Lalong Fires Richard Tokma Acting SSG, Appoints Chief Of Staff - Politics -

Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, has removed Mr Richard Tokma, as the Acting Secretary to the State Government

The Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mr Makut Macham, in a statement in Jos on Thursday, said that Prof. Danladi Atu has been appointed by the Governor to replace Tokma who has been serving in an acting capacity since September 2018.

The statement also said that the Governor equally approved the appointment of Mr Noel Donjur as his new Chief of Staff.

The statement said, “Plateau State Governor Rt.Hon. Simon Bako Lalong has announced the appointment of Prof. Danladi Abok Atu as the Secretary to the Government of Plateau State. Prof. Atu until now is the Director, Institute for Peace and Social Rehabilitation, University of Abuja.

TV host cries and apologizes for saying that her black colleague looks like a gorilla on Live TV (video)

A TV host broke down in tears as she apologized for saying her black colleague looks like a gorilla live on air.

Alex Housden, during a TV show segment about a gorilla, commented about a gorilla at Oklahoma City’s zoo by telling black colleague Jason Hackett: "Kinda looks like you."

Her racist statement elicited a backlash as people called for her to be fired from KOCO-TV,  and she was forced to apologise the following day.

She groveled as she said sorry to Jason Hackett on Oklahoma’s KOCO-TV last Thursday, August 22.  

Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City more likely to draw Atletico Madrid in UCL - Sports

Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City more likely to draw Atletico Madrid in Champions League than any other team… and it could be Barcelona for Spurs

A football fan has run 50 million simulations for the upcoming Champions League group stage draw on Thursday, with a probability rating given for every possible outcome.

BayernForum.com did the experiment based on the assumption that Ajax get past APOEL Nicosia in the final play-off this week - and it though it took a lot of time and effort - it makes for very interesting reading.

Champions League holders Liverpool are most likely to be paired with Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid from pot two, much like Premier League champions Manchester City and Europa League winners Chelsea, also in pot one.

Lukaku Scores On His Inter Milan Serie A Debut - Sports -

Romelu Lukaku scored on his Serie A debut for Inter Milan as they convincingly beat 10-man Lecce. 

The Belgian striker, signed by Inter for a club record 80m euros (£74m) from Manchester United on 8 August, tapped in the third goal in the 60th minute.

Marcelo Brozovic curled Inter's opener and Stefano Sensi's drive made it 2-0.

Antonio Candreva's 30-yard drive completed the victory after Leece's Diego farias had been sent off for a nasty looking challenge.

Lukaku, who hit 42 goals in 96 games for United after joining from Everton for £75m in July 2017, has now scored on his league debut for each of his past four clubs.

Inter boss Antonio Conte, who replaced Luciano Spalletti in May, had identified Lukaku as a key summer target and was pleased with his star signing.

"Romelu has entered the Inter world with great humility," Conte said. "He is ready to work for the team."

"There was a spark, but now we must become dynamite," he added after overseeing a win for his first league game in charge.

Girl, 4, dies after throat was slashed by glass-coated kite as she was riding on a motorcycle

A four-year-old girl has died after her throat was slit by a glass-coated kite as she was riding on a motorcycle with her father. 

The girl was travelling with her father to a temple in New Delhi, India, when nearly half her neck was cut by the string, the Times of India reported. The incident happened on Saturday.

According to local media reports, this is the second such case in one week.

Kite flying is a popular sport in India but it has become increasingly deadly in recent years amid fierce competition.  People now modify kite strings with metal or glass in an attempt to cut down competitor’s kites.

A 28-year-old engineer died on India's  Independence Day, August 15, when his throat was slit by a kite string as he was riding his motorbike in Delhi, media reports said. A three-year-old boy was reportedly electrocuted after his kite string – believed to be wet and coated with metal – came into contact with an electric wire in the city. 

Last month, a three-year-old died after a kite string became entangled around her uncle’s neck in southern Delhi, as the pair who were riding on a motorcycle, crashed and fell off a flyover, according to News18 television. 

Animal rights groups have also called for tougher action by the police and state authorities, after a number of birds were maimed or killed by the strings.

Full list of winners at the MTV VMAs 2019

2019 MTV Video Music Awards held last night, August 26, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark.

This year, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande tied  for the title of most-nominated artist as they received 10 nods each. Billie Eilish got 9 nods and Lil Nas follows with 8.

At the event, Taylor Swift kicked off the main show with “You Need to Calm Down” and the first-ever live performance of “Lover.” Missy Elliott received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and performed a medley of her songs, including her new song “Throw It Back.” 

Lil Nas X performed his “Old Town Road” followup “Panini.” Lizzo performed “Truth Hurts” and “Good As Hell”.

Megan Thee Stallion opened the pre-show with a performance of “Big Ole Freak” and later performed a medley of “Hot Girl Summer” and “Cash Shit.” 

It was indeed a memorable show. Below is the list of winners from last night.

Video Vanguard

WINNER: Missy Elliott

Video of the Year

WINNER: Taylor Swift: “You Need to Calm Down”
21 Savage: “a lot” [ft. J. Cole]
Billie Eilish: “bad guy”
Ariana Grande: thank u, next”
Jonas Brothers: “Sucker”
Lil Nas X: “Old Town Road (Remix)” [ft. Billy Ray Cyrus]

Artist of the Year

WINNER: Ariana Grande
Cardi B
Billie Eilish
Halsey
Jonas Brothers
Shawn Mendes

Song of the Year

WINNER: Lil Nas X: “Old Town Road (Remix)” [ft. Billy Ray Cyrus]
Drake: “In My Feelings”
Ariana Grande: “thank u, next”
Jonas Brothers: “Sucker”
Lady Gaga / Bradley Cooper: “Shallow”
Taylor Swift: “You Need to Calm Down”

Serena Williams crushes Maria Sharapova in 58 minutes at the U.S. Open

Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova to come out victorious on the first night of the US Open to reach the second round.

The 37-year-old American who has 23 major singles titles took only 58 minutes to humble Sharapova 6-1, 6-1 in the US Open first-round match which took place at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night ( August 26)

After the match, Serena Williams who lost to Naomi Osaka in the 2018 US Open final at the same Stadium, addressed the crowd during her interview with ESPN.

"Thank you for supporting me," she said. "I've said it once, but I've had a lot of tough matches here and a lot of tough losses, but coming out tonight makes it all worthwhile."

Sharapova, 32, who has been plagued by injuries this year said: "This is a very different chapter in my career."

"It's not an easy road. It's never been. But I went through a shoulder procedure about four months ago. To find myself playing at a night match at the US Open with people excited about the matchup, it's a pretty big deal. I'm fortunate to be a part of that.

"It's easy to be discouraged after a match like this. But if I'm personally discouraged, I wake up tomorrow, I don't feel like I want to go out, train, be better, that's more discouraging than the result."

Taylow Swift wows the crowd with her performance at the MTV VMAs (video)

Taylor Swift gave an amazing performance at the 2019 MTV VMAs.

The singer kicked off her performance with a rendition of You Need To Calm Down. She was in full pop star attire as she teamed a gold lame bodysuit with a sparkling pair of hot pants and little silver ankle boots. 

She also had a diverse team of backup dancers behind her.

In line with the message of love and acceptance in her song, a rainbow arched over the back of the stage while holograms of the song's key lyrics popped across the stage. The words "Equality Act" also spanned across the screens.

After You Need To Calm Down, Taylor took the stage with her guitar to perform the lead track of her new album Lover.

Later on during an acceptance speech, Taylor urge fans to sign a petition advocating for the Equality Act.

Watch the video below.