Many streets in Katsina State look deserted hours after Governor Dikko Radda declared Monday, July 14, 2025 as a work-free day in the state following the death of Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari.
Although some students were unaware of the holiday, they were seen returning from their various public and private schools.
During a visit to Modoji, Kwado, Kofar Kaura, Kofar Kwaya and Kambarawa areas of the state, residents were seen in a remorseful and sorrowful mood following the sad news.
The work-free day was made by the Secretary to the State Government, Abdullahi Faskari, in a statement on Sunday.
Faskari noted that the holiday is intended to enable workers and residents of Buhari’s home state to join the rest of the country in mourning the loss and offering prayers for the late leader.
READ ALSO: Shettima, Gbajabiamila Arrive In London To Receive Buhari’s Body
The statement noted that Governor Radda expressed profound condolences to the family of the late President, the people of the state, and the entire nation, describing the former President Muhammadu Buhari as a great leader, a hero, a true democrat and a patriotic elder statesman whose life was dedicated to the service of Nigeria.
Katsina road deserted as residents mourn Buhari’s passing on July 14, 2025
He prayed to Almighty Allah to grant mercy to the gentle soul of the late President, forgive his shortcomings, and reward his good deeds with Jannatul Firdaus.
Donald Trump experienced the agony and the ecstasy of football on Sunday as he was booed at the final of the FIFA Club World Cup — even as he joined in some high-spirited celebrations with champions Chelsea.
The US president was front and centre as the winners took to the stage, grinning broadly in his red tie and clapping and jumping with the players as the jubilant Blues lifted the gleaming trophy, which he had presented to captain Reece James.
But moments earlier, loud booing could be heard among cheers and applause as Trump walked onto the pitch for the presentation with FIFA president Gianni Infantino — before the music in the stadium was turned up.
READ ALSO: Club World Cup Final Scuffle ‘Should Have Been Avoided’ — Luis Enrique
(L-R) US First Lady Melania Trump, US President Donald Trump, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his wife Leena Al Ashqar attend the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final football match between England’s Chelsea and France’s Paris Saint-Germain at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 13, 2025. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
Earlier, the Republican billionaire was also applauded as he and First Lady Melania Trump arrived for the match at the MetLife stadium in New Jersey, just outside New York City.
But when a jumbotron screen briefly showed Trump saluting to the US national anthem, yet more boos could be heard in the giant stadium, before the camera quickly cut away.
The scorn did little to dampen the president’s spirits as he handed out trophies to the star players including the Golden Ball for best player to Cole Palmer, followed by handshakes and medals to the defeated Paris Saint-Germain.
He later called the crowd “tremendous.”
US President Donald Trump holds up his fist after attending the award ceremony following the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final between England’s Chelsea and France’s Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
“We had a great time,” he told reporters as he landed at Joint Base Andrews outside the US capital Washington after the match.
The Republican’s appearance at the game also came on the first anniversary of the assassination attempt that he survived at an election rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump has made no secret of his desire to use this year’s club championship and next year’s 2026 World Cup as symbols of the “Golden Age of America” during his second term in the White House.
Next year’s World Cup, the final of which will be held at the same stadium, will coincide with the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
Trump has even set up a White House task force to ensure next year’s championship — hosted jointly with Canada and Mexico — goes smoothly.
‘He loves it’
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (L) and US President Donald Trump carry the trophy during the award ceremony for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Champions, following the final football match between England’s Chelsea and France’s Paris Saint-Germain at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 13, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
Trump has fostered a close relationship with Infantino, who has been a frequent visitor to the White House.
The president has kept the Club World Cup trophy next to his desk in the Oval Office since the FIFA president dropped by in March.
Infantino, who is no stranger to dealing with hard-nosed world leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin ahead of the 2018 World Cup, thanked Trump for his support on Saturday.
He said Trump had “embraced immediately the importance of the FIFA Club World Cup, and of course of the World Cup next year.”
Infantino also joked that Trump “certainly loves as well the trophy” — whose gold-plated curves match the gilded makeover that the president has given the Oval Office.
But Trump’s fondness of football, or soccer as he would say, is also personal.
The president’s 19-year-old son Barron is a fan, as Infantino pointed out in a press conference at FIFA’s new office in Trump Tower in New York on Saturday.
Asked if Trump liked the game, Infantino replied: “Well I think he does. In his first term as president of the United States, there was a soccer goal in the garden of the White House.
“He then explained to me that his son loved football, and that he loved the game. And of course when you are a parent, you love what your children love, so I think that he loves it.”
