FIFA has announced the official 10-man shortlist for The Best Fifa Men’s Player 2019, which includes African superstars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Luka Modric won the award last season, ending the 10-year reign of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but the Croatian did not make this year’s shortlist. 

Ronaldo and Messi, however, were named among the nominees, who were selected by a panel of Fifa legends. The Portugal captain won the Serie A and Supercoppa Italiana titles in his debut season at Juventus plus the Uefa Nations League with Portugal, while Messi lifted the LaLiga trophy with FC Barcelona and also claimed the European Golden Shoe.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo: Juventus

2. Frenkie de Jong: Juventus

3. Matthijs de Ligt: FC Barcelona

4. Eden Hazard: Real Madrid

5. Harry Kane: Tottenham

6. Sadio Mane: Liverpool

7. Kylian Mbappe: Paris Saint Germain

8. Lionel Messi”: FC Barcelona

9. Mohammed Salah: Liverpool

10. Virgil Van Dijk: Liverpool

FIFA: BEST MEN’S COACH

Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool

Pep Guardiola: Manchester City

Mauricio Pochettino: Tottenham

Fernando Santos: Portugal

Tite: Brazil

Ricardo Gareca: Peru

Erik Ten Hag: Ajax

Marcelo Gallardo: River Plate

Didier Deschamps: France

Djamel Belmadi: Algeria

Former US President Ronald Reagan in a 1971 telephone call with then-President Richard Nixon described African delegates to the United Nations (UN) as "monkeys".

Mr Reagan was the Governor of California at the time he made the comment in the newly unearthed tapes. He was reportedly angry that African delegates at the UN took sides against the US in a vote to recognise China's sovereignty over that of Taiwan.  The Tanzanian delegation began dancing in celebration of the vote.

 “Last night, I tell you, to watch that thing on television as I did,” Reagan said. “Yeah,” Nixon interjected.

Reagan forged ahead with his complaint: “To see those, those monkeys from those African countries—damn them, they’re still uncomfortable wearing shoes!”

Nixon gave a huge laugh.

The aftermath of the vote also had President Nixon telling his deputy national security adviser Al Haig, to cancel any future meeting with any African leader that sided against the U.S. on Taiwan even if they had already been scheduled.

“Don’t even submit to me the problem that it’s difficult to turn it off since we have already accepted it,” Nixon exclaimed.

“Just turn it off, on the ground that I will be out of town.”

The recording published in The Atlantic was unearthed by Tim Naftali who is a clinical associate professor of history at New York University and Director of Nixon Presidential Library from 2007 until 2011. 

Mr Reagan served as US president from 1981-1989 and is also remembered for publicly defending the apartheid states of Rhodesia and South Africa in the 1970s.  He died in 2004 aged 93 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

The unearthed audio came weeks after President Donald Trump attacked four progressive Democratic congresswomen of color using racist language, implying they weren't American and suggesting they "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."

The Borno State Governor,  Prof Umara Zulum on July 29th paid an unscheduled visit to Umaru Shehu Ultra Modern Hospital and the State Specialist hospital where he met patients in pathetic condition and could not find a single doctor on duty.

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has now directed the immediate suspension of the medical director at the Umaru Shehu Ultra-Modern Hospital and four doctors absent when they were supposed to be on call. 

The Governor had instructed nurses to call the doctors on phone during his visit but none responded. A statement from the state house explained that: ‎”Governor Zulum has ordered the suspension of the Medical Director of Umaru Shehu hospital, Dr Audu Usman, for his failure of leadership.

“The affected doctors include Dr. Musa Chuwang and Dr. Chijioke Ibemere who absented themselves while on call has also been suspended. Dr. Baba Ali Malgwi, who was second on call, was suspended over his inability to respond to telephone calls during the Governor’s visit. 

“At the same time, frantic attempt to reach him was impossible even when he lives within the doctors’ quarters located around the hospital. Similarly, Dr Esther of the Pediatrics department, who was supposed to be on duty, was found absent and also suspended. All medical doctors attached to the accident and emergency unit are to be queried for their absence and the lack of duty roaster. 

“Chief Medical Director of the Borno State Hospitals Management Board is directed to comply with the Governor’s directive while he is to take measures that should ensure all gap are filled.  Governor Zulum is determined to ensure that all hospitals across Borno State provide adequate healthcare delivery at all times through.”

The Islamic Movement of Nigeria aka Shi'ites have announced the suspension of their daily protests demanding the release of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

A statement signed and released by the head of the media department of the group, Ibrahim Musa, says the ''temporary suspension'' is to allow the group challenge the proscription of its organization in court.

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria do hereby announce to the general public and the international community that it has temporarily suspended its Free Zakzaky street protests to allow for some new openings into the resolution of the problems, especially the court case instituted by our lawyers on the proscription order made by the federal government this week.

We sincerely hope an amicable way could be found to solve the crises surrounding the illegal detention of our leader for almost four years now.

The Islamic Movement wishes to thank both national and international civil rights activists and organizations who have been busy demanding the protection of our fundamental human rights as enshrined in the constitution.

