Kovacic set to join Chelsea and many more, check out the latest transfer news

Manchester United have reportedly rejected an offer from Barcelona to make a swap move for Paul Pogba with a £45m fee plus Andre Gomes and Yerry Mina. That was a tempting swap deal but Manchester United made their intentions clear enough to reject the offer.

Lyon star Nabil Fekir has been left out of the club's squad to play against Chelsea today amid speculations he will make a move to the Stamford Bridge side before Thursday.

Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic has refused to train or play for the club as he eyes a move to Chelsea.

West Ham target Stefano Sturaro has been made available by his club Juventus for a £18m fee.

Arsenal starlet Reiss Nelson is set to sign a new deal the club as he looks to commit his future to the Emirate Stadium.

Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster is reportedly eyeing a move away from the club amid interests from Besiktas and Fenerbahce.

Leicester City are adamant over retaining defender Harry Maguire and have told Manchester United he is not available at any price.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is interested in signing Atletico Madrid star Jose Gimenez before the end of the transfer window on Thursday.

The Old Trafford side have made their last offer of £40m for Tottenham star Toby Alderweireld and will look elsewhere if their bid is not accepted but a compromise looked to have been accepted.

Everton have reportedly told Yannick Bolasie he can leave the club this summer and the winger is eyeing a move back to Crystal Palace.

West Ham are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater but can only sign him if Luka Modric makes an Inter Milan move and as a result, Matias Vecino makes a Chelsea move.

Lyon are reportedly ready to hijack Everton's move for Yerry Mina from Barcelona.

Leicester City are on the verge of signing Dinamo Zagreb defensive star Filip Benkovic for £13m.

Fulham are ready to sign Celtic defender Dedryck Boyata for a big money move

Chelsea goalkeeper refused to show up for training yesterday as he looks to force a move away from the club. The club meanwhile are eyeing a possible replacement in Kasper Schmeichel, Pepe Reina, Sergio Rico and Jack Butland. They are also reportedly preparing a €100m move for Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak. It remains to be seen what happens before Thursday night.

Chelsea star Willian has revealed he will like to work with Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho again in future but he insisted he remains committed to Stamford Bridge.

Everton will most likely complete the signing of Brazilian star Bernard in the next 48 hours.

Inter Milan are interested in signing Keita Balde from Monaco on loan.

Chelsea have sanctioned a loan move for Matt Miazga to Nantes for a whole season.

Nigeria star Moses Simon has joined Levante on a five-year contract from Gent.

Chelsea have also sent youngster Fikayo Tomori to Derby County on a season-long loan.

Bordeaux has announced the signing of Nigeria star Samuel Kalu on a five-year deal from Gent. He will replace the departed Barcelona star Malcom.

Stoke City have reportedly rejected Leicester City's bid for Mame Biram Diouf.

Kovacic to Chelsea will be announced in the coming hours. A loan with option suited all parties best. Chelsea are not done shopping in Spain. [Marca]

Lassa fever: Enugu govt. tells residents not to panic

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State

The Enugu State Government on Tuesday urged residents not to panic or entertain any fear due to the confirmed case of Lassa fever death.

The state Ministry of Health had on Monday, confirmed t that one patient died in a government hospital in the state.

Dr Ifeanyi Agujiobi, the Permanent Secretary, the state Ministry of Health, in Enugu said that "there is no cause for alarm''.

Agujiobi revealed that the state had no other suspected or confirmed case of Lassa fever presently.

He said that the ministry had identified the high and low-risk individuals, who came in contact with the deceased through contact-tracing, adding that they had been attended to medically on time; "since timely treatment checks the virus''.

He also said that the government had contacted the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Abuja on the latest development and how the center could come in and assist the state.

The permanent secretary noted that the state had already commenced a massive sensitization against the disease in local radio and television houses, using native languages.

