NIGERIA:More abducted school girls found

30.04.2014.
…sick, traumatised, recount ordeal Reps summon service chiefs Military failed to act –Senators Four more school girls abducted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists at Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok two weeks ago were yesterday rescued around Monguno area of Borno State. This brings to 48, the number of girls that have escaped so far...sick, traumatised, recount ordeal
Reps summon service chiefs
Military failed to act –Senators
Four more school girls abducted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists at Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok two weeks ago were yesterday rescued around Monguno area of Borno State. This brings to 48, the number of girls that have escaped so far from the clutches of the terrorists, while 230 were said to be still missing. Our correspondent gathered that the girls were rescued by some good Samaritans in a village near Monguno on Sunday before they were handed over to security operatives in Maiduguri, the state capital. Monguno is located about 134 kilometres from Maiduguri, while Chibok is to the south and about 130 kilometres to the state capital. The girls said they were abandoned in the bush by their abductors after they fell ill. According to a source familiar with the matter, “About four abducted school girls who were smuggled out of Sambisa forest en route Monguno were in the last few days rescued by villagers, In fact, the girls who looked traumatised and frustrated were sighted on the outskirts of Monguno. “Only one of them managed to talk and said they are students writing their final year exams in Chibok but were kidnapped by gunmen, and that when four of them developed serious illnesses while conveying them to unknown destination, they were later abandoned by their captors in the bush, before being rescued by some villagers”. The source added that the four rescued students were in the custody of a female security officer and were receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Maiduguri. He said that as soon as their condition improved, they would be handed over to relevant authorities for onward delivery to their parents. The Caretaker Chairman of Chibok Local Government Area, Mr. Ba’ana Lawan, confirmed the development. He said: “Yes, I also heard that four of the abducted school girls have been rescued in Monguno before handing them over to the security operatives. “I was told that they are currently receiving treatment at one of the hospitals in Maiduguri due to the condition they found them. I quickly rushed to the hospital to verify such important information, but I was disappointed as I was not allowed and prevented from seeing or knowing the whereabouts of the girls by the security people and the hospital authorities.” Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday summoned the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh; Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, and Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Adesola Amosu, over the abduction of the female students. A motion that led to the summons was sponsored by Hon. Peter Biye Gumtha, who represents Chibok/ Damboa/Goza Federal Constituency of Borno State. In his motion, Gumtha regretted that besides kidnapping the girls, their assailants torched market stalls and other property in the area, worth millions of naira unchallenged by the military. Gumtha, whose emergency motion came under Order 8 Rule 9 of the House Rules, lamented the worsening insecurity in that part of the country. Hon. Patrick Ikhariale from Esan/Iguebe Federal Constituency of Edo State regretted alleged double standards in the fight against terrorism in the North-East. Minority Whip, Samson Osagie, in his contribution, said that the citizenry was at the mercy of terror merchants. The Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Nnenna Elendu- Ukeje, recommended the collaboration of Nigeria with border countries of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and the United Nations Security Council in the fight against insurgency in the country.

NIGERIA:Police quiz Nyako over genocide claim3

30.04.2014.
Detectives from the Police Headquarters in Abuja were in Yola, Adamawa State, yesterday where they quizzed the Governor Murtala Nyako over claims that the Federal Government is sponsoring genocide in the North. The police officers who flew into the state were reportedly instructed to “interview” the governor in a mission that was described as ‘fact-finding’.Detectives from the Police Headquarters in Abuja were in Yola, Adamawa State, yesterday where they quizzed the Governor Murtala Nyako over claims that the Federal Government is sponsoring genocide in the North. The police officers who flew into the state were reportedly instructed to “interview” the governor in a mission that was described as ‘fact-finding’. Under the 1999 Constitution, state governors, like the president, are immune from prosecution, a legal provision that the delegates at the ongoing National Conference have advocated its removal. The governor had accused the Federal Government of murdering its citizens and immediately attributing such atrocities to the Boko Haram sect. Nyako made the accusation in a memo entitled: ‘Ongoing Full-fledged Genocide in Northern Nigeria’, which he sent to his colleague-northern governors. He accused President Goodluck Jonathan of using “mass murderers/cut-throats imbedded in our legitimate and traditional Defence and Security organisations.” He had said: “The administration has also hired militia from all across especially North NANAfrica, who have been deceived into accepting to come because they were made to believe that they would be fighting infidels.” When contacted last night, Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said some officers were actually sent to Yola on a fact-finding mission. He said they were detailed to interview the governor. “Some of our people went to Yola to interview the governor. Some of our officers were there. They were on a fact-finding meeting with the governor,” he said, refusing to give further details. The police had earlier in the week warned politicians against making inciting comments, saying freedom of speech goes with concomitant responsibilities.
Culled from NM

NIGRRIA: Boko Haram torments mothers

Tearful mothers of the kidnapped schoolgirls at a meeting in Borno state. Picture: Reuters
By MARTYN MCLAUGHLIN
RELATIVES of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted at gunpoint by Islamist militants have vowed to search a forest where it is feared they are being held hostage.


