Uncle Of Ex-Bayelsa Governor Sylva Found Dead In Shallow Grave

A kidnapped uncle of former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, had been killed and buried in a shallow grave, according to the Nigerian police.
The body of Sylva's uncle, Benson Ayerite Eseni, was found at a border town between Rivers and Bayelsa by a combined team of security agents and officials from the Ministry of Health.
According to Bayelsa State Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bello Ahmed, who briefed reporters at the police headquarters in Yenagoa, the body of 87-year-old uncle was discovered after a tip-off. On the way to Kula village near the border, the team discovered a shallow grave where they excavated the remains of the late uncle who was kidnapped by gunmen on July 28, 2014.
Mr. Eseni's corpse was deposited at the Federal Medical Center mortuary in Yenagoa for autopsy. The police spokesman stated that the body was now in the custody of senior pathologists from the health ministry who are currently conducting tests to determine the cause of the victim's death.
The police also paraded a 27-year-old suspect in the abduction and murder of Mr. Eseni who hails from Gburutu town in Delta State.

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Boko Haram Attack Dikwa In Borno, Emir of Dikwa Runs for his Life

Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents yesterday attacked the towns of Dikwa and Marte in Borno, however, the Emir of Dikwa escaped death by fleeing to Maiduguri, the state capital.
According to a close aide of the emir, the heavily armed insurgents stormed Dikwa and Marte, arriving in several sports utility vehicles and motorcycles.
The residents of the towns fled into the bush when militants who chanted "Allah is Great!" invaded the town. The source said the Emir of Dikwa, Muhammad Masta Ibn El Kanemi, was among those who took to the bushes to hide and escape. The Emir was later seen in Maiduguri.
According to another source, the insurgents later cruised into the town of Marte, walking freely within the town without any challenge from Nigerian soldiers."They (the militants) told us that they didn't come here for us, but that they were looking for soldiers among us,"said a resident of Marte.
Dikwa is about 80 kilometers from the Borno State capital of Maiduguri along Gamboru-Ngala axis.
The Islamist insurgents have intensified their attacks in Adamawa and Borno states where at least 400,000 people have been displaced from their former homes and locations. More than 10,000 of the displaced people have taken refuge in the neighboring West African country of Cameroon.

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Mario Balotelli Brings Fiancee To Settle In The UK

Former Milan striker Mario Balotelli is looking for a new home in England, bringing with him his stunning Belgian fiancée.
Balotelli who has just been signed to Liverpool proposed to model Fanny Neguesha earlier this summer before the World Cup. Raised in Belgium, the model has Rwandan, Italian, and Congolese heritage.
The playboy and former Milan striker has caused a stir in the football world by signing to Liverpool for a cool £16 million.
And it's all change for Mario on the romantic front, too: the 24-year-old has shunned his old Lothario ways for domestic bliss with new fiancée Fanny Neguesha.
Fanny is already causing a stir among WAG (wives and girlfriends of high-profile sportsmen), as the couple arrive in the UK for Mario to take up his new post.
The pair have been preparing for this new chapter in their life with a relaxing holiday in Versilia, Italy with friends.

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Maheeda Reveals: “I Had Sex With Davido…”

Controversial singer Maheeda shared with her fans rather personal information about her recent dream.
Maheeda took to her Twitter to tease her followers, saying that she has has a sex dream about Davido.
However, the singer who recently promoted safe sex with different partnerssaid she isn't in love with Davido or has any feeling for him.
I had sex with davido in my dream yesternight, But why? I no de crush on him, Was fun sha! If na as him do am him dey do for real life hmmm!
— goddess of X (@MaheedaNigeria) August 29, 2014
After this message, Maheeda's Twitter went crazy as everyone wanted to know more details of this dream. The most recent question was about the size of Davido's 'tool'.

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GOOD NEWS: Ebola Drug Passes Early Test

After all the bad news that have been going round over the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West African countries, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, a piece of good news finally arrived some moments ago.
Reporting online in the British journal Nature, researchers at the Public Health Agency of Canada announced that a prototype drug, ZMapp, that has been urgently given to a handful of patients with Ebola has cleared an important test hurdle.
According to the scientists report, the drug test results showed that ZMapp cured lab monkeys that have been infected with the Ebola virus disease.

It was gathered that it is a norm to experiment drugs on animals first and then on progressively larger groups of humans to ensure they are safe and effective.
But, in an exceptional move, ZMapp that has not gone through these tests has been rushed to the outbreak in West Africa,as the lethal disease has no cure.

According to the Canadian researchers, 18 rhesus macaque monkeys given high doses of Ebola virus fully recovered after being given ZMapp, even when it was administered five days after infection.
The scientists informed that the drug reversed dangerous symptoms such as bleeding, rashes and high levels of enzymes in the liver.
They also stated that three "control" monkeys that had been infected, but not treated, all died within eight days.
It was gathered that 21 animals had been given the so-called Kikwit strain of Ebola, named after a location in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country where the hemorrhagic fever was discovered in 1976.
But lab-dish tests indicate it can also inhibit the strain in Guinea which has sparked the current epidemic, the scientists said.

Meanwhile, independent experts have started hailing the results as an encouraging first step in the long vetting process.
They added, though, that it was still unclear whether ZMapp worked on humans, as two patients who have been given it have died and two others have recovered.
"Widespread availability and use of ZMapp will require human safety testing and licensing, coupled with scaleup of the manufacturing process,"cautioned David Evans, a professor of virology at Britain's University of Warwick.
ZMapp is being developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. of San Diego, California, partly in conjunction with the US Army.
ZMapp has so far been given to seven infected frontline workers.
Of these, two American doctors have recovered; a Liberian doctorand a Spanish priest have died; and a doctor and a nurse, both Liberian, and a British nurse, who has been flown to London from Sierra Leone, are still in treatment.
The World Health Organisation, W.H.O, gave the green light on August 12, saying it was ethical to use experimental drugs in the context of this dangerous epidemic.
Stocks of ZMapp, which is derived from tobacco leaves and is hard to produce on a large scale, are exhausted, the company said on August 12.
Investigation revealed that the other main experimental drug for the disease is TKM-Ebola, being developed by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. of Vancouver, Canada, under a $140-million (105-million-euro) contract with the Pentagon.
It is currently in a Phase I human trial, the first step in the three-phase test process. In this phase, a drug is evaluated on healthy non-infected humans to see whether it is safe. Further phases test it for safety and also effectiveness.
According to the W.H.O, about 1,500 people have died in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone since the disease emerged in West Africa early 2014.
Six people have died in Nigeria alonesince the dreaded disease was brought to the country by a Liberian diplomat, Patrick Sawyer on 20 July, 2014. He later died from the disease on 25 July.

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Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s Wife Finally Files For Divorce?

After months of speculations over the marriage crisis between the founder of Christ Embassy Church Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and his wife Anita, a new report resurfaced claiming the wife has now filed for divorce in a London court.
In an exclusive report published by The Cable News, the divorce proceeding has entered its final phase.

