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Please say goodbye to our friends and family because Britney Spears just announced the title and release date for her ninth studio album, and we’re dead.  The pop diva, who dropped the lead single “Make Me” in July, described the album, “Glory,” on Twitter Wednesday as “the beginning of a new era” and teased its Aug. 26 debut.  The album’s cover shows the singer bathed in a heavenly white light as she stands front and center in a white, lacy number. Is that Britney or a just heavily photoshopped mannequin doll? Only God can judge.  Read the Original

With the political conventions behind them, Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee are scrambling to close their ground game gap with Hillary Clinton – boosting fundraising and concentrating on vital battlegrounds, even as some sources suggest they have a long way to go. The campaign notoriously has lagged Clinton's in organizational strength, but faces the unavoidable reality that a ticket to the White House requires victory in key swing states like Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. In a sign they're taking the task seriously, the campaign on Wednesday announced $80 million in donations for the campaign and the GOP in July, money that can be used to target their message at these voters. The haul marks a big fundraising surge for the GOP nominee, and comes close to the combined $90 million raked in by Clinton and the Democrats last month. "The campaign is in good shape. We are organized. We are moving forward," campaign manager Paul Manafort

The Islamic State group’s online weekly Al-Naba has named a new leader for their West African affiliate, fuelling speculation about the fate of Boko Haram’s longtime commander Abubakar Shekau. The jihadist magazine made the announcement on Tuesday in an interview with Sheikh Abu Musab al-Barnawi, whom it referred to as the new “governor of West Africa”. In the interview, Barnawi makes no clear reference to the Nigeria-based extremists’ previous leader, except for a mention of Shekau’s pledge of allegiance to the IS group last year. Since the pledge, Barnawi has appeared in several videos distributed by Boko Haram, claiming responsibility for successive attacks, earning him the reputation of group spokesman, experts say. Speculation over the fate – and alleged disappearance – of Shekau has been rife in recent months. Profile: Abubakar Shekau He last appeared in a video posted on YouTube in March, looking weak, and saying: "For me, the end has come". Sources close to Boko Hara

…says Exclusive breastfeeding nourishes, reduces risk of newborn deaths The United Nation Agency for Children (UNICEF) has said that more than five million newborns in Nigeria are deprived of essential nutrients and antibodies that protect them from disease and death as they are not being exclusively breastfed. The united Nation Agency for Children made the disclosure yesterday on the occasion to marks World Breastfeeding Week. According to the agemcy, only 25 per cent of the approximate 7 million children born in Nigeria every year, according to the 2014 National Nutrition and Health Survey are exclusively breastfed from 0-6 months of age. “We know that the pressure to give water to newborns in addition to breast milk is high. But the stomach of a baby is so small it can barely hold 60 millilitres of liquid and when it is filled with water, it leaves no room for breast milk and its life sustaining nutrients,” said Arjan de Wagt, UNICEF Nigeria Chief of Nutrition. “Babies who are fed

Undoubtedly, Lionel Messi is the best footballer on the planet but he has astonishingly been alleged to be rubbish in bed. The claim came from a certain Argentine model by the name Xoana Gonzalez. According to her, she slept with the Barcelona superstar after a party in 2011 and had been disappointed afterwards. She made the revelation while speaking on Peruvian TV, where she said, “It was many years ago. In truth, he was very young. But he knew what he was doing, was not minor, that was the important thing. “His security told me ‘got someone you want to know’. I was curious to see who it was and froze when I saw it was my idol, Messi. “I said that he is the wimp, though, because he sent his security to get me. There I noticed that he is very shy. “We talked about music and cannot remember if he told me he had a girlfriend or not. After a while, we went to his apartment in Puerto Madero. “When one plays across the whole pitch you expect someone to return the favour. I w

The federal government on Wednesday announced its plans to conclude the $2.56 billion (N793.6 billion) Badagry deep seaport by 2021. This was disclosed by Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, who addressed the media alongside two other ministers at the state house. Mohammed said the project would be funded by public-private sector partnership. Babatunde Fashola, minister of power, works and housing, who also spoke on the project, said it remains in line with the government’s macroeconomic policies to fund its infrastructure. “There is transparency and accountability on the private side of the economy than we have on the public side of our economic life,” he said. “As for the Badagry port, well, it is a port that is long overdue… Our ports, in terms of technology, are behind maritime transport industry; there are bigger vessels being built across the world and they require larger depths in other to berth. “Some of our competitors on the continent like Djibouti are buildin

