Author: Chronicle Editor

Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Belgium eased to victory against Costa Rica in their final World Cup warm-up match. Belgium, England’s Group G opponents, were again without injured defender Vincent Kompany in Brussels, while Eden Hazard limped off in the 70th minute. Bryan Luiz volleyed Costa Rica ahead on 24 minutes, before Napoli striker Dries Mertens equalised from close range. Lukaku scored either side of half-time and then set up Michy Batshuayi to tap home Belgium’s fourth. Belgium begin their World Cup campaign against Panama on Monday, while Costa Rica face Serbia in their first game in Group E on…

Patrick Vieira has explained why he left his position with MLS club New York City to take over the reins at Ligue 1 side OGC Nice. The former Arsenal captain said it was a difficult decision but one he could not reject. “After 8 years in the City group, it was difficult to leave, but there are some projects that you just can’t refuse. “Here, everything has come together so that I can work well. I know that I will have the support of the people at the club. “I thank the people at City for their understanding, because it’s…

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un have become the first sitting US president and North Korean leader to meet, an unprecedented development after a year of exchanging threats. The pair shook hands at a luxury hotel in Singapore’s Sentosa island before proceeding to talks. Mr Trump said “a lot of progress” was made, and said he would soon attend a signing ceremony with Mr Kim. They have been discussing defusing tensions and nuclear disarmament. However, it is unclear what document the two leaders would be signing. Analysts are split on what the summit will achieve. Some see it as a propaganda…

Championship side Stoke City have announced the signing of Nigerian international Oghenekaro Peter Etebo on a five-year contract. The 22-year-old midfielder joins the Potters from Portuguese side Feirense for a fee of €7.2million. Etebo spent the second half of last season on loan with Las Palmas in La Liga and will be heading to England after the World Cup. Chief Executive Tony Scholes said: “We are delighted Etebo has chosen to join Stoke City, becoming our first signing of the summer. “I’m particularly pleased that he took the time to look beyond our current league status and understand who we…

Fred Haines, 77, will get back the six figure sum that he wired between 2005 and 2008 to scammers who had promised him $64 million in inheritance from a Nigerian prince, if only he could pay the fake fees to move the money. Last year, Western Union admitted in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to knowingly looking the other way regarding employees who had been helping scammers to steal the money of its customers, including Haines. A $586 million fund was created to pay back victims, throughout the US and Canada. When Haines first heard about the settlement…

Whenever this historical epoch of Nigeria’s political evolution is to be evaluated the role being played by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo will not go unnoticed or be swept under the carpet. In the last three years of this administration he has worked tirelessly with President Muhammadu Buhari to help realise the vision and mission of the administration as encapsulated in the “change agenda” and several other policy documents. In doing this he has brought his extensive knowledge of law, public and private sector experiences to bear in the many successes of the Buhari /Osinbajo administration. Like President Muhammadu…

With the 2018 FIFA World Cup few days away, MultiChoice Nigeria has announced an extension of its Call Centre operating hours from 8am till midnight daily, until the 16 July 2018. This extension will allow customers on its DStv and GOtv platforms have access to quality service as they enjoy every moment of the tournament. Previously operating daily from 8am to 9pm, the three-hour extension will give customers more time to contact customer care representatives on varying issues such as subscription payment, reconnection and content scheduling. Speaking on the recent development, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe said the…

Some of football’s biggest names have been secured by SuperSport to underpin this year’s broadcast of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on DStv and GOtv. Yaya Toure, one of the most celebrated African players of the past decade, will be joined by straight-talking Jay-Jay Okocha, Dwight Yorke (one half of the deadly duo which spearheaded Manchester United’s charge to a historical treble in 1999) plus former Manchester United and Everton fullback Phil Neville and Italian maestro Gianfranco Zola, one of Chelsea’s greatest players. Other African guests doing SuperSport duty include Samson Siasia, Shaun Bartlett, Gavin Hunt, Andre Arendse and Benni…

India police have arrested 16 people after two men became the latest victims of hysteria over WhatsApp rumours of child kidnappers. The men were visiting a village in north-eastern Assam state when they were beaten to death by a large mob. Rumours of child kidnappings are spreading across India over WhatsApp, and have already led to the deaths of six other people in the last month. Police say it is proving hard to debunk the messages on social media. “When rumours start circulating on social media, it takes some time to stop them completely,” senior police official Mukesh Agarwal told…

Morocco and Nigeria on Sunday signed a joint declaration in Rabat laying out the next steps for the completion of a gas pipeline deal that will be built onshore and offshore, Moroccan state news agency MAP said. The two countries agreed to the pipeline in December 2016 and launched feasibility studies ending with a plan to build the pipeline onshore and offshore, it said. “For economic, political, legal and security reasons, the choice was made on a combined onshore and offshore route,” Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the two authorities…