West Ham defender, Arthur Masuaku gets six-game ban for spitting at an opponent

The Football Association has confirmed that West Ham defender, Arthur Masuaku will serve a mandatory six-game ban for spitting at an opponent.  

The Frenchman reacted to a challenge from Nick Powell in the Hammers' FA Cup loss to Wigan on Saturday.  Masuaku, 24, later issued an apology on social media, saying his actions were "unacceptable and out of character".

He will not be available for selection until West Ham host Manchester United at London Stadium on 18 March.  Hammers manager David Moyes already without a number of players because of injury described the incident as "despicable".  "[Masuaku] will deserve everything he gets and he will get something he deserves from us," he said.  

The east Londoners are four points clear of the Premier League relegation zone and Masuaku will miss matches against Crystal Palace, Brighton, Watford, Liverpool, Swansea and Burnley.

Indian man dies after been sucked into MRI machine while visiting a sick relative

An Indian man has died in a freak accident after he was sucked in to an MRI machine at a hospital in Mumbai.

Rajesh Maru, 32, was killed after walking into the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) room to visit a sick elderly relative while carrying an oxygen cylinder, police say.

Two arrests have been made by the Police and an investigation has been launched into the tragic incident which occurred in Mumbai’s Nair Hospital on 27 January.

"We have arrested a doctor and another junior staff member under section 304 of the Indian penal code for causing death due to negligence," Mumbai police spokesman Deepak Deoraj told AFP.

Police said preliminary reports suggested that the man had died from inhaling liquid oxygen that leaked from the cylinder after it hit the MRI machine.. It is thought the cylinder was damaged after hitting the machine.

NDTV reports Mr Maru’s hand was trapped in the machine when the damaged cylinder burst, “triggering a massive oxygen leak”. He was rushed to an emergency room but was pronounced dead within 10 minutes.

His family say staff at the hospital assured them the machine was switched off before he entered the room.

“I asked the ward boy thrice about the machine but he ridiculed me, saying that he knows his job well and does not need to know from me about it,” his relative Priyanka Solanki said.

Ramesh Bharmal, the dean of the hospital, told AFP that an investigation had been launched to determine the exact cause of death, adding CCTV footage of the incident had been handed over to police.

The victim's uncle said Maru had been asked to carry the cylinder by the junior staff member who assured him the machine was switched off.

The victim’s uncle, Jitendra Maru, added:

“The ward boy who was supposed to prevent such incidents told my family members to go inside when the machine was turned on. We are shocked and devastated.”

His mother Gala said that her son-in-law was initially meant to enter the room instead of her son.  

“My son-in-law was supposed to take his mother to the MRI room, but the ring in his finger was stuck and wouldn't come off,” she said.

Ramesh Bharmal, the dean of the hospital, said that an investigation had been launched to determine the exact cause of death. 

The state government of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, announced compensation of 500,000 rupees ($7,870) for the victim's family.

Tributes have also been paid to Mr Maru on his memorialised Facebook page.

MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, machines use a powerful magnetic field to produce images of the body's organs. Metallic objects are pulled towards it and must not be carried into the room.

Ivory Coast's anti-smuggling unit seizes $800m haul of elephant tusks, pangolin scales from Nigeria, Gabon, Mozambique, Uganda

Authorities in Ivory Coast have seized around 600 kg of elephant tusks and 600 kg of pangolin scales have been seized in Ivory Coast, ready to be sent to Vietnam and other Asian countries.

Head of Ivory Coast's anti-smuggling unit, told reporters last Thursday that six suspects were arrested in the operation lasting several days, that aimed to dismantle a major trafficking network.

"The ivory was ready for export to Vietnam. The ... pangolin scales were destined for Asia," - said Adomo.

The unit said two of the suspects came from Ivory Coast and one from Guinea, and that the ivory had come from as far afield as Gabon, Nigeria, Mozambique and Uganda.

The anti-trafficking group EAGLE, which worked with the authorities, said two of the suspects were from Vietnam and one from China.

The tusks were valued at $450,000 and the pangolin scales $350,000 on the black market, authorities said.

