McApata: 21st Century Informania Arena

Arsenal were ravaged by food poisoning in Shanghai that ruled several key players out of their preseason friendly with Bayern Munich on Wednesday, manager Arsene Wenger said. The Frenchman revealed the sickness that had swept the Arsenal camp, coupled with the severe heat in China and long flights, made for far-from-ideal preparations for another taxing campaign. Wenger was shorn of Olivier Giroud because of food poisoning, then captain Per Mertesacker pulled out of the game just moments before kick-off because he too fell ill with the same problem. New signing Sead Kolasinac also had to come off before the break, while Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott were only substitutes because they were sick. Wenger’s ailing men were outplayed for long periods by Bayern before salvaging a last-gasp 1-1 draw and then winning 3-2 on penalties. Arsenal were particularly poor in the first half in the 36 degrees Celsius (97F) heat and Wenger admitted that the extreme conditions in Shanghai were “a sh...

Usain Bolt will run the 100m and 4x100m at the world championships in London next month, his final event before retiring, the Jamaican sprint star confirmed on Wednesday. Bolt, winner of eight Olympic and 11 world gold medals, is looking to bring down the curtain on his glittering career in style at the August 4-13 event. “My main aim is just to win (in London). I just want to retire on a winning note,” Bolt said during a press conference in Monaco ahead of Friday’s Diamond League meeting. The 30-year-old revealed he would not defend his 200m world title, meaning he will not race against South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk, the athlete Bolt has tipped to take over as the next track and field superstar. “I think that’s one of the most disappointing things in my career now,” said Bolt. “He came along at this late stage and I didn’t get to compete against him, because I think he’s one of the best now.” He added: “I’m never afraid, I live for competition. But for me it’s too late now, I’...

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had an additional, previously undisclosed chat at this month’s G20 summit in Hamburg, the White House acknowledged on Tuesday. After a brief greeting at the start of the two-day summit and a two-hour bilateral meeting with their foreign ministers on July 7, Trump and Putin also chatted over dinner on the final night of the summit, an official said. “There was a couples-only social dinner at the G20,” a White House official told AFP. “Toward the end, the president spoke to Putin at the dinner.” The disclosure has raised questions about what the pair talked about, who was present and why the meeting was not previously mentioned. The Trump administration has been besieged by allegations that the president’s closest advisors colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election. Trump’s eldest son Donald Jr recently released emails showing he held a meeting during the campaign with Kremlin-connected figures, hoping to get dirt on his dad’s election rival Hillar...

War crimes judges will rule Wednesday whether former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo can be released from prison for the rest of his trial on charges arising from deadly election violence that rocked his nation in 2010. Gbagbo, the first ex-head of state to be tried by the International Criminal Court, has appealed a March decision that he must stay behind bars in a UN detention centre until the end of the legal process. Both Gbagbo, now 72, and his former militia leader Charles Ble Goude, 45, have pleaded not guilty to four charges of crimes against humanity including murder, rape, and persecution in five months of bloodshed that wracked the Ivory Coast. About 3,000 people died in the turmoil that swept Abidjan — once one of Africa’s most cosmopolitan cities — in the aftermath of the November 2010 presidential polls that Gbagbo lost to bitter rival Alassane Ouattara. His highly divisive trial at the tribunal in The Hague opened in January 2016, and is set to last three to four ...

French leader Emmanuel Macron faced the biggest crisis of his young presidency on Wednesday following the resignation of the military chief he had rebuked for criticising defence spending cuts. The row between Macron and General Pierre De Villiers blew up last week when the chief of the defence staff told a parliamentary committee he would not allow the armed forces to be “screwed” by the government’s plans to slash 850 million euros ($980 million) from the budget. Macron, 39, replied later that “I am the boss” and criticised the 60-year-old general for dragging the budget row into the “public sphere”. In a newspaper interview at the weekend, Macron added that if there was a difference of opinion, “it is the chief of the defence staff who will change his position”. De Villiers said in his resignation statement he felt he had no choice but to stand down because “I no longer feel able to ensure the sustainability of the model of the armed forces that I think is necessary to guarante...

