LIVE: Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid

Five points separate the top two sides in La Liga as the title race hots up in Spain – follow all the action LIVE!

LIVE: Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid

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Babatunde Fashola: FG spends N2.8bn on Gbongan-Iwo-Oyo road reconstruction, rehabilitation

Mr Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, disclosed this on Saturday in Gbongan, Osun State, while inspecting the project.

The Federal Government says it has spent N2.8 billion on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gbongan-Iwo-Oyo Road.

Mr Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, disclosed this on Saturday in Gbongan, Osun State, while inspecting the project.

Fashola said that the road was awarded to Kopek Construction Company by the previous administration in 2011 at the cost of N6.9 billion.

Represented by Mr Adetunji Adeoye, the South-West Director of the Ministry, Fashola said that Federal Government was committed to the speedy completion of the road.

He said that the contract, with 18 months completion period, was delayed for three years by the previous administration due to delay in release of funds.

Fashola said that the current administration had been providing funds to the construction company.

The Minister said that government was working on the review of the contact rate to accommodate changes in prices of materials.

Earlier, Mr Wasiu Atitebi, the Federal Controller of Works in Osun, said that the 32.2 Kilometre road links Gbongan, Iwo in Osun state and Ibadan in Oyo state.

Atitebi said that the contractor was mobilised back to the site in January 2017 after three years delay, adding that the project was in its fifth extension.

Mr Pascal Harfouch, the Kopek contractor, said that some parts of the road were for rehabilitation while other parts were total reconstruction.

Harfouch, who confirmed that government did not owe them for now, said the company was working on a review of the contract sum due to changes in prices.

He added that local people in the area were employed in executing the project in line with Federal Government local content policy.

Harfouch pointed out that the road is at 61.6 per cent completion. 

Babatunde Fashola: FG spends N2.8bn on Gbongan-Iwo-Oyo road reconstruction, rehabilitation

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Oghenekaro Etebo: Nigerian midfielder happy with draw against Barcelona

Etebo was in action for 90 minutes on when Las Palmas forced Barcelona to a draw in a La Liga fixtue

Nigerian midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo has revealed his happiness with the draw between Las Palmas and Barcelona.

Etebo was in action for 90 minutes on Thursday, March 1 when Las Palmas forced Barcelona to a draw in a Spanish La Liga fixture.

The midfielder who recently moved to the Spanish outfit on loan, was impressive in midfield against Superstars Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets.

Etebo took to his official Instagram account to express his happiness with the result, as he posted a message which said, "We gained a good point last night against fierce opposition. Our supporters were amazing once again."

The 22-year-old had earlier declared that he did not come to Las Palmas to sit on the bench, and has backed up his statement with impressive performances.

Pulse Sports has revealed that Etebo has been invited for the Super Eagles friendly matches against Poland and Serbia.

 

Despite the draw Etebo's Las Palmas are still facing a diifuclt battle to saty in the Spanish League, as they are in the Relegation zone.

Etebo who has now been joined at Las Palmas by Emmanuel Emenike and Ezekiel Imoh will hope to get a better result when they travel to Celta Vigo on Monday, March 5.

Oghenekaro Etebo: Nigerian midfielder happy with draw against Barcelona

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Sports: This is everything tennis champion Serena Williams eats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

23-time Grand Slam singles tennis champion Serena Williams has an interesting diet plan — here's everything she eats in a typical day.

Serena Williams returns to the Women's Tennis Association Tour at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, this week.

The comeback marks the first time she'll contest an official singles tour match since the 2017 Australian Open — a tournament she won whilst pregnant.

Williams took the rest of the year off, gave birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., but is now ready to pick up where she left off.

In order to maintain her sporting dominance, Williams has to eat right before a match. So what sort of food does a 23-time tennis major champion serve up?

Here's everything Williams likes to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

This is Serena Williams, a superstar tennis player who is returning to the sport after taking a year out to give birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.

Before a game, Williams "usually can't" eat and says it may be down to nerves. However, if she was going to have a meal, it would be a "protein and carb" combo like turkey sausage and baked potato.

Source: Glamour.

When Williams is away from the court, she spares no expense and orders a delicious and healthy looking platter for breakfast including staples like smoothies and fruits.

It's not all clean-eating, though. Williams has an obvious sweet tooth and won't hesitate to put away a beignet, which is basically a deep fried nugget of sugary dough.

When it comes to lunches, or general snacking, Williams never refuses a taco — and they are an ever-present feature of the tennis champion's Instagram.

Williams once said on Facebook: "I want tacos. Everyday I want tacos. I don't know what to do? Is there help for someone that wants to eat tacos everyday?"

Source: Facebook.

If tacos aren't on the menu and Williams wanted to celebrate a tennis success, she would order a cheese pizza and french fries.

Source: Glamour.

But sometimes nothing beats home cooking and, for Williams, that means her mother's chicken, rice, and gravy.

Source: Bon Appetit.

If Williams is doing the cooking, then she likes to wow her friends and family with a number of dishes. "For years I was always making gumbo for everyone," she said. "My other go-to dishes are something I call a 'seven-bean delight' which really only has five beans, but don't tell. And roasted chicken with garlic."

Source: Bon Appetit.

Aside from tacos, there is another food Williams is obsessed with — moon pie. "I love moon pies. If "Moon Pie" sponsored me, I'd be bigger than any house on this planet! I love the originals: banana, chocolate, or vanilla. Now I really want a Moon Pie!"

Source: Bon Appetit.

Sports: This is everything tennis champion Serena Williams eats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

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Personal Development: The encounter that made me an eloquent/audible speaker

Unlike many others, I wasn't born with any form of Speech Impediment (stammering). It was just a habit I emulated as a child. 

While in Primary school, my best friend was a chronic stammerer and back then as a child, I always fancied it like it was a special way of talking.

The Early Experience 

So, I started doing it intentionally. It was fun at first, because my friend was more comfortable talking to me if I stammered back at her. 

I took this bad habit home and I remember my parents always cautioned me but I didn't care much.

When the whole problem started was at some point when I wanted to talk normal, I'd still stammer. Only then did I realize that while trying to be a "copycat" I've lost my words. Or should I say I lost my voice? 

It became so bad that if I wanted to make a statement, I'd have to jump up to force the word out of my mouth. I always had these words in my heart but I couldn't voice them out. Quite a pitiful condition I was in.

Read Also:5 issues that are too sensitive to be laughed at.

The Bitter Experience

It was hard for me to greet anyone because the words wouldn't come out and most times I get punished for not greeting. So, most times I would start practicing before the person gets close to me so I'll be able to force out the greeting. 

It wasn't easy being a stammerer because life in Secondary School wasn't fun at all. I had just few friends that were willing to listen to me while talking. I liked playing a lot but most of the time I was usually quiet. Most teachers considered me to be a very quiet girl. They even chose me to write the list of noise makers, little did they know that my quietness was as a result of Speech Impediment. 

The Encounter 

On a certain Wednesday, the English Teacher, Mrs Ufuoma walked into the classroom and requested that someone should come out and read an English passage to the whole class. Nobody responded and then she looked at me,(fully aware that I'm a chronic stammerer) smiled and said my dear come out and read. Jesus! OMG! Did she just call me out? I felt my heart beating faster and I heard other students giggling. There and then I concluded within that I must not embarrass myself. 

The Breakthrough 

I went to her, took the textbook but the problem started…..I was seeing the words but I couldn't read them out. My heart was reading but my mouth refused to let the words out. I heard her say…. My dear you can start we're waiting. 

I summoned courage and because I didn't want to jump, I shouted the first word! I didn't stop there, I kept shouting all the words and that was it! I was reading out loud! When I was done, she commended me for being very "audible" and asked that I should be applauded by the class. 

After class that day, she called me aside and told me she was proud of my reading skills and as from that day, I would be the one reading the Literature textbook to the whole class. 

There and then, I became determined because I didn't want to disappoint her because she's the only one that had ever encouraged me by saying she was proud of my reading abilities. 

For every other class Mrs Ufuoma had after that day, I read out the English passage to the whole class while shouting which she described as being Audible.  

And yes! I'd shout even when talking to the person next to me just to avoid stammering. Back home the new development of shouting didn't go down well with everyone but they still preferred it to having to listen to me stammer about everything!

Read Also: Why Stammerers shouldn't be allowed to read the bible in church.

 

As I grew, I tried controlling myself from shouting to being "Audible" as Mrs Ufuoma would say. 

Now, I'm such an eloquent speaker you'd never guess I once had speech impediment. 

Mrs Ufuoma, wherever you are, I'm really grateful to you ma! 

And a special thanks to myself for not giving up on myself…

Written by Maryann Precious.

Maryann Precious is a student under the Faculty of Management Science. As a speaker, she's a religious Activist. And as a writer, she writes as a hobby.  IG: @pre_shy_ous    TWITTER: Mhizpreciouz9    mhizpreciouz@gmail.com

Personal Development: The encounter that made me an eloquent/audible speaker

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BBNaija 2018: Sex in toilet: I and Bam Bam just having fun – Teddy A

Big Brother Naija 2018 housemate, Teddy A, has revealed that his relationship with fellow housemate Bam Bam is just for show, insisting that he has a girlfriend.

Teddy A, a music artiste, said this during his diary session last night when Big Brother asked Teddy which relationship in the house he felt was genuine.

Responding, Teddy A told Big Brother it was “probably Alex and Leo.”

He added that when he got into the house, he told everyone who cared to listen that he had a girlfriend.

Teddy A and Bam Bam formerly known as Bamteddy, were strategic partners which later turned into romance.

They have been caught making love in one of the toilets in the Big Brother.

He added “I let Bam Bam know and told her not to come close but as time went by, our arguments stopped and I got to see a different side of her.

“It doesn’t change the fact that I have a girlfriend.

“I and Bam Bam are just having fun.”

First published on Daily Post

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Politics: Trump on China abolishing presidential term limits: 'Maybe we'll give that a shot someday'

Trump in a private speech on Saturday praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for recently consolidating power, saying, "Maybe we'll give that a shot someday."

• President Donald Trump in a private speech to Republican donors on Saturday floated the idea of abolishing presidential term limits.
• Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for consolidating power, saying, "Maybe we'll give that a shot someday."
• Trump also used the speech to bash his former opponent Hillary Clinton and insult former President George W. Bush.

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President Donald Trump in a private speech on Saturday praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for recently consolidating power, saying, "Maybe we'll give that a shot someday."

"He's now president for life. President for life. And he's great," Trump said, according to a recording obtained by CNN. "And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great."

Trump made the remarks during a closed-door lunch and fundraiser with Republican donors.

CNN reported that his speech was upbeat and joking at times, but added that Trump also complained about what he views as unfair treatment in the ongoing Russia investigation in comparison to his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton.

"I'm telling you, it's a rigged system, folks," Trump said, according to CNN. "I've been saying that for a long time. It's a rigged system. And we don't have the right people in there yet. We have a lot of great people, but certain things, we don't have the right people."

Trump also speculated at one point about Clinton's life after losing the presidential election.

"Is Hillary a happy person? Do you think she's happy?" Trump said. "When she goes home at night, does she say, 'What a great life?' I don't think so. You never know. I hope she's happy."

Trump also ripped into former President George W. Bush over the Iraq War, calling the invasion "the single worst decision ever made" and likening it to "throwing a big fat brick into a hornet's nest."

"That was Bush. Another real genius. That was Bush," Trump said. "That turned out to be wonderful intelligence. Great intelligence agency there."

Trump frequently expresses skepticism about US intelligence, and has used its previous failures leading up to the Iraq War to undermine intelligence agencies' findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

Politics: Trump on China abolishing presidential term limits: 'Maybe we'll give that a shot someday'

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Misogyny: Why are Nigerian men acting surprised at Anthony Joshua’s comments?

We're attacking Anthony Joshua for committing a crime we're all guilty of.

British boxer of Nigerian origin, Anthony Joshua has himself caught in another duel; this time with the rest of us common folk who have reacted to his misogynistic comments about how he wants his niece to be raised.

In an interview with GQ from March 2017, the 27-year old said he wants his son to ‘spread his wings’ but he tends to be much stricter with his niece.

"I don’t think I’m that strict with Joseph, I don’t know why" he said.

"But with my niece I’m strict. I think it is because she is older, but also he’s a boy — he’s going to be a man’s man, he’ll want to spread his wings, be a Jack-the-lad, build his character."

He added: "But I am sure there are things I will be strict about. But with my niece, there is none of that Jack-the-lad nonsense for her!’ ‘My view is you have to be a good woman, respectful, one day you will be someone’s wife, you have to learn family morals… what it is to be a good woman"

 

Naturally, AJ’s comments haven’t gone down well with most people. It’s 2018 man.

People don’t get to say things like this anymore. Talking about a young woman like you’re preparing her to be an extension of a man doesn’t earn you points.

It’s misogyny, straight out of a place where men rule as the supreme gender.

Bad behaviour, really.

The interview is from 2017, by the way. AJ could have printed these unspoken rules on walls around every floor in his house or wherever his niece now stays or still, changed his mind for all we know.

ALSO READ: Let's gather and shed tears, Toke Makinwa is disappointed in Anthony Joshua

(That’s a saying on the streets of Lagos; “to ba we lawini 55, eni t’oma j’eko ma j’eko)

What it means basically is, even if you tie 4 turbans, your knock will find you.

You're shaking this table too much

The volume of reactions from Nigerians shouldn’t be surprising, but the tone is what makes you want to check where people are tweeting these things from.

 

One tweet reads; “answers concerning his son and his niece are seen to be sexist and misogynistic, showing toxic masculinity.”

This is very straight to the point. No words have been minced here.

It’s also very ground-breaking.

One of the aptest examples of the extent of sexism in Nigerian society is that, before education became slightly cheaper (and then expensive all over again), most parents made the sacrifice of a young daughter’s independence so the boys could go to school

It’s a human thing to some degree; the #MeToo movement continues collecting the scalps of media personalities and executives who harassed women and turned an industry ‘misogynistic’.

But let’s be guided.

Women have to be either thick-skinned or deaf to walk through markets in Lagos. And some streets too.

Our President confined his wife’s importance to the kitchen and “za oza room” on international media.

We’ve built a society on the belief that the woman is a nurturer, unambitious and willing to tend to a life or three, a house, a family or nothing at all; the man is the ultimate machine, the earner, the one who must be bright-eyed with the glint of potential, the one who must be hardened for the rigours of life and taking care of a woman.

ALSO READ: Aisha Buhari has the guts to call her husband out

The pressure that Nigerian men are placed under, at least in the mind, sets a dangerous precedent, that is already com-busting; regardless of how we may ignoring the apparent presence and effects of depression in young Nigerian men.

Did his comments hit too close to home?

Anthony Joshua’s comment mirrors what happens in most Nigerian homes. Men come with the right to rebel, pre-installed. Women have to be respectful, you’re going to be someone’s wife.

What is lost in economic and social value is in numbers.

On the average, there's a pay gap of 80% between what men and women earn.

And that's even for the few women that rise to the same position as men. To earn those roles, they usually have to outliers in every sense of the word.

The reactions to AJ's comments look very pretentious.

ALSO READ: Casting couch syndrome is Nollywood's death little secret

Each tweet that calls out AJ's behaviour is ammunition for the argument that social media has plunged the Nigerian youth into a virtual, unrealistic world where trending topics can win elections and everyone needs to put up the leanest, meanest appearances.

Because for the most part, our society does not echo these views.

Ironically, the tweets are also a pointer to the fact that the status quo does not have to remain for too long.

They may not have it figured out but a younger generation that comprehends a very sensitive issue is raising conversations about an imbalance that we were raised on.

There are people sleeping on this table that we're shaking; but there's enough reason to be slightly optimistic, if that's the case.

#MeToo is the biggest contemporary proof that conversations can start something, or at least, in the case of #H&M or #CoolestMonkeyInTheJungle, continue them.

Maybe we’ll have that hashtag soon or start unearthing the stories that have placed the ladder to Nollywood stardom in the boxers of Nigerian movie directors.

Until then it seems like we’re throwing a boomerang at a glass house we should be aware that we helped build.

Misogyny: Why are Nigerian men acting surprised at Anthony Joshua’s comments?

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Lai Mohammed: Minister bags “Icon of Community Development Awards

The Award was conferred on the minister at the 60th anniversary of Oro Grammar School and the launching of N100 million appeal fund by the Old Students Association of the school.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed was on Saturday honoured with the Award of “Icon of Community Development’’ in his home town, Oro, Kwara.

The Award was conferred on the minister at the 60th anniversary of Oro Grammar School and the launching of N100 million appeal fund by the Old Students Association of the school.

The award, according to the organisers of the event was in recognition of the numerous contributions by the minister to the school, Oro community, Kwara and the nation at large.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister renovated and equipped the science laboratory and two blocks of classrooms as contributions to the development of the school.

