Rules
West Brom release 18 players including Branislav Ivanovic, Kieran Gibbs, Hal Robson-Kanu
West Brom have released 18 players as they prepare for life in the Championship. The Baggies wave goodbye to senior stars Charlie Austin, Branislav Ivanovic, Kieran Gibbs and Hal Robson-Kanu. Sam Allardyce could not save the Midlands side from the drop – the first Premier League relegation in his managerial career – after taking over from Slaven Bilic. West Brom have since parted company with the Dudley native. The 19th placed Baggies ended up 13 points from safety as they dropped back down to the Championship at the first time of asking. And their relegation has seen nearly 20 players culled from their squad. Joining well known quartet Austin, Gibbs, Ivanovic and Robson-Kanu in departing the Hawthorns, are Zak Brown, Nicholas Clayton-Phillips, Chiekh Diaby, Tyrese Dyce and Samuel French. ...
India warns Twitter of consequences if it fails to follow new rules
India’s government has told Twitter it could face “unintended consequences” if it fails to comply with the country’s new social media rules, Reuters reported. India’s technology minister wrote in a June 5th letter to Twitter that the company’s responses to previous government letters about the new rules did not confirm whether Twitter was in full compliance, according to Reuters. Under India’s Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code, which took effect in May, social media companies could be subject to legal action if they fail to follow the code’s provisions, which are aimed at regulating the platforms’ content. The new rules call for platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp to remove content within 36 hours of receiving a legal order. The rules also require the compani...
NAF chief: Armed forces committed to end insecurity
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, yesterday declared that the Armed Forces remained committed to ending the crisis of insecurity ravaging the nation. He said the expected delivery of six A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets by the United States in July and two drones from China, would be a “game changer” in the war against insurgency. The position of the air force chief is coming on a day the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, sought the assistance of the Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, to provide security for train stations and railway construction sites across the country. Speaking at the graduation ceremony of 1,031 recruits of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Basic Military Training Course 41/2020, Amao affirmed that “the NAF in consonance w...
Kwara governor: Let’s fight terrorism, poverty, not ourselves
Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara has called on Nigerians to unite in the fight against terrorism, banditry and mass poverty. AbdulRazaq made the appeal at the closing ceremony of 2 Division Inter-Brigade Corporals and Below Competition 2021, at the Sobi Barack Ilorin on Friday. The governor described these challenges as “our common enemies” and urged citizens to stop seeing one another as enemies. According to him, these are elements bent on terrorising the people and tearing the nation apart. He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his patience and support for the security agencies to discharge their duties as well as commitment to national peace and security. “The security agencies, particularly the military will continue to symbolise the unity of the people and the strength of t...
Nigerian government kicks as Twitter deletes President Buhari’s tweet
The Federal Government has kicked against Twitter that on Wednesday deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet that spoke of treating people in the “language they understand.” The Presidency questioned the role of Twitter in the secessionist agitation in the South-East following the social media’s deletion of a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari evoking the memories of the civil war to threaten “those misbehaving” in the region. The president had said in his series of tweets on his handle @mbuhari on Tuesday: “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.” Twitter has now deleted th...
SEC sets deadline for crowdfunding platforms registration
File Photo The Securities and Exchange Commission has directed all existing investment crowdfunding portals/digital commodities investment platforms to note the requirements and eligibility criteria for raising funds through and/or operating a Crowdfunding Portal and comply with the registration requirements or cease operations by the 30th of June, 2021. This was contained in a notice released by the Commission on Wednesday. According to the SEC, the rules governing Crowdfunding business in Nigeria came into effect on the 21st day of January, 2021, which was part of efforts by the Commission to ensure investor protection while encouraging innovation in the conduct of securities business. “In line with the transitional provisions of the Rules, all persons/entities operating an investment cr...
