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Protesters clash ahead of swearing-in of Lula in Brazil

Supporters of leftist leader
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva clashed briefly with
opponents of his Workers' Party on Thursday
outside the presidential palace, where he was due to
be sworn in as President Dilma Rousseff's chief of
staff.
Police said they used pepper spray to stop a clash
between the rival groups and move away some 300
opposition protesters who were trying to enter the
square, occupied by more than 300 pro-government
demonstrators.
Hundreds of anti-government protesters calling for
Rousseff's impeachment and Lula's arrest also
blocked the central Avenue Paulista in Sao Paulo,
Brazil's largest city and economic hub.
Brazil's currency and stock market gained sharply on
Thursday, as a second day of protests calling for
President Dilma Rousseff's ouster boosted bets on
her removal.
The appointment of Lula to the cabinet, a move
seen by his critics as a way to shield the former
president from prosecution in a corruption
investigation, triggered large protests in several
Brazilian cities on Wednesday.
With Brazil's economy mired in its worst recession
in a generation, popular anger at Rousseff is
mounting as an investigation into bribes and
political kickbacks at state oil company Petrobras
taints her inner circle.
The corruption scandal that threatens to topple
Rousseff has divided her governing coalition and
moved her main partner, the PMDB party, closer to
breaking with her government.
Vice President Michel Temer, leader of the PMDB,
will not attend the swearing-in of Lula, his aides
said, because Rousseff appointed a party lawmaker,
Mauro Lopes, as civil aviation minister even though
a party convention on Saturday banned its members
from taking new posts in her government.

John Kerry calls Islamic State's atrocities genocide

South Africa's Zuma says all ministers appointed by him

South African
President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday that all
cabinet ministers were appointed by him, responding
to allegations that a wealthy family close to him
had influence over political appointments.
South Africa's government was rocked on
Wednesday when Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi
Jonas said the Gupta family offered him the
position of finance minister.
Zuma denied any involvement.
"If Jonas says he was offered by the Guptas, I think
you will be well-placed to ask the Guptas, or Jonas.
Don't ask me. Where do I come in?" Zuma said in
response to questions in parliament.
"I never offered Jonas the ministry. That's why he is
the deputy minister."
(Reporting by Stella Mapenzauswa and Tiisetso
Motsoeneng; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Ed
Cropley)

Quitting smoking can seem like a huge hurdle

Even after a potentially lifesaving procedure
like angioplasty, quitting smoking can seem
like a huge hurdle.
Faced with a list of changes that might
include quitting smoking and giving up some
of the foods you love, it’s easy to become
frustrated and even resentful. But there’s
help available, and many compelling reasons
to give up smoking once and for all, starting
with living a longer life.
Researchers in the Netherlands followed a
group of more than 800 people who had an
angioplasty procedure for 30 years after to
determine the benefits of smoking cessation.
According to their study, which was published
in the November 2013 issue of the American
Journal of Cardiology, people who quit had a
life expectancy that was at least two years
longer than those who continued to smoke.
Granted, quitting smoking isn’t easy, says
Clark Fuller, MD, director of thoracic surgery
at ProvidenceSaint John’s Health Center in
Santa Monica, California. and a smoking
cessation expert. “It helps if you understand
the role your smoking habit played in your
heart disease and the part it will continue to
play if you don’t quit,” Dr. Fuller says.
Cigarette smoke is harmful to heart
health because it can narrow your blood
vessels and lead to plaque build-up — the
reason you needed an angioplasty in the first
place.
Continuing to smoke means the problem still
exists, Fuller says.
Quitting Smoking After Angioplasty
Here are strategies that can help you stop
smoking after you’ve had an angioplasty
procedure:
Follow through with cardiac rehab. If you
were referred to a cardiac rehabilitation
program to improve your heart health after
angioplasty, be sure to attend all of the
sessions.
Your cardiac rehab team can help you identify
your risk factors for a repeat blockage,
including smoking, and show you ways to
reduce all those risks, including help with
smoking cessation.
Join a smoking cessation support
group. Double up on your non-smoking efforts
by joining a support group. You may be able
to quit smoking on your own for the first
month or so after your angioplasty procedure
because you’re highly motivated, Fuller says.
But as time goes on, it can become more
difficult to stay away from cigarettes. That’s
when joining a smoking cessation support
group may be most helpful.
Ask your doctor for smoking cessation
medications. Some people find that nicotine
replacement medications, whether in gum,
spray, or patch form, help them with quitting
smoking.
These aids work by gradually decreasing the
amount of nicotine you’re getting and
reducing the headaches and irritability that are
likely side effects of your efforts to quit.
Be sure you know exactly how to use the
medication to get the most benefit, and
continue to work closely with your doctor to
reach your quit-smoking goal.
Decide whether to go “cold turkey” or quit
gradually. Fuller believes quitting smoking
“cold turkey” is best. However, some people
find it’s easier to gradually cut down on the
number of times they smoke in a day,
eventually getting to zero. Focus on your
progress, even if it’s just going from four
packs a day to two to one, says Robert
Applegate, MD, a professor of cardiology and
an interventional cardiologist at Wake Forest
Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, N.C. Then
go from one pack to a half-pack, and don’t
give up until you’ve gone from a half to
none.
Plan your “quit day.” Get out the calendar
and circle a day within the next week that
will be your “quit day.
” Prepare for your quit day by writing out a
list of what you’ll do instead of reaching for
a cigarette. Remove triggers, such as ashtrays
and lighters, that will make you want to
smoke.
Pick rewards you’ll allow yourself for every
day that goes by without smoking.
Find ways to deal with urges.
Smoking is a habit that leaves you craving
nicotine, so when you quit, be ready to
experience withdrawal.
You’ll be more successful at quitting if you
identify what triggers your urges to light up
and develop strategies to overcome them.
Some people find that keeping their hands or
their minds busy helps, whether that’s taking
up a hobby or grabbing a book or a crossword
puzzle.
Others find that chewing gum or sucking on a
piece of candy can quell their urges.
Identify strategies that will work for you and
then put your plan into action.
Remember that continuing to smoke will limit
the health benefits of your angioplasty.
Putting a quitting-smoking plan into action
will take the same discipline as changing your
eating habits and starting an exercise plan,
but better heart health and a longer life are
worthy payoffs.

