Author: Chronicle Editor

Bayern Munich assistant manager Paul Clement has been given permission to speak to Swansea City. The Swans, bottom of the Premier League, are set to appoint the former Derby County boss on Tuesday. Clement had been interviewed by Swansea prior to former manager Bob Bradley’s appointment in October. The 44-year-old is set to be their third boss of the season and is likely to be at Selhurst Park on Tuesday for Swansea’s game against Crystal Palace. The former Chelsea and Real Madrid assistant manager was in charge of Derby County for eight months before he was sacked by the club…

Opposition groups have agreed to a deal to ease DR Congo of its perilous political crisis in the New Year. The country is one of Africa’s most troubled countries, Africa Review reported on Monday. Under a landmark accord, the country’s contested president, Joseph Kabila — who under the Constitution should have left office on December 20 — will stay in power until elections are held at the “end of 2017”. During this 12-month period, a so-called National Transition Council will be set up, headed by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, and a prime minister will be named from opposition ranks. The…

On Sunday, North Korea President Kim Jong Un, revealed that Pyongyang may ring in the new year with another bang — the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. In his annual New Year’s address, Kim said that after testing what the North claims was its first hydrogen bomb last year, preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have “reached the final stage” Kim did not explicitly say an ICBM test, which if successful would be a big step forward for the North, was imminent. But he has a birthday coming up on Jan. 8, and last year Pyongyang conducted a…

President-elect Donald Trump says that he knew “things that other people don’t know” about the Russian hacking. He promised that the information would be revealed “on Tuesday or Wednesday”. Speaking outside his Palm Beach, Florida club, Mar-a-Lago during the New Year party, Trump who expressed lingering skepticism about intelligence assessments of Russian interference in the election, cast his declarations of doubt as an effort to seek the truth. “I just want them to be sure because it’s a pretty serious charge,” Trump said of the intelligence agencies, according to reports. “If you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that…

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has expressed confidence in the ability of President Muhammad Buhari to tackle to current economic challenges in the country. The governor said this on Sunday in Kano in his New Year message to the people. Ganduje, who spoke through the State’s Commissioner for Information, Youth and Culture, Mr Mohammed Garba, also expressed optimism about 2017. He prayed that it would be full of opportunities, blessings and happiness for all Nigerians. He said the past year had indeed not been very smooth on account of the economic recession in the country, expressing optimism however that…

A group of former Nigerian militants said on Sunday it had lost confidence in the president’s efforts to end attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta, a major goal in efforts to reach a lasting peace settlement. In its first public criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said he was “jeopardizing the fragile peace in the region” with public comments about the unrest while reneging on past agreements. MEND had backed Buhari in his 2015 presidential election campaign and urged militants behind the most recent spate of attacks to pursue…

Former Nigerian leaders, Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ernest Shonekan combine with former deputies, Ebitu Ukiwe, Alex Ekwueme, Oladipo Diya and current vice president Professor Yemi Osinbajo sing a hymn for a greater, united and peaceful Nigeria in 2017. The song is Isaac Watts hymn, “Our God, Our Help in Ages Past,” with the video recorded early December 2016. The video will surely give Nigerians the right vibes to begin another year’s journey. Happy New Year for Nigeria. With celestial help, Nigeria shall surely overcome the present difficulties!. PROFILE OLUSEGUN OBASANJO Olusegun Mathew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo, GCFR was born on 5…

Chelsea will bid £60m for Southampton’s Netherlands international defender Virgil van Dijk, 25, who is also wanted by Manchester City. (Daily Express) The Blues’ leading scorer Diego Costa, 28, subject of a rumoured £80m bid from Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian, says he is “very happy” at Stamford Bridge. (Daily Mirror) Manchester United have targeted France forward Antoine Griezmann, 25, and Spain midfielder Saul Niguez, 22. The Atletico Madrid duo have release clauses totalling £145m on contracts that were renewed last summer. (The Times – subscription required) United manager Jose Mourinho is also thought to want Real Madrid central…

Olivier Giroud’s ‘scorpion’ goal in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace is one of “the top five” strikes of manager Arsene Wenger’s 21-year reign. Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp goals are among Wenger’s favourites but he said “this will be the Giroud goal”. He added: “Technically it’s not impossible but you must have that reflex. The cross didn’t come ideally and Olivier did something special.” French forward Giroud said his strike owed much to “maximum luck”. A swift counter-attack ended with Giroud flicking an Alexis Sanchez cross from behind him over his shoulder and into the goal, via the crossbar,…

After weeks of negotiations, Congo’s ruling party signed a deal with opposition leaders that aims to end 15-year-rule of President Joseph Kabila. National institutions such as the national monitoring committee now need to ensure an inclusive process that involves all political role-players, government spokesman, Lambert Omalanga, told local media on Sunday. The accord, which was mediated by the Catholic Church in Congo and signed late on Saturday night, allows Kabila to remain president until elections are held by the end of 2017. The agreement comes after months of protest against Kabila’s staying in power beyond his second term. Dozens of…