Mr president's speech.

“I am very grateful to God and to all Nigerians for their prayers. I am pleased to be back on home soil among my brothers and sisters.

“In the course of my stay in the United Kingdom, I have been kept in daily touch with events at home. Nigerians are robust and lively in discussing their affairs, but I was distressed to notice that some of the comments, especially in the social media have crossed our national red lines by daring to question our collective existence as a nation. This is a step too far.

“In 2003 after I joined partisan politics, the late Chief Emeka Ojukwu came and stayed as my guest in my hometown Daura. Over two days we discussed in great depth till late into the night and analyzed the problems of Nigeria. We both came to the conclusion that the country must remain one and united.

“Nigeria’s unity is settled and not negotiable. We shall not allow irresponsible elements to start trouble and when things get bad they run away and saddle others with the responsibility of bringing back order, if necessary with their blood.

“Every Nigerian has the right to live and pursue his business anywhere in Nigeria without let or hindrance.

“I believe the very vast majority of Nigerians share this view.

“This is not to deny that there are legitimate concerns. Every group has a grievance. But the beauty and attraction of a federation is that it allows different groups to air their grievances and work out a mode of co-existence.

“The National Assembly and the National Council of State are the legitimate and appropriate bodies for national discourse.

“The national consensus is that, it is better to live together than to live apart. Furthermore, I am charging the Security Agencies not to let the successes achieved in the last 18 months be a sign to relax.

“Terrorists and criminals must be fought and destroyed relentlessly so that the majority of us can live in peace and safety.

“Therefore we are going to reinforce and reinvigorate the fight not only against; elements of Boko Haram which are attempting a new series of attacks on soft targets, kidnappings, farmers versus herdsmen clashes;  in addition to ethnic violence fuelled by political mischief makers. We shall tackle them all.

ALSO READ: Gov Tambuwal urges Nigerians to keep praying for President Buhari

“Finally, dear Nigerians, our collective interest now is to eschew petty differences and come together to face common challenges of; economic security,  political evolution and integration; as well as lasting peace among all Nigerians.

“I remain resolutely committed to ensuring that these goals are achieved and maintained. I am so glad to be home.”

PENDULUM | As We Begin the Journey to 2019 – By @DeleMomodu

Fellow Nigerians, unbeknown to many of our people, the battle for who becomes our next President has already started in earnest. Never mind the fact that the incumbent President is still firmly in power even if he’s spent more time outside than inside in recent times. Despite his absence, President Muhammadu Buhari continues to exert almost total control on the affairs of state through regular phone chats with the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who is deeply loyal and committed to their joint cause, and emissaries who criss-cross the two continents to transmit messages to him and relevant officials. Nonetheless, you can’t blame the gladiators for shaping up this early for the big contest that is looming. It is big because it is unlikely that the current incumbent President will run again because of the fragile state of his health. Like joke, like joke, the Buhari/Osinbajo government is in its third year. By this time next year, the general elections would just be about six months away. That’s just too close for comfort.

The Presidential race is always the biggest deal in most countries, Nigeria in particular. The reason is simple. The President of Nigeria is probably the most powerful black President in the world. This is why you find so many perpetual contestants who never get tired of seeking power. Let me just go straight to the meat of my message without wasting your precious time on any long preamble.

Some aspirants have actually started making subterranean moves, here and there, to prepare the grounds for their eventual launch. The most obvious ones include former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano. The boldest and most vocal visible aspirant is the current Governor of Ekiti State, Peter Fayose who has even announced a date for the official declaration of his bid for the Presidency. Fayose seems to have mastered the art and science of politics. He has warned that no one should underrate him. I won’t because nothing is impossible in our clime.

Anyway. Let’s move on. The main cause of the early moves is the general belief in political circles that President Buhari is not likely to contest in 2019. His poor health has virtually eliminated him from the race no matter how much and how well he recovers from his present ailment. I think so too. Baba himself had declared in one of his rare interviews that he’s never been this sick in his life. Only the cruellest human being would advise President Buhari to continue to subject himself to the rigours of the Presidential office when he returns. To add the vagaries of rough and tumble of a Presidential race to his recuperation would be inhuman indeed. God has been very kind to him and there is nothing more to prove or to achieve. Others must carry on the fight as his able Vice President, now Acting President has been doing.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had shown interest in becoming Nigeria’s President since 1993 when he contested the Presidential primaries of the then Social Democratic Party alongside Chief Moshood Abiola and Baba Ghana Kingibe. He was persuaded to withdraw from the contest and throw his weight behind Chief Abiola on the basis of his relative youth amongst other things. Age, it was said, was on his side, and he had many years to seek the Presidency. Since then, he has never stopped dreaming and aspiring. Unfortunately, he has always just fallen short! He had made his next move in 2003, after he served as Vice President to President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999. The “abortive coup” (as it was described), to force Obasanjo out and bring Atiku in, by the all-powerful Governors of the time failed spectacularly. The cold war between Atiku and his boss exploded into full view and became a smouldering inferno. Atiku instantly became a marked man. He himself would be forced out of the party he helped to found and had to join others to form another party. But before too long Atiku was compelled by circumstances to scamper back to PDP. Not many felt that was a smart move. He was viewed as being too desperate and unprincipled. This flip-flop has been his major albatross. And he was not yet done! Atiku again jumped ship from the floundering PDP when some five Governors defected and joined the fulcrum of APC. There are already indications that he may be compelled to abandon ship again but where to, we don’t know. Some say that he is grooming PDM for this purpose and has already caused a crisis in his former movement.

