Author: Chronicle Editor

Nigeria’s naira, Ghanaian cedi set to steady in the coming week as regulators step in to meet forex shortages, while a weaker dollar is seen boosting other African currencies. NIGERIA Nigeria’s naira is expected to trade within a recent range after the central bank released around $660 million to quench greenback shortages in Africa’s biggest economy. The naira was quoted at 498 to the dollar on the parallel market, the same as last week, while banks quoted the currency at 314.50/dollar on the official interbank window. The unit is seen closing around 305 to the dollar, the same level it…

Bayelsa House of Assembly has approved a N3 billion loan request from the State government to purchase cars for legislators and other political office holders. The Speaker of the House, Mr Kombowei Benson, who confirmed this to newsmen on Thursday in Yenagoa, said that the decision was taken at a closed door session of the House. Benson, while defending the decision said that the legislators had nothing to hide but resolved to consider the loan application “in camera”. “The sitting lasted for less than 30 minutes and we felt there was no need for media coverage for such a brief…

Nature’s cruelty has been captured in a series of gruesome images showing lions killing a pregnant buffalo and eating her unborn calf. Harrowing footage shows the lions taking down their prey before one latches onto her throat in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe. The other big cats focus on the African buffalo’s back and rip and tear at it until they drag the unborn calf from its mother’s womb and feast on it. The brutal shots were taken by wildlife photographer and tour leader Jeremy Bennett, 43, from Nigeria. ‘The lions had been lying up in some thick bushes,’ he…

An Afghan woman whose husband cut off her ears said Thursday she was seeking donations for treatment abroad, as activists condemned the latest gruesome incident to highlight the abuse of women in the conservative country. Zarina, 23, was still hospitalised in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif Thursday, her mutilated ears bandaged and her face swollen. She told AFP that she could not explain why her husband attacked her in the middle of the night Tuesday in a remote district of Balkh province, bordering Uzbekistan. “He woke up at three in the morning, he tied my legs, my hands with my…

Rex Tillerson, the former chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil, has been sworn in as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state. The Texas native, 64, was cleared for full Senate approval in a 56-43 vote. The vote came after Senate Republicans changed the rules in order to approve Mr Trump’s nominees for health and treasury, despite a Democratic boycott. Mr Tillerson, who has never held political office, faced intense scrutiny over his ties to Russia. As Mr Tillerson was sworn by the vice-president in the Oval Office, the president told him: “Your whole life has prepared you for this…

A 50-year-old landlord, Usman Hadare, was on Thursday arraigned in a Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, for allegedly removing the roof of his tenant. The landlord who also is the defendant is standing trial on a two-count charge bordering on mischief and theft. The defendant of Jabi Daki Biyu, Abuja, denied committing the offences, while the judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, granted him bail in the sum of N50,000 and one surety in like sum. Sadiq said that the surety must produce a utility bill that must be in his name, and adjourned the case till Feb. 13, for further…

For decades, Australia and the US have enjoyed the coziest of relationships, collaborating on everything from military and intelligence to diplomacy and trade. Yet an irritable tweet President Donald Trump fired off about Australia and a dramatic report of an angry phone call between the nations’ leaders proves that the new U.S. commander in chief has changed the playing field for even America’s staunchest allies. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was left scrambling to defend his country’s allegiance to the U.S. after The Washington Post published a report on Thursday detailing a tense exchange that allegedly took place during the Australian…

Former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard has retired, bringing to an end a 21-year professional career. The 38-year-old, who spent last year with New York City in Major League Soccer in the US, announced his decision on social media on Thursday. Lampard made 649 appearances for Chelsea and won 106 England caps. “Whilst I have received a number of exciting offers to continue playing, at 38 I feel now is the time to begin the next chapter in my life,” said Lampard. “I’m grateful to the FA for the opportunity to study for my coaching qualifications and I look…

Violent protests erupted at the University of California at Berkeley over the scheduled appearance of a controversial editor of the conservative news website Breitbart. Hundreds of students and other protesters chanting “shut him down” smashed windows at the campus, set wooden pallets on fire and threw fireworks and rocks as police in full riot gear responded with tear gas. The university was placed on lockdown as the sold-out appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos, a conservative firebrand, was canceled in early evening. Yiannopoulos, who is technology editor for the news website, is known for his provocative social media posts and was banned…

Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode on Wednesday signed into law the anti-kidnapping bill recently passed by the State House of Assembly, with a pledge to ensure its full implementation to eradicate kidnapping once and for all in the State. The Prohibition of the Act of Kidnapping Law imposes a penalty of life imprisonment on kidnapping for ransom. The law also stipulates that where a victim dies in the course of kidnap, the suspect is liable on conviction to death. Speaking at the signing ceremony held at Lagos House in Ikeja, Governor Ambode said the spate of kidnapping in the…