B.F.G ENTERTAINMENT

  Tinubu to visit China in September -Presidency President Bola Tinubu will visit  the People’s Republic of China in early September. The visit is expected to enhance economic collaboration and attract investments to Nigeria. The trip is seen as a strategic move to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations while pursuing key economic opportunities. During a briefing at the State House in Abuja, on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, highlighted the importance of the upcoming visit. Ngelale stated that the President will visit major Chinese companies, including Huawei and the China Rail and Construction Corporation, to accelerate the completion of the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano rail project. He added that Tinubu will also meet with CEOs of 10 top Chinese corporations, which manage over $3 trillion in assets across sectors such as ICT, oil and gas, aluminum production, seaport development, finance, and sat...

  Former governors present as Obaseki launches 30 years Edo development plan BENIN CITY – SOME former governors and deputy governors of Edo State were present on Tuesday as Governor Mr Godwin Obaseki launched the 30 years Benin City and Edo Regional Development Plan setting a path to a new Edo Nation which he said has no political inclination as being peddled in some quarters. The former governors present were Chief Lucky Igbinedion and his successor, Professor Oserheimen Osunbor while the former deputy governors were Rev. Peter Obadan and Chief Mike Ogiadomhe Obaseki who appreciated the former governors and former Deputy Governor present at the official launch said the document is a living one that would help re-enact the culture of planning. Obaseki said “These plans have been carefully put together and we have consulted widely across the State to ensure participation of our citizens. Our people have been involved in this process and will continue to be involved because it’s a li...

  Ronaldo to be honoured as UEFA Champions League All-Time Top Scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, the all-time leading goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League, will be honoured with a special award from UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin in recognition of his remarkable legacy in the world’s most prestigious competition. Ronaldo’s achievements in Europe’s premier club competition – accomplished over the course of more than 18 years – will be recognised during the inaugural 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 36-team league phase draw ceremony, which will take place on Thursday 29 August at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The former Sporting Clube de Portugal, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward has scored 140 Champions League goals in 183 appearances. He is 11 goals clear of Lionel Messi and 46 ahead of third-placed Robert Lewandowski at the top of the scoring charts. Ronaldo has finished seven separate Champions League seasons as leading scorer – more than any other player – spannin...

Fagbemi To Move Against Corrupt Govt Agencies  The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, says he’s not afraid to move against any agency of government found to be engaging in corrupt practices. He encouraged lawyers or any member of the public to come forward with such information so that it can be investigated and decisive steps taken. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria made these remarks while answering questions on Tuesday at a fireside chat at the NBA Conference held in Lagos on the reforms undertaken by his ministry so far. Fagbemi also said that a key initiative in the reviewed anti-corruption strategy of the Federal Government is to engage with subnational governments to ensure their buy-in and ensure domestication of anti-corruption measures into their state laws, policies and practices. He noted that in line with the country’s obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, his ministry has begun engaging with foreign allies to share intellige...

  Joao Cancelo: Portugal international full-back leaves Man City and joins Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal Manchester City complete sale of Joao Cancelo to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal; Cancelo had loan spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona and had not featured for City since the first half of the 2022/23 season City maintained Cancelo could leave the club in the summer for the right price, having not been involved since the first half of the 2022/23 campaign, and the full-back will now continue his career in the Middle East. The fee is in excess of £21m (€25m). The Portugal international spent last season on loan at Barcelona where he played 32 LaLiga and made a further 10 appearances in the Champions League. Barcelona were interested in retaining Cancelo, but were not able to put together a deal satisfactory for all parties. Cancelo spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Bayern Munich where he made 21 appearances in all competitions. The 30-year-old had just unde...

  WASSCE: ASUU, NUT differ as FG bans under-18 candidates The Nigeria Union of Teachers has condemned the Federal Government’s decision to ban under-18 candidates from sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the National Examination Council, even as the Academic Staff Union of Universities backed the policy, The PUNCH reports. The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ programme that the Federal Government had instituted a new age policy for secondary school leaving examinations, setting the minimum age at 18. This means underage candidates will no longer be allowed to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the Senior School Certificate Examination, both crucial for advancing to tertiary education. The directive also affects the West African Examinations Council, which administers the WASSCE, and the National Examinations Council responsible for the SSCE. Additionally...