“We also thank the press, both national and international, and the social media activists for the full coverage of our activities throughout the struggle for justice,” he said.

Recall that the Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, on Tuesday July 30th, announced that activities of the sect has been banned forthwith. At a press conference held in Abuja, the police boss said any person that associates with the group shall be treated as a terrorist.

The Shi'ites have been staging street protests in various parts of the country, demanding the release of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who has been in detention since December 2015.

Zenith Bank Plc has introduced a new feature on its internet banking platform that allows customers to apply for Dubai Visa and make the associated Visa fee payment effortlessly.

According to the bank, the new offering is aimed at creating a more convenient and efficient way for Nigerians to apply for Dubai Visa, as a large number of people travel there several times each year.

Customers simply need to log on to the Zenith Bank Internet Banking Platform, select the Dubai Visa tab under the payment menu, fill out their personal information, upload a passport photograph, 6 months bank statement and international passport data page with a minimum of 6 months’ validity from proposed travel date and submit their application.

The Visa fees would be instantly charged to the customer’s account and he/she would be notified of the status of his/her visa application within 36 hours.

Zenith Bank Plc is recognized as one of the most innovative financial institutions in Nigeria and was voted the most customer-focused bank in Nigeria for the Retail and SME segments in the 2018 KPMG Annual Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey (BICSS).

Nigerians on social media are amused after photographs of a White man being revered in Kenya as Jesus Christ went viral.

In photos and videos shared online, the White man is seen dressed in the way Jesus Christ's character is depicted in movies.

He was allegedly invited by a Kenyan pastor who claims to have found the real Jesus Christ on Earth.

Videos shared online shows the Caucasian man being driven in a motorcade with the roof of the car he was in left open so people could see him. He was also seen dancing as worshippers sang songs of praise.

Remember the Christian street preacher who had his Bible wrested from him as he was handcuffed and taken away by police a few weeks back? (Read HERE). He has now been awarded £2,500 for wrongful arrest.

Oluwole Ilesanmi, 64, has welcomed the payout by the Metropolitan Police as a victory for freedom of speech after he was wrongly accused of Islamophobia. 

The former dentist was preaching outside Southgate Tube station in North London in February when he was approached by two officers. A passer-by had earlier called police and accused Mr. Ilesanmi of hate speech. 

He admitted to having described Islam as an ‘aberration’ but insists he was simply expressing his point of view as a Christian rather than denigrating Muslims. One of the police officers claimed Mr. Ilesanmi was disturbing the peace, saying: ‘No one wants to hear that. They want you to go away.’

He was handcuffed before the officer gave a thumbs-up to the camera. Mr. Ilesanmi was then bundled into a police car and driven several miles away. There the grandfather was ‘de-arrested’ and let out of the car. 

Scotland Yard has now agreed to pay Mr. Ilesanmi £2,500 for wrongful arrest and his humiliating and distressing treatment. Mr. Ilesanmi told UK's The Mail on Sunday:

‘I believe God loves everyone, including Muslims, but I have the right to say I that I don’t agree with Islam we are living in a Christian country, after all. I was upset when they took away my Bible. They just threw it in the police car. They would never have done that if it had been the Koran. Whatever happened to freedom of speech?’

'Galactica Star', the 65-metre super yacht owned by Nigerian oil mogul Kolawole Aluko has been sold. 

According to a report by Yachtharbour.com, the yacht was sold on July 25th 2019 by Fraser representing the seller while Burgess represented the buyer.

The vessel was listed for sale earlier this year for $42,000,000, as a result of a notorious corruption case in Nigeria, involving Aluko, Prince Olajide Omokore and former oil minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke. 

The yacht was custom-built by Dutch yard Heesen in 2013 and is second only to the builder’s 70-metre Galactica Super Nova in terms of LOA. The yatch features exterior styling by Omega Architects, engineering by Van Oossanen & Associates, finished by interiors from the boards of Bannenberg & Rowell.

Back in April 2019, the vessel was offered for sale in a sealed bid arrangement proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and approved by U.S. federal court.

The sale process tracks back to a corruption case against Aluko who is one of four defendants accused of cheating Nigeria out of almost $1.8 billion in siphoned crude oil sales. The U.S. government also accused Aluko and Omokore, of laundering money in the United States and using it to acquire the yacht, among other assets.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission of the United Kingdom (UK) in a statement titled “New levels of cruelty from the Buhari regime” condemned the Federal Government over its move to proscribe the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) a.k.a Shi’ites.

According to the group, the plan to proscribe IMN came from the growing pressure President Buhari's government has been facing in Nigeria and around the world to release Sheikh El-Zakzaky and Mallima Zeenah.

“If the reported proscription of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria is true, then this is a spectacularly cynical move on the part of the authorities.

“It is clear they wish to frustrate the growing pressure from inside Nigeria and around the world to release Sheikh El-Zakzaky and Mallima Zeenah.

“It is clear that the movement and its leaders are the innocents in this situation, and the Buhari regime the terroriser" the statement read in parts.

