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Chelsea demolish Brighton at Amex.

An inspired performance from Eden Hazard helped Chelsea back to winning ways in the Premier League with a comprehensive 4-0 victory against Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

Antonio Conte’s side were without a win in five games in all competitions heading into the clash on the south coast, but Hazard set the Blues on their way in the third minute before Willian rounded off a sensational team goal three minutes later to give the visitors the perfect start.

Brighton’s response to the early setback was good, creating a number of decent chances but Willy Caballero was on top form to deny Tomer Hemed and the crossbar kept out Davy Propper’s header early after the interval.

Ezequiel Schelotto was also denied by a smart block from Caballero and the hosts were eventually made to pay for their wastefulness in front of goal as Hazard (77) added his second of the afternoon and Victor Moses (89) rounded off the scoring as Chelsea wrapped up all three points to move above Liverpool in the third position.

Before kick-off, the Amex Stadium rose as one for a minute’s applause to mark the passing of Cyrille Regis and both teams sported black armbands in respect of the former striker.

Once underway, Chelsea burst out of the blocks and they were ahead in the third minute when Moses’ cross was diverted into the path of Hazard by Dale Stephens, and the Belgium international took a touch before firing the ball into the corner of the net for his 100th league goal.

Arsenal also demolished Crystal Palace with a 4 goals to 1 win at the emirate. Manchester city bounced back from their loss at anfield a week ago to win Newcastle 3:1.

Manchester United snatched an away win at Burnley. Leicester city also won big at Saturday’s game.

Local Government elections will hold this year – Wike.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has said that Local government election will hold this year.

Responding to questions during an interview in a Rythm FM radio program on Saturday “ViewPoint” , the governor said that the election won’t be based on any political endorsement.

It will be recalled that upon assumption of office in 2015, the Governor removed the LGA Chairmen who were inaugurated by the past administration of Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi and appointed Caretaker administrators instead.

He said that aspirants for the post should show the zeal to work and should also get popular in their various LGAs.

Reacting to criticism for his visit to Madrid last year, the Governor said that his government is proposing to create a football academy in the state to help nurture young talents, stressing that he could as well make the trip on his own as an individual.

Wike also stated that there is nothing like marginalization in Rivers politics, saying that some people have contested elections in the state consistently but did not win.

The Governor who was referring to the claims that the Ikwerre ethnic group were marginalizing the riverine parts of the state said that it is not an ikwerre “Thing”, stressing that After his tenure, they would look amongst the zones and do the needful.

He said: “We have gone past tribal politics and sentiments. I canvassed for votes, made campaign promises and delivered all within my first four years in office, why won’t they vote for me? My antecedents are there even when I was a minister of state for education,why won’t they vote for me?”

“Almost all leading newspapers and international bodies have been conferring on me ‘The governor of the year award’. Uptill date, I am still getting numerous invitations .I must commend everyone for beckoning on me to recontest. It is my prerogative to do just that”

Asked why there has been no promotion for civil servants in the state,
He said: “I have been paying pensioners every month since I resumed office till date. Pensioners have written to me commending me for prompt payment of their pensions. So far we have spent over 800million.The former IT personnel that conducted biometrics on them did not submit some names, the new SA on IT had just done that. It’s been reviewed and tackled. A large chunk of pensioners in Rivers state are been paid”

WhatsApp plans revenue for business accounts

The Messaging application WhatsApp on Thursday, said that it would begin allowing business accounts for the first time, a step that brings the free service closer to a plan that would make money for its corporate parent, Facebook Inc (FB.O), according to a report by Reuters.

Some businesses already use WhatsApp, with 1.3 billion users, to answer inquires from customers. Business accounts will allow them to set up automatic greetings, see statistics about their messaging and set up a profile page with hours of operation and other information, WhatsApp was quoted to have said.

The accounts are aimed at businesses that receive a high volume of WhatsApp messages and need help keeping up, WhatsApp Chief Operating Officer Matt Idema said.

