White House accused of smear threat

Two TV moderators assaulted on Twitter by President Donald Trump have blamed him for lying and proposed the White House attempted to extort them.

The hosts of MSNBC Morning Joe said they were cautioned a newspaper would run a negative story on them unless they said sorry for their scope of Mr Trump.

Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough said Mr Trump's tweets were "horrible" and "unnerving".

The president called them "low IQ insane Mika" and "Psycho Joe" on Thursday.

He additionally alluded to Ms Brzezinski as "draining seriously from a facelift".

The couple, who are locked in to be hitched, composed a joint reaction in Friday's Washington Post blaming the president for an "unfortunate fixation" with them.

A story heightening - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington

What began yesterday as an undignified individual spat between Donald Trump and the hosts of a link news demonstrate has transformed into something significantly more vile - claims of White House ruses that tread near through and through coercion.

On the off chance that what Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough say is valid, they were the objectives of political dim expressions reminiscent of the plans of the Watergate "fixers" amid the Nixon White House. Could Trump assistants have truly utilized the danger of a humiliating story in a newspaper daily paper to weight the two hosts to give more good scope?

The Trump organization will clearly deny the charges, in spite of the fact that the president himself loaned some support by tweeting that Scarborough requesting that he advise the National Enquirer to cover an article about him.

That the president said he rejected such a demand just brings up more issues about the article control Mr Trump may have over a daily paper that routinely focused on his political rivals in 2016.

Where this story goes from here is impossible to say. Odds are, nonetheless, that the president - by means of his unchecked Twitter bull horn - will just stoke the fire.
 



Co-presenters Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were both targets of Donald Trump's Twitter tirade
They denied his cases they had burned through three evenings at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last New Year's Eve and that they had "demanded" on investing energy with him.

Rather they said they turned down his welcome to go to his merry gathering.

They kept: "Setting aside Mr Trump's ceaseless fixation on ladies' blood, Mika and her face were splendidly in place, as pictures from that night uncover."

On their morning appear, Ms Brzezinski denied having had a cosmetic touch up, saying she had a strategy to get the skin under her jaw "changed".

President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday 

The TV moderators likewise said three White House authorities had revealed to them the National Enquirer would distribute a negative article about them unless they apologized to Mr Trump for their investigation of him.

Mr Scarborough stated: "They stated, 'in the event that you ring the president and you apologize for your scope then he'll get the telephone and essentially spike the story.'"

"I had, I will simply say, three individuals at the exceptionally top of the organization calling me."

Ms Brzezinski said correspondents from the store newspaper started bugging her family.

 "They were calling my kids," she said. "They were calling dear companions.

"These calls endured for a long while and afterward Joe had the discussions that he had with the White House where they said 'goodness, this could leave'."

David Pecker, CEO of the Enquirer's parent organization, is a staunch partner of Mr Trump, which is reflected in the newspaper's scope of the president.

Yet, in a Friday morning tweet, Mr Trump denied the couple's cases, saying Mr Scarborough "called me to stop a National Enquirer article. I said no!"
 Mr Scarborough quickly hit back: "Yet another lie. I have writings from your top assistants and telephone records. Additionally, those records demonstrate I haven't talked with you in numerous months."

Mr Scarborough likewise said that an "outstanding congressman" had revealed to him that the president went on a "rage" against the show amid a meeting with around 20 lawmakers at the White House to talk about endeavors to pass human services enactment.

"I've been in legislative issues my entire life. … He terrified me," Mr Scarborough stated, portraying what the source had let him know.

"Since he was horrendous when he turned from you to Mika," he depicted being told.

"His face was red. He began discussing blood leaving her ears, out of her eyes."



Democrats held a news conference condemning President Trump's tweets
The Enquirer's owner said on Friday morning the tabloid had published a story at the beginning of June about the couple's relationship "the truth of which is not in dispute".
Dylan Howard, vice-president of the publication's parent company, added in the statement: "We have no knowledge of any discussions between the White House and Joe and Mika about our story, and absolutely no involvement in those discussions."
The Enquirer's Twitter account retweeted their article on Friday, with a headline about "Morning Joe Couple's Sleazy Cheating Scandal!"
Mr Trump's original tweet about the MSNBC hosts provoked a storm of criticism, including even from some fellow Republicans.
Senator Lindsey Graham said Mr Trump's remarks on Thursday were "beneath the office" of president.
 

