1. ROBIN VAN PERSIE To Join Manchester
United: Robin van Persie is set to complete a £22 million
move to Manchester United on Thursday after Arsène Wenger sanctioned the sale
of the Arsenal captain to Old Trafford following a day of haggling over the
final terms of the transfer.
2. Plateau State civil servants have embarked on a three-day
strike in solidarity with their colleagues in the Local Government Service who
have been at home since April. The local government workers are on strike to
force their employers to pay the N18,000 minimum wage as well as ensure the
payment of full salaries, as against the half salaries they had received for
several months.
3. Dog sellers in Jos have called on the Plateau
Government to build a permanent market to enable them transact their
business without hitches.
4. A festival held during Muslim Eid
celebrations has been cancelled in northern Nigeria, a region hit by a wave of
militant Islamist attacks. This is the first time in more than 200 years that
the three-day durbar, or horse parading ceremony, in Kano has been called off.
Officials said it was being cancelled as the Emir of Kano was in poor health. Last
week, a devotional retreat that takes place towards the end of Ramadan was
cancelled due to security concerns. The ritual is referred to as
"i'tikaf" when some people spend the last 10 days of Muslim fasting
month in seclusion praying in mosques.
5. It has been reported that many
Nigerians believed the rumours that
circulated yesterday night: that "cosmic rays from Mars will be entering the
Earth and people should switch off their phones to avoid
danger.
6. The central working committee for
The NIGERIA Future Awards is excited to announce that Port Harcourt - selected
by UNESCO as the World Book Capital 2014 - is the official host city for The
Future Awards 2012. The event will hold on 25 and 26 August in the Rivers State
capital.
7. JORDIN SPARKS Stars in new Movie: Five years after becoming the youngest female to win
"American Idol," Jordin Sparks restarts her career in a new movie
role that the 22-year-old sees as remarkably close to her own life singing her
way to fame.
8. MARK THOMPSON To Become President of
NEW YORK TIMES: The New York Times Company announces that outgoing BBC director
general Mark Thompson will become its chief executive and president in November.
9. ELTON JOHN’s Backup Musician Has
Died: Robert Wayne Birch, a backup musician and bass
player for Elton John, was found dead in the Los Angeles area on Wednesday of
an apparent suicide resulting from a gunshot wound to the head.