As a boarding school student at the New York Military Academy, Trump himself also reportedly played the game for a season.
‘Go home’
US President Donald Trump greets Chelsea’s Ecuadorian midfielder #25 Moises Caicedo during the award ceremony at the end of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final football match between England’s Chelsea and France’s Paris Saint-Germain at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
But in typical form, Trump has also mixed political controversy with his football fandom.
Hosting Italian side Juventus in the Oval Office in June, he delivered a diatribe on transgender people in sports before asking the players: “Could a woman make your team, fellas?”
Most of the players looked bemused before Juventus general manager Damien Comolli replied: “We have a very good women’s team.”
“He’s being very diplomatic,” said Trump.
Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown — part of his “America First” policy — has meanwhile sparked fears that football fans will be discouraged from coming to the United States for the 2026 World Cup.
It was the hit heard round Auld Reekie, a collision so ferocious that it lifted Sione Tuipulotu clean off his feet and left him feeling like somebody had “climbed through my body”.
November 2024 at Murrayfield. Scotland hosting the Wallabies, who had just taken Wales to the cleaners following on from beating England at Twickenham. Shoots of green and gold coming through the weeds of previous regimes. Hope under Joe Schmidt.
Until they got to Scotland, where they got a bit a doing. Revival cancelled, but that collision was quite something.
Tuipulotu, the home nation’s adopted son, versus Australia’s wunderkind – the tall, dark, handsome, athletic, outrageously talented poster boy, the 21-year-old Joseph Suaalii, one of the country’s hottest sporting tickets.
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In the re-telling of the story, the Scot leaves bits out – what did he say to Suaalii as the Wallaby, on just his third cap, stayed down with a damaged wrist after his howitzer, what words did he use that seemed to drive the young man so scatty on the pitch before he had to go off injured?
“I’m not a fan of repeating stuff that’s said,” was how Tuipulotu side-stepped it. And neither, as it turns out, is Suaalii, who spoke to us at lunchtime on Monday in Brisbane at the start of Test week.
Does he remember the contretemps at Murrayfield? Oh yes. Does he wish to elaborate? Oh no.
“There’s been a lot of recounting of that day,” he said. “I feel like there’s been a lot of talk around that moment. At the end of the day, like I said, it’s a game of footy. Whatever’s said on the field stays on the field. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to play. Not too much to say about that.”
He didn’t really need to say a whole lot because, on his face, you could tell that something lingers about that coming-together.
Next time might be this Saturday. There’s a reasonable chance that Suaalii and Tuipulotu might come face-to-face again in the first Test in Brisbane, one with the 13 on his back and the other wearing 12. Different positions but close enough to each other to do damage.
There’s pressure everywhere, of course, but when you scan the internet and find endless commentary about how Suaalii is the “salvation of Australian rugby” then you start to learn about the expectation on this guy’s shoulders.
He’s five games into his Test career, but the eulogies have flown indiscriminately.
The great Tim Horan talks about his size, speed, his talent in the air and his incredible power.
“He tackles like a leaguie [rugby league player], leaps like a basketballer and marks like an AFL player,” Horan said. “The Wallabies need pace, agility and deception with a ‘no backward step’ mentality and he embodies all that.”
Kurtley Beale talks about his aura. Former Sydney Roosters team-mate Victor Radley calls him a “freak”.
The director of rugby at his former school says that at 13, Suaalii was 6ft tall and a man playing against children. He’s 6ft 5in now. A physical specimen on a deal worth a reported A$5m (£2.4m) over three years.
Amid a cross-code bidding war to tempt him away from the NRL, the Australian Rugby Union did not break the bank for Suaalii just to play well for the Waratahs in Super Rugby. His impact has to be way bigger than that, way more profound.
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So, pressure, yes. But does he feel it? Behind his almost other-worldly mature demeanour, it’s really hard to tell. He’s the most frighteningly-together 21-year-old you’re going to see in rugby for a long, long time.
Family is huge to him, his music is important – he’s in a band called Dreamyourz – and meditation plays a major role in who he is.
He’s a rugby player who has crossed into celebrity. Relationships, public appearances – Suaalii sells. He’s helped drive the sale of tens of thousands of tickets since he moved to rugby union.
So, we get into the Lions Test week with him. Has he seen Henry Pollock’s comments about a targeted 3-0 rout of the Wallabies? “Yeah, I’ve heard about it,” he replied, in a way that suggested he wasn’t a fan of the remark.