Arsenal football star, Sead Kolasinac is being hailed online for his bravery after he fought off knife-wielding moped thugs with his bare hands during a carjacking attack in London.

Kolasinac was with his teammate Mesut Ozil when they were attacked by the thugs who attempted to steal the vehicle they were driving in this afternoon July 25th.

Ozil was said to be racing along North London's Golders Green Road in his black Mercedes G-Class SUV, while being pursued by two thugs on a moped.

In the video, his teammate and Bosnian international Kolasinac is seen coming out from the vehicle and going after the armed gangsters with his bare hands.

It was later revealed that Ozil abandoned his car in the middle of the road and fled on foot into the Turkish restaurant Likya. Waiters and chefs at the restaurant reportedly ran to his defense and also took to the street to chase away the attackers before Police arrived at the scene.

Narrating the ordeal, Financial worker Azuka Alintah, 36, who lives nearby, said he was out shopping for food when he noticed the commotion.

It was totally mad and strange,' he told MailOnline. 'His car was standing there empty in the middle of the road with its door hanging open. It is very distinctive, with gold trim.

'Ozil looked absolutely terrified, as anybody would after being chased by men with knives. He looked like he was running for his life.

'I saw him disappear into the restaurant with the motorcycle guys on his tail. They didn't take off their helmets and were all in black, wearing long sleeved tops in this hot weather. They stood out. It was really creepy.

'God knows what would have happened if they'd caught him. It looked to me like he'd have been hacked to shreds and he clearly thought so too.

'As soon as the restaurant staff started to come to the window and to the doorway, they turned around and roared off. The police were there shortly afterwards and the road was almost blocked off.'

Watch the moment knife-wielding thugs attacked Mesut Ozil before teammate Sead Kolasinac helped fight them off during carjacking terror

He added: 'It was totally surreal, just surreal and strange. You don't expect something like that to happen at any time, particularly the mid-afternoon.'

The manager of the restaurant confirmed the incident but said he had no comment to make.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said today: 'Police were called to Platts Lane, NW3, shortly before 5pm on Thursday July 25 to reports of an attempted robbery.

'It was reported that suspects on motorbikes had attempted to rob a man who was driving a car.

'The driver, along with his passenger, managed to get away unharmed and travelled to a restaurant in Golders Green, where they were spoken to by officers. There have been no arrests. Enquiries continue.'

The Presidency has reacted to the viral video of abducted aid workers released by Boko Haram.

Recall we reported earlier that one of the abducted aid workers, Grace Taku pleaded with the Federal Government, CAN and other agencies to come to their aid.

Reacting to the video, the Presidency said it has been briefed by the responsible government agency about the disturbing video of humanitarian aid workers held captive. The FG also gave assurances that contact is being made as the captors are currently being talked to.

The statement released by President Buhari's media aide, Garba Shehu reads;

Actin Against Hunger aid workers video.

The Presidency has been briefed by the responsible government agency about the disturbing video showing our citizens, the humanitarian aid workers held captive.

Presidency has been given assurances that contact is being made and the captors are being talked to.

Beside these aid workers, there are some others about whom this engagement is about-Leah Sharibu, a religious leader and all the others. These discussions have been ongoing even before this time and what this latest incident has done is to bring urgency to the efforts that the secret service is making.

Government is making contacts, in the hope that the captors will see reason to not visit hardship or even harm on these innocent individuals.

From winning the BET awards for Best International Act and featuring in Beyonce's Lion King Album, Burna Boy says Nigerians love him now because the rest of the world does.

Talking about his album which will be released tomorrow and his music in an interview with Billboard, the Rivers State born singer said his plan is to take his music worldwide and also play in a stadium in China. But first, he’ll embark on a 17-date global tour of 1,000- to 3,000-capacity venues starting Aug. 9 in Toronto.

“This has always been my vision,” he says. “Not like I planned it, just that I knew I should stick to doing what I’m doing. It’s almost like climbing steps -- you keep going up.”

Also speaking on his local growth, Burna Boy stated that Nigerians only acknowledge him now because the rest of the world does.

“Nigerians love me a lot more now because they can see that the whole world likes me, too. They think I’m something special, but I’m not. I’m just a human whose skill is making music. Way I see it, everyone plays their own role in the world, and no role is more important than the other.”

On becoming one of the richest Nigerian artists, he said, “You are only as rich as where you come from, and Nigeria has a lot of poverty.”

The plea video from Grace Taku, the aid worker abducted by Boko Haram terrorists on July 18, raises fear of Leah Sharibu being killed by the insurgents.

According to Grace in the video, the inability of the Nigerian Government to “do something” led to the death of Leah Sharibu abducted alongside her 109 schoolmates at Government Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State.

The aid worker made claims of the Christian schoolgirl being killed in a new video released by the insurgents on Wednesday.

She said “My name is Grace, I work with Action Against Hunger, an NGO in Borno State; my base is Damasak. We went to work on Thursday, 18th July 2019. On our way going Back to Damasak by Keneri/Chamba ward, we were caught by an army called the Kaliphas and they brought us here. We don’t know where we are.

