The Presidency has defended President Bola Tinubu’s $150,000 reward to the Super Falcons, arguing that the gesture is well-deserved, especially when compared to the ₦150 million prize money awarded to winners of the reality TV show, Big Brother Naija.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said Tinubu’s generous reward to the Super Falcons following backlash from some Nigerians about the gifts splashed on Nigeria’s women’s national team.
Defending the President’s gesture in a tweet on Tuesday, Onanuga compared the gifts to prize money awarded by reality show Big Brother Naija, saying some Nigerians didn’t appreciate President Tinubu’s gifts to the victorious players.
He wrote: “When you remember that Multichoice, the organizer of the BBNaija reality show, is offering the winner ₦150 million grand prize, you wonder why some Nigerians are unappreciative of President Tinubu’s rewards to the Super Falcons. President Tinubu has rewarded excellence, creativity, hard work, soccer artistry and the undying Nigerian spirit.”
The comment comes amid debate over Tinubu’s lavish package for the national women’s football team after they clinched their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco on Saturday.
On Monday, the President hosted the victorious Falcons at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and announced national honours and substantial financial rewards for the team.
Each player received a national award of Order of the Niger (OON), a three-bedroom apartment, and $100,000 (approx. ₦153 million) in cash.
The 11-member technical team was also gifted $50,000 (₦75.6 million) each in recognition of their contribution to the team’s success.
President Tinubu praised the team’s resilience, calling their comeback from two goals down against host nation Morocco “a testament to the Nigerian fighting spirit.”
Despite widespread celebration of the win, some critics questioned the size of the reward amid Nigeria’s economic challenges.
The Super Falcons’ latest WAFCON triumph marks their 10th title, further cementing their status as Africa’s most successful women’s national team. (Vanguard)
A gunman who killed four people when he stormed a skyscraper in the heart of New York on Monday evening left a note that appeared to blame the National Football League (NFL) for a brain injury, the city’s Mayor Eric Adams says.
The attacker, 27-year-old Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, shot himself dead after opening fire in a building where the American football league has its headquarters, but went to a different part of the building after taking the wrong lift.
The gunman was carrying a note in which he blamed CTE, a brain disease triggered by head trauma, for his mental illness, Adams said.
Tamura played football as a teenager but did not play in the NFL, ex-teammates have told US media.
New York City police officer Didarul Islam, 36 – who was working as a security guard at the building – was among those killed.
Another of the victims was an employee of finance giant Blackstone, who was named by her company as Wesley LePatner.
Two male civilians were also killed. An NFL employee was also “seriously injured” in the attack, the league’s commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a message to staff.
Asked about a possible motive, Adams told CBS: “[He] did have a note on him. The note alluded to that he felt he had CTE, a known brain injury for those who participate in contact sports.
“He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury.”
Tamura was a football player during his time at high school in California, ex-teammates earlier told NBC News.
The gunman appears to have driven across the US from Las Vegas to New York, and used an assault-style rifle during the attack.
After opening fire in the lobby, Tamura is believed to have entered a lift to the 33rd floor of the skyscraper and continued to open fire.
Mayor Adams said a preliminary investigation shows that the gunman mistakenly went to the office of Rudin Management, which owns the building.
Tamura later turned his gun on himself.
The incident brought parts of Midtown Manhattan and public transportation to a halt. A BBC journalist at the scene reported seeing scores of police vehicles and at least one person with a bloodied chest being taken away on a stretcher.
Bystanders reported hearing what sounded like gunshots and police told those in the area, including the BBC journalist, to shelter in nearby buildings. (BBC)
Chloe Kelly converted the decisive kick as England beat Spain 3-1 on penalties to lift the Women’s Euro 2025 trophy after Sunday’s game had finished 1-1 at the end of extra time, allowing the Lionesses to avenge their defeat in the World Cup final two years ago and retain their continental crown.
It looked as though Spain would repeat their victory over England in Sydney in 2023 as they dominated the game at St Jakob-Park in Basel and led through Mariona Caldentey’s first-half header.
But England did not panic, having already trailed against both Sweden in the quarter-finals and Italy in the semis before finding a way to win.