WTO chief: Patent waiver not enough to close vaccine gap
World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said that intellectual property waiver alone will not be enough to narrow the huge COVID-19 vaccine supply gap between rich and poor countries. She told the European Parliament that it was clear that discussions around vaccine patents alone would not suffice, saying that global leaders should do more to ensure that there is equitable production and distribution of the jabs. Okonjo-Iweala said developing countries had complained that the licensing process was cumbersome and should be improved upon. She added that while it makes sense to protect research and innovation, it is also important to expand access to the vaccines. According to her, manufacturers should work to expand production, pointing to idle capacity ...
Paul Pogba: N’Golo Kante star is a ‘smart kid’ and a ‘cunning’ player
N’Golo Kante “cheats a lot”, according to Paul Pogba, who has described the Chelsea star as a “smart kid” and a “cunning” player. Kante has established himself as one of the top midfielders in Europe since joining Leicester City from Caen in 2015, helping the Foxes win the Premier League title before also going on to lift the trophy with Chelsea. The 30-year-old has a World Cup winners’ medal to his name too, having been part of the triumphant 2018 France squad alongside Pogba, who has now revealed that his compatriot will do whatever it takes to win, even if it means bending the rules. The Manchester United talisman told beIN Sports of his international colleague: “He cheats a lot. A lot. At card games, board games. Honestly, I’m telling the truth. He cheats. “He says he doesn’t cheat, bu...
UEFA ‘seriously considering’ switching Champions League final to Wembley
Europe’s governing body, UEFA, are reported to be ‘seriously considering’ switching the upcoming Champions League final to Wembley, the clash set to be an all-English affair. At present, the final is set to be played in Turkey’s capital Istanbul, at Ataturk Olympic Stadium, the arena having already missed out on hosting the showpiece last season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the last phase of the knockout stage having been moved to Portugal. However, despite missing out on hosting last year’s final, they could well be set to suffer the same fate this term, amid calls to move the final to England, after both Manchester City and Chelsea progressed from their semi-final encounters with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, respectively. With an all-English final on the way, it seemingly makes ...
Nigerian government establishes 20 new marriage registries
The Federal Government has established 20 new Federal Marriage Registries across the country in a bid to bring Federal Marriage Registry closer to the grassroots. Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola disclosed this Friday in Abuja at a National Stakeholders’ Conference on the Administration and Conduct of Statutory Marriage in Nigeria. According to him, efforts are ongoing to have Federal Marriage Registries in all the State Capitals of the Federation. A statement issued by the ministry’s Department of Press and Public Relations and signed by Towoju Raphael added that the Minister was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Shuaib Belgore. He said the Conference was necessitated by need for the Ministry to inform stakeholders and enlighten the public on some new...
Manchester United could lose points against Liverpool after Old Trafford protests
Manchester United could face punishment from the FA and Premier League over protests at the stadium ahead of their game against Liverpool on Sunday. The league clash between the two historic rivals was postponed at the weekend, as fans protested outside Old Trafford pre-match and eventually made their way inside the stadium. The two sets of players did not leave their hotels for the stadium, and there is no clear date set for when the game will be held. According to the Daily Mirror, the FA’s rulebook in section 8.3.4 states if United are at fault for the game not happening, Liverpool are awarded the result and three points. It reads: “In the event of a match being abandoned due to the conduct of one Club or its members or supporters the Board has the power to order that the match is not r...
British premier denies saying ‘let the bodies pile high’
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday denied a newspaper report that he had said he would rather bodies piled “high in their thousands” than order a third COVID-19 lockdown. Johnson is facing a stream of allegations in newspapers – all of them denied – about everything from his muddled initial handling of the COVID-19 crisis to questions over who financed the redecoration of his official apartment. The Daily Mail newspaper cited unidentified sources as saying that, in October, shortly after agreeing to a second lockdown, Johnson told a meeting in Downing Street: “No more fucking lockdowns – let the bodies pile high in their thousands.” Asked whether he had made the remark, Johnson told broadcasters: “No, but again, I think the important thing, I think, that people want us to get o...
