US Defense Secretary, James Mattis resigns, says his views aren't "in line" with President Trump's views

US Defense Secretary, James Mattis announced on Thursday that he would resign at the end of February, sending a letter to President Trump saying he deserved a secretary "whose views are better aligned with yours."  

The announcement came a day after the White House said the U.S. would be withdrawing its troops from Syria, as well as reports it was also considering a drawdown in Afghanistan. Both moves have been met with opposition by Pentagon officials and members of the foreign policy establishment.

In a striking resignation letter to Trump, Mattis signaled his concern with the way Trump treated allies in NATO as well as rivals such as China and Russia. 

Rapper Young Jeezy’s son slashed in the face during an altercation that allegedly left another man dead

US rapper, Young Jeezy’s 22-year-old son Jadarius was reportedly slashed in the face during an altercation that allegedly left another man dead.

According to TMZ, Jadarius was involved in an incident Sunday morning in Georgia that ended with gunfire.

The Gossip site reported that Officers responded to shots fired call, and when they arrived they found a 37-year-old man had been shot. He later died at the hospital 

Police confirmed that Jeezy's son sustained a “possible knife wound to the face” and was treated at the scene, but it’s unclear what occurred prior to the altercation between the two. 

Drew Findling, the attorney for Jeezy’s son, told TMZ “We are grateful to law enforcement for releasing Jadarius after their preliminary investigation. He continues to receive medical treatment for the injury he endured during the incident.” 

Another source added that Jadarius was acting in self-defense during the altercation. 

Police are now investigating two burglaries that occurred nearby around the same time as the shooting possibly involving the man who was killed.

CNN host Zain Asher reveals her newborn son's face and shows off her post-baby body

CNN host, Zain Asher and her husband of one year, Steve Peoples, welcomed a son some months back.

The new mother, who is holidaying in Hawaii with her growing family, revealed her son's face to the world while also showing off her post-baby body.

'We'll get married soon, I'll propose in a fire way, - Travis Scott reveals he's getting married to Kylie Jenner...lucky Travis

Travis Scott has revealed he is planning a 'fire' proposal to the mother of his child, Kylie Jenner, who he says is the one for him.

The rapper revealed this in an interview with Rolling Stone, where he opened up about his relationship with the Makeup mogul and their daughter Stormi Webster.

Man United team news: Huge blow for Solskjaer as key man is ruled out of Cardiff and Huddersfield fixtures

Manchester United’s new interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been handed his first selection headache, as Romelu Lukaku is ruled out until December 30.

According to the Daily Mail, the Belgian striker has been absent at the Carrington training ground this week, having been granted compassionate leave. He is now expected to miss the club’s next two fixtures against Cardiff City and Huddersfield but will return to duty officially on Boxing Day.

This latest news will come as a huge blow to Solskjaer, who was appointed as the club’s 

new head coach on a caretaker basis until the end of the season earlier in the week, 

The Norwegian would surely have hoped to have his strongest squad to choose from for the trip to Cardiff, where he will need to get off to a good start with three points to start gaining the trust of the fans in his new role.

The Daily Mail reports that Lukaku should be ready to play against Bournemouth on at the end of the month, but between now and then United will have to make do without a recognised centre-forward.

FACT-CHECK: Verifying President Muhammadu Buhari’s Claims In 2019 Budget Speech - Politics -

FACT-CHECK: Verifying President Muhammadu Buhari’s claims in 2019 budget speech



Babatunde Akintunde

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, December 19, presented the 2019 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly.

In his speech, he made a number of claims and quoted statistics, while reviewing economic developments over the past three and a half years.

Most of the figures claimed are being examined by PREMIUM TIMES and DUBAWA, to verify the level of correctness. It must, however, be noted that many of assertions made on expenditure are difficult to verify as there are no documents in the public space to verify.

This is the reason we have had to tag some of the claims as “unproven” due to lack of data.

We will, however, keep researching to update this work in the coming days.

The president made the following claims in his presentation:

First claim: The economy has recovered from recession and we have had six quarters of growth since then. Real Gross Domestic Product growth stood at 1.81 per cent in the third quarter of 2018, compared to 1.17 per cent in the third quarter of 2017.

We have had a sustained accretion to foreign exchange reserves from a low of $28.57 billion in May 2015 to $42.92 billion by mid-December 2018.

This has contributed to exchange rate stability and will provide a buffer against any unanticipated external shocks. Inflation has also declined from a peak of 18.72 per cent in January 2017 to 11.28 per cent in November this year.

Verification: When did Nigeria exit recession?

The driver who was shot during the attack that led to Alex Badeh's death is alive and recuperating - Nigerian Navy

The Nigerian Navy has issued an official statement to address some issues surruonding the death of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh.

According to the Navy, the driver who was wounded in the attack is alive and recuperating as investigation into the incident is substantially progressing.

The statement reads, 'the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has noted, with dismay, some erroneous reports and comments in the media regarding the unfortunate incident that led to the death of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, on 18 December 2018. Some of these reports erroneously state that the driver of the late former CDS, who was also shot during the incident, is dead. Other reports allege that adequate security was not provided for the deceased Air Chief Marshal'.