ONE WORD

The senior pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), Biodun Fatoyinbo, who was alleged to have raped  Busola Dakolo, wife of popular Nigerian musician, Timi, several years ago, has announced his decision to take “leave of absence from the pulpit of the church”. His decision is coming amid protests at the Lagos and Ilorin branches of the church, as well as the Abuja headquarters. In a statement he released on his Instagram handle on Monday, he said his decision was in line with the advice of his spiritual mentors, who urged him to step down from the pulpit for the moment. Although Busola had accused him of raping her repeatedly when she was 16, Fatoyinbo had earlier issued a statement debunking the claims, while threatening to sue for defamation of character. Announcing his decision to step down Monday, he said: “I have taken time to pray and seek spiritual counsel from Christian leaders around the world who feel very concerned about the ongoing reports in the media...

Roughly 152 passengers and air-crew members were on the flight. Electra Airway flight from Cologne Germany to Ben Gurion Airport landed safely after Israeli Air Force jets were sent to inspect it and emergency teams dispatched to the airport after the crew reported a tear on one of the landing wheels.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the emergency teams and the airport response to the emergency,  calling the news "good" he congratulated them for their "outstanding preparation." Ben Gurion Airport authority declared an emergency level 3 situation, as faulty tires might catch fire due to the intense speed and heat generated when a plane lands. As fuel tanks are located close to the wings of the plane where the wheels are, the worst scenario was of a massive explosion during the landing, Channel 12 reported. Police officers, fire fighters and first response teams were at Ben Gurion Airport to ensure maximum safety of passengers and crew. Among Isr...

Here are the 21 housemates who will be keeping you all glued to your TV screens in the next 13 weeks.   BBNaija season 4 will be one of the most exciting seasons ever as these year's housemates all appear to be interesting and are all set for the prize. 21 housemates will be slugging it out for the grand prize of N60M worth of gifts in the next 99 days. These housemates have from different backgrounds and it will interesting to see how they interact and stay together in one house for the next 13 weeks. Here are the 21 housemates who will be keeping you all glued to your TV screens in the next 13 weeks. Isilomo Lagos resident, Isilomo Braimoh is single and ready to mingle. An HR manager at 27, Isilomo has an MA in Human Resource Management with professional certification. She winds down from her hectic job by engaging in sports, outdoor activities, food, music, and travel. A lover of all things music, her favourite songs are currently ‘Middle Child’...

Rom Roath Neary (pictured left) died after wandering away from her parents and apparently climbing through a gap in a fence, at her family's crocodile farm in Cambodia. Rom's parents, whose names have not been released, had built a fence around the crocodile pit but the little girl had been able to climb through a gap in the barrier. Police have launched an investigation into the tragedy. They also issued a warning to families with crocodile farms to keep a close eye on their children at all times. The shocking video, shot by an eyewitness, of crocodiles fighting over Rom's remains and her father entering the enclosure to retrieve her skull has been shared on Facebook and video-sharing platforms. There are many crocodile farms in Cambodia, especially in Siem Reap province, which breed crocodiles for their leather. Police lieutenant Och Sophen said the toddler's mother, who had recently given birth, had lost track of Rom as she was busy with the newborn. Ro...

Former Nigerian First Lady, Patience Jonathan has forfeited $8.4 million and N9.2 billion to the federal government. Breakdown of all funds ordered to be forfeited by Patience Jonathan. $3.65million $4.7million N1.81billion N226.38million N1.09billion N39.42million N7.22million N55.94million N174.17million N858.93million N1.81billion N1.1billion N317.40million N1.90billion $429.39million" The Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday ordered the forfeiture of ex-First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan’s $8.4 million and N9.2 billion to the Federal Government, The Nation reports. Justice Mojisola Olatoregun held that the money is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime. She granted an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that the money should be permanently forfeited. The judge held that Mrs Jonathan could not prove that the money was legitimately earned.

