Walcott hat-trick as Arsenal dump Saints out of FA Cup (Read full details)

Arsenal's English midfielder Theo Walcott (C) celebrates scoring his team's fifth goal with Arsenal's Nigerian striker Alex Iwobi (L) and Arsenal's English midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Southampton and Arsenal at St Mary's in Southampton, southern England on January 28, 2017. PHOTO: Adrian DENNIS / AFP

Theo Walcott struck a hat-trick against his former club after Danny Welbeck scored twice on his first start since a knee injury in May as Arsenal thrashed Southampton 5-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup at St Mary’s on Saturday.

It was a match between two weakened teams, but the strength in depth of Arsenal, FA Cup winners in 2014 and 2015, ensured the visitors won out.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will have been especially pleased with the performance of Welbeck, who had not started since a 2-2 draw away to Manchester City in May.

It was only the Gunners’ second win at St Mary’s in seven attempts and was sweet revenge for a 4-0 defeat at the south coast ground in the Premier League last season.

Welbeck put Arsenal ahead with his first goal since the winner in a 1-0 victory over Norwich on April 30 last year and added a second before Walcott got in on the act before the break, adding two more in the second half.

Both managers made 10 changes to the teams that started their previous matches, with Southampton having reached the League Cup final after a strenuous midweek tie against Liverpool at Anfield.

Only young central defender Jack Stephens kept his place, while goalkeeper Harry Lewis, whose only previous first-team games for the Saints had been made in the third-round tie and replay against Norwich City, replaced Fraser Forster ahead of regular second-choice Stuart Taylor.

– Relaxed Wenger –

The relative strength of the two line-ups was plain and Wenger, serving the first match of his four-game touchline ban for pushing fourth official Anthony Taylor during the 2-1 victory over Burnley, was able to relax in the directors’ box.

Arsenal’s Jeff Reine Adelaide had an early shot blocked before Lucas Perez, found in plenty of space on the left by Welbeck’s pass, hit his shot beyond the far post.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was next to line up a shot, but his effort went well wide.

An Arsenal goal seemed inevitable and it duly arrived in the 15th minute.

The outstanding 19-year-old Ainsley Maitland-Niles, in a deep midfield role on only his fourth first-team start for Arsenal, played a pass forward to Perez, whose flick found Welbeck running clear of the defence to chip the ball over Lewis and in off the crossbar.

Six minutes later the England forward was celebrating again. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s long forward pass found him making up three yards on Stephens, taking the dropping ball away from the defender with his first touch and rolling a left-foot shot gently past Lewis with his second.

Saints looked for a swift reply but Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg volleyed over the bar in the 35th minute and 60 seconds later Shane Long got goal-side of Rob Holding and blasted a shot towards the top near corner only for a leaping David Ospina to palm the ball away.

Shkodran Mustafi should have made it 3-0 when he glanced a header wide from a free-kick but the Gunners extended their lead anyway in the 35th minute as Welbeck turned provider.

Saints gave the ball away as Stephens’s attempted clearance rebounded off Hojbjerg to Welbeck.

He in turn exchanged passes with Perez and crossed low into the middle where Walcott got ahead of Sam McQueen to score.

Southampton manager Claude Puel sent on substitutes Dusan Tadic and Nathan Redmond but it made little difference and instead it was an Arsenal’s substitute, Alexis Sanchez, who created the next goal in the 69th minute.

Delaying his run to stay onside, he took a pass from Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right and cut the ball back for Walcott to shoot into the corner.

Walcott then rubbed salt in the Saints wounds as he side-footed calmly home six minutes from time to complete his hat-trick after Sanchez, running down the left, had rolled the ball across the penalty area.

Walcott hat-trick as Arsenal dump Saints out of FA Cup

In Iraq: Iraqi government forces discover chemical warfare agent in Mosul

Iraqi government soldiers have found a cytotoxic and vesicant chemical agent in Mosul in addition to a cache of surface-to-surface missiles that could be used to weaponize the warfare agent. Brigadier General Haider Fadhil of Iraq’s special forces said on Saturday that French experts had tested samples of the chemical agent, and confirmed it was sulfur mustard, commonly known as mustard gas, which could form large blisters on exposed skin and in the lungs.