“We’re just focused on ourselves, to be honest. We know there’s going to be a lot of talk externally, but our biggest thing going into these big games is just focusing on ourselves and our team-mates.”
The thought of playing the Lions and how it influenced his decision to move from league to union? “That was probably the biggest carrot for myself. I always knew that I wanted to be a part of something so special.”
‘I’m a pretty weird person… a lot of people know that’
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Suaalii has this pre-match routine which has captured the imagination – walking on the pitch without boots, some meditation, some juggling.
“I’m a pretty weird person,” he said. “I think a lot of people know that. I just like to take in the crowd.
“These are the things you dream about as a kid. My biggest thing is just enjoying every single moment – seeing my family, embracing them, embracing team-mates and just trying to stay in the now.”
And no boots? “I do like to connect with the ground. I don’t want to look too far ahead or look too far back, it’s all about being as present as I can. That’s how I want to play the game of footy. I just try to practice that as much as I can off the field.”
And the juggling? “That’s just hand-eye. Just getting my stuff going. Peripheral vision. You’re going to get all these different pictures on the footy field. It’s just all part of my process leading into the game.”
There was another attempt to get him to revisit Murrayfield but he was steadfast in his resistance.
“I’m not going to speak on it, to be fair,” he added. I’m sure it’s going to be a great challenge and a great battle. I don’t give too much energy to the opposition. I respect the opposition, but at the same time, I’m just focusing on myself and what I can bring.”
Millions of Australians are focusing on what he can bring, too. And they’re hoping it’s the kind of thing that saw the downfall of England in the autumn.
He plays down the pervasive view that he carries the hopes of a nation, but he’ll know that this is his status now, this is what is expected of him. At 21.
Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest ever war drills in Australia, is under way and expected to attract the attention of Chinese spy ships. Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the United States and Australia.
This year, more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, including Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom, will take part over three weeks, Australia’s Department of Defence said on Sunday.
Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers.
The exercise will also take place in Papua New Guinea, Australia’s nearest neighbour. It is the first time Talisman Sabre activities have been held outside Australia.
Chinese surveillance ships have monitored naval exercises off the Australian coast during the last four Talisman Sabre exercises and were expected to surveil the current exercise, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said.
“We will adjust accordingly. We will obviously observe their activities and monitor their presence around Australia, but we will also adjust how we conduct those exercises,” Conroy said.
The exercise, showcasing Australia’s defence alliance with the US, started a day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began a six-day visit to China, where he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday.
Albanese said Chinese surveillance of Talisman Sabre would not be raised with Xi. “That would be nothing unusual. That has happened in the past and I will continue to assert Australia’s national interest, as I do,” Albanese told reporters in Shanghai on Monday.
The Love Island host’s makeup artist has been dishing out details on the product she used to create Maya Jama’s recent look that was praised for it’s ‘absolutely stunning glow’
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Maya Jama gets an ‘absolutely stunning glow’ using this blurring foundation(Image: Maya Jama/Instagram)
If you’ve been wondering how Maya Jama achieves her radiant glow and perfect complexion every time, we might just have the answer. Her makeup artist has revealed the “long-wearing and blurring” foundation she uses to complete Maya’s glowy glam. And what’s more, we know where to shop your own.
Taking to Instagram to reveal her secrets, Maya’s makeup artist, Hila Karmand, revealed she uses this Hourglass foundation to complete the look that sent fans wild.
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Maya’s makeup artist revealed she used this Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation(Image: Space NK)
The Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation, which was used to create Maya’s full-face glam, is currently available for £57 from Cult Beauty, Sephora, and Space NK. It comes in a whopping 32 shades, including hues best suited to warm and cool undertones.
This foundation is touted as a weightless liquid foundation that delivers up to 16 hours of wear. It boasts medium, buildable coverage that delivers Maya’s signature natural, soft glow finish. This foundation utilises a long-wearing formula infused with blurring spheres. The foundation provides a light-diffusing effect while minimising the appearance of imperfections, fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots for a natural-looking soft-focus appearance.
This foundation, equipped with a fluid texture that is easily blendable and delivers a second-skin finish for a complexion that looks seamless and lit from within, enhances the complexion with a soft-focus finish. Creating a smooth and even look that glows in any light, this makeup must-have is enriched with white tea extract and vitamin E, which work to deliver antioxidant skincare that protects against free radical damage.
This foundation promises a transfer-resistant formula that can even withstand humidity and sweat. It is set to last all day while providing a seamless finish with a lit-from-within glow.
