India vows to ‘go beyond’ Paris accord, adding pressure on Trump

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron Saturday to go “above and beyond” the Paris Agreement on climate change, after the US said it would quit the deal.

Donald Trump

Two days after US President Donald Trump sensationally announced plans to withdraw from the pact on curbing carbon emissions Modi said India would “continue working… above and beyond the Paris accord”, calling it “part of the world’s shared heritage”.

The agreement signed by 195 countries in the French capital in 2015 “can protect future generations and give new hope”, he said after two hours of talks with Macron at the presidential Elysee Palace.

Macron said his discussions with the leader of the world’s fastest-growing major economy had focussed mainly on the environment.

“I want to restate here France’s full commitment to the fight against climate warming,” said the French president.

Macron has led Europe’s defence of the Paris accord, endearing himself to opponents of Trump’s stance.

Reacting to Trump’s announcement on Thursday, Macron issued an appeal in English to “make the planet great again” — a play on Trump’s pledge to “make America great again” that has been retweeted a quarter of a million times.

Trump has accused China and India of getting an easy ride compared to the US.
Modi said protecting “mother Earth” was part of Indian culture.

“For Indians, environmental protection is a profession of faith because we learn it in the vedas (ancient Hindu scriptures),” he said.
India, which accounts for 4.1 percent of global emissions, has not agreed to cap or cut its emissions outright like other countries but has said it will massively increase its use of green energy.

Arriving at the presidential palace the 66-year-old Indian nationalist hugged 39-year-old Macron, in scenes contrasting with Macron’s clenched-jawed, white-knuckle handshake with Trump in Brussels last week.

An enthusiastic Modi said the French centrist’s election had “encouraged the whole world”.
Macron said he would visit India, the world’s third-largest polluter, by the end of the year for a summit on solar power — an area where the two planned greater cooperation and on which they hoped to rope in “many other countries”.

– Twitter battle –
Trump’s decision to scrap the Paris deal has left him isolated on the world stage and prompted a backlash at home, with several state governors, city mayors and powerful companies already drawing up plans to meet the pact’s emission targets — with or without Washington’s backing.
At least two Republican governors announced Friday they were partnering with Democratic-run states to combat climate change.

The White House has hit back at the criticism, accusing Europe of trying to “shackle” the US economy and refusing to acknowledge climate change is real.

“We have nothing to be apologetic about as a country,” Trump’s top climate advisor Scott Pruitt said Friday — despite the US being the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China.

Billionaire climate advocate Michael Bloomberg made an unannounced visit to Macron in Paris on Friday to discuss bolstering the pact.

“Today I want the world to know the US will meet our Paris commitment, and through a partnership among cities, states, and businesses, we will seek to remain part of the Paris agreement process,” Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg pledged 15 million dollars to support the agreement’s coordinating agency in the event the US refused to pay its share.

In a sign that France intends to lead resistance to Trump on climate change the foreign ministry on Friday published a pointed rebuttal of his claims about the Paris deal on Twitter.

Using digital red ink to edit a White House video slamming the deal, the ministry for example changed Washington’s claim that “The Paris accord is a bad deal for America” to “Leaving the Paris accord is a bad deal for America and the world”.

Macron on Thursday invited US scientists, business people and citizens frustrated with the White House’s stance to move to France, assuring them of “a second homeland” across the Atlantic

Pirates of the Caribbean returns to cinema

The Disney franchise, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ is back to the big screen. The movie which is the fifth installment in the franchise will be showing in Nigeria Cinemas starting from Friday 26th May.

The adventure-fantasy movie subtitled ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’ which had its VIP screening on the 23rd of May, 2017 at the Filmhouse Cinema IMAX, Lekki is sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria and distributed in Nigeria by Africa’s leading distribution company, Blue Pictures.

Pirates of the Caribbean crew

A Production of Walt Disney Pictures, ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’ also known as ‘Salazar’s Revenge’ continues the adventure of a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow who is thrust into an all-new adventure, feels the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost sailors led by his old nemesis, the evil Capt. Salazar (Javier Bardem), escapes from the Devil’s Triangle.

Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it, he must forge an uneasy alliance with a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) and a headstrong young man, Henry (Brendon Thwaites) in the British navy. Written by Jeff Nathanson and directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, the movie stars an ensemble cast featuring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem, Kevin McNally, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and others.

Speaking about the movie, the CEO of Blue Pictures, Joy Odiette said; “Pirates of the Caribbean has always been a popular movie among movie lovers, even from the first installment and this fifth one will not be an exception; we are excited to be distributing it in Nigeria.”

2face Pays Tribute to Mandela at Soweto Home

Just a few weeks after his withdrawal as one of the judges on popular reality TV music show, The Voice Nigeria, with reason of commitments to other things, African Queen crooner, Innocent ‘2face’ Idibia, visited the Soweto home of Late Nelson Mandela to pay tributes, while on an all-expense paid vacation to South Africa, fully sponsored by Campari, to which 2face is a brand ambassador.

2Face

After his arrival in South Africa on May 17, 2017 with the Campari team, 2face visited the Soweto home of anti-apartheid revolutionary, philanthropist and former president, late Nelson Mandela the next day, May 18, 2017.

The national heritage, popularly known as the Nelson Mandela National Museum, was where Nelson Mandela lived between 1946 and 1962 which is coincidentally, only a short distance from Tutu House, the home of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, another iconic anti-apartheid campaigner.

While at Mandela’s House, 2baba joined a group of young South Africans in singing indigenous solidarity songs, reminiscent of the type Mandela and his colleagues sang during his active days of protest.

This beautiful moment of Pan-African brotherhood and unity further symbolizes the bond between Nigeria and South Africa, regardless of the supposed rifts and contention between citizens of the two nations in recent times.

Arrested Singer Dammy Krane Assures fans

Nigerian singer Dammy Krane (Oyindamola Emmanuel), allegedly arrested in Miami, U.S for credit card fraud, has gone philosophical about the situation.

In his twitter handle, ENTERKRANER, Dammy, told his 215,000 followers that, “In weird situations like this, you go start to see, who is with you and who isn’t. No fake love.”

He said: “See ehn… Understanding is a three-edged sword. Your side, my side, and the truth. Make dem talk.

“This one, that one, rumor…One time for my fans, new material coming, i go talk everything. God got us, help me say amin o.”

According to reports, the singer who is currently based in the U.S, was booked on Friday.
He is currently behind bars pending when he meets up with the bail requirements.

According to details on his mugshot from reports, the singer was arrested for card fraud, identity fraud (named as Johnson Hunga) and theft (armed and conspiracy).

Dammy Krane.

Krane signed under Hypertek music has a number of hits to his credit and has enjoyed fame in the industry.

The arrest has already generated 9,390 reactions on twitter.
Umeh and 99 others @UmehOMA “Dammy Krane probably watched Prison Break finalè, and decided to go pull some Michael Scofield stunt with Sauce kid. *grabs popcorn*”

Broke and Ashy said that Dammy Krane was posting pictures flying in jet up and down. Nigerians have no idea how to move in silence.

A post by shakur said that Dammy krane really followed his mentor, Sauce Kid, “to ewon” (prison).

Champions League Final: Expert Predictions and Analysis

A case of attack v defence for some and a game of chess for others, with one former winner saying “the problem for Juve is a player named Cristiano”. We round up the big-name views.

Luís Figo, a winner with Real Madrid in 2002
Everything is possible in football. Juventus’s defensive structure is strong, but Real Madrid’s attack is also very dangerous which is why I think the duels will be interesting, and whoever wins more individually will come out on top. I think that it will be an interesting duel pitting two different styles against each other, with two very strong football cultures and great players.


Cafu, a winner with Milan in 2007
Juventus 2-2 Real Madrid (we didn’t find out what happens next!)

Christian Karembeu, a two-time winner with Madrid
Juventus 2-3 Real Madrid

Pavel Nedvěd, Juventus vice-president, in Czech daily Sport
We have been waiting for victory for 21 years. Juventus won this competition for the last time in 1996. We’ve reached the final on several occasions since but never won it. That’s why our expectations are big. The team is very focused, relaxed and not feeling the pressure.