In a series of tweets, the new telecommunications company name in town is 9Mobile. This came after the UAE group behind formal Etisalat Nigeria withdrew their patent name from the telco due to a loan repayment deal that could not be achieved with some Nigerian banks.

An angry President Donald Trump railed Tuesday against dissenters in his party who dashed his months-long effort to dismantle his predecessor’s landmark health care law, insisting it was finally time to “let Obamacare fail.” With four Republicans now lined up against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s health overhaul, the plan has flatlined in the 100-member chamber, where the party could afford only two defectors in order to get the measure passed. McConnell announced a fresh effort aimed at repealing the Affordable Care Act now and crafting a replacement later, but that, too, ran into opposition from at least three Republicans who refused to repeal the law without a suitable fix at the ready. The dramatic implosion effectively means Trump, who marks his first six months in office later this week, has no major legislative victory under his belt, squandering months of political capital. Trump fired off a series of early morning tweets complaining about how he was “let down”...

The Bank of England on Tuesday unveiled a new bank note featuring Jane Austen to coincide with the author’s death 200 years ago after a campaign to include more women on Britain’s currency. The new note worth ten pounds ($13, 11.3 euros) and made of polymer instead of paper will enter circulation in September. Tuesday’s launch follows the introduction of a polymer five-pound note last year that sparked controversy after the Bank of England confirmed that tallow, or animal fat, is used in the production process. Activists and religious groups have called for sustainable, plant-based alternatives, but while the BoE is continuing to use tallow, it is looking at the possibility of finding a different product in time for the release of its polymer 20-pound note due 2020. The Bank of England has praised the new notes for being waterproof and having enhanced security features. BoE Governor Mark Carney unveiled the new note in Winchester, southern England, where Austen is buried. “Our ba...

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria on Tuesday sealed the premises of Samsung West Africa in Victoria Island, Lagos, for failure to register some of its products being marketed in Nigeria. Head of Public Relations of SON, Mr Bola Fashina, said this in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday. Fashina said that the action was in accordance with the provisions of the SON Act 14 of 2015. According to him, the Act provides for every product imported into Nigeria to be registered with SON for traceability and confirmation of quality status. Fashina said that SON records showed that many Samsung products in the Nigerian markets were not registered. He explained that the facility would be reopened once the company registered all its products as required by law. “We are in the era of ensuring ease of doing business in Nigeria within the laws of the land,” Fashina said. He said that the representatives of the company claimed ignorance of the need to register the products, and that they did not...

South Africa’s respected former finance minister Pravin Gordhan called Tuesday for President Jacob Zuma to resign, stepping up pressure on the embattled leader. Gordhan joined a growing number of activists in the ruling African National Congress along with anti-apartheid veterans and business leaders who have appealed for Zuma to leave office. Gordhan was seen as a bulwark against corruption until he was sacked in March in a government reshuffle that triggered unprecedented criticism from senior ANC figures including Zuma’s deputy Cyril Ramaphosa. “I think the president should move aside and let somebody take over this country and reset the course,” Gordhan said in a debate to commemorate Nelson Mandela Day. Gordhan remains widely popular among many South Africans but is not seen as a potential presidential candidate. Zuma has been engulfed by graft scandals and has faced several humiliating court rulings while grappling with record unemployment and a sluggish economy. On August ...

Saudi authorities are investigating footage of a woman in a miniskirt and crop top walking through a historic site in the ultraconservative kingdom posted to social media over the weekend. A series of videos, initially posted to the Snapchat account of “Model Khulood”, show a young woman in a high-waisted miniskirt walking through a fort in Ushaiqer, outside the capital Riyadh, playing with sand in the dunes and turning towards the camera for a close-up, her long hair uncovered. The videos have since been uploaded to YouTube and tweeted by different users. The local government of Riyadh has issued a memo saying authorities were taking the “necessary measures” to find the woman, who it accused of “walking around… in indecent clothing”. The Commission of the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice — Saudi Arabia’s “morality police” — on Sunday also confirmed it was investigating the case in coordination with “relevant authorities” via Twitter. The snaps have sparked heated d...

