Osimhen Dreams Of AFCON Title To Break Eagles’ 11-Year Jinx

"All of us are desperate to make up for failing to reach the 2022 World Cup. The only way we can achieve that goal is by wining the Cup of Nations."

Newly crowned African Player of the Year Victor Osimhen is a star on a mission. He wants to transform the suffering of Nigerian supporters into joy with an Africa Cup of Nations title.

The Napoli forward topped the African poll last month to finish ahead of Egyptian Mohamed Salah and Moroccan Achraf Hakimi and become the first Nigerian winner since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.

It was a reward for helping his club to a first Italian title in 33 years and also scoring consistently for the Super Eagles.

But amid the successes there was also sadness for the 24-year-old, who sold newspapers and bottles of water in the bustling streets of Lagos as a teenager to eke out a living.

The day that has haunted Osimhen for a long time was March 29, 2022, at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

Earlier, Nigeria travelled to long-time regional rivals Ghana and drew 0-0 in the first of two matches to decide whether the Black Stars of Super Eagles would qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

As Nigerian supporters flocked to the national stadium expectations were high that the home team would use that advantage to good effect and secure a place at the finals in Qatar.

But those dreams were shattered as Ghana drew 1-1 to qualify on away goals and deprive Osimhen and his teammates of a place on the global stage.

“We could not have asked for more from our supporters in Abuja that night,” recalled Osimhen to reporters before leaving Italy to join the Cup of Nations squad.

‘Let them down’ –

“They roared us on from the first whistle to the last. The noise they created was deafening. but we let them down and that hurt. Nigerians deserved better.”

Now Osimhen believes he has the perfect antidote to the lingering suffering of supporters — Nigeria must win the biennial Cup of Nations a fourth time.

The Super Eagles triumphed at home in 1980, slamming three unanswered goals past Algeria, then edged Zambia 2-1 in Tunis in 1994 and Burkina Faso 1-0 in Johannesburg in 2013.

Since overcoming the Burkinabe, Nigeria have been on a Cup of Nations rollercoaster, failing to qualify in 2015 and 2017, finishing third in 2019 and making a last-16 departure two years ago.

Paired with Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea in the first round in Group A, Nigeria are expected to contest first place with the hosts.

Teams finishing first and second in each group are guaranteed knockout-stage places and the four best-ranked of the six third-placed sides also progress.

“We are capable of winning this tournament because the squad is packed with players who are performing exceptionally well for their European clubs,” says Osimhen.

“All of us are desperate to make up for failing to reach the 2022 World Cup. The only way we can achieve that goal is by wining the Cup of Nations.”

Ivory Coast, twice champions but flops when they previously hosted the tournament 40 years ago, have no shortage of stars and Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi says “they are the team to beat”.

“We will enjoy the support of the entire Ivory Coast nation, which is an incredible asset to have,” says Ivory Coast coach Jean-Louis Gasset.

Workmanlike Equatorial Guinea have reached the knockout stage in all three previous appearances while Guinea-Bissau, who won a 2024 qualifier in Nigeria, are seeking a first finals victory.

Death Toll From Japan Quake Rises Above 200

 

The 7.5 magnitude quake destroyed and toppled buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure on the Noto Peninsula.

The death toll from the powerful earthquake that flattened parts of central Japan on January 1 passed 200 on Tuesday, with just over 100 still unaccounted for, authorities said.

The 7.5 magnitude quake destroyed and toppled buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure on the Noto Peninsula on Japan’s main island Honshu just as families were celebrating New Year’s Day.

Eight days later thousands of rescuers were battling blocked roads and poor weather to clear the wreckage as well as reach almost 3,500 people still stuck in isolated communities.

Ishikawa regional authorities released figures on Tuesday showing that 202 people were confirmed dead, up from 180 earlier in the day, with 102 unaccounted for, down from 120.

On Monday, authorities had more than tripled the number of missing to 323 after central databases were updated, with most of the rise related to badly hit Wajima.

But since then “many families let us know that they were able to confirm safety of the persons (on the list)”, Ishikawa official Hayato Yachi told AFP.