What you should know about Chronic Fatigue

While some symptoms of cancer can be rather
obvious and deeply concerning, other
symptoms can be much less noticeable and
alarming. Listed in this article are nine cancer
symptoms that people often ignore.
Although general fatigue is commonly
associated with the daily grind of life, extreme
fatigue that doesn’t seem to go away can
potentially be a cause for great concern.
According to the American Cancer Society,
chronic fatigue, or fatigue that can’t be
remedied by sleep, can be a sign of leukemia,
colon cancer, or cancer of the stomach. It is
worth noting, as a means to avoid fear-
mongering, that chronic fatigue or any issue
documented in this list is merely a possible
symptom of cancer, not a formal diagnosis.

Buhari's battle to clean up Nigeria's oil industry

The revelation by Nigeria's auditor general that
$16bn (£11bn) of oil revenue went missing in 2014
has emphasised the scale of the task facing
President Muhammadu Buhari in his efforts to clean
up the oil sector. Neil Ford, an expert on oil, crime
and security in Nigeria, outlines some of the ways
in which huge amounts of money are stolen and
assesses the president's chance of success.
The influence of oil on Nigeria is well known. From
the soils of the Niger Delta to government revenues,
it permeates the country's economy, politics and
environment like nothing else.
It also encourages corruption and organised crime to
such an extent that other African governments warn
of the need to avoid becoming "another Nigeria".
There are many ways of illegally tapping oil
revenues, and crime in the oil sector is easily the
second biggest industry in the country after oil
production.
President Buhari was elected last March on a
platform to tackle this crime but similar promises by
his predecessors have had virtually no impact.
The man, who some called Baba Go-Slow, has
taken swift action on one of the biggest problems:
Corruption and inefficiency within the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Opaque oil company
The state oil company is involved in oil production
but also regulates the sector and handles government
oil revenues, creating conflicts of interest and
opportunities for theft.
Last May, Mr Buhari chose Emmanuel Kachikwu
as the man to sort it out. As former executive vice-
chairman at ExxonMobil Africa, he is well aware of
the Nigerian oil industry's shortcomings.
Now as NNPC group managing director and junior
oil minister he has replaced the heads of all eight of
the firm's divisions and said the corporation's
monthly losses have been reduced to $15m (£11m).
On 3 March, the government announced that it
would break the NNPC up into different companies
to be run on commercial lines whilst remaining
state owned. However, the country's powerful trade
union movement opposes the plans.
Ensuring good governance has become even more
important as oil prices have tumbled and are now
between $30-40 (£21-28) a barrel.
Nigerian oil exports were worth $78.3bn in 2014,
followed by gas at $12.9bn. The next biggest
exports were coffee, tea, cocoa and spices at just
$1.2bn.
Oil theft
The theft of oil in the Niger Delta will be an even
tougher nut to crack.
Oil theft - or bunkering as it is known in Nigeria -
grew out of protests against the lack of benefit that
people form the Delta were getting from oil
production. They saw little investment and received
few skilled jobs but experienced water, soil and land
pollution.
Estimates vary, but bunkerers now take about
200,000 barrels of crude oil a day and even more
production is kept out of use by attacks on pipelines
and other infrastructure.
As a president from the north, Mr Buhari will find
calming the southern Delta region almost impossible
in this divided country, particularly as some security
and political officials have been accused of being
involved in bunkering.
A more recent spin-off of bunkering has been piracy
in the waters off Nigeria and neighbouring states.
Pirates have attacked tankers to either rob crew
members or take the crude or fuel products for sale
elsewhere in the region.
Subsidy fraud
Some of the least reported but most lucrative forms
of crime in the oil industry revolve around fuel
imports.
Although Nigeria is an important crude oil exporter,
it imports most of its refined petroleum products
and there are many ways to exploit the subsidies
paid on these shipments.
One of the most popular is called round tripping,
where fuel that has already been imported and a
subsidy paid is taken just outside Nigerian territorial
waters and back in again to double the subsidy.
The government has long paid subsidies on more
fuel than Nigeria actually consumes.
Recovering stolen money
Mr Buhari's government is also seeking to recover as
much oil money as possible that was spirited out of
the country by corrupt officials and relatives of
former rulers.
Top of the list are the billions of dollars reputed to
be held by relatives of former military leader Sani
Abacha but banking sector secrecy does not make its
recovery easy.
Measuring success
The entire fuel distribution and refining sector will
have to be rebuilt from the ground up, if Mr Buhari
is to end the corruption and theft.
A good method of judging his success will be if the
NNPC's four refineries are brought back into full use
or replaced.
Most fuel imports are only necessary because all four
have been out of use or operated intermittently for
many years, generating a lot of money for those
behind the scams.
The enormity of the task makes it unlikely that the
president will manage to tackle all forms of crime in
the oil sector, even if he serves two four-year terms
of office.
Given Nigeria's track record, he would do well to
win the battle on even one front.
But his tough reputation on corruption means the
chances of success are greater than they have been
for many years.

