*Bayern confirm interest in Schalke star Goretzka*

*Bayern confirm interest in Schalke star Goretzka*

Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has confirmed the club are keen to sign Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka.

The Germany international is out of contract at the end of the season and has attracted significant interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs in recent weeks.

Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern are said to be the front-runners, with the Bundesliga champions firmly throwing their hat into the ring with Salihamidzic's latest comments.

Speaking to reporters at Bayern's training camp in Doha, Salihamidzic said: "Leon Goretzka is a great player, that's clear.

"But he is a Schalke player and we obviously respect that. But he is a Germany international and we can say that we are interested in him."

Salihamidzic's revelations come a day after Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes praised the 22-year-old, but suggested Barcelona are still interested.

*Alleged Herdsmen Killing Of 33 Persons Sparks Protest In Benue

*Alleged Herdsmen Killing Of 33 Persons Sparks Protest In Benue*

Hundreds of youths on Wednesday stormed the popular Food Basket Roundabout in Makurdi to protest the alleged killing of at least 33 people by herdsmen in Benue State. The protest led to a gridlock in the area, causing traffic obstruction for motorists travelling through the state capital to the north and southern regions of the country.

The aggrieved youths have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in what they described as “terrorist killings” in their state. Some of them were in tears as a vehicle conveyed another corpse into the crowd to prove their claims of the ongoing killings, following a reported attack which occurred on Tuesday night.

The protest came barely 24 hours after the State Security Council meeting which held at the Government House in the state capital.

Nigeria's Electricity Grid Collapses*

* Nigeria's Electricity Grid Collapses*

Nigeria’s power transmission grid collapsed on Tuesday night, a development that led to a widespread blackout across the country. It was learnt that the collapse was due to a fire incident on the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System of the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company Limited.

The incident led to a shutdown of the pipeline that supplies gas to six thermal power plants, which prompted the collapse of the country’s electricity grid at 10:20 pm on Tuesday. This was confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing in a statement issued around 12:44 am on Wednesday.

The ministry said it was regrettable that after a sustained period of increasing production and distribution of power since September 2017 to date, the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company Ltd reported a fire incident on its Escravos Lagos Pipeline System near Okada, Edo State on Tuesday, January 2, 2018.

It said, “The sudden loss of generation due to interruption in gas supply from these stations caused the national transmission grid to trip off around 20:20 on 2nd January 2018. The national transmission grid is owned and operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria.”

Silva's Manchester City absence due to premature birth of baby son

*Silva's Manchester City absence due to premature birth of baby son*

Manchester City midfielder David Silva has missed three Premier League games over recent weeks due to the premature birth of his son.

Silva was afforded a hero's reception and put in a man-of-the-match performance when he returned to the City side for Tuesday's 3-1 win over Watford, although manager Pep Guardiola said after the match the Spain playmaker could miss upcoming fixtures because "family is the most important thing in life".

City have not disclosed any details regarding Silva's situation since his initial absence for the 4-1 victory against Tottenham last month, but the 31-year-old has now issued a statement via Twitter, detailing how his son, Mateo, is still receiving medical attention and "fighting day by day".

"I want to thank all of you for the love and good wishes received in the last few weeks, [with] special thanks to my team-mates, the manager and all at the club for understanding my situation," the statement read.

"Also. I want to share with you the birth of my son, Mateo, who was born extremely preterm and is fighting day by day with the help of the medical team."

MCG Pitch Rated Poor By ICC🌐*

MCG Pitch Rated Poor By ICC🌐*

For the first time ever, an Australian international pitch has been rated poor by the International cricket council. The playing surface for the 4th Ashes Test which ended in a draw was criticised by many after only 24 wickets fell in 5 days.

Cricket Australia has 14 days to provide a response to the ICC.

Match referee, Ranjan Madugalle was critical of the pitch as well and stated, ""The bounce of the MCG pitch was medium, but slow in pace and got slower as the match progressed. The nature of the pitch did not change over the five days and there was no natural deterioration. As such, the pitch did not allow an even contest between the bat and the ball as it neither favoured the batsmen too much nor it gave the bowlers sufficient opportunity to take wickets."

Never acknowledged the existence of Arunachal Pradesh, says China*

*Never acknowledged the existence of Arunachal Pradesh, says China*

China on Wednesday did not mince its words when it said it had “never acknowledged” the existence of Arunachal Pradesh even as it kept mum over a media report that its troops intruded into the Indian side of the border in the frontier state. Geng Shuang, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, had made the statement after a media report stated that Chinese troops intruded into the Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh for about 200 meters close to a village in upper Siang district.

In a statement to media persons, Geng was quoted as saying by PTI: “First of all on the border issue our position is clear and consistent. We never acknowledged the existence of so-called Arunachal Pradesh. For the specific situation you mentioned, I am not aware of it.” China claims Arunachal Pradesh is part of South Tibet. The India-China border dispute covered 3,488 km along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

According to the report, the Chinese troops who reportedly crossed over with the construction machinery last month were stopped by Indian soldiers. The Chinese troops reportedly left the construction equipment behind. “I want to mention that between China and India there is a well-developed mechanism for border-related affairs. Through this mechanism, China and India could manage the border affairs. Maintaining peace and stability at the border suits both China and India,” Geng was quoted as saying by PTI.