Vacation Workout and Invitation: Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior posted photos from his Rio de Janeiro holiday working out with American actor Terry Crews, tagging Manchester City striker Erling Haaland with the message “@erling, we are waiting for you” [cite: Real Madrid forward, Vinicius Junior, has invited Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland, to join him for a holiday after sharing pictures of himself working out with American actor Terry Crews., The Brazilian forward shared a carousel of pictures on social media showing him spending time with Crews during his off-season break in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro., Sharing the pictures, the 26-year-old tagged Haaland and wrote, “We are waiting for you, @erling.”].....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

• World Cup Meme Origin: The public interaction stems from a viral 2026 World Cup meme spoofing a White Chicks scene involving Vinicius and Haaland, which previously caught Haaland’s attention and prompted playful social media banter between the two players [cite: The invitation to Haaland appears to be linked to a popular meme that circulated during the 2026 World Cup., The meme gained attention ahead of the last-16 clash between Brazil and Norway, featuring a parody of a famous scene from the 2004 comedy movie, White Chicks., In the edited version of the meme, Vinicius replaced Crews while Haaland took the place of Wayans., The meme caught Haaland’s attention, with the Manchester City striker commenting on a post and suggesting that he and Vinicius should recreate the scene.].

• Growing Friendship: Despite Norway eliminating Brazil from the tournament, Vinicius and Haaland forged a visible friendship, marked by a post-match embrace and a recent “see you soon” birthday comment from Vinicius that sparked widespread transfer speculation [cite: The two football stars appeared to develop a close friendship during the World Cup, despite representing different countries. Their relationship attracted attention after Norway eliminated Brazil from the tournament., Following the match, Vinicius interrupted Haaland during a post-match interview. The two players exchanged a brief handshake before embracing, further highlighting their growing friendship., Haaland celebrated his 26th birthday on Tuesday, July 21, with Vinicius also sending him a message on social media., The Real Madrid forward commented on the Manchester City striker’s birthday post, writing, “Happy birthday bro see u soon.”, The message quickly caught the attention of football fans, with some speculating about what Vinicius meant by “see you soon.”].

Appeal to the NJC: Former PDP Deputy National Chairman Bode George submitted an open letter to the National Judicial Council (NJC) urging them to protect the credibility and independence of the Nigerian judiciary regarding a controversial ruling on the party’s leadership [cite: A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has appealed to the National Judicial Council (NJC) to safeguard the independence, integrity and credibility of the Nigerian judiciary amid concerns over a recent judgment connected to the leadership crisis in the opposition party., George, in an open letter addressed to the Chairman of the NJC on Friday, said developments surrounding the case had raised questions about public confidence in the justice system and the responsibility of the courts in protecting constitutional democracy.].....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

• Contested Court Decision: The legal action, brought by the PDP Board of Trustees to compel INEC to recognize the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led faction using existing judgments, was dismissed as a waste of judicial time alongside heavy costs of ₦140 million against the BoT and ₦10 million against its counsel [cite: The PDP Board of Trustees member said the case was instituted by the party’s BoT chairman and other members seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to implement existing court judgments and update its records to recognise the PDP leadership headed by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN)., According to George, the action relied on subsisting judgments of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and Federal High Court., He, however, expressed concern that the court dismissed the suit as a waste of judicial time without, in his view, sufficiently addressing the constitutional questions raised by the applicants., The court also awarded ₦140 million in costs against the PDP Board of Trustees and another N10m against its counsel.].

• Criticism of Wike Faction: George mocked the faction associated with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for purportedly expelling senior party leaders, questioning the moral logic of such actions [cite: George Tackles Wike-Led Faction, The former PDP national officer also criticised the reported expulsion of senior party members by the faction associated with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike., He questioned the logic behind the development, arguing that senior custodians of the party could not simply be removed in the manner reportedly adopted by the faction.].

• Call for Accountability: Emphasizing that judicial integrity and adherence to binding legal precedents are foundational to constitutional governance, George asked the NJC to intervene to restore public trust and ensure the bench remains shielded from political influence [cite: George further maintained that Nigeria’s constitutional order rested on the hierarchy of courts and obedience to binding judicial decisions., George Urges NJC Intervention, The PDP chieftain also reminded the NJC of what he described as its constitutional responsibility to preserve the independence, discipline and ethical standards of the Bench., George described the moment as critical for the country’s judicial institutions and urged the NJC to demonstrate that the Bench remained insulated from external influence.].

High-Level Meeting: Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Taminu Turaki held a meeting with former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

• Nomination Context: The gathering followed the faction’s prior announcement naming Jonathan as their 2027 presidential candidate in absentia, even though the former President has not yet officially declared his intention to run [cite: reports that the meeting came days after the faction announced Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election, despite the former President’s continued silence on whether he intends to contest., Jonathan was announced as the faction’s presidential candidate in absentia, as he was not present at the event where his nomination was formally ratified.].

• Previous Consultations: Jonathan had previously stated on May 7—following a demonstration by supporters at his Abuja office—that he would consult widely with relevant stakeholders before deciding on his 2027 political options [cite: On May 7, the former President said he would consult widely before making a decision on whether to contest the 2027 presidential election., His statement followed a protest by a group of supporters who stormed his Abuja office and called on him to return to the presidential race., Jonathan told the protesters that he would consult with relevant stakeholders before deciding on the matter.].

• Ongoing Discussions: While the recent session is viewed as part of wider political engagements for 2027, specific details regarding what was discussed during the closed-door meeting were not disclosed.