Brazil 2014 World Cup: Eagles Boycott Training Over Match Bonus Money

Super Eagles players reportedly boycotted a scheduled training session yesterday after a disagreement with officials of the National Football Federation over bonus money.

BBC Sports reports that the players believe they are each $15,000 (£8,800) short of what they were expecting for reaching the last 16 in Brazil.

The players refused to train in Campinas on Thursday and NFF officials later confirmed the session had been cancelled. Continue...

From BBC BBC Sport has learned the problem lies in the interpretation of the bonus structure, with the players believing they will only receive $10,000 for their win 1-0 over Bosnia-Hercegovina and $5,000 for the 0-0 draw with Iran.

The players' understanding was they would receive a $30,000 payment for qualifying from the group. However, it is believed the Nigerian Football Federation's offer to the players includes the agreed win and draw bonuses plus 30% of the prize money due from Fifa for reaching the knockout stage. This is understood to rise to 40% of the prize money from Fifa if Nigeria were to win their round of 16 match, 50% for a quarter-final victory, 60% for a win in the semi-final stage and 70% for lifting the trophy. While all parties work to find a resolution to the misunderstanding, coach Stephen Keshi has insisted it will not affect the team's performance. And it has been confirmed to the BBC that the players will travel to Brasilia on Friday as scheduled and will train in the evening and over the weekend.

President Jonathan Visits Abuja Bomb Blast Site

President Jonathan today visited the scene of the bomb blast  that rocked Emab Plaza in Abuja on Wednesday in which 21 people died.

The President, who abandoned the 23rd Ordinary Session of African Union Heads of States and Government in Malabo arrived Abuja and visited the bomb site.He also visited some of the victims of the blast currently receiving treatment at the Maitama District Hospital in Abuja.

8 Months Pregnant Runs 800m Race

28 year old Olympian and five-time U.S. national champion Alysia Montano ran an 800m race at the Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California, yesterday.

  She completed the race in 2 minutes and received ovation from the spectators., her performance is  slower than her personal best of 1:57.34, which she smashed back in 2010 in a race in Monaco.

"I've been running throughout my pregnancy and I felt really, really good during the whole process.' Alysia said after the race..

Fatal Accident Along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

multiple fatal vehicle accident occurred this morning  along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway leaving at least six people dead and causing serious traffic on the road.

The accident happened around the Berger/Kara axis of the expressway and was caused by a vehicle trying to avoid another vehicle parked along the road.

Sambo Visit Abuja Bomb Blast Scene

Vice President Namadi Sambo today visited the scene of yesterday's bomb blast at Emab Plaza in Wuse 2, Abuja.

VP Sambo is pictured below inspecting the bomb site  in company of some members of the Federal Executive Council.

He also paid a visit to some of the injured victims at the Maitama District Hospital Abuja.

21 Suspected Terrorist Arrested in Enugu State

According to a report on Leadership, tension is high in Enugu State following the arrest of about 21 suspected Boko Haram members, who were reportedly traveling to Kaduna from Aba with several military uniforms concealed in a luxury bus.

They were intercepted by the National Task Force (NATFORCE) at Amala in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State. A source disclosed that the suspects were arrested early yesterday morning at Enugu border community that leads to the northern parts of the country.

The Leadership correspondent who visited the Enugu State Police headquarters yesterday morning sighted the suspects coming out from the intercepted bus with registration number, AKD816XG belonging to the Young Shall Grow Motors. Reacting to the development, the Area commander of the Nigeria Police Area Command, Nsukka, Ros-Amson Musa Haladu (ACP), said full scale investigation would be carried out to uncover the true mission of the 21 suspects.

The state commissioner of police Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, stated that he has ordered the task force team to transfer the suspects to the police headquarters in Enugu.