“What we saw was a need for businesses to have more efficient tools,” Idema said in an interview.

WhatsApp intends to charge businesses in some form in the future, but said it was too soon to discuss when that would happen or what the future business services would look like.

Facebook bought WhatsApp, a pun on the phrase “What’s up?”, in 2014 for $19 billion, attracted by the size of its user base. WhatsApp used to charge a $1 annual subscription fee but dropped it in 2016, leaving the service without a source of revenue.

Options for future revenue are narrow because WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have ruled out advertising on WhatsApp, a factor that adds to the service’s popularity.

WhatsApp competes in a crowded market that also includes Facebook’s Messenger application, Tencent Holdings Ltd’s (0700.HK) WeChat and numerous other messaging services, Reuters reports.

But the messaging application said its business accounts would be available beginning on Thursday through a WhatsApp Business application in the Google Play store in Britain, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico and the United States.

The company said it plans to roll out the accounts to other countries in the coming weeks, and eventually to have a version for Apple iPhones.

7 Crucial Things You need to Stop Putting Yourself Through.

7 Crucial Things You need to Stop Putting Yourself Through.

Pause for a moment and think about how much effort you put into certain routines, habits, situations and people that are not actually benefiting your life in any way.
It’s time for a change.

And positive change can happen in YOUR life.
As they say,
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Here are seven crucial things you need to stop putting yourself through:

1. Stop holding on to negative thoughts from your past.

– It’s often our own thinking that hurts us.
There’s no reason to imprison yourself.
Don’t think outside the box; think like there is no box.
And never regret your past mistakes, because they gave you strength.
The one who falls and gets up is much stronger than the one who never fell.

Sometimes you have to accept the fact that things will never go back to how they used to be, and that this ending is really a new beginning.

2. Stop attaching yourself to what’s not meant to be.
– We all have this idea in our heads of how things are supposed to be, but sadly this is why we end up disappointed.

Expect less.
Enjoy more.
Sometimes life doesn’t give you what you WANT because you NEED something else.

And what you need often comes when you’re not looking for it.
When it’s meant to be, it will be.

3. Stop letting the same people take advantage of you.
– Sometimes people don’t notice the things we do for them until we stop doing them.
This is NOT right!
Realize this.
You deserve better.
You deserve to be with people who make you smile

– friends who don’t take you for granted
– friends who won’t leave you hanging.

4. Stop hurting yourself by hating people.
– As Gandhi once said, “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”
Regardless of how despicable another has acted, never let hate build in your heart.
Fighting hatred with hatred only hurts you more.

When you decide to hate someone you automatically begin digging two graves:
one for your enemy and one for yourself.

5. Stop blaming others for your troubles.
– The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.

When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility
– you give others power over that part of your life.

6. Stop letting fear run your life.
– Are you doing what you’re doing out of fear, or love?
Think about it.
Every human thought, word and deed is based on fear or love.
Fear is an inner energy that contracts, closes down, draws in, hides, hoards and harms.

When you live through fear, you pull back from life.
Love, on the other hand, is an inner energy that expands, opens up, sends out, reveals, shares and heals.
When you live through love, you open to all that life has to offer with presence and acceptance.

7. Stop telling yourself that you don’t have what it takes.
– As Abraham Lincoln so profoundly said,
“We are just about as happy as we make up our minds to be.”
Happiness is the result of personal choice and effort.
You fight for happiness, strive for it, switch careers, build relationships, and sometimes even reinvent your lifestyle entirely as you uncover it.

Why?
Because you have to actively participate in the manifestations of your own joys and good fortunes
– they are not ready-made for the taking; they are available for the making.

And of course, if you’re struggling with any of these points, know that you are not alone.
We are all in this together.
Many of us are right there with you, working hard to feel better, think more clearly, and keep our lives on Purpose Track.
OWN, OCCUPY AND DOMINATE YOUR SPACE !!!

LEAD YOUR LIFE !!!
Copyright (c)2018
Benjamin Kwentua
All rights reserved.

