As Manchester United prepare for their Europa League semi-final first leg in Bilbao, the weight of expectation extends far beyond silverware and prestige. The true stakes? A financial lifeline worth more than £100 million. United’s underwhelming Premier League season — currently placing them 14th with their lowest points tally in history — has left their only route back into European competition through the Europa League. Failure to win the tournament…

5The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared a foreign national, Elie Bitar, wanted over his alleged role in a cryptocurrency scam connected to the online trading platform, Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX). In a bulletin made public by the commission, Bitar, aged 41, is said to be the mastermind behind a yscheme that lured unsuspecting investors into putting money into CBEX under the pretense of profitable cryptocurrency trading. The…

A 16 year old has been detained on suspicion of murdering three people following a deadly shooting at a hair salon in the city of Uppsala, Sweden’s Prosecution Authority confirmed on Wednesday. The attack, which unfolded late Tuesday afternoon, sent shockwaves through the university city, located 45 miles north of Stockholm. According to police, the shooting appears to have been an isolated incident and is not believed to be connected…

Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger has been handed a six-game suspension after throwing an object at the referee during a heated Copa del Rey final defeat to Barcelona in Seville. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed the sanction, citing “minor violence against the referees” under article 101 of its disciplinary code. The German international, who had been substituted in the 111th minute after suffering a knee injury, was shown a straight…

A U.S. Coast Guard crew seized approximately 10,000 pounds of cocaine from a fishing boat operating in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, the agency announced Monday. The contraband, valued at an estimated $74 million, marks another major victory in the ongoing battle against transnational narcotics trafficking. The seizure occurred in mid-April, roughly 1,200 miles west of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, where the Coast Guard cutter Calhoun identified…

All Ukrainian forces have been expelled from Russia’s Kursk region, according to claims made by the Russian military on Saturday. General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces, informed President Vladimir Putin during a video conference that the village of Gornal, the last Ukrainian-held settlement in the region, had been “liberated.” “Today, the last settlement in the Kursk region, the village of Gornal, has been liberated…

Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent voices in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking, and a key accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, has died by suicide at her farm in Western Australia, her family confirmed Friday. She was 41. Her family remembered her as a “fierce warrior” who spent her life advocating for survivors of sexual exploitation, despite enduring unimaginable hardship herself. “Virginia was the light that lifted…

On Saturday, Pope Francis was laid to rest in his favoured Roman church after a funeral Mass at St Peter’s Square. The 88-year-old pontiff, who passed away on Monday, was interred during a brief 30-minute ceremony that commenced at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) within the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Rome’s most significant ancient churches. Video footage released by the Holy See captured cardinals affixing red wax seals…

Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges of murder and stalking in a packed federal courthouse in New York City, as crowds of supporters, onlookers, and the curious gathered outside. Lines to witness the 26 year old’s arraignment began forming as early as 5 p.m. Thursday evening, stretching around the courthouse entrance. Mangione stands accused of fatally ambushing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a husband and father of two,…

Real Madrid have firmly denied rumours they might pull out of Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against Barcelona, despite growing tensions over referee criticism. This comes after an emotional news conference where match official Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea broke down in tears while addressing the pressure he and his family have faced due to repeated attacks from Real Madrid TV. The 39-year-old referee, who will oversee Saturday night’s highly anticipated…

Behind every great leader is a silent legacy. The story of Nasir El-Rufai’s father reveals how humble roots and quiet conviction helped shape one of Nigeria’s most talked-about statesmen. In the heartland of northern Nigeria, far from the capital cities and high offices, lived a man whose influence shaped the future of governance and reform in the country. Mallam Ahmad Rufai Muhammad, a Fulani from the small town of Daudawa,…

VATICAN CITY — When a world leader dies, a wave of political jockeying often follows. But in the Vatican, where the Catholic Church now mourns the passing of Pope Francis, the path to leadership unfolds in utter silence — and absolute secrecy. There are no speeches, no campaign trails, no political alliances. In fact, Cardinals are expressly forbidden from doing any of it. According to the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici…