Dele Giwa: Ita-Giwa replies Omeben

Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, former wife of the late Editor-in Chief of Newswatch Magazine, Dele Giwa, has reacted to the recent remarks made by the former Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Chris Omeben, that the late Giwa was careless in maintaining a relationship with his former wife.
Mr. Omeben, who clocked 80, was in charge of investigating the murder of the late journalist in 1986.
Reacting to Omeben’s remarks through her Media Liaison Assistant, Jonathan Eze, Ita-Giwa described them as “indicative of a mind rapidly progressing into dementia and of somebody who is desperately trying to cover up his incompetence with regards to the case.”
She said, “The recent ‘revelations’ by Christopher Omeben, insinuating in one breath that Dele Giwa’s assassination via a parcel bomb may have been remotely connected to his ‘unhealthy relations with his estranged wife’ and in the next breath, he named Kayode Soyinka, Dele’s colleague, who was the only survivor and eyewitness of the dastardly act as the ‘prime suspect’, is indicative of a mind rapidly progressing into dementia.
“It is very possible that the aged former crime fighter is hallucinating on account of the blemish his shoddy handling of the case had cast on what might have been labelled an illustrious police career.
“It would appear that the former detective turned clergyman is now clutching at straws in a puerile attempt to cover up his crass incompetence with regard to the case. The pendulum of suspicion about the identity of the killers has always swung in one direction, which is well known to anyone who was around at the time the heinous act occurred.
“Just because Christopher Omeben lacked the courage at the time to pursue the obvious suspects at the time, does not give him a right to bandy spurious allegations in the twilight of his life. Senator Florence Ita-Giwa was never considered a person of interest in the immediate aftermath of the murder, so for her name to be linked to this most reprehensible crime nearly 30 years after, is preposterous to say the least.”
Ita-Giwa denied the allegation that her houseboy was the one who delivered the letter bomb to the late Giwa.
“The identity of the person who delivered the parcel bomb to the late Dele Giwa’s residence is now in the public domain, so to say that the senator’s houseboy delivered the parcel now is suggestive of the deterioration of the mental faculties of the former deputy inspector-general of police.
“At the time Dele Giwa died, the Senator had no knowledge of the location of his residence and had not met with him for at least one year before then. The separation of the Senator and the late Dele Giwa was devoid of any animosity. Indeed, she has no apologies to make for having a good relationship with Dele Giwa, even after their separation. As a matter of fact, Senator Ita-Giwa maintains very cordial relations with the siblings and children of the late great journalist to this day.
“The Senator wishes to inform the ageing clergyman that if the women in his locality kill their husbands, that is not the case where she comes from, because in her place, the women are famous for valuing their men.”
Copyright PUNCH

Stop hating! Read why life of Nigeria's leading blogger Linda Ikeji should motivate you instead

Linda Ikeji, Nigeria's leading blogger

I have been intending to comment on this development for a while now. I just wanted to wait a little before doing so in order to gauge developments afterwards because I am so sure there will be.

Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji, recently acquired a property worth over N500 million in the priciest real estate location, Banana Island, Ikoyi. And pronto, people (at least, they say they are homo sapiens) took up the gauntlet, trying to taint her joy by saying #GoAndMarry. Ha ha haaaa!! It shows her soaring success is blowing up insecure folks' incessant doubts and vulnerabilities about them and where they are in life. To sermonise a bit, success is a magnet that is respecter of goodness only- hatred and jealousy behind these bad sentiments ward off their good fortune whereas good-heartedness attracts it.

Sad, that there are so many haters in the world who are never happy about other peoples'success but must find a way to introduce negativity. A woman needs get married, but is she is not, it does not diminish her value as a full, satisfied and accomplished human being. It does not have to be tarred with her marital status because let's face it, it is done to diminish her joy at her success.

I am glad for one thing though. Even if it bothers Linda Ikeji at all, I am sure it must have been for the tiniest moment. The babe just dust off all the negativity each time and just continue soaring higher. Inlife, overtaking is allowed, but if you stay on your own lane and don't stop and pull up by the roadside, you''ll reach your destination too.

Me? I share in her success, because like Sheryl Sandberg, I super love seeing my fellow female folk succeed and rub it in that yes, we can too. I will continue celebrating her because I know my time is coming soon when I'll also be mega celebrated...

We have never met. But, her philosophies of life resonates with mine and I have noted her progress from that 2006 even before she moved to Lagos' only billionaires'enclave. Read her journey beneath as told by her. Her story is inspiring and motivating. Stop hating, just ensure yours is too.

Sublime! Linda Ikeji's new Banana Island home

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She said on her blog:

"My name is Linda Ikeji. I'm a blogger. I'm 35 years old and I have never...never ever in my life slept with a man for money. Not only have I never done it, I have never even consider it...and here I am with a house that cost me over half a billion naira.

Listen, you are beautiful and you are stronger than you know. There's absolutely nothing you can't achieve if you set your mind to it, put her heart and soul into it. Up until five years ago, I was a struggling entrepreneur. I can't tell you how many offices in this Lagos I sat in for hours waiting to see people who could support my business...but most times, I never passed the reception area. But I never gave up and I never stopped believing and here I am today.

You too can be this..you can be better than this. No dream is too big, no dream is too small, no mountain is too high...it's all in your mind. It's all up to you. If you believe in you, in your God who is guiding you, then the sky is your starting point.