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A plea for 'decency' in shaken Silicon Valley

Justin Caldbeck said he was "so so sorry" over harassment claims

We may look back and see the events of this week, where multiple scandals at Uber saw Travis Kalanick removed as chief executive, as the beginning of a culture change across Silicon Valley as a whole.

On Friday, we saw signs of what shape such a shift may take.
In a post on the platform he runs, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman suggested the technology industry - and the complex spider's web of relationships within it - needs to agree on what he's called a Decency Pledge, a code of conduct most would consider to just be responsible, professional behavior, but in the technology business apparently needs to be hammered home.
Mr Hoffman's post - which I'll go into more detail about in a moment - followed a damning report published on Thursday by The Information - a subscription-only tech news service.
It shared details alleging several instances of sexual harassment by a prominent venture capitalist, Justin Caldbeck, who by Friday afternoon had taken a leave of absence from Binary Capital, where he is/was a managing partner.
The Information quoted several women, some of whom chose to make their identities public - a stance not often taken in this industry, but one buoyed by the efforts of Susan Fowler, the former Uber employee who blogged about her treatment at the firm, kicking off Uber's torrid phase.
From the report: "The women who made the allegations include Niniane Wang, who co-created Google Desktop and served as CTO of Minted, and Susan Ho and Leiti Hsu, co-founders of Journy, a travel planning and booking service.
"Ms Wang alleges Mr Caldbeck, while informally trying to recruit her for a tech company job, tried to sleep with her.
"Ms Ho said that Mr Caldbeck, while discussing investing in their start-up, sent her text messages in the middle of the night suggesting they meet up. Ms Hsu says that Mr Caldbeck groped her under a table at a Manhattan hotel bar."

'Many mistakes'

Mr Caldbeck responded to the allegations on Friday afternoon.
"The past 24 hours have been the darkest of my life," he said in a statement first reported by Axios.
"I have made many mistakes over the course of my career, some of which were brought to light this week. To say I'm sorry about my behavior is a categorical understatement. Still, I need to say it: I am so, so sorry."
He said he apologized for contributing to a "gender hostile" environment.
"The power dynamic that exists in venture capital is despicably unfair," he continued.
"The gap of influence between male venture capitalists and female entrepreneurs is frightening and I hate that my behavior played a role in perpetrating a gender-hostile environment. It is outrageous and unethical for any person to leverage a position of power in exchange for sexual gain, it is clear to me now that that is exactly what I've done."

Decency Pledge

Unlike Uber, a service used by millions around the world, the allegations against Mr Caldbeck will not generate many headlines. While well-known among the movers of Silicon Valley, like many big-time investors here, Mr Caldbeck operates in a world the majority of the public don't get to see.
But the ramifications of this fall from grace, coming as it does so soon after the Uber scandal, point to a bigger picture in which those previously worried to speak out are deciding that it's a risk worth taking.
But LinkedIn's Mr Hoffman points out that preventing abuses of power between investors and those eager for their money - but not sexual advances - is difficult. Unlike a manager-employee relationship within a company, where good firms can use thorough HR measures to prevent abuse, these are interactions happening between people from separate firms, and one where the balance of power is tipped heavily in one direction.
In other words, there is no way to "refer up" a complaint - other than going to the press, a terrifying and potentially career-limiting approach.
"I think the industry should actively work on building a kind of industry-wide HR function," Mr Hoffman writes.

"So that venture capitalists who engage in such behavior face the same sort of consequences that they would if their overtures were directed at an employee."

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Wonder Woman continues to smash box office records

Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman film is on track to break box office records by becoming the top grossing live-action film from a female director.

