Bobrisky should have called my bosses when I shut down his party —Runsewe (Punch)
The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Olusegun Runsewe, on Friday, mocked controversial cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye aka Bobrisky, after officers of the Lagos State Police Command were deployed to shut down the celebrity’s birthday party. Runsewe, who spoke on Platform, a programme of the Nigerian Television Authority, said the country was on the cusp of becoming a great nation while he described Bobrisky as a national disaster. Two weeks ago, the NCAC DG had condemned Bobrisky, saying if nothing was done to stop the celebrity immediately, it might be too late when something was eventually done. Read more
Xenophobic attacks: Victims deserve compensation, says NUSA President (Guardian)
The President of the Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA), Adetola Olubajo, on Friday said that victims of the recent xenophobic attacks in that country deserved to be compensated. Olubajo, in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said that looted and destroyed businesses were started with hard-earned savings that took years to build. He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for sending a special envoy to South Africa following the renewed attacks and pledged full cooperation with the delegate. Read more
Mugabe’s death saddens me —Obasanjo (Punch)
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed sadness over the death of former President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe. Obasanjo, who said he received the news of the death of Mugabe with immense sadness, described the late nonagenarian as an indomitable fighter who he said had contributed in no small measure to the liberation of Zimbabwe from apartheid and oppressive radicalism. Read more
Nigeria shouldn’t have sent envoy to South Africa – Shehu Sani (Punch)
A former vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Shehu Sani, has faulted the decision of the Federal Government to send a special envoy to South Africa. Sani, in a statement on Friday, said rather than sending emissaries to South Africa, the government should have sent a delegation to the family of the bereaved. He said, “It’s wrong for the Federal Government to send an envoy to South Africa. Read more
Bala Mohammed swears in 20 commissioners in Bauchi (Guardian)
The Bauchi state governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed, on Friday, inaugurated the newly appointed 20 commissioners as members of the State Executive Council (SEC). While inaugurating the new SEC, the governor tasked the commissioners to set machinery in motion to flush out all ghost workers on salary payrolls in the state. Read more
Fire guts Reps committee room (Punch)
A fire broke out at one of the committee conference rooms in the National Assembly Complex on Friday. The fire incident occurred at Room 322 in the New Building wing of the House of Representatives section of the building. The wing houses the offices of the lawmakers, committee rooms, banks and other private businesses. Office of the Speaker is on the fourth floor. Read more
Minister visits NYSC camp, says govt will strengthen scheme (Punch)
The Federal Government on Friday promised to strengthen the National Youth Service Corps with the aim of ensuring that the scheme continues to unite Nigerians. The Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, promised when he visited the NYSC Orientation Camp located in Kubwa, Abuja. Dare recalled that he was in the same camp for his orientation camp in 1992 as a corps member. Read more
EFCC grills 58 suspected oil thieves in Port Harcourt (Guardian)
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Port Harcourt Zonal Office, says it has commenced investigation of 58 suspected oil thieves allegedly involved in illegal oil bunkering. The EFCC on its website said the suspects and vessels were handed over to the EFCC by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder for further investigation and possible prosecution. Read more
Ortom meets protesting pensioners, begs for forgiveness (Punch)
Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, on Friday met with protesting pensioners in the state, promising to release funds to complete the payment of their pensions. Ortom who met with the pensioners at the gate to the Government House begged for forgiveness and said it was sad this was happening during his administration. Read more
FG approves September 16 as National ID Day —NIMC (Punch)
The National Identity Management Commission, on Thursday, announced that September 16, has been approved as the National Identity Day by the Federal Government. In a statement by signed by Abdulhamid Umar, NIMC’s General Manager, Operations/Corporate Communications, the Commission revealed the Day, was to create awareness on the importance of identification as a modern tool for national development and social cohesion. Read more