The state has already started deploying experts in epidemiology and health professionals to begin contact-tracing of doctors, health workers, family members, friends and food vendors patronized by the deceased.

It was learnt that the victim died in one of the Federal Government health facilities (name withheld) within the Enugu metropolis.

Breaking: Uncertainty as Osinbajo summons IGP Idris over siege on National Assembly

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday, Tuesday, August 7, summoned the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and the Director-General of the Department of State Security, Malam Lawan Daura at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the two security chiefs, who arrived Aso Rock at different times, were to update the acting president on security developments including the blockade of the National Assembly by security officials.

The Inspector-General of Police was the first to arrive at about 12.35 p.m. before the arrival of the DSS Director General at about 1.15 p.m.

The police and operatives of the DSS early on Tuesday, blocked the main gate of the National Assembly, preventing lawmakers and staff from gaining access into the complex.

The security operatives, however, later allowed the lawmakers access into the complex while journalists and other staff were barred.

Osinbajo: Acting President sacks DSS Director, Lawal Daura, after NASS invasion

Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, has ordered the termination of the appointment of the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura.

Daura's termination was announced by Osinbajo's spokesperson, Laolu Akande, on Tuesday, August 7, 2018. The Acting President directed Daura to hand over to the most senior officer of the State Security Service until further notice.

While the reason for his termination has not been made public, early speculations indicate that it might have something to do with DSS operatives taking over the National Assembly complex early on Tuesday.

They prevented the lawmakers and journalist

into the premises in what many believe to be a plot to implement the impeachment of Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

Osinbajo mourns nine drowned Taraba corps members

Olalekan Adetayo, Olaleye Aluko and Justin Tyopuusu

The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday, said he was saddened by the drowning of nine National Youth Service Corps members in River Mayo-Selbe in the Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba State on Saturday.

The victims were among the 22 youth corps members who had gone on a picnic around the area when the incident happened.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande, the Acting President extended condolences to the families and relations of the nine youth corps members on behalf of himself and the Federal Government.

Osinbajo said with the tragic incident, the nation had lost some of its talented and productive young people in their prime.

He said, "This terrible occurrence has abruptly ended the lives of these young men and women while they were dutifully engaged in national service.

"The Federal Government appreciates their service to the nation and it is my prayer that God will comfort their families and loved ones, and that we would not witness such a calamity again.

"I would like to express my condolences to the families of the late youth corps members, the NYSC management and the people of Taraba State, where the sorrowful incident occurred and Edo, Enugu, Delta and Imo states from where the identified victims hailed."

Meanwhile, the NYSC has declared a three-day national mourning to sympathise with the families of nine corps members who drowned in River Mayo-Selbe, near the Gashaka falls, in the Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Our correspondent learnt from the NYSC authorities that the mourning began on Monday and would end by Wednesday, during which the NYSC flags nationwide would fly at half-mast.

The NYSC Director of Press and Public Relations, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, who confirmed the mourning period in a release on Monday, said the authorities were "shocked and saddened by the cruel twist of fate that befell our corps members."

Monday that the deceased corps members were part of 22 NYSC members who went for a picnic at the river.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Taraba State Police Command, ASP David Missal, had said the police were able to recover seven corpses from the total number of the deceased, noting that investigation was ongoing.

The NYSC spokeswoman, Adeyemi, said on Monday that the drowning was caused by the sudden increase and surge of the River Mayo-Selbe.

She added that the two remaining corpses of the corps members had yet to be found.

Adeyemi said, "The NYSC is shocked and saddened by the cruel twist of fate that befell our corps members who drowned as a result of the sudden increase in water volume and surge of the River Mayo-Selbe.

"The serving corps members had last Saturday left their places of primary assignment and embarked on a picnic at the site before the unfortunate incident.

"Seven bodies have so far been recovered from the river by the local divers and security agents while the search for the remaining two missing corps members is ongoing.

