Fashion:Would You Be Daring Enough To Try ThisSeason's Hottest Hair Trend?

Grey. It's the new black (red, blonde and brunette,
too, for that matter). No longer the preserve of the
bus pass brigade, silver locks are officially cool and
not just for those carrying the Y chromosome; the
fairer sex have finally got in on the act as grey finally
becomes socially acceptable (if it's good enough for
Kate Middleton...).
Ok, we admit, Kate Middleton's delicate silvery
strands may not have been a conscious fashion
statement, but it does show a more relaxed attitude
to what used to be one of beauty's biggest pariahs.
As a new mother there are more important things to
worry about than a date with the dye, and we would
wholeheartedly agree, but missed cover-ups aside,
it's a trend that has been on the cards now for a
couple of years.
Jean Paul Gaultier started it a few seasons ago,
with his ode to the granny rinse, when he sent his
models out in grey wigs - and it's been steadily
gathering momentum ever since. Demonstrated by
fashion's current love affair with models such as
Kristen McMenamy, whose trademark tresses have
been flaunted down every runway.
They say it takes three for a trend, so the minute we
spotted several fashionistas during fashion week
with copycat hues (all under the age of 35 - we're
pleased to note), we knew it was a keeper.
Think of it as an evolution of the pastel. The key is
the cool hint of blue/grey (achieved using a toner)
which overlays a super-light base.
It may not be for everyone but we're seriously
thinking of exploring our own 50 shades of grey.
But, if grey hair isn't your thing, a new pill has been
developed to stop you going grey. Worth knowing.
Need some hair inspiration for the festive season?
We've found loads of gorgeous party hairstyles.

Forbes magazine's 50 Richest Africans 2013list. Dangote now worth N20b

Forbes Magazine just released their list of the 50
Richest Africans 2013 and Nigerian industrialist Aliko
Dangote is placed at No.1 with a net worth of N20
billion. Africa's richest are getting richer. In 2003,
Forbes counted only two billionaires in Africa – Nicky
Oppenheimer and Johann Rupert, both of South
Africa, now there are over 50 of them. See the rest
after the cut

Sport: Reasons Why Arsenal are Genuine Title Contenders this Season

If there was any season the Gunners were going to win the
Premier League, it had to be this season. The League's
perennial winner, Sir Alex Ferguson, dominated the English
game for nearly three decades and after winning over a
dozen League titles, he decided to call it quits.
His recent autobiography has been the talk of the town but I
must confess that seeing Sir Ferguson on the stands is more
relieving than when I saw him on the touchline giving his
tactics to his players that didn't just know how to lose.
Whether it was from help from an official or just their sheer
ability, there was something about Manchester United's
mentality that was worth emulating in the Premier League.
Even after the losses of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez,
SAF still made a squad that dominated the league.
In Ferguson's absence (thank Heavens), Manchester United
summoned a David Moyes that had been a stalwart at
Everton but his record against the traditional "big four" in
their home grounds was downright abysmal. Then there was
the sacking of Roberto Mancini after he failed to win the FA
Cup against a relegation-bound Wigan and his departure
coincided with the arrival of a prestigious manager in the
form of Manuel Pellegrini. Then there was Chelsea, a club
whose chairman changes managers like the way babies
change diapers but he decided to bring a familiar face in Jose
Mourinho.
These are all great managers but they're going through
transitional phases so Arsenal, a team with a stable institution
under the guidance of a living legend like Arsene Wenger, as
well as the fact that there was no major departure this
summer (besides flushing out the deadwood), the team was
quite settled from the onset and the acquisitions of Mathieu
Flamini and Mesut Ozil gave the team a massive lift.
Arsenal has been on fine run of scintillating form and since
that slump at the Emirates stadium in the opening day of the
season a lot things as turned around in the team. Aaron
Ramsey has had a magnificent season so far bagging 11 goals
in 16 matches, he has been unstoppable in the both the
midfield areas and his confidence and composure in front of
the goal has been admirable.
It's no surprise that he has won player of the month for the
fourth consecutive time.
The Welshman has played a key part in the resurgence of the
Emirates outfit. Moreover, the signing of the Germany
playmaker Mesut Ozil was as fans expected going to have a
positive bearing on the team. And it has been amazing how
the 25-year old has seamlessly integrated into the team. The
squad looks lively more than ever and it's always beautiful to
watch Arsenal play these days.
The midfield mixture of both young exuberant players like
Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Mesut Ozil and experienced
heads like Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and the evergreen
Tomas Rosicky gels well with the attractive football
synonymous with the Emirates outfit. The team also attacks
more often and they keep their opponents on toes especially
when moving forward. Even though there have been players
who have been sidelined by injuries, the team has really coped
well and covered up for their absence.
In the past, the squad struggled in the absences of key
players like Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and
others through injury, and when they finally departed, they
left gaping holes in the squad that have been finally addressed
by the manager. Fabregas and Nasri were equally replaced by
a better pairing of Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla. The Gunners
also coped from the loss of van Persie with the acquisitions
of Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski that scored 33 goals
between them last season.
In the Premier League, Arsenal sit on the summit of the table
five points clear. They started rather poorly with a dismal
performance against Aston Villa but it was followed with five
wins in a row against Fulham, Tottenham, Sunderland, Stoke
and Swansea. West Brom dented the amazing winning run
with a draw but the Gunners have picked up where they left
off in the league defeating Norwich, Crystal Palace and most
recently, Liverpool.
On Sunday, Arsenal travel to Manchester United in another
mouth-watering clash- we all know the build up to this game
has always been. Manchester United has been trying to find
form after a shaky start of the season under the new
manager. I expect a hard game but if anything, Arsenal will
carry the day. The worst result the team may get at Old
Trafford is most likely a draw.
Arsenal also leads their UEFA Champions League group with
nine points, having just lost once at home to Borussia
Dortmund. Napoli is second placed after their Wednesday night
against Marseille. Arsenal credentials this season as real title
contenders looks more than ever.
People have talked so much about Group F which has been
tagged as the Group of Death, but they tend to forget
that in that group, Arsenal is the Team of Life.
I have got this believe that, this season, Arsenal will end up
winning something. Some may say it's too early to draw a
conclusion but if the injured players return to action and then
it happen that current form continues it will be hard to
dislodge Arsenal at the top.
The happy times are back again and if the Gunners can
maintain their level of consistency all season long, they would
win the Premier League. It's actually a marathon not a race.