The film has generated more than $620m worldwide since its launch 21 days ago, media reports say, and is on course to outperform the $665.7m made by Kung Fu Panda 2 - also directed by a woman.
Some analysts predict Wonder Woman will also overtake Frozen, made in 2013 by male and female directors.
It generated $1.28bn in ticket sales.
Ms Jenkins' Wonder Woman is due to generate $319m (£250m; €285m) in the US in 24 days, Forbes' Scott Mendelson reports, which is only a little less than the $325m and $330m US totals of Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Israeli actress Gal Gadot has also starred in the Fast & Furious films

Wonder Woman is soon likely to be the biggest US success for DC Comics, apart from the last two Batman Dark Knight sequels.
The film - starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot in the lead role - has already overtaken the international ticket sales of Phyllida Lloyd's Mamma Mia!, which earned $609m in 2008, Mendelson says.
"[The] action spectacular is still doing ridiculously well, both in terms of raw numbers and legs," he writes.
"It's projected $27.5m fourth weekend is a drop of just 33% from last weekend, which is nuts for a movie like this."
Wonder Woman is also due to secure "the seventh-biggest fourth weekend gross of all time", he adds.
Wonder Woman is the first female-led superhero film to be directed by a woman. It has received largely positive reviews from film critics.

Hollywood is known for its reluctance to hire female directors, especially for blockbuster superhero movies.

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Paul Bracewell: Sunderland assistant Bracewell leaves

Paul Bracewell (right) had first-team roles with three Sunderland managers

Sunderland assistant manager Paul Bracewell has left the club as they prepare for life in the Championship.

The ex-Black Cats player, 54, returned as a coach in 2013 before first-team roles under Dick Advocaat, Sam Allardyce and David Moyes.

The club are managerless after Moyes' departure following relegation.

On Friday, Sunderland said their search for a new boss would be put on holdwhile negotiations with potential new owners were ongoing.

Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes was offered the role but rejected the opportunity in favour of staying at Pittodrie.

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Cristiano Ronaldo: Is the Real Madrid forward set to leave Spain?

Cristiano Ronaldo signed a new five-year deal with Real Madrid in November that helped him become the best-paid athlete in the world.

Ronaldo has scaled the summit of the game with Madrid, but is he now set to leave?

But now a source close to the player now says he "doesn't want to stay in Spain" because he is "upset" after being accused of tax fraud in the country.

Ronaldo, 32, joined Madrid from Manchester United for a then world-record £80m in 2009.

The Portugal legend has scored a club-record 406 goals in his 394 appearances for Real.

Only two weeks ago, he helped Zinedine Zidane's side win a 12th European Cup with two goals in a 4-1 victory over Juventus in the Champions League final in Cardiff.

Will that turn out to be his last appearance for Los Merengues? Where could he go? And what would Madrid do without him?

June 2016: Ronaldo's Euro 2016 campaign did not start well - 20 shots, zero goals for Portugal. But a superb, flicked finish against Hungary in the group stages made him the first player to score in four different European Championship finals

'If his mind's made up, it'll be hard to change'

Ramon Calderon, Real Madrid president between 2006-2009, speaking to BBC Radio 5 live

Maybe he's just upset. Maybe it is something he said in a moment when he's really angry. We don't know yet. He's been happy here, he helped us to win three Champions Leagues over the past four years, so I hope he will stay.

But, if he's made his mind up, I don't think it's going to be easy to change. He's very strong-minded and clear in what he wants. If he leaves I don't see him in a place like China or the Middle East. He will be always playing for a big club and trying to get more titles and more personal awards.

He's a fighter and he's in good shape. He can play again for the best club and I think that club now is Real Madrid. I can't tell you what he's doing but I hope he will stay, I'm sure he'll stay.

'His people called all the Spanish papers'

Richard Martin, sports correspondent in Spain for Reuters

This is not the first time Cristiano Ronaldo has sought to demonstrate his power at Real Madrid by flirting with leaving. In 2012 he used a pitch-side interview to declare "I'm sad and the club know why," provoking panic among fans and at boardroom level.

This latest move, using a newspaper from his own country to declare his discontent, feels remarkably similar. It should also be noted that sources close to Ronaldo called the offices of all Spanish newspapers last night to inform them of the impending front cover story in A Bola.