With heavy snow in places complicating relief efforts, as of Monday almost 30,000 people were living in around 400 government shelters, some of which were packed and struggling to provide adequate food, water and heating.

Almost 60,000 households were without running water and 15,600 had no electricity supply.

Road conditions have been worsened by days of rain that have contributed to an estimated 1,000 landslides.

At a daily disaster-relief government meeting on Tuesday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed ministers to “make efforts of resolving the state of isolation (of communities) and continue tenacious rescue activities”.

Kishida also urged secondary evacuations to other regions outside the quake-hit area, top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.

In Ishikawa prefecture’s city of Suzu, a woman in her 90s managed to survive five days under the wreckage of a collapsed house before being saved on Saturday.

“Hang in there!” rescuers were heard calling to the woman, in police footage from the rainy scene published by local media.

Not all were so lucky, with Naoyuki Teramoto, 52, inconsolable on Monday after three of his four children’s bodies were discovered in the town of Anamizu.

“We were talking of plans to go to Izu,” a famous hot spring resort, after his daughter passed her high school entrance exam, he told broadcaster NTV.

Japan experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year, though most cause no damage because of strict building codes in place for more than four decades.

But many structures are older, especially in rapidly ageing communities in rural areas like Noto.

The country is haunted by the monster quake of 2011 that triggered a tsunami, left around 18,500 people dead or missing, and caused a nuclear catastrophe at the Fukushima plant.

Source: AFP

German Football Great Franz Beckenbauer Dies At 78

 

Former captain of the German team in the 1970s, Beckenbauer had in the last years been suffering from health problems.

Legend Franz Beckenbauer, who left a unique imprint on German football as player, captain, and coach, has died at the age of 78, the German Football Association said Monday.

“Franz Beckenbauer was definitely the biggest German footballer of all time, and above all one of the greatest men who I have known,” said DFB vice president Hans-Joachim Watzke.

Beckenbauer, one of only three men to win the World Cup as a player and as a coach, passed away on Sunday, the DFB said.

Former captain of the German team in the 1970s, Beckenbauer had in the last years been suffering from health problems and lived mostly withdrawn from the public eye in Salzburg, just across from the German border.

Known in football-obsessed Germany as ‘the Kaiser’ meaning ‘the Emperor’, Beckenbauer played a central role in some of the country’s greatest sporting achievements, but his legacy was later tarnished for his involvement in scandals surrounding Germany’s successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup.

Commanding Figure  

In Munich in 1945, Beckenbauer helped establish Bayern as his country’s strongest club.

Alongside Mario Zagallo — who died aged 92 on Friday — and Didier Deschamps, Beckenbauer is one of only three men to have won the World Cup as both a player and a manager.

He captained West Germany to the 1974 World Cup title on home soil when they beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the Munich final, then managed the team that beat Argentina 1-0 in Rome to lift the trophy at Italia 90.

Beckenbauer, a commanding figure on and off the pitch, was named European Footballer of the Year in both 1972 and 1976.

He made 424 appearances in the Bundesliga, scoring 44 goals, including in 13 years for Bayern, before joining Hamburg and New York Cosmos, where he finished his playing career in 1983.

Beckenbauer had stints as manager in club football at both Bayern and Marseille, winning the French league title in 1991 and the Bundesliga in 1994.

In 1996, he stopped coaching and his role as president of Bayern led to a place on the Executive Committee of football’s governing body FIFA.

Off the field, Beckenbauer led Germany’s successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup, a successful tournament that is still nostalgically referred to in Germany as “das Sommermaerchen” — ‘The summer fairytale’.

However, the story turned sour in October 2015 when Spiegel broke a cash-for-votes scandal story.

The magazine alleged that, in 2000, the German Football Association (DFB) had bought the votes of four Asian members of FIFA’s 24-strong executive committee to secure the hosting of the 2006 World Cup finals. Beckenbauer had maintained his innocence.

Beckenbauer had heart surgery in 2016 and again in 2017 when worrying news about his ill health began to emerge.

At the beginning of January 2023, the football icon renounced his presence at the funeral of Pele. A few months later in August, he had missed the traditional annual gathering of Germany’s 1990 world champions.

On each of these occasions, health had been cited as a reason.

