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 Police apprehend suspect in LA golf club assault that left 70-year-old Sikh man severely injured A homeless man has been arrested in connection with the assault of a 70-year-old man in North Hollywood, Los Angeles. Richard Vitagliano is accused of attacking Harpal Singh on Aug. 4 with a golf club while Singh was on his daily walk near the Sikh Gurdwara of LA. Police identified Vitagliano from surveillance footage and took him into custody later that night in North Hollywood. Vitagliano, known to local authorities as unhoused, has an extensive criminal record involving drug, assault, and weapons charges. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the attack was not being treated as a hate crime, explaining it stemmed from a property dispute involving the victim. Extra patrols are being deployed in the area to enhance community safety. Members of the Sikh community, however, have expressed concern about the determination. Singh’s brother, Gurdial Singh Randhawa, called for a fuller...

 Boat carrying migrants capsizes near Italy, at least 26 dead A boat carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized Wednesday in international waters near the Italian island of Lampedusa, leaving at least 26 dead and about a dozen missing, Italian coast guard officials and U.N. agencies reported. Sixty survivors were rescued and taken to a center on Lampedusa, according to Filippo Ungaro, a spokesperson for the UNHCR in Italy. Survivor accounts indicate that between 92 and 97 people had been aboard the vessel when it departed Libya. Authorities continue searching for any remaining survivors. The coast guard said the death toll of 26 is still “provisional and being updated.” According to Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration, roughly 95 migrants left Libya on two boats. When one vessel began taking on water, passengers were moved to a fiberglass boat, which subsequently capsized due to overloading. It is not yet clear how long the migrants had bee...

 Peter Obi Unlikely to Secure Presidential or VP Ticket in 2027, Says Tinubu’s Aide Daniel Bwala, a special adviser to President Bola Tinubu, has declared that Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, is unlikely to secure a presidential or vice-presidential ticket in the 2027 general election, including with the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Bwala made these remarks during an interview on Wednesday. Bwala claimed that Obi’s political influence has significantly waned, asserting that the votes Obi garnered in 2023 have decreased by 50 percent. He attributed this decline to Obi’s reliance on “rhetoric and division” rather than a substantive agenda, stating that Nigerians are now more discerning. “Peter Obi is not going to get a ticket in any of the parties,” Bwala said. “The problem now is that he might not even get the vice-presidential ticket from the way things are going.” Bwala also expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s prospects, pred...

 Delta Governor’s Aide Offers Ex-Inmate Comfort Emmanson All-Expenses-Paid Trip, Job Opportunity The Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Delta State Governor, Mr. Ossai Ovie Success, has announced a generous package for Comfort Emmanson following her release from Kirikiri prison. In a Wednesday Instagram post, Ossai revealed that Emmanson has been offered an all-expenses-paid trip to Delta State, dubbed the “Big Heart” and “Home of Global Tourism Hub.” The package includes flight tickets, accommodation in a five-star hotel, a guided tour, and a ticket to the Delta Social Media Summit scheduled for August 28 in Asaba. Additionally, Ossai disclosed that a job opportunity with a monthly salary of N500,000 has been secured for Emmanson in Delta State. “I’d like to extend an invitation for her to visit Delta State and unwind after her release from Kirikiri prison. She won’t be disappointed as I will be giving her a good time,” he stated. Ossai urged anyone in contact with Emmanson ...

 Amnesty International Report Accuses Nigerian Forces, Ebube Agu, and Non-State Actors of Human Rights Violations in South-East A new Amnesty International report has indicted the Nigerian police, army, the regional security outfit Ebube Agu, and non-state actors for widespread human rights abuses in South-East Nigeria, including unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, and torture. The report, titled A Decade of Impunity: Attack and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria, documents over 1,844 deaths attributed to both state and non-state actors between January 2021 and June 2023. The report details a range of violations from January 2021 to December 2024, including arbitrary arrests, displacement, and attacks by gunmen, state-backed paramilitary groups, vigilantes, criminal gangs, and cults. It highlights how the government’s crackdown on pro-Biafra protests since August 2015 has fueled a cycle of violence, creating a climate of fear and insecurity in the region. “Assassination...

 FG Approves Nine New Private Universities Across Nigeria The Federal Government of Nigeria has granted approval for the establishment of nine new private universities, a move aimed at expanding access to quality higher education across the country. The decision was announced following a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja. The approval, which underscores the government’s commitment to advancing educational development, brings the total number of private universities in Nigeria to over 100. The new institutions are expected to address the growing demand for tertiary education, foster innovation, and contribute to national development by producing skilled graduates. The newly approved universities are strategically located across various regions to ensure equitable access to education. The institutions are: 1. Mercy University, Lokoja, Kogi State  2. Havilah University, Enugu, Enugu State  3. Crescent University, Abeokuta...

 Super Falcons Yet to Receive $100,000 Reward, Other Promises from FG After 2024 WAFCON Victory Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has disclosed that the team is still awaiting the $100,000 reward and other commitments promised by the Federal Government following their triumph at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco. In an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, Ajibade addressed the status of the pledges made by the government. When asked by Jideonwo, “Have they delivered the $100,000?” Ajibade responded, “We have not received our money, but hopefully, it would be paid. They have not paid; all the promises, we have not received anything.” Ajibade led the Super Falcons to a record-extending WAFCON title in Morocco, solidifying Nigeria’s dominance in women’s football on the continent. Following the victory, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hosted the team at the Presidential Villa, where he conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of Niger...