Fadhil went on to say that the discovery was made in the eastern quarter of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, and said he suspected that Daesh terrorists were developing a way to use the chemical agent in the Russian-built projectiles.

The Daesh terrorist group has so far launched several chemical attacks in Iraq.

In November 2016, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that Daesh terrorists had staged chemical attacks in Mosul in the face of advancing Iraqi troops trying to expel the Takfiris out of their last urban stronghold in the country.

As Daesh terrorists flee, “they have been repeatedly attacking and endangering the civilians they left behind, increasing concerns for residents of Mosul and other contested areas,” said Lama Fakih, the HRW deputy Middle East director.

According to the New York-based group, Daesh launched at least three chemical attacks on the town of Qayyarah, located about 60 kilometers south of Mosul, in September and October last year after the town came under Iraqi government’s control in August.

Also on Saturday, Iraqi security forces lobbed a barrage of artillery shells against the last remaining pockets of Daesh Takfiris in eastern Mosul as the extremists were trying to sneak into the western side of the city.

A local source, requesting anonymity, said security forces continued to fortify their positions near the Tigris River bank, noting that life appears to have returned to normal in the liberated areas.

An official with Iraqi Red Crescent Society said on Friday that more than 5,000 people had returned to their homes in the eastern side of Mosul within the past two days.

“Some 5,200 people have departed the al-Khazir and Hassan Sham camps [east of Mosul] and returned to the city’s liberated eastern neighborhoods,” Iyad Rafid said.

The return of internally displaced people to eastern Mosul comes as Iraqi army soldiers and allied forces are preparing for a fresh round of army operations to wrest control over western Mosul and recapture the area from Daesh.

Iraqi army soldiers, supported by fighters from pro-government Popular Mobilization Units, commonly known by the Arabic word, Hashd al-Sha’abi, and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, launched a joint operation on October 17, 2016 to retake Mosul from Daesh terrorists.

Source: Press TV

Check Out photos from Laura Ikeji and Ogbonna Kanu’s traditional wedding

Laura and Ogbonna Kanu were tied in holy matrimony at a traditional wedding that took place today in our home town in Nkwerre LGA, of Imo state. Congrats to the couple. More photos after the cut…

Trump order draws backlash as lawsuit filed (Read full details)

US President Donald Trump. PHOTO: MANDEL NGAN / AFP

Resistance to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on Muslim immigration mounted quickly Saturday, with the first legal challenge filed to an order branded as blatantly discriminatory.

The suit suggests Trump’s order temporarily halting all refugee arrivals and that of travelers from seven Muslim countries deemed to be terror threats faces tough battles ahead in US courts.

The first challenge was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups after two Iraqi men were detained Friday night at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

It seeks their release on grounds of unlawful detention. One of them — Hameed Khalid Darweesh, who has worked as interpreter and in other roles for the US in Iraq — was in fact released on Saturday.

But 11 others remain detained at JFK, according to Democratic congressman Jerrold Nadler, who went there to press for the release of the first two.

“It is certainly mean-spirited and ill conceived,” Nadler told CNN in reference to the crackdown. “It’s certainly an instance of religious discrimination.”

A demonstration was organized on short notice at JFK airport to protest the detentions, and another Democratic lawmaker, Nydia Velazquez, joined Nadler at the airport.

The advocacy groups asked that their challenge be given class action status so they can represent all refugees and travelers held up because of Trump’s executive order on Friday.

The New York Times reported that airport authorities started detaining travelers as early as Friday night.

And reports abroad said people from the seven countries cited in the order were being prevented from boarding US-bound planes.

But it was not immediately clear how many travelers got caught up in Trump’s crackdown, which he says is necessary to prevent Islamist terrorists from entering the US.

The largest African-American advocacy group in the US, the NAACP, said Trump’s order will harm black Muslim families in America because many trace their heritage to Somalia, one of the seven countries cited in Trump’s order.