Families of the 230 pupils in Borno state said they were prepared to scour the remote Sambisa forest reserve amid frustration over government and military inaction and growing concerns for their children’s safety.

The mass abduction of the teenagers, all aged between 16 and 18, took place on 14 April after militants overpowered a guard at their boarding school in Chibok, north-east Borno.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the abduction, but suspicion has fallen on the radical Boko Haram jihadist group, which has launched attacks on schools and colleges across north-east Nigeria in opposition to western education, and in particular women’s education. Over the past year, the group has focused its kidnapping attempts on schools, in particular female pupils, who are often forced to convert and are married off to Boko Haram fighters.

It believes women should stay at home to support their husbands and families, meaning that schools which teach girls are seen as targets.

Although around two dozen girls were able to escape after jumping off lorries on which they were being transported into the forest, the families of those still unaccounted for said they were becoming increasingly desperate.

Danuma Mpur, chair of the local parent-teacher association and whose two nieces are among the missing, said: “We pinned our hopes on the government, but all that hope is turning to frustration. The town is under a veil of sorrow.”

President Goodluck Jonathan convened an emergency security council on Thursday attended by state governors, security officials and spiritual leaders straddling Nigeria’s largely Christian south and mostly Muslim north, with a goal of bringing an end to the Islamists’ five-year insurgency.The government has said its priority is to rescue the girls but it has been nearly a fortnight since they were last seen.

Speaking after the meeting in Abuja, Kayode Fayemi, governor of the Christian-majority Ekiti state to the south of the country, said: “We must do everything to ensure that the abducted children are retrieved and rehabilitated and returned to their parents, and the military assured us that they are working on it.”

Despite the promises from the Nigerian government, the families are increasingly taking action to locate their loved ones, alongside an intensifying social media campaign using hashtags such as #BringBackOurGirls and #WhereAreOurDaughtrs.

Hamma Balumai, a farmer whose daughter, Hauwa, was abducted, pooled his savings with other parents and embarked on a two-day trek into the forest, near the border with Cameroon. However, the group was forced to turn around after being warned by other communities in the reserve that they would be at risk from the armed militants.

Mr Balumai said: “Even my wife was begging to come as she is so disturbed she hasn’t been able to eat anything. Our daughter, Hauwa, is only 16 years old and she has been missing for 11 days now.”

Professor Hauwa Abdu Biu, co-ordinator of the Baobab women’s rights group, told a press conference in Maiduguri that more could have been done to aid the initial search by family members. He asked: “What stopped security men from giving back-up to parents to go further into the bush?”

Mathieu Guidere, professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies at the University of Toulouse, said: “Within communities of Borno province there is much sympathy for parents, but not a huge degree of shock. This is just the latest in a series of attacks blamed on one outfit, Boko Haram.”

INTERNATIONAL:Russia wants to start third world war, says Ukraine Prime minister

A pro-Russian armed man guards the mayor's office in Slavyansk on Friday.

Russia wants to start third world war, says Ukraine Prime minister Arseny Yatseniuk accuses Moscow of acting like a gangster by aiming to occupy Ukraine 'militarily and politically'.

 Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Reuters in Kiev
Friday 25 April 2014 11.11 BST

The Ukrainian prime minister, Arseny Yatseniuk, has accused Russia of wanting to start a third world war by occupying Ukraine "militarily and politically".

"The world has not yet forgotten world war two, but Russia already wants to start world war three," he told his interim cabinet in remarks broadcast live. "Attempts at military conflict in Ukraine will lead to a military conflict in Europe."

In some of the strongest language he has used so far during the crisis, Yatseniuk accused Moscow of acting like a gangster supporting terrorists.

"It is clear that Russia's goal is to wreck the election in Ukraine, remove the pro-western and pro-Ukrainian government and occupy Ukraine politically as well as military," he added.

Both sides have deployed troops close to their frontier.

Yatseniuk took office in February after pro-European protests prompted the Kremlin-backed president to flee to Russia.

Ukraine plans to hold an election on 25 May to replace Viktor Yanukovich, but the Russian-speaking east of the country has been disrupted by pro-Moscow militants who have taken over the city of Slavyansk and public buildings elsewhere, demanding to follow Crimea and be annexed by Russia.

NIGERIA: Policeman rape and impregnate Pastor's 13 years old girl

A policeman in Anambra State has been accused of raping and impregnating the 13-year-old daughter of a popular pastor.

The police sergeant (names withheld) was said to have committed the crime at Nkpor, Idemili Council Area of the state.

The victim who is said to be two months pregnant hid the incident from her parents but had to confess to her mother last Saturday complaining about symptoms of pregnancy.