The pangolin, a small, armadillo-like mammal, lives in forests in Ivory Coast and West Africa. Global trade in them is banned under a UN convention, but their scales are prized in some Asian countries for use in traditional medicine.

-Additional report by Reuters

Ali Baba celebrates 30 years of being relevant in the comedy industry, shows off his awards

Ace comedian, Ali Baba celebrated 30 years of relevance in the entertainment/ comedy industry. He took to his IG to reminisce about his first gig in Ekpoma and showed off his numerous awards. 

President Buhari signs 8 bills into law

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate), Ita Enang, briefed State House correspondents yesterday that President Muhammadu Buhari has signed eight bills into law.


Prominent among the bills signed into law is the Legislative Houses (Power and Privileges), Act 2018. The Act grants members of Legislative Houses in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly immunity from litigation for actions taken in plenary or committee proceedings of the House or committee. .

According to Enang, the law is meant to strengthen the power of the legislators to carry out their legislative functions. .

The powers include powers to summon any person to appear before her, give evidence, including power of an officer of the legislative House to arrest any person who commits an offence against the Act. .

Another bill signed into law was the National Institute of Legislative Studies (Amendment) Act, 2018. Another law the President assented to was the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2018. The Act establishes the National Senior Citizens Centre in the country to cater for the needs of senior citizens. .

Others are Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Spain (Domestication and Enforcement ) Act, 2018; Rail Loan (International Bank) (Repeal) Act, 2018, Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2018, Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration Act, 2018 and Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (Establishment), Act, 2018.

Didier Drogba dances with Ivorians as they show gratitude for the school he built for their community

Ivorian football legend, Didier Drogba gave back to his country a few days ago by opening a school that will help no fewer than 350 children in the rural cocoa growing community of Pokou-Kouamekro to gain quality education. 

Speaking at the launch, Drogba said the foundation began working on the project two years ago. 

I am very proud to see it completed . The belief of my foundation has always been if we give children access to health and education, we will build future generations of doctors, scientists, businessmen and women and that is how we build a better Africa”. 

The former Chelsea player also took to Instagram to shares photos of the opening and wrote;

To be born somewhere, travel everywhere and come back to give back to my community and give them opportunity to dream bigger by giving them access to better education. #manof the world. 

In appreciation of the kind gesture, hundreds of commuter gathered round Drogba to sing and praise him for his good deeds. One particular elderly women laid down her wrapper and asked him to step on it. Known for his dancing skills, Drogba joined in the celebration.

Watch the video below...

'I love Donald Trump for being frank with Africans' - Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni

Ugandan president says he loves President Donald Trump and that he should be praised for not mincing words. .

"I love Trump because he tells Africans frankly," President Yoweri Museveni said Tuesday, shortly after the US ambassador reportedly apologized for Trump's recent reference to African nations as "shithole countries." .

"I don't know whether he was misquoted or whatever. But he talks to Africans frankly," Museveni said. "In the world, you cannot survive if you are weak." .

The Ugandan leader was addressing members of the regional East African Legislative Assembly.

Two South African policemen arrested for killing a Nigerian

The Nigerian Mission in South Africans has confirmed that indigenes responsible for the violent attack on Nigerians in Durban and other areas have been apprehended and arraigned in South African Court on Monday, January 22, 2018.

According to reports, the Consular officers from the Nigerian Consulate-General in Johannesburg and the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria were in Durban to witness the court proceeding.  

Two policemen were arraigned in court and the case was adjourned till Monday, Jan. 29 while the accused were refused bail and remanded in prison custody.  According to the Consul General, the late Okori was killed in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, South Africa on Friday.

Nigeria Consul General in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mr Godwin Adams said, “We condemn in strong terms the barbaric acts and call on the South African authorities to intervene and put an end to this ugly trend. We also call on Nigerians to continue to be law abiding, as we work towards obtaining justice for the family of the deceased".

He stated that investigation was also going on to unravel the cause of the death of another Nigerian killed in Rustenburg, Northwest Province, South Africa, on January 20, 2018, in circumstances yet to be ascertained.  “While we await the outcome of the judicial proceedings, we want to, once again, appeal for calm and rectitude among our nationals in the affected areas,” he said.