Please stop waiting around for a man to give to you...to put food on your table and put clothes on your back. I promise you, you can do it for yourself. Start thinking big, believe in yourself, be creative and start working. Realize that your dreams are valid...and nobody will make your dreams come true except you. Find what you are good at. Find something that you are passionate about. Work hard at it. Be consistent. Be patient. Start young. Even if you're not young, it's never too late.

I have been hustling since I left secondary school..started modeling before I entered university in 1998. Was running a modeling agency even while I was a student and made it a full time business after I left university. I never doubted that I would succeed one day, because I was determined. And please do not think this happened over night. I've been blogging since 2006...November this year will make it exactly 9 years. God, consistency and hard work brought me here today.

"Unfortunately, a lot of our young girls aren't patient and some are lazy, they want it quick and fast but it doesn't work like that. Success takes time - takes hard work - takes passion - takes consistency - but more than anything else, it takes the Grace of God.

I was a 30 year old broke woman and on my birthday, a very sad and depressed me turned to God and begged him. I told Him you promised me, when will You fulfill Your promise? Am I not Your child? Have I not lived according to Your teachings? When will You bless me? Please God help me...and with tears in my eyes, I begged Him. I cried and I begged and I begged and I begged. A few months later my life changed. Never underestimate God's love for you and the power of prayer.

"And never stop working. Listen, I make enough money to hire so many people to work on this blog while I go do other things and enjoy myself...but I don't do that. I'm up while some of you are sleeping, and already blogging before some of you wake up. I don't take this for granted. I know to stay on top, I have to constantly work and nobody will be as dedicated as I am because this is not their own thing. It's mine and I have to keep feeding it. So I'm constantly here!

Young ladies, I promise you...you too can do this. You don't need to spread your legs for any bladdy man - because of how much? N200k? That's how much my shoes cost - so why you should give up your body for that? Your sacred body? God's temple? 200k that you can make in a week or even in a day if you pursue your dreams and still have your dignity intact? You think people don't see that you're messing around with all dem old married men and talking about it? Think ladies, think! When next a man propositions you...tell him to get lost, that you will get yours yourself! Abi, aren't you a woman? You know what they say about women? "A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.". You are so strong, you don't even know!

Also, if you want God to bless you, you have to have a clean heart. All these backbiting, hating on others, trying to bring people down with hateful words, action etc - God doesn't like ugly. He has over 6 billion people to look after and you think he will pay extra attention to you if your heart is ugly? Wish people well, help people when you can. Be good to others. But more than anything else be good to yourself. Believe in yourself. It's very easy to give in to feelings of self-doubt and back down when things get tough, but you have to know that God will not give you anything you can't handle.

I swear to you, you are underestimating yourself. If you know the power that you have inside. If you know the things that you are capable of. If you know how far you can go...how high you can reach but you are holding yourself back because you're afraid of failing, because you don't think you have it in you. If only you know that you're stronger than you think. You are so powerful, you don't even know it. I'm not more special than you are. I don't have two heads. We serve the same God. Why can't you succeed? Think ladies, think.

Like Barack Obama's sister said, poverty is not an excuse! I used to sell/market beer at Sheraton hotel, Lagos when I was in university for N1,000 a day. I once lived on 'puff puff' and garri for weeks in UNILAG and I was supposedly a top model but nobody knew what I was going through. Trust me, I know poverty. Did you know I lived in Idi-oro, Mushin for 15 years? Up until when I was 25? Did you live in Mushin? Eh, so what's your excuse? I can't even say some things here for my family's privacy but here I am today because I never doubted myself and I never allowed all the doubters to distract me. I was focused. I was determined. I worked hard and I knew the God I served won't let me down. The road was long, sometimes very frustrating and painful but look at me now. God did it because he saw that I was willing!

"Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, “She doesn’t have what it takes.” They will say, “Women don’t have what it takes.”

Please believe in yourself and watch God use you to set as an example for others.

May all your dreams come true!

Kisses."

Phil Collins comes out of retirement, set for new singing projects

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Phil Collins says he has officially come out of retirement

British singer Phil Collins has said he is coming out of retirement, four years after leaving the music business.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he stated: "I'm no longer officially retired. The horse is out of the stable and I'm raring to go."

The 64-year-old is even planning to go on the road. "I don't think I want a very long tour," he said.

"But I would like to play the stadiums in Australia and the Far East, and that's the only way to do that. But there's a part of me that just wants to do theatres, so we'll see."

In 2011, Collins decided to leave music because he wanted to be a full-time father to his young sons.

Four years on, his situation has changed: "My kids are now 10 and 14 and they want to see what their dad does," Collins told Rolling Stone. "They were in nappies when I was last on the road ... I'd like to take them out so they can enjoy it."

A member of rock band Genesis during the band's most successful commercial period, the London-born drummer and singer joined the group in 1970.

He took over singing with the band when Peter Gabriel left in 1975, before officially departing for a solo career himself just over 20 years later.

The former Genesis frontman's last album of new material was 2002's Testify.

In 2007, a Genesis reunion tour led to damage in his hands, leaving him unable to play the drums.

Collins also revealed to Rolling Stone plans to move a studio into his home in Miami, Florida where he will start recording new music next month.

His new band features Jason Bonham, the son of Led Zeppelin drummer, John.

One of the most successful songwriters and performers of all time, Collins has sold over 100 million albums worldwide both as a solo artist and as a member of a band.

