DITECH PLANET

  Foreign Affairs Minister of Norway Ine Eriksen Soreide: Russian diplomat expelled Norway’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said it had decided to expel a Russian diplomat following the recent arrest in Oslo of a Norwegian citizen suspected of espionage. Norwegian police on Monday said the Norwegian man was suspected of illegally handing information to a Russian intelligence officer. The diplomat, who was not named, worked at the trade section of the Russian embassy in Oslo, Norwegian foreign ministry spokeswoman Trude Maaseide told reporters. “He has engaged in actions that are incompatible with his role and status as a diplomat,” Maaseide said.Risk management and quality assurance consultancy DNV GL late on Tuesday said the Norwegian suspect worked at its oil and gas unit, specialising in 3D printing and materials technology.

  Ronald Koeman: new Barcelona coach Barcelona announced on Wednesday that Ronald Koeman is the club’s new manager. Koeman, who takes over from Quique Setien who was fired at the start of the week, signed a two-year contract at Camp Nou till 30 June 2022.” A statement from Barcelona read: “FC Barcelona and Ronald Koeman have reached an agreement for the Dutchman to take over as the first-team coach until 30 June 2022.”The Dutchman, who left his job with the Netherlands national team, will be officially unveiled this evening at 6 pm. The 57-year-old is the latest change in a busy week for Barca. The club also announced on Wednesday that Ramon Planes is the club’s new technical director. Planes takes over from Eric Abidal who followed Setien out of the exit door.

  The Mali military junta promises a transition programme and elections in a reasonable time. Colonel Ismael Wague, centre, announces By Abankula The junta who ousted Mali’s elected president and government in a military coup promised on Wednesday to restore stability and oversee a transition to elections within a “reasonable” time. It also announced the closure of Mali’s air and land borders and imposed a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. until further notice. At gunpoint, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita resigned and dissolved parliament late on Tuesday hours after the mutineers detained him, plunging a country already facing a jihadist insurgency and mass protests deeper into crisis.It was still not clear early on Wednesday who was leading the revolt and who will become the head of state. Several colonels have been mentioned as  coup leaders . But a spokesman for the mutineers, calling themselves patriotic forces of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, said th...

  President Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari is presiding over the 13th weekly virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja. The meeting, which took off at exactly 10 am with the entrance of the President into the Executive Council Chambers, is also being attended b Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Six Ministers are physically present, including Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Abubakar Malami; the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fasola; Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Bello.

Abdulrahman Bashir Abdulrahman Bashir, the Chief Executive Officer of Rahamaniyya Oil and Gas Limited has been jailed in the United Kingdom. Justice Butcher of England and Wales High Court sentenced the Nigerian oil mogul after he was found guilty of breaching multiple orders of the court in a pending suit instituted by Sahara Energy Resources Ltd. Bashir who was handed a 10 months jail sentence, had been ordered to comply with requests for the release of 6,400.69 metric tonnes gas oil to Sahara Energy Resource Ltd or its agent from Rahamaniyya Oil and Gas Ltd, Jetty 6.436181, Ibafon, Kirikiri Waterfront, of Aero Maritime Street, Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria (“the Terminal”). This was in line with the deal Ultimate Oil and Gas, the trading arm of Rahamaniyya Oil in the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), entered into a deal with Sahara Energy in 2018.In the signed contract, Ultimate agreed to buy, and Sahara agreed to sell 15,000 metric tonnes in the Vacuum of Gas Oil. A Collateral Managem...

  Josep Maria Bartomeu Barcelona president, Josep Bartomeu, has named the players that the club looks to rebuild its squad. The LaLiga giants are ready to offload a number of senior players, following a dismal season that culminated in 8-2 thrashing against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. However, in a lengthy interview with Barcelona TV, the under-pressure Bartomeu listed squad members like Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, and Antoine Griezmann. Bartomeu, who has refused to resign from his position, said: “Messi is untouchable and non-transferable. He knows it, we all know it.“But there are various non-transferable players like (Marc Andre) Ter Stegen, (Clement) Lenglet, (Nelson) Semedo, (Frenkie) De Jong, (Antoine) Griezmann, (Ousmane) Dembele. Players we are counting on in the future.” He also named Ansu Fati, 17, as another who will be part of the future at Barca. “We have had (offers) for Ansu Fati, for example. But Barca does not want to sell playe...