Timeloaded

A Moscow court on Monday handed down a 15-day jail sentence to one of four people who interrupted Sunday's World Cup final between France and Croatia when they ran onto the pitch wearing fake police uniforms. The judge also banned the pitch invader, Veronika Nikulshina, from attending sports events for three years. Three others are due to be sentenced later on Monday.

Teenager Kylian Mbappe confirmed his status as the new star of international football with a superb goal and impressive display in France's 4-2 World Cup final triumph over Croatia on Sunday. At the end of a World Cup in which Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi headed home after the first knockout round and Brazilian Neymar failed to deliver, the game perhaps needed a new talent to excite the global public. The 19-year-old from Bondy, on the gritty north-east outskirts of Paris, has provided it with his terrifying pace, superb touch and clinical finishing in ample evidence. With his goal, Mbappe became the first teenager since the great Brazilian Pele in 1958 to score in a World Cup final. Mbappe, who netted four goals in Russia, was also voted the young player of the tournament, recognition of his excellent performances, particularly in the knockout stages. Former Germany World Cup player and coach Juergen Klinsmann, working as a BBC pundit at the tournament, believe...

US player Serena Williams serves against Italy’s Camila Giorgi during their women’s singles quarter-final match on the eighth day of the 2018 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 10, 2018. Williams won the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Oli SCARFF / AFP Serena Williams survived a stiff challenge by Italian Camila Giorgi and won 3/6; 6/3; 6/4 to reach her 11th semi-final in Wimbledon. Angelique Kerber of Germany prevailed over Daria Kasatkina of Russia 6/3; 7/5. Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 7/5; 6/4, while Julia Goerges of Germany outlasted Kiki Bertens of Netherlands 3/6; 7/5; 6/1 in one hour and 56 minutes. Serena’s epic match on Centre Court lasted one hour and 42 minutes. The Italian took the first set six games to three. The 26-year old Camila came to Wimbledon ranked 52 and defeated Elina Makarova in the previous round. She took the first set off Serena, 6-3. In the secon...

Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose The seething pot has been spilling its content in Ekiti State as political parties and their candidates round off their campaigns ahead of the governorship polls slated for Saturday, July 14. It has been a vitriolic campaign from the very blast of the whistle. The tempo of campaigns has stretched political ties to the limit. Many have fallen, some were wounded, yet many live in fear of the coming moment – July 14, the decision day. Although the election has about 35 political parties participating, the campaign stage is dominated by Nigeria’s two leading parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). It is, therefore, expected to be a straight fight between the Ayo Fayose-led PDP and the APC candidate, Kayode Fayemi. Although Mr Fayose is not a candidate contesting the governorship polls, Saturday’s election would literally be a replay of the 2014 polls. Mr Fayose, then in his effort to retu...

MTN Nigeria office The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday chased workers out of MTN Call Centre, Ojota, Lagos, in continuation of its picketing of the multinational company over alleged unfair labour practices. NLC members led by the President, Ayuba Wabba, arrived and disrupted operations at the centre on the second day of the picketing. The congress started picketing the company’s offices across states on Monday. PREMIUM TIMES  published how the MTN Kano office was picketed  on Monday. Addressing MTN workers at Tuesday’s picketing, Mr Wabba vowed that NLC would not relent until the company respected workers’ rights. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NLC is picketing MTN Nigeria over alleged casualisation and non-unionisation of workers. Mr Wabba said that the congress would ensure that MTN Nigeria adhered to labour rules and provided improved work condition for its workers. He noted that NLC members disrupted the company...

Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun Nigeria’s main opposition party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) against covering up the NYSC certificate forgery case against Kemi Adeosun, minister of finance, with a purported investigation. The PDP made this call while reacting to PREMIUM TIMES exclusive report, exposing how Mrs. Adeosun did not participate in the mandatory one-year national youth service scheme, and instead, forged an exemption certificate many years after graduation. The NYSC had in a statement by its director of public relations, Adenike Adeyemi, emailed to PREMIUM TIMES said the service will “investigate the origin of the purported Exemption Certificate in question”. In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the former ruling party said a simple process of matching the serial numbering, date and authorising signature on Mrs. Adeosun’s certificate does not require a lengthy investigati...

Croatia's run to the World Cup semifinals may be a surprise to some, but coach Zlatko Dalic said his players had long been among the best in the world and are ready to go down in history as another golden generation when they face England on Wednesday. Croatia's best previous World Cup run dates back 20 years to 1998, when they lost in the last four to eventual winners France. In 2002, 2006 and 2014 they were eliminated in the group stages, and they failed to qualify for the 2010 tournament. "Croatia has great players playing at the greatest clubs, but it is true we have not had good results at major tournament for decades," the coach said on Tuesday. His players' club list reads like a who's-who of European elite players, with Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic at Real Madrid, Ivan Rakitic at Spanish rivals Barcelona, forward Mario Mandzukic at Italian champions Juventus, and Dejan Lovren at Liverpool among others. "The results were below the level and ...