  Brazil Tightens Entry Rules Over ‘Stopover’ Migrants Passengers from India and Vietnam wait as they remain stranded at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil on August 23, 2024. Brazil tightens entry requirements starting August 26, after becoming an illegal migration route to the US and Canada through its major international airport in Sao Paulo. (Photo by Juan Pablo FLORES / AFP) Brazil is tightening entry requirements from Monday after a surge in migrants disembarking during stopovers at Sao Paulo’s main airport in a bid to seek asylum in the country. Their goal is to enter Brazil and make their way overland to the United States. “Brazil has become a route for criminal organizations that smuggle immigrants and traffic people. Authorities have identified an exponential increase in the number of nationals mainly from Asian countries,” Brazil’s justice ministry said in a statement to AFP. The travelers buy plane tickets with final destinations in other South America...

  Philippines accuses China of disrupting regional peace China is the “biggest disruptor” of peace in Southeast Asia, the Philippine defence chief said Tuesday, as tensions between Manila and Beijing over disputed reefs and waters in the South China Sea escalate. Gilberto Teodoro made the remarks at a conference of the US Indo- Pacific Command after repeated confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the waterway over the past 12 months. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the sea, brushing aside rival claims by other countries, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that its stance has no legal basis. China’s claims include reefs and waters inside the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends about 370 kilometres (200 nautical miles) from the country’s coastal waters. “China… is the biggest disruptor of international peace in the ASEAN region,” Teodoro said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. China deploys boats to pa...

  BBNaija S9: ‘Shatoria’ breaks ‘Nelitas’ dominance, emerges new Head of House The ‘Shatoria’ pair, Shaun and Victoria, won the fifth week’s Head of House games of the Big Brother Naija ‘No Loose Guard’ season on Monday. Starting the fifth week of the season, they become the fourth pair to be crowned HOHs as they end the ‘Nelita’ pair’s winning streak, comprising Nelly and Anita. With this win comes immunity for ‘Shatoria’ from nomination and another week in the house. They are the first duo of different genders to win this position. Meanwhile, four pairs are up for possible eviction this Sunday. They are Wanni x Handi ( Wanni and Handi ), Doublekay ( Kellyrae and Kassia), Aces ( Topher and Sooj), and Radicals ( Mhicky and Fairme David). The nomination process was conducted at 8 pm with the various housemates going into the diary room to nominate other pairs (except ‘Shatoria’) for possible eviction. As there are now 9 pairs left in the house, the competition is getting more intens...

  GDP growth: Tinubu assures stronger economic performance President Bola Tinubu has welcomed the latest report of the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, on the state of the economy. The report had indicated that the country’s Gross National Product, GDP, posted another growth. According to NBS, the real GDP grew by 3.2 per cent year on year in Q2, higher than the 2.51 per cent recorded in the same period of 2023. A statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said the latest report affirmed that the economy was on the right trajectory and, indeed, on the path to recovery. “As the President said in his August 4 national broadcast, our economy is recovering. Sooner than later, Nigerians will begin to feel, see, and enjoy the impact of his administration’s economic re-engineering efforts. “We want to reiterate that this government will continue to work assiduously to rekindle Nigerians’ hope and confidence. President Tinubu is working to b...

  President Emmanuel Macron on Monday denied any political link to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov as the tech tycoon spent a second day in French custody following his surprise arrest at a Paris airport. Numerous questions have been raised about the timing and circumstances of Durov’s detention, which a source close to the case said had been extended until Wednesday. The 39-year-old billionaire is accused of failing to curb the spread of illegal content on Telegram, which has over 900 million users. The company has rejected the accusations. Born in Soviet times into a family of academics in Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, Durov spent his childhood in Italy before building up Russia’s then biggest social network VKontakte (VK) in his early 20s. He set up Telegram after leaving Russia a decade ago, and Forbes magazine estimates his current fortune at $15.5 billion. In a post on X to address what he called “false information” concerning the case, Macron said Duro...