“I want to beg the Christian Association of Nigeria because I am the only Christian among the six of us here. I want to beg that CAN should please do something about me to see how I can be released. I call on Borno State.

“I beg Action Against Hunger. We have families, some of us have children. We are Nigerians who are working for Nigerians. I am begging please, I am begging again, please do something to see that we are released because this has happened in the Red Cross before where some ladies were caught, Hauwa and Zipporah. They also asked to be released but because of Nigeria did not do anything about it, they were killed.

“I am begging on behalf of all of us. I don’t want such to happen to us and it also happened again with Leah and Alice, because Nigeria could not do anything about them, they were not released they were also killed.”

Andy Ruiz Jnr has declared that he will not agree to a rematch to fight Anthony Joshua in the United Kingdom as he fears a 'set-up'.

The Mexican champion stunned the world on the 1st of June when he defeated Joshua in the seventh round to become WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion of the world.

While reacting to the news of Dillian Whyte's alleged failed drugs test, the Mexican-American  posted a tweet saying: 'I’m not going to the UK for the rematch #issasetup.'

Andy Ruiz Jr rules out UK rematch with Anthony Joshua; says itWhyte reportedly tested positive 'for at least two banned substances' before to Saturday's victory over Oscar Rivas.

Daily Mail reported that the British Boxing Board of Control allowed the fight to go ahead according to legal protocol pending B sample tests and appeals. If Whyte's B sample is negative then he would be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Mohamed Ennaceur, Tunisia’s parliamentary speaker, has been sworn in as the country’s interim president.

The appointment of the interim president comes just hours after the death of president Beji Caid Essebsi.

Ennaceur took the oath of office at the assembly in the capital Tunis, the agency said. According to the Tunisian constitution, the head of the parliament can temporarily serve as president for a maximum period of 90 days. 

Following Ennaceur’s statement on national television, the country’s ministry of interior said that Tunisia’s security situation is stable and that the ministry is carrying out its national duty. The country will hold presidential elections ahead of the previously scheduled November 17 date.

N-Power, N-power beneficiaries

Not less than 2,525 beneficiaries of N-Power have been disengaged from the Federal Government’s programme. Justice Bibiye, the spokesman of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), who made this disclosure, said the beneficiaries were sacked for absconding from their places of primary assignment (PPA) for a long time.

“Instances have compelled the need for continued action against those who are seen to be undermining the smooth implementation of a well-thought-out Federal Government social intervention initiative.”

Expressing his dissatisfaction on how some beneficiaries abused the programme, Bibiye made known that the N-Power is not a charity programme, thus everyone captured under the scheme is expected to adhere to the rules of engagement through diligence, hard work, and commitment to designated duties.

It is understood that the disengagement of the affected beneficiaries is the first major sanction imposed by the Federal Government since the programme was launched.

While enjoining members of the public to report cases of absenteeism, Bibiye warned that similar acts of dereliction of duty, indolence, absenteeism, and indiscipline on the part of the beneficiaries would continue to attract sanction.

According to him, to effect serious sanctions on beneficiaries who fail to comply with the working standard, the government has increased the number of monitoring partners for supervision and monitoring of all components of the NSIPs for effective and efficient service delivery.

What you should know: In order to accelerate entrepreneurship culture among the Nigerian youths aged 18 to 35, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, had in 2016 introduced the N-Power scheme to support both graduates and non-graduates alike.

An estimated 500,000 youths across the country are currently engaged in the scheme, providing services in the country’s education, health, agriculture sectors and local government offices with a monthly stipend of N30,000.

The Senate has announced the postponement of its annual recess for one week to enable members screen the ministerial nominees forwarded by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The annual recess was initially billed to start on Friday July 26th.

The Chairman, Senate ad hoc committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, stated this while addressing journalists on Tuesday. Adeyeye added that the Senate would start the screening on Wednesday.

He said since the exercise would be thorough, the Senate would suspend its rules to sit beyond 2pm and conduct plenary on Mondays and Fridays until all the nominees have been successfully screened.

Boris Johnson has been elected new Conservative leader in a ballot of party members and will become the next UK prime minister. 

He defeated Jeremy Hunt comfortably, winning 92,153 votes to his rival's 46,656. The former London mayor takes over from Theresa May on Wednesday. 

Johnson began his acceptance speech by praising his predecessor, saying it had been "a privilege to serve in her cabinet".  He promised the audience he would "deliver Brexit, unite the country and defeat Jeremy Corbyn". 

Outgoing PM Theresa May congratulated Johnson, promising him her "full support from the back benches". Almost 160,000 Conservative members were eligible to vote and turnout was 87.4%. Johnson's share of the vote - 66.4% - is slightly lower than the share won by David Cameron in the 2005 Tory leadership election (67.6%).

Below are the names of all the Ministerial nominees President Buhari sent to the Senate for confirmation.

Juventus star, Cristiano Ronaldo will not face any charges over an alleged rape in the US state of Nevada a decade ago, prosecutors said on Monday. 