US student Otto Warmbier given hard labour in North Korea

US student Otto Warmbier has been given 15 years
hard labour in North Korea for crimes against the
state.
Warmbier, 21, was arrested for trying to steal a
propaganda sign from a hotel while visiting North
Korea in January.
He later appeared on state TV apparently confessing
and saying a church group had asked him to bring
back a "trophy" from his trip.
North Korea sometimes uses the detention of
foreigners as a means of exerting pressure on its
adversaries.
The BBC's Stephen Evans in South Korea says the
15-year sentence is high compared to those given to
foreigners in the past.
This could be due to the particularly high tensions
at the moment between North Korea and the US, he
says.
'Worst mistake'
North Korean state news agency KCNA said
Warmbier was convicted under an article of the
criminal code relating to subversion. The verdict was
handed down by the Supreme Court.
Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia,
was arrested on 2 January as he was trying to leave
North Korea. He was accused of committing "hostile
acts".
KCNA said at the time he had gone to North Korea
"to destroy the country's unity" and that he had
been "manipulated" by the US government.
At the end of February, at a tearful press conference
in Pyongyang, he said he had "committed the crime
of taking down a political slogan from the staff
holding area of the Yanggakdo International Hotel".
"The aim of my task was to harm the motivation
and work ethic of the Korean people. This was a
very foolish aim," he was quoted as saying.
He said it was the "worst mistake" of his life.
North Korea detainees often recant their confessions
once out of the country.
US tourism to North Korea is legal but the US
State Department strongly advises against it.
The sentencing comes a day after veteran US
diplomat Bill Richardson met North Korean officials
at the UN in New York to try to push for
Warmbier's release.
Mr Richardson has previously been involved in
negotiations to secure the release of Americans from
North Korea detention.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the
sentence: "North Korea's sentencing of Otto
Warmbier to 15 years hard labour for a college-style
prank is outrageous and shocking" said Phil
Robertson, deputy director of HRW's Asia division,
in a statement.
North Korean state media took a less lenient view:
"The accused confessed to the serious offense he had
committed against the DPRK, pursuant to the US
government's hostile policy toward it, in a bid to
impair the unity of its people, after entering as a
tourist," reported the KCNA news agency.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
is North Korea's formal name.
North Korea has ramped up its hostile rhetoric in
recent weeks, after the UN imposed some of its
toughest ever sanctions.
The sanctions were a response to the North
conducting its fourth nuclear test and launching a
satellite into space, which was seen as a covert test
of banned missile technology.
Pyongyang has also been angered by the US and
South Korea carrying out their annual military
drills, which this year involve some 315,000
personnel.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has threatened
"indiscriminate" nuclear attacks against the US and
the South, and has said his country will soon test a
nuclear warhead.
However analysts still doubt whether the North has
the capacity to carry out a nuclear attack.

Oscars diversity debate: Academy appoints 'diverse voices'

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,
which awards the Oscars, has added "diverse voices"
to its board after a row about ethnic diversity.
Three new governors have been appointed, including
African-American producer Reginald Hudlin and
Korean-born director Jennifer Yuh Nelson.
The move comes after several Hollywood figures
boycotted this year's Oscars.
Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said the
board now had "much more of a diversity to it".
Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett-Smith were among those
who objected to there being no non-white nominees
in the acting categories and the row saw the
hashtag #OscarsSoWhite trending for several days
after the nominations were announced.
The Academy has also appointed six new committee
members, which include Mexican actor Gael Garcia
Bernal and African-American producers Effie Brown
and Stephanie Allain.
'Very sorry'
Boone Isaacs said: "We set out, even a few years
ago, to have more inclusion and certainly have
stepped it up.
"We just want to keep this process going, and so
were really happy that were able to announce these
additions."
Other changes announced include limiting Oscar
voting rights to those active in the movie business.
The Academy also apologised after criticism from
some Asian academy members who were offended by
a skit during the Oscars show in February.
Activists accused host Chris Rock of perpetuating
racial stereotypes when he introduced a group of
accountants, who turned out to be three Asian
children in suits. One of the children was also given
a Jewish surname.
Rock then said: "If anybody is upset about that
joke, just tweet about it on your phone, which was
also made by these kids."
Boone Isaacs said she was "very sorry" people had
been offended, adding: "I can understand the
feelings and we are setting up a meeting to discuss,
because as you well know, no one sets out to be
offensive.
"I think so much is achieved with dialogue, so much
is achieved. And that is what we'll continue to do:
have dialogue, listen and just keep fixing.''

Cyber-crime is Africa's 'next big threat', experts warn

Government and commercial online services could
become the next frontier for illegal activity in
Africa, security experts are warning.
As more people get access to the internet across
Africa, governments and businesses are increasing
their online presence but there are questions about
how secure these websites are.
The email scam using a message from someone
pretending to be a relative of a dead African leader
asking for bank details is well known, but now
tactics have changed.
Today's cyber-criminals do not need users' approval
or awareness to access valuable data, which could
lead to the theft of a large amount of money.
For example, a recent cybersecurity report on Kenya
says businesses are losing about $146m (£96m) every
year to cyber-crime.
Kenyan cybersecurity analyst Freddy (not his real
name) showed me how the average Kenyan website
lacks adequate protection.
Working on a dummy site with a typical level of
security, he showed me how it was possible to hack
into it.
"This will take me about 15 minutes," he said as he
typed away, writing code.
As predicted, in just a quarter of an hour, he had
full access to the database and was able to change
the administrator password and upload his own
material.
Freddy is one of the good hackers who advises
companies and defends them from attacks rather
than exploits the problems, but he feels the response
to the online risks is inadequate.
This situation is replicated across the continent.
South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper reported
that hackers launched 6,000 cyber-attacks against
South African infrastructure , internet service
providers (ISPs) and businesses in October alone.
Bright Mawudor, a Ghanaian cybersecurity expert at
Pukyong National University in South Korea, says
that most African banks, government agencies and
ISPs, in the face of competition, prioritise what
their website can do and how fast new features can
be released to the public.
Security is an afterthought, he argues.
"These websites are usually outsourced to software
development companies who get pressured to deliver
quickly," he says.
"Something that should take about a month has to
be delivered in a week and is thus sub-standard.
They always make a mistake and the hacker just
has to find one."
Government website threat
Rather than creating their own systems from
scratch, there is a tendency to take a shortcut and
use existing popular templates, which Mr Mawudor
says can easily be breached.
He says he knows of several African governments
that use these for their websites that can contain
sensitive information including individuals' personal
details, which can be used for identity theft.
According to the recent Kenyan cybersecurity report,
most African-based businesses, particularly small
and medium-sized enterprises, are unable to
withstand cyber-attacks.
"If there was the threat of a physical attack you
would see a lot of fences and guards," says William
Makatiani of Serianu Limited which was behind the
report.
"Unfortunately with cyber-attacks, very few people
can detect them and you can go for up to a year
without knowing you've been attacked."
At the Serianu offices in the Kenyan capital,
Nairobi, big screens show world maps with yellow
spots appearing in different countries representing
cyber-attacks happening in real time.
As these continue, Mr Makatiani suggests the main
reason some companies are waking up to the threat
is because they are losing money, but he says they
are only disclosing these incidents discreetly.
The types of crimes are also becoming more
sophisticated - moving from password theft, to
stealing credit card details to attacks on computer
networks.
Even if the worst-affected businesses like banks and
insurance companies improved their security, the
ISPs are accused of not doing enough to create
sufficient security for the small businesses they
serve.
South Africa recently opened a virtual cybersecurity
hub in its capital, Pretoria, to help business,
government and civil society work together on
responses to these incidents.
Research firm Columinate suggests that South
Africa is one of the world's cybercrime hotspots.
State Security Minister David Mahlobo pointed out
that for the country to be adequately protected, there
needs to be more awareness of the threats.
Challenging hackers
This situation is mirrored across the continent and
has led Mr Mawudor to help found Africahackon, a
forum bringing together cyber-security experts, from
university to corporate level, to discuss how to take
the initiative on these issues, rather than wait for
the security gaps to be exploited.
The group works with a lot of young people with
newly-acquired computer skills who might otherwise
be tempted to use them for illegal activity online.
"You can never stop cyber-attacks but you can
employ the best practices to curb them," says Mr
Mawudor.
"This will be a process over time and not a one-day
event."

