Author: starconnect
BY SCM FOREIGN DESK A ROUTINE car stop in South London exploded into one of the biggest cash busts in Scotland Yard history after cops seized a staggering £4 MILLION in dirty money. Traffic officers bagged the gigantic haul after pulling over a suspicious driver in Catford and finding £35,000 stuffed into a humble supermarket shopping bag. The 54-year-old driver was nabbed at around 6:30pm on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, after proactive Met Police officers spotted his vehicle cruising through the area. When cops searched the car, they hit the jackpot — discovering the massive wad of notes…
By SCM Sports Desk I July 30, 2026 GENEVA — European soccer’s governing body delivered a seismic ultimatum to FIFA on Thursday, unanimously voting to boycott all future FIFA competitions—including the World Cup—if global soccer president Gianni Infantino proceeds with plans to sell off a minority ownership stake in the tournament to private equity investors. Following an emergency online meeting of UEFA’s 55 member associations, European soccer officials voted 55–0 to reject the proposal, putting the sport’s premier event in existential jeopardy. The boycott threat marks the most severe fracture in international sports governance in decades, pitting…
By SCM Foreign Desk WASHINGTON — Military officials and counter-disinformation analysts are pushing back against an aggressive narrative strategy by Iranian state media and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Over recent hours, state-sanctioned outlets in Tehran have broadcast a series of high-profile military claims regarding the ongoing naval crisis in the Persian Gulf — assertions that Defense Department officials dismiss as manufactured propaganda designed for both domestic consumption and regional posturing. The false narrative drive comes at a delicate juncture in the conflict, as American forces enforce a tight maritime blockade around critical shipping channels. Federal…
By Emmanuel Thomas I Thursday, July 30, 2026 ABUJA — The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued an urgent public health warning to Nigerians following a decision by the government of Niger Republic to ban the importation and sale of Bulmex Parboiled Rice, an Indian brand found to contain dangerous metallic contamination. In a official statement tagged Public Alert No. 034/2026, NAFDAC disclosed that the ban was imposed by Niger’s Ministry of Trade and Industry after routine regulatory checks and laboratory analysis conducted by the Agadez Regional Directorate of Commerce and…
By SCM Foreign Desk AMMAN, Jordan — In a rare and bold public challenge to the Jordanian government, hundreds of prominent political, legal, and public figures have signed an open letter calling for the immediate withdrawal of American military forces from the Hashemite kingdom. The petition, circulating widely on encrypted messaging apps and social media despite strict domestic censorship, reflects growing public alarm that Washington’s military footprint is pulling Jordan into an escalating regional war. “We maintain that their presence exposes Jordan to security, political, and economic risks that serve no national interest and increases the likelihood…
By SCM Foreign Desk JERUSALEM – In a rare and severe breakdown of military discipline, more than 100 Israeli soldiers and commanders from an elite infantry unit abandoned their base in southern Israel on Thursday, leaving their personal weapons behind after an intense dispute with their commanding officer, military officials and Israeli media reported. The troops, members of the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion, walked off the Sde Teiman military base in the Negev Desert following a clash over the commander’s decision to remove and destroy long-standing company symbols and signs. According to military accounts and reporting by Israel…
By Gboyega Akosile I Thursday, July 30,2026 LAGOS, Nigeria – The grand ballroom of Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, became a living canvas of Lagos’ story as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu unveiled Against All Odds, a photographic chronicle of his administration’s journey through some of the state’s defining moments in his first term and part of the second term. The atmosphere carried a symbolism that words could scarcely capture. White-cap chiefs and Lagos monarchs, resplendent in flowing white regalia, gave the evening the splendour of an Eyo procession, as though history, tradition and governance had converged to celebrate the…
Declares US 12.0 Cents Dividend Per Share By Admin I Thursday, July 30, 2026 LAGOS and LONDON – Seplat Energy PLC, foremost Nigerian independent energy company listed on both the Nigerian Exchange and the London Stock Exchange, has announced its unaudited results for the for the six months ended 30 June 2026, declaring US 12.0 Cents total dividend per share for the period, with its Profit After Tax (PAT) for the period rising by 498 per cent to $164m. The energy company grew its revenue to $1.82bn from $1.398bn Year-on-Year with cash generated hitting $985.9m. Production averaged…
Balance Sheet Nears ₦5 Trillion Admin I Thursday, July 30,2026 LAGOS, Nigeria – Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc (“Sterling Financial” or “the Group”) today released its unaudited results for the half-year ended 30 June 2026, posting broad-based growth across key performance indices. The Group’s gross earnings rose 31.5% to ₦279.6 billion over the corresponding period in 2025, led by a 33.7% jump in interest income to ₦223.6 billion as the loan book expanded and asset yields improved. Net interest income climbed 41.0% to ₦137.4 billion, while non-interest income grew by 23.3% to ₦56.0 billion, supported by notable…
By SCM Crime Desk UMUAHIA — What began as a routine day at a popular local barbershop in Azuahia Uzobi, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, has transformed into a spine-chilling tale of obsession, fetish ritual practices, and an alleged plot for murder. Residents of the quiet Umuahia community were left in sheer disbelief after detectives from the Abia State Police Command arrested a young local barber following allegations that he contracted a military officer to execute a target, Johnson Ikenga, a native of Ohafia. However, it was not just the assassination plot that stunned investigators—it…