                                                                                    'Ronaldo wants to leave Spain' was the headline on Friday's A Bola - a Portuguese football paper

This latest power struggle is likely to have the same outcome as the last: the offer of an improved contract to legislate for the damage caused by the tax scandal. There is also more than a whiff of deflecting attention from his wrongdoing to a soap opera of where his future lies, emphatically shifting the agenda.

Although he is their all-time top scorer, Ronaldo does not feel undying loyalty to Madrid and has repeatedly aired his grievances at being occasionally booed by supporters.

Even so, the four-time world player of the year believes he still has plenty to give at his 32 years and he knows there is no better club for him than the European and Spanish champions, which is why, in reality, he is going nowhere.

'Madrid won't stand in his way - they want Mbappe'

Pete Jenson, Madrid-based football writer

Ronaldo's intention of leaving Real Madrid may well come to nothing, but if he does not back down and looks to force his way out of the club, Madrid will not stand in his way providing they find a club prepared to make it worth their while.

The reaction in Madrid on Friday was one of calm acceptance. The player has indicated a desire to leave before, most notably in 2012 when he complained of not being supported by the  directors. 

Cristiano Ronaldo won the first of his four Champions League trophies at Manchester United in 2008 after they beat Chelsea in Moscow

The question will be: who buys him? His 1bn euro (£874.88m) buyout clause is beyond everyone's reach but Madrid would probably accept closer to 150m euros (£131m) and immediately look to reinvest it in 18-year-old Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe.

His former club Manchester United would be the romantics' choice to take him but Paris St-Germain are perhaps more likely suitors.

They have long been admirers and their president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is a friend of the Portugal international. Ronaldo would fill the hole left 12 months ago by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Who could afford him?

Rob Wilson, football finance expert and lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University

Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Juventus would have the financial resources to put together a competitive offer within the realms of Financial Fair Play rules.

The other side of the question would be whether they would want to commit so much on one player.

It would be interesting to see what kind of fee Madrid would demand. I would estimate something in the region of £100-120m. To put that into a wider context, that's like a Premier League club spending the entirety of its TV deal money on one player. Plus of course, there's the wages on top of that.

Another point to bear in mind is that this would not be a 'Galactico' move, where the value of commercial endorsements and merchandise sales would help a club recoup money spent on the transfer fee.

Ronaldo comes surrounded by a group of very well-informed advisors, who already have all various commercial deals in place. For a potential buyer like Manchester United, they might look to leverage something from the story of his return to the club, somehow make that commercially attractive, but we are scratching around on the margins really.

Where you can start to make leverage on players is when they are younger - which is why a player like 18-year-old Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe would be a far more attractive proposition. A buying club knows they can make an awful lot back.

• Listen: 'Ronaldo would love to return to Old Trafford'

Would Man Utd have him back?

Manchester United and all of their fans would love to have Ronaldo back. He made 292 appearances in his time at the club, scoring 118 goals. Wayne Rooney has played double the number of games and scored double the number of goals, but he is held in nowhere near as high esteem.

The fans still sing Ronaldo's name, and all the talk on social media today has been encouraging United chief executive Ed Woodward to get him back.

The problem for United is that they have been down this road before. They have thought they could get players from Madrid in the past, notably defender Sergio Ramos in 2015, who ended up signing a new deal with the Spanish club.

United will be surveying the situation, keeping their head down. They won't be telling anyone that yes, they want to sign Ronaldo, but if they got the chance they would be straight in there.

The word is that he and Jose Mourinho fell out when the latter was in charge of Madrid, but if you were to ask United fans to choose between the two, they would say Ronaldo.

It would be up to Jose to make it work, because I don't think many United fans would understand if they did not take the chance to sign him - if the option was there.

Ronaldo is only one of four players in the club's history to have won the Ballon d'Or while still a United player. The other three - George Best, Dennis Law and Bobby Charlton - have a statue outside the stadium.

'You can't replace 50 goals a season'

The reaction among Madrid fans has been one of shock and frustration after a fantastic end to the season. If the Spanish taxman wants him to pay his taxes and he feels mistreated there is not a lot the club can do. You cannot replace 50 goals a season for the past nine seasons. It would be huge if he left Madrid.

Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or four times - most recently in 2016

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Jonny Hayes: Celtic sign winger as Ryan Christie returns to Aberdeen on loan

Celtic have signed winger Jonny Hayes from Aberdeen on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Jonny Hayes has joined Celtic from Scottish Premiership rivals Aberdeen

The 29-year-old Republic of Ireland winger scored against Celtic in the 2-1 Scottish Cup final defeat last season.

Hayes, who was under contract at Pittodrie until 2019, had also been linked with English Championship outfit Cardiff City.

Celtic attacking midfielder Ryan Christie, 22, will spend season 2017-18 on loan at Aberdeen.

Christie, who joined Celtic from Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2015, was loaned to the Dons for the second half of last season and scored seven goals.

Former Leicester City player Hayes previously worked with Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers at Reading.

Aberdeen rejected two offers from Cardiff for Hayes in January, and the Championship side resumed their interest at the end of the season.

Cardiff manager Neil Warnock admitted defeat in their pursuit of the winger, though, with the player opting to rejoin Rodgers at Celtic Park.

Hayes made 206 Aberdeen appearances in all competitions, scoring 29 goals, since arriving from Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2012.

He provided 19 assists in the Premiership last season, the highest in the division, and was a member of the Republic of Ireland squad called up for the 1-1 draw with Austria last week, although Hayes did not add to his three international caps.

"This is a huge honour for me," Hayes told the Celtic website. "It was hard last year seeing all the celebrations and all the stuff on social media and you want that for yourself and to be part of it.

"You can't get away from the Champions League. I can imagine it is the reason many players have wanted to come here.

"Whether you're a football fan or not, everybody knows about the atmosphere of Champions League nights at Celtic Park. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want a part of that."

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Boko Haram attack kills 3, injures many others in Nigeria-Cameroon border

A three-year-old child is among the latest casualties recorded from an attack on Limani, a border community between Nigeria and Cameroon in the night of Thursday, 15.

The incident happened in Limani, a border town between Nigeria and Cameroon

Chief Bisong Etahoben announced the saddening incident through his Twitter account saying: “3-year-old infant killed, 3 individuals seriously wounded and four others with light injuries after last night su*cide bomb attack in Limani.”
His claim was confirmed in a report by The Guardian which put the figure of the dead at three and disclosing that the attack was carried out by a female bomber. 

The report said the female bomber blew herself up behind a school in the town.

https://twitter.com/ChiefBisongEta1

Like Nigeria, Cameroon has been facing attacks from the Boko Haram terrorists.

Socialarena9ja recently reported that two Boko Haram bombers who attacked the city ended up getting killed in their own explosion while another one was shot dead by the army. Cameroon based investigative journalist, Bisong Etahoben, announced the attack in a tweet he made on Tuesday morning. 
Watch this video of some children narrating their experience about Boko Haram attacks:

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Nigerian man steals over N2.8M from pastor who accommodated him in Austria

A Nigerian pastor based in Salzburg, Austria is currently regretting ever accommodating a homeless country man.

PulseNg reports that the young man, Taiwo Abayomi, made away with the pastor's money running into €6,500. Abayomi had approached Pastor Anthony Titus, claiming he was a born again Christian who was stranded and had nowhere to stay. He took him in after the approval of his wife and children. But after staying in the household for two weeks, Abayomi, absconded while they were away in church.
Read the account by the pastor below:


Nigerian man steals over N2.8M from pastor who accommodated him in Austria

"A Nigerian pastor who lives in Salzburg, Austria, accommodated this young man in his house because he claimed to have no home. "Last Sunday, he was told to come along to the church service but he claimed he had an appointment and when they left him, he made away with the Pastor's €6, 500. "When they called him, he said God had directed him to another place and up till now, no one has heard from him... Please if you can help rebroadcast." The aggrieved Pastor himself also posted this appeal for anyone who knows Abayomi to forward to him:
"Hello everybody; I want everyone to take a proper look at this young man. He identifies himself as a Christian and as someone who needs help. So I decided wit the audience of my wife and children, to accommodate him in our home. "After staying for two weeks, he took the money I kept in my bedroom and ran away with it. Please if anyone knows him, tell him to restore what he has stolen from me. "His name is Taiwo Abayomi." 
        