The singer's number one singles include A Groovy Kind Of Love and Against All Odds.

UK number two hit In The Air Tonight featured on an episode of US cop series Miami Vice, in which he also guest starred .

As a film star, Collins headed the cast of 1988 movie Buster, based on the story of Buster Edwards who was one of the crooks involved in The Great Train Robbery of 1963.

Press Associatio

Samuel Eto'o sets up foundation against Boko Haram

He's one of world football's best-known names -- and now Samuel Eto'o is using that fame to draw attention to the ongoing crisis that "everyone stops talking about."

The former Barcelona and Chelsea star has set up theYellow Whistleblower FC foundation to raise funds and awareness to help people fleeing Nigeria and Cameroon amid a rising tide of attacks from Boko Haram militants.

Earlier this month, Oxfam revealed that more than 1.5 million people have fled their homes in Nigeria alone, while Cameroon -- to which many have escaped -- is an increasing target for cross-border terror attacks.

Samuel Eto'o kicks off campaign against Boko Haram 02:55

Islamist group Boko Haram has carried out bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and abductions in its campaign to impose its strict version of Sharia law.

Charlie Hebdo

Former Cameroon captain Eto'o, who retired from international football last year, told CNN it was time the world stepped up its response to an ongoing catastrophe.

The 34-year-old urged leaders and the media to react as they did to the terror attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices in Paris in January.

"It is important for us to talk about it -- if we don't do it, who will?" said the four-time African player of the year.

"We all tried to offer our support (after Charlie Hebdo). We saw African head of states coming to Paris to offer their support to France.

"Why, when it comes to Africa -- when it comes to our continent -- don't we do anything? Maybe because the media are not doing what they should do.

"When it comes to Charlie Hebdo, we talk about it. The media were right: It was important to talk about that. However when it comes to Boko Haram, we need to wait for the most horrific things to happen for the media to say a word.

"After that, everybody stops talking about it. It is like nothing ever happened.

"I think journalists should have denounced this situation. WeNN saw what happened in France. We were very sad about this. We were asking ourselves, 'How can this happen? How can they succeed? How can these people take away lives of happy people who had families and friends?'"

C

Kayode Soyinka reacts to Omeben's allegations he knew about Dele Giwa's death

Kayode Soyinka, who was the London correspondent of Newswatch magazine and was with the late Dele Giwa at the time of his murder, says Haliru Akilu, Kunle Togun and former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, are the prime suspects in the death of the late journalist. Akilu, who retired as brigadier-general in 1993, served as director general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), chief of defence intelligence, and director of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) in the Babangida administration. Togun was the deputy director of the State Security Service (SSS) at the time of Giwa’s death by parcel bomb on October 19, 1986. Soyinka said he could have been killed in the incident, recalling that he initially held the parcel containing the explosive that killed Giwa.
 He was responding to the allegation of Chris Omoben, a retired police officer, who accused Soyinka of being the prime suspect. In an interview with NAN, Omoben had alleged that Ray Ekpu, co-founder of Newswatch, shielded Soyinka from facing justice. But speaking with TheCable, Ekpu described Omoben as a “fake man”, saying Nigerians know the killers of Giwa. “This man thinks that people’s memories have faded, so he can twist and turn as he likes,” Ekpu had said.
 “In a different interview, this same Omenben said there was a scuffle between the directors of Newswatch and Dele at the time the incident happened… He is a fake man. He keeps changing the story, now he is pinning it on Kayode Soyinka, at that time he was pinning it on the three of us – Yakubu Mohammed, Dan Agbese and Ray Ekpu. Now, he is changing the story again.” However, in a statement issued by Soyinka on Thursday, the publisher of Africa Today backed Ekpu’s claim. “If he truly has those ‘enough evidence’ he should do us a big favour in Nigeria by releasing them to the public so that Nigerians can truly know who bombed us, Dele and I, on that day,” Soyinka said.
 “He claimed to be an investigator of the bomb blast. Instead of protecting me, the survivor, who escaped death by a whisker, and by the very special grace of God, he is sadly and disgracefully trying to rewrite the script to make me, as he said, his ‘principal suspect’. “His ‘principal suspect’ should be Halilu Akilu, who called Dele’s house about three times consecutively Saturday before the Sunday bombing and spoke to Funmilayo, Dele’s wife, to ask for description of and direction to Dele’s house in Ikeja. “On the Sunday of the bomb blast Dele had spoken to Akilu from his upstairs bedroom before coming down to have breakfast with me to tell him that he heard he had called him on Saturday and asked why. The letter bomb was delivered to the house within 45 minutes after that early morning telephone discussion between Dele and Akilu. “So who should be Omeben’s ‘principal suspect’ then? Should it be me who was bombed with Dele? Or Akilu? “He knows who the real suspects are. Nigerians know who the real suspects are. Certainly not me – Soyinka! He should beam his searchlight on Akilu and Togun and Babangida. “I thank God for spearing my life. I could have been killed on that day. My survival was a biblical miracle. I held the letter bomb myself! What of if I was the one that opened it? And I could easily have opened it myself. But I gave it back to Dele. That’s why I believe my survival was the work of God. My own time was not up yet.” 

