Author: Chronicle Editor

Arsenal are closing in on the £48m double signing of Bayer Leverkusen’s Germany goalkeeper Bernd Leno, 26, and Sampdoria’s 22-year-old Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira. (Telegraph) Belgium forward Eden Hazard, 27, has warned his club side Chelsea that “Real Madrid could interest me”. (Sun) Liverpool’s deal to sign Lyon playmaker Nabil Fekir is not over, according to the 24-year-old France international’s agent. (Express) Former Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri and ex-Chelsea striker Gianfranco Zola could be confirmed as the London club’s new management team this week, if an agreement is reached to terminate current coach Antonio Conte’s contract. (Mail) Sarri is an…

The auditing work of one of the world’s “Big Four” accounting firms has been sharply criticised by the industry’s watchdog. KPMG audits had shown an “unacceptable deterioration” and will be subject to closer supervision, the Financial Reporting Council said. The FRC added all the Big Four – which also include PwC, EY and Deloitte – needed to reverse a decline. KPMG said it was “disappointed” and was taking steps to improve audit quality. Every year the watchdog reviews the audits of Britain’s biggest companies to ensure they meet certain standards. The FRC noted problems at all the firms, but KPMG…

US rapper XXXTentacion, who quickly rose to fame with two consecutive hit albums, has been killed aged 20. He was leaving a motorcycle dealership in south Florida on Monday when an armed suspect shot him. Police in Broward County said XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was often described as one of rap’s most controversial artists and was facing domestic violence charges. The polarising rapper, who first found an audience by uploading songs to the website SoundCloud, had been hailed as a breakthrough talent and tributes have been pouring…

There is no respite yet for Senator Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi representing Anambra North Senatorial district as Lagos lawyer Barrister Ken Ahia has filed an application before a Federal high court on behalf of Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc to join as an intervener in the ongoing debt recovery suit filed against the Senator and her company Sea Petroleum Oil and Gas Group Limited by Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON. Union Homes Savings and Loan Plc (the applicant) is contending that Senator Stella Oduah, Sea Petroleum Oil and Gas Company and five Directors of the company namely, Okoh Davis Ifeanyi,…

By Amaechi Agbo “In a society in which nearly everybody is dominated by somebody else’s mind or by a disembodied mind, it becomes increasingly difficult to learn the truth about the activities of governments and corporations, about the quality or value of products, or about the health of one’s own place and economy. In such a society, also, our private economies will depend less and less upon the private ownership of real, usable property, and more and more upon property that is institutional and abstract, beyond individual control, such as money, insurance policies, certificates of deposit, stocks, and shares. And…

Nigerian officials were working Monday to prevent the “collapse” of the electric grid after they had to close down six power plants following a pipeline failure and “technical issues” at Shell gas wells. Swathes of Africa’s most populous nation of 180 million plunged into darkness on Saturday night during a World Cup match between Nigeria and Croatia. “Six thermal power generating stations are currently unable to generate electricity and have therefore been shut down,” the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said in a statement. READ: Police confirm 20 dead, 48 injured in Damboa explosions “With a total loss of 1,087…

Captain Harry Kane scored twice, including an injury-time winner, as England battled to victory over Tunisia in their opening game of the World Cup. Kane nodded home from close range in the 91st minute following Harry Maguire’s flick-on from a corner, adding to his opportunistic finish in the first half in Volgograd. Manager Gareth Southgate has instilled a feel-good factor in the side since taking over in November 2016 and England’s youngest team at a World Cup since 1958 showed flashes of thrilling attacking football, although poor finishing almost proved costly. Their speed caused Tunisia plenty of problems as Jesse…

Explosions have killed at least 20 people in Damboa, northeast Nigeria, Borno police said, while residents said the toll was even higher in the largest attack for weeks in a region blighted by the Islamist militant Boko Haram insurgency. In an emailed statement issued on Sunday, the police said 20 people had been killed and 48 injured. Two residents however said they had counted at least 31 dead. The explosions occurred in the Damboa local government area in the south of Borno state, on Saturday at around 8:30 p.m. (1930 GMT). Witnesses spoke of at least one rocket attack. Security…

Senator Ahmed Makarfi, a former Governor of Kaduna State and former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has formally joined those jostling for the party’s 2019 presidential ticket. Former Cross River State governor Donald had last week also declared his intention to run for the 2019 presidential ticket on the same party platform. Also former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who recently defected from ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) back to his original PDP, is currently on nationwide consultation to galvanise support for the party’s presidential ticket. Makarfi disclosed his intention in Kaduna on Sunday. READ: Fayose, Fayemi…

Ekiti State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Gboyega Oguntuase, has alleged that the debts incurred by the Kayode Fayemi administration from 2010 to 2014 had so far cost the state N35.34 billion. The PDP claimed that the N35.3 billion was used in the servicing of debts, and deductions from statutory allocations from October 2014 till date. But the former governor and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Fayemi has swiftly denied the allegation, describing it as a deliberate falsehood, sponsored by Governor Ayo Fayose to smear his image as well as cover up the failure of his…