Author: David Great

Argentine striker Julian Alvarez has completed his move to Manchester City from South American giants River Plate. The 22-year-old signed a five-year deal earlier this year, and will be part of Pep Guardiola’s squad for the 2022/23 season. Born in the small village of Calchin in the heart of the Cordoba province on 31 January 2000, the youngster was marked out for greatness from a very early age at his local club Atletico Calchin. His first coach Rafael Varas, who was a delivery driver by day and coach of Atletico by night, was immediately taken by Julian Alvarez’s special talent.…

Former Arsenal, West Ham and England midfielder Jack Wilshere has announced his retirement from football aged 30. Wilshere made 197 appearances for Arsenal and won two FA Cups after making his debut as a 16-year-old. He later had spells at West Ham, Bolton, Bournemouth and Danish side AGF Aarhus. In a statement on social media, Wilshere – who won 34 England caps – said his career had been “slipping away in recent times”. “It has been an unbelievable journey filled with so many incredible moments and I feel privileged to have experienced all that I did during my career,” he…

PM Kishida denounces attack on “foundation of democracy” Police arrest suspect at the scene of attack Attacker apparently used homemade gun – NHK Political violence rare, guns tightly controlled in Japan Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving leader, died on Friday hours after he was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking a country in which political violence is rare and guns are tightly controlled. The shooter opened fire on Abe, 67, from behind as the former premier addressed members of the public on a drab traffic island in the western city of Nara. Japanese media reported that…

The Nigerian government has revealed the identity of 69 wanted Boko Haram terrorists who escaped from the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in Abuja, the country’s capital. The inmates were released from the correctional facility on Tuesday night after 300 ISWAP fighters attacked the prison. The Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Bashir Magashi, revealed that after the attack, the 69 terrorists in Kuje prison escaped. In a statement on Friday, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) revealed the names and photos of the 69 Boko Haram inmates who escaped from the correctional facility following an attack by terrorists on Tuesday. “The…

The Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Usman Baba, has ordered security beef-up nationwide ahead of the 2022 Eid-el-Kabir celebration. A two-day public holiday – July 11 and 12 – has been announced to celebrate the 2022 Eid-el-Kabir celebration. The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja. Baba had directed Commissioners of Police (CPs), Tactical Commanders and their supervisory Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) to beef up security ahead of the celebration. He said the directive was to prevent untoward situation in their Areas of Responsibility (AoR) throughout the Eid-el-Kabir season and…

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and vice-president Michel Platini have both been found not guilty following their fraud trial in Switzerland. The pair stood trial over a payment of 2m Swiss francs (£1.6m) made by Blatter to Platini in 2011. Both men had denied wrongdoing and said the transfer was belated payment for Platini’s advisory work for FIFA. On his arrival at the court on Friday, Blatter said: “I am not innocent in my life but in this case I am innocent.” Blatter, 86, and former UEFA president Platini, 67, were banned from football in 2015 and indicted last November.…

Dutch champions Ajax have signed winger Steven Bergwijn from Tottenham in a £26.4m deal. The 24-year-old Netherlands international, who previously played for Ajax at youth level, has signed a five-year contract. Bergwijn scored eight goals in 81 appearances for Spurs, after joining from PSV Eindhoven in January 2020. “It is indicative of Steven’s ambition that he chose to make the step to Ajax,” said head coach Alfred Schreuder. Thank you and good luck, Stevie! ✨ pic.twitter.com/mbWWyKi5RW — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 8, 2022 “He is a player with many qualities. He has enormous drive and is also very goal-oriented. Bergwijn…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has rejected moves by some stakeholders to force him to change his running mate as part of a bid to unite the opposition party. Governor Nyesom Wike and some other governors have threatened to leave the party following the announcement of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state as running mate to Atiku Abubakar last month. Chronicle NG reported that a committee tasked with the responsibility of recommending the PDP’s vice presidential candidate agreed on Wike but the Abubakar decided to pick Okowa after he was handed a list of the top…

Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has explained why the church belonging to prophet, Chukwuemeka Ohanaemere, popularly known as Odumeje or Liquid Metal, was demolished. Soludo in a statement issued by his spokesman, Christian Aburime on Thursday said the Mountain of Holy Ghost Intervention Deliverance Ministries, owned by Odumeje was an illegal structure. He said Odumeje was served demolition notice since April and that he did not vacate the structure. Chronicle NG reports that Odumeje’s church was demolished on Thursday by a joint government taskforce in Anambra. Anambra govt demolish Prophet Odumeje church building “Following the expiration of the more…

The Labour Party is expected to announce Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed as the running mate of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 elections. The 48-year old former senator is the founder of Baze University, Abuja and Baba-Ahmed University in Kano. The choice of Baba-Ahmed has running mate surfaced after talks with Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former Kano governor and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria’s Peoples Party collapsed. Obi and Kwankwaso held talks about a possible merger but both men could not come to an agreement as to who will be the presidential candidate. The Labour…