The last time he appeared at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena was in August 2022, when he attended a match of Bayern Munich against Borussia Moenchengladbach.

NIS Launches Automated Passport Application

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo assured the public that this new solution will enhance national security and data protection.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Monday launched the automated passport application process to expedite passport acquisition for Nigerians.

The NIS in a statement on Monday said the launch followed a live demonstration session hosted by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, unveiling the functionality of the new system to stakeholders from across the country on Saturday in Abuja.

Speaking during the technical session, the Minister noted that the new reform seeks to redefine how citizens enrol and procure the international passport in line with the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

With an emphasis on convenience, reduced processing time, and an overall seamless experience, the Minister assured the public that this new solution will enhance national security and data protection.

He said: “With the new solution, application, processing, review, and approval will all be done online. On knowledge transfer, we have trained our officers to assume the new roles.

“With what we have done now, we have reduced the process of requesting for a passport to about six minutes. This does not require anybody to visit the immigration office and it will reduce the pressure on the immigration officers.

“As I speak, we have made arrangements for power and internet service providers to ensure at least 99.9% uptime. By February, Nigerians in the diaspora can have this same experience.”

On identity theft, the Minister disclosed that the Service has also achieved its objective of harmonization of data through its technical handshake with the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC.

Speaking on the readiness of the system and the men of the Service, the Comptroller General of NIS, Mrs Adepoju Carol Wura-Ola, stated that the new process was a result of hardwork and determination of the Service.

She said: “What you’re seeing today is the product of dedication and motivation to see that an end comes to the stress, pains, and hardship that Nigerians go through to procure the international passport both at home and in the diaspora.

“We are motivated to stamp out corruption. That the Green Passport is restored to its place of pride. The Minister, Hon. Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has challenged the Service, and has provided resources and technical know-how.”

Israeli Strike Kills Hezbollah Commander In Lebanon

 

Israeli Strike Kills Hezbollah Commander In Lebanon

Tawil "had a leading role in managing Hezbollah's operations in the south", the security official said, requesting anonymity for security reasons.

Israel killed a top commander of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in a strike on south Lebanon, a security source told AFP Monday, adding to fears the conflict in Gaza could spread.

Hezbollah later announced the killing of a “commander” for the first time, naming him as Wissam Hassan Tawil. It said he died “on the road to Jerusalem” — the phrase used for fighters killed by Israel.

Tawil “had a leading role in managing Hezbollah’s operations in the south”, the security official said, requesting anonymity for security reasons.

The official added that the commander, who held several other top positions in the group, “was killed in an Israeli strike targeting his car in the south”.

Tawil was the highest-ranking Hezbollah member to be killed since the group and Israel began exchanging near-daily cross-border fire after the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7.

The killing of Hamas’s deputy leader in Beirut last week has raised fears of a wider conflagration.

Saleh al-Aruri, killed in a missile strike widely attributed to Israel, was the most high-profile Hamas figure to die during the war, in the first attack on Beirut since the fighting began.

On Friday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel his fighters would respond swiftly to Aruri’s killing. The group claimed an attack on an Israeli air control base the next day.

On Saturday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell met Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, in Beirut as part of a push to avoid Lebanon being dragged into the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In November, Raad’s son was killed in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon along with five other fighters, the group had said.

Nearly three months of cross-border fire have killed more than 180 people in Lebanon, including over 135 Hezbollah fighters, but also more than 20 civilians including three journalists, according to an AFP tally.

In northern Israel, nine soldiers and at least four civilians have been killed, according to Israeli authorities.

Source: AFP

‘Oppenheimer’ Tops Golden Globes On Bittersweet Night For ‘Barbie’

"Oppenheimer" took five prizes including Best Drama, Best Director for Nolan, Best Score, as well as acting trophies for Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.

“Oppenheimer” took five prizes including Best Drama, Best Director for Nolan, Best Score, as well as acting trophies for Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.

Nolan told journalists backstage he was drawn to the “tragedy” of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a scientist who remained loyal to his country and never apologized for his actions, yet was “wracked by tremendous guilt.”

Emma Thomas, the film’s producer and Nolan’s wife said his work about “one of the darkest developments in our history” was “unlike anything, anyone else is doing.”