Speaking at the event, the minister
said he had secured a N150 million education intervention fund for the College of Education, Oro from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

He also announced the approval of award of contract for the construction of Obajana-Omuaran-Ilorin road by the Federal Government.

Mohammed said he secured the award for the road construction with the assistance of his colleague ministers in the Federal Executive Council.

The minister, who expressed concerns on the harrowing experiences by the road users said they would soon breathe a sigh of relief.

He said the contracts for the construction of the road was awarded to two contractors which would soon mobilise to site.

The minister said that Dangote Group which had its cement factory on the axis had commenced construction of its own section of the road.

He said a speedy completion of the road would help to reduce time wasted by commuters and put an end to the attacks by hoodlums on the road.

Mohammed, who hails from Oro, said he was working with the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) for the rehabilitation of the roads in the town and its environs.

The minister said he had secured the assurances of the Minister of Works, Power, and Housing, Babatunde Fashola that the rehabilitation projects would commence soon.

The minister also said that he was working with the Ministry of Water Resources for provision of portable water across the three senatorial districts of Kwara.

He recalled that his ministry launched the Digital Switch Over (DSO) in February in Ilorin, thereby placing the state among the first round of states to transit from analogue to digital terrestrial television.

Mohammed said in order for the entire state to be covered with DSO, he has approved the construction of base stations in Oro and Lafiaji.

Speaking on the award conferred on him, the minister said it would spur him to do more and attract more developmental projects to his community.

He underscored the need for public spirited citizens and philanthropists to contribute to the development of their communities, noting that government could not do everything alone.

Mohammed said although, the school was not his alma-mata, he was attracted to contributing to its development because of its history and the fact that his late brother, Wahab Mohammed was a foundation student of the school.

He said Oro Grammar School was conceived and founded in 1948, with a donation of 20,000 pounds by the forefathers of the community who were keen at giving education to their children.

The minister noted that the school had been exceptional in academics and sports since inception, recalling that “it was a terror to other schools in soccer in the North and beyond’’.

Gov. Abdulfattah Ahmed of Kwara, who corroborated the minister’s position, said it was imperative for people to give back to their community which had assisted them in one way or the other.

The governor, represented by Hajia Maryam Garba, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education said the government was committed to completing all ongoing projects.

The President of the school association, Mr Folorunsho Alao, thanked the minister for creating time out of his busy schedule to attend the event and for his contributions.

Lai Mohammed: Minister bags “Icon of Community Development Awards

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Politics: The NRA is at the center of a brewing controversy over its ties to 'conservatives' favorite Russian'

The NRA is fielding questions about its ties to Alexander Torshin, a prominent Kremlin-allied Russian banker, politician, and gun-rights activist.

• The National Rifle Association is fielding a growing number of questions about its ties to Alexander Torshin, a prominent Kremlin-allied Russian banker, politician, and gun-rights activist.
• Torshin, who has been described as "President Putin's emissary" in the US, said in 2015 that he knew President Donald Trump through the NRA.
• The FBI is currently investigating whether Torshin illegally funneled money through the NRA to help sway the 2016 US election in Trump's favor.
• He was also touted as the main point of contact from Russia's side when his longtime assistant and a Republican strategist tried to set up a backdoor meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during an NRA convention at the height of the election.

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Sign up for the latest Russia investigation updates here.

The National Rifle Association is under heightened scrutiny over its Russia ties.

In particular, the organization is facing questions about its relationship with Alexander Torshin, a prominent Russian banker, politician, and close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Torshin, whom the Spanish government has accused of money laundering and other financial crimes, is an avid gun-rights activist and a paid lifetime member of the NRA.

In January, McClatchy reported that the FBI is investigating whether Torshin illegally funneled money to the NRA to help sway the 2016 US election in favor of then-candidate Donald Trump. The NRA, according to the report, said it spent a record $55 million on the election, most of which came from a sector of the organization that isn't required to disclose its donors.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon raised concerns about the report in a letter he sent to the NRA in February, asking the organization for more information about what, if any, funding it has received from Russian entities. Wyden also asked the NRA about whether it has any policies in place to ensure it isn't used as a conduit for foreign money to flow into US election.

The NRA responded shortly after Wyden sent the inquiry and highlighted the fact that the FBI is investigating Torshin, not the NRA.

"As a longstanding policy to comply with federal election law, the NRA and its related entities do not accept funds from foreign persons or entities in connection with United States elections," NRA general counsel John Frazer added in the letter.

'I know D. Trump'

The US intelligence community concluded last year that Russia mounted an elaborate and multi-faceted campaign aimed at elevating Trump to the presidency. And McClatchy's January report came as the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow was making significant progress.

Trump has repeatedly said that neither he nor his campaign colluded with Moscow. The Trump administration also denied in 2017 that Trump had ever met Torshin.

But a number of tweets sent from Torshin's Twitter account, which NPR reviewed in depth this week, appear to indicate otherwise.

In one tweet sent on November 8, 2015, Torshin wrote, according to an English translation: "A comedian should make people laugh! Right? So he is trying! I know D. Trump (through NRA). A decent person." Torshin sent the tweet in response to when the comedian Larry David called Trump a racist on "Saturday Night Live."

Torshin later added that he saw Trump in Nashville, Tennessee in April 2015, NPR reported. The NRA held its annual convention in Nashville that year, during which Trump gave a speech teasing his impending presidential bid.

"If I run, and people are going to be very surprised, and if I win, America will be great again," Trump told the approving crowd, which included Torshin and his close associate and longtime assistant, Maria Butina. Butina spearheads The Right to Bear Arms, a Russian gun-rights group seen as the NRA's counterpart.