Bangladesh bank boss Atiur Rahman quits

The head of Bangladesh's central bank, Atiur
Rahman, has resigned after cyber-thieves stole more
than $100m from the country's foreign currency
reserves.
Mr Rahman submitted his resignation to Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina after it emerged that
unknown hackers had stolen the money from the
bank's account with the Federal Reserve Bank of
New York.
The theft happened in February, but Mr Rahman did
not tell the government.
Finance Minister A M A Muhith said he had learnt
of it from press reports.
According to media reports quoting banking
officials, the gang behind the raid used stolen
credentials to make requests to transfer cash look
legitimate.
If all the requests had gone unchallenged, the gang
would have got away with about $1bn.
However, the transfers were stopped when the
volume of requests raised suspicions at other banks.
Spelling mistake
To commit the attack, the gang spent time studying
the internal processes of Bangladesh's central bank,
so they could convincingly pose as officials when
requesting the transfers.
However, the sheer number of transactions and a
spelling mistake helped alert bank staff to the theft.
The spelling mistake in the name of one recipient of
funds led Deutsche Bank, which was helping to
route the cash, to ask for clarification from the
central bank, which then stopped the transaction.
At about the same time, the Federal Reserve Bank
of New York had alerted the Bangladesh central
bank to a series of suspicious requests to transfer
money. The requests are believed to have been
flagged because they were to private accounts rather
than other banks and because there were so many of
them.
The money that the hackers did steal ended up in
accounts in Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
Part of the money was recovered from Sri Lanka,
but the rest was laundered through casinos in the
Philippines. The central bank said it was working
with authorities there to recover the remaining
amount.
Bangladesh's government has publicly blamed the
New York Fed for not spotting the suspicious
transactions earlier.

Wizkid Got New House In Los Angeles, United State

 
Star Boy boss, Ayodeji Ibahim Balgoun,
popularly called Wizkid, appears to have
become a house owner in Los Angeles, USA.
The ‘babanla’ crooner, who is on tour for a
while now, shared a photo of the said house
in L.A and wrote:
“Crib so big I got no Neighbors”.
Another artiste, DJ Maphorisa of Uhuru, who
is with Wizkid in L.A also shared some
photos from the house.
Wizzy, as he is fondly called, already owns a
home in Lekki area of Lagos, estimated at
N68million

Nigerians Who Lives In The UK and Earn Less Than £35K Will Be Deported

Nigerians, from next month, non-EU migrants
in the UK earning less than £35,000 will be
deported.
The new Home Office policy, which comes
into force on April 6, applies to all overseas
workers who have been in the UK for five
years on a Tier 2 visa.
If they can’t prove that they’re earning
more than £35,000, they will be denied
settlement and will face deportation.
Teachers, IT professionals and journalists
could all be badly affected.
A petition launched at the beginning of the
year called for the threshold to be reconsidered
– it gathered more than 100,000 signatures
and was debated in parliament last week.
So what’s actually changing?
To settle in the UK as a skilled worker, non-
EU migrants need to have a Tier 2 visa. For
this you need:
An offer for a job in the UK that pays at
least £20,800
Have had at least £945 in your bank account
for 90 days
A certificate of sponsorship from your
employer (which can cost between £536 and
£1,476)
To pay a £200 annual healthcare surcharge
To prove your English language proficiency
After five years on this visa, skilled workers
are able to apply for ‘indefinite leave to
remain’ – and this is what is about to
change.
From April, anyone applying for indefinite
leave to remain will need to earn at least
£35,000.
Nurses are temporarily exempt from this
threshold, along with PhD-level jobs and any
professions that have been on the official
‘shortage occupation list’ while the person
has been living here.
However, the earnings threshold could be
applied to migrant nurses in the future.
Teachers aren’t exempt (unless they are
professors in certain disciplines). Even David
Cameron’s mum has lost her job because of
Tory cuts
In fact, the Home Office’s own analysis of
the policy in 2012 revealed that the new
threshold would have a significant impact on
teachers, IT professionals and marketing
managers.
What if I’ve been in the UK for more than
five years?
Then you won’t be deported – the new rule
doesn’t apply to anyone who entered the
country on a Tier 2 visa on or before April 5
2011.
I’ve been here for a decade, will I be
deported?
No – as long as you’ve been living here for
10 continuous years, you can apply for
indefinite leave to remain with no salary
threshold.
So if you came here in 2006 as a student visa,
then moved directly onto a skilled workers’
visa, you can apply to settle here regardless of
how much you earn.
The only condition is that you can’t have
left the UK for more than 180 days at a time,
or 540 days in total.
I’m here on a marriage visa, will I have to
leave?
No, the changes only apply to people on a
Tier 2 visa.