2019: Federal government should not use security agencies to undermine electoral system – Wike

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has warned the federal government not to use security forces to undermine electoral processes.

The Governor, however, said that political leaders will be more accountable if security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) restrict themselves to their constitutional roles.

The governor said this during a courtesy visit by the Commander of the 115 special operations group, Nigerian Airforce, to the government house in PortHarcourt on Friday.

He said the manipulation of security agencies and INEC by some Politicians has made it possible for their people to be denied development projects, saying that the nation can only make progress when things were done differently.

He said: “The only way this country can grow is if things are done right. One of the reasons Nigerian leaders refuse to perform is because some of them connive with INEC and security agencies to rig”

“Nobody cares. Because whether or not you perform, they will use security agencies and INEC to manipulate the electoral process “.

The governor noted that the Rivers State Government will continue to partner with the Nigerian Air Force for the promotion of security.

He said that the state government will support the Nigerian Air Force to fight crime and criminality in the state.

He warned the military against being dragged into the settlement of civil disputes .

WhatsApp plans revenue for business accounts.

FILE PHOTO: The WhatsApp messaging application is seen on a phone screen August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/File Photo

The Messaging application WhatsApp on Thursday, said that it would begin allowing business accounts for the first time, a step that brings the free service closer to a plan that would make money for its corporate parent, Facebook Inc (FB.O), according to a report by Reuters.

Some businesses already use WhatsApp, with 1.3 billion users, to answer inquires from customers. Business accounts will allow them to set up automatic greetings, see statistics about their messaging and set up a profile page with hours of operation and other information, WhatsApp was quoted to have said.

The accounts are aimed at businesses that receive a high volume of WhatsApp messages and need help keeping up, WhatsApp Chief Operating Officer Matt Idema said.

“What we saw was a need for businesses to have more efficient tools,” Idema said in an interview.

WhatsApp intends to charge businesses in some form in the future, but said it was too soon to discuss when that would happen or what the future business services would look like.

Facebook bought WhatsApp, a pun on the phrase “What’s up?”, in 2014 for $19 billion, attracted by the size of its user base. WhatsApp used to charge a $1 annual subscription fee but dropped it in 2016, leaving the service without a source of revenue.

Options for future revenue are narrow because WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have ruled out advertising on WhatsApp, a factor that adds to the service’s popularity.

WhatsApp competes in a crowded market that also includes Facebook’s Messenger application, Tencent Holdings Ltd’s (0700.HK) WeChat and numerous other messaging services, Reuters reports.

But the messaging application said its business accounts would be available beginning on Thursday through a WhatsApp Business application in the Google Play store in Britain, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico and the United States.

The company said it plans to roll out the accounts to other countries in the coming weeks, and eventually to have a version for Apple iPhones.

APC not informed about Amaechi’s reappointment as DG – Abdullahi

Spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Bolaji Abdullahi has said that the party was not involved in reappointing the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi as DG of Buhari campaign organization, according to Vanguard.
 Abdullahi who spoke with newsmen in Lagos on Friday, promised that another convention would hold soon.
“We will hold our convention this year. We know the delay doesn’t look good on us, but it was in the best interest of our party,” he said.
Abdullahi also said that the reported reappointment of Mr Rotimi Amaechi as the Director General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation was not done by the party, saying that the president has not informed the party of his intention to run for a second term of office.
 “The APC is not involved in Amaechi’s appointment as DG of the Buhari Campaign organisation because it is at the level of aspirant”
“His appointment has nothing to do with the APC and the emergence of our candidate for the 2019 presidential election”
“The President would have become the candidate of the party before it can get involved with its campaign”
“It will be wrong for the party to be involved because it will undermine its credibility to other aspirants for the presidential ticket,”

Nigeria sues Jp Morgan over Malabu deal.

Nigeria is suing JP Morgan Chase for more than $875million over the transfer of cash used to buy an oilfield in 2011, a news report said.

