Local And International News

Jose Mourinho says Diogo Dalot is poised to make his Premier League bow for Manchester United in Saturday's Premier League meeting with Southampton. Injuries have restricted Dalot to just two appearances in other competitions since his summer arrival from FC Porto but the Portuguese youngster has already shown flashes of his potential, putting in a solid defensive display during September's 3-0 win at Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League before providing an assist for Marouane Fellaini in the Carabao Cup clash against Derby County. Speaking to MUTV's Stewart Gardner, Mourinho confirmed the 20-year-old is now back to full fitness and ready to help fill the void left by defensive absentees Victor Lindelof, Marcos Rojo and Matteo Darmian. “Players must be ready and in this case some are going away to the medical room and others are coming back,” explained the Reds boss. “For example, this weekend will be the first call for Dalot. He's ready now. ”He had an importan...

V ictor Lindelof has been reflecting on a good month for him personally after claiming Manchester United's Player of the Month award for the first time. The defender came out on top in a tight battle in the November poll, conducted exclusively on the Official App. He received 44 per cent of the final vote, while David De Gea was second with 30 per cent and October’s winner Anthony Martial was a close third with 26 per cent. November proved to be a mixed month for the 24-year-old, who was in magnificent form after forging a solid partnership with Chris Smalling at the heart of the Reds defence. He was also named the Swedish Player of the Year at a special ceremony in his homeland and scored for his country in their UEFA Nations League win over Russia. However, Victor later suffered an unfortunate injury in last weekend’s goalless draw against Crystal Palace, when he played through the pain in the latter stages of the game. Jose Mourinho praised his bravery and later confirmed th...

Members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, party from Kano, Katsina and Kaduna states who have defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have said that electing  Muhammadu Buhari as president in 2015 was a huge mistake. Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says Nigerians are eager to elect its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as next President of the country because he has demonstrated that the essence of leadership lies in applying its powers and privileges for the good of others rather than self. The party said, unlike President Buhari, whom it said has been rejected by Nigerians because he is “a self-centered, uncaring, divisive and incompetent leader, whose administration relishes in inflicting pain, sorrow and hardship on others,” that Atiku Abubakar, however, is generally accepted as a “unifier, a broad-minded leader, who is committed to the welfare and uplifting of living standard of the citizens.” PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola O...

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has warned that as another election cycle approaches, the EFCC will not fold its hands and watch the nation’s commonwealth squandered by corrupt politicians. Magu gave the warning while presenting a paper at a one-day retreat for 36 state governors and key election stakeholders. Magu, who spoke through Olanipekun Olukoyede, his Chief of Staff, said, “We shall keenly monitor the financial affairs of political parties to ensure that the use of public funds to finance political parties and prosecute campaigns at all levels of government is checked”. He assured that henceforth, donations to political parties and the identities of the donors will be of massive interest to the Commission going forward. “To minimize corruption and the use of public funds to fund political parties and finance elections, there is need for greater effectiveness in enforcing the provisions of the various electoral laws i...

On Autojosh, we keep our word on your mobility being our priority. Mobility should always come with safety and peace in mind . This includes travelling within a state, country or even out of a country. Today we would be ranking the top 20 safest/most peaceful countries in the world to travel to.This list is not compiled based on intuition or sentiments, its compiled based on the Global Peace Index, which takes into consideration several factors like a country’s number of jailed persons per 100,000 people, military strength, political instability, internal and external conflicts etc . Let’s count down . 20. Mauritius 19.Bhutan 17. Hungary And Germany (They share the same score) 16.Norway 15.Finland 14.Sweden 13.Australia 12.Switzerland 11.Slovenia 10.Ireland 9.Japan 8.Singapore 7.Czech Republic 6.Canada 5.Denmark 4.Portugal 3.Austria 2.New Zealand 1.Iceland Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world .In case you are curious about the p...

The Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was left “in tears” after being betrayed by the man who held his current job for 26 years, Sir Alex Ferguson, according to a new book. High-profile Spanish journalist Diego Torres has made the claims in his new release ‘Prepare to Lose: the Mourinho Era’ which covers the Portuguese coach’s time at Real Madrid. Ferguson left his post after a history-making 26-year stint and Mourinho, according to Torres, felt that the fine relationship the two had meant the Scot would give him his backing as a successor. Image result for mourinho fergie “Mourinho thought that Ferguson was, besides his ally, also his friend and godfather,” writes the Madrid-based author. “He was convinced that they were tied by a relationship of genuine trust. “He thought that his fabulous collection of titles constituted an ‘endorsement’ unreachable to any other contenders. “When he knew that Ferguson had chosen Moyes, the Everton coach, he was struck by a terribl...

