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http://ift.tt/2srFmLG France's forward Antoine Griezmann attends a training session in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines on May 30, 2017.<br />Team France prepares for the friendly football match against Paraguay to be held on June 2 and World Cup qualifier against Sweden on June 9. / AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE Manchester United have cooled their interest in signing Atletico Madrid’s French forward Antoine Griezmann, according to British media reports on Thursday. Europa League winners United were reported to be plotting an approach for 26-year-old Griezmann. But several media outlets, including the BBC and Britain’s Press Association, said United were instead shifting their focus towards a more conventional centre-forward, citing an internal source. United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has sustained a long-term knee injury and is due to be out of contract at the end of the month. The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday upheld a transfer ban against Atletico over irreg...

http://ift.tt/2rjv1Ee A demonstrator holds a picture of Nasser Zafzafi, leader of the Rif region's protest movement, during a demonstration against corruption, repression and unemployment in the northern city of al-Hoceima on May 29, 2017. Authorities in Morocco on May 29, 2017 arrested the fugitive leader of a protest movement that has shaken the country's northern Rif region for months. The prosecutor of the northern coastal city of Al-Hoceima said Nasser Zefzafi, who had been on the run since May 26th, had been taken into custody. / AFP PHOTO / FADEL SENNA Authorities in Morocco on Monday arrested the fugitive leader of a protest movement that has shaken the country’s northern Rif region for months. The prosecutor of the northern coastal city of Al-Hoceima said Nasser Zefzafi, who had been on the run since Friday, had been taken into custody. He was detained “along with other individuals” and transferred to Casablanca, the prosecutor said in a statement, without provid...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J President Adama Barrow on Wednesday fired Gambia’s central bank governor and three other bank officials considered loyal to former dictator Yahya Jammeh, a senior official at the bank said Wednesday. Central bank governor Amadou Colley, two of his deputies and the bank’s financial director, who all served during Jammeh’s iron-first rule, received their letters of dismissal. Central Bank senior officer Nuha Barrow told dpa that the dismissals are part of Barrow’s attempts to re-establish democracy in the small Islamic republic and depose those who held high positions during Yammeh’s 22-year rule. Since he took office on Jan. 19, Barrow ordered the dismissals and arrests of numerous security, intelligence and government officials. Jammeh, who caused weeks of political impasse by refusing to accept the result of the December 2016 election, stands accused of having committed wide-ranging human rights violations during his presidency, including torture, killings an...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Nigerian female artist Yemi Alade will replace Innocent Idibia popularly known as 2baba as coach in the second season of M-net music reality show, `The Voice Nigeria.’ According to the M-net West Africa team, 2Baba has left the show to pursue other commitments which has prompted the need for a new coach. The second season which kicks off in a couple of weeks will have Alade join Patrick Okorie (Patoranking), Aituaje Iruobe (Waje) and Timi Dakolo who will reprise their roles as coaches. The coaches critique contestants’ performances and guide their teams of selected artistes through the remainder of the season whilst also competing to ensure that their act wins the competition. NAN reports that the winner from the 17 episode show this year would earn a recording contract with Universal Music Group, an SUV car worth N7 million and a trip to Abu Dhabi. Last season which was the first season of the franchise in Nigeria, 28-year-old Stage actress Agharese Emo...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Malete – Prof. Leonard Daniel of the Department of Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering, Kwara State University has announced that students in the department are designing an aircraft that can fly using car engine. Daniel made the announcement on Thursday at the inaugural lecture of the university on Aeronautics and Astronautics in Nigeria. The lecture is titled: “Aeronautics and Astronautics: The Paradigm Shift in Nigeria’s Space Exploration and Development’’. He said that the team had employed a design and stimulation tools such as the American Computer-aided engineering software (Ansys), a software for finite element analysis (Abacus) and computer-aided engineering in its preliminary design evaluation of the future Aero Astro aircraft. Daniel, who is the Provost, College of Engineering and Technology of the University, said that the students of the department had earlier designed an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) which was demonstrated at an exhibition in ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Lagos – Mr Folorunsho Folarin-Coker, the Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), has advised Nigerians to spend their holidays within the country instead of travelling abroad. Folarin-Coker told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that Nigeria is endowed with safe natural attractions and sites for both local and foreign tourists to recreate. According to him, Nigeria is the cheapest place where tourists and visitors can also learn from diversified cultural values and traditions of people. “ As the American dollar exchanges for N400, we are better off spending our currency in the country as that will make holidaying cheaper and affordable. “Costs of accommodation, transportation, feedings and drinks are cheaper in the country compared to dollars that they will spend while outside the country. “Also, we will be boosting our economy and strengthening our currency by reducing capital flight from the country,’’ he said. He advised...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Emma Amaize AJAPA – SEVERAL villagers have been reportedly trapped in the bush for four days without food and water, while the waterways have been cordoned off, following the invasion of Ajapa community, the hometown of Ossy Ibori, the notorious sea pirate kingpin, already killed by soldiers in Lagos, at Arogbo kingdom, Ese -Odo Local Government Area, Ondo State. Vanguard gathered that the soldiers were carrying out a search operation in the community for his boys and mop up of arms. President of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Mr Eric Omare, who confirmed the tense situation in Ajapa. told Vanguard that the council had received distress calls from innocent villagers, who were practically under siege, saying: “The people are hemmed in inside the bush, there is no food, no water, no shelter and they urgently need help.” Reacting to the invasion, national presidents of the Ijaw People Development Initiative, IPDI, and Foundation for Human Rights, Anti Corruption, FH...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The Senate, on Tuesday, suspended passage of the conference report on the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill, over the allegation of fraud in the recruitment exercise by the organisation which is being prosecuted in a court. The bill sharply divided senators at the plenary. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives had separately passed the bill before the harmonisation of its provisions. Details later The post Senate drops Nigerian Peace Corps bill appeared first on Vanguard News . Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2ps6mfH

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J As Osinbajo’s panel likely to submit reports tomorrow By Levinus Nwabughiogu ABUJA-Baring any last minute eventuality, the Presidential committee investigating suspended Secretary to the Government of the General of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ayo Oke would submit its report tomorrow. The Minister of Justice and Attorny-General of the Federation, AGF, Abubkar Malami who is a member of the panel headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo dropped the hints on Tuesday while speaking to State House correspondents after a private meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja. He however refused to speak on whether the committee would yield to the calls of not making the report public, saying “it will be preemptive”, as the committee’s 14 days life span is yet to elapse. Similarly, the president also met with the Group Managing Director, GMD of the Nigerian National Pe...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has demanded a review of pension to a minimum of N25,000, per month, in Sokoto State, as against the four thousand naira being paid for the past twelve years. The chairman of the congress in the state, Mr Aminu Umar, made this demand in Sokoto on Monday at the 2017 May Day celebration. Umar also called for the implementation of the government circular of December 2014, on the payment of gratuity and pension to staff and medical workers in the Local Government service, as their counterparts in the state service. The chairman, however, lauded the State Government for the payment of arrears of gratuities of more than four billion to retired civil servants at the State and Local Government service. He also noted the regular payment of salary and pension “at a time when some workers in some states are being owed arrears of salary and pension”. “Regular training and retraining of civil servants, priority given to education, agricu...