Anita is said to be seeking a divorce on the grounds of "unreasonable behavior", "adultery" and several other allegations which cannot be published for legal reasons.
The suit number of the divorce case is No FD14D01650, and it was filed on April 9, 2014, at Divorce Section A, Central Family Court, First Avenue House, High Holborn, London, UK, on Anita's behalf by Attwaters Jameson Hill Solicitors.
The decree nisi (in legal terms, is like a yellow card in a football match which is a precursor to a red card) was served to Pastor Chris in his hotel room during a recent visit to the UK and the decree absolute, which will effectively end the marriage, is expected to be issued soon.
Anita had wanted to go public with the details of her allegations against the husband but reached an informal agreement to sheathe her sword in the interest of the church.
According to an elder of the church, the pastor has denied his wife's allegations of adultery blaming it on the influence of 'Bad friends' who are intent on destroying their home.

While Anita believes she has been relegated in the scheme of things in the church, her husband has reportedly accused her of trying to usurp power and authority above her seniors in the ministry.
It would be recalled that sometime in May 2014, there were rumours that the couple were breaking up after some church members launched a Facebook campaign, asking: "Where is Rev. Anita Oyakhilome?"
Officials of the church quickly moved to deny any rift between the pastor and his wife.

Oyakhilome is the President of Believers' Love World Inc, the registered name of the Christian ministry, while his wife is the Vice President and he is regarded as one of the richest and most influential pastors in Nigeria.
They have two teenage daughters, Sharon and Charlyn.

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You Can’t Divorce Me – Tiwa Savage Tells Hubby Teebillz

Songstress and Mavin first lady, Tiwa Savage Balogun, has said her husbandTunji Balogunaka Teebillz can't divorce her neither can he return her to her parents.
The 'Eminado' crooner took to social media to share the photo below.
She captioned it: "Which means you MrBillz @teebillz323 cannot return me to my parents or exchange me."
Tiwa Savage and her hubby got married in April in Dubai, in a beautiful and elaborate wedding ceremony attended by family, friends and other top celebrities in the music industry.
Tiwa born February 5, 1980, has been in the news a lot lately. She had been criticised for the outfit she wore to the BET Awardswhich held in July, Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles.

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How Police Officer Died While Fighting With His Wife In Lagos

A police inspector and his wife fell from the balcony of their apartment on the second floor of a two-storey building at Ijeh Police Barracks in Obalende, Lagos State, while they were fighting.
Their neighbours who could not ascertain the cause of the fight, said the couple had dragged each other to the balcony and as the fight got intense, they both lost their balance and fell off.
According to PM news, the incident occurred on Thursday, August 28, 2014.
Neighbours were said to have rushed the couple to a police hospital at Ikoyi, Lagos, where the police officer who sustained serious head injuries was confirmed dead by the doctors on duty.
Doctors are still battling to save the wife who is still unconscious and in an intensive care unit.
However, the remains of the deceased has been deposited in in a morgue in the state.
Though the identity of the Inspector could not be ascertained, he was said to come from Nasarawa State, while his wife is from the eastern part of the country.
Efforts made to speak with the PPRO of the Lagos State Police Command, DSP Ngozi Braide, on the incident proved futile.

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Boko Haram Relocates From Sambisa

Information coming in from Borno State in northern Nigeria suggest that the Boko Haram insurgents might be changing their base from the Sambisa forest moving towards southern Borno.
According to a report published by Sahara Reporters today, Wednesday, 27 August, 2014, residentsliving near Sambisa forest in Borno State have reported seeing a large number of Boko Haram militants leaving the thick forest Tuesday's morning and moving towards southern Borno.
It was gathered that a security source also confirmed the account of the villagers.
The source informed that Nigeria's intelligence agents were aware that members of the Islamist sect, who had been holed up in Sambisa forest, seemed to be relocating to the large territories they have captured in their recent attacks.
He added that the insurgents' relocation is most likely motivated by the sect's recent successes in capturing several major towns in northern Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States.
According to some villagers, who claimed to witness the militants' relocation, the insurgents had been moving their families and possibly many of their abductees to safer grounds in towns captured in recent weeks.
A villager in Kirawa, a town on the Cameroonian side, also said he had seen some suspected Boko Haram militants moving through Cameroonian territory to Nigeria with large amounts of cargo in tightly secured convoys.
Many people believe the alleged relocation of the insurgents may be as a result of about 480 Nigerian soldiers who fled to neighboring Cameroon some days ago in order to escape from a fierce contingent of Boko Haram militants that attacked Gamboru-Ngala, a major town near the border with Cameroon.
It was reported after the incident that the militants easily seized the town, and hoisted their flags at a police station and the home of a former governor, Ali Modu Sheriff.
It was reported that the fleeing soldiers, who ran away with civilians, left behind four armored personnel carriers (APCs) and a huge cache of arms that the militants have taken.
Only on Tuesday, the absconding soldiers were repatriated to Nigeria by the Cameroonian authorities.
Meanwhile, many villagers that were displaced because of the heavy fighting Gamboru-Ngala are still trapped in Fotocol, a small town near Ngala.
At least, 10, 000 people have lost their lives while tens of thousands of others have been internally displaced from their communities in northeastern Nigeria due to Boko Haram insurgency since 2009.
The leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau, who has been blacklisted as a terrorist by the United Nations, UN, on Monday released a video where he declared Gwoza town, in Borno state as an Islamic Caliphate.
The Nigerian military had since dismissed Shekau's claim, saying Nigeria remains one indivisible republic.

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SAD: Nigeria’s Oldest Pastor Dies

One of the nation's most intriguing men of God, Pastor Samuel Sadela, is dead.

He passed on this Sunday and a condolence register is opened at his Gospel Apostolic Church in Lagos on Tuesday evening.

Church members and officials have refused to talk about the death of their church founder to the press. However, some time later church members have finally commented on the issue, insisted that the clergyman was alive.
Sadela is said to be 114 years old, and he started his career as a man of God for 76 years.

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Record: A Day-Old Baby Crowned King Of Igbodo Kingdom

A day-old baby boy was crowned yesterday in Igbodo Kingdom of Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.
The child, named Ugochukwu, was crowned by the leader of a delegation from the Igbodo palace at St. Luke's Hospital Asaba, where he boy was delivered.
This day became a historical event for Igbodo Kingdom and entered the Guinness Book of Records by becoming the community with the youngest monarch.
According to Vanguard, the boy was delivered on Wednesday night and crowned the following morning. Chief Eugene Iyeke of the ruling house of Igbodo led the delegation to Asaba with members of the Obi-in-council and notable indigenes.
It will be recalled that that the Obi of Igbodo, Obi Ikechukwu Osedume I, succumbed to the wishes of his people by formally marrying an indigene of the community in accordance to the native law and custom early in October last year.
And it was the wife, Onyinyechukwu, a native of Igbodo, who gave birth to the boy.

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Ronaldo: If I told you what I really thought about Messi, I'd have to go to prison

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo joked that he would be sent to prison if he commented on FIFA's decision to hand rival Lionel Messi the Golden Ball at the World Cup.
Ronaldo, who won UEFA's European Player of the Year award on Thursday, refused to comment on the Argentina captain being named the star of the tournament in Brazil in the summer.
Messi helped his side to the World Cup final, where the South Americans were beaten 1-0 in the final, but Ronaldo hinted that he felt the Barcelona man was not a worthy winner of the award.
Ronaldo, speaking to P ortuguese TV channel TVI, joked about Messi: 'If I said everything that I think, I would be in prison,' before laughing the comment off.
The Real star continued: 'Everyone can see, make their own judgements, the people in the world of football are intelligent.
'It would be a very interesting question for him. I cannot be honest about it.
'Each one does his job, each one delivers his best. Both want to be the best. For me, in my mind, I am the best.'
Messi scored four goals and claimed one assist during the World Cup and was electric during the group stage.

