Author: Chronicle Editor

Republican efforts to find a replacement for President Obama’s healthcare system have collapsed, BBC reports. Two Republican senators said they opposed their party’s proposed alternative, making it impossible for the bill to pass in its current form. The party has been divided on the issue, with moderates concerned about the effects on the most vulnerable. President Trump has now called for repeal of Obamacare, so Republicans can start “from a clean slate”. That task falls to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “Regretfully, it is now apparent that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failure of Obamacare will not…

Premier League champions Chelsea have “serious and strong interest” in Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, 29. (Sky Sports) Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is not willing to pay over the odds for Real Madrid’s 24-year-old striker Alvaro Morata, who could be heading to Italy. (Star) Crystal Palace have offered about £16m for Arsenal defender Calum Chambers, 22. (Telegraph) Manchester City have had a £2.6m bid rejected for Napoli’s former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, 34. (Mirror) City will not face competition from Bayern Munich for 28-year-old Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, after the German club’s chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge ruled out a move…

Romelu Lukaku scored his first Manchester United goal as Jose Mourinho’s side overcame Real Salt Lake 2-1 in a fiery friendly in Utah. The Belgian, 24, who signed from Everton for £75m, got the winner seven minutes before half-time to add to Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s equaliser after United had fallen behind on 20 minutes. United then lost Juan Mata to injury and Antonio Valencia to a red card. "I'm here to score goals."Job done tonight then, @RomeluLukaku9! ???? Watch more player interviews on #MUTV: https://t.co/vUU4SB9xdO pic.twitter.com/nVxpcqIXGX— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 18, 2017 “[Lukaku’s goal] is nice for him but not important…

Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai on Monday called for a “state of emergency for education” in Nigeria, as she visited the country and met some of the Chibok schoolgirls whose cause she championed. The 20-year-old global education campaigner made the suggestion at a meeting with acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the presidential villa in Abuja. Nigeria has some 10.5 million children out of school — the most in the world — and 60 percent of them are girls, according to the UN children’s fund, UNICEF. Many of them are in the country’s northeast, where the Boko Haram insurgency has devastated…

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Monday announced the establishment of one million-dollar Venture Capital to boost the Creative Industry. The Minister made the announcement at the opening of the two-day Creative Industry Financing Conference holding in Lagos, saying 20 people, each investing $50,000, are expected to help make up the required amount. He said so far, five people have volunteered to invest $50,000 each, and expressed the optimism that more investors will come forward. Alhaji Mohammed said the $1-million Venture Capital would provide seed money for young and talented Nigerians to set up businesses in…

Roma legend Francesco Totti has finally confirmed his retirement as a player and announced he is to become a director of the Italian club. The 40-year-old, who played his final game in May after a one-club career spanning 24 years, had hinted he could continue his playing career abroad. But he has now released a statement saying that he has new role at the club he first joined as schoolboy. “The first part of my life, as a player, has ended,” Totti said. “But now I’m heading into an equally important part, hoping to do as well as I did…

Deputy Provost of the Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Dr. Jide Johnson on Monday backed the All Progressives Congress (APC) process of picking candidates for elective positions, saying that those aggrieved by the outcome ought to be accustomed to the style of the party. Johnson, who was guest on a program THIS MORNING on TVC monitored by our correspondent, said since 1999, the APC had adopted a structure for deciding on the candidate to fly the party’s flag during elections, adding that those crying foul were once beneficiaries of such process. Addressing issues raised by some respondents on the programme…

Shares in Nigerian oil company Oando fell close to a one-month low on Monday on news that regulators were investigating the firm’s shareholding structure following its $1.65 billion acquisition of ConocoPhillips’ Nigerian business. Shares in Oando, which are also listed in Johannesburg and Toronto, fell 9.54 percent in Lagos, down for the second session in a row, to a level last seen in June. “Our attention has been drawn to a report … stating that Oando is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) following petitions filed by some foreign investors in Oando Nigeria Plc, in relation (to)…

A Lagos high court in Lagos state, south west Nigeria, has dismissed an application filed before the court by Nigeria Bottling Company Plc (NBC) seeking the order of the court staying execution of its judgement ordering National Agency for Ffood and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to forthwith mandate NBC to include on all bottles of Fanta and Sprite soft drinks manufactured by the company a written warning that the content in such bottles of Fanta and Sprite of such drinks cannot be taken with Vitamin C as same becomes poisonous if taken with Vitamin C. However, the court ordered…

Spectranet Nigeria has unveiled its latest offering, a 4G/LTE Mifi known as Freedom. The new product is designed to improve the consumer’s Internet service experience. Spectranet, Nigeria’s premier Internet service provider says the Freedom Mifi comes with 15GB free of superfast Internet for just N16,000. The “Freedom Mifi connect now” promo offers consumers the opportunity to purchase the sleek, black, portable mifi, which comes with free 15GB of superfast Internet, thereby giving consumers immediate access to the Internet for N16,000 only. Mike Ogor, Head of Marketing speaking on the brand aspiration said “Spectranet is a caring brand and has taken…