Italy manager to step down after Euro 2016

Antonio Conte will step down from his position as
manager of Italy following Euro 2016.
Conte has been heavily linked with the managerial
vacancy at Chelsea and this move increases the
prospect of him taking over at Stamford Bridge.
The 46-year-old was appointed Italy manager in
August 2014 shortly after resigning as coach of
Juventus.
"I feel that I must go back to being a coach in a
club to have the opportunity of coaching every day,"
said Conte.
Conte led the Turin club to three successive Serie A
titles prior to taking on the national job.
Chelsea sacked Jose Mourinho as their manager in
December 2015 and appointed Guus Hiddink on an
interim basis until the end of the season.
The Blues have improved from 16th to 10th in the
league under Hiddink but have been knocked out of
the Champions League and FA Cup.
They face missing out on next season's Champions
League unless they can make up an 11-point gap in
nine games.
What are Conte's credentials?
Conte is a former Italy midfielder who made over
500 appearances for Juventus, winning five league
titles and a Champions League.
He won 35 caps for his country and was part of the
squad that was beaten by France in the final of
Euro 2000.
After spells coaching Arezzo, Bari, Atalanta and
Siena, Conte returned to Juve in 2011 and guided
them to the Serie A title at the first attempt and
without losing a game.
However, he was then charged with failing to report
attempted match-fixing during his time as coach of
Siena.
Conte pleaded his innocence but was banned for 10
months - a sentence that was reduced to a four-
month touchline suspension.
Juventus retained their Serie A title despite Conte's
absence and won their third in succession the
following season before his exit.
Who will succeed Conte?
Conte took over as Italy manager following the
country's disappointing group stage exit at the 2014
World Cup under Cesare Prandelli.
He has led the side to Euro 2016 qualification by
finishing top of their group and remaining
unbeaten, with seven wins.
Bologna manager Roberto Donadoni and Leicester
boss Claudio Ranieri have been mentioned as
possible replacements for Conte.
"We will make evaluations with serenity," said
Tavecchio. "For now, it's time to acknowledge this
and have to deal with a person who has recovered
the image of the Italian national team, his
commitment and sacrifice."

Chelsea clear to seal Romelu Lukaku return with Everton

NNPC did not remit N3.3trn to FAAC

The Office of the Auditor-General of the
Federation (AGF) yesterday submitted a
damning 2014 audit report of all ministries,
departments and agencies (MDAs) to the
leadership of the National Assembly.
The submitted audit report also captures
embassies and foreign missions.
The AGF, Mr Samuel Ukura, who presented a
copy of the report to the clerk to the National
Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikaswa, for both
chambers, gave highlights of how monies were
diverted or spent by MDAs during the period
under review.
According to the AGF, the Nigeria National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) did not remit
N3,234577,666,791.35 to the Federation
Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) in
January 2014.
The report states that the sale of gas to
Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) to the
tune of $235,685,861 was not paid to the
federation account; rather, it was transferred
to some undisclosed Escrow accounts.
“Relevant documents were not made available
for verification,” AGF noted in the report.
The report also indicates that the acquisition
and payment of N3,630,000,000 property was
made without a Certificate of Occupancy (C of
O).
According to the report, a total payment,
amounting to N73,547,759,436, was made
contrary to established purpose of the funds.
Other revelations of the audit report include:
“The sum of N36,432,423,968.73 was
released to the Office of the National Security
Adviser (ONSA) for the rehabilitation and
construction of dams instead of the Federal
Ministry of Water Resources.
“The sum of N2,894,531250.00 was spent for
the procurement of hand sanitisers for schools
and critical public places.
“The sum of N31,324,952,239.87 was
payment of subsidy on fertilizer and youth
employment in agricultural programmes.
“The sum of N2,395,851,978.00 was
payment for Group Life Assurance Premium
for Armed Forces budget in 2013, but not
backed. The sum of N500,000,000 was made
as payment for agricultural programmes.
“These were variances with the purpose of
the fund. No evidence of these lines of
expenditure in the 2014 Appropriation Act,”
the AGF revealed in the report.
Ironically also, the management of the
National Assembly, headed by the Clerk, made
payments of N9,514,568,222.62 without
raising payment vouchers, which, according to
the AGF, violated the nation’s financial
rules.
In the same period under review, personal
advances were granted to 112 staff of the
National Assembly from recurrent votes and
50 members of staff from general service votes
from July to December, 2014, for various
purposes, all amounting to
N1.162,009,305.00.
In the audit report, the AGF revealed how the
Embassy of Nigeria in Washington DC,
United States of America, realized Internally
Generated Revenue (IGR) of $3,705,428
between 2012 and March 2015, but expended
the whole amount on sundry expenses.
The audit report also indicted the leadership of
the Nigerian Prisons Service. The AGF, in the
report, said the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax
of N2,036,758,176.75 was deducted and was
said to be remitted to Federal Inland Revenue
Service (FIRS), but there is no evidence of
remittance and nothing was produced for audit
confirmation.
At the time of filing in this report, our
correspondent could not ascertain when the
Clerk to the National Assembly woul forward
the report to the leadership of both chambers
for further consideration.

Pres. Buhari got highest honour in Equatorial Guinea

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is
conferred with Highest National Honor
(Grand Coller of the Order of Independence) as
he attends programme of State Banquet hosted
in his honor by H.E. Mr Teodoro Obiang
Nguema Mbasogo, President of the Republic
of Equatorial Guinea during his 2 day visit to
Malabo Equatorial Guinea on 14th Mar 2016.