Nigeria: ASUU Strike - Fulani "herdsmen" Threaten to Stop BeefSupply

Fulani herdsmen under the umbrella of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore in
Nasarawa State have threatened to stop the sales of beef in
markets if the Federal Government fails to end the prolonged
strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) within
two weeks.
The herdsmen who gathered at the Miyetti Allah headquarters in
Nasarawa expressed their unhappiness over the handling of the
issue relating to lecturers' pay which has resulted in the
unnecessary and endless stay-at-home of Nigerian students.
Speaking with newsmen on behalf of the herdsmen, the national
president of the association, Alhaji Abdullahi Bodejo, faulted the
attitude of the government towards education and urged
President Goodluck Jonathan to re-negotiate with the aggrieved
union, in order to find a lasting solution to the strike in the
interest of students and the country.
"If the federal government refuses to listen to the lecturers, we
have no choice than to stop the supply of meat to markets and
our women from selling milk (fura da nunu). We have been making
efforts to enlighten our people about education, but the
government is not encouraging us at all," Bodejo said. He also
called on the union to consider the situation and return to class in
the interests of Nigerian students.

Entertainment: Omotola to Be Honoured By Kinsmen

Nollywood's leading Actress, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has never
had honours, lurking too far away from her as every single stride
the sexy actress makes seems to have a golden lining of honour
about it. She has won virtually every award there is to be won in
the movie industry within and outside the shores of the country
and the only vacuum in her list of honours, which is one from her
State of origin, is now on the cards.
The gist reaching WG has it that the traditional council of the Ondo
kingdom has decided to confer on the actress a high-profile
chieftaincy title in recognition of her outstanding achievement in
the movie industry and also as an illustrious daughter of Ondo
State.
Omotola, who was named as one of the most influential 100
people in the world by TIME magazine recently has become an
human rights advocate and only a couple of days ago was
presented with the Ebony Vanguard Award for her long standing
achievements in acting, in Birmingham, United Kingdom in the
presence of leading British film-makers.

Juliet Ibrahim is The Most BeautifulWoman in West Africa?

Not sure how accurate this is, but A-Lister's magazine
have put it out there that Ghanaian actress, Juliet
Ibrahim is the most beautiful women in West Africa.
As pretty as she is, it's a hard one to sell. Not with
Osas Ighodaro, Yvonne Nelson, Genevieve, and Muna still
holding ECOWAS passports.
What's your thought?