JP Morgan said the allegations made in the claim are “unsubstantiated and without merit”, Reuters reported.

The case relates to Shell and Eni’s purchase of offshore block OPL 245 for more than $1billion.

Nigeria’s government has accused JP Morgan of transferring funds to bank accounts controlled by former oil minister Dan Etete, the report said.

Mr Etete led the company which sold the block, Malabu Oil and Gas.

Nigeria alleges that JP Morgan did not take due diligence to ensure the money did not leave Nigerian Government accounts, according to Reuters.

Kpalukwu rallies support for Rivers United.

Rivers United FC General Manager, Chief Okey Kpalukwu has asked fans of the football club to shake off the disappointment of Wednesday’s Nigerian Professional Football League defeat to champions, Plateau United.

Rivers United lost 0-2 to Plateau United at the New Jos Stadium following goals from Elisha Golbe and Emeka Umeh.

Chief Kpalukwu noted that whole the defeat was disappointing, it is important to learn from the mistakes and focus on tasks ahead.

He noted that supporters, fans and stakeholders of the football club must now channel their energies towards supporting the team in vociferous fashion on Sunday when Kano Pillars come to town.

“We are all disappointed with the result against Plateau United in Jos because the target was to get a win, or a draw at the very least.

“But as is the case in football, when you lose a football match, you do an appraisal, see where you made mistakes with a view to correcting them.

“That’s what we have done and now, the focus is on getting a good result on Sunday against a very strong side like Kano Pillars.

“We are calling on our supporters and fans to throw their weight behind the team, turn out in their in their numbers on Sunday to throw their weight behind us.

“The players and coaches have vowed to give their all but we will be happier with the backing of our supporters and fans,” Chief Kpalukwu explained.

He concluded by commending the sponsors, the Rivers State Government for continued support to the team as well as Sports Commissioner, Hon Boma Iyaye for his fatherly role.

Rivers United FC will face Kano Pillars this Sunday by 4pm at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt as the NPFL enters match day three.

Bitcoins will collapse – Nobel laureate

Bitcoin may “totally collapse” though it may linger for a century, Nobel Laureate Robert Shiller said, who equaled it to the Tulip mania.

“[Bitcoin] might totally collapse and be forgotten and I think that’s a good likely outcome but it could linger on for a good long time, it could be here in 100 years,” the Yale University professor said to the American Tv station CNBC in an interview in Davos, Switzerland.

“It reminds me of the Tulip mania in Holland in the 1640s…,” he said.

Tulip mania saw contract prices for some bulbs of the new and fashionable tulip shoot through the roof and eventually collapse in February 1637. In a parallel to the current cryptocurrency boom, speculation and FOMO or the fear of missing out, played a major role in driving up prices of the exotic flower.

Shiller, who was the joint winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize for economics, pointed out that bitcoin has no value at all “unless there is some common consensus that it has value.”

In contrast, assets such as gold would at least have some value even if people did not view it as an investment, the economist added.

The CNBC stated that the interview was conducted ahead of the massive sell-off in cryptocurrencies this week over concerns of possible stringent regulation in South Korea and China.

“The Bitcoin market is a marvelous case study in ambiguity and animal spirits,” Shiller wrote in an op-ed in the New York Times mid-December, when the price of the leading cryptocurrency was approaching its peak of above USD19,800.

A rational appraisal of an asset’s value was simply not possible at present with Bitcoin and the real understanding of the economic issues underlying the cryptocurrency was almost nonexistent, he wrote.

Traditional finance has kept cryptocurrencies at arm’s length, but many investors and bankers are positive about the future for the distributed ledger technology or blockchain that underlies them.

Recently, billionaire investor Warren Buffett warned that cryptocurrencies are set to have a bad ending and he would not bet any money on them.

Jamie Dimon, who is JP Morgan Chase CEO and chairman, regretted calling Bitcoin “a fraud” earlier, but expressed little interest in investing in cryptocurrencies.

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