There is no doubt that Atiku would make a good leader. He is a seasoned politician who is known to have the ability to unite Nigerians because of his extensive networks across the nation. He also has the penchant for recruiting the best brains to work with. If he becomes the President, he would be bringing in his wealth of experience in public service and private business that is almost second to none. But there are major setbacks against him. One is how to find the detergent to cleanse or unglue himself from the sticky mud his former boss President Obasanjo had generously splashed on him. He’s largely portrayed as a very corrupt and corruptible leader who may lead Nigerians into temptation and perdition with his acolytes. Whether this is a fair assessment or wicked blackmail is his business to deal with but it won’t be so easy to wish or wash away.

Atiku will find it difficult to clinch the APC ticket. There are obvious signs that he has already positioned some of his close associates in PDP, in case of emergency but he may be scammed at the end of the day if he takes the risk of pulling out of his present party. He needs to worry about his age. He has already crossed 70 and it is doubtful if most Nigerians want to be saddled with another old man who may collapse under the brutal weight of presidential stress and pressure. He would require more of a clean bill of health to persuade young Nigerians that he’s not carrying some health liabilities like others in the past. In summary, we have a reasonable bridge-builder and veteran administrator who may be too old and too late in seeking political office.

Next is the former Governor of Kano State, Senator Mohammed Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a man with very vast political and administrative pedigree. He has gone through the whole gamut of governance at both executive and legislative levels. His performance as Governor of the massive state of Kano is an eloquent testimony to the fact that he may be the one to ignite the infrastructural revolution in Nigeria. He cuts the image of a frugal Aminu Kano with his simple mien. His grassroots non-governmental movement known as Kwankwasiyya Pillars of the Nation is well mobilised and may give him an edge over most aspirants. He also has in his favour the fact that Kano State has the highest number of registered voters and may be able to count on garnering a significant number of these. He is also expected to draw strength from his former colleagues in the Governors’ Forum across the nation but no one is sure how relevant they still are. Kwankwaso is 60 years old and falls the under the age of 65 that many want as the upper limit for contestants. On the negative side, he is not likely to have the formidable war chest of an Atiku Abubakar though this did not stop him from beating Atiku to third place in their last APC Primaries.

Say what you will, the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, must be factored into the equation by all means. The reason is that he seems to enjoy a special rapport with his ailing boss who may prefer to hand over fully to someone he knows well than risk certainty for uncertainty. Osinbajo has been a very loyal and dependable ally, the sort that are not common in this clime. This is no surprise because his vocation as a lawyer, his service as a teacher and his calling as a Pastor makes him imbued with integrity and dignity. Osinbajo has also succeeded in bringing Nigerians together and calming frayed nerves. His handling of the economy, security and national awareness is quite commendable and many Nigeria’s applaud his brilliance and performance in steering the affairs of state to its present comfortable position. His only worry would come from ethnic jingoists who do not care about merit but prefer only members of their tribe no matter how useless or incompetent they may be.

Osinbajo is likely to be vehemently opposed by such powerful forces who think only about themselves, although it seems to me that the people of the North are not with them on this occasion. There is no question that Osinbajo has restored hope and promise to Nigeria and should ordinarily be allowed to stabilise the polity and lead us out of the doldrums. The fact that he lacks his own political platforms may be a great disadvantage because he would need to lean on his political godfather and kingmaker, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who seems tired of fixing others into positions of power without being the ultimate King of Kings himself. However, Asiwaju is canny and wise and would prefer to be in the hallowed corridors of power with his protégé in charge than be outside it particularly given that he is himself ageing and would be over a couple of years over 65 by the time of the next elections.

There has always been speculation that the Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, is interested in being President. He is eminently qualified to do so. The way he has managed the Senate and worked assiduously on churning out unprecedented number of very efficacious bills is a pointer to his effectiveness as a modern and cosmopolitan leader who understands what the people want and how to give it to them. His biggest migraine apart from allegations of corruption and mismanagement of Societe Generale Bank which has seemingly not gone away, is that he comes from Kwara State. The State is geographically Northern but culturally Southern. His father was Olusola. He is Bukola. His wife is Toyin. His sister is Gbemisola. His Brother is Olaolu. His son is Olaseni. No one could be more Yoruba than Saraki. However, surprisingly, despite this great Yoruba credentials, the Yorubas do not also apparently view him as a Yoruba man but as a Northerner. I do not know how he plans to overcome that challenge of being neither cat nor rat.

The Governor of Sokoto State, Waziri Aminu Tambuwal, attempted very briefly to run the Presidential race in 2015 but seemed to have chickened out and pulled back to settle for the gubernatorial race, where he eventually emerged successful. It is being mentioned in informed circles that he may still want to try his luck. As a former Speaker of the House of representatives and now Governor, he comes with some intimidating arsenal as e is still clearly well loved by his old constituency, the Federal legislators. It is not certain if he would abandon his almost guaranteed second term as Governor for a not so certain Presidential bid. His antecedents in this regard would persuade me not to expect too much of a change in Tambuwal’s circumstances this time around.