She later told her parents who was responsible for the pregnancy.

Read the Vanguard report below:

According to reports, the policeman initially denied the allegation and was supported by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, which made the victim’s parents to petition a human rights group and the state Commissioner of Police.After the petition, the policeman was said to have accepted responsibility and agreed to take care of the girl till delivery.He promised to be giving the girl’s family N20,000 monthly for the girl’s up keep, which the father turned down, demanding N300,000 to enable him take proper care of her daughter till delivery.In the girl’s statement to her parents, she was quoted as saying that the policeman ordered her at gunpoint to have sex with him on her way from school, a claim the suspect denied, saying the action was carried out mutually between them and not by force.When contacted, the state PPRO, Emeka Chukwuemeka confirmed that the command received such report but said investigations were ongoing with a view to ascertaining the level of culpability of the said policeman.The command image‑maker, stated that proper investigation in the matter was necessary, because the state Commissioner of Police, Usman Gwary, does not tolerate acts of indiscipline by his officers and men.According to him, “the matter is under investigation and I will brief the press on it later.”

AKWA IBOM: Woman kills 15 years old son

Okokon’s house…Photo Credit: Punch

A woman, Mrs. Ita Okokon, aka, Eka Isaac, at Atai Obio Offot, Uyo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, has killed her 15-year-old son, Isaac Okokon, after a minor disagreement.

Isaac, an SSS II pupil of Offot Ukwa Secondary School, Obiofot, Uyo, was said to have died on Friday following a machete injury his mother inflicted on him.

According to a neighbour Miss Ekaette Effiong who narrated the story, when the mother beat Isaac, he retaliated instead of running away as a sign of respect.

Effiong added that Isaac hit his mother so hard that the woman fell to the ground.

“When Isaac hit his mother that hard, the woman felt humiliated. When she got up, she went inside the house and brought out the machete. She chased her son with the machete, but when she could not get him, she threw the machete at him, which cut through his body,” she said.

Effiong stated that neighbours, friends, relatives, and the mother rushed Isaac to a hospital where he died.

The mother was said to have fled Atai Obio Offot when she discovered that Isaac had died.

All attempts to reach out to Isaac’s father or other relatives proved abortive. Other tenants in the house where they live also refused to speak with our correspondent on the issue.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Akwa Ibom State Command, Mr. Etim Dickson, confirmed the incident.

He said the police had yet to uncover the whereabouts of the woman.

He said, “For now nobody has given us information about the whereabouts of the woman. We have sent in some detectives around the area to look for possible clues that can lead to the arrest of the woman.”

NIGERIA:Amodu Lauds Super Eagles’ Preparation

Amodu Lauds Super Eagles’ Preparation For World Cup
NAN
— April 22, 2014
Amodu Shuaibu, the Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), on Tuesday lauded the association for the “adequate preparation given to the Super Eagles“ ahead of the 2014 World Cup.

Shuaibu, a former coach of the Super Eagles, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

He said the series of friendlies played and yet to be played by the national team would ensure coherence among the players ahead of the tournament.

“I don’t know what their priority is, but I think there is nothing wrong with what they have been doing.

“The team has been very busy until qualification and they have been playing friendly games.

“They still have another one next month; so, I don’t know what else you want them to do that they are not doing. For me, I think they are doing everything right.“

Shuaibu’s comments came on the heels of remarks by some Nigerians that the NFA was not doing enough to prepare the Super Eagles for the World Cup in Brazil.

According to him, the current Super Eagles coached by Stephen Keshi have played enough friendly matches so far, compared to the ones played when he (Shuaibu) was coach of the team.

NAN reports that the Eagles are scheduled to play Scotland in a friendly at the Craven Cottage ground of English Premiership side Fulham FC on May 28 and fly to the U.S. on May 29.

The team will also engage the Greece national team at the Philadelphia Union Stadium, U.S. on June 3.

The Super Eagles are also expected to confront the U.S. national team at the EverBank Field Stadium in Jacksonville, U.S. on June 7 before flying to Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 11.

The team, which has played teams like Mexico, Italy and Catalonia in international friendly matches, is in the same group with Argentina, Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina for the World Cup. (NAN)

USA: 45 Shot in Chicago

Chicago police face overwhelming gun crime as 45 people shot over weekend

Police officials point to need for stricter gun laws after city suffers bloody Easter weekend in which nine people were killed.

Chicago police superintendent Garry McCarthy compared the department's task on gun violence to 'drinking from a firehose'. Photograph: Jim Young/Reuters
Jon Swaine in New York
Monday 21 April 2014 20.53 BST

A senior Chicago police officer said that parts of the city are being overwhelmed by gun violence, after a weekend in which nine people were shot dead and at least 36 – including six children – were wounded.

Ronald Holt, the commander of the Chicago police department’s special activities division, said that the city was witnessing “fratricide” among young men who had come to believe “that the only way to resolve a conflict is to get a gun and go shoot to kill”.