Former Manchester United player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed what he told Jose Mourinho before leaving United. Ibrahimovic arrived Old Trafford during the summer transfer window of 2016 after spending four successful seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, PSG. Ibrahimovic scored a total of 28 goals in 46 appearances in his first season at United, helping the club win the EFL Cup and Europa League to qualify for the Champions League. After suffering a serious injury towards the end of the season, Ibrahimovic was unable to rediscover his top form for the Red Devils before agreeing to leave the club in March 2018. Ibrahimovic subsequently signed for LA Galaxy and has revealed what he told Mourinho before he bid farewell. “This was a new challenge for me [the injury] and I said I would come back when I was ready and I would play exactly as I did before,” Ibrahimovic told BBC Sport. “When I cannot do that I will not continue in football because I’m not here for charity. After my...

The Federal Government has approved the reduction of the fees for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the National Examination Council (NECO) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The approval was granted during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo at the State House Villa, Abuja. Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu who briefed State House Correspondents on the outcome of the FEC meeting, said from January next year, prospective students are to pay N3,500 for JAMB as against N5,000. For the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) being conducted by NECO, he said prospective students are to pay N9,850 as against N11,350. The Minister said BECE fee has been slashed down to N4,000 from N5,500.

A group of up to 145 pilot whales have died after becoming stranded on a beach on Stewart Island in New Zealand. The animals were discovered by a walker late on Saturday, strewn along the beach of Mason Bay. Authorities said half the whales had already died by then, while the other half were put down as it would have been too difficult to save them. In separate incidents, 12 pygmy whales and a sperm whale also beached in New Zealand over the weekend. ‘A heart-breaking decision’ The pilot whales were beached in two pods about 2km (1.2 miles) apart on a remote beach on Rakiura or Stewart Island off the coast of South Island. “Sadly, the likelihood of being able to successfully re-float the remaining whales was extremely low,” Ren Leppens of the regional Department of Conservation (DOC) said in a statement. “The remote location, lack of nearby personnel and the whales’ deteriorating condition meant the most humane thing to do was to euthanise.” “However, it’s alwa...

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has backed Roberto Firmino to prove the critics wrong after he ended his two-month Premier League goal drought. The Brazil forward scored in the top flight for the first time since September 15 in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Watford. He also had a hand in Mo Salah’s opener and won the free-kick for Trent Alexander-Arnold to make it 2-0 at Vicarage Road. Firmino, who is playing a deeper role, has just six goals this season – and only two in his last 15 outings – but Klopp believes he is worth it. He said: “It all depends to what you want to see, what you expect, with what you compare it to. “In the game against Fulham, 20 German coaches were in the stadium – I’m not sure how the critics were but when I saw them and we had a drink together, they were saying ‘Bobby Firmino! What a player!’ “Because of the small things he’s doing, he’s working so hard, he’s here, he’s there, he’s got six goals but he opens 5,000 gaps for everybody. “It’s about how you...

Eden Hazard has ruled out a move to PSG but admits his contract situation at Chelsea could result in him leaving in the summer. The Belgium international’s deal at Chelsea expires at the end of next season, and some of Europe’s biggest clubs have reportedly shown interest in prising him away from Stamford Bridge. Hazard, who joined Chelsea from Lille in 2012, admitted he has previously discussed a move to PSG, but says he does not see himself playing at the Parc de Princes. He told Canal Plus: “There has been contact in the past with PSG but I haven’t been tempted. “If I have to go back to France one day, it would be to Lille. But today, there is no chance that I’ll come back in the French league.” However, while Hazard does not see himself moving to PSG, he has once again suggested this season could be his last at Chelsea. The 27-year-old can currently leave the club for free at the end of the 2019/20 season, which means the Blues may be forced to sell him before then if he ...