This is so sad, can't someone help anyone anymore? 

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Check out beautiful photos of mum who found her soul mate at the age of 42

Like the popular saying goes ‘true love never dies’. However, majority believe in this parlance while others are of the opinion that love does not exist.


42-year-old woman and her soulmate

For this woman is different as she did not give not give up on love but made sure she found her soul mate at the age of 42 years old. Her look-alike daughter took to her Twitter handle on Thursday, June 15 to share pictures of her beautiful mother with her lover.

Identified as @therelkluvv on Twitter she shared amazing photos of her mother and her new lover whom shares the same date with her. She said: “My mom really met her soul mate at 42. They have the same birthday and took nice pictures to celebrate.” 

See post below:

https://twitter.com/therealkluvv/status/875166665012543488/photo/1


Lovers and birthday mate

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Notorious kidnap kingpin Evans drops another bombshell, says he was once a victim of kidnap

- The notorious kidnap kingpin, Evans has dropped another bombshell - He said he was once a victim of kidnap in 2015 by another gang of kidnappers in Anambra state - Evans was on Saturday June 10 arrested by the police detectives in Lagos Another shocking revelation emerged on Thursday June 16 as the notorious kdinapper, Chukwudubem Onwuamadike a.k.a Evans, told police detectives how he was abducted in 2015 by another gang of kidnappers operating in the eastern part of the country. Vanguard reports that the detectives succeeded in recovering a gold ring worth $75,000 from his house.


Evans 

Socialarena9ja gathered that Evans said a gang of desperate kidnappers trailed him from Nnewi, his home town sometime in 2015, while he was cruising in his brand new black latest G-Wagon towards the commercial city of Onitsha in Anambra state.
He said the period was the era when he was terrorizing the east with his criminal contemporaries like late Ngwu Ekere Omu, Vampire, Osisikanku and others. He disclosed that when he got to a spot close to Onitsha, the gun-totting young men intercepted and bundled him into their car and zoomed off towards Enugu-Onitsha express way. According to him, “When they ended up at a hidden spot which I later knew was inside one of the riverside areas in Anambra state, they brought me out for interrogation. I boldly introduced myself as Evans. Initially, they were shocked but later they started looking at me with skepticism. “I then asked them the name of their leader and after they reluctantly told me it was ND, short for Ndubisi, I informed them that he was serving a prison term at the Port-Harcourt prisons. “That was when they started believing that I was the notorious Evans, widely known in crime circles. Nevertheless, they put a call to their leader in Port-Harcourt prison and as soon as they mentioned my name, he ordered them to take me back to where they picked me without delay.” It was learned that ND, their leader, who is still serving a long sentence in Port-Harcourt prisons, masterminded the first kidnap incident in Lagos state in 2011. Also, police detectives have recovered a gold ring worth over $75 from the house of the kidnap kingpin after carrying out another thorough search in his mansion at Magodo phase 2, Lagos. Documents discovered inside the house also showed that just four days before his arrest, he sent N20 million to his wife in Ghana through a Bureau de Change which was delivered to her in Ghanaian currency, Cedi. This is as they were said to have also recovered another mansion belonging to him in Ghana, making three, the number of mansions he has in the West African country. NAIJ.com also gathered that detectives attached to the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Team, IRT, led by Abah Kyari, have commenced inventory of all the landed and physical properties owned by the arrested kidnap kingpin, Evans. This is as they are also investigating all the transactions he carried out with banks in the country within the period he was terrorising Nigerians. Reliable sources informed that they will spread their dragnets to every part of the country where he operated and even neighbouring countries where he was reputed to always run to after collecting huge ransoms from his victims. Sources said Ghana and South Africa will top the list of countries where they hope to liaise with International police, Interpol, in tracking the suspect’s assets. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 new app According to the sources; another vital area the detectives will focus on is telecommunication. “This is because we would like to find out how he was able to knock out our intelligence efforts towards arresting him for so long. "If not that the Inspector-General of Police equipped us with the latest communication gadgets, it would have been impossible to arrest Evans. “So far, Evans, has been trying to recant all the confessional statements he made earlier during interrogation but I assure you that very soon, he will open up and we will nail him finally,” police sources stated.’’ NAIJ.com had previously reported that Evans said he would not have been arrested if his charms had not failed him at the last minute. He said he didn’t know what went wrong with his charm that made it possible for the police to apprehend him. 