“To tackle gun violence where it is overwhelming communities with the extraordinary loss of lives at an alarming pace, we must deal with it as a social disease and health issue,” Holt, whose 17-year-old son Blair was shot dead on a bus in 2007, told the Guardian in an email.

His remarks came as Chicago suffered its bloodiest weekend of the year. Dozens of residents were shot in a series of separate incidents. On the city’s south side, five children aged between 11 and 15 were shot while walking home from a park on Sunday evening.

The four girls and one boy were asked if they were affiliated with a gang, and then shots were fired from a light-coloured sedan, a police spokesman said. An 11-year-old girl was in a critical condition in hospital after being shot in the neck. A 14-year-old girl was in a serious condition after suffering a shot to her abdomen. A 14-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl were stable after being shot in the left leg and right arm respectively. Another 14-year-old girl suffered a grazed buttock.

The shootings occurred less than a mile from the south-side porch where Gakirah Barnes, a 17-year-old girl, died after being shot nine times the previous weekend. “We are looking at whether this could have been a retaliation for previous shootings,” Andrew Holmes, a community organiser, said on Monday morning.

About two hours after the five children were shot on Sunday evening, a 15-year-old girl was shot in the back while sitting in a car at a traffic light in the north-west of the city. Police said that a group of three men had flashed gang signs before one opened fire.

At least nine people were killed around the city over the Easter weekend, including 16-year-old Jordan Means, who, along with 18-year-old Anthony Bankhead, was found shot dead in an apartment on the south side on Saturday morning. Means’s mother, Camille Cochran, told local media that the pair were shot over a dispute that had been raging on Facebook.

The weekend’s death toll brought the total number of suspected homicides so far this year to 90, compared to 92 at this point in 2013, according to figures compiled by RedEye Chicago. Superintendent Garry McCarthy on Monday compared the task his department faces as it tries to tackle gun violence to “drinking from a firehose”.

“We can do things to improve what’s happening, but until such time as we get some help with the gun laws in the state of Illinois, we’re up against it,” McCarthy told CBS News. But Illinois law has recently moved towards looser gun controls. The first permits allowing residents to carry concealed firearms, under a law passed by the state legislature last year, were sent out last month.

The Guardian reported on Saturday that a feud between rival rappers had been linked to a series of shooting deaths in the city, including that of Barnes and, two days later, Mario “Big Glo” Hess. Hess, an up-and-coming rapper formerly known as “Blood Money”, had recently received a $50,000 record deal advance.

Holt, whose special activities division works to tackle gang violence, said that some rappers from Chicago “can't seem to loose themselves from their own gritty and dangerous surroundings” even as they

DRUGS:Marijuana Use Tied To Multiple Brain Abnormalities In Students

Marijuana Use Tied To Multiple Brain Abnormalities In Students, Even Those Who Smoked As Little As Once A Week

By Chris Weller | Apr 15, 2014 05:00 PM EDT

Marijuana use, even casually, impairs the motivational and emotional centers of students' brains. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.
Students who smoked marijuana as rarely as once a week still showed significant brain abnormalities in terms of the organ’s size, density, and volume, a new study finds. The two areas most affected by the marijuana use were the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens, which regulate, among other things, emotion and motivation.

The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, is the first to examine marijuana’s effects on casual smokers. It found that the number of joints a person smokes directly relates to the degree of brain impairment, challenging the notion that recreational use is somehow exempt from causing neurological damage.

“People think a little recreational use shouldn't cause a problem, if someone is doing OK with work or school,” said co-senior study author Hans Breiter in a statement. “Our data directly says this is not the case.”

Subjects for the study included 40 students, aged 18 to 25, split up evenly according to whether they currently smoked marijuana. Before conducting a range of neuroimaging tests, the researchers ensured none of the 20 current users exhibited any signs of addiction. Later, they tested for the density of subjects’ gray matter, the size of their brains, and the overall volume. They also compared the two groups’ brains to see how marijuana may have altered users’ responses to motivation and emotion.

"These are core, fundamental structures of the brain," said co-senior study author Anne Blood, director of the Mood and Motor Control Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "They form the basis for how you assess positive and negative features about things in the environment and make decisions about them.

Overall, subjects who smoked had a larger-than-average nucleus accumbens and prominently displayed changes in size and shape. Relying on former studies in rat models, the researchers concluded that marijuana’s key psychoactive ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), was conferring the wiring changes in the subjects’ brains.

"It may be that we're seeing a type of drug learning in the brain," lead author and psychology instructor at HMS, Dr. Jodi Gilman, said. "We think when people are in the process of becoming addicted, their brains form these new connections."

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S. A 2008 survey found 15.2 million people had used marijuana in the past month. And despite ongoing legal actions around the country, most of which shines a positive light on the plant, and growing public support for the drug’s medicinal effects, medical science knows little about marijuana’s actual effects on the brain. Such studies require long-term investigation to untangle the external factors from what’s actually going on.