Image copyright THEATRE ROYAL Image caption This is what Messenger will look like when the 7m (23ft) high sculpture is installed A piece of art inspired by an actor's on-stage pose will be the UK's largest cast bronze sculpture when it goes on display next year. The 7m (23ft) sculpture, called Messenger, will be installed outside the Theatre Royal Plymouth. Sculptor Joseph Hillier was inspired to create it by an actor rehearsing Shakespeare's Othello at the theatre. He said its name refers to the "pivotal" role of a performer to "breathe life into words". The sculpture, commissioned by the theatre, had a working title of Bianca after the character whose "split-second pose" is the basis for the piece. "This work offers a young, powerful woman, a potent force about to transform the world by her actions," Mr Hillier said. "The actor carries the voice of her playwright or director - she carried a message. ...

Media caption The CCTV reporter allegedly slapped a young Tory activist A Chinese TV reporter charged with slapping a delegate at the Tory party conference has had the case against her dropped. Linlin Kong, 48, was arrested at the Conservatives' annual gathering in Birmingham in September. She reportedly slapped the man at a discussion about political freedoms in Hong Kong, and was due to appear in court on a common assault charge. However, prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to convict her. Ms Kong, a London-based correspondent for official state broadcaster CCTV, had been due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court. A Crown Prosecution Service spokeswoman said: "This case was originally charged by the police. "The CPS subsequently reviewed the available evidence and determined it was insufficient to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and therefore discontinued the case." Latest news and updates from th...

The Nigerian Army has announced that no fewer than 155 ex-Boko Haram terrorists that have been rehabilitated under the De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) programme are now set to be reintegrated into the society. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the army announced this through Maj.-Gen. Bamidele Shafa, Coordinator, OSC. Shafa disclosed this at the end of a rehabilitation programme for the repentant boko haram members in Gombe on Saturday, November 24, noting further that this was the second batch of the programme. e said: “The first batch of 95 clients who were discharged in February, have been successfully reintegrated . “By the grace of God, a total of 155 clients will also be discharged and handed over to their state authorities for reintegration and resettlement." He added: “As part of the decisions reached at the meeting, visits were conducted in Partnership with the Presidential Committee on North East Initiative and the Centre for Democracy ...

A Frenchwoman who hid her baby in a maggot-filled car boot for 23 months has been sentenced to five years in prison, three of them suspended. Rosa-Maria Da Cruz kept her daughter, Séréna, between the Peugeot 307 and an unused room in her house for two years. She is said to have hidden the pregnancy and birth from her partner and three older children. Now aged 7, Séréna has a disability and autistic traits which experts say were caused by sensory deprivation. The little girl, who does not speak or socialise, has been placed in foster care. Da Cruz, 50, was charged with negligence causing mental disability. How was the baby found? Baby Séréna was discovered in 2013 by a garage mechanic in Dordogne , who heard noises when the car was brought in for repairs. He opened the boot to find the child surrounded by excrement. She was dirty, dehydrated, and weighed less than half what she should have. Guillaume Iguacel, the mechanic, said of the scene: "There was a horrible...

Awer Mabil scored his first goal for Australia in a 4-0 win in Kuwait Awer Mabil's journey from life as a refugee in a hut built out of mud to scoring on his international debut is the stuff dreams are made of. The 23-year-old grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya, where hunger and cramped conditions were everyday problems for his family. After moving to Australia as part of a humanitarian programme, he was subjected to racism as he tried to make it as a footballer. But he has come through it all, and scored on his debut for his adopted nation in a 4-0 win in Kuwait in October. Mabil in 2012 youth football action for Adelaide United Mabil was born in a refugee camp in Kakuma, Kakuma after his parents fled the civil war in Sudan. Hunger and cramped conditions were just two of the daily challenges faced by his family. "We built a hut out of mud," he tells the  BBC's World Football programme.  "Probably the size of one bedroom in a normal house...

The CIA believes that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to US media reports. Sources close to the agency said it had assessed the evidence in detail. It is understood there is no "smoking gun" but US officials think such an operation would need the prince's approval. Saudi Arabia has called the claim false and insisted that the crown prince knew nothing about plans for the killing. It says Khashoggi was killed as a result of a "rogue operation" . US President Donald Trump said he had yet to be briefed by the CIA on its reported findings but would speak to them. As he has done since news of Khashoggi's killing emerged, he stressed the importance of Saudi Arabia to the US. "They have been a truly spectacular ally in terms of jobs and economic development," he said. "I have to take a lot of things into consideration." Who was Jamal Khashoggi? Saudi journalis...