Torshin attended the NRA's convention every year between 2012 and 2016, occasionally with Butina at his side, and has met every NRA president since 2012, according to NPR. When the NRA sent a delegation to Moscow in the winter of 2015, it was Torshin who received them on behalf of The Right to Bear Arms.

'Kremlin connection'

Butina, meanwhile, has been cultivating her own ties with American gun-rights activists, like Republican strategist Paul Erickson, whom she has been acquainted with since at least 2013.

Erickson invited scrutiny last year, when The New York Times reported that he emailed Trump campaign aide Rick Dearborn in May 2016, with the subject line "Kremlin Connection," telling him that he could arrange a backdoor meeting between Trump and Putin.

Russia is "quietly but actively seeking a dialogue with the US," Erickson wrote, according to the email. He added that Russia would try to make contact with the Trump campaign at the NRA's annual convention that May in Louisville, Kentucky.

Butina made a similar request through Rick Clay, a conservative Christian advocate. Dearborn forwarded Clay's email to senior adviser Jared Kushner, who reportedly rebuffed the offer.

Torshin was the individual designated to make "first contact" with Trump from Russia's side. Erickson described him in his email as "President Putin's emissary on this front."

Erickson wrote that Torshin would make "first contact" with the campaign at a dinner honoring wounded veterans that was organized by Clay, the report said. Neither Trump nor his campaign advisers attended the reception. Trump Jr. and Torshin did, however, attend a separate NRA dinner the same night.

About six months later, Butina had a birthday party on November 12, 2016, four days after Trump won the US election in a shocking upset. The gathering featured several top Trump campaign advisers, according to The Daily Beast. Erickson, who was also in attendance, reportedly told guests Butina was on the Trump transition team.

Two months later, Butina was one of several Putin-allied Russians who attended Trump's inaugural celebrations.

The US's former ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, told The Washington Post it was "strange" that so many Russia-linked individuals attended Trump's inauguration.

But Ned Price, a former CIA analyst who served as Senior Director of the National Security Council under President Barack Obama, said he wasn't surprised.

"This team courted and potentially colluded with the Russians since day one without any apparent shame," he said in an email. "I would've been surprised had prominent Russians NOT attended the inauguration. It was Moscow's victory, after all."

Conservatives' 'favorite Russian'

In February 2017, Torshin was invited, through his NRA ties, to a national prayer breakfast with the newly-inaugurated President Trump. According to Yahoo News, Torshin was supposed to have a personal meeting with Trump before the event, but his invitation was rescinded after a White House aide spotted his name on the guest list and alerted others to Torshin's alleged illicit activities.

"He's sort of the conservatives' favorite Russian," Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who is known for endorsing Russia-friendly positions, told Yahoo News. Rohrabacher and Kentucky Rep. Tom Massie dined with Torshin and other members of Russia's delegation to the prayer breakfast last year.

"He's someone who understands our system," Rohrabacher added. "His approach is, 'I agree with you Americans: People should have a right to own guns. There should be religious freedom. The whole problem is with radical Muslims.' We were able to have a very good exchange."

The GOP's ideological progression toward Putin's Russia is not a new phenomenon. Over the last several years in particular, self-identified conservatives and members of the alt-right have openly embraced Russia's stance on key issues — such as gun rights, religion, and same-sex marriage — that make up the bedrock of the Republican platform, and cultivated relationships with prominent Russians whose views align with their own.

This was, perhaps, part of why the gun-rights activist Kline Preston asked Torshin to come to the US and be an international election observer as President Barack Obama faced off against former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in November 2012, according to The Washington Post. Preston, a conservative lawyer with a long history of doing business in Russia, also introduced Torshin to NRA president David Keene in 2011.

Torshin later hinted that his NRA credentials had played a role in his participation in the 2012 election.

"I was there at Obama's last election!" Torshin tweeted in 2015, according to NPR. "The NRA card, to me as an observer from Russia, opened access to any [polling] station."

Politics: The NRA is at the center of a brewing controversy over its ties to 'conservatives' favorite Russian'

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'I don't envy Guardiola' – Conte backs Manchester City's big spending

The Blues boss has praised his Sunday opponents who have spent big for a number of years, as they dominate English football this season

'I don't envy Guardiola' – Conte backs Manchester City's big spending

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Coutinho, Casemiro and Paulinho get boost in FIFA FUT 18 ratings refresh

Star turns at Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia and Atletico Madrid are among those to have seen their numbers increased in the latest upgrade

Coutinho, Casemiro and Paulinho get boost in FIFA FUT 18 ratings refresh

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Politics: These are the world's newest aircraft carriers

The US, UK, China, India, and Italy are all building new aircraft carriers that will take to the seas in the coming decades.

The earliest aircraft carriers in history looked nothing like they do today.

They were known as "seaplane tenders" because they could only carry and support seaplanes.

These ships, like France's Foudre and Britain's HMS Ark Royal didn't even have large flat decks, because seaplanes could only take off from the surface of the ocean after being placed on the water.

Over a century later, almost everything has changed. Affectionately nicknamed "flattops," aircraft carriers have become one of the most important weapons in the arsenals of navies around the world.

There are currently 20 aircraft carriers in service with nine different countries around the world today. Five of those countries are currently building new aircraft carriers, which are expected to take to the seas in the next few decades.

The US, UK, China, India and Italy are all either in the process of building new flattops, or are in the final stages of planning. Aircraft carriers that support fixed-wing, smaller helicopter carriers are being built, and may be upgraded to carry aircraft like the F-35b, which has vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities.

See the newest aircraft carriers here:

USS Gerald R. Ford

The USS Gerald R. Ford was laid down in November 2009, completed in October 2013, and commissioned in July 2017. It is the lead ship of its class, and is planned to be the first of 10 new aircraft carriers.