What scientists do know is that drugs like marijuana can cause the brain to release more dopamine than it would for other pleasure-seeking activities, such as food, socializing, and sex. Even if they don’t physically addict people like the nicotine in cigarettes, marijuana addictions are problematic because they gradually numb a person’s response to dopamine. Activities that were once pleasurable turn unappealing.

Weed is also stronger today than it was in the 1960s and 70s. Forty years ago, the THC content hovered between one and three percent. Now, it typically ranges in potency from five to nine percent. This concerns people like Gilman and Breiter because it means that pot’s growing acceptance could mean greater damage on still-developing brains, despite many advocates’ well-meaning intentions.

"I've developed a severe worry,” Breiter said, “about whether we should be allowing anybody under age 30 to use pot unless they have a terminal illness and need it for pain."

HEALTH:Chinese Herb Shows Promise As Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

Chinese Herb Shows Promise As Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment; Could Be Cheaper Than Methotrexate

By Anthony Rivas | Apr 14, 2014 06:30 PM EDT


People have used traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, so it's no surprise that an herb known as the Thunder God Vine shows promise in treating rheumatoid arthritis (possibly) better than current medications. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) — not to be confused with osteoarthritis — affects an estimated 1.5 million people in the U.S. As an autoimmune disorder, it develops when the immune system starts attacking the body’s own tissue, affecting people at any age (but most frequently in middle age and up) with joint inflammation and pain, among many other symptoms, that often come and go in so-called flares. While there are currently drugs to treat the disease, including methotrexate, they sometimes don’t work. Now, a new study finds that a Chinese herbal remedy may be able to treat people with RA more effectively.

Originating in ancient China, traditional Chinese medicine has been implemented in many parts of the world for thousands of years. It includes various practices of well-being, including acupuncture, tai chi, qi gong, and the use of Chinese herbs for treating disease. Many Chinese “herbs” aren’t actually herbs either, and sometimes include minerals or animal products that are formulated into teas, capsules, liquid extracts, and powders.

“Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) is used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of joint pain, fever, chills, oedema, and local inflammation,” the researchers wrote. It’s sometimes called the Thunder God Vine and is recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties, as well as the ability to suppress the immune system and possibly fight cancer. Its ability to remedy these ailments, according to researchers of the new study, come from its chloroform-methanol extract and compounds — some of over 300 — derived from it, known as diterpenoids.

 Known as the Thunder God Vine, tripterygium wilfordii Hook F might be better at treating rheumatoid arthritis than current medications.  

Looking to see just how effective this ancient remedy is, the researchers split a group of 207 patients with RA into three groups. Some took the RA medication methotrexate (12.5 milligrams once a week), while another group took 20 milligrams of TwHF three times a day, and the last group took a combination of both. The treatment period lasted 24 weeks — 84 percent of participants got to the end.

Of these participants, the researchers found that 46.5 percent of patients treated with methotrexate reached ACR 50, a level of response defined by the American College of Rheumatology indicating that symptoms were relieved by 50 percent. By comparison, 55 percent of patients who took the TwHF supplements, and 77 percent of patients who took both reached ACR 50.

The results are promising because all groups of patients showed similar patterns of symptom reduction. Meanwhile, those who took TwHF were more likely than the others to experience irregular periods — a known side effect — so the researchers said it would be best for postmenopausal women and those who are no longer interested in having children to take it. Furthermore, they said that 12.5 milligrams of methotrexate was lower than some doses given to RA patients in the U.S., and that it was unclear, though unlikely, whether higher doses would sway the results. For patients who can’t afford methotrexate, TwHF may be a more affordable option if longer term studies prove their safety and efficiency

DRUGS:Doctors Prescribe Codeine To Children When Less Powerful Drugs Will Do

Too Many Doctors Prescribing Codeine To Children When Less Powerful Drugs Will Do

By Matthew Mientka | Apr 21, 2014 12:00 AM EDT


New research shows U.S. emergency room doctors are still prescribing codeine to children in high numbers to treat injury pain, when less harmful and more effective substitutes exist. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
Emergency room doctors continue to prescribe codeine to children at high rates rather than less harmful alternatives such as ibuprofen or hydrocodone. But rather than merely “educating” these clinicians, some experts say the health care system should eliminate the doctor’s discretion to prescribe such powerful pain meds to children.

Sunitha Kaiser, a pediatrician at Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco, says the evidence is clear on wisdom of prescribing alternative medications to children. "Despite strong evidence against the use of codeine in children, the drug continues to be prescribed to large numbers of them each year," she said in a press release. "It can be prescribed in any clinical setting, so it is important to decrease codeine prescription to children in other settings such as clinics and hospitals, in addition to emergency rooms."

