Author: Chronicle Editor

A “psychic” cat in China that correctly predicted the outcome of six World Cup games has met an untimely end, prompting thousands to pour out their grief on Chinese social media. The orange-furred tabby, named “Baidian’er”, which means “white spot” in Chinese, was a stray that prowled around the Palace Museum in Beijing’s Forbidden City. He was offered two bowls of food, with the flags of competing World Cup teams stuck in the ground behind them. Baidian’er correctly predicted the results of six World Cup games. He achieved such fame that the Palace Museum even set up an account for…

A black Democratic politician in the US state of Oregon says the police were called on her while she was out campaigning for re-election. Janelle Bynum was knocking on doors in Clackamas County on Tuesday when a patrol car pulled up alongside her. In a Facebook post, she said one of her constituents had thought she was acting suspiciously and called the police. “I was going door to door and spending a lot of time typing on my cell phone… aka canvassing,” she wrote. “I asked to meet my constituent who thought I was suspicious, but she was on the…

Eight families have showed up for DNA testing following the accident that killed over 10 persons on Otedola Link Bridge fire last week. The Head of the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, Dr Richard Somiari, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos. Somiari, a forensic expert, said that more families were still expected to visit the facility in connection with the deadly explosion that occurred on June 28. “There are two categories of people that come for the testing, those who believe strongly that their family member died and…

Social media users in China are debating whether a male South Korean reporter being kissed by female fans during the World Cup is “sexual harassment”. The video clip shows Jeon Gwang-ryeol, a MBN (a South Korean TV channel) reporter broadcasting in Russia on 28 June, being kissed on the cheek twice by female Russian fans. The reporter tried to laugh the kisses off but looked embarrassed after the incident which occurred days after other supporters were criticised for trying to kiss a female reporter live on TV. A debate about the incident emerged on Weibo, China’s largest social networking site,…

A former Israeli government minister who was living in Nigeria went on trial on Thursday on charges of spying for arch-enemy Iran in a case which has been kept under tight wraps on security grounds. Gonen Segev, who served as energy and infrastructure minister from 1995 to 1996, is charged with “espionage against the state of Israel, assisting the enemy in time of war and passing information with the intention of harming state security.” Journalists were excluded from the hearing, which was held behind closed doors, an AFP correspondent reported. Most of the detailed charge sheet has been redacted in…

US President Donald Trump has once again accused the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) of driving gas prices higher on Twitter on Wednesday and urged the oil cartel’s members to do more. “The OPEC Monopoly must remember that gas prices are up & they are doing little to help. If anything, they are driving prices higher as the United States defends many of their members for very little $’s. This must be a two way street. REDUCE PRICING NOW!” Trump wrote on Twitter. The OPEC Monopoly must remember that gas prices are up & they are doing little to…

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is considering a bid for Stoke midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri. The 26-year-old Switzerland international can leave the relegated Potters for £12m. (Sun) The Red Devils are also keen on a swap deal to bring Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic, 32, to Old Trafford from Juventus with Italian full-back Matteo Darmian, 28, moving in the opposite direction. (Mirror) Chelsea have reached an agreement with Juventus to sign Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain for £53m, (Sport Mediaset – via Metro) Argentina want Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to become their new manager following their early exit from the World Cup.…

The ruling All Progressives Congress appears to be self-destructing following the announcement of a new faction within the party. The faction who referred to themselves as the Reformed- All Progressives Congress (R-APC) claims that the group includes all the progressive forces in APC, including most of the leading members of the defunct nPDP, CPC, ANPP, ACN and others. In an address in Abuja, Nigeria by the national chairman of the R-APC, Alhaji Buba Galadima at Sheraton Hotels on Wednesday, the chairman noted that APC has failed. Galadima also announced the leadership structure within the party, describing the government led by…

Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal on Wednesday sacked all his commissioners and asked them to hand government property to the permanent secretaries in their respective ministries, in a move that foreshadows his planned move to switch to the Peoples Democratic Party. Malam Abubakar Shekara, Director General Media and Public Affairs in Government House, announced the dissolution in a statement. Shekara explained that the dissolution would pave way for “restructuring and re-strategising the cabinet for optimum efficiency and service delivery to the people of State”. The director-general said Gov. Tambuwal thanked the former commissioners for their dedication, sacrifice and loyalty to…

Central Bank of Nigeria is wooing local businesses importing goods from China to use the yuan instead of the US dollar in its effort to support its naira currency and boost reserves. Central bank officials on Wednesday held a town hall meeting with businesses in Lagos to introduce the yuan for imports from China ahead of plans to start auctioning the Asian currency later this month. The dollar is Nigeria’s main trade currency. The OPEC member suffered severe dollar shortages after the price of crude oil, its top export and main source of FX, plunged in late 2014, prompting it…