At least 14 countries have confirmed their spots in the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, following the conclusion of Wednesday’s group stage fixtures.

South Africa defeated Italy 3-2, and France won 6-3 against Panama to book their places in the last 16. Jamaica drew 0-0 against Brazil, and Sweden won 2-0 against Argentina.

This means Sweden are through to the Round of 16 as they top Group G with nine points from three games, while Jamaica also qualified ahead of Brazil as they finished in second place in Group F.

The likes of Nigeria, England, Denmark, Netherlands, United States, Japan, and Spain are already qualified for the last 16.

Others are Australia, Norway, and Switzerland.

The final two countries that will claim the last two spots in the last 16 will be determined tomorrow.

[DailyPost]

Manchester United fans are no doubt in a celebration mood as club finally secure top transfer target.

National Daily can confirm that Rasmus Hojlund has almost completed his move to United after a successful medical. The 20-year-old has also filmed his first interview as Red Devils’ player after arriving at Carrington on Tuesday.

It is believed that Hojlund’s arrival will United fix their striking challenge

The Dane underwent his medical at United’s training ground and is reportedly set to sign a contract on Wednesday. The Old Trafford club thereafter confirm the move.

READ ALSO: Finally, Erik ten Hag gets his top transfer target, star arrives England for medicals

The striker will become Erik ten Hag’s third signing of the summer after Atlanta and United agreed a deal worth €75m (£64m) plus £10m (£8m) in add-ons.

National Daily learnt that the Red Devils have already agreed personal terms with Hojlund. The forward is to sign a five-year deal at United with the option of a further year.

A move to Old Trafford has been Hojlund’s preference with Ten Hag making him a top target after the Red Devils were priced out of a transfer for Harry Kane.

The striker was absent as Atalanta clashed against Bournemouth in pre-season on Saturday.  This could be as result of his imminent summer switch ahead.

Hojlund is thought to have said his goodbyes to his team-mates and will soon become a United player.

The young striker registered nine goals and four assists across 32 Serie A games for Atalanta last term.

United have been in urgent need of more firepower this summer having relied heavily on Marcus Rashford last season, National Daily gathered.

[NationalDaily]

The Organised Labour has described their discussion regarding petrol subsidy removal palliatives with President Bola Tinubu as “fruitful and productive”.

Speaking with state house correspondents after a meeting with the president on Tuesday in Abuja, Joe Ajaero, national president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said they thoroughly examined the proposed measures as the concerns that sparked the protests persist.

He, however, did not provide any assurance regarding the cancellation or continuation of the nationwide protests against the economic difficulties resulting from the removal of petrol subsidy.

More to follow…

[TheCable]

Former Kaduna Central lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani has warned about the consequences that may follow the reported decision by Nigeria to cut off electricity supply to Niger Republic in the wake of the military coup in the country.

Sani in a post via his Twitter account on Wednesday said the move is wrong adding that if Niger decides to build its own power station across the River Niger, Nigeria’s Kainji Dam would be rendered useless.

Naija News recalls Nigeria has reportedly cut off electricity supply to neighbouring Niger Republic.

The electricity organization of Niger, Nigelec was quoted to have said the current power outage being experienced in the country is a result of Nigeria halting supply to its northern neighbour.

A BBC source also said the supply to Niger was cut on Tuesday following a directive from Nigeria’s presidency.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has however declined to comment on the power cuts in Niger according to Arise TV.

Reacting to the development, Sani said the people of Niger Republic should be allowed to decide how they want their country governed and Nigeria should avoid getting instigated by France to start an unnecessary war.

He wrote on Twitter: “The reported Nigerian alleged tempering with electricity supply to Niger Republic is wrong. We must not use power supplies as a means of political blackmail. It will not change anything. If Niger decides to build their power station across their part of the River Niger, our Kainji Dam will be rendered useless.

“President Tinubu and Ecowas leaders should allow the People of Niger to decide on how they want their country to be governed. Don’t be instigated by France to go to war that we don’t need.

“When we had military regime, we fought to free ourselves; let them make their decisions.”

One week after the military coup in Niger, the new military government has reopened the country’s land borders and airspace with five neighbouring countries, a spokesman for the junta announced on television on Tuesday evening.

The border crossings to Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Libya, and Chad were reopened, he said.

The junta also appointed new governors for the country’s eight regions.
Tensions with the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) remained. The junta said Niger’s borders with Benin and Nigeria, both ECOWAS members, remained closed for the time being.

On Sunday ECOWAS issued an ultimatum to the coup leaders demanding that the democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum be released and reinstated within a week. If not, then the group threatened to take measures that could include the use of force.

Meanwhile, France and Italy began evacuating their citizens and others, with two planes landing in France and one in Italy.

The French planes carried mainly French citizens but also Germans and several other EU nationals, some from the United States, Ethiopia, and elsewhere, according to French press reports and the French Foreign Ministry.

The first flight carried at least 260 people, including 12 babies.
The European Commission said in a press release that around 500 people arrived in Paris on Wednesday on board the first two repatriation flights from Niamey.

According to information from the French General Staff, two more planes had also been sent to Niamey for the evacuation. France has offered to evacuate people from other European countries from Niger as well.

The Foreign Office in Berlin had said that the Germans in Niger were advised to accept the offer.