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Queen's 2017: Dan Evans, Juan Martin del Potro out of Aegon Championships

Evans is ranked 54th in the world, while Del Potro is back in the top 30 after struggling with injury in recent years

2017 Aegon Championships
Venue: Queen's Club, London
Dates: 19-25 June
Coverage: Comprehensive live coverage on BBC One, BBC Two, Red Button, Connected TV and online daily

British number three Dan Evans and 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro will both miss the Aegon Championships at Queen's because of injury.

Evans, 27, retired against Germany's Dustin Brown in the recent Surbiton Trophywith a calf injury, missing this week's Nottingham Open as a result.

Argentina's Del Potro, 28, is still struggling with the groin problem that hampered him at the French Open.

It is not known if they will be fit for Wimbledon, which starts on 3 July.

World number one Andy Murray heads the field at Queen's, aiming for a record sixth title.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka and 2016 Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic are also playing in the west London event.

However, French Open winner Rafa Nadal has also pulled out of the tournament after being advised to rest by his doctor.

Following the withdrawals of Evans and Del Potro, Britain's James Ward has been given a wild card as he continues his comeback from a knee injury.

The 30-year-old, who was a semi-finalist at Queen's in 2011, has only played once on the ATP tour this year - losing to Evans at Surbiton - and is currently ranked outside the top 1,000.

BBC Sport will provide the usual comprehensive live coverage on BBC One, BBC Two, Red Button, Connected TV and online daily throughout the competition.

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Cheick Tiote: Ivory Coast midfielder's body flown back home for funeral

Cheick Tiote's body has been flown back to Ivory Coast where a private funeral for the Beijing Enterprises midfielder will take place.

Ivory Coast players including Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony (white shirt) carried Tiote's body when it arrived at the airport in Abidjan

Tiote, 30, who was a member of the Elephants squad that won the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, collapsed and died during a training session with his Chinese club last week.

On Tuesday there was a memorial service held in the Chinese capital, attended by family, friends and former team-mates.

The BBC understands that Tiote's family wants him buried in his home town Yamoussoukro but the Ivory Coast Football Federation prefers Abidjan.

Hundreds of people, including former Elephants coach Herve Renard, were at Abidjan's international airport to receive Tiote's body on Thursday.

Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony, Celtic defender Kolo Toure and ex-Arsenal forward Gervinho were also among the crowd.

Toure described the former Newcastle United midfielder as "a great player, a warrior" and said he was "shocked" by his death.

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                  Transfers

There is "mutual tension" between Chelsea and their manager Antonio Conte after the Italian told striker Diego Costa by text message that he is not part of the plans for next season. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian)

The club wish to patch things up with Costa, 28, who is willing to discuss his future, but Conte is refusing to back down. (Sun)

Conte has also set a number of conditions which include a direct line of communication to owner Roman Abramovich, if he is to stay as manager at Stamford Bridge. (Daily Record)

Also at Chelsea, contract negotiations with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, 25, have stalled over his wage demands. The Belgium keeper is on a £100,000-a-week deal, which comes to an end in two years' time.(Times - subscription required)

Cristiano Ronaldo, 32, has told Real Madrid he wants to leave Spain and his decision is "irreversible". (A Bola)

Jose Mourinho has valued Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, 26, at £100m amid interest from Real Madrid and has told the La Liga champions they can sign the Spaniard for £45m plus striker Alvaro Morata, 24. (Daily Star)

But Real say they want £78m for Morata despite details of a "hugely attractive package" being agreed with Manchester United. (Independent)

