No God please No! Reactions trail Kobe Bryant, daughter’s death

You cannot be a true follower of the slam-dunk game and not know Kobe Bryant. The LA Lakers and basketball legend had a successful career that spanned two decades, making and breaking records in the process. On January 26, 2020, Bryant and four others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California – they were his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, her teammate and her teammate’s parent.
Kobe’s last tweet was a reaction to LeBron James breaking his scoring record in the NBA. From Dwayne Wade to Tom Brady, reactions have started pouring in and below are some of them.
Source: THE VANGUARD

Overhead bridges: 36 persons arrested for crossing expressway in Lagos

The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) said it has arrested 36 persons for allegedly crossing the highways indiscriminately. The Corps Marshal of the Agency, Mrs Gbemisola Akinpelu, a retired Commissioner of Police stated this in a statement signed by Mr Adebayo Kehinde, head of Public Affairs Unit of the agency.
Akinpelu said that, apart from the suspects risking their lives and that of motorists, they also impede free flow of vehicular movement in the State, while crossing major highways where overhead bridges were erected for usage. “The Agency is geared toward attaining total compliance on road crossing and use of pedestrian bridges in line with the mandate of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on the enforcement and prosecution of the offenders.
“The distance from the pedestrian bridges where arrests can be made by LAGESC officers against erring pedestrians wishing to endanger their lives by crossing the highway is pegged at 200 metres. “The Agency is presently carrying out the total enforcement in some of the identified areas such as Ikeja Along, Ikorodu Road, Ojota, Berger, C.M.S, amongst others,” she said. Akinpelu said that the agency had established additional Divisional Offices in the State, toward ensuring adequate coverage of all areas. She stressed on the need for Divisional Commanders, Deputy Divisional Commanders, Unit Commanders and Senior Officers to adequately monitor the pedestrian bridges. The retired CP also urged the officers and men to dislodge traders around the bridges and walkways for free human movements. (NAN)
Source: the vanguard

What's going on in our brain during everyday life- MIT Technology Review

MIT Technology Review on their tweeter account, tweeting "DeepMind’s new algorithm has uncovered new details about how dopamine helps the brain learn." “It gives us a new perspective on what's going on in our brains during everyday life.”

Rahama Sarah ready to release her movie

Popular actress Rahama Sarah sets to release movie in cinemas as from 7th of February.

Fans are already looking forward to it.

Watch out!!!

Don't Forget to like and comment

Wuhan, a city of 11 million, has been in virtual lockdown since Thursday

Coronavirus: The death toll from China's coronavirus outbreak jumped on Saturday to 41 from 26 a day earlier as the Lunar New Year got off to a gloomy start, with authorities curbing travel and cancelling public gatherings. More than 1,300 people have been infected globally with a virus traced to a seafood market in the central city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife. Health authorities around the world are scrambling to prevent a pandemic.

State-run China Global Television Network reported in a tweet on Saturday that a doctor who had been treating patients in Wuhan, 62-year-old Liang Wudong, had died from the virus. It was not immediately clear if his death was already counted in the official toll of 41, of which 39 were in the central province of Hubei, where Wuhan is located.

U.S. coffee chain Starbucks said on Saturday that it was closing all its outlets in Hubei province for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, following a similar move by McDonald's in five Hubei cities.

Wuhan, a city of 11 million, has been in virtual lockdown since Thursday, with nearly all flights at the airport canceled and checkpoints blocking the main roads leading out of town. Authorities have since imposed transport restrictions on nearly all of Hubei province, which has a population of 59 million.

In Beijing on Saturday, workers in white protective suits checked temperatures of passengers entering the subway at the central railway station, while some train services in eastern China's Yangtze River Delta region were suspended, the local railway operator said.

The number of confirmed cases in China stands at 1,287, the National Health Commission said on Saturday. The virus has also been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, Malaysia, France, the United States and Australia.

Australia on Saturday announced its first case of coronavirus, a Chinese national in his 50s, who had been in Wuhan and arrived from China on Jan. 19 on a flight from Guangzhou. He is in stable condition in a Melbourne hospital.

