
France captain Kylian Mbappe has publicly criticized Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla, calling her a "despicable woman" for racist comments made about him. Following France's 1-0 World Cup victory over Paraguay, Mbappe accused Amarilla on his X account of racism, stating her conduct overshadowed Paraguay's World Cup campaign. Amarilla's posts targeted Mbappe with racially charged language, including calling him a "colonised Cameroonian, pretending hard to be French, resentful, newly rich, arrogant, and ugly." The match, held in Philadelphia, saw Mbappe score the winning penalty. An altercation occurred after the game between Mbappe and Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, which Gill attributed to Mbappe not acknowledging his attempt to shake hands. Mbappe stated he would "never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world."
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
Must ReadThe Federal Government on Monday requested the Federal High Court in Abuja to remand Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress presidential candidate in the 2023 election, for allegedly failing to meet the conditions of his N200 million bail. Lead prosecutor Akinlolu Kehinde SAN argued that Sowore had not satisfied the bail conditions, including producing a traditional ruler and a surety with FCT landed property, and depositing his international passport. Kehinde urged Justice Mohammed Umar to order Sowore's remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre. Sowore's counsel, Olumide Fusika SAN, countered that bail is to secure attendance, not to punish, and stated that verification of bail documents was nearly complete. He attributed a delay in depositing the passport to a public holiday at the US Embassy in Lagos and assured the court that all conditions would be met. Justice Umar declined the prosecution's application, allowing Sowore to remain with his counsel. Sowore then began his defense, with Abuja-based lawyer Deji Adeyanju testifying that President Bola Tinubu had previously stated Nigerians have the right to criticize and insult him as part of democratic freedoms. Video recordings of President Tinubu's remarks were admitted as evidence. The case was adjourned until July 13 for continuation.
Must ReadFormer Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff stated that some states now receive federal allocations in two to three months that are equivalent to what Borno State received during his entire eight-year tenure, attributing this increase to President Bola Tinubu鈥檚 economic reforms. Sheriff, who governed Borno from 2003 to 2011, made these comments on Channels Television while defending the President's economic policies. He noted that Borno received approximately N150 billion in federal allocations over eight years, whereas some states now receive up to N55 billion monthly. Sheriff argued that Tinubu's removal of the fuel subsidy significantly boosted revenue available for distribution to states through the Federation Account Allocation Committee, preventing a fiscal crisis. He contended that the President deserves commendation for his economic management. Regarding insecurity, Sheriff emphasized that addressing security challenges is a shared responsibility, not solely that of the Federal Government, highlighting the constitutional roles of state governments in this area.

Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Burna Boy has reached a 644 million monthly audience on YouTube Music, positioning him as the top-ranked artist among the platform's current top five Nigerian acts. He has 6.41 million subscribers, surpassing Asake 2.06 million subscribers, 11.6 million monthly audience, Wizkid 3.67 million subscribers, 24.2 million monthly audience, Seyi Vibez 500,000 subscribers, 3.28 million monthly audience, and Davido 5.04 million subscribers, 25.4 million monthly audience. Other artists in the top 10 include Omah Lay, BNXN, Young Jonn, Rema, and Odumodublvck. This achievement follows Burna Boy's record as the African artist with the highest monthly listeners on Spotify, reaching 46.84 million, driven by his collaboration with Shakira on "Dai Dai," the official anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.