Source: dailymail

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PHOTOS: See Town With Only Single, Young Women Begging For Men

Noiva do Cordeiro is home to over 600 women who mostly are all younger than 35 years, some have husbands but their hubbies are all out of town.

The men work in a different village and are not that much plentiful making this little village to have shortage of eligible suitors to woo young women.

Any man and teenager over the age of 18 are made to work in a different town, making Noiva do Cordeiro mostly left for the females.

Women here control mostly everything, from Agriculture to planning and even religion and they say they are better for it.

One Rosalee Fernandes, 49 said:'There are lots of things that women do better than men. Our town is prettier, more organised, and far more harmonious than if men were in charge."
"When problems or disputes arise, we resolve them in a woman's way, trying to find consensus rather than conflict.

We share everything, even the land we work on. Nobody competes with anyone here. It's all for one, and one for all. The whole town came together recently to help buy a huge widescreen TV for our community centre so we can all watch soap operas together."

"And there's always time to stop and gossip, try on each other's clothes and do each other's hair and nails. The town's residents say 'life there is much better without men'",she concluded.
However, the women complain about the availability of potential suitors, revealing that the men available are either married or are related to them.

One Nelma Fernandes, 23, said:"Here, the only men we single girls meet are either married or related to us, everyone is a cousin. I haven't kissed a man for a long time. We all dream of falling in love and getting married. But we like living here and don't want to have to leave the town to find a husband. We all dream of falling in love."

The women are all adamant that they are not interested in leaving and these sort of conditions have made these pretty women beg for any interested man to come for their rescue.
Ms Fernandes said:"We'd like to get to know men who would leave their own lives and come to be a part of ours. But first they need to agree to do what we say and live according to our rules."
They are also not actively religious and have made their intention clear that they don't need a great church service to wed.
Rosalee Fernandes said:"We have God in our hearts. But we don't think we need to go to church, get married in front of a priest or baptise our children. These are rules made up by men."

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Nigerians Furious Over Master Card’s Logo On National ID Cards

The yesterday's launch of the new Nigerian National Identity Cards containing the branded logo of the American firm MasterCard ignited hot discussions and rage with people across the country demanding for cards withdrawal.

On Thursday, August 29, President Goodluck Jonathan received his eID card, similar ones that will be issued to more than 13 million Nigerians and after the completion of the pilot program – to more than 100 million.
However the country citizens got infuriated over the fact that the Nigerian authorities, through the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), not only provided biometrics of 170 million Nigerians to a foreign commercial company but also allowed them to stamp its insignia, the MasterCard symbol on the cards, which are supposed to be a symbol of national sovereignty and pride.

According to Premium Times, Nigerians also recalled the leaked facts of surveillance carried out by National Security Agency of the US, where MasterCard head office is located.
One of the commentators said that the Nigerians MasterCard's emblem on the card could be compared to the trans-Atlantic slave trade abolished in the 19th century.

Shehu Sani of the Civil Rights Congress who criticized the new ID cards , which are later to be given to Nigerians from 16 years of age and older, said:
"The new ID card with a MasterCard logo does not represent an identity of a Nigerian. It simply represents a stamped ownership of a Nigerian by an American company. It is reminiscent of the logo pasted on the bodies of African slaves transported across the Atlantic."

The cards, which were supposed to provide the Nigerians with numerous benefits and conveniences, did not bring the desired optimism, as a key instrument recognised by the federal constitution will host the logo of a foreign private entity.

Lead Director of Centre for Social Justice Eze Onyekpere was quoted saying:
"Nigeria's colours and coat of arms is what should be there. As far as we are concerned it cannot stand. It is not worth it if that's what they have done."

Apart from national issues, economic and security implications came as special concern for many Nigerians. It was interpreted that all adult Nigerians are forced to become compulsory customers of MasterCard by receiving their eIDs.

Regarding the security, the former FCT minister Nasir El-Rufai said:
"Clearly, there are National Security implication. All these data go to the American payment platform."

As for the economic consequences, the reader named Ola Onanugaola said:
"Good idea but bad implementation.

Why do we have to brand the e-ID card? Are these people aware of the huge economic and security implications of the branding. "Any country population database/information is too vital to attached to any non-governmental organisation."

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P-Square Features T.I On New Hit Single

P-Square collaborated with popular Blurred Lines rapper, T.I, to make a new smashing and lovely up tempo hit.

The video begin in a parking ramp with Peter dancing and singing to the sweet tune and then he is joined by his co dancers and head to the Club.

Where Paul and T.I comes up with lovely way and then end the song with a beautiful dance which also has a hint of Micheal Jackson in it.

The well-made video was directed by Clarence Peters and Jude Okoye and shot on location in Lagos Nigeria and Atlanta, Georgia.

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Scores Under Observation For Ebola In Rivers

No fewer than 160 people are going through medical observation in Nigeria's oil-producing hub Port Harcourt in Rivers State after a doctor died from the Ebola virus in the state, health authorities stated on Friday, 29 August, 2014.
Speaking on those being monitored for traces of the Ebola virus during a news conference in Port Harcourt on Friday, Rivers State Health Commissioner, Sampson Parker said:"As of today, none of them has shown symptoms of any kind. We are in touch with them constantly and they also call us to tell us their condition."
It would be recalled that the Nigerian government had announced on Thursday that a doctor, Ikyke Samuel Enuemo, became Nigeria's sixth person to die from the haemorrhagic feverand the first outside the country's biggest city, Lagos.
According to the report, the late doctor fell ill after treating an official from the ECOWAS regional bloc, who travelled to Port Harcourt after coming into contact with a Liberian-American man, late Patrick Sawyer, who brought the virus into Nigeria and died on 25 July, 2014.
It was gathered that the deceased slipped through the surveillance net in Lagos and went to Port Harcourt.
Enuemo's wife, who gave birth only three months ago, is ill with symptoms of the disease and has been placed in quarantine.
Parker informed that she requested to be moved out of Port Harcourt for"emotional reasons"and has been taken to an isolation unit in Lagos for further observation and treatment.
"She is also a doctor. Her three-month-old baby is alive and well. The result of the test conducted on her (for Ebola) is not yet out,"he added.
Rivers state has a quarantine centre at Oduoha, about 25 kilometres (16 miles) east of the city as well as a special isolation ward for Ebola patients at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).
Neither has received any patient, Parker said.
A mobile laboratory has arrived in the city while the hotel where the ECOWAS official was treated has been decontaminated, as have the hospital where Enuemo was treated, his house and the morgue at UPTH.
According to latest statement from health authorities, six people have so died from the Ebola disease in Nigeria.
Specialists from the World Health Organization, WHO, the United States and Britain are reported to have joined experts from the Nigerian government in Rivers State to check the spread of the virus.
Port Harcourt is the centre of Nigeria's oil industry and is home to a number of oil majors, including Anglo-Dutch giant Shell, France's Total and US firm Chevron.

