Barcelona legend, Lionel Messi has won a case in the European Union court over the trademark rights to his logo.The EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg upheld his earlier victory against a Spanish cycling clothes brand that owned the rights to the name “Massi.”

The top judges ruled on Thursday that a lower EU tribunal was correct to see Messi’s reputation as a relevant factor.

Messi has been trying since 2011 to get the bloc-wide trademark rights for a logo consisting of an emblem with an M, with the name Messi underneath.

The EU’s intellectual property agency and the cycling clothes company owned by Jaume Masferrer Coma appealed the earlier decision that favoured the soccer star.

Coma had previously blocked Messi from getting the EU trademark, arguing that he already owned EU trademarks for his brand and allowing Messi to claim one would cause too much confusion with customers.

The All Progressive Congress (APC) National Leader, Bola Tinubu, has refuted reports from some sections of the media that he had accepted outcome of the just concluded gubernatorial election in Edo State.

He explained that the viral nature of the report and response it had generated from Nigerians owing to his personality had necessitated the clarification, adding that statement on such important state matters would not be hurriedly put together when the party was yet to give its official position on the exercise.

The Guild gathered that the purported statement had gone viral earlier on Monday with claims that the APC national leader accepted defeat and also described APC as the party to beat across the country.

Tinubu was quoted in the statement titled “Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Speaks on Edo Just Concluded Poll’’ to have said that the wild jubilation that greeted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) victory in Edo reflects the influence of APC as a party that had become a household name and acceptable to Nigerians.

“We should enjoy and take pleasure from our defeats as much as we take from our victories. The extent and length they go to see us down shows how great we are. Our defeats should be a lesson that we are not gods, that we are but men.

“That we are mortals who suffer from setbacks, betrayals… But if our fellow men see us as gods and celebrate our defeats like they’ve defeated gods, then surely we must be close to being gods. They seek schadenfreude at our shrine but we only have to give, exactly what they hate us for. Akanbi is a movement. You either believe or hate, there’s no middle ground,’’ Tinubu was quoted as saying in the statement.

But, debunking the statement on Monday, Tinubu, who is a former Governor of Lagos, stressed that the statement attributed to him in the report remains fake and that such had not been authorized from his office, saying his office was not in any way connected to the purported acceptance of defeat.

Through a statement released to newsmen by his Media Aide, Tunde Rahman, Tinubu urged Nigerians to disregard the said statement and go about their business unperturbed as such was from the purveyors of fake news.

“Please disregard any post to the effect that His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has spoken on the Edo elections. The said statement is a fake one. It’s the antic of social media merchants of fake and unsubstantiated statements. It did not come from Asiwaju.

“Those who know Asiwaju would recall that it’s not in his character to rush to issue statements. At the appropriate time, His Excellency Asiwaju will speak on the Edo election. Thank you,’’ the statement said.

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has revealed that illegal deposit of a massive amount of money has led to banking sector shortcomings in mapped out regulations for banks.

It stated that the sum of allegedly dirty money has flowed for years through some of the world’s largest banking institutions, and are profits made by illegal business owners who lack courage in taking such amount to their countries.

ICIJnoted that Profits from deadly drug wars, fortunes embezzled from developing countries, and hard-earned savings stolen in a Ponzi scheme were all allowed to flow into and out of the financial institutions, despite warnings from the banks’ employees.

The investigation, which was led by 108 international media outlets from 88 different countries, is based on thousands of suspicious activity reports (SARs) submitted to the US Treasury Department’s financial law enforcement agency, FinCEN, by banks from around the world.

It stated that these documents, compiled by banks, shared with the government, but kept from public view, expose the hollowness of banking safeguards, and the ease with which criminals have exploited them, stressing that the document is relating to $2 trillion in transactions that circulated between 1999 and 2017.

The investigation points in particular to five major banks — JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank, and Bank of New York Mellon — accused of continuing to move assets of alleged criminals, even after being prosecuted or convicted for financial misconduct.

“The networks through which dirty money traverse the world have become vital arteries of the global economy,” Buzzfeed News reported.

” Deutsche Bank said that the ICIJ’s revelations were “well known” to its regulators. The bank also said it had “devoted significant resources to strengthening our controls,” as well as focused on “meeting our responsibilities and obligations,” he added.

The investigation also highlighted the American authorities’ lack of power in regulating dirty financial transactions.

Prior to the investigation’s publication, FinCEN said that the “unauthorized disclosure of SARs is a crime that can impact the national security of the United States.”

The Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Sen. Tolu Odebiyi celebrates a true heroine and Distinguished Senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, Her Excellency, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu as she clocks 60 today, Monday, 21st September, 2020.

An official statement released by the office of the Distinguished Senator which made available to Equity news, Sen. Odebiyi said, “On behalf of my wife Folashade, my entire Family, leaders and my Constituents in Ogun West Senatorial District, I join your wonderful family, friends, associates, well-meaning Party members and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), your Constituents in Lagos Central Senatorial District, as well as the government and good people of Lagos State, and other Nigerians to heartily rejoice with Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, OON, on the occasion of your Diamond Jubilee today, Monday, 21st September, 2020”.

“Her Excellency, you have been a strong pillar and constant support to our National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the years. As a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, your advocacy, legislation, love and support for women, education of the girl-child, youths, widows, gender equality, women empowerment and economic growth is commendable, not only in Lagos State, but in Nigeria as a whole”.

Sen. Odebiyi prays that God Almighty will grant Her Excellency, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu more glorious decades in robust health to enable her eat the fruits of her labour and continue her extremely selfless service to mankind.

The Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Sen. Tolu Odebiyi celebrates His Royal Majesty, Oba Daniel Abayomi Olayinka Salako as he clocks 61.

An official statement released by the office of the Distinguished Senator, which was made available to Equity News, Senator Odebiyi said:

“On behalf of my wife Folashade, the entire Odebiyi Family and my Constituents in Ogun West Senatorial District, I write to heartily felicitate with His Royal Majesty, on the occasion of your 61st Birthday Anniversary, on Saturday, 19th September, 2020”.

“It is a day to thank the Almighty God for giving us His Royal Majesty, Oba Daniel Abayomi Olayinka Salako, Agunloye IV, The Aboro of Iboroland, amiable, focused, peaceful, purposeful and loving Royal Father, whose life is a continuous source of joy and pride to us all”.

“Our very dear Kabiyesi, my true understanding and confession about your style confirms that, there are so many achievers, but only few distinguished themselves like you. You are a pride to our generation, a source of joy to the older generation and a reference point and source of inspiration to generation unborn”.

Going further, Senator Odebiyi prays that as His Royal Majesty celebrates this year, may God continue to grant him excellent health, greater peace, progress and prosperity in Iboroland and Yoruba race in general. May the blessings of the Almighty God continue to reside with him all the days of his life, he prayed.