The same goes for one of my favourite leaders, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State, one of the most cerebral, experienced and visionary leaders in Nigeria today. He is silently revolutionising Kaduna State although people see more of the controversial stuff coming out of that State because of its highly volatile religious mix of Muslims and Christians. Though he is yet to declare his interest openly, he is someone to watch…

Carrick: We'll fight on all fronts

Michael Carrick was named Manchester United captain in July and, a month into the job, nothing has changed in his approach. And why should it? He already knows how to win.
The 36-year-old has completed 11 seasons at Old Trafford, playing over 450 games and winning 17 trophies to become one of the most-decorated figures in the club's history. Following Jose Mourinho’s successful first season in charge, plus an intense pre-season campaign, the evergreen no.16 and proud new wearer of the skipper's armband is confident of achieving greater triumphs in 2017/18.
In a wide-ranging interview with United Review for Sunday’s Premier League opener against West Ham United, his former club, Carrick outlines his aims and ambitions for the fresh campaign.
“It is difficult to say what our chances in the league are but we are setting out to be on top,” Michael says. “We have certainly improved the squad, we look stronger, we are a year further ahead with the manager and his staff, we are in a better place than we were last year, so things are on the up.
“For large spells of last season, we felt we should have been higher up in the league than we were and performances certainly warranted that for large periods as well. But it is too easy to sit here and say that. We need to improve because we ended up a distance away from the top. Hopefully this season we will be right up there challenging.”
Asked if the league is always United’s priority, Carrick continues: “The league is special because it is such a tough division to win. When you come out on top it is an unbelievable feeling to know you are the best team in the country, and you have gone through all sorts of things along the way to win that.
"Cup competitions are special because it is a slightly different feeling. Winning a trophy is winning a trophy and the feeling you get from it is incredible. There are obviously bigger competitions than others, but we will certainly be fighting on all fronts to win as much as we can.”
It is quite appropriate that Carrick’s first match as Reds captain is against his first professional club, West Ham, who have strengthened significantly over the summer by recruiting a handful of proven Premier League players, including former Manchester City duo Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic from Stoke and, perhaps most notably, ex-United striker Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez.

Michael hopes his Mexican former team-mate does well with the Hammers, but not at Old Trafford on Sunday. “Yeah I think they have improved. Obviously Chicha is there now and hopefully he doesn’t come back and do too well in the first game! But I wish him all the best for the rest of the season.”

Aguero gets Man City up and running at Brighton

Manchester City’s Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal of the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on August 12, 2017. CHRIS J RATCLIFFE / AFP

Manchester City confirmed their status as Premier League title favourites with a professional 2-0 win at promoted Brighton and Hove Albion in their opening game on Saturday.

While rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool made uncertain starts to the campaign, City dominated their game against the division’s new boys.

Only a failure to convert their dominance of the ball into goals raised any doubts about their credentials.

Pep Guardiola’s expensively assembled team enjoyed 76 percent of possession, but scored only twice, through Sergio Aguero after 70 minutes and an own goal by Brighton defender Lewis Dunk five minutes later.

In front of a record Amex Stadium crowd of 30,415, Brighton did not manage to force a single save from Ederson, who had one of the most uneventful debuts of any goalkeeper in Premier League history.

It was the Seagulls’ first top-flight match since 1983. Coincidentally, their previous home game at this level had also been against City, a 1-0 defeat that confirmed their relegation.

City also went down that season, but while Brighton may struggle again on this evidence, City look in the mood to live up to the bookmakers’ billing.

Guardiola also gave debuts to Kyle Walker and Danilo and Walker’s pace gave the home side early jitters as he advanced down the right before cutting back a dangerous cross that Brighton cleared with difficulty.

Then Gabriel Jesus flicked the ball over the head of Dunk, only for his final pass to be intercepted by Ireland centre-back Shane Duffy. Brighton seemed in awe of their visitors and it was lucky for them that Danilo shot wildly after Solly March had failed to track his run.

As Chris Hughton’s men repeatedly gave the ball away, it seemed only a matter of time before City got the ball in the net. It happened after 27 minutes when Jesus got inside Dunk to reach a lofted pass from Aguero.

But as the ball bounced up off the forward’s knee, he nudged it past Mathew Ryan with his arm before colliding with the Australian goalkeeper. Winded, he required treatment before rising from the turf to be shown a yellow card by referee Michael Oliver.

De Bruyne pounces 
Jesus should have scored a legitimate goal after 33 minutes.

Walker again crossed from the right, the ball going over the giant Duffy to leave the onrushing Brazilian a free header. Ryan got down well to parry, but it seemed that Jesus must score from the rebound. Instead he hacked the ball wide.

City had given Brighton a lesson in possession and movement, but not finishing. That should have changed when City had a goal wrongly disallowed six minutes into the second half.

The referee’s assistant incorrectly flagged for offside as David Silva collected Fernandinho’s forward chip and passed to Jesus in front of an empty net.