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Suspected Ebola Victim Escapes From Port Harcourt

Information coming in from Port Harcourt, Rivers State indicate that a sister of the medical doctor, Iyke Enemuo, who recently died from the Ebola virusfled to Abia State to avoid being quarantined along with others who came into contact with the late doctor.
Sahara Reporters however reports that a sibling of the suspected Ebola victim, who is also a doctor, forced her to return to the quarantine center in Port Harcourt.
It was gathered that the woman helped to care for her late doctor brother when he contracted the dreaded Ebola virus disease.
Earlier reports had informed that about 160 people who came in contact with the late Dr. Enemuo, who died last Friday in Port Harcourt, have been placed in quarantine for medical watch.
According to Nigerian Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, the deceased had contracted the virus when he was secretly treating a staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) who, in turn, had had contact with Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American who initially brought the disease into Nigeria.
It would be recalled that Sawyer had slumped at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos shortly after arriving there on 20 July, 2014.
Reports stated that the Liberian diplomat was rushed to a Lagos Hospital where he died from the Ebola virus on 25 August, 2014.
A doctor, Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, and two nurses who helped care for Sawyer in a hospital in Lagos have also died from the disease.
Investigation revealed that the ECOWAS diplomat who had had contact with Sawyer flew to Port Harcourt the same day the Liberian American died, and met up with Dr. Enemuo.
Apparently aware of the deadly nature of the disease afflicting the diplomat, Dr. Enemuo opted to treat him secretly at a local hotel.
After recovering, the ECOWAS staff flew back to Lagos to seek clearance to travel out of Nigeria. Quarantined and checked for Ebola in Lagos, he was found to be free of the virus. However, a few days after he left Port Harcourt, Dr. Enemuo took ill and was hospitalized at Good Health Hospital in Port Harcourt where he died of the disease.
The hospital has been closed down, and close to 70 people immediately quarantined by Nigerian health officials.
However, as at Thursday night, about 160 people who had been in contact with Dr. Enemuoand the ECOWAS diplomat had been quarantined. Dr. Enemuo's wife recently took ill with Ebola symptoms

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UBA Launches One-Stop E-Payment Portal

E-commerce in Africa is set to receive a boost as United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plchas introduced an online payments and collections platform tagged U-bills.
The online payment platform has been enabled in all the 19 countries where UBA has operations.
U-bills, is a collection and bill payments platform that allows sellers to collect payments online or on their mobile devices like tablets and smart phones.
It also provides a one-stop platform for customers to make payments for goods and services on their mobile phones, tablets or personal computers as long as they have an internet connection on the devices.
"The uniqueness of the U-Bills platform is that it is a single payment gateway where all forms of payments to different merchants can be made. It is not a single-merchant platform. All merchants can register on U-Bills to receive payments for goods and services. Also, anyone can go online and register to make payments for goods and services bought,"explained Yinka Adedeji, Divisional Head, e-banking.
With U-bills, customers have the flexibility to make online payments anytime of the day or night or week to sellers for goods bought or services rendered.
"This means, it no longer matters where you are in the world. So far you are African and are from any of the Countries where UBA is, you can now pay your bills, top up phones of your loved ones and still pay for services without moving an inch," the banker informed.
Customers registered on U-Bills can recharge their mobile phones, pay their cable TV bills quickly and easily and pay their utility bills in any of the 19 countries in Africa where UBA has operations.
Already, some top merchants that have registered on U-Bills to receive payments include leading telecom operators like; MTN (top-up and post-paid), Etisalat, Glo, and Airtel. Customers of these telecom operators registered on U-Bills, can buy air-time or top-up on the U-Bills platform.
Other service providers currently registered on the U-Bills platform include; Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), Abuja Geographic Information Systems, Bells University of Technology Limited among others.
Any type of registered business, small or big, providers of services or sellers of goods, can register on the U-Bills platform to receive payment for goods and services offered for sale.
The U-Bills platform accepts VISA and MasterCard as well as the local Card schemes and other payment platforms in the different countries where UBA has its operations.
Merchants must be UBA account holders to register to use U-Bills which will be activated on a Merchant's platform within 72 hours of registration. U-Bills has no monthly or annual Charges. All charges are based on transactions and are country specific.
Payments on the U-Bills platform are safe and secure and protected by the best in class IT security features that is line with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards for card payments.
U-Bills is just one of the latest payment options from the UBA Group, an acknowledged leader in the African e-payment banking space.
A highly diversified financial services provider and one of the largest financial institutions in Africa, with business offices in New York and Paris and a subsidiary in London, The UBA Group controls significant market share in 19 different African countries.
The Group has a strong retail penetration across the African continent with more than 10 million customers who enjoy a bouquet of products and services tailored to meet their different financial needs and backed by a cutting edge e-banking platform that offers secured and convenient real-time online banking services.

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'Fantastic' Lallana set to make Liverpool debut - Rodgers

Adam Lallanais looking "fantastic" and is in line to make his Liverpooldebut in Sunday's Premier League clash with Tottenham, according to Brendan Rodgers.
The England midfielder has not yet featured for the Merseyside giants since his €31 million move from Southampton after sustaining knee ligament damage during the club's pre-season tour of the United States.
Liverpool gave a positive outlook on Lallana's fitness on Friday, though, revealing that the 26-year-old will be in the squad to face a Tottenham side who have made a bright start under Mauricio Pochettino - Lallana's head coach at Southampton last season.
"Adam will be in the squad, for sure," Rodgers told reporters. "He has looked fantastic in training.
"Of course he is well short of match fitness but in training for the last couple of weeks he has been exceptional."
The Liverpool boss stated that Glen Johnson (thigh) is unlikely to be ready for the trip to White Hart Lane and he will also monitor the fitness of fellow full-back Alberto Moreno (ankle).
Rodgers also expects more activity in the transfer window ahead of Monday's deadline, with players set to leave the club rather than arrive.
"There'll probably be more movement out than coming in, I would say," he added. "We've still got offers for players to go.
"Every player here knows their situation, so if they're here after that deadline on Monday then they've decided to stay but their game time will be very limited. At this moment in time, there are not many more to come in, if any."

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" Madrid have made a mistake selling Di Maria "

Barcelonamidfielder Javier Mascheranobelieves that Real Madridhave made a massive mistake by selling Angel Di Maria.
The European champions could pocket a grand total of €84 million from the winger's move to Old Trafford, which was completed earlier this week.
However, Mascherano believes that his fellow Argentine will be sorely missed at the Santiago Bernabeu.
"It's not an issue that concerns me but I think they've lost out," Mascherano toldMundo Deportivo.
"He's a player I like a lot. He's among the top 10 in the world.
"He adds balance to attack and defend and has a great engine. You can use him in many positions."
Mascherano looked set to switch clubs himself at the end of last season, with Napoli having been hopeful of luring the versatile defender to the San Paolo.
However, after a stellar World Cup campaign, the 30-year-old ultimately signed a contract extension with Barcelona, much to Mascherano's delight, given that he did not want to endure a divorce as difficult as the one he went through with former club Liverpool.
"A relationship with a club is like a marriage," he mused. "The two sides have to get along. If in doubt, it's better to talk about it and not come to the worst.
"I remember leaving Liverpool not as I would have liked and I would regret it for a lifetime if the same thing happened to me with Barca.
"The club sensed something at the end of the season. Obviously I'm very grateful I was told I could continue.
"Before the World Cup I had a short conversation [with coach Luis Enrique] that let me know they wanted me."

