Osita Chidoka, a former aviation minister, has warned that more countries are displaying signs of instability than those that are at war.
Chidoka, who made an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, said, “From the data, it’s about more than a civil war. Nigeria, a country that is technically at peace, exhibits symptoms much deeper than nations at war, if you look at the number of people killed in Gaza, Syria, and other conflicts around the world.
Chidoka recently co-authored an open letter that criticized Nigeria as “bleeding,” along with other well-known Nigerians from all political, regional, and civil society perspectives.
He explained that the intervention was prompted by the citizens’ growing sense of hopelessness and distrust.
Because the nation is suffering greatly, we all decided to unite. He remarked that this is not a game of blame; rather, it is a call on the government to show leadership and unite allies before we lose this nation.
Tottenham are interested in Manchester City’s Savinho and Como midfielder Nico Paz, while Newcastle are prepared to make another bid for Alexander Isak from Liverpool. Real Madrid have not yet received an offer from Premier League clubs for Rodrygo.
Savinho, a Brazilian international, is still at the top of Tottenham’s wanted list after Spurs cut an offer for England winger Eberechi Eze, 27, to join Arsenal. (Independent)
Tottenham have indicated to Manchester City that they are willing to pay £60.75 million for Savinho, who wants to relocate to London. (Talksport)
Tottenham also made a better offer for Como and Argentine midfielder Nico Paz, 20, in exchange for a deal closer to £60 million (70 million euros), but the Italian club are still holding out for a deal that is closer to that figure. (Sky Sports Italia, Italian)
Real Madrid and Brazil winger Rodrygo has been linked with Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool, but the Spanish club has not yet made a bid for the 24-year-old. (Spanish: Marca)
Tottenham and Aston Villa are interested in West Ham and Brazil attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta, 27. (The Daily Mail)
Monaco will accept a bid of about £47.50 million for French attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche, who is another Tottenham target. Football Insider
Gianluigi Donnarumma, a Paris St-Germain goalkeeper, has agreed personal terms with Manchester City. The two clubs are currently negotiating a deal to bring the 26-year-old Italian to Pep Guardiola’s side. (Romano-Fabrizio)
After Monday’s Premier League game between the two clubs, Newcastle are gearing up for another bid from Liverpool for Swedish international Alexander Isak, 25. (I paper subscription required)
Due to the 23-year-old’s proposed £17 million transfer to Manchester United, Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens was unable to play for Royal Antwerp on Sunday. (Guardian)
Graham Potter, the 50-year-old Englishman, is currently out of the sack, but he needs to start improving soon if he wants to stay in charge of the London Stadium. (Mirror)
If Chelsea can offload some of their unwanted players, they will move forward with signing Manchester United‘s 21-year-old winger Alejandro Garnacho and RB Leipzig’s 22-year-old Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons. (Sky Sports)
Belgian winger Largie Ramazani, 24, is currently being considered for loan at Leeds. (Athletic – A subscription required)
According to reports of administration plans to send National Guard soldiers to the Midwestern city, Democratic leaders in the United States are ecstatic that President Donald Trump has the authority to send US troops there.
Trump, a Republican, has stated that he would likely expand the federal forces’ deployment to other cities, including Chicago, to oversee policing in Washington, D.C. He also suggested considering sending troops to Democratic-run Baltimore in Maryland on Sunday.
Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Democratic House of Representatives, decried plans to send federal forces to Chicago on Sunday. In Chicago, crime rates, including murders, have decreased recently.
According to Jeffries, “Donald Trump might try to drop federal troops into the city of Chicago has no basis or authority,” he told CNN.
The states are given the authority to policing according to the US Constitution.
The Pentagon has been making plans for a possible troop deployment in Chicago, according to a report released on Saturday by The Washington Post.
The push was quickly rejected by Democratic governor of Illinois, where Chicago is located.
According to a statement from JB Pritzker, “Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families.”