Cameroon Player Headbutts His Own Teammate During Their World Cup Match

The Cameroonians, who lost 4-0 to Croatia last night were so frustrated that they turned against each other. During the encounter, defender, Benoit Assou-Ekotto headbutted teammate Benjamin Moukandjo after exchanging a few words with him. Another teammate Pierre Webo had to separate the pair up as it as if they were ready to forget the match and fight each other in front of millions of football fans. One of the Cameroon players elbow a Croatia player which resulted in a red card for the Cameroon player.Cameroon was therefore reduced to 10 men.

World Cup Results

Three matches were played yesterday. Argentina defeated Iran 1-0,Nigeria won their match with Bosnia Herzegovina 1-0 and Ghana held former world champion Germany to a 2-2 draw.What an achievement for Africa's football super powers,Ghana and Nigeria.Argentina now top their group with 6 points from 2 matches,Nigeria is second with 4 points from 2 matches and Iran is having 1 point.Bosnia Herzegovina is at the bottom of the table without point.

"The 486 People Arrested in Abia Are Not Boko Haram-AYCF Warns

The 486 suspected Boko Haram terrorists arrested on the 15th of June in Abia State are not Boko Haram terrorists, the President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum(AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shettima, told Punch

“This gives us a lot of worry. Are these South-East governors or whoever is at the helms of affairs doing this in the interest of this country or to cause more hatred for our people, so that the country will break up?Those who are acting out this script of disintegration are not helping this country, especially at this challenging period.We are not in support of Boko Haram or their bomb attacks. We are saying that innocent citizens should not suffer because some evil-minded people come from their area. I can tell you that those who were arrested in Abia are not Boko Haram members.We had a case where about 500 people arrested in Lagos. I intervened and on getting to the force headquarters, we discovered that most of them were innocent and they were released.We are not saying security agencies should not do their work, but they should not go about arresting hundreds of people just because they are looking for one or two suspects.” If you recall, they were being transported in over 33 Hiace Hummer buses at night when soldiers intercepted them ,and when interrogated,they said they were going to look for work...

Today, it was revealed that a major Boko Haram wanted figure was among the group.. This comes after MASSOB warned that if any bomb goes off in the South -east, they will bring down Nigeria 

Culled from Punch

India Overtakes US As Nigeria's Biggest Oil Importer

India has overtaken the US as the largest importer of Nigerian oil, the Nigeria national oil company has said. The US has reduced its demand drastically for Nigeria's crude oil in recent months, the Nigerian National Oil Corporation said. According to bbc The country is currently buying about 250,000 barrels a day. India now buys considerably more - about 30% of  Nigeria's oil.

Source: bbc

General Motors To Recall Another 3 Million Cars

General Motors has recalled 3.36 million North American cars with ignition switches that can be jarred out of the "run" position, potentially affecting power steering, power brakes and air bags.

The switch issue is similar to the defect linked to at least 13 deaths in an earlier, 2.6-million vehicle recall of Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars. GM engineers first noted that problem more than a decade ago and the company's slow response to the switch issue triggered investigations within the company and by Congress and federal agencies. GM has issued 44 recalls this year of about 20 million vehicles, which is more than total annual US vehicle sales. Of this year's recalls, more than six million of the vehicles were recalled for ignition switch-related issues. On Friday, GM recalled more than half a million Chevrolet Camaro sports cars for ignition switch issues, saying a bump of the knee could turn off the engine.

$2bn in recall costs

GM said it would replace or rework the ignition keys on the cars in the latest recall, and it raised a recall-related charge for the second quarter to $700m from $400m. That takes total recall-related charges this year to $2bn. GM said it was aware of eight crashes and six injuries related to the latest recall.

The No.1 US automaker said its fix for the cars recalled on Monday would prevent extra weight from pulling the key to one side. "The use of a key with a hole, rather than a slotted key, addresses the concern of unintended key rotation due to a jarring road event, such as striking a pothole or crossing railroad tracks," it said. The latest recall includes Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Impala, Cadillac Deville and several other models, though only the Impala is currently in production.

The cars cover model years ranging between 2000 and 2014. It comes two days before GM Chief Executive Mary Barra is due to return to Congress to testify about the earlier Cobalt recall. 

