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GETTY Takuma Asano has told FIFA.com that he is ecstatic to have joined Arsenal, having initially been unsure about a move. It was confirmed last month that the Gunners had agreed a deal to sign the Japanese striker from Sanfrecce Hiroshima. He said: "I had the offer from Arsenal. Of course, I was still not sure whether to go or not. I talked with my family and friends and felt good about the decision after talking with them. “I’m ecstatic about everything! With the Olympics and also for Arsenal - I’m still not sure if I’ll actually play for Arsenal right away in the coming season, but definitely I’ll try my best." GETTYRETURN: Wojciech Szczesny has rejoined Roma on loan Arsene Wenger has told Chuba Akpom he will not leave the club before the season starts, the Daily Telegraph report. Wenger may have to start the 20-year-old in the Premier League opener against Liverpool next week with Olivier Giroud yet to return to training after his exploits at Euro 2016. Akpom spent last...

The United States Government has asked its citizens living in Nigeria to stay away from twenty of the country’s 36 states which it described as unsafe. The US Government, in an advisory published online on Wednesday, cited Borno, Adamawa and Yobe as a complete no-go area. It further listed Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, and Zamfara as unsafe areas. The statement particularly urged vigilance around government security facilities; churches, mosques, other places of worship; locations where large crowds may gather such as hotels, clubs, bars, restaurants, markets, shopping malls; and other areas frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. The condition was in line with the severely limited ability of the US Mission to provide assistance to US citizens in those states and the risk of kidnappings, robberies, and other armed attacks, noting that criminals or militants have abducted foreign nationals,...

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have a bond that goes beyond The White House! The Commander-In-Chief turned 55 years old on Friday, and his right-hand man had the sweetest message for the birthday boy! Related: See Michelle Obama's Beautiful Birthday Tribute To Barack! The VP took to Twitter to post a precious pic of friendship bracelets made with Barack's and his names spelled out in beads! But that's not all! The adorable accessories featured green and orange braided rope, and cute charms of pie, a star, a smiley face, and a flower! And even sweeter than the snap itself? Joe's heartwarming message to the Pres! Ch-ch-check it out (below)! View image on Twitter Vice President Biden   ✔ @VP Happy 55th, Barack! A brother to me, a best friend forever. 6:33 PM - 4 Aug 2016     110,292 110,292 Retweets     166,519 166,519 likes OMG, they're totally going to have an Oval Office slumber party! W...

HBD POTUS!!! Michelle Obama penned the most aww-inducing message to her husband Barack Obama on his 55th birthday — so yeah, they're still at the top of the #RelationshipGoals list! Taking to social media with an adorbs photo and tribute, FLOTUS posted : Be still our hearts! But the 52-year-old wasn't the only one honoring the Prez — ch-ch-check out all the other celebs who wished Barry a happy birthday (below)! Woo!

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of the federal house of representatives, to stop levelling allegations against the leadership of the lower chamber in public. The party said this through Lawal Shuaibu, its deputy national chairman, north, in a letter to Jibrin on Thursday. “As you are aware, the party, and indeed the government, has not been happy over the recent development in the house of representatives over the issue of the 2016 budget. We found it embarrassing to have to deal with another new phenomenon you tagged ‘budget padding,'” it said. “Arising from the series of meetings we held with you over the subject matter, the national working committee had decided to request you to henceforth avoid issuing any public statement on this matter. This includes statements through social media or other means of transmitting an opinion on the matter to the public, as the party is now looking into it towards finding possible solution.” Since July...