Trump criticized Maryland’s Democratic Governor Wes Moore for the city’s high crime rates, and criticized the governor there for sending troops there.
The Baltimore police department reported a double-digit decrease in gun violence in July as compared to the previous year. The mayor claims that this year saw the fewest homicides in over 50 years in the city.
Trump stated on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Sunday, “If Wes Moore needs assistance, I will send in the “troops,” which are currently being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime.”
Trump has characterized major cities, which are almost entirely run by Democrats, as rife with crime, drugs, and homelessness.
Some rural conservative beliefs toward liberal cities were echoed by that perception.
At Trump’s request, several Republican governors earlier this month sent hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington. Despite official data showing a decrease in crime in the city, the president has claimed that the city is in the grip of a crime wave.
Trump attributed his deployment of troops and hundreds of federal law enforcement personnel to the lack of any supporting evidence in the US capital on Sunday.
Critics of the US president have argued that Washington’s crackdown may serve as a test for the US cities’ continued militarisation.
Trump has far more authority over the District of Columbia, which is not a part of a US state, than he does over Chicago and Baltimore.
A provision in Title 10 of the US Code, a federal law that specifies the duties of the US armed forces, allows the president to deploy National Guard units to repel invasions, halt a rebellion, or put the law into effect, is included.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections led to the use of Section 12406, which Trump cited when he sent National Guard units to California earlier this year to protest.
Trump might argue that the military presence is justified by local laws that prohibit city officials from cooperating with federal immigration agents in Chicago.
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Jonathan Jurejko
New York news correspondent for BBC Sport tennis
US Open 2025
Dates: August 24 through September 7 in Flushing Meadows, New York
It added a little pressure when Emma Raducanu learned that one of her first matches would start the US Open on Sunday.
Ena Shibahara, the British number one, and Ena Shibahara, a qualifier from Japan, did not win a match at Flushing Meadows since her famous 2021 title triumph.
However, Raducanu only needed 62 minutes to win the Grand Slam main-draw match 6-1, 6-2, and record her quickest Grand Slam victory of her career.
You don’t want to be out of the tournament by 12: 30pm on a Sunday, Raducanu told BBC Sport. “When I saw the Sunday schedule, I thought first day, first match at 11am.
“That was definitely on my mind,” I said.
“At the same time, if it goes well, you also get an afternoon off,” which is really nice before your game-day break.
“I’m happy I can enjoy my day and celebrate the victory,” I said.
Spanish and talking horses inside Raducanu’s “amazing” corner
At 12:15 local time, Raducanu returned to the practice courts to score his first-ever victory of the year’s tournament, which was a victory that had already been won.
In a light-hearted session lasting about 30 minutes, new coach Francisco Roig, who made the signing for Raducanu’s team earlier this month, worked on her forehand returns from the baseline.
Although there was little guidance or input needed against world number 130 Shibahara, Roig has grown popular in her courtside box.
However, Raducanu claimed that even if the Spaniard had been trying to deliver instructions, the game would not have mattered because it was taking place in a noisy Louis Armstrong Stadium.
You can only really hear it when you’re kind of lip-reading, she continued.
“When I feel like I really need something, I will go over,” he said, probably not much of what I don’t take in.
I felt like I had most of the things under control on my side of the court, especially when it was a game like this.
The pair appeared to have gotten along despite only having been together for a short while.
Roig and Raducanu’s relationship grew as a result of lengthy car journeys to the Cincinnati Open, where he took over driving duties. Raducanu has since begun to teach him some Spanish.
She joked, “If anyone asks if I can say something in Spanish, I just go over some verb conjugations.”
Although it’s not the best way to start a conversation, I’m getting there.
In Raducanu’s new-look team, which includes Frenchman Jerome Poupel, as well as a quirky back story, there is another voice.
Prior to this, Poupel has treated horses and worked with former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard and racing legend AP McCoy.