Source:Aljazeera

Al-Shabab Claims Responsibility For Deadly Kenya Attacks

The Somalia-based armed group al-Shabab has said it carried out a deadly attack on a town in Kenya in which 48 people were killed and several buildings burned down.

In a statement sent to Al Jazeera on Monday, the group said that the attacks would continue, adding that the Kenyan government was "fighting a losing war" and telling tourists to stay away.   

    The group said they targeted the coastal town of Mpeketoni on Sunday because it was originally a Muslim area that was "invaded and occupied by Christian settlers." "The prospect of peace and stability in Kenyan will be but a distant mirage," the statement said. "Brace yourself for the depredations of war and that which you have with your hands sown." Al Jazeera's Rawyah Rageh, reporting from Mpeketoni on Monday, said that residents were "shocked" about how the attack lasted for hours, with the gunmen fleeing with minimal resistance.

Sunday's attack in Kenya's tourist hub was the biggest since the deadly Westgate Mall raid last September in the capital Nairobi. Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku promised on Monday to pursue the attackers. Attack on foreigners Al Jazeera's Rageh said the attack did not target foreigners in Kenya. "Attacks frequently carried out by al-Shabab target foreigners, but the latest one targeted locals in a small town," she said. Kenya sent troops into Somalia in late 2011, after al-Shabab fighters carried out a series of raids on Kenyan soil. 

Al-Shabab, which has fought a seven-year campaign to impose its interpretation of Islamic law inside Somalia, has said it wants to take revenge for Kenya's deployment of troops in the Horn of Africa nation. "The Mpeketoni raid was carried out in response to Kenyan military's continued invasion and occupation of our Muslim lands and the massacre of innocent Muslims in Somalia."   

Kenya has experienced a drop in tourist arrivals in recent months following gun and grenade attacks blamed on al-Shabab or its sympathisers. In May, explosions in Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa led the UK, US, France and Australia to issue warnings about travel to Kenya, and at least 400 tourists cut short their holidays and left hotels along the Indian Ocean coast. Kenya called the alerts "unfriendly", saying they would increase panic and play into the hands of those behind the assaults.

Source: aljazeera

Isreali Forces Kill Palestinians During Raids

Israeli forces have killed a Palestinian man and arrested the speaker of parliament, as the hunt for three Israelis believed to have been kidnapped in the West Bank continue.

Twenty-one-year-old Ahmed Sabarin was shot in the chest, according to hospital officials at the Palestine Medical Centre, as the Israeli army conducted house-to-house searches in al-Jalazon refugee camp, on the edge of Ramallah. Sabarin succumbed to wounds at the hospital.

Another man was wounded in the assault, and at least five others from the camp were arrested. Israel has accused Hamas of being behind the kidnapping of three Israeli teens who were hitch-hiking in the West Bank on Thursday night.

Its forces have so far rounded up more than 150 Palestinians, including parliament speaker Abdel Aziz Dweik, who was taken on Monday morning. Earlier, Hamas founder Hassan Yousef and several parliament members and former ministers were detained. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, blamed Hamas and held the Palestinian Authority (PA) responsible for the teens' disappearance. "I believe that the dangers of this pact should now be abundantly clear to all.

We've seen since the signing of that pact an increase in terrorist activity emanating from the West Bank," Netanyahu said on Sunday, referring to the new national government put together by Fatah and Hamas last month.

Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman, called Netanyahu's statements "stupid" and said they were a trial ballooon to gather intelligence from the Islamist group. RELATED: Israeli arrests over missing teens condemned The executive committee of the PLO, which is responsible for negotiations with Israel, said the Israeli mass arrests and closures were "racist" in nature, and intended to cover up what it termed Netanyahu's "incompetence." "This is Netanyahu's modus operandi: diverting attention from the real cause of the cycle of violence," the committee said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has, meanwhile, called for the immediate release of the three teens. "International humanitarian law prohibits abduction as well as the taking of hostages," Robert Mardini, who heads ICRC operations in the Middle East, said in a statement. "They must be treated humanely, and their lives and dignity protected and respected."

