Author: Chronicle Editor

Chelsea’s hold on the Champions League hangs precariously after Karim Benzema’s hat-trick put Real Madrid in a position of power following the quarter-final first leg at Stamford Bridge. Real coach Carlo Ancelotti made a winning return to the club where he won the Premier League and FA Cup double after veteran France striker Benzema delivered his latest masterclass. Benzema, 34 and fresh from the treble that sunk Paris St-Germain in the last 16, punished holders Chelsea with two magnificent headers in the space of three minutes midway through the first half. Kai Havertz’s header gave Chelsea hope before the break…

The Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Alwan Ali-Hassan, has regained freedom from the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train. Ali-Hassan was among many passengers whose family declared missing after the incident. Recall that a source close to the BOA boss’s family said Ali-Hassan’s line has been switched off since after the attack on Monday evening with no one able to reach him. The source noted that Hassan boarded the evening train going to Kaduna with one of his nieces. Another source close to his family said that the BOA boss regained freedom on Wednesday after negotiations with…

A military tribunal on Wednesday ruled that Burkina Faso’s former president Blaise Compaore be sentenced to life imprisonment for complicity in the 1987 murder of his predecessor Thomas Sankara in a coup. The charismatic Marxist revolutionary Sankara was gunned down in the West African nation’s capital Ouagadougou at the age of 37, four years after he took power in a previous putsch. Compaore was charged in absentia along with his former Head of Security, Hyacinthe Kafando, who was also sentenced to life imprisonment. Both have previously denied any involvement in Sankara’s death along with 12 other defendants accused of involvement…

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday signed Executive Order 11 that provides guidelines for how national public buildings should be maintained. The Executive Order, National Public Building Maintenance Policy was first presented to the Federal Executive Council in 2019. At the signing of the Executive Order, President Buhari explained that the federal buildings include Federal Government Colleges and Federal Correctional Facilities. “On the 4th day of January, 2019, the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing presented a Policy Memorandum to the Federal Executive Council seeking for the approval of a Draft National Public Building Maintenance Policy which was granted. “The Policy…

Donald Trump was apparently caught admitting that he lost the 2020 US presidential election to Joe Biden in a Zoom meeting last summer, according to a video recirculated in recent days. The former US president was speaking with a group of Princeton University historians in July 2021 when he appeared to admit to losing the 2020 election to Mr Biden, whom he accuses of “stealing” the vote. Mr Trump said of South Korean president Moon Jae-In, Chinese premier Xi Jinping and Iran’s prime minister Imran Khan: “By not winning the election, he was the happiest man – I would say,…

Western leaders are set announce a further set of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, the US has said. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the measures will target Russian financial and state-owned bodies, as well as some officials and oligarchs. Ms Psaki said the move will “hold accountable the Russian kleptocracy that funds and supports Putin’s war”. Calls for further sanctions have grown in recent days amid allegations of atrocities in Bucha. The town’s mayor told the BBC on Tuesday night that Russian forces had killed around 320 civilians during their occupation of the town, while the discovery of…

Tottenham’s England striker Harry Kane, 28, would be curious to listen to any offer from Manchester United this summer before making a decision on his long-term future. (The Athletic – subscription required) Paris St-Germain have made an offer to France midfielder Paul Pogba, 29, as he enters the final months of his Manchester United contract – but the Ligue 1 club have offered less money than United. (MEN) Real Madrid remain confident of signing 23-year-old France forward Kylian Mbappe from PSG this summer, despite reports suggesting he is close to agreeing a new deal to stay in Paris. (90min) Barcelona…

The Federal Government says it has uncovered 1,500 workers who joined the Federal Civil Service with fake appointment letters. The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, who said this in Abuja on Tuesday, vowed to delist them from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS). Yemi-Esan was speaking at the ‘National Policy Dialogue on Entrenching Transparency in Public Office Recruitment in Nigeria. The event was organised by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), a research and training arm of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). She added that over 1,…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will not declare his interest to contest for the 2023 presidency on Thursday, numerous sources have told Chronicle NG. According to a top source that is close to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Vice President is yet to conclude when and how he will declare. The source explained that people close to the Vice President are finalizing plans  for him to declare but that it will not happen on Thursday. “I can tell you for a fact that the Vice President is going to declare for 2023 but it is not going to happen on…

Liverpool will take a two-goal lead into the Champions League quarter-final second leg at Anfield after earning an important victory over Benfica in Lisbon. Luis Diaz scored late in the second half to put Jurgen Klopp’s side in control of the contest after it looked like they had failed to capitalise on a dominant first half. Ibrahima Konate rose highest to head the visitors into the lead from a corner in the 17th minute before Sadio Mane added a clinical second to dampen the mood at a lively Estadio da Luz. But the home fans ramped up the noise again…