But City had no excuses a minute later when Duffy’s dreadful back-pass sent Aguero through. However, with only Ryan to beat, he skewed his shot well wide.

Suddenly there was a flurry of attacking from Brighton. Following a corner, Duffy saw his shot deflected wide, then Dunk’s effort was blocked and Davy Propper crashed the ball a foot past the post.

However, it was a brief respite in City’s continual attacking. Brighton were forced back in front of their own penalty area and unable to break out, Walker almost a full-time attacker.

Kevin De Bruyne appealed for a penalty when his shot struck the arm of Dunk, but referee Oliver shook his head. The breakthrough finally arrived with 20 minutes to play.

De Bruyne robbed a tiring Stephens on the right before playing the ball inside to Silva and he sent Aguero through to beat Ryan. Five minutes later, Brighton again failed to clear their lines and Fernandinho’s cross from the right was headed past his own goalkeeper by the hapless Dunk.

Mourinho calls for more goalscorers

Jose Mourinho is calling on his Manchester United players to spread out the goals more throughout the team during the new 2017/18 season.  
Prolific striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic led the way last term with 17 Premier League strikers but no other player reached double figures in the competition, with the next highest scorer, Juan Mata, netting six times.
The boss admitted he wants to improve the distribution of goals when he spoke to the media ahead of the Reds' opening league match against West Ham at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Asked if United can reach the levels of his Real Madrid and Chelsea teams in terms of finding the net, Mourinho said: "Real Madrid is out of context because it’s a league, and now even more so, where the top teams are much better than the other teams, where the top teams easily win 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, 5-1, so the 126 goals we scored that season are out of context."
Referring to his former clubs contributing goals from all areas, Mourinho said he hopes the team can ease the burden on the Reds' strikeforce in the season ahead to find other ways to win games.
He added: “In my other clubs, what I had was more people scoring goals – midfield players scoring goals, wingers scoring goals, central defenders good in the air, scoring goals at set-pieces. We always had that.

"My teams always had the goalscorer - the guy that scores more goals - but then we had the winger that scored 15 goals, the midfield player that scored 10 goals and we had the central defender that scored five goals.
“And, last season, that didn't happen much – we were focused on the goals that our striker was scoring, and when the striker was not scoring, the team was in a bit of trouble to win matches.”

Britos late show denies Liverpool winning start

Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah chases the ball during the English Premier League football match between Watford and Liverpool at Vicarage Road Stadium in Watford, north of London on August 12, 2017. The match ended 3-3.OLLY GREENWOOD / AFP

Miguel Britos added to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s frustrations with an added-time equaliser that ensured Watford salvaged a point following a 3-3 draw at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

Klopp had spent the previous 24 hours handling the fall-out from Philippe Countinho’s transfer request after the club rejected Barcelona’s £90 million ($117.1 million, 99 million euros) bid for the Brazil playmaker.

Liverpool remain adamant Coutinho will not leave and it looked like Klopp might find relief from the saga when debutant Mohamed Salah gave the visitors the lead after they had twice come from behind.

Sadio Mane’s 29th-minute effort had cancelled out Stefano Okaka’s eighth-minute header, only for Abdoulaye Doucoure to immediately restore the home side’s lead.

Liverpool, who were without Coutinho, were back level in the 55th minute through Roberto Firmino’s penalty.

But with Salah’s 57th-minute goal looking as though it would be decisive, Britos bundled the ball home deep in stoppage time after Simon Mignolet had pushed Richarlison’s shot against the bar.

For all the close-season transfer dealings, both starting line-ups carried a familiar look, with Nathaniel Chalobah the home side’s only new face and Salah the lone Liverpool debutant.

For Klopp’s side, it appeared to be a case of same old faces, same old problems, as they allowed Watford to twice take the initiative during the first half on the back of defensive errors.

The opening goal was certainly one to frustrate Klopp as Okaka took full advantage of Liverpool’s lack of organisation as they failed to defend Jose Holebas’s corner.

Roberto Pereyra had broken threateningly after being sent clear by Okaka and was unfortunate to see his shot deflected wide off Dejan Lovren following a twisting run that had opened up the visitors’ defence.

Holebas swung in the resulting corner towards the near post, where it was headed home by Okaka, who had been allowed to advance unchecked, with Roberto Firmino in particular guilty of failing to react.

It was the perfect start for Watford manager Marco Silva, but for Klopp it was an early reminder of the problems that need to be eradicated if Liverpool are to prove genuine title contenders.

The other side of Liverpool was demonstrated 21 minutes later when Mane levelled in spectacular fashion.

Firmino flick 
The Senegalese forward, who started the game on the left, picked up the ball on the right and worked his way across the pitch before exchanging passes with Alberto Moreno.

Moreno played the ball in to Emre Can, whose flick set up Mane for a precise finish.

It was an incisive breakthrough, but the good work was almost immediately undone when Watford made their way too easily down the right-hand flank in the build-up to Doucoure’s goal.

Doucoure was at the heart of the move, releasing Tom Cleverley, whose low cross was met with an attempted clearance by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

But the ball ricocheted off team-mate Joel Matip’s back, allowing Doucoure to add the home side’s second.

Once again Liverpool had been responsible for their own plight, although Watford’s positive approach was unsettling Klopp’s side.