An Egor Magistrates’ Court in Benin, on Thursday, remanded one Humphrey Omoregieva, 43, in prison over alleged assault on his parents. The prosecutor, Cpl. Ayo Augustine, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Aug. 1, at No. 294, Upper Mission, Benin. Augustine told the court that the accused had beaten up his father by hitting him with a piece of wood on his forehead. He said that the accused also beat up his mother and raped her several times. The prosecutor added that the accused maliciously damaged a sliding window in the house valued at N80,000. He said that the offence contravened sections 355, 320 and 358 of the Criminal Code. The Chief Magistrate, Mr F.E. Akhere, said that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case and ordered that copy of the case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice. He adjourned the case till September 8, for mention

Kim Kardashian is getting emotional over the death of her BlackBerry. The reality star posted on Twitter on Wednesday that her classic BlackBerry Bold finally died and she can't find a replacement on eBay. She says she "knew this day would come," but is "getting sad" as reality sets in. She says she's considering whether to get a different kind of BlackBerry or a different brand. She needs two phones on different services, she says, to ensure that one is always working. BlackBerry phones once dominated the smartphone market but have been overtaken this decade by phones using Google's Android and Apple's iOS platforms.

Jennifer Garner's relationship with Ben Affleck might be their new normal. The A-list couple, who shocked fans when they announced they were splitting last year, are still very close for the sake of their three kids. “You don’t have a choice,” said Garner, 44, during an interview Thursday on "Today." “We are definitely a modern family. We’re doing really well.” Recently the Tinseltown stars — parents to Violet, Seraphina, 7, and Samuel, 4 — sparked rumors of a reconciliation (some tabloids went as far to say she was carrying his fourth child) when Garner and the kids vacationed in Europe over the summer with Affleck who was filming his latest flick. "Ben was working in London on 'Justice League' and I felt like, 'Well, the kids should have that experience," Garner told "Today" host Natalie Morales. "He and I are great friends and we just all went en masse. The kids and I had an amazing time, and he worked hard and got to join us for...

Hollywood's hottest sorority of A-listers may not be the sisterhood you think. Just ask singer Hailee Steinfeld, who admits Taylor Swift's seemingly ubiquitous girl squad of celebrities doesn't actually hang out nearly as much as their fans suspects. "I think people think we spend a lot more time together than we actually do," Steinfeld told Seventeen magazine. "She's amazing, though." Swift's star studded entourage -—which also includes Selena Gomez, Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid, Lena Dunham and many others — came together for the pop star's award-winning "Bad Blood" music video, and members are often photographed together at award shows and events. But apparently, the idea that they actually spend the bulk of their free time together is nothing more than a fan's wildest dream. Steinfeld, 19, covered a wide range of topics during her interview with Seventeen, including opening up about being bullied in the past. "There wo...

A capybara eats part of the Olympic golf course. Golf Channel The 2016 Summer Olympics officially start Friday, but now Rio can add one more entry to its growing list of problems. Luckily, this one is kinda cute. According to the Golf Channel, the golf course for the games has become a popular hangout spot for some of Brazil's wildlife. So far they've spotted three-toed sloths, monkeys, boa constrictors, ground-nesting owls, caimans (a smaller relative of the crocodile), and capybaras chilling on the Olympic venue.  When the course was built last year, naturalists were worried about the effect that encroaching on the nearby Marapendi nature reserve would have on the animals.  The Olympic golf course, seen from above. Michael Heiman/Getty Images Capybaras, which are the largest rodents in the world and can weigh up to 150 pounds, are among the biggest problems for golfers since they feed on the greens. "They chew down on the grass at ni...

Real Madrid and star forward Gareth Bale have reportedly opened negotiations regarding a new and improved contract, according to reports from Spain. Continue for updates. Real Open to Bale Contract Extension Thursday, August 4 According to AS, Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett has already started negotiations with Los Blancos regarding a contract extension, adding two years to his current deal, which runs until 2019. His salary could reportedly increase to €10 million per year, making him the team's second-highest paid player, behind Cristiano Ronaldo. The 27-year-old joined Real in the summer of 2013 and enjoyed a fine first season in the Spanish capital. His 2014-15 campaign was a bit of a disappointment, but Bale bounced back nicely last season, playing a crucial role in the side's UEFA Champions League triumph. Per WhoScored.com, he scored 19 goals and added 10 assists in just 23 La Liga appearances, justifying his massive transfer fee of £90 million in t...