The Clark County District Attorney’s Office said it had declined to prosecute the Portuguese star because it “cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt” that a sexual assault occurred. Kathryn Mayorga, a former model, has claimed that Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009. 

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star reached a financial settlement with her following the incident but has denied allegations of sexual assault. The district attorney’s office said it had received a report from Mayorga who it identified only as “V” on June 13, 2009, reporting that she had been the victim of a sexual assault. 

Police were unable to conduct an investigation at the time because she declined to say who assaulted her or where it occurred, the office said in a statement, but Mayorga contacted police in August of last year to ask that the case be reopened, at which point she named Ronaldo as the alleged assailant. 

“Based upon a review of the information presented at this time, the allegations of sexual assault against Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” prosecutors said. “Therefore, no charges will be forthcoming.” 

Ronaldo is widely considered one of the greatest footballers in the history of the game, having won the Champions League title five times once with Manchester United and four times with Real Madrid. He also led Portugal to the Euro 2016 title in France.

Zenith Bank's ‘StylebyZenith'

L - R: Executive Director, Zenith Bank Plc, Dr. Temitope Fasoranti; General Manager, Zenith Bank Plc/ Chairperson, Style by Zenith committee, Mrs. Adobi Nwapa; MD/ CEO, Virtual Xchange Limited (Fashion One Africa), Kaycee Kennedy.

All is set for the Zenith Bank’s 2019 Style by Zenith, as the lender announced the second edition of its lifestyle fair. This year’s edition is tagged, Style by Zenith 2.0. 

This was disclosed at a press briefing at the bank’s headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos on July 18, 2019.

Come Friday, November 29, 2019, the 3-day event will open and run to Sunday, December 1, 2019. Towards the forthcoming event, the bank has come up with a schedule of programmes that will take off next month, August. One of these is a fitness walk.   

Zenith Bank's ‘StylebyZenith'

L – R: MCE, Venus Medicare, Dr. Kennedy Euk; Executive Director, Zenith Bank Plc, Dr. Temitope Fasoranti; General Manager, Zenith Bank Plc/ Chairperson, Style by Zenith Committee, Mrs. Adobi Nwapa; Executive Secretary, PinkCruise, Dr. Abia Nzelu; MD/ CEO, Virtual Xchange Limited (Fashion One Africa), Kaycee Kennedy; MCOII, Venus Medicare, Pharm. Chiamaka Ekeh.

Style by Zenith is a flagship lifestyle and entertainment fair, powered by the bank in partnership with Fashion One – an international lifestyle and entertainment company. 

This year’s fair is titled, “Style, the life you desire” and is aimed at encouraging Nigerians to live their lives in the best possible way and be extraordinary.

Dr. Temitope Fasoranti, an Executive Director in Zenith Bank, said the platform would serve as a window for Nigerians to explore their talents. He added that the programme would inspire people to be authentic.

“At Zenith Bank, we believe that people with their talents can make a real change in their immediate environments and the whole world at large.”

Zenith Bank's ‘StylebyZenith'

Zenith Bank representatives, alongside representatives from Fashion One and Venus Medicare

What you should look out for: The events will include fashion and beauty shows, food exhibitions, fitness walk, SME conferences, online contests, and model search.

Also speaking at the event, Zenith Bank’s General Manager, Mrs Adaobi Nwapa, who is also the Chairperson for the Style by Zenith Initiative, stated that the SME Conference was scheduled to bring entrepreneurs together and assist them in their businesses.

She also said that the fashion exhibitions would help showcase fashion designers, make-up artists, models and photographers in the entertainment scene. 

The fitness walk, which is a charity walk for creating awareness on cancer, would be done in partnership with mobile cancer centre, Pink Cruise and ambulance service provider, Venus Medicare. 

Why you should register for the Style by Zenith Fair: The lifestyle fair will be a great avenue for SMEs to sell their products and the amazing thing about it is that it is absolutely free. The stalls and shops will be given on a first come, first served basis. The only criterion is that you must have a Zenith Bank account. 

Barely a day after Tuoyo left the Big Brother Naija House, all housemates have been put up for possible eviction this week.

Asides putting up the whole housemates for possible eviction this week after reminding them of house rules they've broken, Khafi's veto power of saving and replacing was also canceled by Biggie.

A Deputy Commissioner of police in charge of Operations at the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, DCP Umar, was shot dead in the cross fire between police officers and protesting members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria aka Shi'ites in Abuja earlier today.

The protesting Shi;ites members also fired gun shots at a Channels Television bus.  A reporter with the channels who was in the bus was hit by a bullet in his stoamch. He is currently being treated at an undisclosed hospital.

Umar was reportedly shot dead while trying to calm the fraying nerves of the Shi'ites who had disrupted activities at the Central Business Disrict in Abuja. He was rushed to a closeby hospital where he died.

A source in the FCT command who confirmed the demise of the Deputy Commissioner to Punch,  said

“The DCP was a very good man. We were at the mosque last Friday when he saw one man looking so haggard. The man told him how he had not been paid for over 14 months because he was unable to complete his IPPIS (Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information.)