THE FULL TEXT OF SOYINKA’S STATEMENT 
Chris Omeben, who was a Deputy Inspector-General of Police, when the letter bomb blast occurred on October 19, 1986, is a complete disgrace to the Nigeria Police Force. He claimed to be an investigator of the bomb blast. Instead of protecting me, the survivor, who escaped death by a whisker, and by the very special grace of God, he is sadly and disgracefully trying to rewrite the script to make me, as he said, his “principal suspect”. His “principal suspect” should be Halilu Akilu, who called Dele’s house about three times consecutively Saturday before the Sunday bombing and spoke to Funmilayo, Dele’s wife, to ask for description of and direction to Dele’s house in Ikeja. On the Sunday of the bomb blast Dele had spoken to Akilu from his upstairs bedroom before coming down to have breakfast with me to tell him that he heard he had called him on Saturday and asked why. The letter bomb was delivered to the house within 45 minutes after that early morning telephone discussion between Dele and Akilu. So who should be Omeben’s “principal suspect” then? Should it be me who was bombed with Dele? Or Akilu? Omeben, said, and I quote: “Soyinka knew what was coming and he left the room to hide behind the wall.” What a blatant lie? This man, who I understand is now a pastor, has no fear of God in him at all, making such bold erroneous statement like that on an issue of such sensitivity and accusing me, an innocent man – a victim and survivor of the bomb blast. He should ask God for forgiveness! In this interview he granted the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to coincide with this year’s anniversary of the bomb blast, it is “behind the wall” that Omeben said I hid myself. In his interview with The Sun Newspaper in 2012 he said I ran to the toilet before the bomb exploded. You can see the inconsistency in his wild allegations. I am very disappointed and shocked that the Nigerian media, who knew and should still know the facts of what happened on that day gave Omeben powerful platform in mainstream media outlets in Nigerian to voice out this falsehood – and without calling me (a member of the Nigerian media family) to at least hear my own story. Only The Nation newspaper did, and I doff my hat for them and their professionalism. I am so disappointed particularly with the News Agency of Nigeria, the original vehicle of Omeben’s allegations, that it allowed itself – such an important national institution – to be used by Omeben to peddle such falsehood. As a veteran journalist myself, I am ashamed of NAN and those other newspapers who published that story without doing the professional thing of calling me to cross check the veracity of Omeben’s claims and allegations. So let me let Omeben know again – if he does not know already, and so that he does not keep repeating these erroneous allegations again when the anniversary comes up again next year, that Dele and I were the only two people in the study when Dele’s son Billy delivered the letter bomb to his father. It is very important here to remember that some unidentified people, who gave it to the security man at the gate, delivered the parcel bomb to Dele’s house. The security man, while coming inside the compound with the parcel saw Billy (Dele’s son) on the way and gave it to him. When Billy came to the study and delivered the parcel to his father, Dele looked at it and handed it over to me. I looked at it and was able to vividly see the inscription on the padded envelop and handed it back to him. He received it back from me, moved his recycling chair back slightly to face the window on his left, he held the envelop with both hands, and tried to tear it through the top left-hand corner. He had not really opened it up, if he did it was only very slightly. And boom!! The bomb exploded! A big ball of fire occurred. It was a very powerful bomb explosion! The side of the envelope facing the iron-barred window blew up that window. The side facing Dele exploded on his chest and stomach. And the force that came out from the bottom of the envelope blew up his upper legs and badly affected lower part of his body. He did not die immediately. He died in the hospital. Now, you see the vivid description I have just given you – 29 years after the gory incident. If I ran into the toilet or hid myself behind the wall before the bomb exploded like our Mr Omeben will like the world, and particularly Nigerians, to believe, and as he is trying hard, very hard, to label me as the suspect, how would I have been able to know all this, and give this graphic description. That partly was what the Oputa Panel missed when it investigated this matter because they did not see it necessary at that time to invite me to give evidence and I was not invited. So, Mr Omeben should get it now that I did not – and I repeat I did not – run away to toilet or hid behind a wall. I sat on my own chair right in front of Dele. Only the strong mahogany L-shaped desk on which we were eating our breakfast divided us. So I was literarily inches away from him. The huge desk must have mobbed the force of the blast that would have done the damage on me up. But the force was so powerful and so powerful enough to still lift me off my chair. The chair itself collapsed. I was thrown on the floor by the exit door. I was momentarily unconscious. But regained consciousness, flung my spectacles off my face, and staggered out of the room. Yes, I received no cut on my body, but my nightgown was spattered with blood – Dele’s blood – and I had burns on my forehead. And I smelt of burns. I thank God for spearing my life. I could have been killed on that day. My survival was a Biblical Miracle. I told you that I held the letter bomb myself! What of if I was the one that opened it? And I could easily have opened it myself. But I gave it back to Dele. That’s why I believe my survival was the work of God. My own time was not up yet. What other allegation did Omeben level against me? He said, “Up till today Soyinka never appeared before the police.” Again, how can he be that ignorant? This is a blatant lie. And as a senior police officer, especially one who claims to be investigating this important incident, he should have known that I gave statements not once but twice to the same Nigerian Police he represents before I eventually left Nigeria. The first one was at the hospital where I was admitted – Dele’s body was next door to me. That interrogation by a senior police officer whose name I cannot recall took place on the spot when the incident was still fresh. It was inside the hospital. Dele Olojede was beside me – he is alive, go and ask him. Dele Olojede will recall that as questions were asked I could not hear anything. My both ears were solidly blocked. That was a serious effect of the blast. Then it was confirmed there at the hospital by the ear specialists that my ears were perforated. And this was also confirmed when I got back to the UK after the incident. For about five years after the bomb blast I had to endure continuous noise, humming, nonstop in my both ears. It was very irritating, but there was nothing I could do about it until it improved over the years and stopped. And even up till today, 29 years after, I still carry the effect of the bomb blast in my ears because I can hear better on the right ear while my left ear, which was nearer to the blast is still weak. But who am I to complain about not hearing well, when it could have been worse and I could have lost everything completely, including my life. The second statement I made when the Police requested to see me again. It was made at the premises of Newswatch in Oregun Road in Lagos in the presence of the eminent lawyer Chief Gani Fawehinmi. I don’t know why Omeben did not know about this and he is accusing me wrongly. The statement I made, and the ones made by Funmilayo (Dele’s wife) and Billy, I believe, is now in public domain. Chief Gani Fawehinmi must have published them in the series of books he published on this subject before he died. So I don’t understand why Omeben should tell Nigerians such a blatant lies. That is wickedness. He does not fear God at all. Thank God I am alive and I can respond to him. Can you imagine if I had died with Dele, Omeben and cohorts would have succeeded in putting cotton wool on the faces of Nigerians and sold a different story completely to them to exonerate those who did it. He said again “I have enough evidence to quiz Soyinka now”. Well, Nigerians should help me beg Omeben, if he truly has those “enough evidence” he should do us a big favour in Nigeria by releasing them to the public so that Nigerians can truly know who bombed us, Dele and I, on that day. Again, Omeben said: “They started to insinuate that the assassination was masterminded by Babangida, Akilu etc. They said that Akilu ought to have been investigated.” Who else could have had the expertise to assemble a letter bomb in 1986 Nigeria if not the military? He did not want to investigate Akilu who was calling Dele’s house frantically on Saturday and who was the last person Dele spoke to on telephone on that Sunday and the bomb was delivered into the house minutes after. He doesn’t want to investigate Akilu but it is convenient to want to investigate Soyinka the victim and survivor of the bomb blast. Oh, what an investigator? Lastly, I did not run away from Nigeria as he also claimed. I was in Nigeria throughout the controversies. My family was in the UK when the bomb occurred. A Good Samaritan went to our home in London and handed them airline tickets to come immediately to Nigeria and join me. We were all in Nigeria throughout. My wife attended Dele’s burial with me at his village near Auchi in Edo State. My pictures with my wife beside me were spread on the pages on national newspapers the following morning after the burial – with my ears still covered with cotton wool. Mr Omeben his pretending he did not know all this and still saying “Soyinka ran away to London”. I eventually left Nigeria shortly after Dele’s burial, which, if my memory services me right, was about two months after the bombing. And we did not have to leave or “ran away” through the famous “Nadeco Route”. My wife and I, with our two little children, left through the Murtala Mohammed airport in Lagos and no one stopped us from taking the British Caledonian flight to London. Members of our family, Newswatch editors and friends escorted us to the airport. It was in full glare of the public. I hope with these comments I have made Nigerian people will come to know Chris Omeben for who he truly is – certainly not an investigator as he claims to be but an errand boy and mischief maker, representing the interests of his “Ogas at the Top”, the real culprits who sent us the letter bomb. He knows who the real suspects are. Nigerians know who the real suspects are. Certainly not me – Soyinka! He should beam his searchlight on Akilu and Togun and Babangida. May Dele Giwa’s soul continue to rest in peace.