"I've seen alot of d**k pics" Twitter staff says as it's revealed Twitter employees are paid to analyze private messages

If you're in the habit of sending your nude pics via DM, chances are, a Twitter staff somewhere has seen your nude photo.

Some Twitter employees exposed top-secret details about their jobs as seen in a video released by investigative journalist group, Project Veritas. It was revealed that hundreds of employees are dedicated and paid to look at "d**k pics" posted by Twitter users in their DMs.

Senior Network Security Engineer Clay Haynes is heard in the footage captured January 6 speaking openly about how he is paid to access and analyze users' personal information - which includes browsing through hundreds of obscene pictures and messages.

"There's teams dedicated to it. I mean, we're talking, we're talking three or four… at least, three or four hundred people… Yes, they're paid to look at d**k pics," Haynes revealed in the shocking video.

Haynes said he specifically analyzes tweets and messages that have been flagged or reported.

He added: "I get to look at all of the reported tweets. Which means I have seen alot of d*ck pics. It's ridiculous. I mean... it's like a level... I don't want to say it freaks me out, but it disturbs me."

Haynes also said that he even has to power to leak sensitive information if need be.

"It's a genie out of the bottle kind of thing after that point. Sure, I can fire them, heck, I could probably even sue them in some cases," Haynes said. 

While speaking to reporters, Direct Messaging Engineer Pranay Singh said everything they ever sent on Twitter is stored on his server - and will never go away.

Singh said: "All of your illegitimate wives and all the girls you've been f**king around with, they are on my sever now. They never go away, they are always on there. Even after you send them, people are analyzing them to see what you're interested in, to see what you're talking about, and they sell that data to advertisers."

And, since Twitter is free, another software engineer, Mihai Florea, said users are basically "paying for the right" to use the website with their own data, Daily Mail reports.

Former software engineer Conrado Miranda added: "You leak way more information than you think. We have information from people... like, if you go to Twitter for the first time, we have information about you."

Watch the interview with Twitter employees below.

Popular Ebonyi state House of Assembly member, Maria Ude Nwachi has been suspended from the house, see the shocking reason for her suspension

Popular member of the Ebonyi state, Maria Ude Nwachi, has been suspended from the state's House of Assembly. Nwachi, a member representing Afikpo North -East constituency, was today given a 2 week suspension from being a member in Ebonyi state house of Assembly for 'abusing and disgracing' the honourable house by turning herself to ordinary photographer.

This came after series of warning and possible corrections from the honourable house.

The leader of the house, Hon. Joseph Nwobashi moved the motion which was seconded by Hon Mrs Okpo Franca. Hon. Mrs Okpo advised her to leave the system and possibly go and work on her ''disgusting attitude'' that is bringing down the respect and honor given to the house.

Nwachi was present during plenary when she was suspended.

Manchester United announce the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal

Manchester United have signed Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal, in a swap deal with midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Chile forward Sanchez, 29, who almost joined Manchester City last summer signed a four-and-a-half-year deal.

 Speaking about his transfer, Alexis Sanchez said: “I am thrilled to be joining the biggest club in the world. I have spent three-and-a-half wonderful years at Arsenal and I bring with me very positive memories of that great club and its fans. The chance to play in this historic stadium and to work with Jose Mourinho was something I could not turn down. I am very proud to be the first Chilean player ever to play for United’s first team and I hope I can show our fans all around the world why the club wanted to bring me here.”

Jose Mourinho commented: “Alexis is one of the best attacking players in the world and he will complete our very young and talented group of attacking players. He will bring his ambition, drive and personality, qualities that make a Manchester United player and a player that makes the team stronger and the supporters proud of their club dimension and prestige. I would like to wish Henrikh all the success and happiness that I am sure he is going to get. He is a player that we will not forget, especially for his contribution to our Europa League victory.”

10 catholic priests arrested in Congo for protesting and demanding resignation of President Joseph Kabila

Security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo have arrested 10 priests and more than 200 protesters over Sunday’s demonstrations demanding President Joseph Kabila leave power.