“On hearing that the man was an Inspector, DCP Umar hugged him and immediately made calls to the officers in charge of the platform and the budget office. Today, the Inspector has been directed to come to the IPPIS office for enrollment on the platform. His death is so shocking.”

The stand-off between Iran and the US government has gotten yet another twist, as the Middle East nation has announced that it broke a CIA spying ring and arrested 17 suspects.

An intelligence official claimed that none of the 17 suspects who allegedly had "sophisticated training", had succeeded in their sabotage missions.

A statement read on state television said: “The identified spies were employed in sensitive and vital private sector centres in the economic, nuclear, infrastructural, military and cyber areas... where they collected classified information.”

Also commenting on the arrest of the CIA agents, the head of counter-intelligence at the Iranian intelligence ministry told reporters at Tehran that some of the CIA spies have been sentenced to death.

“We successfully dismantled a (CIA) spy network.  Those who deliberately betrayed the country were handed to the judiciary… some were sentenced to death and some to long-term imprisonment" he said.

The White House is yet to react to the claims made by Iran. This is however coming on the heels of deteriorating relationships between Iran and western nations, including the US and UK.

Protest staged by members of the Shiites movement turned bloddy this afternoon July 22nd after some members of the movement engaged the police in a fierce gun battle at the Central Business District in Abuja, the nation's capital.

The police had asked the Islamic group members not to stage any protest out the designated area for protest in Abuja which is the Unity Fountain. However the Shiites who are demanding the release of their leader, Ibrahim ElZakzaky, dared the police and took their protest to the Central Business district.

Efforts by the police to stop them from staging the protest turned bloody within minutes as gun shots were fired by the Shiites and the police.

A bus belonging to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, was reportedly burnt by the angry Shiite members.

Barely 48-hours after the manner in which a police invitation was served to Timi Dakolo and his wife, Busola led to another stint of outrage on social media, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered that petitions from Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, and that of the Dakolos, be merged and investigated at the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Mr Femi Falana, counsel to the Dakolos confirmed report of the case transfer and according to him, this was because the singer's family were the first to petition the police. Punch reported that he further assured that justice will be served.

This is coming after LIB reported that Timi Dakolo alleged that the letter of 'invitation for questioning' he was served over the weekend, came after Pastor Fatoyinbo allegedly bribed investigating officials to delay summons, and also pushed for the case to be transferred to Abuja.

The police says it is not aware of any petition Busola Dakolo, wife of Timi Dakolo, filed in any of its command's against COZA pastor, Biodun Fatoyinbo.

Recall that on Saturday, Timi raised an alarm on social media after he spotted gun wielding men inside a bus in front of his house. It was later discovered that the men were a team of police officers from Abuja who had come to deliver a letter to him and his wife to come forward for questionning as there is a case of criminal conspiracy, falsehood and threat to life filed against them.

Timi at a press conference he held in Lagos yesterday,  said Busola on June 27th, filed a petition against Fatoyinbo within the Lagos state police command, a day before her explosive interview was released. He wondered why the police had not acted on her petition or invited Biodun Fatoyinbo for questioning but were quick to act on the clergyman's petition and invited them for questioning.

In a fresh interview with The Nation, a police officer at the force headquarters in Abuja who spoke on condition of anonymity,  said the force is unaware of any petition from Mrs Dakolo.

According to the source, the first petition received is that from Fatoyinbo and that they acted immediately the petition was received.

“We are not aware that she wrote any letter. If she tells us that the matter was already reported at Alagbon, we will confirm it and take up the matter from there but as it stands now, we are not aware of that.

“We are also not aware that the case is in court. We treated the first petition that came to us and what we did was just to invite; and the invitation is optional.  If she likes, she can refuse to honour it or not and according to our men who were on ground yesterday, she said she will honour the invitation on Wednesday.

“We gave a date and she said the date was not convenient and she chose another date. If it is by force, will she give date?” he said

Giving reasons why the letter was issued, he said: “We wrote because there was complaint and anybody who complains, constitutionally, we have the right to invite. It is left for the invited person to come or not.

“I don’t see the reason for making so much noise about this at all. I am not saying the matter at hand is not serious but I feel there are other important issues that need our attention as a nation. It is merely an invitation; it is not as if our operatives killed anybody.

On why they decided to go with a bus to deliver a letter, he said: “The operatives were from Abuja. We do not expect them to go on foot. Going with the bus does not mean anything.”

The source however disclosed that Mrs Dakolo has agreed to honor the invitatoion on Wednesday July 24th.

Yesterday, the Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria called on the Federal Government to explain the whereabouts of an allegedly missing $1bn from the Excess Crude Account security fund. (Read HERE)

The Presidency in its response on Sunday night declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently under a socio-emotional distress.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, described the allegation as ‘rubbish’ adding that “the PDP is under a socio-emotional distress. T

Giving account of how the money withdrawn from the excess crude account was spent, he said;

“Here is what happened to that USD 1,000 million. It’s on record that the Buhari administration paid about USD 490 million for a dozen Super Tucano fighter aircraft in a direct, government-to-government (no Contractors or Commission Agents) transaction with government of the United State. Various other military procurements have been made. Balance of expenditure stands at about USD 880 million or so.”

