Author: Akintayo Adams

American Danielle Collins defeated fourth seed Elena Rybakina in straight sets to win the Miami Open – the first WTA 1,000 title of her career. Collins, who earlier revealed her plans to retire at the end of the 2024 season, beat Kazakhstan’s tar, Rybakina 7-5 6-3 to clinch a third career title, and her first in 3 years. “I’ve worked so hard and it’s taken me a little bit longer than a lot of players on tour,” said Collins, playing in her home state of Florida. “Having a whole stadium on my side was something so special. It’s been hard…

To commemorate President Bola Tinubu’s 72nd birthday, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, reached out to inmates at Kuje Prison, Abuja on Saturday. Tinubu had earlier asked his associates and aides not to organise extravagant celebration as a result of the economic hardship in the country. He had asked them to donate to charity, saying he had opted to celebrate March 29, 2024, solemnly. Following his Principal’s directive, the Minister released images of food packs sent to Kuje Prison on his behalf. “To celebrate President Bola Tinubu’s birthday yesterday, my aides distributed food packs to inmates…

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel said the Bundesliga title race is over despite the race not lost, albeit mathematically with seven games to play. He was speaking after his side lost 2-0 at home to Borussia Dortmund, their first Der Klassiker victory since 2019. The defeat widens the gap between Bayern and leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who beat Hoffenheim earlier on Saturday to 13 points. “Obviously, yes” was the response when Tuchel was asked in the Mixed Zone if his team were out of title contention. “After today’s game there is no more need to count points. How many is it…

One of the sons of the immediate-past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, Bashir has accused Governor Uba Sani of incompetence and poor performance in office. He was reacting to comments made earlier by Governor Sani regarding the past administration. While addressing a town hall meeting, the governor had said he inherited a huge debt burden of $587m, ₦85bn and 115 contractual liabilities from the El-Rufai administration which is forcing his administration to service debts with their monthly FAAC Allocation. “Despite the huge debt burden of 587 million Dollars, 85 billion Naira, and 115 Contractual Liabilities sadly inherited from the…

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, on Saturday revealed that his administration inherited a huge debt portfolio of $587 million, ₦85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities from the immediate past administration of Nasir El-Rufai. He bemoaned the fact that the state is now paying back almost triple of what was borrowed by the previous administration due to astronomical rise in the exchange rate. He disclosed that ₦7bn out of the ₦10bn federal allocation for the state in March was diverted to debt service. The Governor was speaking in Kaduna on Saturday while addressing a town hall meeting. Furthermore, he said the…

The death toll in Israeli air strikes on Syria is currently at 52, and it includes 38 government soldiers and 7 members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. Friday’s strikes fuelled concerns of a larger scale regional conflict, and they are targeted “a rocket depot belonging to Lebanon’s Hezbollah” near the Aleppo airport in northern Syria, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It was the latest deadly raid on Iran-backed forces in Syria, where Hezbollah has been backing the Bashar al-Assad’s government in its fight against oppositions since the 2011 Syria civil war started. Israeli strikes on targets in…

According to the World Health Organization, 9,000 patients in the Gaza Strip require evacuation for emergency care, with the war-stricken Palestinian territory down to just 10 barely functioning hospitals. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus disclosed via his X handle on Saturday. “With only 10 hospitals minimally functional across the whole of #Gaza, thousands of patients continue to be deprived of health care. “Around 9,000 patients urgently need to be evacuated abroad for lifesaving health services, including treatment for cancer, injuries from bombardments, kidney dialysis and other chronic conditions,” he said. The figure reflect an increase of 1000 from…

The Rivers State House of Assembly Members are threatening to resume impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara who has been accused of dishonesty and breach of constitution. This was disclosed by Martin Amaewhule, the Speaker of the House, on Saturday during a press briefing in Port Harcourt, the state capital alongside 26 members of the House. The legislators accused the governor of refusing to honor his part of the Presidential Peace Accord which he wilfully signed. They seized the moment to let the populace know that they withdrew their previous impeachment notice against Governor Fubara out of respect for President…

The Independent National Electoral Commission has released the forms and personal details of political parties’ candidates submitted for the Edo State governorship election holding on September 21. The particulars are currently on display at the INEC office in Aduwawa in Benin, the state capital, and in all its 18 local government offices in the state. Speaking, the state INEC Head of Voters Education and Publicity, Timidi Wariowei, said the pasting of the candidates’ particulars aligns with the electoral law, and that parties and the electorates can now view the particulars of the candidates and their running mates. “In compliance with…

Some Nigerians who benefited from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and NIRSAL Microfinance Bank’s targeted credit facility (TCF) have failed to pay ₦261.07bn out of ₦419.42bn given out, according to reports. The facility was launched in April 2020 under the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration and was aimed at cushioning the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on households and SMEs. The facility led to the creation of 1,585,872 direct and indirect jobs, contributing to Nigeria’s employment landscape, according to the document released by the apex bank. It added that of the ₦419.42 billion disbursed, principal repayments amount to about ₦41.39 billion,…