Marcel Desailly, a two-time winner, with Marseille and Milan
Juventus 2-1 Real Madrid

Four-time winner Clarence Seedorf
I don’t expect a lot of fireworks. It’s a final, and both teams know that in the final it’s about that one chance that’s going to make a difference. So nobody wants to take a lot of risks. I expect really a tactical match, a tough one, but I don’t expect a lot of goals, maybe 1-0 or so. Both Juventus and Madrid I think have the capability of doing what it takes to make sure that there’s no space for counterattacks and using that moment to make a difference.

Ciro Ferrara, a winner with Juve in 1996
Juventus 2-1 Real Madrid

Patrik Andersson, a winner with Bayern in 2001
Juventus 2-0 Real Madrid

Edgar Davids, a winner with Ajax in 1995
Finals are always difficult. I don’t see any favourites, anything can happen, it’s really impossible to make predictions. Real Madrid are not unbeatable but they have two or three players who can really make the difference at any time. The problem for Juve is the player named Cristiano. Dybala and Higuaín are very strong but they are not at Ronaldo’s level at the moment.

Eidur Gudjohnsen, a winner with Barcelona in 2009
Juventus 1-0 Real Madrid

Andriy Shevchenko, a winner with AC Milan in 2003
I will be cheering for both teams but in my heart I would like to see such a great player as Buffon winning the Champions League. Overall, my sympathies will be with Juventus.

Steve McManaman, a two-time winner with Madrid
Juventus 1-2 Real Madrid

Ian Rush, final ambassador and former Juve striker
I am going with Juventus. Madrid are one of those teams who, you know, you score two then we will score three – they are that good. But I think if Juventus score two there’s no way Madrid are going to score three. I think they are well organised, they work hard as a team, and they have got those players who can win you the game – the likes of Higuain and people like that.

Robert Pirès, a runner-up with Arsenal in 2006
Juventus 1-3 Real Madrid

Phil Thompson, European Cup winner with Liverpool in 1978 and 1981
I fancy Juventus; defensively they’re the best in the business and they will be able to cope with anything Real Madrid throw at them. I’ve been very impressed with Juventus and it’s the strength all round, in all departments, which says to me they’re better equipped to win this match. Juventus to win 2-1.

Steffen Freund, a winner with Dortmund in 1997
Juventus 1-1 Real Madrid (Juve to win 5-4 on pens)

Juan Hernangómez, Denver Nuggets NBA star
Juventus 1-2 Real Madrid

Culled from UEFA.com

ECOWAS, Israel sign $1 bn Solar Energy for Member States

ECOWAS and Israel on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of one billion dollar investment to advance green energy power projects across 15 ECOWAS member states over the next four years.

Remy Reinstein, Country Director, Energiya Global, Israel’s leading solar developer stated this in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday.

Reinstein said that the MoU was signed in Liberia by the Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and ECOWAS President, Marcel de-Souza along with Yosef Abramowitz, CEO Energiya Global, the firm that will execute the project.

“We are prepared to finance and build the first National Demonstration Solar Projects in all ECOWAS-affiliated countries to promote political stability, social and economic development, and to advance knowledge transfer,”

Abramowitz said Energiya Global and its associated companies developed the first commercial scale solar field in sub-Sahara Africa in Rwanda, which is supplying six per cent of the country’s power,

He said the group broke ground on a similar power plant in Burundi, which will supply 15 per cent of the country’s power by the end of the year.

According to him the solar group has fields at various stages of development in 10 African countries and expects to announce its full program at the Israel-Africa Summit in Togo at the end of October.

Knesset Neguise, Chairman of the Israel-Africa Caucus of the Israeli Parliament, who accompanied the Prime Minister, said the first investment of 20 million dollars would be executed in Liberia by Energiya Global.

“”We look forward to working with ECOWAS to deploy $1 billion over the next four years, starting with this first investment of $20 million in Liberia by Energiya Global.”

“The 20 million dollar investment comes as Israel and ECOWAS sign Sunday an historic MoU to promote investments, technology and cooperation.

“With 600 million Africans without electricity, the State of Israel can literally help African heads of state bring power to the African people,” Neguise said.

He said that Israel humanitarian and diplomatic goals were supported by the private sector as well, which could work quickly and efficiently to improve the lives of millions of people.

“A working session between ECOWAS, representatives of the State of Israel and Abramowitz will take place Monday in Monrovia.