"Given the number of cases that have been found outside of China and the significant traffic from Wuhan city in the past to Australia, it was not unexpected that we would get some cases," Australia's Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy told a news conference. "This is the first confirmed case. There are other cases being tested each day, many of them are negative, but I wouldn't be surprised if we had further confirmed cases." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday it had 63 patients under investigation, with two confirmed cases, both in people who had traveled to Wuhan.

REINFORCEMENTS TO WUHAN

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus an "emergency in China" this week but stopped short of declaring it of international concern. Human-to-human transmission has been observed in the virus.

China's National Health Commission said on Saturday it had formed six medical teams totaling 1,230 medical staff to help Wuhan. Three of the six teams, from Shanghai, Guangdong and military hospitals have arrived in Wuhan.

Hubei province, where authorities are rushing to build a 1,000 bed hospital in six days to treat patients, announced on Saturday that there were 658 patients affected by the virus in treatment, 57 of whom were critically ill.

The newly-identified coronavirus has created alarm because there are still many unknowns surrounding it, such as how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads between people. It can cause pneumonia, which has been deadly in some cases. Symptoms include fever, difficulty breathing and coughing. Most of the fatalities have been in elderly patients, many with pre-existing conditions, the WHO said.

NEW YEAR DISRUPTIONS

Airports around the world have stepped up screening of passengers from China, though some health officials and experts have questioned the effectiveness of such screenings and of the lockdown.

Health officials fear the transmission rate could accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel before and during the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, which began on Saturday, although many have canceled their plans, with airlines and railways in China providing free refunds.

The virus outbreak and efforts to contain it have put a dampener on what is ordinarily a festive time of year.

Shanghai Disneyland was closed from Saturday. The theme park has a 100,000 daily capacity and sold out during last year's Lunar New Year holiday.

Beijing's Lama Temple, where people traditionally make offerings for the new year, has also closed, as have some other temples and the Forbidden City, the capital's most famous tourist attraction. Sections of the Great Wall near the capital were also closed off.

Source: Business Today

Eriksen set to join Inter Milan after being left out of Spurs squad

Christian Eriksen looks set to have played his last game for Tottenham after he was left out of their FA Cup fourth-round game at Southampton.
The Denmark international is primed to join Inter Milan before the January transfer window shuts, with reports in Italy suggesting he will travel for a medical early next week.
Eyebrows were raised when he still travelled to St Mary’s on Saturday afternoon, but Jose Mourinho did not include him in Tottenham‘s matchday 18. Despite constant speculation surrounding Eriksen‘s future this month, which Mourinho described as a difficult situation, the Portuguese has still continued to involve the midfielder. He came on as a second-half substitute in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Norwich, but was booed by some fans who have been unhappy about the Dane’s supposed lack of commitment this season. Having said he wanted to leave in the summer for a fresh challenge, his performance levels have dropped, especially after he failed to secure a move in the summer transfer window.
However, if a move away does go through next week the 27-year-old will be remembered as one of the key men who helped Tottenham become a force in English football under Mauricio Pochettino. He scored 69 goals in all competitions across 305 appearances and made many more in a lethal combination with the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dele Alli. Defender Danny Rose was also not included in the squad at Saints amid reported interest from Newcastle. Source: Football 365

Lukaku: Conte told me I was trash in front of Inter stars

The 26-year-old hitman has said that a blast from the former Chelsea boss took him out of his comfort zone and got the best from his game

Romelu Lukaku has revealed that Inter head coach Antonio Conte’s no-nonsense approach is getting the best out of his game.

The Belgium international moved to the Serie A outfit from Manchester United for £75 million ($98m) in the summer and has rapidly established himself as one of the most dangerous forwards in Italy’s top flight.

After being perceived as a flop at Old Trafford, he has excelled in Milan, where he has 14 goals in 20 Serie A appearances this season.

He says that the mentality of Conte is getting the best from his game and even said that being rubbished in front of his team-mates after one particularly poor display has motivated him to achieve greater heights.

“I remember one of my first Champions League games against Slavia Prague when I played really bad - like I was trash that day - and I really got it from him in front of the whole team,” the former Everton hitman told Sky Sports.