“This will traumatize, terrorize, and potentially separate many American families,” the NAACP Legal Defense Fund said.

Trump order draws backlash as lawsuit filed

Banking sector records over 910m transactions worth N65trn in 2016 (Read full details)

CBN building

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said a total volume of 910,186,115 transactions valued at N65.16 trillion were recorded in 2016 as electronic payment in the banking sector.

This statistics is contained in a “Selected Banking Sector Data for 4th Quarter 2016’’ released by NBS in Abuja.

The report stated that ATM transactions dominated the volume of transactions recorded, with 590, 238, 934 volume, valued at N4.98 trillion recorded during the period.

“In terms of credit to private sector, a total of 59.56 trillion Naira worth of credit was allocated by banks in 2016.

“Services and Industry got credit allocation of N23.07 trillion and N22.85 trillion to record the highest credit allocation in the year under review.

“As at fourth quarter 2016, the total number of banks’ staff dropped from 82,540 in third quarters 2016 to 76,812 in the fourth quarter,’’ it stated.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the data was supplied administratively by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), verified and validated by the NBS.

Banking sector records over 910m transactions worth N65trn in 2016

Burkina Faso vs Tunisia: Late goals take Burkina Faso into semi-finals (Read full details)

Tunisia's midfielders Ferjani Sassi and Wahbi Khazri (R) challenge Burkina Faso's midfielder Cyrille Bayala during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final football match between Burkina Faso and Tunisia at the Stade de l'Amitie Sino-Gabonaise in Libreville on January 28, 2017. PHOTO: Steve JORDAN / AFP

Burkina Faso scored twice in the closing stages to beat Tunisia 2-0 Saturday and become the first qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals.

Substitute Aristide Bance scored on 81 minutes after a controversially awarded free-kick with big-screen replays suggesting the hand-ball decision was wrong.

Prejuce Nakoulma doubled the lead three minutes later in Libreville with a breakaway goal to clinch a semi-final against Egypt or Morocco next Wednesday.

The goalless first half of the quarter-final produced more yellow cards than clearcut chances at the Stade de l’Amitie in a hot and humid Gabonese capital.

Tunisians Aymen Abdennour, Mohamed Ali Yakoubi and Syam Ben Youssef were cautioned by the South African referee, as was Burkinabe Charles Kabore.

Bertrand Traore, a Chelsea midfielder on loan to Dutch giants Ajax, came closest to scoring for Burkina Faso midway through the half.

Nakoulma did the spadework by muscling past two Tunisians and Traore turned smartly in a crowded goalmouth to fire just over.

Burkina Faso had a narrow escape on 34 minutes when Taha Yassine Khenissi flicked a corner across the goal and Yakoubi just failed to connect.

Soon after, Burkinabe Issoufou Dayo had the ball in the net after a free-kick, but the Tunisians were relieved to see the flag raised for a clear offside.

Having had less possession in the first half, Burkina Faso reversed the trend as the second half unfolded, pushing forward without really threatening to score.

The fifth yellow card of the match went to Burkinabe Yacouba Coulibaly, the only local-based footballer in the Burkinabe starting line-up.

Most of the 10,015 crowd was backing Burkina Faso and they showed great excitement when giant striker Bance replaced Cyrille Bayala on 76 minutes.

It proved an inspired substitution by Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte as much-travelled Bance broke the deadlock five minutes after coming off the bench.

Bertrand Traore pushed a free-kick just outside the area to the Ivory Coast-born striker and he hammered a low shot past Tunisia goalkeeper and captain Aymen Mathlouthi.

Burkina Faso doubled the lead three minutes later when Nakoulma broke clear, raced past Mathlouthi, who had charged from his box, and stroked the ball into an empty net.

Burkina Faso vs Tunisia: Late goals take Burkina Faso into semi-finals

‘They Can’t Pull Us Down’ – Harrysong Finally Speaks After Police Arrest

After his arrest and subsequent arrest for alleged breach of contract filed by his former record label Five Star Music, singer Harrysong has finally spoken up.

The “Better Pikin” crooner was seen partying with friends as he hailed himself and said “They can’t pull us down.”