“The session is to plan for the deployment of the green energy investments in fulfillment of the MOU signed by Netanyahu and the President of ECOWAS,” he said.

U.S. Power Africa Coordinator Andrew
Herscowitz was quoted as saying, “as a founding Power Africa partner, Energiya Global continues to demonstrate its industry leadership with this important investment in Liberia.

“ Increasing access and power generation is the foundation for economic prosperity and human development. We look forward to Energiya Global’s transformative impact on the lives of the Liberian people”.

NYSC Wants Skills Training for Corps Members Compulsory

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged the Federal Government to make its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) compulsory for all corps members in the country.

Mrs Chinyere Ekwe, Head of SAED in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) office of NYSC, made the call in an interview in Abuja on Saturday.

She said that making the training compulsory to all corps members would increase the number of youths trained in various skills targeted at growth and development of the nation.

Ekwe explained that SAED was introduced by the scheme to enable corps members to learn and develop one or more skills for self-reliance.

Swearing-in ceremony

According to her, the initiative was introduced to support Federal Government’s efforts at addressing unemployment in the country, but presently, it is not compulsory for the corps members.

“This defeats the aim of introducing the programme, because if more youths participate in skills training, more youths will become self-employed, self-reliant and employers of labour
“If more youths are trained, they will in turn train many others, but in a situation where this programme is not compulsory for them, you find that a lot of them may show lackadaisical attitude towards it.

“I also think that there is need to reduce the training fee to a minimal rate so that more corps members can participate.

“The FCT Coordinator, Mr Salawu Abdulrazak, has tried to bring down the training fee to N10, 000 for six-month training and for corps members can to pay in installments.

“If more is done to support the corps members by bringing down the fee, it will encourage more of them to join,” Ekwe said.

She also urged the government to support the scheme with provision of materials, saying that training large number of corps members yearly in various skills without materials was a major challenge to the scheme.

According to her, right now in the camp, hands-on training is free, but there are no materials for corps members to use in the training. We also do not have well-equipped skills centres in the area councils.

Ekwe commended the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for its effort in providing an ICT center at the orientation camp for training of corps members.

She urged serving corps members to make use of the opportunity to learn one or more skills in order to become skillful, self-reliant and productive.

She said that emphasis on certificate was waning in Nigeria, adding that it was therefore why learning a skill or more had become necessary.

“You will be empowering yourself and other youths by doing this”.

The NYSC official said that many corps members who had passed through the programme had established businesses, adding that SAED’s partners had also continued to support corps members with start-up capital.

She said that partners like Bank of Industry (BoI) gave corps members loan as much as N2 million, while the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also had a loan scheme that could give N3 million to a corps member.

Adviser to Brazil President Arrested in Corruption Probe

A close adviser to Brazil’s President Michel Temer was arrested in Brasilia on Saturday, police said, in the latest move in a corruption case that threatens to bring down his government.

Police filmed the aide, Rodrigo Rocha Loures, in March running from a Sao Paulo pizza restaurant parking lot to a taxi with a black suitcase containing 500,000 reais, about $152,500.

Michel Temer, Brazil’s President.

The judge who ordered Loures’ incarceration is leading the Supreme Court’s investigation into a sprawling pay-for-play corruption case at state oil giant Petrobras that already has swept up many in Brazil’s political and business elite.

It now threatens to bring down Temer, who is fighting calls for his impeachment as prosecutors build a corruption and obstruction of justice case against him.

The president was drawn into the scandal last month with the release of an audio recording secretly made by an owner of the world’s largest meatpacking company, Joesley Batista, at a late night March 7 meeting with Temer at his residence.

In the recording, which Temer says has been tampered with, the president allegedly gives the OK for payments to buy the silence of a politician imprisoned in the Petrobras scandal, Eduardo Cunha, the former speaker of the lower house.

Batista turned over the audio recording to prosecutors, and said Temer had designated Loures to receive bribes in return for favors to the company.

Shortly after the Temer-Batista meeting, police filmed Loures with the bag full of money, which allegedly came from a contact at Batista’s JBS meatpacking company.

The scene has been played repeatedly on Brazilian television.

Temer has staunchly defended Loures and did so again in an interview published Saturday in the Veja news magazine.

