Hits of the Day

Herdsmen killings : The Presidency on Sunday said it was in possession of evidence to prove that some politicians are behind the killings allegedly being carried out by herdsmen in parts of the country. It said the unnamed politicians were using criminals to perpetuate the killings. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja. Shehu, however, said climate change, especially the drying up of the Chad Basin, has also been compounding the problem. He said the climate change, which he described as an issue of global significance, had led to more pressure on the population in the Northern part of the country. The presidential spokesman however assured stakeholders that the government is determined to continue working hard towards a long-term solution to the problem which he described as historical. Shehu also appealed to Nigerians and members of the international community to desist ...

Brazil defender Danilo has been ruled out for the rest of the World Cup due to an ankle injury. The Manchester City full-back featured just once for Tite's men in Russia, playing in his team's draw with Switzerland in their opening game. But a left ankle injury means Danilo, 26, will miss the rest of the tournament, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed late on Thursday. "Danilo suffered a left ankle injury and will not have time to recover until the end of the cup," the CBF said in a statement. "In conversation with the commission, he will remain with the team in Russia. We cheer for your recovery." Brazil are favourites to win the World Cup ahead of their quarter-final against Belgium in Kazan on Friday.

Cristiano Ronaldo's agent says that if he does leave Real Madrid it will be for a "new stage and challenge". Serie A champions Juventus are reported to have made a bid of €100 million (£88m/$117m) for Ronaldo, who is Madrid's all-time leading goalscorer after nine seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu. Reports have stated that the forward has already agreed personal terms with the Italians, winners of the last seven Serie A titles. With speculation heating up that a move to Italy is imminent, Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes has dropped the biggest hint yet that his client could make a dramatic switch. "If Cristiano Ronaldo does leave Real Madrid, he will be eternally grateful to the club, the president, the whole team, the medical staff, the supporters and all the Madridistas around the world," he told Portuguese newspaper Record. "It will only be for a new stage and a new challenge in his brilliant career."

The White House has said it will allow about 1,250 Yemenis to remain in the US for at least another 18 months because of the ongoing war in their country. The measure, known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS), enables the holders to work while in the US. However, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen did not redesignate the TPS to include Yemenis who had arrived in the US after early 2017. About 6,000 Syrians were granted a similar TPS extension in January. However, the Trump administration has endedTPS provision for immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and Sudan. The aid charity Oxfam America said it was disappointed that the Yemen TPS had not been redesignated. It left many Yemenis in the US in "legal limbo", Scott Paul from the NGO said.

​ Iran’s representative to OPEC says US President Donald Trump should stop tweeting about wanting lower oil prices, saying that doing so has the opposite effect. Hossein Kazempour Ardebili was quoted by the oil ministry’s website today as telling Trump to “please stop,” adding that “with your frequent and indecent tweets oil prices have gone up 10 dollars.” Trump has repeatedly called on the oil cartel to reduce prices. Yesterday he tweeted that OPEC is “doing little to help,” adding that, “if anything, they are driving prices higher.” Tehran blames rising prices on US sanctions imposed on Iran and Venezuela, founding members of the cartel. Last month, members of OPEC agreed to pump an additional 1 million barrels of crude daily, a move that should help contain prices.

At least two suspected rhino poachers have been mauled to death and eaten by lions on a South African game reserve, officials say. Rangers discovered the remains of two, possibly three, people in a lion enclosure in the Sibuya reserve, near the south-east town of Kenton-on-Sea. Sibuya reserve owner Nick Fox said in a statement on the reserve's Facebook page that the suspected poachers entered the reserve late on Sunday night or early on Monday morning. "They strayed into a pride of lions - it's a big pride so they didn't have too much time," Mr Fox told AFP news agency. An anti-poaching team arrived on the scene, where a hunting rifle with silencer, a long axe and wire-cutters - equipment generally used by rhino poachers - were also found.

Some immigrant U.S. Army reservists and recruits who enlisted in the military with a promised path to citizenship are being abruptly discharged. Where there is no information on how many men and women who enlisted through the special recruitment program have been booted from the Army, but immigration attorneys say they know of more than 40 who have been discharged or whose status has become questionable, jeopardizing their futures. “It was my dream to serve in the military,” said reservist Lucas Calixto, a Brazilian immigrant who filed a lawsuit against the Army last week. “Since this country has been so good to me, I thought it was the least I could do to give back to my adopted country and serve in the United States military.” Some of the service members say they were not told why they were being discharged. Others who pressed for answers said the Army informed them they’d been labeled as security risks because they have relatives abroad or because the Defense Department had ...