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Their respective World Cup studios have been pored over, their lineup of pundits analysed almost as much as the matches. But when it came to the tournament’s final, the result was clear – audiences once again picked the BBC over ITV.Four times as many people turned to the BBC to watch Spain secure victory over a belligerent Argentina, very similar to its lead over ITV four years ago.The BBC enjoyed an average audience of 9.7 million viewers, with ITV recording 2.4 million, according to the Digital i agency.The BBC’s main coverage, presented by Gabby Logan and featuring Alan Shearer, Micah…

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Nigeria have retained their 26th position in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings released on Monday, but slipped to fourth place among African nations following Egypt’s impressive campaign at the 2026 World Cup, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Eric Chelle’s side garnered 1,585.2 points to remain ahead of Turkey, Australia, Algeria, Canada and Ivory Coast, who occupy 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st positions respectively in the global standings. The Super Eagles have not featured in competitive action since June, when they suffered a two-one defeat to former European champions Portugal in an international friendly. Nigeria’s continental slide was triggered by…

The US military says it launched another round of strikes against Iran to “further degrade” its capabilities to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.The strikes – the 10th consecutive night of attacks – come after US President Donald Trump vowed to punish Iran for the deaths of US soldiers.Trump earlier said Iran had been hit “very hard” the previous night “in honour” of three US soldiers killed recently – two in Jordan and one in Iraq. In response to the latest wave, Iran said it struck two oil tankers in the waterway, as well as US military assets in…

• Marking a new chapter of growth, resilience and value creation FirstHoldCo Plc has reported another outstanding financial performance for the half year ended June 30, 2026. Most notably, profit before tax rose by 83.5% to N653.5 billion, it recorded gross earnings of N1.93 trillion, representing a 16.7% year-on-year increase, while operating income grew by 25.8% to N1.38 trillion. This result reflects a business that is emerging successfully from a period of strategic balance sheet transformation and is now firmly focused and on a trajectory of sustainable growth, enhanced profitability and long-term value creation for its numerous stakeholders and shareholders.…

Luciana Womenswear has launched what it describes as Nigeria’s first AI-powered Virtual Try-On experience, introducing a new technology-driven approach to online fashion shopping and customer confidence. The feature launches alongside The Radiance Collection, the debut collection from the Nigerian premium womenswear brand, and allows customers to preview garments on their own likeness before making a purchase. Available directly through shop-luciana.co,  the AI Virtual Try-On experience enables shoppers to upload a photograph and receive a realistic visualisation of how selected garments may appear before completing checkout. For founder Luciana Ojeniyi, the technology was never intended to be a novelty. Instead, it…

Anneliese Midgley, one of the key figures in Andy Burnham’s leadership campaign, has been promoted to the cabinet in the role of chief whip.She has only been the MP for Knowsley, not far from Makerfield, since 2024 but she has been an influential force in the Labour movement for much longer than that, working for both Sir Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn in opposition, following stints at the TUC.She has spoken about how, when she was growing up, her family’s life was changed by the “secure, well-paid, unionised job” her father got at a car factory.Before her political career, music…

In the United States, Google’s (now Alphabet) Debug initiative has asked the federal government for permission to release up to 32 million sterilised male mosquitoes in California and Florida.Male mosquitoes don’t bite or carry disease. The hope is these millions of male mosquitoes will mate with disease-carrying females, the eggs won’t hatch and mosquito numbers will fall.Unsurprisingly, the US public has questions about the plan, including whether the release is safe and will work at scale, and what happens afterwards. Google/Alphabet’s plan is to release more than 16 million mozzies each year, for two years.More than a decade ago, I…

Fifa has opened an investigation into the violent scenes that followed Spain’s World Cup final win on Sunday, with several Argentina players facing bans.Nahuel Molina appeared to strike Spain’s captain Rodri in the stomach as he ran on to the pitch following the final whistle, while there was also a large melee on the halfway line, where Leandro Paredes appeared to grab Eric García by the throat before throwing Gavi to the ground.Parades was subsequently shown a red card by the referee, Slavko Vincic, who had also sent off Enzo Fernández towards the end of normal time, as well as…

Three-time World’s Strongest Man champion Tom Stoltman has joined the cast of the BBC hit show Gladiators.The 32-year-old, 6ft 8in (203cm) tall athlete from Invergordon in the Highlands was the first Scot to win the title when he was first crowned champion in 2021.The fourth series of the Saturday night primetime show is set to start filming in Sheffield next month before returning to BBC iPlayer and BBC One in 2027.Stoltman’s Gladiator name has yet to be announced.The Scot retained his World’s Strongest Man title in 2022 before winning the competition for a third time in 2024.He is still officially…