The visitors’ response in the second half confirmed the attacking strengths of this Liverpool side.

Within 10 minutes of the restart, the Reds were back level after a superb flick by Firmino sent Salah clear.

The winger was brought down by Heurelho Gomes as he attempted to round the goalkeeper and Firmino finished from the penalty spot.Three minutes later, Firmino again produced a moment of exceptional skill as he made up for his error on the opening goal.

The striker brought down Moreno’s floated pass before lifting the ball over the advancing Gomes and Salah ensured the chance was not wasted by bundling home from close range.

Liverpool’s victory looked assured, only for Britos to reward Watford’s persistence at the death.

United hold talks over Ibrahimovic return

NEWS

Jose Mourinho has confirmed Manchester United are holding discussions with Zlatan Ibrahimovic over a possible return to the club in the second half of the 2017/18 season.  
The Swedish striker made a huge impact last term, finishing as the Reds’ top scorer with 28 goals in 46 appearances, before suffering a serious knee injury against Anderlecht in April which ended his season prematurely.  
Since his contract expired in the summer, the 35-year-old has stepped up his rehabilitation in recent weeks and is battling back to fitness at the Aon Training Complex, although there is no rush on his comeback.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of Sunday’s Premier League game against West Ham, Mourinho stated that Ibrahimovic feels he has unfinished business at Old Trafford and the door remains open for the striker to possibly return during the season.
"He’s injured and he needs time to recover," said Mourinho. "He's not ready to play tomorrow, he’s not something urgent, he's not something you are desperate to have it done, or not done.
"I just think he was very clear by showing what he did last year was not enough for him. He thinks he can do more, he wants more at football’s highest level, so we are having conversations and we are discussing the possibility of him staying with us for the second part of the season."
Ibrahimovic, who turns 36 in October, quickly became a fans’ favourite among the Reds faithful last term, hitting 17 goals in the Premier League alone and scoring two winning goals at Wembley to clinch the Community Shield and EFL Cup respectively. 

Vehicle plows into crowd in Virginia city, several hurt

 At least one vehicle hit a crowd of people gathered in a Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, hours after police broke up a clash between white nationalists and counter-protesters, according to witnesses, but it was not clear whether the incident was connected to the earlier melee.

The accident involved three vehicles, and there were multiple injuries, Charlottesville city spokeswoman Miriam Dickler said in a text message.

At least four injured people were spotted at the location where the vehicle struck demonstrators, including one person who was taken away on a stretcher by paramedics. Multiple ambulances were on the scene soon after the early-afternoon incident.

Charlottesville police said in a statement on Facebook that they and Virginia State Police were at the scene of the incident in the city’s downtown.

EPL: Burnley stuns 9 man Chelsea at Stanford Bridge

Chelsea had two players sent off as they fell to a stunning 3-2 defeat against Burnley to open their title defence.

Nine-man Chelsea fell to a shock 3-2 home defeat against Burnley as their Premier League title defence began with a stunning upset.

Captain Gary Cahill was sent off after just 14 minutes for a challenge on Steven Defour, but that was just the start of the astonishing drama at Stamford Bridge.

Sam Vokes starred for Burnley with two of his side’s three goals before half-time, Stephen Ward also netting in between the Wales striker’s double.

In-form Vokes now has seven goals in his last six Premier League appearances after netting only five in the previous 58.

Antonio Conte gave Alvaro Morata 31 minutes from the substitutes’ bench on his Premier League debut and he scored with a header.

Any hopes of a recovery were dented when Cesc Fabregas was sent off after collecting a second booking late on, although David Luiz did set up a grandstand finish with a powerful volley to make it 3-2 with two minutes left. Robbie Brady then hit the post at the opposite end from a free-kick as Burnley pushed for a fourth.

The unexpected result is Chelsea’s first opening-day defeat for 19 years and only the second time the Premier League’s defending champions have lost their first game in 26 years.

Cahill’s early departure stunned Stamford Bridge, the defender taking a heavy touch and diving forward with his boot raised in a bid to win back possession against Defour, with referee Craig Pawson immediately brandishing a straight red.

It was the third consecutive competitive match in which the Blues have received a red card, having had Victor Moses sent off in May’s FA Cup final and Pedro removed in last week’s Community Shield, both games against Arsenal.

Conte made a tactical reshuffle after Cahill’s exit, Andreas Christensen coming on for Jeremie Boga, who had been named a surprise debutant due to Pedro’s injury.

Vokes had a header ruled out after James Tarkowski was penalised for a foul in the build-up, but Burnley soon scored a goal that did count as Chelsea’s afternoon took another turn for the worst after 24 minutes.

Matt Lowton’s right-wing cross found Vokes and he sent a bouncing volley into the far corner, with Thibaut Courtois unable to get across in time.

Burnley doubled their lead after 39 minutes, Ward playing a one-two with Jack Cork before unleashing an excellent half volley into the far corner.

And four minutes later, Burnley incredibly scored a third. A quick free-kick led to Defour swinging in a cross from the right and an unmarked Vokes planted a header past Courtois, with loud boos greeting the champions when the half-time whistle was blown.

