Author: Chronicle Editor

A former US sergeant who defected to North Korea and became Pyongyang’s prisoner for nearly 40 years has died. Charles Jenkins, 77, lived in Japan where he had settled with his family after his 2004 release. He was among four US soldiers who defected in the 1960s and later became North Korean film stars, but was the only one who was released. The others reportedly died in North Korea, including James Dresnok who was said to have died of a stroke in 2016. Charles Jenkins died on Sado island on Monday, where he was living with his wife Hitomi Soga,…

Apple has acquired Shazam, the company announced today. The deal was first reported by TechCrunch last week and is worth $400 million, according to Recode. Shazam lets users identify songs, movies, TV shows, and commercials from short audio clips. “We are thrilled that Shazam and its talented team will be joining Apple,” a spokesperson disclosed. “Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users. We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today’s agreement.” “We are excited to…

The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Monday paid tribute to the Tanzanian peacekeepers killed on Dec. 7 in the worst attack on UN ‘blue helmets’ in recent history. The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC, David Gressly, attended the ceremony held in the north-east city of Beni. Gressly encouraged the mission’s military, police and civilian staff to continue their efforts to implement the operation’s mandate, including the protection of civilians. “We are determined to continue our work. What is important now is to stay engaged to protect civilians, especially towards Kamango,”…

Former Paralympic champion and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius has been injured in a prison brawl over the use of a public phone, a South African official said on Tuesday. The double amputee — who is serving a 13-year jail term for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp — was left with a bruise after “an altercation with another inmate over the use of a public phone” on December 6, according to the department of Correctional Services. “Oscar Pistorius sustained a bruise following an alleged incident with another inmate over the use of a public phone in the special care…

European governments are knowingly complicit in the torture and abuse of refugees and migrants in Libya, Amnesty International has alleged. In an effort to stem migration, the EU is actively supporting a “system of abuse and exploitation” on Libyan shores, the group said in a report. EU funds are going to authorities working with militias and people smugglers, the report says. The EU has provided ships, training and funding to the Libyan coastguard. Libya is the main thoroughfare for migrants trying to reach Europe. Arrivals in Italy – the main destination for boat crossings – fell sharply following the provision…

Egyptian Mohamed Salah has been voted BBC African Footballer of the Year for 2017. Following a record number of votes, the Liverpool star won ahead of Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Guinean Naby Keita, Sadio Mane of Senegal and Nigeria’s Victor Moses. “I am very happy to win this award,” the 25-year-old told BBC Sport. “It’s always a special feeling when you win something. I feel like I had a great year, so I’m very happy.” Salah, the Premier League’s top scorer with 13 goals, has enjoyed a stellar year for both club and country. In early 2017, the forward was the…

Sicily on Monday welcomed nearly 900 migrants rescued in Mediterranean waters off the coast of Libya in the past few days, with many expressing relief at having escaped the “Libyan hell”. More than 330 migrants rescued by Italian coast guard and other European vessels have already disembarked at Sicilian ports, Italian media reported. Another hundred were en route to the western city of Trapani on Monday while 450, including a woman about to give birth, are due to arrive in Augusta by evening aboard the Aquarius, a boat operated by charity group SOS Mediterranee along with Doctors Without Borders. “Testimonies…

President Donald Trump on Monday denied a New York Times story on his daily White House life that says he watches up to eight hours of cable TV news a day. “Another false story, this time in the Failing @nytimes, that I watch 4-8 hours of television a day – Wrong!” the US president wrote on Twitter. “Also, I seldom, if ever, watch CNN or MSNBC, both of which I consider Fake News,” he added. Trump then described CNN news anchor Don Lemon as a person “I once called the ‘dumbest man on television!’” A lengthy New York Times story…

Lagos State governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday presented the 2018 budget of N1.046 trillion to the state House of Assembly, noting that, the state targets N720.123 billion internal revenue. The budget, tagged: “Budget of Progress and Development” is 28.67 per cent higher than that of 2017 which was N812 billion. The 2018 budget has a capital expenditure of N699 billion and a recurrent expenditure of N347billion. The capital to recurrent ratio of the budget stood at 67:33. “The budget will be used to consolidate on infrastructure, education, transportation/traffic management, security and health with an added emphasis on mandatory capacity building…

After 10 years of marriage to a completely lazy husband, a trader, Mrs Awawu Oseni, wants an Igando Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve the marriage because of the man’s refusal to work. Awawu pleaded with the court on Monday to dissolve the marriage because her husband, Ibrahim Oseni, has refused to work, to make himself useful to the family. She said that Ibrahim, with whom she had a child in the marriage, was completely lazy and not useful to the family. “My husband has refused to work. He sleeps at home from morning till night, snoring. “When he wanted…