Alessia Russo headed in their equaliser just before the hour mark, and no further goals meant a shoot-out in which Kelly — who once again had a huge impact off the bench — netted the winner.
“I was cool, I was composed. I knew I was going to hit the back of the net,” Kelly told the BBC of her penalty.
It was an agonising way to lose for Spain, but they failed to score three of their spot-kicks, with reigning Ballon d’Or Aitana Bonmati seeing her effort saved.
Sarina Wiegman’s England are therefore back-to-back European champions, with this triumph coming three years after they defeated Germany in extra time at Wembley to win a first women’s major tournament.
Defeating Spain here helps make up for the agony of losing that World Cup final in 2023, and the victory also confirms Wiegman’s place among the coaching greats.
She has now won three consecutive European Championships, having led her native Netherlands to victory in 2017 before doing the same with England three years ago.
“We said we can win by any means, and that’s what we have shown again today. I am so proud of the team and the staff. It is incredible,” said Wiegman, whose team lost to France in their first match at the tournament.
“Losing your first game and becoming European Champions is incredible,” she added.
Spain fell short in their quest to add a maiden European Championship title to the World Cup they won in Australia.
La Roja dominated possession as expected, but ultimately paid the price for not putting the game to bed against an England side who never know when they are beaten.
“I am in shock,” Bonmati told broadcaster TVE before apologising for falling from the spot.
“Football is cruel. Everything seems bad right now, but I think we played the best football during the tournament.” (Punch)
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka said Monday that she has split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou after less than a year.
“Merci Patrick… it was such a great experience learning from you,” the former world number one said on X.
The Japanese star teamed up with the Frenchman, the long-time coach of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, in September last year.
Osaka did not play in 2023 after the birth of her daughter and has struggled for consistency after returning to the professional circuit a year ago and is currently ranked 49.
She exited this year’s French Open in the first round and Wimbledon in the third round. (Punch)
President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, has described the Super Falcons’ stirring comeback win in the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final as a source of motivation for the Super Eagles in their quest to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Falcons overturned a two-goal deficit to defeat hosts Morocco 3–2 in Saturday night’s dramatic final at the Stade Olympique de Rabat, a feat Gusau believes reflects the resilient spirit required by the men’s team as they prepare for four crucial qualifying matches.
“I am very happy because our girls rose from the ‘dead’, as they say, and fought to victory. This was an extraordinary performance. I congratulate them for their resilience, doggedness, patriotism and the blatant display of the well-known Nigerian spirit,” Gusau said after the final.
“This victory, and the spirit behind it, will have positive implications for the men in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series. We have four more matches to turn the tables against our opponents, and watching the Super Falcons tonight, and how they turned things around, underscores again the wise saying that in sport and life, it is never over until it is over.”
Gusau hailed the Falcons’ impressive tournament form, in which they scored 14 goals and conceded just three en route to winning a record-extending 10th continental title.
He praised the team’s technical crew, captain and entire squad for a campaign that not only restored pride but rewrote their redemption story from the 2022 edition.
“From the coaching crew to the team captain and the players, we say thank you and well done. With a commanding triumph in the Women’s AFCON once again, what is left for us to target now is conquering the world at the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” Gusau added.
With Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign set to resume in September, against Rwanda at home and South Africa away, Gusau believes the Falcons’ resilience has laid down the blueprint for them.
“This triumph reminds us that no matter how dire the situation, belief and effort can turn things around. The Eagles must draw from this and fight for Nigeria,” he said. (Punch)
Nigeria produced a sensational second-half comeback to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 and seal a record-extending 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title.
The Atlas Lionesses led 2-0 at the break in Rabat through Ghizlane Chebbak’s fine curling effort and a scuffed shot from Sanaa Mssoudy.
But Esther Okoronkwo inspired the West Africans after the break, pulling a goal back from the penalty spot in the 64th minute after Nouhaila Benzina handled Folamide Ijamilusi’s cross.
Okoronkwo burst into the Morocco box and squared for Ijamilusi to equalise in the 71st minute, then teed up substitute Jennifer Echegini to score the winner with two minutes of the game remaining.
The 21,000-capacity Olympic Stadium was stunned into silence as the Super Falcons players collapsed to the turf in celebrations at the final whistle after producing a seemingly unlikely revival that will live long in the memory.