Olamide Drops Album "Baddest Guy Ever Liveth"

Olamide's 3rd album Baddest Guy Ever Liveth is released
with a lot of critical acclaim, and much anticipation
following the high level of success the artist has had
this year. The album consists of 21 tracks, and
features appearances from Pheelz, Ice Prince, Ketchup,
Endia, Phyno and Bez.

The Blackberry Z30

There's more than slight irony in the fact that
the best phone BlackBerry's ever built hadn't
even launched in South Africa (one of the device
maker's 'core' markets) by the time the Fairfax
buyout deal fell through, CEO Thorsten Heins
was thrown to the wolves, and the vague
"business model transition" was announced by the new (interim)
boss John Chen.
Yes, this is best phone BlackBerry's ever shipped. The hardware
stands tall above its older devices. Slick, high-quality finishes… a
5-inch screen that's big, but not phablet big. (We'll get to the
operating system).
The only problem is, again, that BlackBerry's managed to catch up
to where the market was 18 months ago. Put the Z30 next to a
Samsung Galaxy S2 and it comes out on top. It'll sort of match
the iPhone 4S.
But at the end of 2013? It's simply too late.
That's the trouble with the now-annual release cycle in the
handset industry. Miss a year – or fail to have a hit – and you
accelerate your decline to irrelevance. Remember, BlackBerry 10 in
the first place (and the launch device, the Z10) was late.
The market's moved on. Not only has BlackBerry lost mindshare,
its lost operator support. Literally as recently as two months
ago, BlackBerry dominated the cover - and first handful of pages
– of the Vodacom and MTN monthly deal booklets. In Vodacom's
October edition, the first BlackBerry makes its appearance on
page 6; ditto with MTN. And while it's a 'new' phone, it's running
the old-generation OS 7 (and BIS).
Because the Z30 is two years too late (18 months, if I'm really
kind), I'm not going to go into camera specs (not great), its new
high-definition sound for video calls ('BlackBerry Natural Sound')
and the like… The one thing BlackBerry's selling hard is the battery
life of the Z30. Its promising 25 hours of "normal" use, which is
a magnitude better than the other BB10 devices. (This comes at
a cost – the battery is no longer removable.)
The real improvements are on the operating system. With the
10.2 update (available to the Z10, Q10, Q5 as well), the new BB10
platform is actually useable. For example, notification previews
are now available on the lockscreen (yes, it is 2013, not 2010).
You can now also reply to notifications (alerts) as they flash at
the top of the screen. Handy.
It's added a priority filter to the inbox hub – so all your important
e-mails, messages, conversations, missed calls will be added to
this (the phone learns who's important, but you can set – on a
granular level – exactly what is/who should be deemed 'priority').
Sharing is easier (the OS learns who you share what with and
how you share things, and the menus start adding these
'favourite' shortcuts). Afrikaans has been added as a predictive
input language.
And, despite the OS being launched ten months ago, it's finally
added a BlackBerry Hub icon so users who aren't familiar with
the upward swipe to access their inbox, can do so easily. Along
with this, it's improved the 'out-of-box' experience, with quick
tutorials demoing the gestures when you first turn your phone
on. Quite why this wasn't done back in January when BB10 was
released is a mystery – especially when the jump to BB10 from
the old OS7 is so massive.
While it's impressive that BlackBerry has notched up three
relatively major OS releases in just over nine months (it's never
managed anywhere close to this before), BlackBerry should've
launched with 10.2. Aspects of the original 10.0 (and 10.1) were
obviously rushed and unfinished.
Beyond that, the broader ecosystem stutters along… Windows
Phone (thanks to Microsoft's deep pockets) has managed to
snatch that 'third spot' in the ecosystem battle (Instagram is
finally heading to WP!) – although this third position is not really
sustainable to begin with.
So a phone that's late to the game, together with an operating
system and ecosystem that's far enough behind it may never
catch up … not exactly a recipe to arrest the stunning revenue
and market share declines we've seen from BlackBerry as it
battles a death spiral.
Following Monday's aborted buyout, a jettisoned CEO and new
private equity suit and Chen now at the helm ( yes, yes, he turned
around database outfit Sybase – but his most recent job has
been as senior adviser at Silver Lake Partners), there are now
simply too many unknowns.
Perceptions in the mass market are crucial in this game. And
when people start talking about 'why BlackBerry is dead' around
the braai, it's probably a (very) bad sign. The average consumer
is not going to commit to a BlackBerry handset for the next two
years on contract when there are all these unknowns swirling
around (Witness HTC and its agony, despite the fact that the
HTC One is a better device than the Samsung Galaxy S4, by
practically every measure.) And the move away from all-in BIS
internet has hit BlackBerry very hard in emerging markets.
Who knows what BlackBerry looks like a year from now? I'd bet –
and it's an easy one to take - that it's going to be
unrecognisable… there's lots to salvage in the mess. But, equally,
there's a fair amount that needs to be cut loose or sold (most
importantly the handset business which has been a gigantic drain
on cash, working capital and resources).
The BBM-on-iPhone-and-Android noise has died down. Of course
the big problem there is it needs to get that user base through
100 million and keep up the momentum. There aren't too many
signs that's happening….
Although, right now, that the least of BlackBerry's problems.