The centre back departs having played 389 games in all competitions – more than any other non-Spanish player. 'FC Internazionale Milano announces that a contract has been agreed with Diego Godin that will run until 30 June 2022,' the club said. Godin broke down as he told reporters, supporters and team-mates that he was departing in May. He said: 'These are my last days, my last games at Atletico Madrid. 'I have no regrets. In life there are some hard changes but the hardest ones are the ones that make you grow.' Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone and team-mate Antoine Griezmann were also seen crying. He is expected to form a crucial part of Antonio Conte's new-look Inter side. The former Chelsea manager took over earlier this summer and is also plotting a deal for Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku. Inter Milan have confirmed the signing of Uruguayan defender Diego Godin from Atletico Madrid on a free transfer. Godin, 33, left the Spani...

At least 35 people were killed Monday when an overcrowded bus plunged into a gorge in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said. It was the second deadly crash in less than a week in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, renowned for its mountainous terrain and abysmal road safety record. The bus skidded off a road in the remote Kishtwar region and fell into a deep, narrow valley, senior police official M. K. Sinha said. Thirty-five people died in the accident and 17 were injured, local official Angrez Singh Rana said. Seven of the injured were in critical condition and were evacuated to a nearby hospital, he said. A separate crash on Monday in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh state killed three school students and their driver, the Press Trust of India reported. Last week, 11 students on their way to a picnic were killed when their bus fell into a gorge in Shopian district of Kashmir, officials said. Some 150,000 people die in road accidents on average each year in ...

Alex Iwobi has tipped Manchester City to defend their Premier League crown next year The Nigeria international says City's success will continue into the 2019-20 season, with pre-season just around the corner. He told Sky Sports they will start as favourites: 'Everyone thought that last season, but Liverpool give them a tough challenge as well. 'So, you never know what could happen. I'm sure every club's going to invest and try and get their team right. 'Pre-season's coming up really soon, so everyone's trying to get ready for the season to start. 'It's hard to say right now whether Man City are going to dominate, but they could be favourites, considering they won it again.' Manchester City are favourites for next season's Premier League, believes Alex Iwobi. The Arsenal forward has backed Pep Guardiola's side to defend their crown and lift a historic third successive title. City completed the domestic treble last mo...

Guardiola has not won a European trophy away from Barca but is pleased with his work at City Pep Guardiola has insisted that he has everything he needs at Manchester City and has ruled out a return to Barcelona or Germany. He won three domestic titles with Bayern during his three-year stay between 2013 and 2016, but failed to repeat his double Champions League triumph while in charge of Barcelona. He has yet to taste European success with City either but he added that he was delighted to have proved doubters wrong about his style of play, showing it would be successful in the Premier League. 'What I like more is that I have proved that people who said we can't play the same way in Germany or in the Premier League were wrong,' he added. 'With Silva, Bernardo Silva, Sterling or Aguero, all of them less than one metre 20! We have done it. 'We don't concede many goals and we dominate positionally. We have the same ideas that we had when we trained the ...

La Liga president Javier Tebas admitted he is hoping that Neymar does not return to Barcelona this summer, insisting his behaviour is 'not good for the competition'. 'He can be a great player, but the behaviour is very important in the values we transmit in the competition,' he said. Neymar, who left Spain for France for a world-record fee of £198million two years ago, is pushing for a return and reports suggest Barcelona would be open to bringing him back. 'If outside the field the example is not correct, I prefer that he doesn't return to La Liga because he is not a good example.' The 27-year-old played a total of 186 matches for the Nou Camp outfit, with an incredible return of 105 goals and 76 assists, before leaving for the French capital. Neymar is currently working his way to back to full fitness after limping off during Brazil's friendly against Qatar earlier this month. The forward was ruled out of the Copa America with an ankle in...

