Author: Chronicle Editor

Egypt scored a 95th-minute penalty to beat Congo 2-1 in Alexandria and so reach the World Cup for the first time in over a quarter of a century. Mohamed Salah was the Egyptian hero, scoring both goals in a win that qualified them for their third finals – and first since 1990. The euphoria was intense since Arnold Bouka-Moutou had stunned the hosts when equalising for Congo after 88 minutes. But the Egyptians’ World Cup hoodoo ended as Salah held his nerve late on. His dramatic winner sparked wild scenes of celebration both on and off the pitch, as several…

Mr. George Weah, Liberia’s ex-football star, will never have a more realistic chance of winning the presidency than on October 10 when some two million of his compatriots go to the polls to replace Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Of all the contenders for president, his candidacy is seen as the one that poses the most credible threat to Vice-President Joseph Boakai’s chances of succeeding Sirleaf, rendering the race too close to call as the clock ticks inexorably to Election Day. Political pundits in Liberia say it is now or never for Weah, whose best shot at the presidency could never have put…

A Joint enforcement operation by operatives of the Lagos State police command and the task force at the weekend, led to the arrest of 50 suspected criminals and the recovery of 48 bags of illicit drugs. The arrests were made during the ongoing state-wide enforcement operation tagged ‘Eradication of Criminal Hideouts’ carried out around the Akala area and other drug den of Mushin. The raid was led by Soji Akinbayo, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Superintendent of Police (SP) and all Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) under the Area ‘D’ command…

Neymar has demanded UEFA expel Barcelona from the Champions League in a dispute over a bonus payment. It is understood that representatives of the Brazilian made the request to European football’s governing body as a row between the player and his old club over a loyalty bonus continues. The 25-year-old completed a world record transfer from Barca to Paris St Germain in the summer, but his camp insist the timing of the move meant the club were obliged to pay him a loyalty bonus, reportedly worth around £23m. Barcelona were reported to have refused this request and are themselves seeking…

The Black Stars of Ghana — third in Group E going into the match in Kampala — needed a win to keep their hopes alive of making the World Cup finals in Russia. But they had a stoppage time goal disallowed just before the final whistle. The Ghana Football Association said it had written to FIFA about the performance of South African referee Daniel Bennett and his assistants, Eldrick Adelaide and Steve Marie, both of the Seychelles. Read Also China punishes 1.3m officials for corruption “The GFA filed the protest to football’s world governing body, FIFA, immediately after the match…

Tunisia’s health minister, Slim Chaker died of a heart attack on Sunday after taking part in a charity marathon to help battle cancer, officials said. Slim Chaker, 56, fell ill after running some 500 metres (yards) and then making a speech at the start of a race in the coastal town of Nabeul aimed at raising funds to build a clinic for children with cancer, his ministry said. Read Also REVEALED! Shady Nigerian cash behind London luxury homes He died later at a military hospital in Tunis. “I have lost a brother and a colleague,” Prime Minister Youssef Chahed wrote…

Rapper Nelly who was arrested after a woman accused him of raping her on his tour bus following a concert near Seattle has been released. Police in Auburn said they arrested the artist after a woman called emergency services at 03:48 (10:48 GMT) to report a sex assault. The singer strongly denies the allegations and has now been released. “I have not been charged… therefore no bail was required,” he tweeted. “I was released, pending further investigation.” The singer tweeted that he was “beyond shocked that I have been targeted with this false allegation”. READ: Nigerian Army kills 2 Boko…

The Nigerian Army on Saturday said its troops had killed two Boko Haram insurgents at Mayanti village of Bama Local Government Council of Borno State. Lt. Col. Kingsley Samuel, the Deputy Director Army Public Rations, 7 Division, said in Maiduguri that the troops had ambushed a group of insurgents while trying to cross into the Sambisa Forest. He explained that the troops neutralised two insurgents while many others escaped with gunshot wounds, adding that, some food items were also recovered from the insurgents. “The Mobile Strike Teams (MSTs) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE resolve to rout out the remnants of Boko…

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-graft drive, which has targeted officials at all levels, has punished more than 1.3 million people in five years, the anti-corruption watchdog said Sunday. The anti-corruption campaign, which Jinping launched shortly after becoming the Communist Party’s leader in 2012, was meant to fell both high-level “tigers” within the party and “flies” in lower bureaucratic ranks. More than 1.3 million officials at the township level or lower have been punished in the past five years, including 648,000 village officials, said the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. READ: REVEALED: Shady Nigerian cash behind London luxury homes The…

In a bid to expose the murky Nigerian money lurking behind some of London’s most high-end properties, anti-corruption campaigners are offering an unusual property tour of the British capital. As the coach carrying journalists and campaigners winds through luxurious west London, experts revealed the hidden world of misused public funds, unexplained wealth and the British “enablers” who make it happen. The coach’s first stop was the multi-million pound home of “one of the biggest political movers” currently operating in Nigeria, who was named in the so-called “Panama Papers” leak that revealed the holders of offshore accounts in the tax haven.…