Egypt said it would end visas on arrival for Qatari citizens as a dispute between four Arab states and the Gulf emirate continues over allegations that Doha supports terrorism. The measure, which goes into effect on Thursday, will not include spouses of Egyptians or university students who will be granted tourist visas on arrival, foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said. The decision was announced on Monday as Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, who is trying to mediate an end to the dispute. Shoukry insisted that Qatar has to meet the demands of the Arab bloc to end an embargo, a foreign ministry statement said. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have demanded that Qatar stop supporting the Muslim Brotherhood movement and close broadcaster Al-Jazeera which they accuse of inciting unrest in their countries. The Gulf crisis is the worst to hit the region since the establishment of the Gulf ...

The frozen bodies of a Swiss couple who went missing 75 years ago in the Alps, have been found on a shrinking glacier, Swiss media said on Tuesday. Marcelin and Francine Dumoulin, the parents of seven children, had gone to milk their cows in a meadow above Chandolin in the Valais canton on Aug. 15, 1942. “We spent our whole lives looking for them, without stopping. We thought that we could give them the funeral they deserved one day. “I can say that after 75 years of waiting this news gives me a deep sense of calm,’’ their youngest daughter Marceline Udry-Dumoulin told the paper. In a statement, Valais cantonal police said that two bodies bearing identity papers had been discovered since, by a worker on Tsanfleuron glacier near a ski lift above Les Diablerets resort at an altitude of 2,615 metres (8,600 feet). However, DNA testing would be carried out to confirm the identities of the couple. “The bodies were lying near each other. It was a man and a woman, wearing clothing dating...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will this month visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are locked in a deep diplomatic crisis, his office announced Tuesday. Erdogan will also visit Kuwait, the main mediator in the Qatar crisis, during his July 23-24 tour. Turkey is a key ally of Qatar, which has been diplomatically and economically isolated by its Gulf neighbours over allegations it supports terrorism. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain last month cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and issued 13 wide-ranging demands to lift the blockade, including the closure of a Turkish military base in the emirate. The crisis has put Turkey in a delicate position as Qatar is its main ally in the Gulf but Ankara does not want to antagonise key regional power Saudi Arabia. AFP

O.J. Simpson will go before a Nevada parole board on July 20 and could walk out of prison a free man this year after having served part of his 33-year sentence for armed robbery. The arrest and trial of former NFL star O.J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, created a media frenzy. Lawyers, witnesses, police detectives, and even Judge Lance Ito himself became celebrities by being a part of this highly publicized trial. Courtroom terms became common topics of conversation as millions of people followed the trial of the former Heisman trophy winner and celebrity.

"War for the Planet of the Apes" won this weekend's battle of the box office in North America, riding on strong reviews and ever more natural-looking apes to take $56.3 million. The Fox/Chemin Entertainment production managed to outdraw "Spider-Man: Homecoming," which fell by more than half from its opening three-day weekend to pull in $44.2 million, website Exhibitor Relations reported. "War," directed by Matt Reeves, tells the continuing story of how intelligent primate Caesar (Andy Serkis) and other apes battle the forces led by an evil human dictator (Woody Harrelson). The film, made for $150 million, has a 95 percent approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website, which collates reviews. Sony-Marvel collaboration "Spider-Man," which draws a similarly strong 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, stars Tom Holland as a young Peter Parker, ably mentored by Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man as he takes on bad guy Vulture (Michael Keaton). Far behind...

Singapore has voided the marriage of a couple after the husband underwent a sex change, making their partnership a same-sex union that contravened the city-state’s laws, a report said Tuesday. The couple married as man and woman in 2015 but the husband underwent a sex change operation and updated his national identity card to read “female”, the Straits Times newspaper reported. But when the unidentified couple tried to buy a government-built apartment, they had to inform the authorities. Married couples receive state grants for first-time purchases of government apartments. The marriage was voided several months later, making them ineligible to buy the apartment they wanted, the paper said. Singapore’s Registry of Marriages said it would not give details on individual cases but cited the country’s laws which state marriage is a union between a man and a woman. “At the point of marriage, a couple must be man and woman, and must want to be and want to remain as man and woman in the ...