On Sunday night, two Palestinian children were wounded when Israeli forces detonated their front door in Hebron, which has been cordoned off with checkpoints and roadblocks. Their father Akram al-Qawasami, who was also injured, was detained. Also on Sunday, Israeli soldiers said shots were fired at a military post near the settlement of Har Gilo in the Bethlehem area.

In the Gaza Strip, at least two rockets were fired into the Ashkelon area in Israel. Israeli air strikes into the coastal enclave left at least four Palestinians injured. Hussam Badran, a Hamas official, said "the assaults on Gaza and arrests in the West Bank will not stop the Palestinian people from resisting the Israeli occupation by whatever means necessary".

Source:Aljazeera

Pain Killers Can Increase The Risk Of Heart Attacks And Strokes

Researchers say that doctors and patients need to be aware that prescription of any anti-inflammatory drug needs to take cardiovascular risk into account. The drugs include traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) as well as new generation anti-inflammatory drugs, known as COX-2 inhibitors.

NSAIDs have been the cornerstone of managing pain in patients with osteoarthritis and other painful conditions. In 2004, the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib was withdrawn from the market after a trial found that the drug increased the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Since then, there has been much debate about the cardiovascular safety of COX-2 inhibitors and traditional NSAIDs, which several studies have not been able to resolve. So researchers in Switzerland performed a comprehensive analysis of all randomised controlled trials comparing any NSAID with other NSAIDs or placebo.    

Source: Daily times    

Abducted Chibok Girls May Be Used As Tools For Attacks If

There are dangers that the 219 abducted Chibok schoolgirls may end up being indoctrinated as members of the Boko Haram sect or even help to carry out attacks if nothing is done to end their continuous stay in captivity of the insurgents, a top security source who wouldnt want to be named said.

The security source who has some expertise on criminal psychology told LEADERSHIP Sunday in an exclusive interview that the chances are 50:50 that some of the abducted girls would by now begin to imbibe or get indoctrinated to support the cause of the Boko Haram. The source said that there are strong argument currently being advanced within the security circle that the young girl that carried out the recent suicide bombing at a military check post in Gombe State could be one of the girls that were in captivity. We are faced by two dangers now; one is the fear that these girls could be killed and the other is that they could be turned into some tools by the insurgents who may begin to use them as spies or agents to execute their heinous activities, said the source.

Already, if what we are suspecting is anything to go by, the girl that carried out the suicide bombing that claimed her life and that of a soldier may be one of the girls that had been abducted. It is a known fact that a female suicide bomber had not been reported so far, and suddenly we begin to record young girls now carrying out suicide attacks; one would be forced to ask where did the girl emerged from? Psychologically, it takes about 21 days for one to pick up a habit or drop it, explained the source. The danger is that these are very young and ill-exposed schoolgirls, some of them, judging from our interactions with those that had escaped, were village girls who hardly travel far out of their communities, local government or the state.

Now some grown up men picked them up and kept them for over 65 days, feeding them with nice foods; probably what they had never eaten before, clothing them, and continually preach to them to see their activities as the genuine worship of God, and then perhaps making some sexual advance on them. Over time, the poor girls would begin to have a change of whatever negative thoughts they may have harboured about the insurgents and then begin to fall in love with them, and with what they stand for. The top security source said once the girls got so indoctrinated, there are chances that even if they are rescued, they could still harbour some affection for their captors.

That is why government had to shelve its politics and sanction an operation that will quickly bring these girls back home, lest we are toying with possible new converts of Boko Haram that could be used to do more havoc, said the source. On what could be done should the girls eventually get released, he said that the girls must be subjected to serious psychological counselling; and experts in the security circle must have to thoroughly debrief them in order to ascertain any possible trace of indoctrination especially from those that may have professed new faith other than what they practiced before they were abducted.

Source: Leadership