American Vice President Kamala Harris has lauded President Joe Biden for stepping down and endorsing her to be Democrats presidential candidate, vowing to defeat former President Donald Trump in the November presidential poll.

“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda” Mrs Harris wrote on X shortly after Mr Biden endorsed her on Sunday. “If you’re with me, add a donation right now.”

She added, “On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country. I am honoured to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”

Mr Biden, 81, bowed to pressure from his party, announcing on Sunday that he was quitting the race.

Calls for Mr Biden’s resignation had intensified following a lacklustre performance in a June debate against Mr Trump, during which Mr Biden appeared disoriented and made incoherent statements.

A week later at the NATO summit, Mr Biden made embarrassing gaffes, mistakenly referring to Mrs Kamala Harris as Mr Trump and confusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump emerged as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate at their National Convention last week. He has also selected David James Vance, a senator from Ohio, as his running mate for the 5 November election.

The Katsina State Hisbah Board said on Sunday it seized and destroyed alcohol drinks and illicit drugs worth N60m in the Funtua Local Government Area of the state.

The Hisbah Commander in the state, Dr Aminu Usman, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria in Katsina on Sunday.

According to Umsan, no fewer than 1,750 crates of alcohol, and about 33 jerry cans of locally-brewed beer were recently seized and destroyed in Funtua.

The Hisbah commander said the effort was part of their mandate of ensuring good morals among the people in the state.

While commending the officials of the board for their effort, he urged them to redouble their commitment to discharging their duties.

He also sought the support of religious leaders in the state for the success of the board, saying Hisbah does not belong to any particular group or sect.

He commended Governor Dikko Radda for his full support for the board to discharge its responsibilities.

Usman appealed to the members of the public to always assist the board with genuine information about places where immoral behaviours are committed.

He called on parents, teachers, and community leaders to intensify efforts to instil discipline and good morals in the youths.

Federal civil servants have until July 31, 2024, to verify their identities on the portal of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System amidst the planned stoppage of salaries and sanctions for ghost workers.

It was gathered that civil servants have been rushing to generate their Taxpayers Identification Number at the Federal Inland Revenue Services offices nationwide.

Part of the requirement for verification is the TIN alongside the IPPIS number and salary account number.

President Bola Tinubu had directed that all civil servants who are drawing salaries from the government after relocating abroad should be made to refund the money.

The President also directed that the culprits’ supervisors and department heads be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud while they were in charge.

“During my recent visit to South Africa, I kept abreast of the week’s activities.

“I was particularly struck by the revelations shared by the Head of the Civil Service, regarding employees who had relocated abroad while drawing salaries without formally resigning.

“It is heartening to hear that measures have been taken to address this issue, but we must ensure those responsible are held accountable and restitution is made.

“The culprits must be made to refund the money they have fraudulently collected.

“Their supervisors and department heads must also be punished for aiding and abetting the fraud under their watch,” Tinubu had said.

A senior civil servant, who confided in our correspondent in Abuja over the weekend, noted that civil servants were struggling to meet the July 31 deadline for verification.

“The deadline for the verification is July 31, so we have tons of civil servants in Ilorin here who are trying to ensure that they register before the deadline. In fact, I have just been able to get my TIN after several attempts to get it online failed.”

Another civil servant said, “Yes, the deadline is July 31,”

When asked if civil servants were struggling to get their verification done, he said, “Of course, in previous years, those who failed had their salaries stopped, no one wants to risk anything.”

Recall that following the President’s directive, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation had unveiled a portal for civil servants’ verification.

The Niger Delta Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe, says it has destroyed several illegal refining sites located within Abia State.

The JTF Commander, Rear Admiral John Okeke, made the disclosure in a statement released to newsmen in Yenagoa on Sunday.

Okeke said that the task force also intercepted 14 boats loaded with crude oil in Obuzor, Okoloma and Komkom River in Abia.

He said that the operation was carried out by the air component of the task force following reliable intelligence from members of the public.

The commander said that the mission was planned and executed to combat illegal activities along the Obuzor, Okoloma River and Komkom River regions.

“The task force visited some communities in the region to caution them to desist from all illegal crude oil activities capable of destroying the nation’s economy.

“This move is in line with the anti-crude oil theft and illegal oil bunkering posture of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa,” he said.

He said the operation was to send a clear message that oil theft and economic sabotage within the Niger Delta Region would not be tolerated.

“We are ready, capable and determined in the task of combating illegal oil activities, and preserving the nation’s critical assets,” he said.

Okeke urged the public to always provide the task force with reliable information to track down oil thieves and vandals.