We know for less than a week that Samsung plans to unveil the Galaxy Note 8 ahead of IFA 2017 trade fair, which is set to kick off on September 1. Previous rumors coming from different sources claim the flagship smartphone will be announced on August 23, but the phone won't be available on the market until September at the earliest. Over the weekend, Samsung's CEO DJ Koh told Taiwanese media that his company plans to reveal the Galaxy Note 8 in late August, which comes in line with previous reports. He went on to say that Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be released on the market in two phases starting in September. The first countries to get the phablet in September are the United States, UK, and South Korea. The rest of the world will get the Galaxy Note 8 in October, DJ Koh was quoted saying. Samsung wishes to make its Galaxy Note series flagship available on the market ahead of iPhone 8 in order to avoid the clash with Apple's iconic product. Samsung won't be the on...

The Pakistani founder of the Malala Fund and girls’ education activist, Malala Yousafzai, on Tuesday met behind closed doors with the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. At the end of the session, Yousafzai told State House correspondents that he seized the opportunity of the meeting which she described as a good one to call for the declaration of a state of emergency in the nation’s education sector. She said she also called for the implementation of the Child Rights Act in all states of the federation. She said, “It was a very good meeting. I had very good response. I highlighted a few issues. The first was to ask the government to declare a state of emergency for education because the education of the Nigerian girls and boys is really important. “Federal government, state governments and local governments should all be united for this. “Secondly, the spending should be made public and thirdly, the Child Rights Act should be implemented in all s...

The White House on Monday threw its weight behind an unsanctioned opposition-organized vote in Venezuela, saying the plebiscite provided an “unmistakable statement” in condemnation of the embattled ruling regime. “We congratulate the Venezuelan people for the huge turnout in the referendum yesterday,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. He added: “We condemn the violence inflicted by government thugs against innocent voters.” The opposition-organized ballot saw more than seven million of Venezuela’s 19 million voters cast their vote, overwhelmingly against President Nicolas Maduro and his plans to rewrite the country’s constitution. AFP

US President Donald Trump threatened Venezuela with swift “economic actions” on Monday if its leader pushes on with an unpopular bid to change his country’s constitution amid mounting condemnation. The warning came as Venezuela’s opposition coalition called a nationwide strike for Thursday to kick off a “final offensive” aimed at forcing President Nicolas Maduro from office through early elections. Maduro, Trump said in a statement, was “a bad leader who dreams of becoming a dictator”. “The United States will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles,” he said. Trump did not specify what measures could be taken. But the warning dramatically raised the stakes and scope of the long political and economic crisis that has been battering Venezuela. Nearly 100 people have died since April, when street protests against Maduro turned violent. Trump’s stance explicitly sided with Venezuela’s opposition, which accuses Maduro of trying to accumulate dictatorial powers to hang on to the reins. It ...

Their handshakes are becoming a talking point of every encounter and US President Donald Trump and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron didn’t disappoint on Friday. In their first meeting at a NATO summit in May, 39-year-old Macron crunched Trump’s knuckles in a show of power he said was deliberate to underline how he wouldn’t be intimidated in their talks. At a G20 summit last weekend, the two had another energetic tug-of-war, while their talks in Paris on Thursday finished with a 25-second powergrip in which neither man looked like they wanted to let go. Bidding goodbye to each other on the Champs-Elysees after two days of talks in Paris, Trump appeared to get the better of Macron in the early stages of the handshake when he briefly pulled the French president off balance. It ended with both men stood face-to-face looking like they were having an armwrestle nearly half a minute later. Trump even kissed goodbye to Macron’s wife Brigitte without letting go of her husband. During the...