Anyone doing business with Iran won’t do business with U.S., Trump warns

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that sanctions reimposed on Iran were the "most biting ever" as he warned other countries from doing business with Tehran.

"The Iran sanctions have officially been cast. These are the most biting sanctions ever imposed, and in November they ratchet up to yet another level," he wrote in an early morning tweet.

"Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States. I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less."

The sanctions reimposed on Tuesday — targeting access to US banknotes and key industries such as cars and carpets — were unlikely to cause immediate economic turmoil.

Iran's markets were actually relatively buoyant, with the rial strengthening by 20 percent since Sunday after the government relaxed foreign exchange rules and allowed unlimited, tax-free gold and currency imports.

But a second tranche coming into effect on November 5 covering Iran's vital oil sector, could be far more damaging — even if several key customers such as China, India and Turkey have refused to significantly cut their purchases.

Trump's contempt for the nuclear deal dates back to his time as presidential candidate and on May 8, he made good on a pledge to pull America out of the international agreement

The unilateral withdrawal came despite other parties to the agreement — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the EU — pleading with Trump not to abandon the pact aimed at blocking Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Lagos Govt. releases N2.04bn to pensioners

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State

The Lagos State Government has in last three months released N2.04 billion to clear the arrears of pensions under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

Mrs Folashade Onanuga, the Director General of Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) made this known in a statement in Lagos on Monday.

Onanuga said that the sum represented money released for the months of May, June and July.

She said that N859.06 million was released for the retirees in May, N716.9 million in June and N466.9 million in July, totalling N2.04 billion.

She, however, emphasised that the total pensions fund released by the state government under Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode's administration as at June had hit N38 billion covering 9,214 retirees.

Onanuga said that insurance benefits of N40.2 million were also paid to 15 beneficiaries of deceased employees.

She said that the state employees were expected to have signed-up a Retirement Saving Account with one of the 13 PFAs approved by the state.

The LASPEC boss said the PFAs were AIICO Pension Managers, ARM Pensions, Crusader Sterling Pension, Fidelity Pension Managers, Leadway Pensure, Nigerian Life and Provident Company, Pension Alliance and Premium Pension.

The others were Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, Trustfund Pensions, Sigma Pensions, FUG Pensions, and Legacy Pension Managers.

Onanuga said that the governor was fully committed to the welfare of retirees and was working toward clearing accrued pension backlogs that the administration inherited under the old pension scheme known as Defined Benefit Scheme.

"Retirees that retired solely under CPS for one reason or the other collected their gratuities upon retirement with steady monthly pension payments because the pension funds under CPS is intact," Onanuga said.

QUESTION: With defection of Saraki and other senators, which party is in control of Senate; APC or PDP?

The recent mass defection of some senators from the All Progressives Congress (APC) which saw Senate president Bukola Saraki, Senator Dino Melaye, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and others switch allegiance to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown up a big question: Which party now controls the majority?

After the gale of defections, the Senate leader, Ahmed Lawan, insisted that the ruling APC still has a majority in the Senate with 52 lawmakers.

the APC will be having 53 senators in the upper chamber, according to Senator Lawan's list.

Lawan added that the PDP has 50 seats while ADC has three and APGA has two.

"The essence of this press briefing is to let you know that even though some of our colleagues have left, the APC remains the majority party in the Senate in terms of numbers. Out of the 109 senators, APC has 52, the PDP has 50, ADC has three and APGA has two. And you'll recall that we lost two of our colleagues. So we have two vacant seats and the total gives you 109," the Senate leader said.

Going by Senator Lawan's statement, the total number of occupied seats in the Senate is 107 (not 109 mentioned by Lawan). The remaining two seats, Katsina North and Bauchi South, to make 109 are vacant at the moment.

However, another report by Channels TV claims the PDP is now in the majority, particularly after the defection of Senator Saraki.

According to the report, the PDP now has 54 while the APC has 50. The report added that even if the APC wins the two vacant seats, it will still be in the minority with 52 senators.