Sport: Avoiding defeat in Paramount

Arsenal face a very stern test tonight as they come up
against a team in scorching form in the Bundesliga and
Champions League. Borussia Dortmund are on fire now with
just a loss in their last six games and its also worth noting
that they have won all the home fixtures (eight in total) in all
competitions this season. Arsenal on the other hand,
are unbeaten in 14 away matches in all competitions since
recording a famous win at Bayern Munich in March.
Dortmund have been chasing Bayern Munich frantically in the
Bundesliga and are just a point behind the Bavarians at the
summit of the German first division. They have sealed
victories in their last four fixtures, which includes a narrow
2-1 win over Arsenal at the Emirates and last weekend, their
hot streak continued as they pummeled VFB Stuttgart with
six goals.
Borussia Dortmund's manager, Jurgen Klopp, will leave no
stone unturned to get the better of Arsenal again when they
visit the Signal Iduna Park tonight. He had spoken about his
admiration for Arsenal's gaffer, Arsene Wenger, and poured
cold water on any hopes of managing Arsenal in the near
future. According to Klopp, Arsenal was more like an
orchestra, that treats the ball like a delicacy but he prefers
heavy metal music and this was on display when his team
visited the Emirates with their heavy pressing game and high
octane football.
At home, there have been over 2.5 goals scored
in six of Borussia Dortmund's last seven games in the
Champions League (including qualifiers) so the Gunners have to
be very mindful of the attacking threat they pose because
they have a lot of talented individuals that will hurt the
Gunners given half a chance.
With Arsenal, Dortmund and Napoli all on six points, tonight's
set of fixtures will be key as every result will set the tone
for the destinies of these sides vying for qualification into the
latter stages of the competition. If Arsenal manages to get a
draw against Borussia Dortmund and Napoli beat Marseille, it
would leave Napoli sitting pretty with nine points and they'll
still have a home clash against the Gunners in San Paolo,
Naples.
This would mean that the Gunners would face a daunting
task of defeating Napoli in Italy as well as making sure they
dispatch Marseille at home to seal qualification. However,
losing to Dortmund will put the Gunners in a mightily precarious
situation and they would be hoping for Marseille to get some
points off Napoli, which seems rather unlikely if you judge the
performances of both sides thus far in the Champions League
this season.
Napoli are likely to win at home to Marseille, so whoever loses
this match could be left three points behind staring the
Europa League in the face. Arsenal are on great form, but so
are Dortmund, who are equally on fire following a 6-1 drubbing
of VfB Stuttgart at the weekend. The Germans taught
Arsenal a lesson a fortnight ago at the Emirates, and with
the home advantage this time they will be even more likely to
win.
The Gunners are in high spirits ahead of the game with Mikel
Arteta stating that his team isn't inferior to Dortmund, while
Arsenal's Man on Fire, Aaron Ramsey, has promised that the
team is going to be street wise against the German outfit.
To injury news, Dortmund will be without their key defender,
Matts Hummels, that suffered a thigh injury in the win
agaianst Stuttgart but with Neven Subotic rested, he'll be
odds on to play alongside the Greek powerhouse, Sokratis
Papathathopoulos, that scored twice against Stuttgart.
Dortmund would also be without club captain Sebastian Kehl
(ankle), despite the midfielder returning to training, while
Lukasz Piszczek (groin) and Ilkay Gundogan (back) will
definitely miss out.
At Arsenal, Jack Wilshere remains sidelined with an ankle injury
while Kieran Gibbs has been declared fit and available to play
despite his muscular problems against Liverpool last weekend.
However, the usual suspects are still out which
include Mathieu Flamini (groin), Theo Walcott (abdomen), Lukas
Podolski (hamstring), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Abou Diaby
(both knee), while young winger Serge Gnabry is struggling
with an ankle injury.