Turkey dismissed more than 7,000 police, soldiers and ministry officials under a new decree published Friday under a state of emergency imposed after last year’s failed coup, state media reported. A total of 7,563 people — including police — have been dismissed in the latest purge, the Anadolu news agency reported. Turkish authorities also stripped 342 retired army personnel of their rank, Anadolu said. Earlier, Hurriyet daily reported that 7,348 people including 2,303 police — were dismissed in total. The new decree came a day before Turkey marks the first anniversary of a military-led bid to seize power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey blamed the failed putsch on US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who denies the accusations, and vowed to root out his “virus” from state institutions. Since then some 50,000 people have been arrested and over 100,000 fired or suspended from their jobs. AFP

A Nigerian passenger on Emirates Airlines on Wednesday slumped and died on arrival at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. The passenger, who arrived on the aircraft with registration number EK783 (DX),was identified as Dr Olusola Dada with passport number A04501199. The spokesperson for the Lagos Airport Police Command, DSP Joseph Alabi, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday. Alabi said the incident was reported to the police authorities after the passenger was pronounced dead by medical personnel. The deceased, who was said to have flown in from the U.S. alongside his wife, reportedly collapsed at about 3.55p.m. at the check port screening point. Efforts by the airport medical personnel to resuscitate Dada proved futile and he was pronounced dead at 5.34 p.m. It was further gathered that the deceased was the District Governor-Elect, Lions Club International, District 404 A1. PUNCH

Former US president Jimmy Carter became dehydrated while working on a Habitat for Humanity building site in Canada and was treated at a local hospital, his Carter Center said. CBC television said the 92-year old appeared fatigued and to have fainted at the charity event in Winnipeg. “Former US president Jimmy Carter became dehydrated this morning while working at a Habitat for Humanity build site in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada,” the Carter Center said in a statement. “As a precaution, he was transported to St Boniface General Hospital for rehydration. Mrs Carter is with him,” the statement said. Carter, who served from 1977 to 1981 as the 39th US president, has been in remission from cancer since undergoing surgery in 2015 to remove a small mass on his liver. He and his wife Rosalynn were in Canada this week working with Habitat for Humanity to help build 150 homes in honor of the country’s 150th anniversary, with a focus on Edmonton and Winnipeg. “President Carter has been workin...

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was treated to a surprise visit abroad his rented yacht when Spanish customs agents boarded the boat in what tax authorities said Wednesday was merely a “routine check.” The Real Madrid star is said to have been stopped at high sea after leaving a restaurant on the paradise island of Formentera near Ibiza. Officials are believed to have boarded the yacht on Tuesday afternoon. Armed customs officers are reported to have boarded Cristiano Ronaldo’s holiday yacht as part of an inspection, according to Daily Mail. Ronaldo, 32, was reportedly on the yacht with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and friends and family when the officials approached the vessel on a large boat. The routine inspection is said to have lasted around an hour and a half. Spanish society magazine Hola, which broke the news on Wednesday, published pictures on its website of three officials boarding the yacht. Hola reported, “A Customs camera filmed everything that happened during...

The Nigerian Customs Service on Wednesday said it had intercepted pharmaceutical products suspected to be unfit for human consumption and other contraband suspected to have been smuggled from India The products, which were seized by NCS’s operatives in Zone ` C ’ Benin, were valued at N94.7m. The Comptroller of Customs, Abubakar Azarema, who is also the National Coordinator, Comptroller-General of Customs’ Compliance Team, announced this to newsmen in Benin. Azarema said that 1,149 cartons of the unidentified pharmaceutical products were smuggled into the country through Lagos ports. He said the drugs were unverified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and were suspected to be unfit for consumption. He, however, said that the NCS was particular about safeguarding the health of Nigerians. The comptroller immediately handed over the pharmaceutical products to Mr Godwin Tonwuru, the NAFDAC State Coordinator in Edo, where they were intercepted. The comptroller sa...

