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Tennis superstar, Carlos Alcaraz has named two Barcelona stars among his top three players to win the Ballon d’Or this year.

The two Barcelona players are Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.

Alcaraz also picked Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele.

As revealed by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Alcaraz was asked to name his top three players for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

The Tennis star said (via BBC Sports): “Top three Ballon d’Or, Yamal, Dembele and Raphinha.”

All the three players have been impressive for their clubs in the last one year.

Dembele won a Tremble with PSG last season, while Yamal and Raphinha won both the LaLiga and the Copa del Rey.

The winner for this year’s Ballon d’Or will be announced in September.

Nigeria defender Ola Aina has put pen to paper on a new three-year contract with Nottingham Forest.

The versatile full-back will now remain at the City Ground until 2028.

Talks over a new contract started between his representatives and Forest last year.

There were fears among the Tricky Trees fans that Aina could leave the club this summer amid interest from Liverpool and Manchester City, as well as clubs from abroad.

Forest have now been able to convince him to sign a new contract.

The 28-year-old caught the eye with his impressive displays for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in the Premier League last season.

Aina registered two goals and one assist in 35 league outings for the club.

He arrived at Forest on a free transfer two years ago after leaving Serie A club Torino.

Ashleigh Plumptre has expressed her excitement following the Super Falcons’ winning start at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Justine Madugu’s side recorded a comfortable 3-0 victory over the North Africans on Sunday.

The Super Falcons previously failed to record a win in their last two opening fixtures at the WAFCON finals.

They lost to Banyana Banyana of South Africa 1-0 in their first game at the 2018 edition of the competition hosted by Ghana.

The Banyana Banyana also defeated them by the same scoreline in Morocco 2022.

Plumptre said coming out with a win and a clean sheet was good for the team.

“I feel really happy. Obviously, it’s the first game of the tournament, and there are always a lot of nerves and excitement going into it. To come away with three goals and a clean sheet is a really nice way to start,” the Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia player told Ademola TV after the game.

The nine-time champions will take on Botswana in their next game on Thursday.

Serie A giants, AC Milan have opened talks with Bayer Leverkusen striker, Victor Boniface, according to La Gazetta dello Sport.

The Rooseneri also have Dusan Vlahovic on their radar but believed they could get Boniface for an affordable fee.

The Nigeria international scored against Milan in the UEFA Champions League last season.

Boniface netted 11 times in 27 appearances across all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen last season.

The 24-year-old is open to leaving Die Werkself this summer.

He joined Leverkusen from Belgian Pro League outfit, Union Saint-Gillloise in 2023.

The striker has three years left on his contract with Erik ten Hag’s side.

Troops of 6 Brigade, Nigerian Army, and Sector 3 of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have raided bandit hideouts and disrupted a meeting allegedly convened by a notorious bandit leader in the southern part of Taraba State.

Army authorities said the operation, carried out on 5 July 2025, targeted remote areas in Wukari Local Government Council believed to be strongholds of Liamdoo Douglas Adekpe, popularly known as Bajor.

In a statement made available to journalists in the state on Monday by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Captain Olubodunde Oni, the feat was achieved based on intelligence information.

A former President of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Chief Adebayo Oyero, has informed Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State over the passage of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Akinloye Owolabi Olakulehin.

Oyero broke the news to the governor Monday afternoon.

It was that gathered that the news of the demise of the traditional ruler filtered through the airwaves in the early hours of Monday.

Our correspondent reports that Oyero led a delegation of the family members to inform the governor.

Oyero made the assertion during a visit to the governor at the Courtesy Room of the Governor’s Office in Agodi, Ibadan.

Reports state that Olakulehin was coronated on Friday, 12th July 2024.

He hailed from Okugbaja Compound in Ita Baale Ori Okiti in Ibadan North East Local Government Area of the state.

The Sokoto State Government has called on notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, to demonstrate genuine commitment to peace by releasing all kidnapped victims and halting attacks on rural communities.

The Security Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu, Colonel Ahmed Usman (rtd), made the call following a widely circulated audio in which Turji reportedly expressed interest in dialogue and urged other bandit leaders to embrace peace.

Speaking in Sokoto, Usman said while the government welcomed any indication of peace, such claims must be backed by meaningful action.

“If Turji truly wants peace, he must first release all abducted persons unconditionally and stop the violence,” Usman stated.

He emphasized that the safety of rural communities remains a top concern for the state government, stressing that no dialogue can be meaningful while residents live in fear or captivity.

According to him, the government remains open to supporting genuine peace efforts but warned that acts of criminality will not be condoned.

Usman also called on traditional rulers, civil society groups, and religious leaders to collaborate in the push for stability and lasting peace in the region.

The Chief Executive Officer of Financial Derivatives Company, Bismarck Rewane, said that Dangote Refinery’s petrol distribution initiative, billed to kick off on August 15, 2025, would help in curbing Nigeria’s headline inflation, which stood at 22.97 percent as of May.

Rewane made this known in a statement on Monday, citing an FDC report published in the Lagos Business School (LBS) Executive Breakfast Presentation for July 2025.

According to Rewane, Dangote Refinery’s plan to spend over N1.7 trillion annually on logistics costs to distribute fuel is a game changer in the country’s oil and gas downstream sector.

He noted that Dangote Refinery’s move to use compressed natural gas trucks to distribute fuel and automotive gas oil nationwide to the doorsteps of end-users will lower prices and curb inflation.

“The initiative is set to revolutionise Nigeria’s oil downstream business by cutting logistics costs and by spending over N1.7 trillion annually,” it stated, emphasising that Dangote Refinery’s fuel distribution strategy, which involves deploying 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks nationwide, will lower pump prices, curb inflation, and support over 42 million MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises).

“With 4,000 CNG-powered trucks delivering refined products directly to the doorsteps of end-users, the move will lower pump prices, curb inflation, and support over 42 million MSMEs.”

Reports  state that Dangote Refinery announced a plan to commence direct petrol and diesel distribution to end-users.

However, petroleum products marketers and retailers have kicked against the move, noting it would lead to massive job losses.

Reports that fuel prices dropped in the last six days following the drop in global crude oil prices and the ex-depot price slash to N840 per litre from N880 by Dangote Refinery.

At the weekend, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited retail outlets in Abuja also adjusted petrol pumps to N910 from N945 per litre.