Marcos Alonso’s long-range drive was tipped over by Tom Heaton as Chelsea registered their first shot on target early in the second half, while Morata came on to replace the ineffective Michy Batshuayi in attack.

Heaton made an excellent stop from Alonso’s curling free-kick, but Chelsea did get a goal back with 21 minutes remaining, Morata swooping in to beat the Burnley keeper with a diving header after Willian’s delivery found him in space.

Morata tapped in again soon after, but was denied by an offside flag after converting Christensen’s delivery, which may have gone in had the ex-Real Madrid striker left it.

Any chance of a Chelsea recovery appeared to be at an end with nine minutes left as Fabregas – who had been booked for sarcastically applauding a Pawson decision in the first half – received a second yellow for a foul on Cork.

But David Luiz then gave the Blues further hope, rifling a volley past Heaton after racing on to a Morata flick-on.

A frantic finale continued at the other end as Brady hit the woodwork with a set-piece as Burnley ultimately held on through four minutes of added for a famous triumph that piles the pressure on Chelsea after their tumultuous close-season.

Talking points: The Premier League returns

The Premier League is back and Manchester United's campaign begins with a game against West Ham United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Ahead of the eagerly-awaited opener, we pose five questions surrounding the start of the 2017/18 season...
How long is it since our last league match?
Only 84 days have passed since United hosted Crystal Palace on 21 May, but it feels like an awful lot longer! The Reds and the Hammers will be the last of the top-flight teams to get going again in the Premier League, which actually kicked off on Friday night with Arsenal's thrilling 4-3 win over Leicester City. But at four o'clock on Sunday afternoon, the waiting will be over and the fortunate 75,000 or so with tickets will be ready for the sights, the sounds and smells of matchday. It's a day of optimism and hope, as we look forward to the exciting ride ahead.
Will we see three home debuts?
There's a good chance we will, yes. Victor Lindelof, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic all took their competitive United bows in the UEFA Super Cup on Tuesday night, and will now be hoping to wear their new red shirts - numbered 2, 9 and 31 respectively - at Old Trafford for the first time. They appear to have settled into the squad seamlessly and now it's the turn of the home supporters to make the trio feel welcome.
How will the options at centre-back play out?
One of the most fascinating elements of this summer's pre-season friendly schedule was the frequency with which Jose Mourinho mixed and matched his potential central defensive options, trying out various pairings as well as three at the back on a few occasions. The manager's decision to go with Chris Smalling and Lindelof in the Super Cup versus Real Madrid was made easier by the suspensions to Eric Bailly and Phil Jones, but with those two available for selection again, and Marcos Rojo still to return from injury later this year, it will be intriguing to see whether one pairing can cement their place in the starting XI. Does any other squad in the league have as much quality, experience and strength in depth in defence? In our opinion, no.
Which team will come flying out of the traps?
It's always interesting to see which side sets the pace at the start of the campaign. Don't be surprised to see a promoted side, inspired by their new surroundings, delivering some shock early results, while one of the perennial front-runners will usually come charging out of the blocks. Jose's pre-season plan will have been to get his squad primed for this weekend, while also making it clear it's a marathon, not a sprint. Where we're at in the table on Sunday 13 May 2018 is the critical thing.
How will the new rules change the game?
New seasons often come with new rules and that's certainly true of 2017/18. The biggest change is the introduction of a retrospective ban for diving, which could see guilty players suspended for two matches. The FA will also be able to rescind a yellow or red card given to the player who was deemed to have committed a foul, while players can be punished for attempting to deceive the referee by feigning injury. Footage will be reviewed each Monday by a three-man panel, consisting of one ex-match official, one ex-manager and one ex-player.

U.S. court orders state dept. to search benghazi emails of Clinton’s aides

A U.S. federal court has ordered the State Department to conduct a search of email accounts belonging to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s aides, Judicial Watch said in a statement on Thursday.
“DC District Court Judge Amit Mehta ordered the State Department ‘to search the state.gov e-mail accounts of Huma Abedin, Cheryl Mills and Jacob Sullivan,’ former aides of Hillary Clinton during her tenure as Secretary of State,” Judicial Watch said.
The court order comes in response to the watchdog’s Freedom of Information Act request for records related to the 2012 Benghazi terror attack.
“This major court ruling may finally result in more answers about the Benghazi scandal, and Hillary Clinton’s involvement in it, as we approach the attack’s fifth anniversary,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said.

On Sept. 11, 2012, terrorists from the militant Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia attacked the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. (Sputnik/NAN)