I don’t ask questions because I don’t really know what he does with horses! It just seems to work on them, according to Raducanu.
How Raducanu has found his “happy place” again?
Getty Images
As a teenage qualifier, 22-year-old Raducanu had previously been burdened by her return to the scene where she shocked the world.
In addition to missing the 2023 tournament due to injury, the 2022 and 2024 opponents faced second-round defeats.
She returns to New York this year with improved form and renewed energy.
This year, Raducanu has won more WTA Tour matches than any other player, and he is now in the top 30 of the world.
Due to her recent injuries over the past four years and the mental strain of such intense attention, Raducanu is only now beginning to see the US Open as her “happy place.”
She has a jovial figure cut since arriving in New York last weekend, particularly when she competed alongside Carlos Alcaraz in the updated mixed doubles competition.
She believes she can fulfill her potential on it best by feeling more at ease and carefree off the court.
I found the first round to be very clean, especially for those with nerves, said Raducanu.
I was able to avoid winning a match here for four years.
JavaScript must be enabled in your browser to play this video.
Jonathan Jurejko
New York news correspondent for BBC Sport tennis
US Open 2025
Dates: August 24 through September 7 in Flushing Meadows, New York
It added a little pressure when Emma Raducanu learned that one of her first matches would start the US Open on Sunday.
Ena Shibahara, the British number one, and Ena Shibahara, a qualifier from Japan, did not win a match at Flushing Meadows since her famous 2021 title triumph.
Raducanu won the Grand Slam main-draw match 6-1, 6-2, and won it in the shortest amount of time thanks to her quick start to the day.
You don’t want to be out of the tournament by 12: 30pm on a Sunday, Raducanu, a 35th-ranked player in the world, told BBC Sport.
“That was definitely on my mind,” I said.
“At the same time, if it goes well, you also get an afternoon off,” which is really nice before your game-day break.
“I’m happy I can enjoy my day and celebrate the victory,” I said.
Spanish and talking horses inside Raducanu’s “amazing” corner
At 12:15 local time, Raducanu returned to the practice courts to score his first-ever victory of the year’s tournament, which was a victory in itself.
In a light-hearted session lasting about 30 minutes, new coach Francisco Roig, who made the signing for Raducanu’s team earlier this month, worked on her forehand returns from the baseline.
Although there was little guidance or input needed against world number 130 Shibahara, Roig has grown popular in her courtside box.
However, Raducanu claimed that even if the Spaniard had been trying to deliver instructions, the game would not have mattered because it was taking place in a noisy Louis Armstrong Stadium.
You can only really hear it when you’re kind of lip-reading, she continued.
“When I feel like I really need something, I will go over,” he said, probably not much of what I don’t take in.
I felt like I had most of the things under control on my side of the court, especially when it was a game like this.
The pair appear to have already gotten along despite only having been together for a short while.
Roig and Raducanu’s relationship grew as a result of lengthy car journeys to the Cincinnati Open, where he took over driving duties. Raducanu has since begun to teach him some Spanish.
She joked, “If anyone asks if I can say something in Spanish, I just go over some verb conjugations.”
Although it’s not the best way to start a conversation, I’m getting there.
In Raducanu’s new-look team, which includes Frenchman Jerome Poupel, as well as a quirky back story, there is another voice.
Prior to this, Poupel has treated horses and worked with former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard and racing legend AP McCoy.
I don’t ask questions because I don’t really know what he does with horses! It just seems to work on them, according to Raducanu.
How Raducanu has found his “happy place” again?
Getty Images
As a teenage qualifier, 22-year-old Raducanu had previously been burdened by her return to the scene where she shocked the world.
In addition to missing the 2023 tournament due to injury, the 2022 and 2024 opponents faced second-round defeats.
She returns to New York this year with improved form and renewed energy.
This year, Raducanu has won more WTA Tour matches than any other player, and he is now in the top 30 of the world.
