The head of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Tuesday, said global commerce was going through troubling times, with protectionism on the rise. Okonjo-Iweala said the future of trade lay in services, digitalisation and the green economy, in the global trade body’s annual report. “These are troubling times for global trade. Amid geopolitical tensions and the backdrop of the climate crisis, we see increased protectionism and unilateral policy measures. “After years of talk of decoupling, trade may be starting to fragment along geopolitical lines,” she said. Opportunities do remain, she added, pointing to the potential for growth and job…

Organisers of the planned #EndBadGovernance nationwide demonstrations slated for August have rejected a proposal by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun for confined protests. At a meeting with the organisers on Tuesday, the IGP suggested confined protests in identified locations and advised against street rallies. However, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), a lawyer for the Take It Back Movement, one of the groups organising the nationwide protests, rejected the proposal of the IGP. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), other lawyers, civil society organisations as well as some arrowheads of the planned protests…

A pro-democracy civic organization, the Take-It-Back Movement, has written to Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, requesting police coverage for their protests scheduled from August 1 to 10, to ensure a safe and secure environment for all participants. The group also unveiled eight venues for public events, including meetings, rallies, and processions, aiming to ensure these events are conducted peacefully and without incident. In a letter dated July 30, 2024, and signed by Counsel Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), the organizers acknowledged the IGP’s commitment to upholding citizens’ rights to assemble and the police’s duty to provide adequate protection. They requested contact information…

Russian forces said Tuesday they had captured another village in their offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The defence ministry said Russia had “liberated” the village of Pivdenne, on the outskirts of Toretsk, a larger town which Russian forces have advanced towards in recent months. Before Russia launched its full-scale military offensive in 2022, the village had a population of around 1,400, according to Ukrainian government estimates. Moscow has claimed to have taken a string of villages in the Donetsk region in recent weeks — many consisting of just a few streets. Russia claimed to have annexed the Donetsk region…

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen has appealed to the planners of the nationwide protests, especially the Nigerian youth, to shelve their actions in the interest of the country and its citizens. A statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Musa Krishi, said Abbas, who noted the frustrations and reservations of the Nigerian youth, said President Bola Tinubu’s administration is not relenting in its efforts to bring succour to Nigerians. The speaker also said the House of Representatives has taken measures to continuously engage the youth…

Chelsea want £30million for Lukaku, with the Blues aiming to sell permanently following loan stints at Inter Milan and Roma. Napoli hope a deal to send coveted Nigeria hitman Osimhen to Stamford Bridge could whittle down the fee on Lukaku. Paris St Germain were in pole position to sign free-scoring frontman Osimhen, but talks over a fee have stalled with Napoli. The Italians are now thought to be mindful of the difficulties of securing a permanent transfer on Osimhen’s release clause, understood to be in excess of £100m. The hitches with PSG have left Napoli reassessing their options, and the…

A former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, has voiced his support for the planned #EndBadGovernance protest in Nigeria, while also challenging President Bola Tinubu’s stance on the matter. Secondus, in a statement released on Tuesday by his media aide, Ike Abonyi, reminded the President of his history with protests, stating, “President Tinubu while in opposition was a notable arrowhead leading protests against the government.” He questioned why the President should now take a different position on civic action. Secondus emphasised the importance of peaceful protests in addressing Nigeria’s current challenges. “The state of anomie where we…

Nollywood, actress Destiny Etiko has expressed displeasure over the excitement displayed by fans of Big brother Naija (BBN) desspite economic challenges Nigerians are facing. The ninth season of the annual reality show started on July 28, featuring 28 housemates who appeared in duos. The ace actress, in a post on her Instagram page on Monday, wondered why people can be happy about a TV show when Nigerians struggle to survive. She lamented that people were hungry, adding that attention should be focused more on the country’s problems. She wrote: “E don red for our country and I still dey see…

The Olympic men’s triathlon was postponed just hours before it was due to get under way on Tuesday after last-ditch water quality tests in the River Seine revealed unhealthy pollution levels, organisers said. In a blow to Olympic officials who have repeatedly vowed that the Seine would be safe for athletes to swim in, organisers said the men’s event would be delayed by 24 hours and take place immediately after the women’s race on Wednesday. A joint statement from Paris 2024 and World Triathlon blamed the excessive pollution on the heavy rain that deluged the French capital on Friday and…