TheCable

Neymar likely to join ManUtd. finally?

Barcelona striker Neymar

Rumours of a mega-money move to Old Trafford for Neymar persist with reports in England highlighting the extravagant wages the Red Devils would have to cough up to secure the Brazilian's services.

Neymar’s father confirmed that United made an approach for his son last summer, but a €190m move - the buyout clause in his contract - never came to fruition.

The striker's future has been in doubt as he has yet to commit his future to the club and according to The Sun, United will have to at least match the proposed £500,000-a-week (€698,000) that he Catalans are expected to offer the 23-year-old.

Such a deal would double his current deal and place him behind only Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among the biggest earners in football.

It has been widely speculated that Barcelona will open negotiations before Christmas to fend off any interest in the Brazilian striker.

Neymar joined Barcelona from Santos in June 2013 and scored 29 goals and set up seven more to help Luis Enrique's side seal the Primera Division, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble last season.

Online Editors

Ramires signs new deal with Chelsea till 201

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Brazil midfielder Ramires has signed a contract extension with Chelsea

Chelsea and Jose Mourinho have received a boost ahead of a potentially critical period, with Ramires signing a contract extension until June 2019.

The Brazil midfielder, who was linked with Juventus during the summer, has committed his future to the Blues, who are enduring a challenging season in defence of their Premier League title. Chelsea announced the deal on Thursday evening.

Mourinho, who in August signed a four-year contract committing himself to Stamford Bridge until June 2019, was subject to the first vote of confidence of Roman Abramovich's 12-year ownership on October 5.

Since then, Chelsea have won one of their four matches - against a free-falling Aston Villa; the latest defeat was on penalties to Stoke in Tuesday night's Capital One Cup tie - while Mourinho has faced disciplinary action from the Football Association.

The 52-year-old Portuguese had until 1800 on Thursday to respond to a misconduct charge following his half-time touchline dismissal at West Ham last Saturday.

