Author: Opalim Lifted

Manchester City ended a stellar year on a high note by beating a battling Sheffield United side to move within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool. Rodri gave the defending champions an early breakthrough when he latched on to Phil Foden’s neat pass and fired into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the area. The Blades’ packed defence meant City had to wait to add a second, but Foden was the provider again when it arrived midway through the second half, with his low cross dispatched by Julian Alvarez. City, who were crowned Fifa Club…

Villarreal have re-signed former Manchester United defender Eric Bailly on an 18-month contract following his release by Besiktas. The Ivory Coast centre-back, 29, left the Turkish club on Friday, just three months after moving from Old Trafford. He played only eight times for Besiktas and was one of five players excluded from the first-team squad this month. Bailly played for Villarreal during the 2015-16 season before joining Manchester United for £30 million. His final appearance for Besiktas was against Fenerbahce on December 9. Man Utd’s Eric Bailly joins Marseille on loan Two days later, the defender, along with team-mates Vincent…

Chelsea almost squandered a 3-0 lead to claim an important win in a thrilling game at Kenilworth Road. The Blues started the match brightly and took the lead in the 12th minute with a poor clearance from Luton’s Issa Kabore, handing the ball to Cole Palmer for the forward to drill low into the far corner past Thomas Kaminski. Palmer was in the mix again as Chelsea doubled their lead when his pass set up Noni Madueke, who dribbled past Amari’i Bell and smashed the ball into the top corner. In the second half, good work from Nicolas Jackson set…

The House of Representatives is proposing a bill to criminalise non-payment or failure to pay salaries by employers of labour and corporate bodies across the country. When passed into law, employees can demand payment from their employer by submitting a written claim. The bill, sponsored by Wale Hammed, a member representing the Agege Federal Constituency, Lagos State, titled “The Employees Remuneration Protection Bill, 2023, has passed its first reading. Section 7(1) of the bill provides that it is unlawful for any employer to “Refuse or neglect to pay the remuneration of his employees, as provided under this Act.” Section 8(1)…

The National Assembly is expected to pass the 2024 Appropriation Bill at the plenary today, Saturday, December 30, 2023. At their respective sessions, the Senate and the House of Representatives will both approve the National Assembly’s (NASS) harmonized 2024 budget. Already, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has arrived in the chamber to preside over what is the last plenary for the year. President Bola Tinubu presented the NASS with the 2024 budget estimates of N27.5 trillion on November 29. Christened the ‘Budget of Renewed Hope’, the President said it will ensure micro-economic stability, poverty reduction, and greater…

The Nigerian naira is the third worst-performing currency in the world behind the Lebanese pound and the Argentine peso among the 151 currencies tracked, Bloomberg said. The report said on Friday that the naira will decline further in 2024, with no rebound in sight. “The naira is poised for its worst year since the return to democracy in 1999, with analysts predicting further depreciation in 2024,” Bloomberg disclosed. The naira fell 55 percent this year to N1,043 per dollar at the official market on Thursday. Bloomberg said, the fall made the naira the third worst-performing currency in the world behind…

Jermaine Jackson, the eldest brother of the late Michael Jackson and a founding member of the legendary Jackson 5, faces a sexual assault lawsuit alleging an incident from the late 1980s. Rolling Stone obtained the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 28, 2023. The plaintiff, Rita Barrett, details an encounter with Jackson at her home, where she claims he “forced himself into Plaintiff’s home and, with force and violence, sexually assaulted Plaintiff.” The suit details Barrett’s alleged fear for her life during the assault and emphasizes the emotional trauma she continues to experience. Barrett met Jackson through her…

Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro has released his 25-man list for the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with captain Ahmed Musa making the cut while Enyimba’s Olorunleke Ojo is the only home-based player. The African football showpiece (AFCON) will run from January 13 to February 11, 2024. The Nigerian side, gunning for its fourth title, has been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. The Portuguese manager had earlier in December unveiled a 40-man provisional squad, including three goal-keepers from the local league. However, in the final cut, Peseiro on Friday named African…

Google has agreed to settle a consumer privacy lawsuit seeking at least $5 billion in damages over allegations it tracked the data of users who thought they were browsing the internet privately. The object of the lawsuit was the “incognito” mode on Chrome browser that the plaintiffs said gave users a false sense that what they were surfing online was not being tracked by the Silicon Valley tech firm. However, internal Gmail presented in the lawsuit showed that the search and advertising giant was tracking users who were using incognito mode for the purposes of measuring web traffic and selling…

The National Association of Nigerian Students had called on the Federal Government to declare a day of national mourning for the recent killings in Plateau State. It also said it was embarrassing that no one has been arrested in connection with the recent killings in Plateau State. Chronicle NG reported earlier that over 60 people were killed in a Christmas Eve attack in 17 villages in the Barkin Ladi, Mangu, and Bokkos Local Government Areas of the state. The attacks had also displaced over 10,000 people, many of whom were presently camped in churches, mosques, schools, and private residences. President…