Due to her recent injuries over the past four years and the mental strain of such intense attention, Raducanu is only now beginning to see the US Open as her “happy place.”
She has a jovial figure cut since arriving in New York last weekend, particularly when she competed alongside Carlos Alcaraz in the updated mixed doubles competition.
She believes she can fulfill her potential on it best by feeling more at ease and carefree off the court.
I found the first round to be very clean, especially for those with nerves, said Raducanu.
I was able to avoid winning a match here for four years.
Julius Malema, the president of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), attributed xenophobia to poverty, inequality, and government failure, calling it a betrayal of African unity.
Malema delivered the keynote address at the annual general meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Enugu on Sunday.
“African unity is betrayed by xenophobia. It is a disease brought on by inequality, government failure, and poverty. Our African brothers and sisters are the ones who lost. The reason for South Africa’s unemployment crisis does not include Somalis, Zimbabweans, Congolese, and Nigerians.
The root of the imbalance in South Africa lies with the white minority and multinational corporations, who continue to exploit while refusing to industrialize. Instead, they distract people’s real enemies, and we must teach them that unified, not divided, is the solution to the continent’s crisis, he said during the event’s opening ceremony.
Malema, the leader of a communist political party renowned for its red berets and military-style attire, pointed out that while Nigerian businesses and investors had expanded into South Africa, South African companies had made significant inroads in the country by creating jobs and providing services.
Read more: Malema and the World Bank: African Countries Must Regulate “Debt Trap” Loans From the World Bank and IMF.
The South African noted that Nigerian literature, film, and music continue to influence South African culture, just as Nigerian universities and industries provide platforms for Nigerian talent.
We must integrate our economies if we want to end one-way migration, where Nigerians are forced to leave their homes for South Africa for opportunities. Young Nigerian engineers should not be limited to being foreigners but as Africans making a difference in Africa when they are employed in Johannesburg, Cairo, and Accra. Without fear but with support as partners in a shared future, South African entrepreneurs should be able to establish operations in Lagos.
The president of the Economic Freedom Fighters argued that Nigeria’s and South Africa’s economic strength could launch a new industrial revolution in Africa.
Nigeria has a growing agricultural sector, natural gas, and oil. The world’s richest platinum, magnesium, and coal deposits are found in South Africa. We have the minerals, energy, and human capital to create a self-sufficient continent if all are combined.
“Both of our countries are trapped in neo-colonial arrangements, where raw materials are cheaply extracted and exported to Europe, America, and Asia before being sold back to us for outrageous prices as finished goods. We must end this dependency cycle. South Africa and Nigeria must collaborate to industrialize, co-build factories, and use African resources.
“Africa, Its Own Saviour,” p.
The fervent advocate for structural and political cohesion on the continent.
We must reject the notion that Beijing, Washington, or London will be the source of our salvation. Africans who refuse to be divided are the ones who can save us in Lagos and Johannesburg, Abuja and Pretoria.
We must coordinate our trade policies, align visa regulations, and create a continental infrastructure that connects our citizens. In the same way that people traveling within their own continent don’t need a visa, South Africa and Nigeria are both exempt from it.
“We are one,” he said. Both South Africa and Nigeria are familiar with colonialism’s suffering. Both countries have experienced divisions abroad. Both countries have enjoyed global imperialism’s efforts to divide, exploit, and rule us, according to the South African.
One Parliament, One Currency
Malema refuted his long-held dream of a borderless, single-governing nation. To bolster Africa’s strength, he demanded a single president, one parliament, one currency, and one military command.
He praised Nigeria’s support for South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle and urged both nations to establish a methodical approach to the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The 44-year-old politician also urged stricter regulations on loans from the World Bank and other international lenders to protect African governments from reckless borrowing.
He remarked that Africans must love one another and not murder one another. We must learn to treat ourselves better because black people are not loved in Africa and are not loved abroad either.