Loures may have been “the victim of a trap,” Temer said, describing the former congressman as “a very intelligent person, very capable, of a very prestigious family … who doesn’t need money. He truly was a trusted adviser.”

President Mugabe Begins Nationwide Election Campaign

The 93-year-old Zimbabwean President, Mr. Robert Mugabe, has launched a nationwide 10-venue speaking tour aimed at drumming up support ahead of elections next year when he plans to seek office again.

Mugabe, who appeared in better health than at some recent public appearances, spoke for an hour and a half at a rally outside Harare attended by several thousand ZANU-PF supporters.

President Mugabe.

The ruling ZANU-PF party is widely seen as divided over Mugabe’s successor, while opposition parties are in talks to unite to try to oust him in the election.

“We want our party to remain united and not divided. If you are a real ZANU-PF member, be true to your party,” Mugabe said at the rally in Marondera.
He urged those seeking to succeed him to “be at peace”.

“The time will come,” he said. “It’s certainly coming.”

ZANU-PF officials say Mugabe is focusing on youth issues at the series of “interface rallies” in each of Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces.

Mugabe has slurred his words in interviews this year and struggled to walk in public, but he stood up throughout his long speech on Friday.

He wore a jacket in the party colours, and arrived at the open-air venue standing on the back of a police truck and waving at cheering supporters.

“President Robert Mugabe is our sole candidate for 2018. We declare you our life president,” Kelvin Mutsvairo, a provincial youth party leader, said in his speech.

A banner at the rally called Mugabe “the father of youth empowerment” and urged young people to register to vote in the elections.

Mugabe has ruled since independence in 1980, and ZANU-PF are often accused of election rigging and voter intimidation.

The strong man was born 21st February, 1924, who has been President since 1987.
He previously led Zimbabwe as Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987.

Giroud’s Hat-trick Excites Deschamps

Olivier Giroud has received praise from France head coach Didier Deschamps for responding to a “difficult season” at Arsenal with his first international hat-trick on Friday.

Giroud

The 30-year-old striker scored the first three goals for his side in their 5-0 drubbing of Paraguay in Rennes, with Moussa Sissoko and Antoine Griezmann also on the scoresheet.

Giroud’s strikes was France’s hat-trick since David Trezeguet back in 2000, while it took his tally to 16 goals in his last 16 starts for his country.

His impressive international form has continued despite struggling for game time at Arsenal, with manager Arsene Wenger handing him only 11 starts in the Premier League last season.

“He’s our best goalscorer, he continues to score and when he doesn’t, someone next to him often scores,” Deschamps told RMC. “He responds even when he’s had a difficult season with his club.

“But even there, with little playing time, he is still effective. So I’m happy for him.”

Deschamps was pleased with the emphatic nature of the win as France prepare for a World Cup qualifier against Sweden next Friday.

“It’s a good thing. Our forwards scored, it’s very good. Now I know that we’ll have a very different game against Sweden,” he said.

“As an opponent, they’re ranked just beneath us. Getting a good or very good result there will put us in an even better position to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

“It’s better to have played a match where we had confidence. The whole group was very focused on this match so that we could prepare as best as possible for the one that awaits us.”

Champions League Final: Juventus Ready to Confront Colossus Real Madrid to end a 21-year itch

May 22, 1996. Stadio Olimpico, Rome. Vladimir Jugovic stops for a brief moment at the end of his run.

Between the Serbian defender and Champions League glory stands one man – Ajax goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. Jugovic rises on his toes, like a gymnast addressing the vault, and takes a breath.

Van der Sar guesses correctly but Jugovic strikes the ball too well. Juventus players collapse in tears on the turf. The Old Lady are European champions.

It was Juve’s first European Cup triumph in 11 years.

Back then, that was considered a lengthy wait. But now their patience is really being tested.

Twenty-one years have passed without a repeat.
Those famous black and white stripes will flood Cardiff this weekend, hoping to finally give a two-decade old itch a ruddy great scratch.

Juventus’s most recent triumph on the continent’s biggest stage belongs to a totally different era, after all.

It pre-dates the Euro, it pre-dates the iPhone, it pre-dates Twitter, Facebook… even Bebo.
And, as if the point needed making further, it pre-dates Emil Audero – the deputy to Gianluigi Buffon, who made his club debut in the final Serie A game of the domestic campaign.