Desperate to turn the tide in its war on rats, New York unveiled a new $32 million effort Wednesday to cull thousands of them with rodent-proof trash cans and tighter garbage rules. Rodents are one of the least savoury aspects of life in America’s financial and cultural capital, a daily menace scurrying between subway tracks or darting around trash bags dumped on the street for collection. English novelist Charles Dickens complained about rodents when he visited in 1842 and last year the health department received a record 31,362 rat complaints from irate New Yorkers ringing into a helpline. The new measures will be rolled out in Chinatown, the East Village and the Lower East Side in downtown Manhattan, around Grand Concourse in the Bronx and in Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. “It’s been a problem for way too long,” Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted Wednesday, unveiling what he called a “change of approach” after comparing extermination efforts over the years to “bailing out ...

Google is not liable for 1.115 billion euros ($1.272 billion) in unpaid taxes claimed by the French state, a French court ruled Wednesday, saying the internet giant’s Irish subsidiary is not taxable in France. “The French company Google Ireland Limited is not taxable in France for the 2005 to 2010 period,” the court ruled. Google paid just 6.7 million euros in corporate taxes in 2015 in France by booking revenues for its online empire at its European subsidiary in low-tax Ireland, a legal loophole prized by multinationals. The group employs 700 people in France but advertising contracts for its search engine or video-sharing website YouTube are signed with its Irish subsidiary. The French claim was the latest in a series against the California-based group, which faces mounting legal problems in the EU. AFP

After a long legal battle to determine the leadership of Nigerian once ruling political party and self a claimed largest political party in Africa has declared its judgement today, the Supreme Court which sacked Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the national chairman of the party. The National Caretaker Committee of the party under the leadership of Senator Ahmed Makarfi has taken over the party’s national secretariat. The secretariat was until Wednesday morning, occupied by Sheriff and his loyalists. Members of the party trouped to the erstwhile deserted secretariat which was located at Wuse Zone 5, Abuja. As soon as the Supreme Court made the pronouncements, drummers and praise singers took over the party secretariat, singing and dancing as politicians in their large number rushed to the secretariat. There had been mixed reaction after the ruling as Makarif faction is in wild kubilation and the APC calling for change of name and more democratic processes in other for them to be a cred...

Amist the controversies between Qatar and her Arab neighbours, Al-Jazeera has been fingered to be supporting anti-semitism. It is earlier reported that part of the settlement criteria was that Qatar should shut down the media house which has grow to become a global brand with headquarter in Doha, capital city of Qatar. These criterias were later dropped few days ago with US Secretary of States pictured having meeting with Saudi representative. A top UAE official on Wednesday accused Qatari broadcast giant Al-Jazeera of anti-Semitism, discrimination and inciting religious hate, in a rebuttal to UN accusations of attacking freedom of expression. The United Nations has warned that demands that Qatar close Al-Jazeera by a rival Saudi Arabian-led alliance, which includes the UAE, violate basic freedoms. The United Arab Emirates' state minister for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, hit back in a letter to UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. In it, Gargash wrote that Al-Jazeera...

Brazilian right-back Dani Alves has signed a two-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain, the French club confirmed on Wednesday. The 34-year-old who made his name at Barcelona was a free agent having recently left Italian champions Juventus, the club he helped get to last season’s Champions League final. AFP

The Samsung device formally names Note 7 has now been renamed Fan Edition (FE). It was reportedly made available to South Korean market, where it's priced at 699,600 won (around $610 USD) - roughly 30% less than the price of the original Galaxy Note 7 (maybe to test before its globally release). Earlier this week, Samsung said that the refurbished handsets would go on sale in a matter of days, with a new name: the Galaxy Note Fan Edition. The Galaxy Note FE has been refurbished with 'unopened and unused' components designed for the Galaxy Note7, although the FE has a smaller battery (3200mAh) than the ill-fated Note7 (3500mAh). Issues with the handsets' original batteries were the root cause of the dozens of incidents in which the devices caught fire, and even exploded, before Samsung's final recall. The key specs of the Galaxy Note FE are otherwise identical to the original device: * 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD (2560x1440px) resolution, Corning G...