“He told me that I was really trash and that he would take me off after five minutes if I would have done it again.

“It's little things like that. And we played the Milan derby just after that and I played one of my best games of the season.

“He just gave me that - he stepped on my confidence but it woke me up at the same time. He does it to everybody, it doesn't matter who you are. Everybody is equal.

“It had never really happened to me before. It had never happened.

“The manager, he tells it straight to your face if you're doing well or wrong.”

Lukaku also credits the formations used with Inter and Belgium, where Roberto Martinez is head coach, for his strong form.

“When there is a lot of movement around me, here and with the Belgian national team, I am at my best because then I can create myself and I can be at the end of the delivery,” he added.

“Right now, the systems we are playing, here at Inter with the 3-5-2, and with the Belgium national team in a 3-4-3 with players close to me.

“Here [at Inter] we play in a system where you have to be in a certain position but at the end of the day, if you stand in the right position, you get chances.

“It is different with the Belgian national team, where there is much more freedom but I have more players around me.”

Saudi Arabia wealth fund in talks to buy Newcastle United for £340 million

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is in talks to buy English football club Newcastle United for about 340 million pounds (about N156.4 billion), a source familiar with the situation told Reuters. The revelation confirmed a report in the Wall Street Journal earlier on Saturday.
British billionaire Mike Ashley, who made his fortune from sportswear retailer Sports Direct (renamed Frasers Group (FRAS.L) last month), has owned Newcastle United since 2007. Saudi’s Public Investment Fund together with a group led by British financier Amanda Staveley, are in discussions to buy the Premier League club. But the talks were at a delicate stage and could fall apart, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.
A spokesman for Newcastle United declined to comment on Saturday. Saudi’s Public Investment Fund was not immediately available for comment, nor were representatives for Ashley or Staveley. Newcastle United has been up for sale for a number of years. Three years ago, Staveley’s firm PCP Capital Partners made an offer for it for a reported 250 million pounds but the talks broke down. In 2019, Newcastle United was rumoured to be on the brink of being bought by Abu Dhabi billionaire Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan, but that deal did not go ahead either. Ashley, who owns a controlling stake in the club, has not always been popular among fans, and thousands have been staying away from matches this season to protest at his ownership. Around a third of English football clubs are under foreign ownership. English Premier League (EPL) clubs Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are all in American hands, while Manchester City is owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
[Reuters/NAN]

The fall of Pedro: How Chelsea's most decorated player went from Barca favourite to struggling against Hull