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Fernando Torres ends Chelsea nightmare by agreeing two-year loan deal with AC Milan

Fernando Torres has ended three-and-a-half disappointing years at Chelsea by completing a move to AC Milan. The Spaniard replaces Mario Balotelli as Milan's lead striker following his £16million transfer to Liverpool. Torres' agent held talks on Thursday and the striker has agreed to join the Italian giants.

The 30-year-old has moved to the San Siro on a two-year loan deal.
The £50million Stamford Bridge flop had two years left on his £150,000-a-week deal at Stamford Bridge and it is believed that his representatives negotiated a significant severance package before Torres agreed to a move.
After a difficult start at the Bridge following his move from Liverpool, Torres' form never really picked up for Chelsea.
He managed just 45 goals in 172 appearances - equating to a staggering £1.1million per strike.

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Roman Abramovich's daughter reveals billionaire Chelsea owner's family side

Roman Abramovich's daughter Sofia has been taking to Instagram to reveal a glimpse into the life of the Chelsea owner and his family.
Sofia has been posting sentimental photographs of herself and her father to reveal the touching family side to the Russian businessman.

Sofia, middle child of Abramovich's five offspring with second wife Irina, has uploaded several images of life with her billionaire father on her Instagram account.
As well as the standard stream of selfies, the beautiful 19-year-old equestrian has also posted old family portraits and pictures of her as a child with her businessman father.

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Angel Di Maria explores Manchester after completing £60m move to Man United

Angel Di Maria has wasted no time in getting to know his new surroundings after signing for Manchester United.
The £60m winger, who completed his move from Real Madrid on Tuesday evening, dined at the popular San Carlo Italian restaurant before taking a stroll back to the nearby Lowry Hotel, where he is staying.

Source: dailymail

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Cristiano Ronaldo hands replica of his Ballon d'Or to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez

Cristiano Ronaldo presented Real Madrid president Florentino Perez with a replica of his Ballon d'Or on Wednesday.
The Portuguese forward handed over the trophy, which he has won twice in 2008 and 2013, at the club's training ground in the Spanish capital.

'To Florentino Pérez. With all my affection. Cristiano Ronaldo', said the inscription on the trophy's plaque.
The Portugal captain, 28, was named world player of the year in January by national coaches, captains and journalists.

Source: dailymail

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Cristiano Ronaldo hands replica of his Ballon d'Or to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez

Cristiano Ronaldo presented Real Madrid president Florentino Perez with a replica of his Ballon d'Or on Wednesday.
The Portuguese forward handed over the trophy, which he has won twice in 2008 and 2013, at the club's training ground in the Spanish capital.

'To Florentino Pérez. With all my affection. Cristiano Ronaldo', said the inscription on the trophy's plaque.
The Portugal captain, 28, was named world player of the year in January by national coaches, captains and journalists.

Source: dailymail

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Usain Bolt enjoys night out in London after ending season

Usain Bolt was in fine fettle out and about in London on Wednesday night.
Beaming for the cameras after dining with his friends at trendy London restaurant Nozomi, Bolt was wearing a floral shirt and donned a baseball cap and sunglasses.
The world's fastest man was also showing off on Instagram, posting a video of himself performing a bizarre rap.

Still wearing the baseball cap, it seems as if the Jamaican superstar is better at sprinting than he is at flowing lyrics.
Bolt was due to run in the Diamond League meeting in Zurich this week, but pulled out due to injury as a result bringing his season to an early end.
The six-time Olympic champion, who will resume training in October, will be looking to retain his world 100m and 200m crowns at the World Championships in Beijing next year.

Source: dailymail

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Jose Mourinho 'happy' with Champions League draw as Chelsea given easy ride

Chelsea club secretary David Barnard said manager Jose Mourinho had declared himself 'happy' with their Champions League draw.
Mourinho's side were handed the simplest task of the English sides, as they were put in a group with German side Schalke, Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon and Maribor of Slovenia.
And the Chelsea boss was quick to tell his colleague that he was satisfied with the prospect.

Barnard said: 'He texted me to say he was happy. Would you rather be in the groups with the other English clubs? You have got to be happy with that.'
Horst Heldt, Schalke sporting director insisted however they would be out for revenge.
He said: 'Our aim is the same as in recent years: We want to get through the group stage. We still have a score to settle with Chelsea, as we lost both matches to them last season.'

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Chelsea striker Torres closing in on AC Milan move

ChelseastrikerFernando Torresis closing in on a move toAC Milan.
There had initially been fears that the striker's €214,000-per-week wages would scupper a deal, with the Rossoneriunable to match his current earnings.
But both clubs are working hard on an agreement with the player to smooth his passage to San Siro, with reports on Wednesday suggesting the Blues will pay up the remainder of the Spaniard's contract.
Milan CEO Adriano Galliani confirmed his club's interest in the striker on Wednesday, but also said they could move for another striker if needed.
Torres moved to Stamford Bridge for a then British transfer record €63 million from Liverpool in 2011, but has struggled to regain the form he had displayed in his four years at Anfield.
He has scored just 20 Premier League goals in 110 appearances with the Blues, compared to the 65 he bagged in 102 matches during his time on Merseyside.
Chelsea have signed Diego Costa and brought back Didier Drogba during the current transfer window, knocking Torres down to third place in the pecking order.
The 30-year-old had been linked with a return to Atletico Madrid earlier in the summer, while Serie A side Inter had also displayed an interest.
But he is now nearing an agreement to join their city rivals and bring to an end his mixed seven-year spell in English football.

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Ouch! I don't know who Benatia is : Robben

Arjen Robbenhas admitted that he has never heard of new Bayern Munichteam-mate Mehdi Benatia.
After losing Javi Martinez to a serious knee injury, the German champions agreed to pay Roma a reported €37 million transfer fee for the Morocco international.
However, even though Benatia established himself as one of the best centre-halves in Serie A last season, Robben has now confessed that he is unfamiliar with the 27-year-old defender.
"Honestly, I do not know him," the Netherlands international told reporters. "I only know that he comes from the Roma
"But the club will know why they got him. Javi is a great loss, so we needed a replacement."
Meanwhile, former Chelsea and Real Madrid winger Robben admitted that joining Bayern was the key moment in his career.
"For me, it was a very important decision to come to Munich," he mused.
"I was previously at top clubs such as Real Madrid or Chelsea and obviously also had good times there.
"But I've only reached my top level in Munich. I have developed myself over the years as a player and as a person. I am very happy."