PDP debunks report of Atiku exclusion from presidential race

National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus (R), Atiku Abubakar and behind him Otunba Gbenga Daniel, DG, Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation, at the declaration rally of Atiku for the 2019 presidential election, at Ribadu Square, Yola, Adamawa State, yesterday.

The People's Democratic Party has said their presidential slot is open for all to contest.

The clarification came following media reports that the party had cleared Senate president Bukola Saraki, Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso to contest for the post while Atiku Abubakar was excluded.

Tambuwal and Saraki, recently defected from the ruling All Progressive Congress to PDP, have not formally stated their intentions to run for presidency. However, sources claim they have plans to contest for the post.

It is unclear if Saraki will contest for the post after he was appointed as the National Leader of the party by the PDP National Executive Council.

Meanwhile, Senator Kwankwaso, who also recently returned to the PDP, has begun his bid for the presidency under PDP. He unsuccessfully contested for the presidency primaries under APC in 2015.

Former Vice president, Atiku formally declared his intention to run for the 2019 presidential elections in March, months after he defected from APC.

Atiku said he wanted to run because the nation has been regressing since the APC government took over.

"We all know what we have gone through in this country in the last three years.

"I can tell you throughout the whole of today that where the PDP left us in the last three years whether in the education sector, in the health sector, or in the economy, we have been going down in every statistics.

"That is why I have offered myself to run for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2019," he said.

Atiku openly celebrated the return of Saraki and Tambuwal to the party.

He contested for the PDP presidential primaries in 2011 but he lost to Goodluck Jonathan. He also lost in the primaries to Mohammadu Buhari in 2015 under APC.

You made the worst decision of your life by leaving APC for PDP - Wamakko berates Tambuwal

The recent defection of Governor Aminu Tambuwal from the APC to PDP has been made with mixed reactions from some of his political contemporaries in the Northern region

- One of those who decried the governor's move was Senator Aliyu Wamakko, representing Sokoto APC North, who described Tambuwal's defection as his worst decision ever

- While Wamakko hopes that Tambuwal would change his decision and return to the APC, he described the recent defections from the party as an opportunity for stocktaking

Senator Aliyu Wamakko, representing Sokoto APC North, has referred to Governor Aminu Tambuwal's recent defection from the ruling party to the People's Democratic Party (PDP), as the worst decision of his life.

The Nation reported that Wamakko made the statement during an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Thursday, August 2.

The Nation reported that Wamakko made the statement during an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Thursday, August 2.

Wamakko, a former Sokoto governor, reportedly said Sokoto state will remain President Muhammadu Buhari's domain, adding that Tambuwal's defection is inconsequential.

Governor Tambuwal defected on Wednesday, August 1, to the PDP, his former party. Tambuwal, who is said to be nursing a presidential ambition, called on Nigerians to vote out the APC-led government come 2019 presidential election, alleging that the present administration has failed the nation.

Wamakko further said that although politics is always full of surprises, it was "pitiable" for Tambuwal to make such a decision.

Wamakko said: "He is a very promising young politician, with full potentials. But, may be something else is guiding his decision. This is the worst decision he has taken in his life.

"At his age, he should not be in a hurry. He is a fine young politician. I have a lot of respect for him. If he had taken the consideration of the people he is representing and the people of Sokoto State, he should not have gone into the PDP."

Wamakko said if he had any issues with the APC, defection from it would not be the solution. He, however, maintained that the APC would remain in government in Sokoto and that the president would the state in the 2019 general polls.

He also said that it was wrong to conclude that the crowd that supported Tambuwal's defection indicated evidence of his popularity.

Wamakko stated: "Whatever crowd you might have seen or told, just take it as a mere story. As a matter of principle, it is not in my character to abuse people, but, what I am assuring is that Sokoto State is an APC state."