No other Blues player has reached the dizzying heights of the winger but his current bit-part role has seen him become a shadow of his former self
The year is 2010. Pep Guardiola is sitting in the Santiago Bernabeu, fed up of people ignoring the talent of a vital cog in his Barca machine. 
“Pedro has become vital for us, absolutely fundamental. He is a role model, a great. He always exceeds expectations.”
At Barcelona, Pedro was regarded as a 'killer' in the box. An unsung hero.
He won 20 trophies there, 14 of those under Pep – indeed, a Champions League opener against Manchester United in 2011 permanently etched him into the history of the club.
Against Hull City on Saturday, though, we saw a snapshot of where the man Guardiola once regarded as deadly as Lionel Messi in the penalty area is in his storied career.
In early 2020, Chelsea's most decorated but increasingly bit-part Spaniard travelled to the mid-table Championship side in the FA Cup and struggled. In the first half, his movement was laboured despite the Blues' domination. A sign of a lack of first-team minutes no doubt.
In the second half, he put the Frank Lampard's side under pressure by losing the ball close to his own goal, leading to a chance for Hull. The visitors grew in confidence though, and Chelsea were hanging on in a game that they almost certainly should have won more comfortably.
Hull were the better side in the second half, but the two best chances in the latter stages fortuitously fell to Pedro. Alas, he squandered them. Sad to say, it wasn't a great watch for a player who was lining up alongside Messi and Andres Iniesta six years ago.
Pedro, a man Chelsea fended off Man Utd to sign in 2015, is watching his time at Stamford Bridge come to an end.
Spain's world and European champion began as a starter under Lampard after he produced a fine pre-season in Willian's absence, the Brazilian having been on a victorious Copa America trip with Brazil last summer.
And under Antonio Conte in London, Pedro shone, the Italian's methods perfectly suited to his talents. Then there was Maurizio Sarri, who also found the Canary Islander to be a sound operator in his strictly-planned set-up.
Coming back to this campaign, a few early-season setbacks and a couple of small injuries saw him lose his place to Chelsea's youth, with Willian also settling back in. Add to that Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount renewing their contracts and Lampard's deck starts to look stacked against the 32-year-old.
But while Christian Pulisic poses yet another issue and Pedro appears open to leaving, Lampard denies the winger could be sold despite interest from Major League Soccer.
“He is part of my plans,” the manager said recently. “I started the season and he was in my team, and then, unfortunately, he got injured at Norwich before the game and I had to make a change. Then he was out for a while, and I do have competition in that area.”
“He has had bits here and there, I know he wants more games, I get that. But he certainly has something that he can contribute here with his experience and his ability to break lines and run behind people and maybe get those goals in and around the box.
“He's here, I know his contract is up at the end of the season but I am not even looking that far ahead. He's here, he's part of the squad and I need everybody because football can change very quickly. 
“There can be a period of games where you're on the bench, out of the squad, something changes and that's the moment that you have to come in and produce.
“I have got no winners in this game, I want the club to be the winner. [If] people come in and do well, they stay in the team.”
Pedro, presumably, will envy the situation of fellow forward Olivier Giroud, who has seen his talks with Inter progress well following the Serie A club tying up deals for Ashley Young and Victor Moses.
With eight starts and 12 appearances overall, the Stamford Bridge shadows is likely to be where the former Barca star remains in the short term.
Past the summer, however, one can hope that a transfer to a side that can afford him a spot in the starting XI will reignite the Red Fury.

Bauchi Supplementary elections: PDP clinches Zaki Federal Constituency seat

Hon. Auwal Jatau, candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), has emerged winner of Saturday’s supplementary elections for Zaki Federal Constituency in Bauchi state.
Announcing the result in Zaki town on Saturday, the Returning Officer, Prof. Ahmed Kutama of Federal University, Dutse, said Jatau polled 15,405 votes to defeat his closest rival, Umar Tata of the All Progressive Congress (APC), who secured 15,307 votes.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Jatau contested with 19 candidates of other political parties. The result of the Gamawa Federal Constituency re-run election is still being awaited.

Many cadets withdrawn from NDA over acts of indiscipline

By Kingsley Omonobi – Abuja 
Authorities of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) on Friday disclosed, that some scores of Cadets have been withdrawn from the Academy and others demoted, having been found wanting in discipline and general conduct. The Academy Public Relations Officer, Major Abubakar Abdullahi confirmed the withdrawals to Vanguard but was silent on the number of Cadets involved.
Major Abdullahi said that the relegation and withdrawal of the Cadets followed the conduct of the Academy’s periodic dossier on all cadets aimed to preserve discipline and improve general administration. He said the mission of the NDA was to provide each officer Cadet with the requisite knowledge, skills, and values necessary to meet the requirements of a military officer through military training, academic excellence and character development.
Noting that the exercise is in line with the provisions of Cadets Hand Book on Discipline and General Administration 2018 (Revised) and Armed Forces Act CAP A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, he said the exercise was in line with the NDA’s commitment to produce quality and disciplined officers for the Nigerian Armed Forces. The statement reads, “The mission of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s (NDA) is to provide each officer cadet with the requisite knowledge, skills and values necessary to meet the requirements of a military officer through military training, academic excellence and character development. “Towards achieving this mandate, the NDA conducts periodic Dossier Review to address Cadets disciplinary cases. “The Exercise is in line with provisions of Cadets Hand Book on Discipline and General Administration 2018 (Revised) and Armed Forces Act CAP A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. “The recently concluded Dossier Review resulted in the relegation and withdrawal of some Cadets found wanting in discipline and general misconduct. “This is in line with the NDA continued demonstration of its commitment to produce quality officers for the Nigerian Armed Forces and to ensure discipline is preserved.”
Source: THE VANGUARD