As earlier reported that the Nigerian acting President will jet out to London hospital where President Buhari is receiving treatment and afterwards fly back to the country. Acting President Yemi Osinbajo spent one hour with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in London and then swiftly left to begin the journey home. According to Reuters, Osinbajo arrived in the night at the Abuja House, where Buhari has been living since he arrived 8 May, from Nigeria for medical vacation. Osinbajo spent one hour and left without making any comment on his meeting with President Buhari. Spokesman for the Acting President tweeted after the visit that information about what transpired will be made known soon. He said “it was a good meeting”. Akande had announced the visit Tuesday night and that Osinbajo would return immediately after. A Federal Executive Council Meeting takes place every Wednesday in Abuja. AgP Osinbajo now back in Abuja from London & will be presiding over FEC this morning ...

Donald Trump’s eldest son released emails Tuesday showing he embraced Russia’s efforts to support his father’s presidential campaign, admitting he would “love” to get dirt from Moscow on Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump Jr was told by an interlocutor that he could get “very high level and sensitive information” that was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” The 39-year-old Trump — who now runs the family real estate business in his father’s stead — responded “if it’s what you say I love it” and set up a meeting with a “Russian government attorney,” according to the emails. The email chain was released in its entirety by Donald Jr in a move that jolted Washington, and added fuel to the political firestorm swirling over allegations that Trump’s campaign team colluded with Moscow to influence the 2016 election. Later Tuesday, Trump Jr told Fox News that he did not tell his father about the meeting, after the talk failed to yield compromising information about Clint...

As earlier reported by Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that it has "confirmed information" Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has been killed Moments ago, the THE Islamic State (IS) terror organisation has confirmed the death of group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to reports. Al Sumaria TV channel has reported a source confirming the death within the Iraqi province of Nineveh. The news channel have said his successor will be named soon. The Russian Defence Ministry reported in June that the IS leader and 30 gunman had been killed by a Russian airstrip in Syria in May. However, other reports claim that he was killed during a US bombing in Iraq.

An American, Marco Ramirez, who allegedly defrauded three Nigerians of $565,000 in an American Green Card scam was granted bail on Monday. Ramirez was granted bail in the sum of $250,000 by an Ikeja High Court. Ramirez was earlier remanded at the Kirikiri Prisons after his arraignment on June 22 over the alleged scam. Justice Josephine Oyefeso while granting the bail said, “The defendant is hereby granted $250,000 bail or its naira equivalent with two sureties in like sum. “The current exchange rate should be put into consideration. “One of the sureties should be resident in Lagos, be a director of a reputable company and have landed property in Lagos State. “The sureties must show evidence of source of livelihood and swear to an affidavit to show same. “A copy of the ruling should be sent to all immigration agencies both land and air. “The defendant must report to the Lagos or Abuja offices of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission once a week.” The EFCC had slammed a 1...

Nigerian regulators intervened last week to save Etisalat Nigeria from collapse after talks with its lenders to renegotiate a $1.2 billion loan failed. Weeks ago, it was reported that there is imminent takeover of the communication company by indebted Nigerian nanks followed by a reported that a new head was appointed for the multinational which was later debunked to be an hoaz. Etisalat, is a multinational UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 17 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Abu Dhabi’s Etisalat has terminated its management agreement with its Nigerian arm and given the business time to phase out the brand in Nigeria, the chief executive of Etisalat International told Reuters on Monday. Nigerian regulators intervened last week to save Etisalat Nigeria from collapse after talks with its lenders to renegotiate a $1.2 billion loan failed. All UAE shareholders of Etisalat Nigeria have exited the company and have left the board a...

Seventy firefighters battled a large fire in a building in London’s popular Camden Lock Market in the early hours of Monday, the London Fire Brigade said. The emergency service said it had also sent 10 fire engines to the scene, near a nightclub and a covered market. There were no reports of any casualties. “The first, second and third floors, plus the roof, of a building within the market are alight,” the London Fire Brigade said on Twitter. “The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers have taken multiple calls to the highly visible blaze and people are asked to avoid the area,” it said on Facebook. Images shared on social media showed tall flames and a burnt out building at the north London market, which is popular with Londoners and tourists. “The fire was moving very fast,” witness Joan Ribes, 24, told the Press Association. He said the fire “was flying through the air to the surrounding areas”. “People were watching, but we were scared the building could explode at any time since t...