An opioid, codeine is prescribed to treat mild to moderate pain as well as to suppress cough. However, a third of children receive no benefit from the medication, given variability in how children process the opioid. But much worse, as many as one in 12 children prescribed codeine may accumulate toxic amounts, causing slowed breathing and, in some rare cases, death.

The American Academy of Pediatrics first warned of the dangers of codeine in children in 1997, saying again in 2006 that science lacks evidence supporting the effectiveness of the medication in treating pediatric pain and cough. Likewise, the American College of Chest Physicians issued its 2006 guidelines on treating children’s cough with an advisory against the use of codeine.

In the new study, Kaiser and her colleagues found the frequency of codeine prescriptions dropping from 2001 to 2010 from 3.7 percent to 2.9 percent for emergency room visits involving children ages 3 to 17. However, those percentages represent a still rising overall number of codeine prescriptions for children, which rose during that time from 559,000 to 877,000 prescriptions per year in the U.S.

HEALTH:Extroverts Are Happier Than Introverts, No Matter The Cultural Setting

By Dana Dovey | Apr 19, 2014 05:39

Researchers have found that no matter the culture or the country, extroverts tend to be happier than their introverted counterparts. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
A new study suggests that key to happiness has nothing to do with material items or socio-economic surrounding, but rather lies in your own personality. Researchers looked at the mood and behavior of young people in countries across the globe and found that, regardless of the culture, those who felt or acted more extroverted in daily situations were happier. Although similar studies conducted in the West have shown the same results, this is the first time researchers have proved this true on such an international scale.

The study was conducted on college students living in the United States, China, Japan, the Philippines, and Venezuela and is published online in the Journal of Research in Personality. The ultimate goal of the study was to explore the link between extroversion and happiness in more community-based cultures such as those in Asia and South America. Most of the previous studies on happiness and personality were conducted in Western nations, where a high value is placed on independence and individualism, according to a recent press release. In the most recent study, researchers found they still got the same results, no matter their geographical location. “We are not the first to show that being more extroverted in daily behavior can lead to more positive moods. However, we’re probably the first to extend this finding to a variety of cultures”, the study’s author, Timothy Church, explained in the press release.

Results showed that many cultures share similar major personality traits and that being outgoing may be one way to increase happiness in all of them. “Cross-cultural psychologists like to talk about psychic unity. Despite all of our cultural differences, the way personality is organized seems to be pretty comparable across cultural groups,” Church concluded.

Extroverts are often stereotyped as party animals that like to speak loudly, and be the center of attention. They are more likely to take risks, are better able to manipulate and charm others, and overall have more of a chance of getting what they want with their dominating personality.

The evidence from this study also showed that 40 to 50 percent of the variation in personality traits has a genetic basis. These figures coincide with a previous study carried out at Edinburgh University in Scotland. Researchers there studied more than 800 sets of identical and non-identical twins. This was done to understand which had more of a play in personality; genetics or upbringing. The study’s results showed that identical twins were twice as likely as non-identical twins to share the same personality traits. This further backed the idea that DNA has more to do with personality than science has previously believed.

HEALTH:Ebola Outbreak In Guinea Kills 61

 With 109 Confirmed Cases, WHO Says: How Far Has The Virus Come?

By Matthew Mientka | Apr 21, 2014 10:11 AM EDT

WHO officials continue the fight against Ebola virus in Guinea. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
Sixty-nine people have died since January of Ebola in the West African country of Guinea with 109 cases now confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Sakoba Keita, who’s leading the government’s ebola prevention efforts, says the limited outbreak remains dangerous. “The biological analysis can be achieved henceforth quickly,” he told Time magazine this week, referring to the ongoing epidemiological operation.

Near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the deadly infectious disease first emerged in 1976, simultaneously striking Sudan. Yet after nearly two generations, epidemiologists have developed no cure for the highly fatal disease, formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever. The pathogen leaps from animals in the wild to human populations in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests — and is then spread rapidly from person to person. The disease is transmitted through direct contact with blood and tissue of infected animals or people, with the greatest risk for infection incurred by health workers fighting the disease.

Although no vaccine yet exists for ebola in animals or humans, the world health community fought the infection this month with 3.5 tons of medical supplies sent to Conakry, the capital of Guinea for distribution by WHO officials. Those supplies included disposable protective clothing for health workers, as well as hazmat-secure burial material for the infected dead.

“With protection equipment, we feel reassured and can do our job to help patients,” said Dr. Lansana Kourouma, head of emergency care at the Chinese-Guinean Friendship Hospital, where five patients remained under observation this week. WHO said the country Senegal had also sent technicians to the hospital to conduct on-site rapid testing for the disease.