Meanwhile, Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic, 28, is already planning for life as a Manchester United player. The two clubs are yet to agree a fee for the £44m-rated Croatia player. (Manchester Evening News)

After completing a deal for defender Victor Lindelof, Manchester United could go back to Benfica to sign £15m-rated midfielder Anderson Talisca, 23, who spent last season on loan at Besiktas. (Daily Mirror)

Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, 27, remains a target for Everton despite the Merseyside club signing Dutchman Davy Klaassen. (Wales Online)

Liverpool want to raise about £60m on player sales by offloading defender Mamadou Sakho, 27, for £30m, full-back Alberto Moreno, 24, for £12m and 23-year-old forward Lazar Markovic for £20m. (Times - subscription required)

New Watford manager Marco Silva could move for Markovic, having worked with the player last season when the Serbia player was on loan at Hull. (Times - subscription required)

Arsenal have had a £17.6m bid rejected for Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado, 29, but the Serie A champions are looking for about £30m for the former Chelsea player. (Sun)

The Gunners have also made a £10.5m bid for Fenerbahce centre-back Simon Kjaer, 28, who is also wanted by city rivals AC and Inter Milan. (Turksvoetbal - in Turkish)

Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal, 31, says he is "almost certain" fellow full-back Hector Bellerin, 22, will stay at the club next season amid interest from Barcelona. (Evening Standard)

West Ham have dropped their interest in £15m-rated Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, 27, but Everton, Newcastle and West Brom are all keen. (Daily Star)

Manchester City striker Patrick Roberts, 20, who scored 11 goals on loan at Celtic last season, has held talks with French side Nice over another loan move. (Sun)

But newly promoted Huddersfield are set to offer him the chance to play in the Premier League. (Daily Record) 

Tottenham are a number of clubs interested in signing Lazio forward Keita Balde, 22, who is valued at £30m by the Serie A club. (Daily Mirror)

Southampton intend to interview former Ajax boss Frank de Boer and ex-Valencia manager Mauricio Pellegrino to replace the sacked Claude Puel and hope to make an appointment by the end of next week. (Daily Telegraph)

However former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel has ruled himself out of the Southampton vacancy. (Sky Sports)

Stoke would want more than the British record £30m Everton paid to sign Jordan Pickford, if they were to sell goalkeeper Jack Butland, 24. (Stoke Sentinel)

Several Premier League clubs, most notably Newcastle, have enquired about Valencia's £13.1m-rated centre-back Aymen Abdennour, 27. (Foot Mercato)

French Ligue 1 side Paris St-Germain have ended their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 27, as the club's new sporting director Antero Henrique deems the £61m-rated player to be too expensive.(Goal.com)

Marseille are trying to sign full-back Bacary Sagna, 34, who is a free agent after being released by Manchester City. (Daily Mirror)

AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, 18, has rejected the club's offer of a new £80,000-a-week contract. His current deal expires in 2018. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian)

Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare has made a bid to appoint Oxford manager Michael Appleton as his assistant. (Daily Mail)

Meanwhile...

A hair restoration company has tweeted images of Wales midfielder Joe Ledley - a free agent after being released by Crystal Palace - who is having surgery for a hair transplant. (KSL Hair)

Manchester United full-back Matteo Darmian has returned to Italy... as he married his long-term fiancee at a ceremony close to his home town of Legnano. (Sun)

Darmian's new team-mate, defender Victor Lindelof, headed to a well-known Chinese restaurant in Manchester after sealing a £31m move to Old Trafford. (Daily Mail)

Best of Thursday's transfer news

Arsenal are prepared to use French striker Olivier Giroud, 30, as part of a deal to sign Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe, 18, or Lyon counterpart Alexandre Lacazette, 26. (London Evening Standard)

Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez is interested in reuniting with 30-year-old defensive midfielder Lucas Leiva, who is believed to be available for about £4m from Liverpool. (Northern Echo)

Paris St-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, 24, could be nearing an £88m move to Barcelona after being spotted - with his agent - in the same Ibiza restaurant as the Spanish side's superstar forward Lionel Messi.(Goal.com)

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