Republicans reacted with dismay Wednesday as Donald Trump's campaign descended into disarray. Trump's White House bid slipped into unprecedented uncertainty with 97 days still to go to the election, with even senior members of his campaign team registering frustration with their boss after his political meltdown on Tuesday. A GOP source told CNN's Dana Bash that Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was especially frustrated because Paul Ryan and Priebus, both from Wisconsin, are very close. The source said Trump refusing to endorse Ryan in his re-election primary was "personal" especially since Priebus has "taken on a lot of water" for Trump. "He takes this very personally," said the source. Priebus "does want to show his support" for Ryan, a source tells CNN. The chairman has been the main point of contact between Trump and the Republican Party, on which the billionaire has been relying heavily since he lacks the

President Muhammadu Buhari and former President Goodluck Jonathan Former President Goodluck Jonathan is currently holding a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the president’s office at the Aso Rock Villa Abuja. Mr. Jonathan arrived the villa at 2 pm Wednesday, and went straight to the president’s office. Mr. Buhari was observing his afternoon prayer at the villa Mosque when his predecessor came calling. The president had earlier presided over a meeting of the Federal Executive Council. He went in immediately after the prayer to meet with Mr. Jonathan. This is the third time the former president is visiting the villa since leaving office in May 2015. He was at the villa in August and November last year, but he stayed briefly on both occasions and did not speak to journalists.

Atlanta 1996 Olympics Dream Team Celebrating with Coach Bonfrere Joe Nigeria made Olympic football history by becoming the first African and non-European and South American team to win the gold medal. While the football tournament remained primarily an Under-23 competition, each of the 16 competing countries were allowed to use as many as three overage players in a compromise between FIFA and the International Olympic Committee. The Nigerians, whom many observers predicted would be the first African side to win a World Cup, showed so much promise and expectations over the previous decade. They won the 1985 Under-16 World Tournament and finished second in 1987. They took third and second, respectively, at the 1985 and 1989 World Youth Championships. But they could never break the final barrier at the higher levels. Nigeria, coached by Dutchman Johannes Bonfrere, started their path to the final with a 1-0 victory over Hungary and a 2-0 win over Japan before completing the first round wi

The Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led by Ahmed Makarfi, on Tuesday announced members that constitute the party’s National Convention Committee. The Makarfi- led faction of the party also insisted that it will go ahead with its national convention slated for August 17 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State despite a court ruling which declared the Caretaker Committe illegal. Recall that an Abuja Federal High Court had declared embattled factional Chairman of the party, Sen Ali Modu Sheriff as leader of the party while sacking the Makarfi’s committee. Justice Okon Abang had also declared the Caretaker Committee under Makarfi was ilegal, saying it has no powers to conduct any activity on behalf of the party. But the Makarfi – led faction in a statement by its secretary, Sen Ben Obi, said the August 17 national convention of the party will hold as slated. The statement also announced approval of the nomination of the following members to serve on the National Conv

Veteran Nollywood actress, Steph-Nora Okere, has debunked news that made the rounds of her getting married. The former Vice President, VP, Screenwriters Guild of Nigeria, SGN, said she has never been married, like it was alleged. In a chat with City People, she said, “No, I was never married. I am very single. The press got me married on papers. Let me explain it, let me say I was in the process of getting married but ended up not getting married. “Where I come from, there is the process of marriage when you start the process, the Ibo people will go and make research on the other person’s background and If they find out negative things about the man or woman’s family, that means they will put an immediate stop to the marriage. That was what happened in my own case. “A lot of people have been saying I was married, I was married but we didn’t really get through our marriage. I think that is like in the past, which is like 10 years ago. I really wish to forget about it.” The actress, wh

  The Youth Wing of Southern Kaduna People’s Union, has observed with dismay that the unabated alleged Fulani attacks in the area since 2010 have resulted in the burning down of over 500 houses and the killing of over 4,000 people, mostly women and children. The national leader of the youth wing of SOKAPU, Comrade Nasiru Jagaba, while addressing a press conference in Kaduna on Tuesday, said, “As we were preparing for this press briefing, we received a distress call that suspected Fulani militia have attacked Nintie and Hayin Gada communities in Jema’a local government area of Kaduna State, killing scores and many sustaining injuries.” “Recently, governor El-Rufai announced his intention to build grazing reserves across the communities in Southern Kaduna, by so doing, he wants to cohabitate us with the same strange and volatile Fulani that have been attacking defendless communities in Southern Kaduna. “In addition, El-Rufai’s land reclamation programme in the state has failed to se

Google on Tuesday unveiled new Android notification channels, moving some of its security-related prompts to Smartphone, leaving traditional channels like email and Short Message Service (SMS). This is contained in a statement from the organisation which was obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. The statement said that henceforth, Android users should expect a notification on their Smartphones while receiving an email alert when a new device has been used to log into Google’s account. It said that the native notification would ask whether the users have just tried to sign in. The statement added that from there, the users could tap the notification to review account activity and take action to secure their accounts, if necessary. “The purpose of login email alerts were to offer accounts owners a real-time view of access to an account, allowing for a faster reaction in the event of a hijacking attempt. “People are four times more likely to review alerts in mobile not