It is surely time for the Bianconeri to have new heroes to replace Alessandro del Piero, Antonio Conte, Fabrizio Ravanelli, Didier Deschamps and Gianluca Vialli.

Against Real Madrid – the favourites on the night, just as Ajax were 21 years ago – Gonzalo Higuain, Miralem Pjanic, Paulo Dybala and Giorgio Chiellini can etch their names into folklore.

Juve have spent too long being nearly men in Europe, for all their domination back home.
Since that win in Rome, they have returned to the Champions League final on four separate occasions. Four separate chances. Four separate defeats.

The first came just 12 months after Vialli lifted Ol’ Big Ears, against the Borussia Dortmund of Paul Lambert and Matthias Sammer – a 3-1 loss in Munich which the Germans’ coach Ottmar Hitzfeld described as ‘a big surprise’.

It set a trend. Still, no team has won back-to-back finals – though Real Madrid have a chance to rewrite history on Saturday.

And, still, Juventus haven’t won another final.

Manchester United Overtakes Real Madrid as Europe’s Richest Club

Manchester United has overtaken Real Madrid to become Europe’s richest football club despite not playing in the champions league nor winning the English League since 2013.

United Manger Jose Mourinho celebrating.

The latest football rich list from KPMG showed that United had topped Real Madrid to occupy the first spot as the richest club in the continent.
Five other English clubs also made it on the top 10 list of richest clubs in Europe including Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool.
United has failed to win the English Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as its manager in 2013, but the club increased in value to €3.

Although Manchester united owes almost hal a billion pounds in debt, it had a remarkable revenue increase due to a bumper television rights deal.

The English game’s growing financial muscle is highlighted in the second year of KPMG’s report.
The study looked at the finances of 39 clubs based on their popularity on social media channels, revenues for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons, and success in European competitions.
The clubs were then ranked by a measure used judge how much it would cost to buy any given club as it includes a business’s total debt.

United has been valued at €3.004 billion (£2.61bn), ahead of both Real (€2.895bn) and Barcelona (€2.688bn).

KPMG had estimated Madrid and United as being worth €2.9bn at the end of the 2015-16 season.

Bayern Munich (€2.367bn) are fourth on the list, with Manchester City (€1.909bn) the next highest-placed English team in fifth. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur complete the top 10.

In May, United announced projected full-year revenues of between £560 million and £570m and expected profits that could eclipse their current record of £191.9m.

They currently have 26 global sponsorship deals, including with kit manufacturer adidas, shirt sponsor Chevrolet, 20th Century Fox and Uber, as well as 10 regional sponsorship deals and 28 other media and financial partners.

Broadcasting rights alone are worth £8.3bn to the 20 Premier League teams.

KPMG studied the publicly available financial information of 39 clubs, as well as their popularity on social media and success in European competitions.

The top 32 teams had a combined value of €29.9bn (£26bn), an increase of more than €3bn on last year. The three top teams – Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona – account for around a third of the total value.

The influx of cash into football’s biggest clubs saw transfer records broken last year with United manager Jose Mourinho paying £89m to bring Paul Pogba back from Juventus after a spell away at the Italian champions.

KPMG’s €3.05bn ($3.4bn) valuation of Manchester United suggests that the stock market is currently underpricing the club which is listed in New York with a market capitalisation of $2.8bn.

Real Madrid fell to second in the rich list, despite a successful season which saw them win the Spanish title for the first time in five years and reach the Champions League final, to be played on Saturday.

The lack of correlation between footballing and financial performance further underlines the increasing importance of broadcasting rights to top clubs.

At the start of the 2016/17 season the Premier League began a new TV rights deal with Sky and BT Sport worth £10.4bn over three years.

“In terms of media rights value, the English Premier League sits comfortably at the top of European leagues, although other major leagues have outlined well-defined strategies to compete for the attention of global fans,” said Andrea Sartori, KPMG’s global head of sports and the report’s author

Further down the list, German champions Bayern Munich kept the fourth place they held last year, while Manchester City overtook Arsenal to take fifth spot.

Leicester City and Everton were the two other English clubs to make the list, in 16th and 17th place respectively.

