Author: Chronicle Editor

United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Monday that steps were under way that should allow Chad, an important American ally in the fight against Islamist groups in West Africa, to be removed from a US travel ban list. Speaking in the capital N’Djamena, he said a report on Chad’s progress towards strengthening controls on passports and improving information sharing was being prepared in Washington and would be reviewed by President Donald Trump next month. Tillerson also said he was concerned about the presence of Islamic State-allied militants in West Africa. READ: French fashion legend Hubert de Givenchy…

French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy has died aged 91. He who founded The House of Givenchy in 1952 is famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn, as well as clothing for clients such as Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1970. Givenchy’s first designs were done for Jacques Fath in 1945. READ: Rex Tillerson cut short Africa trip, to spend few hours in Nigeria Later he did designs for Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong (1946) – working alongside the still-unknown Pierre Balmain…

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will cut short his first diplomatic trip to Africa on Monday to return to deal with urgent work in Washington, his spokesman said. The top US diplomat will now spend just a few hours in key ally Nigeria on Monday evening rather than the overnight visit originally planned. There was no immediate response from Abuja. “Due to demands in the Secretary’s schedule, he is returning to the US one day early after concluding official meetings in Chad and Nigeria,” Under Secretary of State Steve Goldstein told reporters. Tillerson’s week-long, five-country tour coincided with several…

Zambia is waging a fierce campaign against sex dolls, threatening offenders with heavy jail terms over the dolls which, it says, are “very unnatural”, EastAfrican has reported. “No one sells them openly, no one admits to owning one, and no one has been arrested,” report said. The government launched the crackdown on the sex toys last month. The action has propelled the issue of sex dolls to the top of the news agenda and made them a hot topic of conversation and debate on social media, dividing opinion in the largely conservative southern African country. “Being a Christian nation, obviously…

Deputy President of the Senate Ike Ekweremadu has denied the trending report that he called for military coup in Nigeria, just as the labour has warned it would resist military in politics. “I never called for a military coup. I never said the military was planning any coup. Even the military’s statement admitted that my statement was only cautionary and that we were sincere. “But they went as far as saying that the international community should ignore my words of caution.” According to the Punch, Ekweremadu said in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Sunday that comments on the floor of the…

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has approved an increase in excise duties on tobacco and alcoholic beverages, the finance ministry said in a statement on Sunday. The west African country, which has Africa’s biggest economy, fell into recession in 2016 largely due to low oil prices. It emerged from recession last year, mainly as a result of higher crude prices, and is trying to raise non-oil revenues. In addition to a 20 per cent tax on tobacco, the government will add an extra fixed tax per cigarette. A percentage tax on alcoholic beverages will be replaced by taxes of fixed amounts…

Afrofunk star, Adesoga Bisuga known by his stage name, Train has dropped a smashing new single titled Badder. The single which is already enjoying rave reviews online and on radio is the latest in Train’s unique brand of music. Train christened his original genre/style of music as AfroFunk. “My genre is both afro and funk. The afro part of it is quite obvious. “AfroFunk is a groove music fused with rhythmic African percussion and an element of funk like you know it from way back,” he said. And in Badder he took his AfroFunk genre to a new level. He…

Senator Shehu Sani explains his rift with Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, its genesis and how it has mutated and now involves Senator Hunkuyi, creating a  sharp division within the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state. Sani, who was a pro-democracy and human rights activist before coming to the National Assembly, represents Kaduna Central Senatorial District and chairs the Ad hoc Committee of the Senate, which investigated former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr.Babachir Lawal, for breach of the Public Procurement Act and for abuse of his official position. In your opinion, what precipitated the worsening of the…

Arsenal ended a run of three successive Premier League defeats as they secured a fine victory over Watford. Shkodran Mustafi headed in Mesut Ozil’s left-wing free-kick to give the Gunners an eighth-minute lead, before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang collected Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s pass to add a second. Watford had a chance to pull one back but Troy Deeney’s penalty was saved by Petr Cech, who secured the 200th Premier League clean sheet of his career. Mkhitaryan sealed Arsenal’s victory, their first league win since beating Everton 5-1 on 3 February, with a shot from inside the penalty area following Aubameyang’s pass. The result…

Barcelona have agreed an option to buy Brazilian midfielder Arthur from Gremio in the summer. The La Liga leaders have first option on the 21-year-old, who will cost £26.6m plus £8m in additional fees if they decide to complete the deal in July. Born Arthur Henrique Ramos de Oliveira Melo on 12 August 1996, he has represented Brazil at Under-17 and Under-20 level, and helped Gremio win the 2017 Copa Libertadores. A Barcelona website statement said he “stands out for his passing ability”. READ: Serena Williams beats Kiki Bertens to face sister, Venus It added: “Another of his qualities is…