Sport: Dortmund vs Arsenal

Group F has lived up to its billing as the 'group of death', with the
Gunners, Dortmund and Napoli all level on six points after the
opening three rounds of fixtures, while Marseille have bared the
brunt of the punishment, sitting rock bottom after three
successive defeats.
Arsene Wenger's Premier League leaders will now head to
Germany looking to avenge their 2-1 home defeat in the reverse
fixture in October, and head into the tie on the back of an
impressive 2-0 win over Liverpool in the English top flight.
That result took the north London giants five points clear in the
English standings, giving the side plenty of confidence ahead of
another grueling test.
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp's men, European Cup runners-up last
season, are also flying high in the Bundesliga and trail leaders
Bayern Munich by only a single point, while they have won their
last seven home matches in continental action and eight in all
competitions this term.
To add to that, Dortmund have also never lost on home soil to an
English side in the Champions League, winning four and drawing
three, although the last time Arsenal traveled to Germany they
came away with the scalp of Bayern Munich in one of only two
defeats the eventual Bundesliga winners suffered that season.
Klopp, who is set to return from a two-match UEFA touchline
ban, will be looking to Robert Lewandowski to continue leading the
line up front, having netted a hat-trick in the 6-1 thrashing of
Stuttgart on Friday.
However, Klopp will be without captain Sebastian Kehl (ankle),
Lukasz Piszczek (groin) and Ilkay Gundogan (back).
For Arsenal, the match is thought to have come too soon for
Mathieu Flamini, who sat out this weekend's win over the Reds,
while Theo Walcott (abdomen), Lukas Podolski (hamstring), Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain and Abou Diaby (both knee) remain long-term
casualties.
Another blow for Wenger is the news Jack Wilshere rolled his
ankle in training on Monday and will not feature, meaning the
Frenchman is likely to stick to the same XI that started at the
Emirates on Saturday, with Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey -
goal scorers on the day - lining up in the middle along with Mesut
Ozil.

David Mark-Asuu will Call Off Strike Soon

Senate President David Mark yesterday met with officials of the
striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), with the
hope of prevailing on them to return to the classroom.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary,
Paul Mumeh, the Senate President said there were indications
that the four-month-old industrial dispute would soon be
resolved.
Mark said ASUU officials decried the lingering crisis, which has
taken its toll on the nation.
Mark spoke in Abuja during a meeting with ASUU leaders, led by
the union's President, Dr Nasir Fagge.
Those at the meeting included Prof Festus Iyayi, Dr. Dipo Fashina,
Prof Abdullahi Sule-Kano, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, Prof Victor
Osodeke, Dr. A. B. Baffa, Prof Suleiman Abdul, Dr. Victor Igbum
and Mr. Michael Odunmorayo.
The Senate President noted that the strike had brought hardship
to students, parents and the lecturers.
He said: "It is time we resolve this matter in the interest of the
nation.
"This is not a case of winners or losers. It is not a matter of
ego. National interest is at stake. We must do all that is
necessary to resolve this matter so that students and teachers
can return to classrooms.
"Nobody is happy about the strike, which is in its fourth month.
Nobody is happy that our education system is threatened by this
ugly development. Let us end this strike for good."
Dr Fagge said the struggle was necessitated by the need to
improve the infrastructure and learning environment in
universities.
He said the striking lecturers wished to produce graduates who
could be as good as their counterparts in other parts of the
world.
The union leader stressed that the strike did not profit the
lecturers but was a needed sacrifice for the government to do
the right thing in the Education sector.
He said: "We are not just lecturers; we are also parents and
students. So, the strike is also affecting us negatively."
The meeting later went into a closed-door session for about
two-and-a-half hours.
The University of Jos (UNIJOS) chapter of the ASUU has said it is
not against a dialogue with the Federal Government.
But it said the strike lingered for over four months because of
the government's high-handedness.
The union stressed that its dialogue with the government would
have been fruitful, if the government had respected the
agreement it signed with the union in 2009 as well as acted on
the NEEDS Assessment Report.
A joint statement by the UNIJOS Chairman of the union, Dr. David
Jangkam, and the Secretary, Dr. Wamnang, said: "Anything
contrary or not based on a clear acceptance of the framework
for implementing the 2009 agreement and NEEDS Assessment
Report will be an imposition which will not be the solution to the
present crisis."
The statement added that the agreements were well
documented and could not be jettisoned under any guise.
The UNJOS-ASUU urged President Goodluck Jonathan to follow
the principles of the agreement to resolve the face-off, instead
of applying high-handed tactics.
It hailed ASUU's national leadership for sticking to its guns on the
strike.