(NAN)

West Africa's regional bloc has said a military intervention in junta-ruled Niger is "the last resort" as Nigeria cut electricity supplies to intensify pressure on the country's coup leaders.

Military chiefs from the grouping were meeting to frame a response and a delegation was in Niger for negotiations, a week after a coup shook the fragile nation and prompted ex-colonial power France to evacuate its citizens.

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders on Sunday imposed trade and financial sanctions and gave the coup leaders a week to reinstate Niger's democratically-elected president or face the potential use of force.

"(The) military option is the very last option on the table, the last resort, but we have to prepare for the eventuality," said Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace and security.

An ECOWAS team headed by former Nigerian leader Abdulsalami Abubakar was in Niger to "negotiate", added Mr Musah, speaking at the start of a three-day meeting of the grouping's military chiefs in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

The current chair of ECOWAS is Nigeria, West Africa's military and economic superpower.

It has vowed to take a firm line against coups that have proliferated across the region since 2020, most of them under the pressure of a bloody jihadist insurgency.

A source in Niger's power company said Nigeria had cut off its electricity supply to its neighbour as a result of the sanctions.

 

"Since yesterday, Nigeria has disconnected the high-voltage line transporting electricity to Niger," said the source at Nigelec, the country's monopoly supplier.

Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, depends on Nigeria for 70% of its power, buying it from the Nigerian company Mainstream, according to Nigelec.

Junta-ruled Mali and Burkina Faso have warned that any military intervention in their neighbour would be tantamount to a "declaration of war" against them.

General Salifou Mody, one of the Niger coup leaders, today arrived with a delegation in Mali's capital Bamako, said a senior Nigerien official and a Malian security official. They did not give further details.

In Moscow, the Russian foreign ministry called for "urgent national dialogue" in Niger and warned that threats of intervention "will not help ease tensions or calm the domestic situation".

Europeans leave

 

Mohamed Bazoum, aged 63, was feted in 2021 after winning elections that ushered in Niger's first-ever peaceful transition of power.

He took the helm of one of the world's poorest and most unstable countries, burdened by four previous coups since independence from France in 1960.

But after surviving two attempted putsches, Mr Bazoum was overthrown on 26 July, when members of his own guard detained him at the presidency.

Their commander, General Abdourahamane Tiani, has declared himself leader, but his claim has been condemned internationally.

 

France scheduled more evacuation flights from the capital Niamey following hostile demonstrations at the weekend.

By early this morning, more than 500 people had landed in Paris aboard two flights, mostly French citizens but also Portuguese, Belgians, Nigerians, Ethiopians and Lebanese evacuees.

Two final flights have been organised for later today, according to the French army.

Italy said it had evacuated 99 Italians and other nationals living in Niger, who arrived in Rome early Wednesday.

Germany has urged its citizens to leave, but the United States - which has 1,100 troops stationed in Niger - has opted to not evacuate Americans for now.

[Rte]

 President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, to cut power supply to neighbouring Niger Republic as part of the ECOWAS economic sanctions on the military junta which ousted the democratic government of President Mohamed Bazoum.

Authoritative sources familiar with the development confirmed the action to THEWILL.

Mainstream Energy, the company which supplies power to Niger, stopped supplying electricity to the country yesterday , according to THEWILL Correspondent, who confirmed that President Tinubu issued the directive last night.

The President’s Special Adviser on Media, Ajuri Ngalale, had yet to respond to inquiries from THEWILL when filing this report.

This is a developing story..

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to grant interest-free soft loans to Muslims.

MURIC Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola made the call yesterday.

He noted that it is forbidden for Muslims to receive or give interest on loans.

He said the call was in view of President Bola Tinubu’s promise, in his national broadcast on Monday, of palliatives, including interest loans of about N75bn at 9% interest, N500,000 loan to N1m at 9% and another N100bn transportation loan also at 9%, to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal and fuel price hike on citizens.

“We appreciate the concern of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for Nigerians particularly in these difficult times. The offer of loans to cushion the effect of the withdrawal of oil subsidy shows that the president cares about the citizenry.

“However, Nigerian Muslims cannot and will not take interest loans as the latter is capable of constituting a wedge between Nigerian Muslims and their Creator (Almighty Allah). We prefer the everlasting peace of al-akhirah (the Hereafter) to the material gains of this world.

“Interest is haram and Allah explicitly forbids it when He said, “Oh you who believe, fear Allah and give up that interest which is still due to you, if you are true believers. But if you do not desist, then you are warned of the declaration of war against you by Allah and His Messenger….” (Glorious Qur’an 2:278 – 279),” Akintola said.

South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, on Wednesday, beat Italy 3-2 to qualify for the Round of 16 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

South Africa’s Chrestinah Kgatlana’s scored a 93rd-minute winner in stoppage time to seal a second-round qualification. This is a historical feat for the South Africans as it is their first time ever.

Although South Africa led 2-1 with Magaia strike in the 67th minute, Italy levelled the scores after a crucial header from Arianna Caruso.

Italy needed at least a draw to qualify for the knockout round but Kgatlana’s late strike was the difference. The Africans finished on four points, behind group leaders Sweden. They join the Super Falcons of Nigeria in the next round of the tournament

South Africa’s Bayana Bayana will play the Netherlands in the last 16 on Sunday, while Nigeria will face England on Monday.