Mourinho is already appealing a separate £50,000 fine and suspended one-match stadium ban for comments made after the October 3 loss to Southampton, a result which prompted the vote of confidence.

It is not expected either case will be heard before Saturday's match with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.

Ramires is likely to start against Liverpool, with his energy key in midfield for the Blues.

The 28-year-old joined from Benfica on a four-year deal in 2010 and has won every major club honour since switching to Stamford Bridge.

Ramires, who has already made 241 appearances for the Blues, said on chelseafc.com: "I am very happy to sign a new contract with Chelsea.

"My family and I are very happy here in London and in the past five years the club has lifted every major trophy.

"I hope to be an important part of many more successes in the next four years."

Mourinho has selection issues ahead of the Liverpool contest, with striker Diego Costa's rib to be assessed and winger Pedro back in training on Thursday.

Chelsea have lost five of their 10 Premier League matches this season, leaving the Blues 11 points behind leaders Manchester City and leading to speculation over Mourinho's future.

The club's statement earlier this month expressed support in the Portuguese, but stressed results had to improve and he had the squad to do it.

Chelsea's League Cup defence ended on Tuesday as Eden Hazard's penalty was saved and there are three more games prior to the international break which could determine whether or not Mourinho continues as Blues boss.

Liverpool are followed to Stamford Bridge by Dynamo Kiev, one of two sides above the Blues at the halfway point of Champions League Group G, before a Premier League trip to Stoke.

Press Association

Chelsea's doctor prepares to sue

Chelsea were last night in imminent danger of being taken to court by Eva Carneiro over Jose Mourinho’s banishing of her as the first-team doctor at Chelsea.
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Eva Carneiro talks to Jose Mourinho after treating Eden Hazard

According to the Daily Telegraph, Carneiro and the Premier League champions have failed to agree a severance package following her departure last month.

This means that, barring a last-minute deal, her only recourse is to lodge a constructive dismissal claim at an employment tribunal, something that could lead to Chelsea ­being pursued for hundreds of thousands of pounds. The deadline for submitting such a claim is next week, with the law allowing complainants a three-month window.

Carneiro has not reported for work since she and physio Jon Fearn were banished from the bench by Mourinho for treating Eden Hazard during Chelsea’s ­opening-day draw with Swansea City on Aug 8. She finally conceded defeat in her battle to resume her Stamford Bridge career last month and entered negotiations designed to stave off any formal legal action.

A tribunal could see her seek compensation not just for loss of earnings but for Mourinho’s alleged verbal abuse of her during the Swansea game and his subsequent critical comments about her and Fearn.

Following more than one complaint to the Football Association, the Chelsea manager was cleared of sexist abuse on Sept 30, having strenuously denied any wrongdoing. The verdict led to Carneiro, 42, breaking her silence in a 188-word statement in which she drew comparisons between the outcome of the case and the FA’s refusal to act over “vile, unacceptable, sexually explicit abuse” she alleged that she ­endured at a game at West Ham United last season.

The Telegraph reports that Carneiro has been in Qatar this week at the Aspetar sports medicine hospital, regarded by some as the best facility of its kind in the Middle East. She was expected back in the UK ahead of the crucial three‑month deadline that will shape her future.

The timing of any legal action could hardly be worse for Chelsea and Mourinho, who has lurched from one crisis to another since the Carneiro controversy first erupted. Both the club and their manager have faced widespread criticism over their handling of the affair.

Carneiro, meanwhile, received the full backing of every major ­governing body over her own ­actions, having followed to the ­letter the rules that govern both doctors and the treatment of footballing injuries.

As revealed exclusively by the Telegraph, the controversy has led to Fifa considering introducing new regulations banning managers from interfering in medical matters and punishing those who do. Such a rule change could be discussed by the FA if the world governing body does not act decisively.

The Carneiro case may also force the FA to examine the process by which it conducts investigations, having been condemned by one of its own board members, Heather Rabbatts, for not interviewing the doctor when examining the complaints against Mourinho.

It emerged on Tuesday that the FA chief executive, Martin Glenn, and the director of governance, Darren Bailey, are to be quizzed next month on their handling of ­allegations of discrimination – ­including those made against the Portuguese.

Members of the FA’s Inclusion Advisory Board, which is chaired by Rabbatts and includes the former Chelsea stars Graeme Le Saux and Paul Elliott, wrote a joint-letter to the chairman, Greg Dyke, and all FA councillors expressing “deep concerns” about a number of cases.

Others include that launched against former Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan, who was banned for six weeks for comments he made about Jewish and Chinese people, and the decision to take no disciplinary action against the former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay over alleged racist and ­sexist texts he sent to a colleague.

The IAB also hit out at an FA ­investigation into whether Rabbatts breached its code of conduct by speaking out against its Carneiro inquiry. That was widely reported to have been triggered following requests by two FA councillors, one of whom, the Oxford University FA chairman Richard Tur, last night denied having asked for such a probe