He said that barring considerations of national security, the details of the stage of implementation, the procurements made and the suppliers could be obtained on Monday, a workday. 

Differentiating Buhari’s administration from the immediate past PDP administration, he said that the now opposition party spent defence procurement funds on 2015 election campaigns. 

He said “the PDP spent Defence procurement funds on their failed 2015 political campaigns as proven in court. That is not to say every succeeding government, more so one led by a Buhari will do the same”.

The Chairman/Founder of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Jim Ovia (CON), has called on the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele (CON) to create the enabling environment through the institution of various initiatives that support financial inclusion to help empower and blossom the Nigerian youths.

Jim Ovia made the call in his welcome remarks at a reception at the Civic Centre organized by the private sector in honour of the CBN Governor, following a family thanksgiving service held on Sunday, July 14, 2019 at the Catholic Church of Assumption, Falomo, Lagos.

According to Mr. Ovia, though the CBN, and the Federal Government have been working tirelessly to implement various strategic development programmes, what has been done so far, is not enough. In his opinion, there is a need to empower the youths to become the creators of jobs and employers of labour, as opposed to them only being job seekers.

He urged the CBN helmsman to fully encourage financial inclusion and initiate more programmes that will create employment for the Nigerian youths, empowering them to be innovative and creative in utilizing their God-given talents in various industries including but not limited to agriculture, fintech, technology and the creative industries. He added that the implementation of these initiatives, which are in line with the World Bank and United Nations backed programmes all over the world, will significantly reduce poverty and unemployment in our country.

He also thanked the CBN Governor for the recent financing and funding initiatives which banks are mandated to fully support to empower the Nigerian youths.

Godwin Emefiele became the Governor of the CBN on June 2, 2014, mounting the saddle as the 11th CBN Chief and its 10th indigenous Governor. Following the successes of the policies and programmes which he introduced in his first term, he was in June, 2019 reappointed by President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term of five years, becoming the first CBN Chief to be reappointed for a second term since the country returned to civilian rule in 1999.

Jim Ovia urges Emefiele to create the enabling environment that will empower the Nigerian youths

The Chairman/Founder of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Jim Ovia (CON), has called on the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele (CON) to create the enabling environment through the institution of various initiatives that support financial inclusion to help empower and blossom the Nigerian youths.

Jim Ovia made the call in his welcome remarks at a reception at the Civic Centre organized by the private sector in honour of the CBN Governor, following a family thanksgiving service held on Sunday, July 14, 2019 at the Catholic Church of Assumption, Falomo, Lagos.

According to Mr. Ovia, though the CBN, and the Federal Government have been working tirelessly to implement various strategic development programmes, what has been done so far, is not enough. In his opinion, there is a need to empower the youths to become the creators of jobs and employers of labour, as opposed to them only being job seekers.

He urged the CBN helmsman to fully encourage financial inclusion and initiate more programmes that will create employment for the Nigerian youths, empowering them to be innovative and creative in utilizing their God-given talents in various industries including but not limited to agriculture, fintech, technology and the creative industries. He added that the implementation of these initiatives, which are in line with the World Bank and United Nations backed programmes all over the world, will significantly reduce poverty and unemployment in our country.

He also thanked the CBN Governor for the recent financing and funding initiatives which banks are mandated to fully support to empower the Nigerian youths.

Godwin Emefiele became the Governor of the CBN on June 2, 2014, mounting the saddle as the 11th CBN Chief and its 10th indigenous Governor. Following the successes of the policies and programmes which he introduced in his first term, he was in June, 2019 reappointed by President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term of five years, becoming the first CBN Chief to be reappointed for a second term since the country returned to civilian rule in 1999.

Famous drug lord Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera a.k.a El Chapo, was on Wednesday handed a life imprisonment sentence, ending his notorious and brutal criminal career.

Before his arrest, his dramatic escapes from prison added to his fame of the untouchable kingpin running the world’s largest narcotics trafficking group.  He escaped a Mexican jail through a tunnel in 2015, but was later arrested and extradited to the US in 2017. El Chapo is a former head of the Sinaloa cartel, which officials say was the biggest supplier of drugs to the US.

The 62-year-old drug lord was found guilty of 10 charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering, by a federal court in New York in February.  Asides being handed a life imprisonment sentence on July 17, 2019, he was also given an additional 30 years for unlawful use of firearms. He was also ordered to pay $12.6bn (£10bn) in forfeiture.  He however denounced his treatment, calling the trial unfair.

“When extradited, I expected to have a fair trial where justice was blind and my fame would not be a factor, but what happened was actually the opposite,” he said before the sentence was imposed.

“The government of the United States will send me to a prison where my name will never be heard again. I will take this opportunity to say there was no justice here.”

In 2009, Guzmán entered Forbes' list of the world's richest men at number 701, with an estimated worth of $1bn. In over 25 years of running a drug cartel, Guzmán earned the organization more than $14 billion while exhibiting an extraordinary ability to evade law enforcement.