Murphy, who plays the title character in the three-hour epic, hailed his “visionary director,” while Downey Jr, portraying the protagonist’s bitter rival, praised the movie as a “masterpiece.”

In winning best director, Nolan fended off Greta Gerwig, who helmed “Barbie” — the other half of the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon that grossed a combined $2.4 billion last year at the box office.

Turning nostalgia for the beloved doll into a sharp satire about misogyny and female empowerment, “Barbie” was the leading film heading into the night with nine nominations, but ended the gala with just two prizes.

It won the award for best song, for a tune written by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas. As the year’s highest-grossing movie, it claimed a newly created trophy for box office achievement.

“We would like to dedicate this to every single person on the planet who dressed up and went to the greatest place on Earth, the movie theatres,” said Margot Robbie, the film’s star and producer.

“Thank you to all the Barbies and Kens in front of and behind the screen,” added Gerwig.

But “Barbie” lost out on best comedy to “Poor Things” — a surreal, sexy bildungsroman which also earned Emma Stone best actress for her no-holds-barred turn as Bella Baxter.

“Bella falls in love with life itself, rather than a person. She accepts the good and the bad in equal measure, and that really made me look at life differently,” said Stone.

– ‘Changing your game’ –

 After an annus horribilis in which the industry was crippled by strikes, A-listers turned out in force to celebrate Sunday.

Stars who were unable to promote their movies during the months-long Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) walkout made up for lost time on the Oscars campaign trail.

Attendees also included big names from the world of music such as Bruce Springsteen and Dua Lipa — both nominated for best song — and Taylor Swift representing her recent concert movie.

“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL — on the Golden Globes, fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” joked host Jo Koy.

The wins for high-profile films like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were a welcome boon to the new owners of the Globes, which have suffered years of controversy and declining audiences.

Long billed as “Hollywood’s biggest party,” the Globes were boycotted by the industry after allegations of corruption and racism emerged in 2021, and the show was taken off air a year later.

The controversial group of Los Angeles-based foreign journalists that created the Globes 80 years ago has since been disbanded, and a wider net of overseas critics was brought in to choose this year’s winners.

“Golden Globes journalists, thanks for changing your game,” Downey Jr said in his acceptance speech.

– ‘Historic’ –

The Globes provide a timely boost for the Oscars.

Nominations voting for the Academy Awards begins Thursday, with the Oscars taking place this year on March 10.

Indigenous actor Lily Gladstone won best actress in a drama for her role in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” delivering some of her emotional speech in the native language of the Blackfeet Nation.

“This is an historic win, it doesn’t belong to just me,” she said.

“This is for every little res kid.”

Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph bolstered their Oscars campaigns with wins for “The Holdovers,” in which they starred as a curmudgeonly history teacher and cook of a 1970s prep school, respectively.

Best screenplay and best non-English language film went to French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall.”

The film’s director and co-writer Justine Triet told AFP it was “sort of unreal” to win two prizes, especially in the screenplay category, which included Scorsese, Nolan and Gerwig.

Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” won best animated film.

The Globes also honoured the best in television, just a week before the strike-delayed Emmys.

“Succession” dominated, claiming best drama series, and acting wins for stars Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Matthew Macfadyen.

“The Bear” swept the comedy categories, while road-rage saga “Beef” did the same in limited series.

Past Globes host Ricky Gervais, who did not attend, won best stand-up comedy performance, a new category.

Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal Against Governor Alia

This follows the withdrawal of the appeal by counsel to Mr Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sebastian Hon.

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal against the election of Governor Hycinth Alia of Benue State.

This follows the withdrawal of the appeal by counsel to Mr Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sebastian Hon.

Uba had challenged the victory of Governor Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, both the Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal Abuja, had affirmed Alia’s election as governor of Benue State, following his declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the March 18 governorship election.

The Court of Appeal had said it lacked the jurisdiction to hear the petition because it was a pre-election matter.

The court held that Uba ought to have prosecuted the forgery allegation against Sam Ode, the deputy governor at the high court.

It also held that Uba failed to prove allegations of forgery against Ode beyond reasonable doubt.