FIFA suspends Nigeria

Facial Care Tips

Everyone wants to have that perfect, glowing
skin we see in the movies, but dirt, pollution
and the sun make it impossible for us to get
that flawless face. Not anymore. We bring
you the perfect guide to facial skin care. With
these simple steps, and a little care and love,
you can get the skin of your dreams:
Know your skin type
To make sure you are applying the proper face
care products, you need to know your skin
type. Remember that your facial skin differs
from the skin on the rest of your body. Get
your facial skin analyzed to find you whether
its oily, dry, sensitive or normal.
Cleanse
The most important rule of facial skin care is
cleaning. It helps remove dirt, pollution and
dead cells from your facial skin. Choose face
cleansers that suit your skin type, and cleanse
your face twice a day.
Moisturize
Using a moisturizer will help you restore the
moisture your facial skin has lost. Include
moisturizer in your daily facial beauty
care regime to make your facial skin supple,
glowing and prevent wrinkling. If you have
oily skin, get a moisturizer made especially
for oily face treatment.
Exfoliate
Exfoliation is also one of the most important
things when it comes to facial beauty care.
It’ll help you remove dead cells and bring
out soft, glowing facial skin. For everyday
use, go for exfoliants that provide natural
facial care, rather than going for chemicals.
Save it from the sun
The sun is one of the major reasons for skin
troubles, causing tanning, wrinkles, even
melanoma. So every time you go out in the
sun, select a facial skin care product with SPF
to protect your face from the sun.
Protect the eyes
A lot of people tend to overlook the area
around their eyes while using facial treatment,
resulting in dark circles and puffy eyes. It is
important to protect your eyes and use the
right products for them. Use the eye creams
available in the market, or natural treatments
like cucumber slices.
Watch what you eat
What you eat directly affects what your facial
skin looks like; simply using facial care
products is not enough. So if you want
healthy, clear skin, avoid oily, greasy food.
Include lots of fruits and vegetables in your
meals. Also keep your body hydrated at all
times.
Listen to the experts
If you have extremely sensitive facial skin, or
have an acne problem, don’t try to treat it
yourself. Visit an expert and follow his advice,
since he knows what he is talking about.
Ignoring the problem or treating it wrongly
might make it worse. Give priority to natural
facial care treatments.
Use the right product
Use facial skin care products from a branded
company, rather than going for cheap
chemicals. If you want to save money
on facial skin care, go for natural substitutes.
Be consistent
You won’t get the perfect skin you’ve
wanted if you are not consistent and regular
with your facial treatments. Your skin needs
constant efforts and love, so take time out for
proper facial skin care every day.

India's tortured debate on nationalism and free speech

It was the French intellectual and writer, Albert
Camus, who once wrote, "I love my country too
much to be a nationalist".
Those words seem to have particular relevance to
India's contemporary political milieu.
What most activists and intellectuals across India
seem to have forgotten is that those who forged
India's constitution were ardent liberal democrats.
They would have a tough time recognising the
tortured debate about nationalism and free
expression in India taking place today.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government
seems to have convinced itself that it has a
monopoly in defining what constitutes nationalism.
To that end, it has chosen to hound intellectuals,
students and activists who hold a vision of India
that differs from that of their own.
Self indulgent
The latest episode, of course, that has galvanised
both the government and the opposition, involves
the harassment of some student leaders at India's
premier Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
The students have been accused of organising an
event commemorating the hanging of 2001
parliament attacks convict Afzal Guru, where "anti-
India slogans" were allegedly raised.
Admittedly, much of the sloganeering, which
precipitated the harsh actions of the government,
was naive and self-indulgent.
Guru, a Kashmiri militant, was executed in 2013
after all his legal challenges were exhausted, and a
presidential clemency plea denied.
The decision to dismiss his pleas, it needs to be
underscored, had in any case, taken place under a
different political dispensation. Commemorating his
death anniversary hardly constituted an act of
sagacious judgment.
The government could have simply condemned the
callousness of the event and let matters rest.
Opposing reactions
The rants of the students may well have been
reprehensible. However, the government hardly
covered itself in glory in resorting to the colonial era
sedition law to try and cow these dissidents.
Worse still, it showed scant regard for the rights of
the accused when it created permissive conditions for
a group of lawyers to physically harass the student
on his way to court.
These appalling actions have elicited two strikingly
opposing reactions.
On the one hand, a segment of the country's
intelligentsia has uncritically lionised the students.
JNU, which for decades was a bastion of left-wing
sentiment, has suddenly been hailed as an arena of
spirited intellectual freedom and debate.
The stridency of these assertions notwithstanding,
they are, quite frankly, disingenuous.
From the time of former prime minister Indira
Gandhi, JNU has given scant space to the
consideration of any viewpoints that smacked of
ideological conservatism. Those of that persuasion
were ostracised.
The other reaction, however, is more disturbing.
The students may well have been difficult to control
and were hardly models of common sense. That
said, their speeches still fell firmly within the ambit
of free speech.
Suggesting that such naive proclamations either
challenge the foundations of the Indian republic or
constitute a threat to Indian nationalism is
nonsense.
Sadly, such a parochial vision of nationalism is the
stock in trade of the ruling party.
Its concept of nationalism challenges the liberal
democratic vision embodied in the Indian
constitution.
Instead, what it is peddling is a parochial,
primordial conception of nationalism that privileges
the majority religious community, brooks no dissent
and seeks to marginalise, or worse still, muzzle the
views of those it finds distasteful.
Of course, it would be dishonest to suggest that this
government alone has been hostile towards views
that it finds disagreeable.
Fearful of the wrath of orthodox Muslim groups,
they too have displayed pitiable fortitude in
defending artistic expression that some found
objectionable.
These failures had already eroded India's liberal
democratic ethos.
Indeed India towards the end of the last decade of
the 20th Century had already become a far cry from
the land that its founders and constitution framers
had envisaged.
What the country is currently witnessing is simply a
more naked and blatant version of some deeply
illiberal, hyper-nationalistic trends.
Virtually every political party, regardless of
ideological stripe, has to varying degrees been
complicit in the closing of minds in India.
Even the organised political Left, which is so
vociferously crying foul over the government's high-
handed actions in the name of nationalism,
maintained a curious and deafening silence when
unpopular views and ideas were under attack earlier.
The tragedy that now stalks the land is that many
of those decrying the chest-thumping nationalism of
the BJP were themselves complicit in constricting the
arena of free speech.
Consequently, their strident denunciations of the
BJP's ham-fisted tactics tend to ring a bit hollow.
And the BJP, which has never had much use for the
pluralist, secular tenets embedded in India's
constitution, now feels at liberty to intimidate and
bully those who dare question its ideological writ.
It is a pity indeed that few, if any, Indian
intellectuals, let alone its political class, would
make common cause today with Camus' brilliant
formulation - a sentiment that many of India's
constitutional framers might actually have
embraced.
Sumit Ganguly holds the Rabindranath Tagore
Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at
Indiana University, Bloomington.