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Thohir confirms Inter pursuit of Lavezzi

Interpresident Erick Thohir has confirmed that Interare hoping to sign Ezequiel Lavezzibefore the close of the transfer window - but pointed out that negotiating with Paris Saint-Germainis never easy.
Nerazzurri boss Walter Mazzarri is reportedly keen to be reunited with the Argentina international, with whom he worked at Napoli.
Thohir has now admitted that he would like to bring the winger to San Siro but argued that Inter are still in good shape ahead of the new Serie A season.
"Let's see," the Indonesian told reporters on Thursday. "Negotiating with PSG is never easy.
"The market is not closed. We can still do something. But I'm convinced that we have a good squad capable of competing both in the Europa League and in Italy; the right mix of youngsters and veterans."
Inter, who finished fifth in Serie A last season, kick off their 2014-15 campaign at Torino on Sunday.

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Bayern new-boy Benatia relishing Roma return

New Bayern Munichsigning Mehdia Benatiahas expressed his joy after the Champions League handed him an immediate return to Roma.
The Morocco international only sealed a reported €28 million move to the Allianz Arena on Thursday and was overjoyed when his new club came out in the same group as his former employers just over 24 hours later.
"I am so happy with the draw," Benatia enthused. "I wished for us to play Roma so badly so I could see my friends again. Those will be wonderful matches."
Bayern and Roma will also have Manchester City and CSKA Moscow to contend with in Group E and Philipp Lahm was quick to point out that Pep Guardiola's men will have their work cut out in reaching the last 16.
"That is not an easy group," the Bavarians' skipper stated. "We play three very good teams, including the English champions, Manchester City.
"These are tough tasks, especially away from home."
However, Bayern attacking midfielder Thomas Muller is optimistic that the German titleholders have enough quality to progress to the knockout stage.
"This is a challenging group," the Germany international staged. "This will be no walk in the park, but we are optimistic we will go through."
Bayern winger Arjen Robben is also looking forward to some mouth-watering match-ups in Group E.
"We got wonderful opponents," the Dutchman added. "Of course it will be difficult again. But there are great nights ahead of us and we are looking forward to them."

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Official: Leicester sign Cambiasso

Leicester Cityhave confirmed that they have completed the signing ofEsteban Cambiassoon a one-year deal.
The Argentine midfielder, a free agent following his 10-year spell at Inter, will wear the No.19 shirt at the King Power Stadium and could make his debut against Arsenal this weekend.
A long-term target for manager Nigel Pearson, Cambiasso won five Serie A titles and the Champions League during his spell at Inter and has earned over 50 caps for Argentina.
The 34-year-old made 32 Serie A appearances for Inter last season, scoring four times, and becomes Leicester's fifth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Marc Albrighton, Jack Barmby, Ben Hamer, Leonardo Ulloa and Matthew Upson.
BREAKING:#lcfcis delighted to announce the signing of Esteban Cambiasso!#CambiassoLCFCpic.twitter.com/B0E1EoirN9
— Leicester City (@OfficialFOXES)August 28, 2014

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Roy Hodgson shares Louis van Gaal's fears over Luke Shaw's fitness

Roy Hodgson has admitted talking with Manchester United and England left back Luke Shaw at the World Cup amid increasing concerns about his fitness.
Shaw, 19, the world's costliest teenager when he left Southampton for Old Trafford in a £28million deal, was heavily criticised by United manager Louis van Gaal over his training regime.
And Hodgson, who named Wayne Rooney as England's new captain in his first squad since Brazil 2014, seems to have similar concerns.
He said: 'He might have had it mentioned to him a couple of times during the World Cup when we were together by people like myself and Gary Lewin (England's head physio).
'When Van Gaal talks to Mauricio Pochettino then Pochettino will say to him, "What you were saying to Luke Shaw is what I've been saying to him".
'I think a lot of Luke's situation is purely down to the fact that he is still young, his body is changing but I think he's aware that the work-rate which is required does mean he's got to work very, very hard on that aspect of his game.
'I must say, watching him play in the matches for Southampton — which caused me to select him — and watching him in the game against Costa Rica when he played, he didn't seem to have too many problems coping with the physical side of the game.
'That doesn't mean to say he can't be fitter and if Louis thinks that he can get him fitter then I'm sure he will certainly have our approval.
'Luke's been aware of it and he will get fitter and stronger, not least of all because he's still a very young man and his body has not yet reached its proper proportions for the level he wants to play at.'
Shaw is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and has not been named in Hodgson's England squad for Wednesday's friendly with Norway at Wembley and the Euro 2016 qualifier in Switzerland five days later.

Source: dailymail

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Alonso arrives in Germany for medical ahead of £7.5m move to Bayern Munich from Real Madrid

Xabi Alonso is set to complete his £7.5million move from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich on Friday. The ex-Liverpool star had been linked with a move to Manchester United after five years at the Bernabeu.

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Zubizarreta: Barcelona can't just focus on PSG

Barcelonasporting director Andoni Zubizarreta has hailed Paris Saint-Germainas "a great team" but feels it would be a mistake for Luis Enrique and his troops to presume that the French champions are the only team standing between them and top spot in Champions League Group F.
The two sides met in the quarter-finals of the 2012-13 tournament, with the Blaugrana scraping through on goals.
Most pundits believe that the pair wil cruise into the last 16 of this season's competition, having been drawn in a group alongside Ajax and APOEL, but Zubizarreta is not understimating the threat posed by the supposed 'underdogs'.
"When you come to this draw, you know you are always going to be drawn against a big team," the former Barca goalkeeper is quoted as saying by his club's official website.
"If you get over-confident, any team in the Champions League will make it hard for you. We're going to be facing three very different styles of football
"We've played PSG before. It'll be a great game. They're a great team both in terms of individuals and as a unit.
"But this group isn't just about PSG. Ajax have shown us before how good they can be. APOEL fight hard.
"Some very big teams have already found out just what a difficult opponent they are in Europe.
"These are games where every team has the right to dream. We have our dreams, and they all have their own."

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Rodgers: Real Madrid clash will be 'special'

Liverpoolmanager Brendan Rodgersis thrilled at the prospect of facing Real Madridin this season's Champions League group stages.
Thursday's draw in Monaco pitted Liverpool in Group B alongside the titleholders, as well as Swiss outfit Basel and Ludogorets of Bulgaria.
Liverpool's second-placed finish in the Premier League last season earned them a place in the Champions League for the first time since 2009-10, and being drawn against Madrid gives the club the chance to repeat the feats of the 2008-09 season, when the Reds dispatched the Spanish giants 5-0 on aggregate in the second round.
As 10-time winners of the competition, Real have twice as many crowns as Liverpool, and Rodgers is eagerly anticipating the contests ahead.
"Initially, we're excited," he told the club's official website. "That was last season's hard work, what we were working towards - getting Liverpool back into a competition where we are synonymous.
"To be back in it again, no matter who we were going to play, it was always going to be exciting. But to have Real Madrid in your group, the champions last season, is going to be special.
"I'm already thinking of Anfield on that night. But there are two other good teams in it along with us. It's a tough group but we'll really look forward to the challenge of getting out of the group."
Despite the sense of anticipation, Rodgers is refusing to get too carried away by planning for life beyond the first round.
"The notion for us was to get out of the group stage - we can look no further than that," he said.
"It was great excitement and hopefully it was great for the supporters to sit and watch the draw for the first time in five years.
"Now we know the teams that we're playing, we'll focus to get out of the group. That's as far as you can look. Once you get out of the group stages, you take it from there.
"Preparation will start straight away. Some of the teams we're well aware of; we watch the likes of Real Madrid nearly every week and we know their players.
"But as soon as the draw is finalised, the work and the focus will be on that. We have our analysis team behind the scenes who will do all the preparation work we need for our opponents. It will be exciting for them as well."