The Nigerian Correctional Service, (NCoS) has released details of biometric information of some escapees from the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Suleja, under the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command.

It was reported in April this year that 119 inmates of the correctional center fled after the facility’s perimeter wall collapsed following a heavy downpour. Some of the inmates were immediately recaptured while security forces were still on the trail of the majority of them.

The Correctional Service said it had become pertinent to publish their biometric details to recapture them and bring them back into custody. The Service had earlier published biometric details of 18 of the fleeing inmates.

In a statement released, the center’s public relations officer of the service, Abubakar Umar, said the information about the fugitives is “published for sister security agencies as well as the general public to look out for them in an attempt to recapture them and bring them back to the facility.”

Umar enjoined Nigerians to cooperate with the Service to recapture the fleeing inmates as they pose a danger to public safety and national security.

“The general public is further informed that the Nigerian Correctional Service has since deployed overt and covert strategies towards recapturing all escapees while ensuring that security in custodial facilities nationwide is beefed up to forestall any security breaches.

If any of the escapees is sighted, the public can report to the nearest security agent or agency or may call the following numbers: 07087086005, 09060004598, or 08075050006.

The public can also contact us through our email at: info@corrections.gov.ng or complaintsresponsedesk@corrections.gov.ng,” Umar said

United States president, Joe Biden, has vowed to resume his presidential campaign next week, despite fellow democrats urging him to quit the race.

Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” on Friday, the chair of Mr Biden’s presidential campaign, Jen O’Malley Dillon, said “he’s in it to win it.”

Also, the president and his campaign advisers, in a statement, expressed his eagerness to resume his campaign to “continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda while making the case for my own record.”

Close associates to Mr Biden and his team had reportedly expressed belief that he had been privately considering whether or not to contest the election against former president, Donald Trump.

According to them, Mr Biden, who is under isolation at his beach house in Delaware, after testing positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, during a campaign swing in Nevada, is listening to calls for him to withdraw from the poll.

Mr Biden cut short his trip, following the illness, as he looked frail and tired upon his return to Delaware. But the White House physician in a letter on Friday, said that after being administered four doses of the antiviral drug Paxlovid, the President’s recovery has improved, with his pulse, blood pressure and other vitals back to normal.

Mr Biden’s associates were said to be empathetic that he would be humiliated if he was forced out of the campaign for the re-election that he hoped to win.

The President’s resolve to remain in the race may however change based on the decision by a former House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to weigh in on his candidacy; state polls showing that his path to an Electoral College victory has reduced; and a spending boycott by major party donors.

Highest-ranked footballers in list of top 100 athletes of the 21st century has been revealed.

According to ESPN, Argentina and Inter Miami captain, Lionel Messi is the highest-ranked footballer in the list.

The former Barcelona forward sits in third position, with swimmer Michael Phelps named first.

His eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo is the next footballer ranked.

But the Portugal international doesn’t make the top 10 as he’s 13th on the list.

The likes of Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho and Luka Modric have failed the top five footballers ranked.

Brazil’s Marta is the best-placed women’s footballer as she is 32nd, while Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is placed 48th.

Barcelona women’s star Aitana Bonmati is next up behind Henry and 49th in the rankings.

Zidane is in 50th place, Modric is in 55th place, while Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe is in 65th place.

Ronaldo Nazario’s surprisingly is at 87th.

Police in Jigawa State have arrested 18 suspected vandals involved in notorious activities across the state.

State Police Commissioner, Ahmad Tijjani Abdullahi, disclosed this while parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Dutse, the state capital.

According to him, “The vandals were arrested within four months for vandalizing public properties for their own personal use.”

He stated that the suspects were apprehended in Yankwashi, Roni, and Taura local government areas for vandalizing electronic wire cables.

“On Monday at about 2230hrs, a distress call was received at Roni Division that, on the same date at about 2100hrs, an unidentified group of persons were sighted vandalizing the electric cable wire transmitting electricity to Zugai village in Roni LGA.”

“On receipt of the report, detectives attached to Roni Division swiftly swung into action and successfully arrested the suspects.”

The suspects, who were brought to the station for a discreet investigation, confessed to vandalizing the cable wire, which was estimated to be worth nine hundred and sixty-two thousand naira (N962,000.00).

All the suspects have been taken to court for prosecution

A 300-level student of Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), Mustapha Osama, was reportedly killed in a foiled robbery attempt in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

The incident occurred on Friday night around 8 PM along the Gudi-Akwanga road, according to sources.

Osama, who has been buried in Doma on Saturday morning according to Islamic rites, was said to have been hit by a bullet fired by the gunmen.