Sport: Mourinho dismisses Liverpool,City and Spurs are main Contenders.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has written off Liverpool as title
Challengers but insists that Tottenham and Manchester City have
the squad to triumph this season.
The former Real Madrid manager believes that Liverpool do not
have the strength in depth in certain areas to challenge, as was
evident in their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in the
Emirates stadium. Liverpool are currently joint on points with
Chelsea but are behind the Blues in third, who are second on goal
difference. Meanwhile, Manchester United have failed to push on
from where they left off last season, currently eighth in the
league and eight points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Mourinho's Chelsea have not been at their ruthless best this time
around, having lost to Newcastle in the Premier League after a
convincing 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates. However, the
Blues have looked dangerous whenever they have been on song
and are possibly a proper striker away from running away with
the league. Samuel Eto'o, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba have
failed to get the ground running and Mourinho will be looking to
sign a striker come January which will take them back to being
the rampant force they were when the Portuguese first joined
Chelsea in 2004.
"I think City has the most incredible squad. I think United is United,
and history makes them contenders, too. Tottenham is the big
spender of the summer and, because of that, they have a
fantastic squad with two teams of equal players," Mourinho said.
"At Arsenal, the manager is building a team step by step - the
club is stable and buying a player like Mesut Ozil makes a
difference. Liverpool are probably the club with least resources
because, while their team looks as strong as the others, their
squad doesn't look quite so strong. At the same time, they don't
play in European competition, so they only play one match a week,
so they are training, preparing and resting for the weekend
match while the rest of us are playing in Europe," he added.

Katy Perry is the most popularperson on Twitter after overtakingpop brat Bieber

The California Girls singer shot to the top of the Twitter
leaderboard this week, pushing Justin Bieber off the top-spot.
At the time of writing KP had 46,554,808 followers on
Twitter - a whopping 32,542 more than the Biebster's
46,522,266.
And what did KP do to celebrate her newfound social media
sucess?
She dressed up as JB for Halloween of course.
The squirty-cream loving popstar donned a baggy black tank
top, a pair of sunglasses and a backwards baseball cap.
And with a VERY thick slick of eyebrow pencil and a sleeve of
marker-pen tattoos, the singer looked really quite like him.
But Bieber didn't seem too fussed by the whole debacle.
"Having such a good day because of my #BadDay :) thank u,"
the baby singer tweeted this evening.
Katy, we've said it before and we'll say it again. We like your
style.

Sport: Arsenal Injury Issue

This talented young lad actually began his career as a left
winger and when he joined the club in 2007, Gael Clichy was in
the peak of his powers after the mantle was passed on to
him following the acrimonious departure of Ashley Cole to
Chelsea. Clichy played all 38 Premier League games for Arsenal
that season and his consistent performances saw him earn a
place alongside Bacary Sagna, Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel
Adebayor in the 2008 PFA Team of the Year. Gibbs had to
make do with a loan switch to Norwich in the winter of
2008, where he notched up seven league appearances.
Arsenal's 2008/09 campaign was vital for Gibbs' education as
he featured heavily in the domestic competitions but got his
breakthrough when Clichy suffered an injury. With the
Frenchman out of action, Wenger exposed Gibbs to Premier
League and Champions League action, and the young
Englishman repaid his manager's faith with some consistent
performances till his ill-fated slip in the Champions League
semifinal against Manchester United, and Park Ji-Sung wasted
no time in punishing him for his error.
Arsenal also crashed out of the FA Cup semifinals to the
eventual winners, Chelsea, and it was another fruitless
campaign for Arsene Wenger and his men. With Clichy
suffering another injury in the 2009/10 campaign, Wenger
entrusted Gibbs to hold the fort but a metatarsal injury in the
Champions League game against SC Braga brought his season
to an abrupt end as he went under the knife to fix the issue.
Even though many fans, journos and pundits alike loved
watching Gibbs play and tipped him for great things, there
was a unanimous agreement that his countless injury
problems were denting his career. With the departure of
Clichy for the petro-greens of Manchester City, Wenger
confirmed that he wasn't going to invest for a new left back
because he trusted Gibbs' abilities and he named him as Clichy's
successor.
Following another trademark injury to Gibbs, Wenger fielded
the inexperienced Armand Traore against Manchester United
in Old Trafford in a game that turned out to be Wenger's
worst outing as Arsenal's manager. After his team was
mutilated by the Red Devils, Wenger delved into the market to
make some "panic buys" and life with Andre Santos began.
In the mysterious period where all Arsenal's fullbacks were
out injured, Gibbs made a return from his hernia operation and
he scored his first league goal in the 3-0 victory over Aston
Villa. Gibbs played a significant role in the final game of the
season against West Brom when he put his body in the line to
block a goal-bound Billy Jones shot.
Last season, Gibbs managed to stay fit for a considerable
chunk of the campaign, relegating Andre Santos to the bench.
The Brazilian's lack of play time took its toll on his
performances to the stage that he played very poorly in
almost every game he was selected. With Gibbs suffering
another thigh injury against Liverpool last winter, Arsenal
reacted quickly to secure Nacho Monreal's service from
cash-strapped Malaga while shipping out Andre Santos in a big
ribbon back to Brazil.
The Monreal – Gibbs competition last season was very
interesting as the manager rotated them to bring out the
best in both players. This season, Gibbs has also opened his
goalscoring account this season with his strike against
Fenerbahce and his stellar performances this season has
seen Monreal relegated to substitute appearances, but he
made his first start in the Capital One clash with West Brom.
His consistency and quality has been a major highlight this
season, and he has managed to balance his defensive and
attacking play superbly. According to WhoScored, here are
Gibbs' stats thus far this season.