Why do you prefer Twitter or Facebook? Find out in this revelation

Social networking sites have changed our lives. There were 500 million active Facebook users in 2011 and approximately 200 million Twitter accounts. As users will know, the sites have important differences. Facebook places more of an emphasis on who you are and who you know. Twitter restricts users to 140-character updates and is more about what you say than who you are. A new study asks whether and how the way people use these sites is related to their personality, and whether there are personalty differences between people who prefer one site over the other.
David Hughes at Manchester Business School and his colleagues surveyed 300 people online – most (70 per cent) were based in Europe, others were from North America, Asia and beyond. There were 207 women and the age range was from 18 to 63. Participants answered questions about the way they used Facebook and Twitter and which site they preferred. They also answered questions about their personality based around the “Big Five” personality factors of Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Openness and Agreeableness, as well as the dimensions of sociability and “need for cognition” (this last factor is about people’s need to be mentally engaged and stimulated).
Perhaps the most glaring finding is that personality actually explained little of the variance – less than 10 per cent (rising to 20 per cent alongside age) – in the way participants used these sites. This suggests that other factors not explored here, such as intelligence and motivation, have a big influence.
However, the associations with personality were interesting. People who used Facebook mostly for socialising tended to score more highly on sociability and neuroticism (consistent with past research suggesting that shy people use the site to forge social ties and combat loneliness). Social use of Twitter correlated with higher sociability and openness (but not neuroticism) and with lower scores on conscientiousness. This suggests that social Twitter users don’t use it so much to combat loneliness, but more as a form of social procrastination.
What about using the sites as an informational tool? There was an intriguing divergence here. People who said they used Facebook as an informational tool tended to score higher on neuroticism, sociability, extraversion and openness, but lower on conscientiousness and “need for cognition”. Informational users of Twitter were the mirror opposite: they scored higher on conscientiousness and “need for cognition”, but lower on neuroticism, extraversion and sociability. The researchers interpreted these patterns as suggesting that Facebook users seek and share information as a way of avoiding more cognitively demanding sources such as journal articles and newspaper reports. Twitter users, by contrast, use the site for its cognitive stimulation – as a way of uncovering useful information and material without socialising (this was particularly true for older participants).
Finally, what about people’s overall preference for Twitter or Facebook? Again, people who scored higher in “need for cognition” tended to prefer Twitter, whilst higher scorers in sociability, neuroticism and extraversion tended to prefer Facebook. Simplifying the results, one might say that Facebook is the more social of the two social networking sites, whereas Twitter is more about sharing and exchanging information.
These results should be treated with caution. The sample was biased towards young females and the data were entirely self-report. Nonetheless, the findings suggest there are some meaningful differences in the personality profiles of people who prefer Twitter vs. Facebook and some intriguing personality links with the way the sites are used. “Different people use the same sites for different purposes,” the researchers said.

Khloe Kardashoan still with boyfriend James Harden, though tending to ailing Lamar Odom

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom aren’t getting back together anytime soon, a source tells Us Weekly. In fact, Kardashian and a more recent love, James Harden, are “trying to work on their relationship,” the insider explains.
“As of now, Khloe and Lamar are not romantically together,” the insider explains of the estranged spouses, who were reunited after Odom was found unconscious at legal brothel Love Ranch South on Oct. 13. “Khloe and James are trying to stay in each other’s lives. Each day is something different, but they’re trying to see if they can still be together.”
As previously reported, Kardashian and Harden, who first stepped out together in Las Vegas back in July, took a brief break while the KUWTK reality star tended to Odom at the hospital.
Khloe Kardashian and James Harden leave an intimate dinner on July 8.
Khloe Kardashian and James Harden leave an intimate dinner on July 8.
On Oct. 21, Kardashian’s lawyer Laura Wasser went before a judge to withdraw her divorce filing. According to a source, the decision was made due to the current “delicate and difficult time for both Lamar and Khloe” and with the intent to “put everything on hold” right now.
Kardashian stayed at the hospital with Odom, even riding in the helicopter with him as he was airlifted to Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai on Oct. 19.
Kardashian as slowly been returning to normalcy. The 31-year-old resumed content on her app and website and attended pregnant sister Kim Kardashian’s baby shower on Sunday.
“It’s all been so draining and emotional,” another source previously told Us, while the first maintains that “Khloe will help throughout his recovery, but it’s unclear what the end plan is.”

Chilli of TLC gets new love, years after dating Usher

TLC singer Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas has finally found Mr. Right after years of struggling to meet her match on reality TV.
BOSSIP can exclusively confirm that Chilli has been happily dating working actor Brad James quietly under the radar for the past six months. A source close to the singer tells BOSSIP that she’s very happy. Brad even visited Chilli while she was on tour earlier this year.
“They’re adorable,” the source gushed to BOSSIP. “Seriously they are both glowing.”
Like her romance with Usher, Brad is younger than Chilli (by 7 years!) but apparently he has managed to check off all the boxes on her list of requirements for a companion.
People who followed Chilli on her reality TV dating journey will recall that she’s quite picky. One thing that’s obvious to see is that he fits her fitness requisite.

Kendall & Kylie Jenner makes Times' list

Kendall and Kylie Jenner are considered two of the 30 most influential teens. Time released its list for 2015 on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and the two reality stars are included among Vine user LeLe Pons, 14-year-old clock builder Ahmed Mohamed, and 2014 Nobel Peace prize co-recipient Malala Yousafzai.
The list is ordered by age, from youngest to oldest.
“Everything I do, I always start these huge trends,” Kylie, 18, told Time, referring to viral situations like the #KylieJennerLipChallenge. “[But] I just want to inspire my fans to be whoever they want to be, because that’s what I’ve always done.”
Her older sister, 19-year-old Kendall, is noted for her impressive runway career and for having the most liked Instagram photo ever — that selfie where she’s lying on the floor with her hair making heart waves.
Other teens who made the list include YouTube star Bethany Mota, Modern Family’s Ariel Winter, Libertarian Kim Kataguiri, Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams, and 13-year-old Moziah Bridges, who started his own bow-tie business at the age of 9 and now, thanks to Shark Tank, runs his own apparel company

Us Weekly

Meet the Nigerian car dealer who sold $3.8m 2015 Bugatti Veyron and all of Floyd Mayweather Jnr's cars to him

Floyd Mayweather Jr. isn't one to rest in retirement, not when there are $3.5 million sports cars to buy. And, it's being revealed who the connoisseur behind his rare and expensive vintage car collection- including his latest chart-topping acquisition- is.