A family source confirmed that the deceased was driving when he was struck by the bullet.

The robbery attempt was thwarted by operatives of the Nigeria Police who responded immediately to a distress call, according to the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel.

Nayoka Clunis of Jamaica qualified and selected has dragged the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association before the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the omission of her name.

The 2024 Olympic Games is billed to get underway on Friday in Paris.

Ms Clunis was to represent Jamaica in the hammer throw competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, but eventually her name was not submitted by the JAAA to World Athletics.

Ms Clunis now seeks a decision from the CAS ad hoc division directing that she be included on the appropriate list to participate in the hammer throw competition at the Olympic Games.

A panel of arbitrators has already been appointed to decide this dispute, comprising Dr. Annabelle Bennett of Australia as President, Carine Dupeyron of France and Kristen Thorsness of the United States of America.

It will hold a hearing with the parties on Saturday, with its decision expected to be issued on Sunday.

The 2024 Olympic Games is billed for July 26 to August 11.

US President Joe Biden pledged to stay in the White House race Friday, defying a growing Democratic party revolt that raised speculation he could bow out as soon as this weekend.

“The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win,” the 81-year-old said in a statement from the Delaware beach home where he is in Covid isolation.

“I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week,” Biden added, as his doctor said the president was bouncing back from the symptoms of the disease.

But Biden’s political health appeared to be in far worse shape, with ten more House Democrats and two senators joining the list of lawmakers publicly calling on him to quit November’s election clash with Donald Trump.

A disastrous debate performance against Trump three weeks ago triggered panic about Biden’s age and health. More than 30 House Democrats and four senators have now called on him to drop out.

A key donor, Silicon Valley investor Michael Moritz, also joined other supporters such as actor George Clooney who want Biden to make way.

“Sadly, President Biden has a choice — vanity or virtue,” the New York Times quoted Moritz as saying.

With reports that top Democrats have also expressed concerns, polls showing Trump on course for a return to the Oval Office, and fundraising drying up, the walls appeared to be closing in.

NBC News reported that some of Biden’s family had “discussed what an exit from his campaign might look like” although there was no final decision to do so.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the front-runner to succeed him as the Democratic presidential candidate if Biden does drop out, was holding an emergency call with donors on Friday.

Biden’s campaign however pushed back against reports that he would bow out, saying that while there had been some “slippage” in support, he was still the best candidate.

“Absolutely the president’s in this race,” campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon told MSNBC’s Morning Joe program. “Joe Biden is more committed than ever to beat Donald Trump.”

Biden’s statement blasted his rival’s speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday, saying that “Donald Trump’s dark vision for the future is not who we are as Americans.”

But the split-screen between the two campaigns has been stark, with Trump receiving a triumphant reception from newly unified Republicans after surviving an assassination attempt on Saturday.

The pressure on Biden has soared in the last 48 hours, with reports that former president Barack Obama, ex-House speaker Nancy Pelosi and the party’s congressional leaders had all expressed concerns behind the scenes.

Top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries was evasive on Friday, saying that the “ticket that exists right now is the ticket we can win on” but saying it was Biden’s “decision to make.”

The scene could now be set for the most crucial weekend of Biden’s presidency, with media speculation that the US leader is using his time hunkered down in Rehoboth Beach to consult family members and mull over the path ahead.

The NBC report said it could involve a “carefully calculated plan” to step aside based on his own timing, to give some dignity to what would be a historically late decision by a sitting US president not to run.

Any decision by Biden to step aside less than four months from the election would also have to try to avoid chaos in the Democratic Party over his successor as nominee.

Biden beat Trump in 2020, becoming the oldest president in US history in the process.

But a series of polls have shown him trailing Trump in the 2024 race despite his rival being a convicted felon, while some polls show Harris as more competitive.

Eleven people were killed when a bridge in northern China collapsed amid torrential rains, state news agency Xinhua reported Saturday.

The bridge in Shaanxi province’s Shangluo collapsed at around 8:40 pm Friday (1240 GMT) “due to a sudden downpour and flash floods”, Xinhua said, citing the provincial public relations department.

Rescue operations were under way Saturday morning, according to Xinhua, with five vehicles so far recovered from the water.

Images on state television CCTV showed a partially submerged section of the bridge with the river rushing over it.

Large portions of northern and central China have been battered since Tuesday by rains that have caused flooding and significant damage.

On Friday, state media reported at least five people dead and eight missing after the rains sparked flooding and mudslides in Shaanxi’s Baoji city.