Although Wamakko hopes that Tambuwal would change his decision and return to the APC, he described the recent defections from the party as an opportunity for stocktaking.

He remarked: "Hence, it is coming out stronger. In the next few days or months, Nigerians would be surprised how the APC is going to fare."

Woman chops off husband’s genitals over second wife

A woman in northern India has chopped off her husband's genitals for allegedly neglecting her and staying with his second wife, police said on Thursday.

Yunus Ahmed, 45, has been admitted to a hospital in Uttar Pradesh state's Muzaffarnagar district and the woman has been arrested, Area Police Chief, Anil Kaparwan said.

Ahmed married the second time with the consent of his wife in 2017 since they did not have a son.

Police said the two often had quarrels over his staying at the second wife's residence.

"On Wednesday, their fight flared up and the woman, who repeatedly accused him of not spending time with her and ignoring her, cut his genitals using a knife," Kaparwan said.

"He was rushed to the hospital in a serious condition and is receiving medical treatment," Kaparwan said adding the woman was detained after the victim's relatives filed a complaint with police.

The woman faces charges of causing grievous hurt and bodily harm and could face a maximum of 10 years in jail, police said.

APC stands to gain by Saraki’s defection – Lai Mohammed

Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has attributed the slow pace of development in the country on the National Assembly led by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

The Minister made this known when he addressed State House correspondents on the defection of the Senate President and Gov, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara from All Progressives Congress (APC) to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mohammed, who spoke at the end of Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that the Senate president had operated as being part of the opposition party right from day one as Senate President.

According to him, APC stands to lose nothing with the defection of the Senate President and his loyalists as he has been in the opposition in the past three years.

"If Senate President Bukola Saraki were not a member of the APC, the party and the government it leads could not have suffered more than they had already done, with regards to the delay in passing the budget, approving key appointments and so on.

"In other words, Saraki has behaved all along as a member of the opposition, deliberately slowing down the progress of the APC-led federal government.

"It is therefore neither a surprise nor a blow that he has defected.

"Perhaps the only surprise is that when he eventually defected, it was a mere whimper. If we didn't gain by having our member as Senate President, we stand to lose nothing by losing him,'' he said.

The minister further noted that the series of Federal budget passage delays, as well as, delays in confirming appointments sent to the National Assembly, had worked against development in the country.

He said that Saraki's defection along with his loyalists from the APC was a welcome development and a great relief to the party.

PDP condemns burning of Dino Melaye’s constituency development projects

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned in unambiguous terms the burning of some classroom projects executed by Senator Dino Melaye by suspected political detractors, describing such action as crude politics.

The PDP in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that all fingers point to hoodlums sponsored by the sinking All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi state, which has been threatening the lawmaker since his failed recall bid in April, as well as his declared return to the PDP.

It is indeed reprehensible that the APC, which cannot boast of any development project in the state, could be so vicious to sponsor the destruction of education facilities meant for the benefit of Kogi children, just for political reasons.

The people of Kogi state are not in any way fooled by the statement from the APC-led Kogi state government, wherein it merely condemned the arson without taking any concrete step to produce those behind the dastardly act.

The PDP challenges the Kogi state government and the APC to come clear and tell Nigerians those behind the use of earth moving machines to block the way for Senator Melaye's convoy on his way to commission the projects on Wednesday.

Furthermore, the fact that the state government did nothing after Senator Melaye reported of threats to him, by unknown persons, ahead of the commissioning ceremony, thoroughly indicts the government and raises very strong issues of official conspiracy.

Moreover, the attack has further confirmed that Senator Melaye has not been shouting wolf in his reports of series of threats against his person by suspected agents of the APC.

Consequently, the PDP calls on the Inspector General of Police to immediately commence a full-scale investigation into the incident and all reported threats against Senator Dino Melaye.

Finally, the PDP calls on Nigerians and the people of Kogi state to hold the APC responsible should any further harm befall Senator Melaye or any of his family members.