Manchester United (€3.004bn)
Real Madrid (€2.895bn)
Barcelona (€2.688bn)
Bayern Munich (€2.367bn)
Manchester City (€1.909bn)
Arsenal (€1.882bn)
Chelsea (€1.524bn)
Liverpool (€1.260bn)
Juventus (€1.158bn)
Tottenham Hotspur (€978m)
Paris Saint-Germain (€948m)
Borussia Dortmund (€917m)
Atletico Madrid (€771m)
Schalke (€663m)
AC Milan (€504m)
16 Leicester (€442m)
17 Everton (€431m)
18 Roma (€433m)
19 Inter (€407m)
20 Napoli (€388m)
21 Galatasaray (€357m)
22 Fenerbahce (€330m)
23 Benfica (€326m)
24 Lyon (€301m)
25 Athletic Bilbao (€285m)
26 Ajax (€258m)
27 Sevilla (€249m)
28 Valencia (€225m)
29 Lazio (€215m)
30 Besiktas (€207m)
31 PSV Eindhoven (€201m)
32 Marseille (€179m)

Juventus Stadium Finally Named Allianz After 6yrs

Six years after its inauguration, Champions League finalists Juventus’s home stadium in Turin has finally been given a name: the Allianz Stadium.

As of July 1, the German insurance firm’s name — which already adorns a number of other sports stadiums, including Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena, Nice’s Allianz Riviera, and the Allianz Park in London of rugby club Saracens — will be emblazoned on a ground until now simply known as the Juventus Stadium.

Allianz Stadium

Specialist Italian media company Calcio e Finanza (football and finance) said Allianz will pay three million euros a year until 2023.

However, Juve will see none of that money having sold the naming rights to the 41,000-seater stadium to Sportfive agency back in 2011 for 75 million euros over 12 years.

This deal will allow Sportfive to finally recover 18 million euros of that outlay.

Nigeria's Super Eagles Thrashes Togo in France

Three first half goals from the Super Eagles ensured that they continue their unbeaten run under manager Gernot Rohr.

Super Eagles

The Premier League representation stole the show as a brace from Leicester’s Ahmed Musa in the 3rd and 17th minutes followed by an easy tap in by Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho saw to it that the Hawks of Togo remain without a win in six matches.

Musa opened scoring when Togo’s goalkeeper Alassani spilled Iwobi’s cross along Musa’s path, then doubled the scoreline with an assist from Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi. Iheanacho wrapped things up when he easily tapped in an assist from Oghenekaro Etebo.

The game saw the likes of Premier League bound Henry Onyekuru, Olanrewaju Kayode and Victor Osimhen make their debut for the senior national team.

The team will now return to Nigeria for their all important Nations Cup qualifier against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa billed for June 10th at the Godswill Akpabio Int’l stadium.

Why Acting President Osinbajo Postponed Budget Signing

A presidency official details why the meeting for the signing of the 2017 budget did not take place

- The official says ministers were clamouring for some changes in the budget

- Ita Enang, senior special assistant to the president on Senate matters, states that no date has been set for the signing of the 2017 budget

A presidency official has revealed why acting president, Yemi Osinbajo, cancelled a meeting for the signing of the 2017 budget scheduled for Thursday, June 1.

NAIJ.com earlier reported that Osinbajo, had invited Senate president, Bukola Saraki and speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, to the Aso Rock for the signing of the 2017 budget.

The meeting between Osinbajo and the leadership of the National Assembly was scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 1, by 9am according to The Cable.

But later on Wednesday evening, May 31, theleadership of the national assembly was informed that the exercise would no longer go on as planned.

An official in the presidency, detailing why the meeting for the signing of the 2017 budget did not take place, said some of the ministers were clamouring for some changes in the budget, Vanguard reports.

According to the official, the final figures approved by the National Assembly were much lower than what the president submitted.

The official said there was extensive consultations between the presidency and ministers, on one hand and National Assembly members on the other over the budget.

Speaking on the issue, Ita Enang, senior special assistant to the president on Senate matters said that no date has been set for the signing of the 2017 budget.

“There are ongoing consultations between the executive and the legislature over the budget. Consultations have not been concluded,” Enang told Reuters.