Buhari orders 2-week ceasefire in N-Delta

                                         
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the military to suspend operations in the Niger Delta for two weeks to create a window for dialogue with militants.
Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, disclosed this in Abuja.
According to him, the Federal Government is determined to explore the dialogue option, with a view to restoring genuine peace in the region, where oil production has been significantly hurt by activities of the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, in the last two months.
He said: “The President is interested in dialogue and has mandated the military to halt actions for about two weeks to ensure a team that will be led by the NSA, dialogues with the militants to ensure peace in the region.
The avenue is open for them, provided the militants are willing to embrace dialogue and allow truth to reign because we are going to involve key leaders from the region who have had previous experience in that area to play whatever role they can”.

12 Best inspirational Quotes of Muhammad Ali

                                               Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston



“The crowd did not dream when they laid down their money / that they would see a total eclipse of the Sun.”

 That’s what Cassius Clay—who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali—said in a poem before his epic victory over Sonny Liston at the world heavyweight championship match 50 years ago this week. Clay was just 22 years old at the time and went on to a legendary boxing career.
 So on the anniversary of that crucial fight, we’re looking back on Ali’s most unforgettable quotes, below.

1. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'”
2. “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses—behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”
3. “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
4. “It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.”
 
5. “Friendship … is not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”
6. “I know where I’m going and I know the truth, and I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be what I want.”
 
7. “A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
8. “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
 9. “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”
 
10. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
11. “I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was. I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.”
12. “If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.”

High alert protection for Portugal at the Euro

                             
The Portuguese national football team will be receiving additional protection at the European championships which kicks off this weekend.
The decision was made due to status of Cristiano Ronaldo and the potential interest he might attract.
Six PSP and two GNR police officers will also be travelling with the national Portuguese team and have been given the necessary powers to shoot on sight in the event of a threat.
Portugal start their campaign next Tuesday evening against Iceland

Istanbul bomb attack on police bus kills 11

                             

A car bomb attack targeting a police bus has killed seven officers and four civilians in central Istanbul.

The explosives were remotely detonated as the vehicle passed through the busy Vezneciler district at the morning rush hour, officials said.
No group has said it carried out the attack, but Kurdish militants have recently hit security targets.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will "fight the terrorists to the end".
The explosion happened near the city's historic Beyazit Square neighbourhood, a major tourist attraction, and an Istanbul university building.
Istanbul's governor, Vasip Sahin, said about 36 other people were injured.
Visiting some of the wounded in hospital, Mr Erdogan said: "These (attacks) are being carried out against people whose duty it is to ensure the security of our people.
"These cannot be pardoned or forgiven. We shall continue our fight against terrorists tirelessly until the end."
Turkey's Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said the attackers were "cold-heartedly" for exploding bombs on the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which is in its second day.

LA's 'Grim Sleeper' serial killer sentenced to death

                                    

A former rubbish collector convicted of the "Grim Sleeper" serial murders in Los Angeles has been given the death sentence.

Lonnie David Franklin Jr killed nine women and a 15-year-old girl between 1985 and 2007, before dumping their bodies, often in alleyways.
The sentence against the 63-year-old was decided by a jury. Franklin was convicted last month.
He will be formally sentenced at a later hearing.
Prosecutors said Franklin stalked vulnerable young black women before shooting or strangling them.
He began by targeting drug addicts during LA's crack cocaine epidemic.
He was also convicted of the attempted murder of an 11th victim who survived being shot, raped and pushed out of a car in 1988.
He was dubbed the Grim Sleeper because of an apparent 14-year gap in attacks after that incident.

Will Smith to Serve as Pallbearer at Muhammad Ali’s Memorial Service

                                               

Will Smith will play a key role at Muhammad Ali’s memorial service.

The actor has been announced as one of eight funeral pallbearers, alongside Ali’s family members, friends, former heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis, and Jerry Ellis, the brother of Ali’s former sparring partner and fellow former heavyweight champion of the world, Jimmy Ellis. The service is set for Friday, June 10, at KFC Yum! Center in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Billy Crystal and  former president Bill Clinton are among those expected to deliver eulogies at the service.

 Will Smith portrayed the legendary fighter in the 2001 biopic, Ali. The part earned Smith his first Academy Award nomination, though the trophy that year ultimately went to Denzel Washington for Training Day.

Why Nigerians shun public hospitals - Minister

                                                  
Nigeria's Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has said that poor environment and lack of modern equipment scare people away from the nation’s public health institutions.
Ehanire said this in Lagos at the inauguration of three projects at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos.
The projects are Administrative Block, Amenity (Executive) Clinic and NHIS Clinic.
He said that with good environment and modern facilities, people would be willing to seek medical intervention in the country instead of travelling abroad.
"In Nigeria, we have well-trained medical personnel.
"If we have modern equipment in place and good service delivery, we will not need to go abroad for medical treatment,’’ the minister said.
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Ehanire also said that strike was not the best option for medical workers to resolve their grievances.
"One of the major challenges is unrest in the health sector where the health personnel always go on strike to press for their demands.
"When medical workers go on strike, people will lose their lives and it will damage the reputation of this country.
"If there is any issue to be thrashed out, let us dialogue, the solution may not be immediate, but we will definitely find solution to it.
"I want to remind you of this government’s promise of an improvement in the health sector and we know that Nigerians are already seeing changes everywhere," he said.
In his remarks, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Olurotimi Odunnubi, said that the newly inaugurated projects would enhance effective service delivery in the hospital.