Okeke, left, has sold over 40 luxury cars to Mayweather

The Las Vegas boxer posed with his latest purchase, a 2015 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, in a photo posted to his Instagram account Monday.

That was where we saw the man behind the purchases clearly. Mayweather brought Obi Okeke, a Nigerian, who owns Fusion Luxury Motors in Chatsworth, California with him to Miami to put the deal together.

Okeke says he has sold four Bugattis to the boxer including one traded in for his latest purchase, a convertible model he says is one of only 44 ever made.

Bugatti's website says the car reaches speeds of 254 mph (408.8 km) and accelerates from zero to 62 mph (100 km) in 2.6 seconds. The site also says the car is sold out.

Obi Okeke first came to the United States as a 5-year-old refugee during the Nigerian Civil War in 1967. His mother, from Ohio, was able to leave the country with him, but his father, who was born in Nigeria, stayed to fight. 

Over four decades later, Okeke, now 53, is a fixture in the luxury automobile industry, dealing in cars that cost millions and selling to clients like Floyd Mayweather.

After that first move to the US, Okeke returned with his family to Nigeria, where he stayed until attending a private high school in Switzerland.

And that's when he discovered great cars.

While in Switzerland, Okeke developed a love for European wheels. By the time he was 15, his teachers had already known that he would end up in the car business, he said. Following high school, Okeke came back to the US and started college at Northeastern University in Boston, although he did not graduate from the school.

Mayweather and Okeke with the 2015 Bugatti Veyron

When he was 21 years old, Okeke conducted the first of many car deals he'd close in his career. He purchased a BMW 323i Alpina and was able to sell it for a profit of nearly four times what he paid. The transaction was encouraging. 

As you would expect for a car salesman, it took some time for him to work his way up to the status of being a salesman of supercars and the co-owner of a dealership. And he bounced around a lot: from Chevy to Dodge to Volkswagen to Lexus to BMW to Mercedes — and his last stop before opening his own place, to Ferrari-Maserati.

Following six years as the general manager of Ferrari-Maserati in Calabasas, California, Okeke in 2012 cofounded Fusion Luxury Motors in North Los Angeles with a man named Yoel Wazana.

Mayweather is easily Okeke's biggest-name client. He says Mayweather will stop in about once a month just to see what's available and if there is anything he wants to buy.

Okeke said he doesn't sell to a lot of celebrities, even though they stop in to look every now and then, just as Keith Urban did a few weeks ago. And the business plan behind Fusion explains why.

The strategy is to sell high-quality, rare luxury cars to car collectors, not just to deal expensive supercars to celebrities that have the money.

"Celebrities may buy a Range Rover or Aston Martin or something, but that doesn't mean they care about cars or want to collect," Okeke said. "My buyers are people who have a true passion."

Despite being one of the biggest names in sports, Mayweather falls into that category. His car collection features three Bugattis and many other of the premium car brands, like Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce.

In total, Mayweather has bought at least 40 cars from Okeke. Most recently, Mayweather purchased a Koenigsegg CCXR Triveta from Okeke for $4.8 million, according to the boxer's Instagram. Okeke confirmed the purchase but could not disclose the price.

Previously, the most expensive car he's ever sold, also to Mayweather, was a 2003 Ferrari Enzo. The car was advertised at the time for $3.2 million, although Okeke couldn't disclose the final selling price. Mayweather has since listed the car for sale with Fusion, which just sold at an advertised price of $3.8 million.

AP

Halle Berry and third husband, Olivier Martinez, divorce

Halle Berry and husband of two years Olivier Martinez announced on Tuesday that they have split.

"It is with a heavy heart that we have come to the decision to divorce," the actors told CNN in a joint statement. "‎We move forward with love and respect for one another and the shared focus of what is best for our son. We wish each other nothing but happiness in life and we hope that you respect our and, most importantly, our children's privacy as we go through this difficult period."

The couple, both 49, married in July 2013 in a private ceremony in France. Berry announced in April of that year that she was expecting a baby with Martinez. Their son, Maceo, was born in October.

It was the third marriage for Berry, who had previously been wed to baseball player David Justice and singer Eric Benet. It was the first for Martinez, who had been linked to singer Kylie Minogue.

Martinez encountered trouble in January when the family was passing through Los Angeles International Airport. An airport employee alleged that the actor used a car seat to shove him out of their path. The employee later sued the couple, according to TMZ.

The French actor was by Berry's side during her bitter custody battle with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry, the Canadian model who fathered her 7-year-old daughter Nahla. Amid the contentiousness,Martinez and Aubry had a fistfight in Berry's Hollywood driveway.

A former boxer and model, Martinez is best known for his role in the film "Unfaithful."

The Oscar-winning actress met Martinez on the set of the 2012 movie "Dark Tide."