Nigeria: ASUU Dares FG Over Forceful Re-Opening of Universities

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned
that any plan by the federal government to forcefully reopen the
nation's universities will be met with stiff resistance.
The development came as President Goodluck Jonathan has
decided to personally intervene in the resolution of the impasse
and has summoned the leadership of ASUU to the Presidential Villa,
Abuja.
ASUU chairman, University of Abuja Chapter, Mr. Clement Chup,
who confirmed the invitation by President Jonathan for meeting,
however, said anything short of a clear agenda for implementing
the 2009 Agreement would not be acceptable to the Union.
In a statement he signed and made available to journalists in Abuja
during the weekend, Mr. Chup, said any form of authoritarian
approach in the resolution of the crisis would not work.
He added the surest and the shortest route to industrial harmony
in the university system was the fastest approach to revitalising
the system.
The UNIABUJA chairman of ASUU, stressed that the union would
not in any way be intimidated into jeopardising the future of
Nigerian students, and by implication, the country, through half
measures or by coercion.
He said "The attention of our union is drawn to some recent
reports in some media alleging that the President of Nigeria would
direct the re-opening of all Nigerian universities with or without
an amicable resolution with ASUU.
"We wish to state that while the President of the Federation
has issued an invitation to the leaders of our union for dialogue, it
will be totally unacceptable to our members if government fails to
come out with a clear agenda on implementing the 2009
Agreement.
"Authoritarian posturing has never solved and will not solve the
impasse. We are calling on Mr President to tow the path of
honour and as a democrat, respect the 2009 Agreement.
"This is the surest and the shortest route to industrial harmony
in the University system and the fastest approach to revitalising
the system.