Ambition, Restlessness, Progress, Purpose

Posted on August 1, 2017August 2, 2017 by WW

Growing up, my sister and I had divergent approaches to collecting souvenirs. We had to strategize for a reason; we couldn’t get everything we wanted, after all, give our family’s modest background. She always preferred knick-knacks. It was, I think, a combination of 1) her wanting to commemorate multiple aspects of the trip in question and 2) her inability to choose between all the various things she liked. Me, I waited. I’d hold back until I saw the one item that captured my imagination – and that was that. I recall this contrast in styles most vividly after a trip to Sea World. My sister brought home a little crystal, a bookmark, a ring, maybe more. Meanwhile, I had just this Shamu balancing metal ball contraption. To be honest, I think we were both a bit envious of the other’s approach. But that’s how we were built.
I have never thought of myself as an ambitious person. Perhaps this is because I primarily associate ambition with personality, and I’m as far from a type-A as humanly possible. I don’t network, I don’t ‘angle.’ I don’t take proper advantage of the opportunities I do have because it feels awkward or unnatural or, let’s face it, difficult. I’ve never been able to fake it in any circumstance, and perhaps I’ve come to use that as an excuse to not try much anymore. Yet I’ve come to recognize that this unwillingness to play the game does not necessarily make me unambitious. For whatever practical reasons I can cite in pursuing an advanced degree and moving to different countries for jobs, the fact remains that I have gotten an advanced degree and moved to different countries for jobs. Even I can admit that resembles something like ambition if only on the surface.
Perhaps it’s a matter of restlessness. A friend, once confronted with the ever-present and ever-annoying question of purpose in life, responded simply with “I don’t want to be bored.” I quite like that. I have days of boredom of course, weeks even, though hopefully not months. I like to think that I strive to not be bored in life – by traveling, by exploring, hiking, reading, watching movies, and so forth. Even if I am well aware that my job is not, and will likely never be, my passion, I believe what I do matters in some small way, and at a minimum, pushes and challenges myself to a requisite amount. Certainly there is some necessary delusion involved – there are days of surfing the internet and stressing over email invitations, for starters – but I hope delusion is ultimately outweighed by purpose and meaning both in the short and the long-term.
I wonder if I am conditioned to movement because of the way I grew up (the literal moving from one home to another), the amount of time I have spent in academic environments (with regular measures of progress), the conscious and paradoxical need to fight my tendency to be comfortable and stagnant. I am fortunate enough to be in a relatively supportive job environment, and thus I see the road ahead as one of progress. I was hired to assist on a project. I am currently seeking to develop my own. Eventually, I will want to manage a larger one. All this is far easier said than done, of course, and there will be unexpected obstacles along the way, just as there have been already. But this seems to me like the only path forward. Standing still is in effect moving backwards.
The regimented approach with which I consider my career extends beyond it as well. Gradation comes natural to me, reinforcing regularity, expectation, sense. With my writing, for instance, I have been careful to ensure that the hobby has never been completely stopped. It is how I hone my craft, indulge my creative ambition. Yet lacking the structure present in promotions and graduations, I wonder whether the short-term payoff I derive from having regular tangible outputs – as on these pages – deters a level of progress I would like applied elsewhere, towards larger milestones, projects, and so forth, such as they exist. In fact, I have had such projects what feels like nonstop since I entered graduate school: qualifying papers, the dissertation, the manuscript. There has always been something bigger to work on, something nestled but looming and unavoidable.
Well there was, at least.
Yet now with the final of those projects all but completed, with nothing that necessarily infringes on the divide between work and life, I still find myself a little ambitious, a little restless, desiring progress and purpose in a new creative outlet. I find myself contemplating another large endeavor, whether it be a screenplay (a second one), a novel, a memoir… or whenever guilt kicks in, something more professionally relevant – a journal article or something of the sort. And already I know the question I am asking is not whether I will start but rather concerns the precise nature of the output, form and substance, of the item that I will undertake. Maybe this kind of thing is simply how I have become accustomed to dealing with the monotony of life, or how I ascribe meaning to my life. I guess in a way, I still need the one big thing to capture my imagination, my attention, my time and effort. I guess that is how I was built.

(Photo by Serge Melki, CC BY 2.0, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Anambra election: PDP screens Ifeanyi Ubah, Jonathan’s minister, 5 others

- PDP has screened Chairman of Capital Oil, Ifeanyi Ubah, and Stella Oduah to contest Anambra election

- The party also screened five others who indicated interest to contest the election

 - The party also expressed confidence that it would win the election convincingly

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Thursday August 10 in Abuja began the screening of seven members who have indicated interest to contest the November 18 governorship election in Anambra.

NAIJ.com gathered that while addressing the aspirants at the party’s National Secretariat, Chairman of the Screening Committee, Adamu Waziri, pledged that the committee would do a thorough and fair job.

Mr. Waziri expressed confidence that the party would present a candidate with capacity to win the election.“Every one of us has something to lose if we lose Anambra election,” he said.Mr. Waziri promised to update journalists on the outcome of the exercise when concluded.

 The aspirants are Ifeanyi Ubah, Chairman of Capital Oil; Stella Oduah, former minister of aviation; Oseloka Obaze, former Secretary of Anambra state; Alex Obiogolu, John Emeka, Akolisa Ufodike and Lynda Ikpeazu.After taking his turn in the exercise, an aspirant, Mr. Obaze, told journalists that he had confidence in the committee, and claimed that he was the most qualified aspirant.

“There are six other aspirants but in terms of experience and capability, I think I am the best,” he said.Asked if there was any petition against him, Mr. Obaze said there was one that had to do with an interview he granted, but he has clarified the issue with the committee.

He described the recent gun attack on St. Philip’s Catholic Church, Ozubulu, as dehumanising, and urged security agencies to get to the root of the matter.

“What they have done is to scare people from going to the church.“Let government get to the root of the matter and prosecute the people that carried out the attack,” Mr. Obaze said.The PDP has scheduled its primary election on the Anambra poll on August 19 (NAN).