The ship has a number of new technologies, like the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, which is intended to replace the steam-powered launch system on current aircraft carriers.

With a length of 1,106 feet, Ford is expected to carry over 75 individual aircraft, with most of them planned to be F-35 variants. However, due to technical and delivery issues, Ford will likely not see F-35s on her deck until late 2018 at the earliest.

Ford recently tested launching F/A-18F Super Hornets off of its deck. It is expected to be fully operational and integrated and into the US Navy by 2022.

USS John F. Kennedy

USS John F. Kennedy is the second Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier to be built for the US Navy. The ship was reportedly 50% structurally complete as of June 2017.

Kennedy is currently under construction at a Huntington Ingalls Industries facility in Newport News, Virginia. The carrier was originally supposed to be completed in 2018, but it ran into a number of problems during construction.

Most of the problems stem from cost issues relating to the Gerald R. Ford. Ford had a cost increase of 22%, topping $12.8 billion in 2008.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended delaying the commissioning of the ship in 2013. It is now expected to be commissioned in 2020.

USS Enterprise

USS Enterprise is the third Gerald R. Ford-class carrier currently being built. The first cut of steel was cut in a ceremony last August by the ship's sponsors, Olympians Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles.

Enterprise will the be ninth vessel in the US Navy to have the name. The previous ship was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ever built, and was decommissioned last February.

Like the Ford and the Kennedy, Enterprise expected to carry over 75 aircraft.

HMS Queen Elizabeth

Commissioned in 2017, HMS Queen Elizabeth is the newest aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy, and currently Britain's only active one as well.

Queen Elizabeth is unique from other carriers in that she has two control towers, one for sea operations, and one for air operations.

With a deck that is 932 feet long, Queen Elizabeth is intended to have up to 40 aircraft, with the F-35 being the main fixed-wing jet for the ship. Other aircraft planned to be included are Chinook helicopters, Apache AH MK1 gunships, AW101 Merlin transport helicopters, and AW159 Wildcat anti-surface warfare helicopters.

Queen Elizabeth docked for the first time at an overseas port on February 2018, when it visited Gibraltar.

HMS Prince of Wales

HMS Prince of Wales is Britain's second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier. It is currently under construction at the Rosyth Dockyard in Scotland, and will be Britain's second aircraft carrier when complete.

Prince of Wales was officially named at a ceremony last September, which was attended by the current Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Rothesay.

Last December, Prince of Wales un-docked and was afloat for the first time. The carrier was moved to her fitting-out berth, where she will have all of her equipment and controls added on.

The carrier is structurally complete and is expected to start sea trials in 2019, and be officially commissioned in 2020.

Liaoning

Liaoning is the Peoples Liberation Army Navy's first combat-capable aircraft carrier. China had bought other aircraft carriers before to use as casinos and museum ships, but it wasn't until it purchased a half-built Soviet carrier in 1998 that China seriously started its carrier program.

Liaoning is 999 feet long and has an air wing of 26 Shenyang J-15 multi-role fighters, 12 Changhe Z-18 anti-submarine warfare/transport helicopters, and two Harbin Z-9 utility helicopters.

The carrier was commissioned in 2012, and although the Liaoning is a fully functional aircraft carrier, it is currently classified as a training ship, so as to help the Chinese Navy (PLAN) become familiar with aircraft carrier operations.

Type 001A

The Type 001A is China's first domestically built aircraft carrier. Initial construction started almost immediately after Liaoning was commissioned, and has a number of improvements over its Soviet-built predecessor.

Most notably, the Type 001A has an overall length of 1,033 feet, and is planned to carry 48 aircraft.

It is not known what the Type 001A will be named, but there was speculation that it will be named Shandong. The carrier is currently being fitted out at the PLAN port in Dalian, and is expected to be commissioned around 2020.

Type 002

The Type 002 will be China's second domestically-built aircraft carrier, and the third in its fleet. It has been under construction since 2015 and is reportedly a massive leap forward for China's aircraft carrier ambitions.

The Type 002 will be nuclear powered, which will make China only the third nation in the world to have nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the first two being the US and France.

The carrier will also have electromagnetic (EMALS) catapults to launch aircraft from its deck, which is expected to be longer than the Liaoning.

The EMALS systems will allow the carrier to launch more than just J-15s, the only jet that can be launched on China's other two carriers. In fact, China announced that it wants its future aircraft carriers to launch its J-31 or J-20 stealth jets.

China announced that it intends to speed the development of the unnamed Type 002, which is part of its plans to have a "blue-water navy" by 2025.

INS Vikramaditya

INS Vikramaditya is currently India's only aircraft carrier, after India retired the INS Viraat in early 2017.

A heavily modified Kiev-class, it was originally built for the Soviet Navy in 1982, and served the Soviet Union under two names: Baku from 1987 to 1991, and Admiral Gorshkov from 1991 to 1996.

The carrier entered full service in the Indian Navy in 2013, after extensive modernization efforts.

Vikramaditya is 930 feet long and carries a total of 36 aircraft: 26 MiG-29K and 10 Kamov Ka-31 and Kamov Ka-28 helicopters. It is also the first ship in the Indian Navy to have an ATM on board.

INS Vikrant

INS Vikrant is India's first domestically-built aircraft carrier, and the first ship in the Indian Navy to be built completely using domestically-produced steel.

The carrier was ordered in 2004, and initial construction started in 2009. It is shorter than the Vikramaditya, with a total length of 860 feet. It will reportedly be able to carry 30 to 40 aircraft, mostly MiG-29Ks and helicopters.

The Vikrant has been the cause of a lot of headaches for India. It was delayed several times and has gone over budget, but is expected to finally start two years of sea trials by the end of 2018. It is planned to be commissioned in 2020.