China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, with heavy rains across the east and south coming as much of the north has sweltered in successive heat waves.

Pakistani troops on Friday fired bullets into crowds at a protest that seeks an end to attacks by Islamist militants, killing one demonstrator and dozens wounded, officials and activists said.

Tens of thousands of activists from political parties, rights groups and civil society gathered in the northwestern town of Bannu to protest this week’s attacks by the Pakistani Taliban.

At least 28 people, including 10 soldiers and five civilians, were killed in separate bomb-and-gun attacks in the region on Monday and Tuesday amid a surge in violence.

Carrying white flags that symbolise peace, the protestors chanted slogans against the militants and the army for failing to protect them, activist Taimur Kamal said.

Videos posted on social media and shared with dpa showed protestors running for their lives as gunshots rang out.

Another video showed tens of thousands of people chanting, “We want peace,” and “We don’t accept bombings” as the protestors marched in the chaotic town.

One dead body and at least 25 people with gunshot wounds were brought to the local hospital, local police officer Mumtaz Khan told dpa.

‘‘The army opened fire directly at peaceful protestors holding white flags seeking peace. This is shameful,’’ said Mushtaq Ahmed, a former senator and activist of an Islamic political party.

Protests led by rights groups whose leaders accuse the Pakistani military of being soft on the Islamist militants are common in the volatile north-west of Pakistan.

The violence by the Pakistani Taliban, a group different from its Afghan counterpart, has surged since Kabul fell to the Islamist militia.

The group has killed more than 80,000 Pakistani civilians and security forces in decades of violence.

The management of the University of Ilorin has confirmed the death of one person in a lone accident that occurred on the campus on Thursday.

The lone accident involved a commercial bus carrying ten passengers and going out of campus.

A statement by the institution’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Kunle Akogun, in Ilorin on Thursday, said: “As soon as it occurred, the University Management immediately commenced rescue operations, and all the victims were moved to the University Health Centre. They were attended to by a team of medical personnel at the University Health Centre.

“One of them needed advanced treatment and was referred to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) after he was stabilised.

“Four had minor injuries; they were treated and discharged.

Five victims, consisting of two males, two females and the driver, are currently being treated at the University Health Centre.

“Unfortunately, one of the victims was brought in dead; the body has been transferred to the morgue, and the university management is making efforts to contact the next of kin.

“The management regrets this unfortunate incident, condoles with the family of the deceased, and prays to God to comfort the family while we pray for a quick recovery of the injured victims.”

The Ogun State Community, Social Orientation and Safety Corps, otherwise known as So-Safe, has arrested Ibrahim Ridwan, a 24-year-old scavenger, for robbing and brutally attacking a shepherd of the Celestial Church of Christ in Abeokuta.

The suspect was reported to have chopped off the finger and ear of Tella Orelope, the shepherd of Orelope Parish, Abule Owe, Greenland Community along Randa, Abeokuta North Local Government Area.

News of the arrest was contained in a statement signed and made available to DAILY POST on Thursday by the corps spokesperson, Moruf Yusuf.

According to the statement, Ridwan had sneaked into the church to steal the shepherd’s motorbike, electronic appliances and cables, among others.

The statement reads: “On July 18, 2024, at about 4 am, the Corps received information that the Shepherd was under attack by armed robbers. The Special Squad of the Corps, led by ACC Elijah Ogundimu, was deployed to rescue the victim and apprehend the suspects.

“ Upon arrival, the team found the victim with severe injuries, including a chopped-off finger and ear. The suspect, Ibrahim Ridwan, 24, who resides under a scavenger shed behind Railway Police Station, Lafenwa, Abeokuta, was apprehended at the scene.

“Ridwan confessed that his mission was to loot the church, [stealing] the Shepherd’s motorbike, electronic appliances, cables, etc. He also admitted to attacking the shepherd’s wife, who heard the noise and tried to escape.”

Items recovered from the suspect include a cutlass, scissors, and pliers.

Yusuf stated that the suspect and the exhibits have been transferred to the Nigeria Police Force, Sabo Ilupeju Divisional Headquarters for further investigation and likely prosecution.

Managing Director of the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission, HYPPADEC, Abubakar Yelwa, has advocated a legislation that will criminalize non-wearing of life jackets by boat passengers.

He made the call at a stakeholders’ meeting on the agency’s Youth Transformation Programme (YTP) in Ilorin on Thursday.

Abubakar urged Houses of Assembly in its catchment areas to enact the laws to help mitigate the death rate from boat mishaps in riverine communities.