Migrant crisis: Slovenia moves to 'shut down' Balkans route

FIFA; French federation searched in Sepp Blatter case

French authorities have seized documents from the
French Football Federation (FFF) in connection with
Switzerland's criminal investigation into ex-Fifa
president Sepp Blatter.
According to Switzerland's office of the attorney
general, the documents are connected to "the
suspected payment of 2m Swiss francs [£700,000]".
It said the search in Paris was carried out at
Switzerland's request.
The criminal investigation into Blatter, 79, began in
September.
The office of the Swiss attorney general said the
FFF consented to the search of its Paris base, which
was carried out on Tuesday.
Swiss prosecutors have accused Blatter of criminal
mismanagement or misappropriation over a TV
rights deal and of a "disloyal payment" to suspended
Uefa president Michel Platini.
Blatter, who served as head of world football's
governing body from 1998 until 2015, and
Frenchman Platini have denied any wrongdoing.
The pair have been suspended from all football-
related activities for six years after a Fifa ethics
committee investigation found them guilty of
breaches surrounding the payment to Platini in
2011.
They have both said they will appeal against the
decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Blatter and Platini say the payment honoured a
verbal or gentleman's agreement made in 1998 for
work carried out by the Frenchman when he was a
technical advisor for Blatter.
Last month, Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino
was elected as Blatter's successor and has vowed to
"restore the image" of Fifa.

Ukraine pilot Savchenko mocks judges in final appearance

A Ukrainian pilot on trial in Russia over the killing
of two journalists has addressed the court and says
she will continue a hunger strike she has been on
for five days.
Nadia Savchenko was making her closing statement
in the trial.
She denies directing artillery fire at the Russian
journalists in June 2014.
She is reported to have refused all food and drink
since 4 March when the hearing was adjourned
before she could make her final statement.
At one point in her appearance on Wednesday, she
leapt onto the bench inside the cage and showed the
judges her middle finger, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford
reports from the court in Donetsk in southern
Russia, where the trial is being held.
She mocked the judges in Ukrainian, saying they
were proving that Russians were "fascists".
A translator read out her formal, final statement in
which she proclaims her innocence and describes her
trial as a "farce".
The EU and US have both called for her immediate
release.
A verdict in the case is due on or around 21 March
but her lawyers have said she will not survive that
long unless she is force-fed.
Access denied
She was captured in 2014 at the height of the
fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian
rebels.
She was charged with involvement in a mortar
attack in June 2014 in which two Russian state TV
journalists, Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin,
were killed.
Ms Savchenko was accused of handing the location
of the journalists to Ukrainian troops, which she
denies.
The 34-year-old insists the whole case against her is
politically motivated, and she has become a symbol
of Ukraine's resistance against Russia.
She says she was kidnapped by rebel fighters at
least an hour before the attack in which the two
Russian TV journalists were killed.
Ukrainian consuls in the Russian region of Rostov
say judges in the case are refusing to issue any more
permits to visit Ms Savchenko in prison.
Her relatives have also used up all their visiting
permits, meaning a group of Ukrainian doctors en
route from Kiev to visit her will also not be given
access.
Relations between Russia and Ukraine - along with
its Western allies - have deteriorated following
Moscow's annexation of the Crimea peninsula in
2014 and its support for pro-Russian rebels in
eastern Ukraine.

US election; Trump wins in Mississippi, Michigan and Hawaii

Donald Trump has won three more states,
Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii, in his bid to be
the Republican White House nomination.
In the Democratic race, Bernie Sanders had a
surprise victory in Michigan, but Hillary Clinton
increased her overall lead with a big Mississippi
win.
Ted Cruz won a Republican-only race in Idaho.
The states are the latest to choose candidates to
compete in November's presidential election.
It was a terrible night for Republican Florida
Senator Marco Rubio, who came in a distant fourth
in both Michigan and Mississippi, a week before his
must-win contest in his home state.
Mr Trump, a businessman with no experience of
elected office, leads the polls in Florida, from where
he delivered his victory speech on Tuesday night.
"One of the things I am most happy about is the
turnout has been just massive… I think it's the
single biggest story in politics today," he said at a
press conference in Jupiter.
With his victories, Donald Trump has solidified his
position as the Republican front-runner,
withstanding a barrage of negative advertisements
questioning everything from his business acumen to
his use of vulgar and profane language.
Rather than deliver a conventional victory speech,
the billionaire held a news conference and conducted
what looked in parts like an infomercial, arguing
that products that bear his name, like bottled water
and wine, are commercial successes.
But it's the Trump political brand that's not only
proving highly popular but also resilient to attacks
from establishment Republicans who have intensified
their attacks in the hope of slowing his momentum.
Showing how the normal political rules do not
apply, Trump reckoned that one of the attack ads,
bleeping out various swear words he's uttered during
the campaign, actually boosted him because it
showed that he's not bound by political correctness
and tells it like it is.
He also said he would be more presidential than
anybody except Abraham Lincoln and that "no one
is more conservative than me".
The Democratic opponent Mr Trump is most likely
to face if he gets the Republican nomination, former
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, addressed
voters in Ohio after her Mississippi win.
"Running for president shouldn't be about delivering
insults," said Mrs Clinton, in a thinly veiled dig at
the outspoken Mr Trump.
"It should be about delivering results."
Mr Sanders' win in Michigan came as a shock after
weeks of polling that suggested Mrs Clinton was
well ahead.
"I am grateful to the people of Michigan for defying
the pundits and pollsters and giving us their
support," Mr Sanders said in a statement following
his win.
"This is a critically important night. We came from
30 points down in Michigan and we're seeing the
same kind of come-from-behind momentum all
across America."
Analysts say conservative firebrand Mr Cruz appears
to be the only candidate capable of stopping Mr
Trump, who has been fiercely criticised by the
Republican establishment.
The party's 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney, described
Mr Trump as a bully and a fraud who would lose a
general election because of his extreme positions on
immigration and Islamic State.
A central plank of Mr Trump's campaign is to
deport 11m undocumented migrants and build a
wall on the southern border, paid for by Mexico.
The primary and caucus elections determine the
number of delegates assigned to each of the
candidates.
The delegates then endorse their candidate at the
party conventions in July. To secure their party's
nomination, a candidate must win a majority of
delegates.

