ONE WORD

The ruins of a 1200 year old rural mosque, one of the earliest mosques in the world, were uncovered in an archaeological dig in the predominately Bedouin city of Rahat north of Beersheba. "A local rural mosque from this early period is a rare find in the Middle East and in the world in general and especially in the area north of Beersheba in which a similar building has not been found until now," said Shahar Zur and Dr. Jon Seligman, the directors of the excavation on behalf of the Antiquities Authority. "From this period, there are large known mosques in Jerusalem and in Mecca, but here is evidence of an ancient house of worship, that seems to have been used by farmers living in the area," they added. "We found the ruins of the open-air mosque, a rectangular building with a "Mihrab" (a prayer niche) facing south, to the direction of Mecca. These features are evidence for the purpose for which this building was used, many hundred years ago."

President Muhammadu Buhari has enjoined all Nigerians to ignore the recent call by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) to Fulani herders, asking them to leave the southern part of Nigeria. “All citizens of Nigeria are free to move and live within any part of the country they please, whether or not they are originally from there. “In line with our country’s constitution, the government of Nigeria and the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will protect citizens of Nigeria wherever they find themselves. “No one has the right to ask anyone or group to depart from any part of the country, whether north, south, east or west,” the President said. In a statement on behalf of the President, the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu questioned the intentions of the NEF and the other so-called leaders in delving into issues with unsolicited, ill-intentioned advice. “They have no one’s authority to make such pronouncements. “The polarising role of the Nort

Ebola The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday officially declared the current Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. WHO chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus, who announced the declaration in Geneva, called on countries to ‘“take notice and redouble our efforts”. The announcement followed the fourth meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee assessing the outbreak, according to a statement by the UN. This is coming ahead of the first anniversary of the complex outbreak in the volatile Eastern part of the country in August adjudged the second worst outbreak of the disease. Ghebreyesus said that it was time to “work together in solidarity with the DRC to end this outbreak and build a better health system”, for its people. So far, there have been more than 2,500 cases of infection, and nearly 1,670 have died in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. Multiple armed groups and l

Manchester United are keen on adding a central defender and central midfielder ahead of the 2019-20 season, and with them closing in on centre-back Harry Maguire, they will now switch their sights towards a central midfielder. The Red Devils have been linked with midfielder Bruno Fernandes, but could have another option if that deal falls through. 22-year-old AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessié is reportedly available despite joining the club on a permanent deal just this year. Kessié is rumoured to be available for a fee of €40 million, as per Tuttosport, cited by Transfermarketweb, and is keen on playing in the Premier League. Kessié joined Milan earlier this year after joining the club on loan from Atalanta. His disciplinary issues could be the reason for him being placed in the transfer market. The 22-year-old midfielder made 42 appearances for AC Milan in the 2018-19 season in all competitions, scoring 7 goals and assisting 3 times for the club. The dynamic midfield

Presidential Election Tribunal has ordered Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmoud Yakubu to produce documents requested by the petitioners. The Tribunal gave the order on Wednesday at the resumed hearing of the petition by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the February 23, election. Ordered alongside the INEC boss is the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Zamfara State to produce documents requested. They are to produce the documents by 12:pm on Thursday, July 18. The court gave the order following a complaint by the PDP that the subpoena served on both INEC officials, since July 12 and 15, have not been complied with. Channels TV

The UK will have to "face the consequences" if it opts to leave without a deal, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator has said. Michel Barnier told BBC Panorama the thrice-rejected agreement negotiated by Theresa May was the "only way to leave the EU in an orderly manner". He also insisted Mrs May and her ministers "never" told him during Brexit talks she might opt for no deal. Publicly, Mrs May has always insisted no deal is better than a bad deal. In his first UK broadcast interview - conducted in May before the start of the Conservative leadership contest - Mr Barnier was asked what would happen if the UK "just tore up the membership card" for the EU. "The UK will have to face the consequences," he replied. Elsewhere in the programme, Theresa May's de facto deputy David Lidington revealed that a senior EU official made a secret offer to the UK to put Brexit on hold for five years and negotiate a "new deal for E

Emmanuel Okala, a former Green Eagles goalkeeper, has congratulated Nigeria’s Super Eagles for winning the 2019 AFCON third-place match in Egypt, saying “bronze medals were better than coming back with nothing.” The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an Odion Ighalo goal after three minutes of play on Wednesday in Cairo, ensured the Eagles beat their Tunisian counterparts 1-0. Okala, who helped Nigeria to win their first AFCON title in 1980, told NAN in Enugu shortly after the match, that the encounter was a very difficult one. According to him, it was, however, good that the Super Eagles triumphed at the end of the day. “Bronze medals are better than coming back with nothing. I must laud the Super Eagles for their commitment. “They have shown patriotism and love for the country in discharging this national assignment (participation in 2019 AFCON) on behalf of Nigerians, both at home and abroad,’’ he said. On the way forward, Okala said that the Super Eagles had to go