Nigeria billed their campaign as Mission X and have achieved their target, reclaiming the title they last won in 2018 and preserving their 100% record in Wafcon finals.
Morocco, meanwhile, had hired 2023 Women’s World Cup-winning coach Jorge Vilda after he parted company with Spain in a bid to land their first continental crown, but have now lost back-to-back Wafcon finals.
The Super Falcons pick up $1m in prize money – which has been doubled since the last edition – and become the first side to lift the new-look Wafcon trophy.
However, the stadium had largely emptied out by the time Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Confederation of African Football counterpart Patrice Motsepe took to the stage for the presentation.
The 2024 edition of the tournament had been delayed because of scheduling issues last year, which included the participation of the West Africans and Zambia at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Nigeria had not been shy in expressing their intentions of winning their 10th Wafcon, with players consistently asked about that target in media engagements.
The Super Falcons have certainly backed up their off-field talk in their performances in Morocco this month as coach Justin Madugu found the right blend in the knockout phase.
Yet the top-ranked side in Africa made a poor start and Nigeria were unable to match Morocco’s level in the first half.
The North Africans went ahead in the 13th minute when Halimatu Ayinde gave the ball to Chebbak, who sent a fine shot just inside the left-hand upright, and doubled their lead 11 minutes later when Mssoudy shot across goal.
Okoronkwo was composure personified after the intervention of VAR to make it 2-1 from the spot, and then kept her head when she burst through the Morocco defence to control, pause and put the ball on a plate for Ijamilusi.
Another big moment came when Morocco were awarded a penalty in the 79th minute when Imane Saoud helped a cross onto the hand of Blessing Demehin, who was barely two yards away.
Chebbak had the ball on the spot when Namibian referee Antsino Twanyanyukwa was called to the VAR screen and overturned her decision almost four minutes later.
And the comeback was completed when Okoronkwo provided a pin-point free-kick delivery and Echegini got ahead of centre-back Benzina to sweep home from six yards out.
The West Africans have now beaten a third host nation in a Wafcon final following successes over South Africa and Cameroon in 2000 and 2016 respectively. (BBC)
Kelly Osbourne says she has lost her “best friend” following the death of her father Ozzy Osbourne.
The heavy metal pioneer died on Tuesday at the age of 76.
He died just a few weeks after performing with Black Sabbath at a big farewell show in his hometown of Birmingham.
The concert was particularly poignant for his daughter Kelly, who got engaged backstage to her long-time partner Sid Wilson, from the band Slipknot.
Many family members were at Villa Park to support the so-called Prince of Darkness for what turned out to be his final performance.
Famous musicians such as Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses also took to the stage.
His band Black Sabbath are credited with inventing heavy metal.
In 2003, the father and daughter released a cover of the Black Sabbath song Changes, which reached number one on the UK singles chart.
In her first comments since his death, Kelly Osbourne posted the opening lyrics from the song on Instagram with a broken heart emoji: “I feel unhappy I am so sad. I lost the best friend I ever had.”
The father-daughter duo were known for having a close relationship.
They appeared together on the MTV reality TV show The Osbournes which ran from 2002-2005. It portrayed the star as the well-meaning, frequently befuddled patriarch of an unruly household.
More recently they reprised their family podcast alongside mother Sharon and brother Jack.
On Tuesday, the Osbourne family released a statement that said: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love.”
They did not specify a cause of death, although the star had a series of health problems and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2019. (BBC)
An $8bn (£5.9bn) merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media has been approved by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The merger between the independent film studio and one of Hollywood’s oldest and most storied companies was first announced in 2024.
The approval came just weeks after Paramount Global agreed to pay $16m (£13.5m) to settle a legal dispute with US President Donald Trump over an interview it broadcast on subsidiary CBS with former Vice-President Kamala Harris.
The settlement did not include a statement of apology or regret.
FCC head Brendan Carr, who was appointed by the president, announced the merger’s approval on Thursday, saying he welcomed Skydance’s ideas to make “significant changes” at CBS.
The approval means the merger could be finalised soon but Paramount did not provide an expected completion date when asked by the BBC. Skydance did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The FCC agreed to transfer broadcast licences for 28 owned-and-operated CBS television stations to the new owner.
“Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly,” Mr Carr said. “It is time for a change.”
Mr Carr said Skydance had made promises to the agency, including a “commitment to unbiased journalism” where the merged company would install a ombudsman to evaluate complaints of bias.
Skydance also promised to end diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, something the Trump administration has targeted.
The FCC voted 2-1 to approve the deal, with one commissioner, Anna Gomez, a Democrat, dissenting.
“After months of cowardly capitulation to this administration, Paramount finally got what it wanted. Unfortunately, it is the American public who will ultimately pay the price for its actions,” she wrote.
Paramount Global traces its origins back more than a century to the founding of Paramount Pictures Corporation in 1914. The studio has made many hit films, including the Godfather, Star Trek, and Mission: Impossible series.
Paramount owns streaming service Paramount+, as well as Paramount Pictures, CBS, Nickelodeon, BET, MTV, Comedy Central and other media brands.
But the entertainment giant has struggled over the past decade.
Skydance is owned by David Ellison, the son of Larry Ellison, who founded US technology giant Oracle.
The FCC’s approval was necessary for the deal to move forward.
The deal, which includes CBS, Paramount Pictures and Comedy Central, was approved after a series of moves by Paramount, including settling a lawsuit from Trump.
According to both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, the settlement over the 60 Minutes interview was agreed – with the help of mediator – so as to not affect the planned merger, which the FCC was reviewing and therefore Trump technically had the power to halt.
Trump had alleged the network had deceptively edited an interview that aired on its 60 Minutes news programme with his presidential election rival Kamala Harris, to “tip the scales in favour of the Democratic party”.
Paramount said it would pay to settle the suit, but with the money allocated to Trump’s future presidential library, not paid to him “directly or indirectly”.
It also comes just days after CBS, owned by Paramount, announced it would end The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, who has been critical of Trump.
The network said the move “is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night [television]” and “is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters”. (BBC)
France defended its decision to recognise Palestinian statehood amid domestic and international criticism on Friday, including against the charge that the move plays into the hands of militant group Hamas.
President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, the most powerful European nation to announce such a move.
Macron’s announcement drew condemnation from Israel, which said it “rewards terror”, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it “reckless” and said it “only serves Hamas propaganda”.
Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel, quipped that Macron did not say where a future Palestinian state would be located.
“I can now exclusively disclose that France will offer the French Riviera & the new nation will be called ‘Franc-en-Stine’,” he said on X.
Hamas itself — which is designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union — praised the French initiative, saying it was “a positive step in the right direction toward doing justice to our oppressed Palestinian people”.
But French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Friday argued that Macron’s initiative went against what the militant group wanted.
“Hamas has always ruled out a two-state solution. By recognising Palestine, France goes against that terrorist organisation,” Barrot said on X.
With its decision, France was “backing the side of peace against the side of war”, Barrot added.
Domestic reactions ranged from praise on the left, condemnation on the right and awkward silence in the ranks of the government itself.
The leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, said the announcement was “rushed” and afforded Hamas “unexpected institutional and international legitimacy”.
Marine Le Pen, the RN’s parliamentary leader, said the French move amounted to “recognising a Hamas state and therefore a terrorist state”.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Jean-Luc Melenchon, boss of the far-left France Unbowed party, called Macron’s announcement “a moral victory”, although he deplored that it did not take effect immediately.
By September, Gaza could be a “graveyard”, Melenchon said.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, a right winger whose relationship with Macron is tense, declined on Friday to give his opinion, saying he was currently busy with an unrelated “serious topic” linked to the “security of French people on holiday”.
But the vice president of his Les Republicains party, Francois-Xavier Bellamy, blasted the decision as possibly “counter-productive” or, at best, “pointless”.
The move risked “endangering Israeli civilians” as well as “Palestinian civilians who are victims of Hamas’s barbarism”, he said.
Bellamy said that Macron’s move was a departure from the president’s previously set conditions for recognition of Palestine, which included a Hamas de-militarisation, the movement’s exclusion from any future government, the liberation of all Israeli hostages in Gaza and the recognition of Israel by several Arab states.
“None of them have been met,” he said.