 ‘Game Of Thrones’ final season went from becoming one of the most watched TV series in the world, to getting 32 Emmy nominations, breaking a long standing record set by NYPD Blue for the most nominations for a single season.

Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington got nominated in the Best Actor and Actress category, while eight other “Thrones” cast members swept the board in the supporting and guest acting categories.

Here is the full list below, ahead of the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards which will air live on FOX on September 22nd;

Comedy Series

Barry (HBO)

Fleabag (Amazon)

The Good Place (NBC)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel(Amazon)

Russian Doll (Netflix)

Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Veep (HBO)

Drama Series 

Better Call Saul (AMC)

Bodyguard (Netflix)

Game of Thrones (HBO)

Killing Eve (BBC America)

Ozark (Netflix)

Pose (FX)

Succession (HBO)

This Is Us (NBC)

Limited Series

Chernobyl (HBO)

Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)

Fosse/Verdon (FX)

Sharp Objects (HBO)

When They See Us (Netflix)

Television Movie

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (Netflix)

Brexit: The Uncivil War (HBO)

Deadwood: The Movie (HBO)

My Dinner With Herve (HBO)

King Lear (Amazon)

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Mahershala Ali (True Detective)

Benicio Del Toro (Escape at Dannemora)

Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal)

Jared Harris (Chernobyl)

Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us)

Sam Rockwell (Fosse/Verdon)

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Amy Adams (Sharp Objects)

Patricia Arquette (Escape at Dannemora)

Joey King (The Act)

Niecy Nash (When They See Us)

Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon)

Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us)

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)

Don Cheadle (Black Monday)

Ted Danson (The Good Place)

Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)

Bill Hader (Barry)

Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate (Dead to Me)

Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)

Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll)

Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek)

Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag)

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman (Ozark)

Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)

Kit Harington (Game of Thrones)

Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)

Billy Porter (Pose)

Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us)

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)

Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)

Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder)

Laura Linney (Ozark)

Mandy Moore (This Is Us)

Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)

Robin Wright (House of Cards)

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones)

Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul)

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)

Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)

Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul)

Michael Kelly (House of Cards)

Chris Sullivan (This Is Us)

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones)

Julia Garner (Ozark)

Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)

Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve)

Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones)

Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones)

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)

Anthony Carrigan (Barry)

Tony Hale (Veep)

Stephen Root (Barry)

Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Henry Winkler (Barry)

Supporting Actress in Comedy Series

Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Anna Chlumsky (Veep)

Olivia Colman (Fleabag)

Sian Clifford (Fleabag)

Betty Gilpin (GLOW)

Sarah Goldberg (Barry)

Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)

Writing for a Comedy Series

Barry – “ronny/lily” – Bill Hader and Alec Berg

Fleabag – “Episode 1” – Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Pen15 – “Anna Ishii-Peters” – Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle

Russian Doll – “Nothing in This World Is Easy” – Teleplay by and Story by Leslye Headland, Story by Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler

Russian Doll – “A Warm Body” – Allison Silverman

The Good Place – “Janet(s)” – Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan

Veep – “Veep” – David Mandel

Directing for a Comedy Series

Barry – “The Audition” – Alec Berg

Barry – “ronny/lily” – Bill Hader

Fleabag – “Episode 1” – Harry Bradbeer

The Big Bang Theory – “Stockholm Syndrome” – Mark Cendrowski

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – “All Alone” – Amy Sherman-Palladino

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – “We’re Going to the Catskills!” – Daniel Palladino

Writing for a Drama Series

Better Call Saul – “Winner” – Peter Gould and Thomas Schnauz

Bodyguard – “Episode 1” – Jed Mercurio

Game of Thrones – “The Iron Throne” – David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Killing Eve – “Nice and Neat” – Emerald Fennell

Succession – “Nobody Is Ever Missing” – Jesse Armstrong

The Handmaid’s Tale – “Holly” – Bruce Miller and Kira Snyder

Directing for a Drama Series

Game of Thrones – “The Last of the Starks” – David Nutter

Game of Thrones – “The Long Night” – Miguel Sapochnik

Game of Thrones – “The Iron Throne” – David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Killing Eve – “Desperate Times” – Lisa Bruhlmann

Ozark – “Reparations” – Jason Bateman

Succession – “Celebration” – Adam McKay

The Handmaid’s Tale – “Holly” – Daina Reid

Reality/Competition Series

The Amazing Race

American Ninja Warrior

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Top Chef

The Voice

Variety Talk Series

Last Week Tonight (HBO)

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)

The Late Late Show With James Corden (CBS)

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)

Full Frontal With Samantha Bee (TBS)

Variety Sketch Series

At Home with Amy Sedaris (truTV)

Documentary Now! (IFC)

Drunk History (Comedy Central)

I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman (Hulu)

Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Who Is America? (Showtime)

Animated Program

Big Mouth (Netflix)

Bob’s Burgers (FOX)

Bojack Horseman (Netflix)

Come Along with Me (Adventure Time) (Cartoon Network)

The Simpsons (FOX)