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'The pain was so bad I wet the bed' – Batistuta

Argentina icon Gabriel Batistuta has revealed that the excruciating ankle pain he felt after retiring from the game led him to ask a specialist to amputate his legs.
Now 45, the former striker enjoyed a glittering career with several big teams in Serie A, most notably Fiorentina, where he spent almost a decade, scoring 168 goals.

However, Argentina's record World Cup goalscorer hasn't had a particularly enjoyable retirement.
"I left football and overnight I couldn't walk," Batistuta toldTyC Sports. "I wet the bed even though the bathroom was only three meters away. It was 4am and I knew if I stood my ankle would kill me.
"I went to see Doctor Avanzi (a specialist in Orthopaedics and trauma) and told him to cut off my legs. He looked at me and told me I was crazy.
"I couldn't bare it any longer. I can't put in to words just how bad the pain was."
The South American idol has since had less drastic treatment in the form of screws, and although only one leg was augmented, he is now able to enjoy golf without much trouble.
"I chose the right leg, the doctor couldn't do both," he said. "I didn't care. My problem is that I have no cartilage or tendons. My 86 kilos are supported by bones alone. That's what generated the pain.
"I'm much better now than I was three years ago."

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Atletico braced for 'difficult' Champions League clashes with Juventus

Jose Luis Caminero has conceded that Atletico Madridface a difficult task in trying to beat Juventusto top spot in Champions League Group A.
The Rojiblancos reached the final of last season's competition, only losing out after extra-time to city rivals Real.
However, Caminero is taking nothing for granted after Atletico were drawn in the same pool as Juve, Olympiakos and Malmo.
"All of them are the reigning champions of their respective leagues," Atletico's sporting director pointed out.
"They have great players and I'm sure they will make it difficult for us to get through to the knockout stage.
"Juventus have won the Scudetto for the past three seasons and broke the league's points record last year. They are one of the historic clubs in this competition and they are used to gaining success.
"They have top players such as [Andrea] Pirlo, [Gianluigi] Buffon, [Paul] Pogba, [Arturo] Vidal, [Fernando] Llorente and [Carlos] Tevez ... Both games are going to be difficult."

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Hernandez told he can leave Manchester United

Manchester Unitedforward Javier Hernandezhas been told he is surplus to requirements and can leave the club in the next few days.
The Mexico international held talks with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward on Thursday afternoon where he was told he does not feature in the plans of manager Louis van Gaal.
Woodward, who broke similar news to Rio Ferdinand earlier this summer, arrived at Carrington at midday and discussed various terms with Hernandez, including any pay-off due to the player under the terms of his contract.
United had been looking to recoup around €19 million six months ago but are now willing to settle for a much lower fee in order to move Hernandez on before Monday's transfer deadline.
Having moved to Old Trafford from Guadalajara in 2010 Hernandez quickly established himself as a firm favourite among United's fans, scoring a number of important and sometimes unusual goals.
He scored with his face in the Community Shield win against Chelsea four years ago, and later in the Premier League season converted with a backwards header against Stoke City.
With a goal every 130 minutes he has the fourth best minutes-to-goals ratio in Premier League history behind Sergio Aguero, Thierry Henry and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
But he could not break into the team under David Moyes last season and struggled to find any consistency, sparking rumours that he would be sold this summer.
He attracted interest from Atletico Madrid and Inter earlier in the year as those two clubs cast their nets far and wide, while Southampton were also rumoured to be suitors.
Hernandez now has little over four days to find himself a new club as his time at Manchester United comes to an end.

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Kagawa in talks with Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmundare in talks to re-sign Manchester Unitedforward Shinji Kagawa.
The Japan international was an integral part of the Dortmund side that won back-to-back Bundesliga titles, prompting a €21.4m million move to Old Trafford in 2012.
Kagawa struggled to acclimatise in his first season despite contributing towards United's 20th league title, while injuries allied to a chronic loss of form and confidence saw him restricted to making just 30 appearances in all competitions under David Moyes last season.
After running the rule over his squad in pre-season and the early part of the Premier League campaign Louis van Gaal has deemed Kagawa, who is likely to have made his final United appearance in the embarrassing 4-0 defeat against MK Dons in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday, surplus to requirements.

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Champions League draw in full: Real Madrid face Liverpool, Barcelona versus PSG

Reigning European champions Real Madrid have been drawn with five-time winners Liverpool in the Champions League group stage draw held in Monaco on Thursday.
Carlo Ancelotti's men achieved la Decima in May with a final win over Atletico Madrid and they will also face Swiss side Basel and Bulgarian champions Ludogorets in Group B as they try to become to first team in Champions League history to win back-to-back titles.
Bayern Munich, coached by former winner Pep Guardiola, will aim for their fourth final in six years but have arguably been handed the Group of Death as they will need to overcome Premier League winners Manchester City, Russian side CSKA Moscow and Serie A runners-up Roma to get out of Group E.
Barcelona will need to navigate their way past Paris Saint-Germain - led by former striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Dutch champions Ajax and Cyprus minnows APOEL.
Chelsea, Champions League victors in 2011-12, were given a relatively straightforward draw as they face out-of-sorts Schalke, Portuguese opposition Sporting and Slovenian side Maribor.
Arsenal are still without a Champions League title to their name and they will have a bumpy ride just reaching the last 16 as 2012-13 finalists Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray and Belgian champions Anderlecht provide competition.
Atletico Madrid, runners up last season after taking Real Madrid to extra time, will be confident they can share one of the top two spots with Scudetto holders Juventus, Olympiakos and outsiders Malmo.
Last season's Europa League runners-up Benfica, Bundesliga big-hitters Bayer Leverkusen, Andre Villas-Boas' Zenit St-Petersburg and Ligue 1 runners-up Monaco make Group C one of the most competitive sections.
Contrastingly, Porto will be confident of making amends for failing to reach the knockout stages in 2013-14 after being drawn alongside Shakhtar Donetsk, Athletic Bilbao and BATE.
Each of the top two teams will qualify for the last 16 draw in December. The 2013-14 final, the 60th organised by Uefa, will be held at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on June 6.

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Ronaldo named Uefa's Best Player in Europe

Cristiano Ronaldohas been named as Uefa's Best Player in Europe for his Champions League-winning heroics with Real Madridin 2013-14.
The Portuguese, 29, scored a remarkable 17 goals in 11 European games as Carlo Ancelotti's stormed to the Decima and struck three times en route to Copa del Rey glory as Madrid completed the cup double.
Though the Santiago Bernabeu side were less successful in La Liga, Ronaldo still averaged more than a goal a game (31 efforts in 30 matches) as they finished third behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
The former Manchester United forward was voted as the best player ahead of Bayern Munich duo Manuel Neuer and Arjen Robben, who starred as Pep Guardiola's men lifted four of a possible six trophies last season.
"I'm really, really happy," Ronaldo said upon being presented the award following the draw for the 2014-15 Champions League group stage on Thursday.
"I have to say thank you to my team-mates, to my family, my friends. I don't have this trophy in my museum - I'll put it there straight away."
Ronaldo has already begun the new campaign in superb fashion, scoring three goals in four games including his double as Real Madrid defeated Sevilla to win the Uefa Super Cup earlier in August.
Ronaldo and his Real Madrid team-mates have been drawn with Liverpool, Basel and Ludogorets as they bid to become to first team in Champions League history to win back-to- back titles.