The Catholic Church had called for demonstrations against the leader, whose constitutional mandate ended in 2016.  Six people were killed in the capital, Kinshasa, when police used tear gas and live bullets to disperse the protesters, which also took place in other parts of the country.

“We have registered the case of 10 priests who have been arrested, including Father Dieudonne Mukinayi of Saint Christophe Parish in Binza Ozone. He is detained in a residence of a government official alongside eight parishioners,” Georges Kapiamba of the NGO Congolese Association for Justice told the UN-sponsored Radio Okapi.  

“According to information we have, they were or continue to be mistreated. Their clothes have been torn. Two nuns are missing, 257 demonstrators have been arrested and are being held in various cells in Kinshasa,”Kapiamba added.  

The Lay Coordination Committee, an arm of the Catholic Church, had called for nationwide demonstrations to push for the implementation of a political agreement signed between the government and the opposition on 31 December 2016. Under the deal brokered by the Catholic Church, Kabila was to organise elections in 2017.

Grace Mugabe’s son Russell Goreraza detained for hours at border post with three luxury cars

Russell Goreraza, the son of former First Lady, Grace Mugabe was on Friday, detained for hours at the Plumtree Border Post before driving into Botswana on transit to South Africa with three luxury vehicles.

According to reports, customs officials suspected Goreraza, who was in the company of a Tinashe Munatsi and other unidentified people, was using the top of the range vehicles to smuggle cash and other valuables out of the country.

Sources who spoke to The Chronicle said Goreraza, Munatsi and his team spent almost seven hours at the entry point as they were subjected to questioning and thorough searches.

“The three cars, a Rolls Royce, a Porsche and a Range Rover, were thoroughly searched and scanned. Goreraza and his companions were questioned for close to seven hours,” said a source at the border.

The Range Rover, with personalised plates and the Porsche with South African registration numbers reportedly belong to Mrs Mugabe while the Rolls Royce, also with personalised plates belongs to Goreraza.

Police, Zimra and immigration officials declined to comment, saying they didn’t have information on the incident.

“Goreraza had papers for the cars, including affidavits giving him and Munatsi permission to drive Mrs Mugabe’s cars. He maintained he was taking the cars to South Africa for servicing,” said another source.

The Sources said suspicion arose because Goreraza opted to go through Botswana instead of going to South Africa directly through Beitbridge Border Post.

“They arrived at the Plumtree Border Post at 8AM and only left around 3PM as authorities tried to verify with the military intelligence if the cars were genuinely being taken to South Africa for service.
“One of the cars has a temporary import permit that was expiring today. Mrs Mugabe was also contacted to verify a number of issues before the cars were taken through a scan for thorough searches,” said a source at the border post.

They were cleared to cross into Botswana and at about 5PM yesterday they were seen at Nando’s in Francistown.

See more photos below...

Source: The Chronicle

President Olusegun Obasanjo graduates with PhD from National Open University

former President of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria, Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo bagged a PhD in Christian Theology as he officially graduated from the National Open University Of Nigeria (NOUN).

See more photos below...

''I got only 198,000 votes from south-east, yet they have four senior ministers. I am not tribalistic'' President Buhari

President Buhari has reacted to claims that his government is ruled based on tribe and ethnicity. Many Nigerians have openly criticized the Buhari-led government, accusing it of appointing only Nigerians from the North in key positions. 

President Buhari during his dinner with APC chieftains on Thursday January 18th, said even though the South Easterns gave him the lowest of votes during the 2015 election, he has appointed four persons from that region into very key positions. He appealed to the APC chieftains to go back and help him correct the notion that the appointments made by his administration is based on ethnicity.

Speaking at the dinner, President Buhari said ''There is something that hit me very hard and I am happy I hit it back at somebody. Seven states of the north are only represented in my cabinet by junior ministers, ministers of state. In south-east, I got 198,000 votes but I have four substantive ministers and seven junior ministers from there. You are closer to the people than myself now that I have been locked up here, don’t allow anybody to talk of ethnicity. It is not true''.