Shoppers who join Maya in loving this foundation can’t stop singing its praises. One thrilled buyer beams: “One of my all-time favourites, this foundation has a gorgeous finish and builds up to a flawless, skin-like look that lasts all day.”
Another Sephora shopper says: “This foundation gives the most amazing effect, I received lots of compliments when wearing this foundation. Would certainly buy again.”
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And this customer shares the same sentiments, raving: “Best foundation, literally makes your skin looks airbrushed. It blends so well over my textured acne scarred skin. I use with the vanish airbrush primer and it gives flawless skin l, chefs kiss. I have oily skin and have no issues.”
Lauren Pisciotta, a former employee of the rapper, has amended her 2024 lawsuit against Kanye West, a decision slammed by the 48-year-old’s representative Milo Yiannopoulos
Kanye West is denying allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking (Image: GC Images)
Kanye West has responded to his former assistant’s claims of sexual assault, oral rape and sex trafficking.
Lauren Pisciotta, a fitness model and influence who worked for the disgraced rapper from 2021 to 2022, made a number of accusations in a new lawsuit. She accused him of sexually harassing her, and assaulting her on multiple occasions, which included claims he forced ‘his penis into her mouth’ on a business trip in San Francisco, all of which is denies.
West’s team have come out fighting, with his representative Milo Yiannopoulos responding to the amended complaint. She last year launched a lawsuit claiming he drugged and raped her at a party with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Pisciotta has now accused the father-of-four of sexually harassing and assaulting her on multiple occasions.
The 48-year-old’s rep hit out at “the fourth version she has advanced”. He added: “Each new revision contradicts the others; each is more absurd and outlandish than all previous claims combined,’ the Yeezy rep insisted. “Does Ms. Pisciotta actually believe her confabulations? We cannot know.
She accused the father-of-four of sexually harassing and assaulting her on multiple occasions(Image: Lauren Pisciotta/Instagram)
“But this breathless new installment of fantasy fiction discredits all past, present and future testimony. We stand ready to annihilate Ms. Pisciotta’s tall tales before a jury, an exoneration so inevitable that even she, lost in her fog of fantasy, must surely see it coming.”
Mr Yiannopoulos went on to say in the statement released to MailOnline that she picked the one rapper who “loathes violence, has never been arrested, and doesn’t even own a gun”. Mrs Pisciotta alleged that West attempted to kiss her on the lips more than once, which she says she told him was ‘not professional’.
In response to his rep’s statement, her attorney Lisa Bloom told the publication: “While Kanye West’s publicist has come up with a slickly worded (and outrageously false and defamatory) attack on Ms. Pisciotta, Kanye himself has publicly admitted much of what she’s claiming.
“Kanye’s publicist is deafeningly silent on Kanye’s own admissions, which will destroy him in court. We look forward to seeing him there, where he cannot hide behind a high priced spin team,” she concluded. It comes after her legal complaint, which was originally filed last year.
A spokesperson for Yeezy hit out at the claims (Image: GC Images)
Her most serious claim in the October 2024 lawsuit was that years before working for West, he drugged and raped her. He allegedly confessed during his last weeks as her boss. Pisciotta claimed she met West when he invited her musician client to a studio session and party alongside his friend Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in Santa Monica.
In the legal paper she claimed The following day, Pisciotta said she felt “ashamed and embarrassed” that she couldn’t remember the evening. She claims her musician client refused to discuss what had happened. Pisciotta stated she learned years later why her client “was too traumatized and disturbed to speak about that night”.
She believed for years that she was drugged by a studio assistant and escaped without being molested, but Pisciotta has claimed she learned the truth from West. Pisciotta claimed not long before she was fired by him in November 2022, West was engaged by a comment his partner at the time made about him and Pisciotta having an affair.
Pisciotta wanted to text West’s partner at the time to clear things up as it “appeared she was under the wrong impression”. However, she claimed West said she couldn’t deny they were ever intimate due to what happened at the Santa Monica party. The lawsuit claimed West said: “We did kind of hook up a little one time.
“[West] then immediately proceeded to reminisce about the time he was referring to… where he ‘hooked up’ with [Pisciotta] after she had been drugged.” Pisciotta claimed West told his partner at the time they “hooked up” but “left out the true nature and severity of what he did to her.
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.”West handed her a drink and after a few sips she “suddenly started to feel disorientated and… began to slip into an altered and highly impaired state.” It claimed: “She felt less in control of her body and speech and that is where [her] memories of the night escape her.”