Lampard looks certain to become  Chelsea 's new manager after the Rams gave the  Premier League  side permission to speak to him last week. However, there has been no official confirmation yet that Lampard has concluded a sensational return to his former club, leaving Derby's players in limbo. Chelsea's new technical and performance advisor Petr Cech recently claimed Frank Lampard is not the only contender for the vacant manager's job. He said: 'The club has identified some of the coaches they are dealing with. The situation is open, Frank is one of the candidates. I could speak about all the candidates with the leadership, they know my ideas. 'The first team will start the preparation, by that time we would like to solve the coach's question.' Chelsea were given permission by Derby to speak to Lampard on June 25 but have yet to reach a total agreement to name him Sarri's successor. The Blues have agreed to pay £4m compensation for Lam...

Rafa Benitez has slammed Mike Ashley and the Newcastle hierarchy for his departure from the club in an explosive letter to fans on Monday morning. Benitez wanted close to £100m to work with in the transfer market this summer and the power to offer weekly wages in excess of £100,000 for the first time. He also demanded the freedom to spend as he saw fit and at the top of his list was West Brom's Salomon Rondon, the loanee who was Newcastle's Player of the Season. The club disagreed on the grounds of the striker costing £16.5m and turning 30 in September. Managing director Lee Charnley told Benitez that the model was to sign players under 25 with sell-on value. Fans were left furious at the news Benitez would be leaving and it came as the latest blow during Ashley's ownership. The Magpies have now launched a search for his replacement with Mikel Arteta, Roberto Martinez, Patrick Vieira and Steven Gerrard all in contention. He wrote: 'Dear NUFC fans, Thank yo...

Monday, July 1, 2019 8:07 am File photo: A herd boy fully armed By Lasisi Olagunju On October 18, 1990, the United States, in a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), predicted the end of a country which was behaving almost as Nigeria is behaving now. It said, “Yugoslavia will cease to function as a federal state within a year, and will probably dissolve within two. Economic reform will not stave off the breakup. […] A full-scale inter-republic war is unlikely, but serious intercommunal conflict will accompany the breakup and will continue afterward. The violence will be intractable and bitter. There is little the United States and its European allies can do to preserve Yugoslav unity.” That country called Yugoslavia ceased to exist in 1992 –within exactly two years as predicted by the US. I wonder what the authors of that report are writing about Nigeria this moment.   Analysing Nigeria in 2013, two US security experts, Robert D. Kaplan and Mark...

The journalist's wife was present as well as her two children to watch the unveiling of the new pitch. 'We were the only municipality in Seine-Saint-Denis to have no synthetic football pitch,' said Mayor Ludovic Toro. 'So I did everything to repair this lack. When it was necessary to find a name, that of Thierry Roland came quickly as he gave for his passion. The project cost about 500,000 €, of which 75 per cent of subsidy.' The new facility in Seine-Saint-Denis is named after the French commentator who died in 2012, and is the first synthetic surface in the region. Of the game, Wenger said: 'Thierry Roland has done a lot for French football, everyone knows it's amazing that he did not have a complex to his name sooner, he regrets. 'His son regularly came to the stadium when I was training Arsenal.' The new facility in Seine-Saint-Denis is named after the French commentator who died in 2012, and is the first synthetic surface in the re...

The Super Eagles fell behind in the 13th minute, with Lalaina Nomenjanahary taking advantage of a woeful defensive error from Brighton defender Leon Balogun to slot home after rounding goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa. Despite dominating in terms of possession, Nigeria failed to record a shot on target in the first half and almost conceded a second just before the break, only for Madagascar captain Faneva Andriatsima to fire wide when through on goal. Eight minutes into the second half Madagascar sealed the win when Carolus Andriamatsinoro's free-kick, following a foul on the edge of the area from Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, took a deflection and looped into the net. Africa Cup of Nations debutants Madagascar stunned Nigeria by beating the three-time champions 2-0 to confirm their place in the last 16 by surprisingly topping Group B. Nigeria had already guaranteed their spot in the knockout phase prior to the game at the Alexandria Stadium. However they will need to...