Neymar and David Beckham meet at Paris Fashion Week

PSG star, Neymar and football legend David Beckham met at the Paris Fashion Week on Thursday, where they shared the front row at the Louis Vuitton event.

Before the show, the good-looking men who were neatly dressed for the event shared compliments and posed for photos.

David was at the event with his wife Victoria and their son Brooklyn Beckham.

See more photos below..

Iheanacho makes history, scores first goal in English football awarded by VAR

Super Eagles star and Leicester City striker, Kelechi Iheanacho became the first footballer in English football to have a goal awarded by the video assistant referee (VAR) system after his goal was initially denied on Tuesday

The 21-year-old striker who scored a brace in the FA Cup clash against Fleetwood Town FC to send his team to the next stage, was initially denied his second goal in the 77th minute after he chipped a delightful finish past Fleetwood goalkeeper Chris Neal. 

But referee Jon Moss' decision was overturned through the help of the (VAR) system and Kelechi Iheanacho's goal was allowed to stand after originally being ruled out for offside.

One for the history books ? pic.twitter.com/B7xT30QWpM

— The Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 16, 2018

After the match, the Nigerian striker said: 'I didn't know if I'm onside or offside but I think Riyad told me that I was onside, so I concentrated on the goal. If there is a review, we just wait to see what the referee's decision is. The communication with the players is good enough.'

The historic decision was the first time ever in English football that a goal would be awarded after a VAR review.

''Senators can’t confront President Buhari on killings because they want to be re-elected'' Senator Shehu Sani says

Senator Shehu Sani who represents Kaduna central in the Senate, yesterday accused his colleagues of not confronting President Buhari over the recent killings in Nigeria because they want to be re-elected in 2019. Senator Sani who is very outspoken, said this while speaking on the floor of the senate yesterday January 16th.

“It has reached a point today that people have lost hope in the government . We are here trying to massage the ego than tell the truth. We don’t want to confront the presidency and the president because people want to come back to the 9th senate. They do not want to lose their ticket and people are killed in this country. I am very sorry.

''Something I like with the presidency, when it comes to the issue of directing attack to the national assembly, they don’t in anyway curtail, reduce or suppress any of the missiles. When it comes to our turn, they point their finger to where the problem is. You see some form of cowardice, escapism, and people try to water down the truth. In the report that was represented before us, federal government was mentioned about seven and we are all part of the federal government. The security of country is under the control of the commander in chief. Why are you shying away? We are calling on the president to wake up and stand up and protect this country.”

Speaking further, he said 

“Some few days ago, I saw the leaders and elders from Benue in the villa. You are bereaved and your people are killed. The villa should go to Benue not Benue going to villa. Governors that are supposed to be chief executive of the states are every day and every week leaving their post to the villa to go and endorse the president. I think we should tell ourselves the truth. Things are not going right in this country. We are failing, people are dying in their thousands.”

Saudi women attend football match for the first time

Thousands of Saudi women swarmed into the country's King Fahd Stadium to watch a professional football match live on Saturday, the first time for the stadium to receive female spectators.

The Saudi professional League game between home team Riyadh Al-Hilal and Jeddah Al-lttihad attracted nearly 50,000 spectators, both men and women.

Plane carrying 162 passengers skids off a runway and ends up stopping just feet from a sea in Turkey

A plane carrying 162 passengers and 6 crew was involved a minor accident on Saturday when it overran the runway at Trabzon, and coming to stop next to the black sea in Turkey.

According to the Aviation Herald, the Pegasus Boeing 737-800, registration TC-CPF performing flight PC-8622 from Ankara to Trabzon (Turkey) with 162 passengers and 6 crew, landed on Trabzon's runway but veered left off the runway, went down a slope and came to a stop on soft ground just short of the sea about 60 meters before the runway end.

The aircraft which was later evacuated sustained substantial damage.

The airline confirmed the flight had a runway excursion incident while landing in Trabon. The aircraft carried 162 passengers, 2 pilots and 4 crew, all of them disembarked safely, there were no injuries.

But local emergency services reported 3 people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

See more photos below..