Jesus lights Man City’s path to FA Cup win (Read full details)

Manchester City's English midfielder Raheem Sterling (2R) celebrates scoring the opening goal with team-mates during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Selhurst Park in south London on January 28, 2017. PHOTO: Ben STANSALL / AFP

Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Yaya Toure scored as Manchester City secured their place in the FA Cup fifth round with a 3-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Gabriel Jesus, City’s £27 million ($33.9 million, 31.7 million euros) signing from Palmeiras, marked his full debut by setting up Sterling for City’s opener shortly before half-time at Selhurst Park.

Sane and Toure struck late on to rubberstamp a win that got Pep Guardiola’s side back to winning ways after their 4-0 thrashing at Everton and last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

“We’re happy because it’s a competition we know is so important in England and for us, and we are there,” said Guardiola.

“We beat a team in the Premier League away, so that counts a lot for me.”

Defeat ended Palace’s hopes of emulating last season’s run to the final and leaves them with only their fight to avoid Premier League relegation to focus on.

Sam Allardyce has won just one of his first eight games since succeeding Alan Pardew as Palace manager, but having made six changes, he clearly had half an eye on Tuesday’s trip to Bournemouth.

“Only time will tell whether that’s a blessing or not,” he said.

“But every game that you play, you want to try to win it. We’ve lost the habit of winning at the moment.”

Guardiola made five changes, which included a first appearance for captain Vincent Kompany since City’s 2-1 win at the same ground on November 19, when the Belgian centre-back suffered a knee injury.

The visitors began brightly, Sterling narrowly failing to pick out Sane with a cross from the right and Toure teeing up David Silva for a volley that Wayne Hennessey blocked at his near post.

Palace, though, began to find joy on City’s flanks and for a period during the first half they had Guardiola’s men on the back foot.

– Jesus comes to life –

Willy Caballero, deputising in goal for Claudio Bravo, had to field a Jordon Mutch header and produce a smart save to repel a James Tomkins snapshot after City failed to clear Lee Chung-Yong’s free-kick.

Toure was perhaps fortunate to avoid a red card when, two minutes after being booked for a foul on Joe Ledley, he tripped Mutch as he forged down the Palace right.

Referee Mike Jones spared the Ivorian — Allardyce said it was an “absolute certain yellow card” — and from Andros Townsend’s free-kick, via Mutch’s flick-on, Christian Benteke headed over.

Jesus had been quiet, but two minutes from half-time he came to life, neatly controlling the ball with his back to goal, turning sharply and freeing Sterling to slot a low shot past Hennessey.

The 19-year-old Brazilian almost made it 2-0 on the stroke of the interval with a right-foot shot that was parried by Hennessey, the ball rebounding against a Palace defender and looping over the bar.

Loic Remy, a half-time substitute, came close to an equaliser when Mutch’s blocked shot bounced into his path and he sent an acrobatic effort whistling over the bar.

A Fabian Delph effort turned behind by Hennessey was followed by an almighty rain and hail shower that left the pitch sprinkled with white specks and briefly threatened to put City off their game.

After failing to control Caballero’s pass, Gael Clichy was robbed by Lee, who fed Ledley, and the Welshman drilled a shot narrowly wide.

Ledley would also go close with a diving header from Townsend’s cross, but by that stage Sane had put the game beyond Allardyce’s side.

Silva’s pass down the inside-left channel was allowed to find its way to Sane and he shot across Hennessey for his third goal in three games.

Jesus squandered a chance to add a third late on, succumbing to an untimely attack of cramp after skirting Hennessey, but Toure did find the net with a fine stoppage-time free-kick.

Jesus lights Man City’s path to FA Cup win

Unbelievable! Well-dressed man caught stealing baby food

A man dressed in suit and tie, was arrested in Malawi, after he was caught trying to steal baby food from a supermarket.

In what appears to be a desperate move, a yet-to-be-identified poperly dressed man was caught shoplifting baby food known as ‘jiggies’, from a supermarket, and the police were called to take him away.