  The Islamic State, better known as ISIS, has announced a new leader for the insurgent group, Boko Haram. ISIS referred to Abu Musab al-Barnawi, who was previously spokesman for Boko Haram, as the new leader replacing Abubakar Shekau. Mr. al-Barnawi is featured in the latest issue of an ISIS magazine, the BBC has reported. The magazine makes no reference to Mr. Shekau. The eccentric Mr. Shekau was last seen in a Boko Haram propaganda video in March 2015, one of many footages released in his years of leading a brutal campaign against the Nigerian state. In one of the videos, Shekau pledged allegiance to ISIS, which was originally based in Syria and Iraq. ISIS has several offshoots now in other countries including Libya. Mr. Shekau took over as Boko Haram leader after the group’s founder, Muhammad Yusuf, died in police custody in July 2009. Boko Haram became more deadly and radicalized under his leadership.

Though no one knows what you'll pay for it   Hands On Samsung unveiled the world’s best Android phone yesterday and I doubt if it will be bettered by anyone this year. But Samsung didn't name a price, nor assure us that the Note 7 will actually be available in the UK. (Its predecessor the Note 5 wasn’t and isn’t a UK product, we got the Edge 6+ instead, which doesn’t have all the pen gubbins). The Note helped define the “phablet” category – although phones were getting bigger anyway – and it was a hit thanks in part to the bundled stylus and note taking software. This took off with non technical users – there’s a niche of emigrants for whom this is their main computer - and Samsung has spent years tweaking the jotting capabilities. Last year’s Note allowed you to take it out of the pocket and scribble on the screen when the regular phone UI was off, as if it were a notepad. Today, the Note isn’t even close to being the biggest phone. At 5.7 inches (diagonal), it’s the same

 Calling Donald Trump an “authoritarian character” and a threat to democracy, Meg Whitman, a prominent Republican fundraiser and chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton’s White House bid late Tuesday. “To vote Republican out of party loyalty alone would be to endorse a candidacy that I believe has exploited anger, grievance, xenophobia and racial division. Donald Trump’s demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character,” Whitman posted on Facebook about the Republican nominee. In an interview with the New York Times, which first reported the endorsement, Whitman said it was time “to put country first before party” and that she would give a “substantial” contribution to Clinton’s campaign. Whitman told the Times that Trump is a “dishonest demagogue” and said that those who look at other failed democracies and believe “it can’t happen here” are mistaken. “Trump’s unsteady hand would endanger our prosperity and national security.

The Delta State secretariat complex in Asaba was, yesterday, named after the first civilian governor of the state, the late Felix Ibru. Also to be named after the deceased is the senate building of the Delta State University, Abraka, subject to approval by the institution's Governing Council. Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, who made the disclosure at a valedictory session, held at Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba, described Olorogun Ibru as a "pioneer, visionary, accomplished professional, entrepreneur par excellence, astute politician and strong leader." Okowa said Ibru's greatest legacy is that Delta, besides surviving as a state, has continued to flourish as a key component of the Nigerian project, adding: "Felix Ibru will be remembered as a patriot, a man of courage and an extraordinary leader who always stood on the side of the people. His life reminds us that wealth and service are not antithetical to each other; that our true wealth lies in our wi

The Boeing 777 has crash landed at Dubai International Airport following a flight from Trivandrum in India Dramatic footage shows Emirates passenger jet exploding into a fireball on the runway after emergency landing All flights to the Dubai terminal have since been diverted while all take-offs and landings have been suspended Airline says there were no fatalities in the crash and that all 282 passengers, 18 crew were evacuated safely Reports claim all passengers descended emergency chutes within just 45 seconds of plane coming to a halt An Emirates passenger jet has crash landed at Dubai Airport this morning before exploding into a massive fireball on the runway. Thick black smoke could be seen rising over Dubai International Airport after an Emirates Boeing 777, carrying 282 passengers and 18 crew was forced into an emergency landing at around 12.45pm local time. There are reports the landing gear for the plane, which had flown from Trivandrum International Airport in India, may not

Will Smith is taking a deadshot at Donald Trump. The actor bashed the bombastic billionaire, taking particular aim at his history of misogynistic comments. "For a man to be able to publicly refer to a woman as a fat pig, that makes me teary," Smith told the site new.com.au in an interview posted Tuesday. "And for people to applaud, that is absolutely f--king insanity to me," he added. "It's absolutely collective insanity." The "Suicide Star" even said he would throw his sons out of his home if they recited such hateful language. "If one of my sons — I am getting furious just thinking about it — if one of my sons said that in a public place, they couldn't even live in my house anymore," he explained. The outraged 47-year-old said he was raised to respect women and believes his grandmother would have "smacked my teeth out of my head" if he had ever called a woman a "fat pig." The dad-of-thr