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"President Jonathan Is Invincible Boko Haram"

A former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Adamu Aliyu in an exclusive interview with Sahara Reporters as decribed President Jonathan as an incompetent leader, while accusing him of being a Boko Haram sponsor.

Farouk Adamu Aliyu who is currently in Washington DC at the time when US president Barack Obama is meeting some 50 African leaders said he wants to seek for President Obama's assistance to arrest President Goodluck Jonathan as he is allegedly collaborating with the dreaded Boko Haram sect. He said he has documented evidence that could lead to the arrest of President Jonathan while claiming the President is conspiring with alleged Boko Haram sponsors.

Farouk Aliyu further said there are two Boko Haram: one which is led by the Boko Haram leader by Shekarau and the other led by President Goodluck Jonathan. Farouk who said President Jonathan is an invicible Boko Haram also made reference President Jonathan that there are boko Haram members in the cabinet, yet he has not handled them over to the police and no top politicians has been arrested in the connection to Boko Haram. He said he has scarified his life and willingly to die for his country to tell the truth. He also spoke about Ebola Virus disease in the country (EVD), the over 200 Chibok missing girls, as he stated the government rather than actually doing everything to rescue the girls, they are making noise without actions, corruption in the corruption amongst other things.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

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Former Oyo Governor Ladoja Loses Mother

Alhaja Halimotu Ladoja, mother of former Oyo State governor Rashidi Ladoja reportedly died Wednesday, August 27.

It comes just months after Ladoja, who is also the national leader of the Accord Party, lost his son in the auto accident on the Eko Bridge in Lagos state. The former governor's 94-year-old mother passed away Wednesday about 7pm at the Bodija country home. The news was made available by the ex- president of the Nigerian Union of Journalist, Prince Lanre Ogundipe, who called Vanguard with the message: "Mama lived a fulfilled life".

Nigerian Tribune adds that the elderly woman died as a result of a brief illness. It would be recalled that Ladoja's son Adebola was caught in a ghastly accident in May, 2014, as a truck driving at a high speed lost control and rammed into the Golf driven by Adebola.

An eye witness later narrated: "It took several hours before the victim could be rescued from the wreckage of the vehicle. He was trapped behind the wheels with blood gushing out of his head." The police confirmed the young man had died on the spot and the truck driver had been arrested.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

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We Have Contained Ebola - Jonathan

Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan has demanded that the discrimination against Nigerians due to the stigma of Ebola be halted. President Goodluck Jonathan He said this during a meeting with a Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General, David Navarro, yesterday.

The President was talking precisely about the Nigeria's Youth Team's decision to withdraw from their participation at the Youth Olympics in China due to discrimination they faced.

Jonathan said that Nigeria has effectively contained the virus and that the virus never reached epidemic level in the country. He asked UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon to act on the sudden rise of discrimination against Nigerians. Jonathan then went forward and praised the job done by the Federal Ministry of Health, the Lagos State Government and all Nigerians for making this nation safe from the deadly virus.

"All hands have been on deck to contain the virus here. I commend my team and the Lagos State Government," he said. "We have been able to set politics aside and work in unison to deal with a national threat. "All other Nigerians have played a part too by complying with the directives and advice we have issued to stop the virus from spreading any further.

The success we have had is a testimony to what we can achieve as people if we set aside our differences and work together." Mr. Jonathan assured Mr. Navarro that his administration will make sure that if any cases of Ebola appears, they will be able to prevent a mass spread.

He said: "We will continue to monitor the situation and we will also support other affected African countries as much as we can because we cannot be completely safe from the virus as long as it continues to ravage some countries in our sub- region and continent.

"We will continue to work with the international community to curb the outbreak in other countries." Mr. Navarro however praised Nigeria's effort and said he was sent by Mr. Ki-Moon to praise the way Nigeria tackled the problem in a swift and exemplary method.

He said: "The Secretary-General asked me to come here too, not because you have an Ebola problem, but because you have tackled it in an exemplary fashion," Mr. Navarro said. "Your personal leadership on the matter has been key. There may still be some work to be done before the virus is completely cleared out from here, but other countries can learn from your fine example."

The Ebola virus is thought to be contained in Nigeria but recent news that one death recently occurred in Rivers state have pushed the Health Ministry concentration from Lagos to Rivers state. They have quarantined 70 people and shut down the hospital and the hotel suite where the primary target stayed. Recent figures by the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has taken 1,552 lives with 3,069 known cases registered so far.
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Man Died From Ebola In Port Harcourt

Nigerian's health minister Onyebuchi Chukwu has today confirmed the first recorded death from Ebola in Port Harcourt. Poster: Signs and Symptoms of Ebola It would be recalled that yesterday it was unofficially reported that the doctor whose name is yet to be provided died August 22 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from the deadly tropical virus.

The top Nigerian health official confirmed August 28 the information: "This primary contact of Mr. Sawyer's evaded our surveillance team in the last week of July 2014 and travelled out of Lagos to Port Harcourt where, as we now understand, he consulted with a doctor and was apparently treated for some symptoms." "Following the report of this death by the doctor's widow the next day, the case had been thoroughly investigated and laboratory analysis showed that this doctor died from EVD (Ebola Virus Disease)." The deceased secretly treated a diplomat who had contacted the first Ebola victim in Nigeria, Patrick Sawyer (the index case).

It was also confirmed that the man's wife and 70 more people were placed under surveillance.

While the doctor lost the fight with the tropical disease, his patient, the diplomat, 4 days later returned to Lagos without symptoms. The diplomat allegedly met Patrick Sawyer in Lagos and then traveled to Port Harcourt for treatment, evading Nigerian federal government surveillance. Upon arrival the doctor took him to hotel for treatment. It was yesterday reported that apart from tracing the doctor's contacts, the authorities shut the doctor's hospital, Good Heart Hospital in Rivers State, and the hotel involved.

Interestingly, yesterday Rivers State Commissioner of Health, Dr Sampson Parker, debunked the rumours about recording the first case of Ebola in the state and characterized the allegation as untrue, according to Vanguard. The unfortunate development means that the doctor's death might cause another wave of infection with the virus, which had been previously registered only in Lagos.

Two days ago the Nigerian health authorities expressed joy over the successful management of the disease as only 1 patient with Ebola was believed to have remained in the country. The deadly virus currently ravaging West Africa has already claimed nearly 1,500 of lives in the region.

Nigeria's first Ebola patient came from Liberia on July 20. Since then all the country resources were mobilized to reduce the possibility of epidemic. A total of 29 people were isolated and put under surveillance. Twelve people who contacted Sawyer tested positive for the virus, 4 of them died, while 7 have successfully recovered and were sent home.
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Platini WON'T oppose Blatter in FIFA president race as he sticks with UEFA

Michel Platini has ruled out standing against Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency and will instead run for re-election as UEFA president.
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