SCIENCE:Corn biofuels worse than gasoline on global warming in short term – study

Corn biofuels worse than gasoline on global warming in short term – study

• $500,000 study paid for by federal government
• Conclusion: 7% more greenhouse gases in early years


Biofuels made from corn residue have attracted more than $1bn in federal support. Photograph: Marvin Dembinsky Photo Associate/Alamy
Associated Press in Washington
Sunday 20 April 2014 20.48 BST

Biofuels made from the leftovers of harvested corn plants are worse than gasoline for global warming in the short term, a new study shows, challenging the Obama administration's conclusions that they are a much cleaner oil alternative and will help combat climate change.

A $500,000 study – paid for by the federal government and released Sunday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change – concludes that biofuels made with corn residue release 7% more greenhouse gases in the early years compared with conventional gasoline.

While biofuels are better in the long run, the study says they won't meet a standard set in a 2007 energy law to qualify as renewable fuel.

The conclusions deal a blow to proponents of cellulosic biofuels, which have received more than a billion dollars in federal support but have struggled to meet volume targets mandated by law. About half of the initial market in cellulosics is expected to be derived from corn residue.

The biofuel industry and administration officials immediately criticised the research as flawed. They said it was too simplistic in its analysis of carbon loss from soil, which can vary over a single field, and vastly overestimated how much residue farmers actually would remove once the market gets underway.

"The core analysis depicts an extreme scenario that no responsible farmer or business would ever employ because it would ruin both the land and the long-term supply of feedstock. It makes no agronomic or business sense," said Jan Koninckx, global business director for biorefineries at DuPont.

Later this year the company is scheduled to finish a $200m-plus facility in Nevada, Iowa, that will produce 30 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol using corn residue from nearby farms. An assessment paid for by DuPont said that the ethanol it will produce there could be more than 100% better than gasoline in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

The research published in Nature Climate Change is among the first to attempt to quantify, over 12 corn belt states, how much carbon is lost to the atmosphere when the stalks, leaves and cobs that make up residue are removed and used to make biofuel, instead of left to naturally replenish the soil with carbon. The study found that regardless of how much corn residue is taken off the field, the process contributes to global warming.

"I knew this research would be contentious," said Adam Liska, the lead author and an assistant professor of biological systems engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "I'm amazed it has not come out more solidly until now."

The Environmental Protection Agency's own analysis, which assumed about half of corn residue would be removed from fields, found that fuel made from corn residue, also known as stover, would meet the standard in the energy law. That standard requires cellulosic biofuels to release 60% less carbon pollution than gasoline.

Cellulosic biofuels that don't meet that threshold could be almost impossible to make and sell. Producers wouldn't earn the $1 per gallon subsidy they need to make these expensive fuels and make a profit. Refiners would shun the fuels because they wouldn't meet their legal obligation to use minimum amounts of next-generation biofuels.

An EPA spokeswoman, Liz Purchia, said in a statement that the study "does not provide useful information relevant to the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from corn stover ethanol".

But an AP investigation last year found that the EPA's analysis of corn-based ethanol failed to predict the environmental consequences accurately.

The departments of Agriculture and Energy have initiated programmes with farmers to make sure residue is harvested sustainably. For ins

NIGERIAN LEAGUE TABLE

Team                 P W D L Pts
1 Akwa United 7  4  2 1 14
2 Lobi Stars      7  4  0 3 12
3 Crown FC       7  4  0 3 12
4 Sharks            7   3  2 2 11
5 Bayelsa
United.                6 3 2 1 11
6 Abia Warriors 6 3 2 1 11
7 Warri Wolves  7 3 2 2 11
8 Kano Pillars     7 2 3 2 9
9 El-Kanemi
Warriors.             7 2 3 2 9
10 Giwa FC          6 2 3 1 9
11 FC Taraba       6 3 0 3 9
12 Rangers           7 2 2 3 8
13 Dolphins         7 1 5 1 8
14 Enyimba         6 2 2 2 8
15 Nasarawa
United.                  7 2 2 3 8
16 Gombe United 7 2 2 3 8
17 Kaduna
United.                   7 2 1 4 7
18 Sunshine
Stars.                      6 1 3 2 6
19 Heartland         7 0 5 2 5
20 Nembe City      5 0 1 4 1

SPORTS:Late strike lifts Akwa United

20 Apr 2014 16:43:59
Legheri Onyamom
A late strike by Namso Edo
was enough to give Akwa
United a 1-0 victory over
Kano Pillars in their
rescheduled Glo Premier
League tie on Sunday morning in Uyo.
The match had been abandoned on Saturday
after about three minutes due to heaven
rainfall with the game still scoreless.
On resumption of the match, Pillars battled
their hosts to a barren first half before
bowing to Edo's fourth goal of the season.
Akwa United defender Emmanuel Ariwa said
they were always in control of the match and
deserved their victory.
"It was an interesting game as Pillars put up
a good fight," Ariwa said.
"However, we took the game to them and it
was only a matter of time for the goal to
come.
"We were patient and eventually we got our
breakthrough.
"We're happy with result as we have
extended our lead at the top by three points."
The Promise Keepers lead the Glo Premier
League with 14 points from seven matches.
The match had been abandoned on Saturday
after about three minutes due to heaven
rainfall with the game still scoreless.
On resumption of the match, Pillars battled
their hosts to a barren first half before
bowing to Edo's fourth goal of the season.
Akwa United defender Emmanuel Ariwa said
they were always in control of the match and
deserved their victory.
"It was an interesting game as Pillars put up
a good fight," Ariwa said.
"However, we took the game to them and it
was only a matter of time for the goal to
come.
"We were patient and eventually we got our
breakthrough.
"We're happy with result as we have
extended our lead at the top by three points."
The Promise Keepers lead the Glo Premier
League with 14 points from seven matches.
© supersport.com