Sport: Mourinho-I made 11 Mistakes

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho could be set
to ring the changes after launching a scathing attack on his
players following their shock 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United.
The Chelsea manager left his squad in little doubt about his
displeasure after an abject display saw them squander an
opportunity to make ground in the Premier League title race.
Chelsea have an immediate chance to atone for a disjointed
performance — which Mourinho described as lacking in all
departments — when they host German side Schalke in the
Champions League this week.
Several of the players who failed to impress at St James' Park
are unlikely to have an opportunity to restore their reputations
immediately, with Mourinho ready to shake things up to avoid a
repeat of the 90-minute no-show in the northeast.
Taking his own share of the blame for a defeat that leaves
Chelsea with just five points from five away league games so far
this term, the Portuguese said: "I made 11 mistakes with my team
selection — 11 mistakes.
"That's the feeling I have when my team plays so badly. We
deserved to lose because for 45 minutes we played at the level
of a friendly. The result is down to the fact that one team
wasn't there.
"There was no aggression there and we lacked intensity. It was
a bad performance and it sends me home with a lot to think
about because I have to try and understand where a display like
this came from. I have to admit I'd be worried if we play like that
again."
Mourinho concedes Chelsea's patchy away form is a concern
after they succumbed to second-half goals from French duo
Yoan Gouffran and Loic Remy.
"We've won just once away in the league this season and that
worries me," he said.
"You have to come here to Newcastle with a certain mentality,
and we just didn't show that. We were lacking everything, to be
honest, and that's how I explain a result like this.
"We're 10 games in and it's an open title race, but that's not
something I'm thinking about every week at the moment. I must
go home and reflect on this game because Newcastle gave us a
lot of space to play in and hurt them, but we just lacked any kind
of sharpness."
Newcastle ended a testing week on a high with a fully deserved
win to help erase the memory of their derby defeat at
Sunderland last weekend.
Manager Alan Pardew paid tribute to his side and dedicated the
win to owner Mike Ashley, who has come in for criticism for
banning three local newspapers from reporting on Newcastle's
games in a stand-off over their coverage of the club.
"We started off conservatively, because if you go chasing from
the start you're in for a long afternoon against Chelsea," he said.
"In the second half we had a bit more energy to put more
pressure on them and that cranked up as we went on.
"We've been playing well for the past four or five games, and if
you work hard enough and keep showing that spirit you'll get the
breaks, and that happened today (Saturday). Our players really
put in a shift and got their reward.
"This win is for Mike Ashley and all our Newcastle fans. Trust
me, he is a fan. I'm pleased for the club. We've had to make a
stand with the local press. We want them to be onside with us
and this was about giving a message to our fans that we are
very much alive and kicking."

Entertainment:One Direction-"I thought Ronaldo Would be proud but he his a joker"

The Irish hunk and his 1D bandmates were reportedly invited to a
Real Madrid training session in exchange for concert tickets for
football manager Jose Mourinho's daughter.
Before meeting Ronaldo, the 'Best Song Ever' hitmaker actually
thought the 28-year-old sportsman would have an "attitude".
Niall Horan went to a Real Madrid training session last year (Dan
Jackman/WENN)
"That was a good day," Horan told The Sun. "José's a really nice
guy but I also couldn't believe how nice Cristiano Ronaldo was.
"I thought he was going to have attitude but he didn't - he's like
the joker of the team."
Cristiano Ronaldo is the "joker" of the team says 1D's Niall Horan
(Sean Thornton/WENN)
Meanwhile, One Direction have finally wrapped up their huge Take
Me Home world tour. The boys will now focus on their third
album, Midnight Memories, which will be available to buy later on
this month.
Their latest single 'Story Of My Life' from the album has already
taken the charts by storm this week.

Entertainment: The American-Born-Nigerian "Tinie Tempah" Adviced Never To Tie the Knot With a Woman

Tinie Tempah says twice-divorced Lionel Richie warned him to
never get married.
The 'Pass Out' hitmaker has revealed the legendary singer once
advised him to never tie the knot with a woman after his own
two failed marriages to Brenda Harvey, which ended in 1993, and
to Diana Alexander, who he divorced in 2004.
Quizzed about his best cast-iron 'guy tip', Tinie quipped: "Never
get married - Lionel Richie."
The 24-year-old singer is currently single and finds it difficult to
form a deep connection with women.
He said: "We will never completely understand them, and its
pointless even trying."
The rapper also touched upon his most surreal moments since his
debut album 'Disc-Overy' topped the charts in 2010, and said
being called up by U2 frontman Bono was a particular highlight.
Tinie said: "Bono called me one time about a dinner he was having
that he wanted me to attend, we spoke for about 20 minutes
and he said he was really impressed that I was already doing
venues like the O2 in London. I was so nervous!"
The singer claims it will be hard to top his best ever day - 7
November 2011 - in future, but has high hopes for his second
album 'Demonstration".
He reminisced to Britain's GQ magazine: "In the middle of a sold-
out UK arena tour, on my birthday, touring an already double-
platinum album, to then have your manager stop your set and get
10,000 people in the MEN Arena to sing 'Happy Birthday'..."

Etisalat Signs Olamide"Baddo" & Ice Prince As Ambassadors

It's official! Etisalat have Signed Olamide & Ice Prince As
brand Ambassadors
With MTN and Globacom already with a host of
celebrities on their books, telecom giant Etisalat have
joined the group and has started signing stars as
ambassadors.
Their first signings are rap duo Olamide & Ice Prince.
The artistes themselves broke the news on Twitter.
Congrats to them.

Seun kuti on Stella Oduah's Car Scandal

The son of the late Afro king, Fela Anikulapo Kuti has
spoken! Read above Seun Kuti's takes on Stella Oduah,
says "the facts have indicted her".