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

High Blood Pressure is also known as Hypertension.
It is a serious health condition that affects at least
one out of three adults in the United States. It is
even more serious because it hardly ever gives a
warning sign or symptoms, thereby making it
difficult for people who are affected to know until it
is too late. In some cases, it leads to sudden death.
High Blood Pressure can however be managed or
prevented but to do so, it is important to understand
what high blood pressure really is, and what causes
high blood pressure.
What is High Blood Pressure?
High Blood Pressure is when the force of blood
pushing the artery walls is increased and as a
result, causes the heart to work harder than it really
should. The heart is responsible for pumping blood
into the arteries, from where it is circulated
throughout the whole body.
But when a person suffers from high blood pressure,
the heart has to work harder to circulate blood and
this may eventually lead to other problems like
hardening of the arteries or heart failure.
How to Detect High Blood Pressure
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) is usually
referred to as a silent killer. This is because of its
lack of symptoms unlike other health problems
where there are usually several tell-tale signs to help
patients detect or suspect that there might be a
problem somewhere. Patients with high blood
pressure hardly know that they are suffering from
the disease until it becomes too late.
However, you can prevent sudden death caused by
hypertension through early detection and constant
monitoring. A regular blood pressure reading can
help you detect high blood pressure early.
A Blood pressure reading would usually contain two
numbers, a numerator and a denominator. The
numerator (the top number) is known as the
Systolic, while the denominator (the bottom
number) is known as the Diastolic.
A person with a blood pressure reading of 120/80
can be said to have a normal pressure while a blood
pressure reading of between 120-130 /80-89 indicates
that the person is in a pre-hypertensive stage and
may eventually suffer from hypertension if serious
measures are not immediately taken. Any blood
pressure reading above that may be an indication
that a person is suffering from Hypertension.
However, for older people a blood pressure reading of
over 140/90 indicates high blood pressure.
It is advisable to visit your doctor regularly for a
blood pressure reading to ensure early detection,
prevention and management of high blood pressure.
What Causes High Blood Pressure?
1. Primary Hypertension: This is also called
essential hypertension. This type of
hypertension has no specific, identifiable cause
and is sometimes said to be caused by
environmental, genetics and age factors.
Majority of people who suffer from
hypertension suffer from this type of
hypertension.
2. Secondary Hypertension: Secondary
hypertension is usually caused by another
medical condition which the patient may
already be suffering from. For instance, some
women develop secondary hypertension during
pregnancy. Secondary hypertension would
usually go away when the underlying
condition is treated.
Other causes of hypertension include:
Alcohol Abuse: Excessive drinking of alcohol
can raise the blood pressure to unhealthy levels
overtime and cause hypertension. The calories
in alcohol can also lead to excessive weight
gain, which is another common cause of
hypertension.
Illegal Drugs: Some illegal drugs like Cocaine,
Amphetamines and Acetaminophen can also
affect the blood pressure.
Medications: Taking of some medications such
as anti-depressants, caffeine, birth control
pills, migraine medications, anti-inflammatory
drugs and nasal decongestants can also
increase blood pressure.
Birth Defects: Sometimes, a person may suffer
from high blood pressure due to defects in their
blood vessels. This type of hypertension is can
be traced to a person’s genes.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Another major cause
of secondary hypertension is a health condition
known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It is a
sleeping disorder that causes shortness/
cessation of breath during sleep.
Obesity: Being Overweight or Obese can also
cause a person to develop Hypertension. Excess
fat in the body would require extra oxygen and
nutrients and since it is the heart’s job to
supply these nutrients, it has to overwork
itself to achieve this, thereby leading to
increase in blood pressure.
Poor Diet: High Blood Pressure may also be
caused by a poor diet. When a person
consumes too much sodium, caffeinated drinks
or fatty foods, there are risks of developing
high blood pressure.
Sedentary Lifestyle: Another major cause of
high blood pressure is living a sedentary
lifestyle characterized by low levels of physical
activity or no physical activities at all.
Age: A person may also develop hypertension
as they age. The risks of a person developing
hypertension would actually increase as they
grow older.
Smoking: People who smoke are also at a risk
of developing high blood pressure. The nicotine
contents in cigarettes may cause the arteries to
become narrow and hardened. This stresses the
heart out and eventually leads to hypertension.
Vitamin Deficiencies: Vitamin D deficiency is
yet another factor that may lead to
hypertension. Researchers have discovered that
people with lower levels of Vitamin D are at a
higher risk of developing hypertension.
Chronic Kidney diseases as well as thyroid and
adrenal problems may also cause hypertension.
Click on the arrow below to read how you can
control High Blood Pressure.

How to Control Hypertension without Drugs
Hypertension can be controlled or even cured by
taking some measures to reduce the causative
factors. Some of the steps that you can take in order
to cure hypertension without necessarily taking
medications include:
1. Lose Weight: If you are overweight or obese,
shedding a few pounds might go a very long
way in helping you cure high blood pressure.
2. Increase Physical Activity: One of the major
causes of high blood pressure is living a
sedentary lifestyle therefore increasing your
levels of physical activity can go a long way
in decreasing your blood pressure. You should
make it a goal to try to get at least 30 minutes
of exercise daily.
3. Improve on Your diet: Another step to take is
to improve on your eating habits. Focus on
eating foods that are high in fibre, vegetables
and potassium and avoid foods that have high
cholesterol or sodium levels.
4. Reduce Consumption of Alcohol: Excessive
consumption of alcohol also has negative
impact on your blood pressure therefore you
should try to reduce or completely avoid
consumption of alcohol.
5. Quit Smoking: Lastly, if you are a smoker,
you should try to quit your smoking habits to
avoid ingestion of high amounts of nicotine,
which affects the arteries and causes
hypertension.

MIKEL, SALAH, MOSES: AFRICANS TO WATCH IN MIDWEEK