Boris Johnson called David Cameron ‘girly swot’ in leaked note (Metro)
Boris Johnson described David Cameron as a ‘girly swot’ on a leaked private Cabinet paper, it has emerged. The document was released this week during a legal challenge of the Prime Minister’s decision to suspend Parliament. Johnson describes the September session of Parliament as a ‘rigmarole’ in the handwritten note dated August 16. Read more
Hurricane Dorian: ‘Hundreds trapped’ on N Carolina island (BBC)
Hundreds of people may be trapped on a North Carolina island amid rising floodwater after Hurricane Dorian made landfall, the state governor has warned. The storm struck the islands popular with holidaymakers days after causing at least 30 deaths in the Bahamas. Roy Cooper warned of storm surges on the island of Ocracoke, where 800 people were said to have stayed behind. Read more
Teenager jailed for stabbing ‘peacemaker’ student to death with Rambo knife (Metro)
A teenager has been locked up for at least 16 years for fatally stabbing a 17-year-old ‘peacemaker’ through the heart with a Rambo knife. College student Malcolm Mide-Madariola was murdered outside Clapham South tube station at about 4.30pm on November 2 last year. He was attacked by 18-year-old Tammuz Brown for standing up for one of his friends who the defendant held a grudge against. Read more
US border: Mexico announces 56% migrant drop after crackdown (BBC)
Mexico says it has successfully curbed the number of undocumented migrants crossing into the United States by 56% since May. Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard announced the reduction of numbers at a government news conference on Friday. The two countries agreed in June to a 90-day window to reduce the flow of migrants crossing into the US. Read more
Identical triplets jailed for plot to supply ‘dangerous criminal’ with guns (Metro)
Three brothers have been jailed for a combined 46 years for conspiring to supply a rapper with an ‘extraordinarily serious’ Uzi submachine gun and a loaded pistol. Reiss, Ralston and Ricky Gabriel tried to evade detection by relying on their shared DNA and appearance but were tracked down with mobile phone and surveillance evidence. Read more
Canan Kaftanciouglu: Turkish opposition figure faces jail for tweets (BBC)
A leading secular politician in Turkey has been sentenced to nearly 10 years in jail for “terror propaganda and insults” against the Turkish state. Canan Kaftancioglu, 47, was convicted mainly over tweets which date back several years. She has said the charges were politically motivated and remains free pending an appeal. Read more
Woman stabbed twin sister to death in drunken fight but ‘doesn’t remember why’ (Metro)
A woman admitted to stabbing her twin sister to death during a drunken fight, but cannot even recall what the fight was about, she said in court. On Thursday, Amanda Ramirez, 27, pleaded guilty to killing her sister, Anna Ramirez, at an apartment during a night of drinking in Camden, New Jersey in late June. Read more
Chandrayaan-2: India’s historic moonshot appears to end in failure (BBC)
India’s attempt to become the first nation to land a spacecraft near the Moon’s unexplored south pole has apparently ended in failure. The Chandrayaan-2 approached the Moon normally until about 2.1km (1.3 miles) from the surface, when an error occurred, officials said. India’s Space Research Organization (ISRO) said it lost contact seconds before the ship was expected to land. Read more
Hong Kong bookseller who defied China raises $100,000 in a day for new shop (BBC)
A Hong Kong bookseller who defied mainland China has raised more than $100,000 (£91,000) in just a day to open a new bookshop in Taiwan. Lam Wing Kee was one of five booksellers detained in 2015 after selling material critical of the political elite on China’s mainland. He broke the terms of his 2016 release by going public about his imprisonment. Read more
A$AP Rocky’s Swedish lawyer ‘shot in head and chest’ in Stockholm (Metro)
A$AP Rocky’s first lawyer from his case in Sweden has been shot in Stockholm, according to reports. Swedish lawyer Henrik Olssen Lilja was reportedly shot in the and chest on Friday morning (6 September) in the capital, and called the police himself for assistance. According to Forbes, police are investigating the matter as an isolated incident and ‘several people’ have been arrested for questioning. Read more
Chance The Rapper welcomes second baby girl with wife Kirsten Corley (Metro)
Chance The Rapper and his wife Kirsten Corley have welcomed their second daughter together. Kirsten, 26, confirmed the new arrival on Instagram, showing a picture of baby Marli wearing a onesie which read ‘I am who he says I am’ across the front. Posting on Instagram, Kirsten wrote: ‘Our sweet baby girl, Marli, is here.’ Read more
South African rugby legend Chester Williams dies aged 49 (Metro)
Former South Africa wing and World Cup winner Chester Williams has died aged 49. Reports in South Africa have said that Williams died from a heart attack. Williams was part of South Africa’s Rugby World Cup-winning squad in 1995 and played 27 Tests between 1993 and 2000. Read more