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that the chairman of Capital Oil, Ifeanyi Ubah, was spotted flaunting his wealth after his ordeal with the Department of State Services (DSS).

Match Preview: United v West Ham

So, the Premier League is back… That's right! After a long summer and gruelling pre-season, top-flight football makes a welcome return to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon as United face West Ham in the final match of the opening weekend. After the disappointment of losing to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup in midweek, the Reds will be desperate to bounce back immediately by making a winning start in the league, just as we did against Bournemouth last season.
How can I watch it? The game kicks off at 16:00 BST and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK. Subscribers of MUTV on Sky or Virgin Media, the club's MUTV app or online at mutv.com will be able to watch build-up from 15:00 BST in Matchday Live and listen to radio commentary of the game before watching it in full from midnight. You can also keep up with all the action as it happens via ManUtd.com's live match blog and by following our official Twitter account @ManUtd.
What happened last time out? Our first competitive game of 2017/18 saw the Reds travel to Macedonia for the prestigious UEFA Super Cup against Champions League holders Real Madrid. Goals from Casemiro and Isco put Real in the driving seat and, although Romelu Lukaku offered United a lifeline with his first official goal for the club, the European champions held on for a 2-1 victory in the sweltering heat in Skopje.
Any team news for me? Summer signings Victor Lindelof, Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku could make their Premier League debuts for the Reds, while Jose Mourinho faces a positive selection headache in defence with Eric Bailly and Phil Jones available again after sitting out the Super Cup through suspension. The boss is expected to give a further announcement on his squad during his pre-match press conference on Friday. Meanwhile, West Ham could welcome back Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini after injury, but Sofiane Feghouli, Cheikhou Kouyate, Diafra Sakho, Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio are expected to remain sidelined.
How have both sides done in pre-season? The Reds enjoyed a successful Tour 2017, presented by Aon, with six wins from seven games, having seen off LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Manchester City and Real Madrid before finishing the American leg with a narrow defeat by Barcelona. United then returned to Europe with a 3-0 win over Valerenga in Oslo before beating Sampdoria 2-1 in Dublin. Meanwhile, the Hammers endured an indifferent summer. A brief trip to Austria saw Slaven Bilic's side held to a goalless draw by Sturm Graz II and edge past Fulham 2-1 in Graz. They then travelled to Germany for a two-legged tie in the Betway Cup, losing 3-2 on aggregate, and drew 3-3 against Altona 93. Preparations were then rounded off last Friday in Iceland with a 3-0 defeat against Manchester City.    
How did we fare against the Hammers last term? United locked horns with West Ham on three occasions in 2016/17 and were unbeaten in all three games. The Reds had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the league at Old Trafford in November, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic cancelled out Diafra Sakho's early opener, but went one better three days later, with Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial each scoring twice in a 4-1 win in the EFL Cup. Goals from Juan Mata and Ibrahimovic then gave United a 2-0 victory in our first ever trip to the London Stadium at the start of the calendar year.   
How did West Ham do last season? 2016/17 was challenging season for the East London outfit which began in July in the Europa League, with the Hammers benefitting from United's Emirates FA Cup triumph to qualify, but their journey ended at the second hurdle with a play-off defeat by Romanian side Astra. After one win from the first six league games, form improved with five wins from seven games during winter helping their cause. A torrid run of five successive defeats in the spring had alarm bells ringing but a notable success against Tottenham and a win at Burnley on the final day ensured an 11th-place finish for Bilic's troops. 
The return of a familiar face… The Theatre of Dreams will welcome back a popular former Red on Sunday as Javier Hernandez looks set to make his West Ham debut against his old club. The Mexican striker netted 59 goals in 157 appearances for United in five seasons at Old Trafford (one season was on loan at Real Madrid) and made the move to London for £16 million last month, after two years in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen. A fans' favourite during his time at the club, Chicarito is sure to receive a warm reception from United supporters upon his anticipated return.
Did you know? Romelu Lukaku boasts a formidable record of scoring against the Hammers so far in his career. The Belgian striker scored in his first nine appearances for Everton against the east London club, with his goals directly earning nine Premier League points, and he also has four assists to his name against the Hammers. Lukaku will no doubt fancy his chances of finding the net again on his Premier League debut for the Reds against his favourite opponents.
Who's the referee? Martin Atkinson will take charge of Sunday's game at Old Trafford. The 46-year-old FIFA official from West Yorkshire presided over four United matches in 2016/17 and will oversee his first since sending off Marouane Fellaini in April's derby draw against Manchester City. He will be assisted by linesmen Stephen Child and Adam Nunn, with Neil Swarbrick on fourth official duties.
Rivals watch: The full programme on the opening weekend of the Premier League season is as follows...
Friday 11 August
Arsenal v Leicester City 19:45
Saturday 12 August (15:00 BST unless stated)
Watford v Liverpool 12:30
Chelsea v Burnley
Crystal Palace v Huddersfield Town
Everton v Stoke City
Southampton v Swansea City
West Bromwich Albion v Bournemouth
Brighton v Manchester City 17:30
Sunday 13 August  
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur 13:30