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​Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has rejected allegations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that he abused medical privileges or violated a court order while in custody. Mr El-Rufai, in a statement issued on Wednesday by his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, accused the anti-graft agency of misrepresenting both facts and law. His defence team has demanded the retraction of the ICPC’s 7 no July publication titled “El Rufai and Medical Doctor Abuse Privilege, Violate Court Order.” Read below Mr El-Rufai’s response to ICPC PRESS STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF MALAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI IN RESPONSE…

The 2026 Wimbledon ladies’ semifinals conclude on Thursday with a matchup between 9-seed Linda Noskova and 12-seed Marta Kostyuk. Both players advanced on straight sets in their quarterfinal contests, with Noskova defeating No 25. Elise Mertens and Kostyuk knocking off No. 13 Jasmine Paolini. This is the furthest either player has ever advanced at Wimbledon, with each seeking their first Grand Slam singles titles. Kostyuk prevailed in their lone previous match at the Madrid 1000 earlier this year.The match will begin at approximately 9:40 a.m. ET on Thursday at Centre Court in London. The latest Noskova vs. Kostyuk odds list…

Dancing With the Stars is back in the Emmys race, and the people behind the series are celebrating the show being recognized in the reality competition series program for the first time in a decade. The ABC reality show broke back into the category with the reveal of the 2026 Emmy nominations. Dancing With the Stars has not been nominated for best reality competition series since 2016, but has picked up multiple craft nods over the years. “It’s a huge honor for the show to be nominated again in the reality competition category,” showrunner Conrad Green said in a statement…

As Nigeria continues to grapple with escalating security challenges across different parts of the country, First Daily will, on Tuesday, 28 July 2026, host a high-level National Dialogue on Security at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The theme of the dialogue is: “Declaration of State of Emergency on Insecurity: Matching Words with Action.” The event is designed to provide a non-partisan national platform for frank, practical and solution-driven conversations on Nigeria’s security architecture, with the ultimate goal of generating actionable recommendations capable of strengthening national security and restoring public confidence. The Chairman of the occasion is Martin…

Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Federal Government has extended its condolences to the Government and people of China following the devastating landslide that struck Tanchang County in Gansu Province, killing at least 21 people and leaving several others affected, as Abuja reaffirmed the enduring strategic partnership between the two countries. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, described the disaster as a tragic incident and said Nigeria stood in solidarity with China as rescue teams continued efforts to reach victims and support affected communities. The landslide occurred on Tuesday in Tanchang…

Alex Enumah in Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday arraigned the former Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), Mr Ahmed Dikko, before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court. Dikko was arraigned alongside a company, Masterpiece Projects & Investment Ltd, on a 12-count criminal charge bordering on money-laundering. According to the charge, Dikko was alleged to have used about N218.4 million to acquire a property in Katampe extension in Abuja, without passing the funds through a financial institution, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. He however, pleaded not…

CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Wednesday that while Wall Street was focused on re-escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, he is more concerned about a flood of new stock and bond issuance that could threaten the bull market.”At least when it comes to the stock market, I’m a lot more worried about supply — specifically, the flood of new equity and bonds that have inundated this market, sopping up a lot of sidelined capital,” the “Mad Money” host said.Companies have issued staggering amounts of equity and debt in the last month, Cramer noted, including Alphabet’s big stock sale, SpaceX’s $85…

Stablecoins have become more mainstream as businesses explore faster and cheaper ways to move money across borders. The infrastructure exists, payment rails function, and integrating crypto into products is no longer as technically demanding as it once was. Yet many businesses remain hesitant. For businesses curious about accepting cryptocurrency payments, the challenge is often less about the technology and more about the financial commitment. Many are reluctant to pay recurring infrastructure fees before they know whether customers will actually pay with crypto. And rather than expecting businesses to shoulder that risk, ForgeLayer has decided to redesign its pricing model. The…

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s signature free meals programme is escalating into one of Indonesia’s biggest corruption scandals in years as officials struggle to rein in the $15bn initiative amid allegations of graft and mismanagement.Launched in 2025, the “Free Nutritious Meals” programme aims to address the chronic issue of stunting among children, improve their focus in school, and stimulate the local economy.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listIndonesia nearly halved the prevalence of stunting over the past decade to around 20 percent of children nationwide, according to the World Bank, but it remains stubbornly high in many of the archipelago’s…

Alden GonzalezJul 8, 2026, 01:21 PM ETCloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.Multiple AuthorsJustin Verlander, who has amassed three Cy Young Awards, two World Series championships and an MVP award in what undoubtedly is a Hall of Fame career, announced on Wednesday that he’ll retire at the end of the 2026 season.The 43-year-old Verlander, who will make his 10th All-Star Game appearance next week after being named a Legend Pick by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Wednesday, has 266 regular-season wins and 3,554 strikeouts…