In a twist of words, it was earlier reported that Trump or a member of his inner circus met with a Russian lawyer. As things unfold, it appears that the meeting was between Trump first son and a Russian lawyer which took place at Trump Tower, a luxuriously real estate that is owned by Donald Trump himself. US President Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton before meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer, the New York Times reported Sunday, citing advisors to the White House. The June 2016 meeting, held two weeks after Donald Trump secured the Republican presidential nomination, was also attended by then-campaign adviser Paul Manafort and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to the Times. The meeting appears to be the first public confirmation that some member’s of Trump’s campaign team were “willing to accept Russian help,” the Times reported. Trump Jr confirmed that the meeting with lawyer Natalia Veselnitsk...

The middle eastern countries has recorded a major victory on Islamic state terrorist group after their major city was retaken by government forces and those backed by western alies over the weekend. The major assault to retake Mosul started few months ago after careful and strategic move by the Iraqi forces and their alies to push the terrorist group out of their so called caliphate capital. In a short video posted only, Iraqi PM was seen walking on foot at the onces occupied terrorist territory which was later followed by a state broadcast. Iraqi forces have been celebrating the re-taking of Mosul, claiming victory over self-styled Islamic State. It’s taken nearly nine months of urban warfare to bring an end to jihadist rule in the city. There are said to be just “one or two pockets” still under ISIL control. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi has already visited the city to congratulate the troops. The Iraqi leader met commanders in west Mosul who led the battle. A formal ...

As the war of words continue, North Korea is now pointing accusing finger at United State zof America allegedly provoking a nuclear war. It can be recalled that the NK tested a new type of ICBM last week amist sanctions and war rhetoric. The test sparked global alarm as it suggested North Korea now possessed an ICBM capable of reaching Alaska, a major milestone for the reclusive, nuclear-armed state. Saturday’s drill, designed to “sternly respond” to potential missile launches by the North, saw two US bombers destroy “enemy” missile batteries and South Korean jets mount precision strikes against underground command posts. The North’s state-run Rodong newspaper accused Washington and Seoul of ratcheting up tensions with the drill, in an editorial titled “Don’t play with fire on a powder keg.” “The US, with its dangerous military provocation, is pushing the risk of a nuclear war on the peninsula to a tipping point,” it said, describing the peninsula as the “world’s biggest tinderbox....

The Chinese mobile phone brand and OEM has pen the paper to acquire patent right from Nokia . Nokia has announced that it has entered into a wide ranging patent and networking equipment deal with Xiaomi, the Chinese maker of smartphones, wearables and other hardware. A year after buying 1,500 patents from Microsoft, Xiaomi is digging into the global intellectual property pool once again. The deal covers three main areas: Nokia and Xiaomi have inked a cross licensing deal covering cellular standard essential patents; Xiaomi has acquired unspecified patents from Nokia; and Nokia will provide network equipment to Xiaomi and will collaborate on building IP transport solutions. The pair will also consider “further cooperation” in other areas Internet of Things, augmented and virtual reality and artificial intelligence. It’s also not clear how and if the Nokia patents are related to those Xiaomi purchased from Microsoft: if you recall, Microsoft and Nokia were once close partners, and t...

Don't be confused. Tria ngle is the name of the new app developed by Google parent company ALPHABET. Get the most out of your mobile data pack. Triangle is a new app being tried out in the Philippines that helps you better manage your data usage and block unwanted background data. Globe and Smart prepaid users: earn 100's of extra MBs with data rewards from apps such as Mobile Legends and Waze, and more. Receive a 100MB welcome gift after completing registration. • See your current data usage • Use "Data Saver" to block unwanted data usage • Check your prepaid data balance (Globe and Smart prepaid users only) • Download and try new apps without risk of running out of data (Globe and Smart prepaid users only) • Get extra data by using apps you have and love (Globe and Smart prepaid users only) Understand your data usage Triangle provides a quick and easy way to check your data balance and understand what apps are having the most impact on your usage. Take control ...