Among people reacting to the news in the streets of Paris was Julien Deoux, a developer, who said it had been “about time” that France recognised Palestinian statehood.
“When you’ve been talking about two-state solutions for decades but you don’t recognise one of the two states, it’s a bit difficult,” he told AFP.
But Gil, a 79-year-old pensioner who gave only his first name, said he felt “betrayed” by his president.
“As a Frenchman, I’m ashamed to see that tomorrow Hamas could come to power in the territory,” he said.
While France would be the most significant European country to recognise a Palestinian state, others have hinted they could do the same.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced he would hold a call on Friday with counterparts in Germany and France on efforts to stop the fighting, adding that a ceasefire would “put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state”.
Germany, meanwhile, said on Friday it had no plans to recognise a Palestinian state “in the short term”.
Norway, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all announced recognition following the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, along with several other non-European countries.
Once France follows through on its announcement, a total of at least 142 countries will have recognised Palestinian statehood. (Vanguard)
Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary Black Sabbath frontman and solo star who helped pioneer the follow-around reality TV genre with his MTV series The Osbournes, died Tuesday. He was 76. His family confirmed the news in a statement but did not provide a cause of death.
Osbourne reunited with Black Sabbath for a livestreamed final concert on July 5 that also featured a who’s who of hard rock and heavy metal bands.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” the statement reads. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, in England, he co-founded the ever-influential and controversial Black Sabbath in 1968 with guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. Draped in demonic lyrical themes and often-foreboding music, the British quartet was a near-instant success and helped birth and define the heavy metal genre.
After an unharmonious split from the group in 1979, Osbourne enlisted former Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhodes and released a pair of 1981 solo discs that reinvigorated his career — and the genre. Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman were multiplatinum hits on both sides of the Atlantic, bringing Osbourne new fans and making a star of Rhoads, who would die in a 1982 plane crash.
Osbourne went on to make many more solo albums to varying critical and commercial success, but he would conquer another medium as the millennium changed.
In 2002, MTV premiered The Osbournes, a verité-style reality series focusing on the home life of patriarch Ozzy, matriarch Sharon Osbourne, daughter Kelly and son Jack. The show provided a side of the singer few had seen — a bit doddering, sometimes befuddled and the source of the series’ comedy. Memorable catchphrase: “Sharrrr-onnnnn!” The final episode aired on March 21, 2005.
The Osbournes reunited in 2009 for the variety show Osbournes Reloaded on the Fox network. A flop with critics and viewers, the series was canceled after one episode. Osbourne and son Jack next starred in Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour, a reality series that aired for three seasons from 2016-18, first on the History channel and then A&E. Most recently, reality show The Osbournes Want to Believe aired in 2020 on Travel Channel.
But all of that was secondary to the music.
Fueled by Osbourne’s signature, singular wails, Black Sabbath caught the attention of a public tiring of flower power and pop rock, hurling onto the scene with its powerhouse self-titled debut album in 1970. Featuring such dark classics-in-waiting as “Black Sabbath,” “The Wizard” and “N.I.B.,” the disc — and the group — certainly weren’t for everyone, but it went Top 10 in the UK and just missed the U.S. Top 20, and a legend was born.
Sabbath’s 1971 follow-up Paranoid solidified Osbourne and the band as hard rock superstars. Stacked with essential songs including “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” “Fairies Wear Boots” and the near-perfect title track, it topped the UK chart and reached No. 12 stateside.
The band followed that success later that year with its biggest U.S. album, Master of Reality, which went Top 10 on both sides of the pond, featuring “Children of the Grave” and “Sweet Leaf.”
All of Black Sabbath’s first three discs made the Top 300 of Rolling Stone‘s 2003 list of greatest albums of all time, with Paranoid ranking 130th.
The band continued to score hit albums with Black Sabbath, Vol. 4 (1972), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1974) and Sabotage (1975), all of which hit the UK Top 10 and U.S. Top 30. Its fortunes took a hit in the mid-1970s as Technical Ecstasy (1976) and Never Say Die! (1978) were shrugged off by critics and many fans. Osbourne would leave the group amid reports of substance abuse before the end of the decade.
Never a “singles band,” Osbourne-era Black Sabbath left its mark on hard rock with the aforementioned tracks and others. (Deadline)
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