Superb Netherlands claim win in Germany (BBC)
A superb second-half display gave the Netherlands an important Euro 2020 qualifying win over Germany in a thrilling, see-saw game in Hamburg. Serge Gnabry had given Germany an early lead but Frenkie de Jong and Jonathan Tah’s own goal turned the game. Germany looked to have claimed a draw via Toni Kroos’ penalty, given for a dubious handball against De Jong. Read more
Real Madrid’s Bale rescues Wales with late header (BBC)
Gareth Bale saved Wales from a humiliating home draw against Azerbaijan as his late goal snatched victory to give their stuttering bid to qualify for Euro 2020 a much-needed lift. Ryan Giggs’ side took a first-half lead in comical fashion as the ball looped high into the air from a deflected Bale shot and hit an unsuspecting Pavlo Pashayev before rolling past a wrong-footed Salahat Agayev in the Azerbaijan goal. Read more
Arsene Wenger says Mohamed Salah is ‘too obsessed’ with scoring after row with Sadio Mane at Liverpool (Metro)
Arsene Wenger believes Mohamed Salah is ‘too obsessed’ with scoring goals but has backed the Liverpool forward to improve his decision making. Sadio Mane was furious with Salah during Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Burnley last Saturday after the Egyptian refused to pass him the ball for an easy chance to score. Jurgen Klopp played down the row, while reports have claimed that both players were on good terms again in the dressing room after the game. Read more
Marcus Rashford believes football is ‘going backwards’ in fight against racism (BBC)
England and Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford fears football is “going backwards rather than forwards” in the fight against racism. Rashford was racially abused on social media after missing a penalty in the defeat by Crystal Palace in August. There have been similar incidents involving Paul Pogba and Tammy Abraham while Romelu Lukaku was recently subjected to racist chanting. Read more
Michael Owen doubts Marcus Rashford’s mentality as a striker for Manchester United (Metro)
Michael Owen believes Marcus Rashford is lacking the ‘killer instinct’ to be Manchester United’s leading striker. Following the departure of Romelu Lukaku last month, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is demanding more goals from Rashford and Anthony Martial in the No.9 position. But Owen has raised doubts over Rashford’s suitability for the role. Read more
Neymar: Barcelona won’t sign Brazil forward in January, says club’s president (BBC)
Barcelona will not make a move for Paris St-Germain forward Neymar in January, according to the club’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu. The Spanish giants spent all summer trying to negotiate a deal to bring the Brazil star back to the Nou Camp. However, the two clubs were ultimately unable to agree a deal. Read more
I will be back, banned Platini insists (Punch)
Former UEFA president Michel Platini told Swiss television channel RTS on Friday he “will be back” as his ban from football for ethics violations finishes on October 7. Platini, a former France captain, was stopped from partaking in all football-related activities in 2015 for receiving a two-million Swiss franc (1.8 million euros, $2 million) payment from ex-FIFA chief Sepp Blatter, who was suspended for six years. Read more
Eddie Nketiah reveals Unai Emery wanted to keep him at Arsenal before Leeds United loan (Metro)
Eddie Nketiah has revealed that Unai Emery wanted to keep him at Arsenal before his loan move to Leeds United. The 20-year-old impressed during the Gunners’ pre-season campaign by scoring three goals and looked on course to stay with the team and challenge for a first-team role. But Nketiah opted to joined Leeds on a temporary deal and has made a flying start at the Championship club with three goals in five appearances. Read more
Serena Williams coach Patrick Mouratoglou expected Bianca Andreescu to reach US Open final (Metro)
Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of Serena Williams, is not surprised by Bianca Andreescu’s dart to the US Open final, despite this being her first appearance in the main draw in New York. Mouratoglou will devise a plan with Williams to tackle the 19-year-old on Saturday afternoon and is well aware of the threat she poses, hailing her physical strength, athleticism and mental fortitude. Read more
US Open 2019: Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah win men’s doubles title (BBC)
Colombian top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah have won the US Open men’s doubles title, their second consecutive Grand Slam. The Wimbledon champions defeated Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-4 7-5 under the roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The pair had been 5-3 down in the second set, but won the last four games to secure the title. Read more