ISIS barbarians have shot two Egyptian policemen in the head and threatened Israel in a sickening new execution video. The two men are seen kneeling on the ground before a masked jihadi in the desert of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt. Gruesome footage then shows the men, who were wearing orange boiler suits, lying in a pool of blood having been shot in the head. In the same video, ISIS fanatics in Egypt deliver a rare direct threat to Israel, saying the Jewish state will soon 'pay a high price.' Egypt's branch of the ISIS is spearheading an insurgency in northern Sinai that had simmered for years but grew stronger and deadlier after the military's 2013 ouster of Mohammed Morsi, an Islamist president whose one year in office proved divisive. The narrator of the 35-minute video released this week threatens Israel's Jewish population, saying 'your account with us has become weighty and you will soon pay a high price.' The authenticity of the...

Melania Trump took to Twitter to push back at 'inaccurate reporting' about her immigration status – which she has touted as part of the American Dream in interviews and at the Republican Convention. 'In recent days there has been a lot of inaccurate reporting and misinformation concerning my immigration status back in 1996,' the former model and wife of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump said in a statement she tweeted out Thursday. 'Let me set the record straight: I have at all times been in full compliance with the immigration laws of this country. Period,' the Slovenian born model said. She continued: 'Any allegation to the contrary is simply untrue. In July 2006, I proudly became a U.S. citizen. Over the past 20 years, I have been fortunate to live, work and raise a family in this great nation and I share my husband's love for our country.' It is assumed that Melania Trump came here on a three-year H1-B work visa that allowed her to perform...

There's a dramatic divide between the supporters of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, with both sides refusing to make friends with the other, a new report has revealed. Only 25 per cent of Trump supporters have 'a lot' or 'some' close friends who support Clinton, the Pew Research Center study has shown. And among Clinton fans that number is even lower - with just 19 per cent saying they are close to those voting Trump,Politico reported. The study, performed by thePew Research Center, also revealed big differences in racial groupings, with 72 per cent of black Clinton supporters saying they have no close friends backing Trump. That's twice the 36 per cent of white Clinton fans who said the same. There are also generational divides at work: 58 per cent of under-30 Clinton backers don't have any friends who like Trump - but that number drops to 41 per cent for those older than 50. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the study showed that most supporters on both sides ten...

London - A Norwegian teenager of Somali origin is suspected of going on a knife rampage through London's tourist hub of Russell Square, killing an American woman and injuring five other people, police said on Thursday. The London force sent extra officers into the city streets and mobilised counterterror detectives, but said the investigation suggested mental illness was the driving force behind the attack. Police officers search the scene where one women died and several were injured in a suspected knife attack in Russell Square. Picture: Will Oliver. Credit: EPA The attack came just days after authorities warned the British public to be vigilant in light of attacks inspired by the Islamic State group elsewhere in Europe. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said the investigation "increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental-health issues. So far we have found no evidence of radicalisation or anything that would suggest th...

This Lagos artist is changing how Nigerians view graffiti. Lagos is not known for its street art but that's something graffiti artist Osa Seven wants to change. Seven grew up in Festac, a lively  neighborhood in Lagos where some of his earliest work still marks the walls. Despite the negative connotations surrounding graffiti Seven was undeterred and knew a career in art was his future. He's made a name for himself as a leading graffiti artist and has created art for big names clients like Guinness and Kia. He now has a new, two-fold agenda: to encourage upcoming artists and to change the perception of graffiti in the minds of Nigerians. "The biggest setback is getting Nigerians to actually understand and accept graffiti as a form of self-expression, a form of communication and a form of design," Seven told CNN. " A couple of people still see it as constituting nuisance or disrupting their walls and things like that." Inspired by the worl...