Brazil has declared Venezuela's most senior diplomat in Brazil, Gerardo Delgado, as persona non grata. The move came days after Venezuela's decision to expel Brazil's own ambassador to Caracas, Ruy Pereira. Explaining its decision, Venezuela said Brazil had acted illegally in impeaching its former left-wing president, Dilma Rousseff.

On Saturday, Venezuela also expelled Canada's charge d'affaires, accusing him of interfering in internal affairs. Canada's foreign ministry retaliated on Monday, announcing that ambassador Wilmer Barrientos Fernández, who was already abroad, would not be allowed to return. Venezuela's charge d'affaires, Ángel Herrera, was also asked to leave.

*Bayern Munich Sign German Striker Sandro Wagner*

Bayern Munich said Thursday they had signed experienced German international striker Sandro Wagner from Hoffenheim as a backup for Robert Lewandowski.

German press reports said Bayern paid a fee of around 13 million euros ($15.4 million) for the 30-year-old.

"We are convinced that Wagner will improve the quality of our team with his class and his experience," Bayern's sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said.

Wagner's contract runs until June 30, 2020.

Polish international Lewandowski had complained about a lack of rest.

Herdsmen shoot at NAF fighter jet in Adamawa*

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Gun-wielding herdsmen have fired at the Alpha Jet and the EC 135 Helicopter deployed by the military in an attempt to resist the interventions by the Nigerian Air Force in the troubled communities of Numan and Demsa Local Government Areas of Adamawa State.

The herdsmen, who were dressed in black, reportedly attempted to bring down the fighter aircraft which were flown to fire “only warning shots” and not to kill any of the attackers.

Reports two weeks ago said that the NAF, on the invitation of the Nigerian Army in Adamawa, deployed some fighter aircraft to support the ground forces in stopping the crisis.

The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice-Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, who confirmed the deployment of the air assets, had said it would be “a continuous exercise.”

The police in Adamawa State also confirmed attacks by the rampaging Fulani militia on Dong and Lawura villages in the Demsa LGA, saying that many buildings were razed, scores were killed while many other residents fled the communities.

*NNPC can’t sustain 100% fuel importation, says LCCI*

As the scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) continues to rock many parts of the, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation cannot continue to be the sole importer of the product into the country.

Private oil marketers had since last year stopped fuel importation due to shortage of foreign exchange and increase in crude prices, which they said had made it unprofitable to import petrol and sell at N145 per litre.

The LCCI advised the Federal Government to stop treating petrol as a social product by encouraging private sector operators to play a bigger role in the nation’s downstream petroleum sector.

The Director-General, LCCI, Mr. Muda Yusuf, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday, said, “It’s unfortunate that we are having fuel queues back. But there is a very fundamental problem with our petroleum downstream sector, and the problem is that it is over-regulated. You cannot have a sector as big as that serving our size of population and we expect only the government provider to be supplying fuel. It is not a sustainable model."

Monkeypox: Nigeria Records One Death, Confirms 61 Cases*

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has announced 61 confirmed cases of monkeypox and reported the first death from the disease.

A situation report for monkeypox outbreak released by the agency for the epidemiological week 49, on Wednesday, said the dead patient was a confirmed case with background immune-compromised condition.

It, however, added that there has been a decline in the number of new suspected cases reported over the last five weeks. In the report, the agency also stated that it has deactivated the monkeypox Emergency Operations Centre, EOC, this week.

It said response to the disease will henceforth be coordinated by "a technical working group" comprising of all existing response partners.

Senate Blasts EFCC For Arresting Innoson Boss, Orders Probe*

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The Senate on Wednesday criticised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for arresting the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Innoson Motors, Innocent Chukwuma.

The lawmakers accused the EFCC of using military approach and therefore mandated the Senate Committee on Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption to investigate their actions.

During the plenary on Wednesday, the lawmakers took turn to criticise EFCC's actions as Senator Monsurat Sunmonu in an additional prayer which was seconded by Senator Oluremi Tinubu said that the Committee on Women Affairs should investigate the alleged assault on Chwukuma's wife by EFCC operatives.

Senator Emmanuel Bwacha in his comments said if, truly, Chukwuma's wife was slapped by an operative of the EFCC as Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe claimed to have been told, "someone must be held to account; he must lose his job and he must be prosecuted."

Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu also at the plenary raised a point of order to criticise EFCC for the arrest.