Speaking through the Director of Community and Rural Development, Dr Mahmud Muhammed, the HYPPADEC boss recalled how a riverine community lost 130 persons to a single boat mishap.

He disclosed that the agency had trained over 5,000 youths in its YTP scheme, noting that the 800 youths that benefited from the scheme in Kwara State would soon get starter packs to commence their own businesses and possibly employ others.

According to him, the starter packs that would be distributed to the beneficiaries who were trained in 15 vocations which include tailoring and fish farming cost over N255m.

Abubakar pleaded with the beneficiaries not to sell the starter packs, but put them to judicious use.

Former Speaker of US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi has joined the push for President Joe Biden to bow out of the presidential race.

The former speaker has reportedly told her Democratic colleagues that the President could be convinced to leave the race soon.

According to the Washington Post, the former speaker has assumed a prominent role in passing messages from House Democrats to the White House.

She is relaying concerns the incumbent President is incapable of beating his opponent from the Republican Party, Donald Trump in November.

The lawmaker thinks Biden is close to making a decision to end his campaign.

Pelosi, who was one of the key figures that ensured Trump did not return elected in 2016, helping Biden to the White House, is now widely reported as orchestrating the renewed pressure on the President to bow out of his re-election bid.

Biden has insisted he will bear the Democratic Party’s flag in November, but he is said to be asking questions about negative polling data and whether the vice-president, Kamala Harris, considered the favourite to replace him if were to withdraw, would fare better.

The indications of a possible rethink come after the President tested positive for Covid-19 during the week, forcing him to be isolated for several days.

His isolation has curtailed a campaign visit to Nevada that had been part of a drive to show his candidacy was very much alive.

This coincides with fresh polling data showing that Trump now leads by two points in Virginia, a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020.

It shows that President Biden’s support has fallen in swing states since his disastrous showing at last month’s debate in Atlanta.

Presidential candidate of the Republican Party for the 2024 election, Donald Trump has accused the Joe Biden administration of creating the Russia-Ukraine war.

Trump said he will end every single conflict going on around the globe if he returns as the President of the United States of America.

Trump stated this during the GOP convention on Wednesday and is said to be considering first phone call with Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Trump and Zelenskiy have not spoken since the former left the presidency in 2021.

Trump may speak on the phone with Zelenskiy as sources told Reuters that the two sides had talked about having the conversation on Friday.

Speaking at the Republican national convention, Trump said, “I will end every single international crisis that the current administration has created, including the horrible war with Russia and Ukraine, which would have never happened if I was president.”

A group of students under the auspices of Coalition of Concerned Northern Youth and Students, has distanced themselves from the planned nationwide protest against hunger and economic hardship in Nigeria.

The decision, according to the coalition, was conveyed by Comrade Jibrin Sani Bello, Senate President of the National Association of Kano State Students (NAKS), while addressing newsmen in Kano.

According to him, the withdrawal was as a result of concerns over the unknown identity of the protest organisers.

He explained that the preparations for the protest were at an advanced stage, but upon reflection and consultations, Nigerian students should refrain from participating in the national protest due to lack of knowledge about its organisers.

He emphasised that the protests often disrupted academic activities.

Sani stressed, “We recognise the economic hardship facing Nigerians, but we believe that participating in an unknown protest could lead to unintended consequences.”

Instead of protests, he said that the students advocated for the expansion of the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to provide scholarships for eligible students pursuing education locally or internationally.

US President Joe Biden has revealed the only situation that could make him drop out of the 2024 presidential election.

Speaking in a new interview, Biden said he would consider dropping out if he was diagnosed with a “medical condition” by doctors, giving the clearest indication yet that he is considering his second term plan.

The 81-year-old president made the remark in a BET interview when asked what it would take to prompt him to reconsider his candidacy.

“If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem,” Biden said in an excerpt released Wednesday, July 18.

In the same interview, Biden said that he feels the need to run again rather than serve as a “transitional” leader, as he said in 2020 — because the country is “so divided.”

“I said I was going to be a transitional candidate, and I thought I would be able to move on from this and pass it on to somebody else,” he said.

“But I didn’t anticipate things getting so, so, so divided. And quite frankly, I think the only thing age brings is a little bit of wisdom.”

The White House has thus far insisted that Biden doesn’t need a fresh medical exam following his unsteady, confused debate performance on June 27, which provoked panic from fellow Democrats about his cognitive fitness for another four-year term.

Top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Wednesday became the 21st House Democrat to call on Biden to step aside, saying that “it is time for him to pass the torch.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, is widely considered the most likely replacement candidate should Biden drop out before the November 5 election but some Democrats fear she could fare even worse.