Trieste

Trieste will be Italy's third aircraft carrier, after the Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Cavour. The Trieste is not a traditional aircraft carrier, but a Landing Helicopter Dock, more similar to the US Navy's America-class amphibious assault ship.

Its total length is 803 feet, smaller than the America-class. It will hold 12 aircraft, probably AgustaWestland AW101s or NHIndustries NH90.

But the Italian Navy may put a small number of F-35Bs, the short take-off and vertical landing (SVTOL) variant of the F-35, on the Trieste, which would make it a conventional aircraft carrier that can carry fixed-wing aircraft.

Italy currently has San Giorgio-class amphibious transport docks.

Trieste is expected to be launched in 2019, and commissioned in 2022.

ROKS Marado

Like the Trieste, South Korea's ROKS Marado is an amphibious assault ship. Construction started last April, and it is expected to be launched just a year later in April 2018.

Current plans are to have Morado commissioned by 2020, which will make it South Korea's second Dokdo-class amphibious assault ships, behind ROKS Dokdo, which was commissioned in July of 2007.

At 653 feet, the Morado can currently carry 10 helicopters like the UH-1H, UH-60P or the Westland Super Lynx. However, like Italy, South Korea is debating putting F-35Bs on the ships as well.

Politics: These are the world's newest aircraft carriers

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Toke Makinwa: OAP is disappointed in Anthony Joshua

Toke Makinwa was quick to point out that Joshua's statement is the reason we have men without proper upbringing roaming around.

It's no secret that Toke Makinwa has a massive crush on Anthony Joshua but that may have changed.

The OAP took her Instagram page to address a post shared by the boxer on social media.

Joshua stated in his post that he would be stricter with his niece than his son because Joseph is a boy.

ALSO READ: "I almost slept with that man is not hot" says media personality

He added that a girl needs to learn to be respectful as she would become someone's wife someday.

Read the post below:

 

Toke Makinwa was quick to point out that Joshua's statement is the reason we have men without proper upbringing roaming around, feeling entitled.

She encouraged parents to make their sons accountable instead of putting so much pressure on the girl child.

 

With the calibre of men we have these days, we tend to agree with Makinwa on this one.

Toke Makinwa makes Anthony Joshua her birthday wish

Does the phrase, "Be careful what you wish for" ring any bells in this situation?

Remember that Toke Makinwa took to social media to reveal that she was crushing on Anthony Joshua.

In fact, the OAP made him her birthday wish in 2017.

ALSO READ: 'Victimizing people going through divorce must stop' – OAP

The presenter who clocked 33 on Friday, November 3, 2017, made her desire known via the image sharing app Instagram. On her profile was a GQ magazine cover with a picture of the boxer.

 

Joshua who had just won a bout against boxing opponent Carlos Takam in Cardiff, Wales, over the weekend may not have known at the time that his fate and Makinwa's would be twisted this way.

At the time, he was the most talked about subject for anyone who actively follows the sport and even those who don't, like a number of women in the world who found his well built physique to be irresistible.

 

He is currently on a row and appears to have the ring on lock with his exceptional performances that has seen him conquer Ukranian former champ Wladimir Klitschko sending the latter into retirement on August 3, 2017.

In his hometown in Sagamu, Ogun State, traditional worshippers offered sacrifices to the godswith the aim of ensuring that he comes out victorious in his last match against Takam.

Toke Makinwa: OAP is disappointed in Anthony Joshua

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Buhari: President leads dignitaries to Kano for the wedding of Gov Ganduje and Ajimobi's children

Buhari is, however, being criticised for attending the wedding of governors' kids but failed to visit Yobe, where 110 girls were kidnapped.

President Muhammadu Buhari has led an entourage of dignitaries to Kano State, where children of two seating Nigerian Governors are getting married.

The couple, Fatima Ganduje and Idris Ajimobi – daughter and son of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano and Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State respectively – are tying the knots on Saturday, March 3, 2018.

 

The President's Special Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad shared the information on Twitter.

Some critics, however, berated Buhari for attending the wedding of governors' kids but failed to visit Dapchi, Yobe state, where 110 girls were recently kidnapped by the Boko Haram insurgents.

The Special Adviser on New Media to the Kano State Government, Salihu Tanko Yakasai, also tweeted photos from the heavy-weight wedding.

 

According to him, Buhari was the Guardian to the bride, Fatima, while APC National leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was the guardian to the groom, Idris, at the wedding.

The sum of N50,000 was paid as Fatima's dowry.

 

He had also been criticised for being insensitive to the plights of the people of Benue, where over 100 people were massacred by Fulani herdsmen since the wake of a new year.

See some of the criticisms below:

 

Buhari: President leads dignitaries to Kano for the wedding of Gov Ganduje and Ajimobi's children

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Politics: The House Intelligence Committee's partisan war hints at a looming national security threat

The House Intelligence Committee has devolved into an unprecedented level of partisan bickering, and the national security apparatus is worried.

• The House Intelligence Committee has devolved into an unprecedented level of partisan bickering, and intelligence veterans are sounding the alarm.
• National-security experts say the politicization of the committee's work has severely damaged trust between the panel and the intelligence community, and eroded the American public's confidence in the institutions themselves.
• "You have people asking, 'Does what I do make a difference anymore, if what you do is disregard it?'" said one former senior intelligence official.

---

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There's a wall being built in Washington, but it has nothing to do with Mexico.

Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have reportedly proposed constructing a physical wall between themselves and the committee's Democrats in its secure meeting spaces, according to CBS News.

But the breakdown in relations on the panel long predates the alleged proposal — and now, experts are sounding the alarm over its potential national-security ramifications.

Over the last year, ranking member Adam Schiff and chairman Devin Nunes have been engaged in a protracted battle over the direction the committee's Russia investigation should take.

While Schiff and his Democratic colleagues have largely been focused on scoping out Russia's interference in the 2016 US election and whether it had any help from members of President Donald Trump's campaign, Nunes has been carving out his own probe into what he characterizes as corruption and anti-Trump bias within the nation's top law enforcement agencies.

Tensions came to a head last month, when the committee released a controversial Republican memo alleging surveillance abuses by the FBI and the Department of Justice when they sought a warrant to monitor a former Trump campaign adviser shortly before the election. The memo included highly-sensitive details about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) application process, one of the most secretive and guarded procedures in American law enforcement.

Democrats released a rebuttal memo shortly after, which sought to correct what many characterized as misleading and damaging claims made in the Republican memo. The Democratic document also quoted directly from the FISA application.

The memo wars seized Washington by storm, but they're just the latest indication of how the House Intelligence Committee has become mired in an unprecedented level of partisan tribalism. For a body that regularly handles the most classified intelligence, experts said, the panel's descent into partisan squabbling is not only unusual, but poses a direct threat to national security and the intelligence community's work.

'Broken down'

In any congressional committee, politics will inevitably enter the fray. But Benjamin Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the editor-in-chief of the national security blog Lawfare, said the intelligence committees have historically been an exception to that rule, given the sensitive nature of their work.

"They've always been the least partisan part of the Congress because people have taken their obligations to protect information seriously," said Wittes, who is a close friend of former FBI Director James Comey. "There has been a certain bipartisan commitment to the basic functioning of the intelligence community. That has broken down."

Gary Schmitt, the director of the Security Studies Center at the American Enterprise Institute and the former Democratic staff director of the Senate Intelligence Committee, floated one theory about why the House panel features more partisanship.

The structure of the committee, Schmitt said, guarantees more powers for the majority than that of its Senate counterpart.

"The House committee just institutionally is more likely to head in that direction given its founding framework," he said.

He added the caveat, however, that things have rarely devolved to the level they're at now.

In addition to bickering within its own ranks, the House committee has also gotten into some friction with the Senate Intelligence Committee. In one instance, when Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Richard Burr requested to see a copy of the Republican House committee memo, authored by Nunes, in January prior to its release, he was duly rebuffed.

Things heated up further last month, when House Republicans leaked Senate committee ranking member Mark Warner's texts with a Russia-linked lobbyist to Fox News.

Warner was messaging the lobbyist, Adam Waldman, to try to set up a meeting with Christopher Steele, the former British spy who authored a dossier about Trump's ties to Russia that's currently being used as a roadmap in both the Senate committee's and the FBI's Russia investigations. Warner informed his colleagues of his interactions with Waldman four months before they were published, and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who sits on the Senate panel, said they had no impact on the committee's investigation.

Burr and Warner were reportedly so troubled by the leak that they took their concerns to House Speaker Paul Ryan, while also raising broader questions about the general disarray on the House panel.

"I don't think you'll restore trust until you have a new chairman and new ranking member," Schmitt said.

A two-pronged attack on the intelligence community

The House Intelligence Committee and the intelligence community have always engaged in a complementary, albeit sometimes strained, relationship due to the committee's oversight responsibilities.

Gen. Michael Hayden, the former director of the CIA and National Security Agency, said that while occasional tensions are natural, the present situation is an anomaly.

"Intelligence people are used to, from time to time, a tense relationship with the Congress," Hayden said. "This is unusual though because we have the president’s own party aligning with the president to put pressure on and seemingly affect the judgment of the president's own intelligence and law enforcement agencies."

"That's never happened before," Hayden added. "That's the punchline."

Trump has frequently taken to Twitter over the last several months to malign the FBI and other intelligence agencies in the Russia investigation, at times using the Nunes memo as ammunition for his attacks.

One former senior intelligence official was blunt when describing Trump's and his congressional allies' attacks.

"That's unheard of. That's off the charts," the official said. "You’ve got the Republicans in the hot seat, clearly cooperating with the White House, to beat up the White House's intelligence and law enforcement agencies. That's unprecedented."

Meanwhile, there are other, broader consequences resulting from the House Intelligence Committee's decision to release two memos detailing sources and methods used in the FISA application process.

"That's just like giving it to the Russians," Wittes said. "In fact it is giving it to the Russians. There's a reason we protect this information and it's so that our foreign adversary intelligence services don't get their hands on it, and when the House Intelligence Committee makes an affirmative decision to blow a FISA application, they're giving information to foreign adversaries."

"Of course it is [a threat to national security]," he added. "It's not even a subtle thing."

Deep-seated distrust

Mark Simakovsky, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, said the public's dwindling confidence in the House Intelligence Committee is likely seeping into other facets of the federal government.

"The staff that's there, I'm sure, is less trustworthy of the other side than they were before, the leadership there is less trustworthy, and I think the intelligence community and policy makers in Washington and the American people are going to look more skeptically at this committee," he said.

But the chilly relationship developing between the intelligence community and the House panel may just be the tip of the iceberg.

"I fear that the result of today’s dynamic … is not just hurt feelings in the intelligence community" but the 'chiseling away' of public trust in the institutions themselves," the former intelligence official said.

"I hear successful, middle and upper class Americans, even high net-worth individuals, saying 'I will never have confidence in the FBI ever again,'" they added.

Nunes said last month that he is planning on releasing a series of additional memos raising questions about the intelligence community and multiple federal government agencies, like the State Department.

And while it remains to be seen how fiercely Democrats will push back, in many ways, the damage may already be done.

"I have concerns about the long-term effects on American intelligence," said the former official. "You have people asking, 'Does what I do make a difference anymore, if what you do is disregard it?'"

Politics: The House Intelligence Committee's partisan war hints at a looming national security threat

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