Sharing the post on Facebook, Zambezi Reporters wrote:

“HUNGER IN MALAWI, MAN STEALS JIGGIES GETS ARRESTED

A Malawian gentleman man clad in a beautiful suit and a necktie has been arrested in a Malawian town after he was caught jiggies, baby food.”

See another photo below:

Chai! What would make a well-dressed man like this go stealing?

Berlusconi faces new trial over ‘bunga bunga’ bribes (Read full details)

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi / AFP PHOTO / Filippo MONTEFORTE

Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi faces a new trial for alleged witness tampering and pay-offs in the so-called “Ruby” case and his notorious “bunga bunga” sex parties, reports said Saturday.

Officials who spoke to reporters said a judge had set April 5 as the date for fresh proceedings against the 80-year-old tycoon who prosecutors suspect bought the silence of call girls and others.

The charges stem from Berlusconi’s previous trial for allegedly paying for sex with young women, the best-known being an exotic dancer nicknamed Ruby the Heart Stealer, who was under 18 at the time.

Berlusconi was initially convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail for soliciting minors for prostitution and abusing his power.

But he was cleared in 2015 following an appeal. The judge said he could not have known that Ruby — real name Karima El-Mahroug — was a minor.

The new trial will focus on accusation that the ex-premier paid more than 10 million euros ($10.7-million) between 2011 and 2015, in cash, gifts, cars, housing, payment of bills and medical expenses, to guests at his Arcore residence near Milan, to testify in his favour.

He said in his defence that he was simply being generous. His lawyer, Federico Cecconi, attacked the notion that this should be a crime. “There is a concrete chance of a judge agreeing that an offence of generosity has been committed,” Cecconi said sardonically.

El-Mahroug was allegedly showered with gifts worth seven million euros. She testified that she did not have sex with Berlusconi, claiming she was lying when recorded on a wiretap telling friends the contrary. Frustrated prosecutors emerged from that trial determined to prove that many witnesses had lied under oath after being bought off.

Billionaire businessman Berlusconi has beaten numerous criminal charges over the years with his only conviction to date being one for corporate tax fraud, which led to him being kicked out of parliament.

The new trial follows the opening of proceedings against around 20 people accused of conspiring to protect the former prime minister. That case opened this month but was adjourned to July 3 for legal reasons.

Even if convicted there is little chance of Berlusconi ending up behind bars because of Italy’s restrictions on penal sanctions against the elderly.Berlusconi remains the leader of his Forza Italia party but, with its fortunes on the decline, his political influence has waned

Berlusconi faces new trial over ‘bunga bunga’ bribes

These Educative, Entertaining And Inspirational Pictures Will Blow Your Mind – 73

These are just pictures but they tell stories that will either Educate, Entertain or Motivate you…

Trump, Abe to meet amid US leader’s pledge of ‘ironclad’ support (Read full details)

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe / AFP PHOTO / POOL / David MAREUIL

Donald Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Saturday to a face-to-face meeting next month, as the US president pledged his “ironclad commitment” to Tokyo’s security.

The two leaders, who agreed to meet in Washington on February 10, agreed to work together to counter the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear program and deepen bilateral trade and investment, the White House said in a statement.

They discussed the importance of the US-Japan alliance, and Trump “affirmed the ironclad US commitment to ensuring the security of Japan.”

Trump’s conversation with the Japanese leader kicked off a busy day in which the president was also to speak with the leaders of Australia, France, Germany and Russia.

The chat with Abe came days after Trump formally withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a vast trade deal encompassing a dozen nations that Abe has backed enthusiastically.

US participation is seen as key to the agreement and Abe has said he would keep trying to convince Trump of its merits. The trade deal was negotiated under former president Barack Obama. Trump yanked the deal before the US Congress was able to consider ratification.

Abe was the first world leader to meet the US president-elect in New York, visiting Trump just nine days after Americans voted him into office in a surprise victory.

The meeting stirred controversy when Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, a former model and current business executive with no formal role in Trump’s presidency, was seen in attendance.

Trump, Abe to meet amid US leader’s pledge of ‘ironclad’ support