SPORTS:Suarez reaches historic 30-goal mark

20 Apr 2014 13:33:56
Luis Suarez scored his 30th
Premier League goal of the
season at Norwich City on
Sunday, becoming the first
Liverpool player to achieve
the feat since Ian Rush in 1987.
After giving Liverpool an early lead, Raheem
Sterling teed up Suarez to steer home an
11th-minute shot that saw the Uruguayan
register his 12th goal in his last five
appearances against Norwich.
Another goal from Sterling gave Liverpool a
3-2 victory that took them five points clear at
the top of the league table with three
matches remaining.
Suarez is now one goal short of the record
goal tally for a 38-game Premier League
season, which is jointly held by Alan Shearer
and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"It is important for myself, but my target is to
help the team every time. We are on the top
now and we enjoy that," he told Sky Sports.
"Of course we are happy because those three
points are important for us and we worked
really hard today against Norwich.
"Every time they are difficult (to play) and
they are fighting not to go down, and we
know that."
Liverpool can now eliminate second-place
Chelsea from the title race by beating them at
Anfield next weekend, but Suarez remains
cautious about his side's chances of
claiming a first league title in 24 years.
"In football, you never know what will
happen," he said. "We will keep calm and
focus on the next game against Chelsea."
© Sapa - AFP

SPORTS:Ramsey, Podolski shine in Arsenal stroll

20 Apr 2014 17:42:18
Lukas Podolski scored twice
as Arsenal claimed an
important 3-0 victory at Hull
City on Sunday in his side's
quest for a top-four finish
and FA Cup success.
In a preview of next month's FA Cup final at
Wembley, Arsenal scored an important
psychological edge over Steve Bruce's team
after Aaron Ramsey shot them in front.
German forward Podolski then added two
goals in the space of eight minutes, either
side of halftime.
Following on from his two-goal display
against West Ham United in mid-week, it
meant that in the space of five days, he has
doubled his tally of league goals for the
season to eight.
Aaron Ramsey, playing his fourth game in
two weeks after a three-month lay-off with a
thigh injury, made a telling impact with a
goal and an assist as Arsenal scored twice in
the final 15 minutes of the opening half to
take a strong grip on the game.
The second goal was spectacular, if
contentious, as Hull claimed that they should
have been awarded a free-kick deep in
Arsenal territory after Nikica Jelavic went
down under pressure from Mikel Arteta.
Referee Jon Moss disagreed, however, and
allowed the Gunners to launch a devastating
counter-attack.
It ended with Olivier Giroud lofting over a
cross that Ramsey chested into the path of
Podolski, who buried a superb left-foot volley
in the back of the Hull goal from 15 yards.
The opening goal, after 31 minutes, had been
almost as impressive and featured a
characteristic flowing move from Arsene
Wenger's side.
The move started on the halfway line and
saw Ramsey spray the ball wide to Mesut
Ozil; another Arsenal player who is fit again
after injury.
His pass to Santi Cazorla was helped on to
Ramsey, who steered his ninth league goal of
the season past Steve Harper in the Hull
goal.
The opening goal had been coming, with
Harper called upon to keep out Podolski's
18-yard strike a few minutes earlier,
although Hull had enjoyed more possession
until that point.
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was
forced to show good handling in the 14th
minute, diving smartly to keep out a first-
time strike from Jelavic.
A goal behind, Hull had their best chance yet
when David Meyler set up Jake Livermore for
an 18-yard strike that beat Szczesny but
rebounded to safety via the foot of the
goalkeeper's right-hand post.
Just before the second Arsenal goal, Shane
Long should have done better with a
mistimed header from a Liam Rosenior cross
that Szczesny saved with ease.
Hull substitute Matty Fryatt, on for the
injured Long, had an early opportunity soon
after the restart, but Tom Huddlestone's pass
took an unkind bounce as he aimed to head
past Szczesny.
Any lingering uncertainty about the destiny
of the three points was removed after 54
minutes when Podolski claimed his second
goal, and Arsenal's third.
Once again the build-up was intricate,
culminating in Cazorla picking out Ramsey
from the left-hand byline.
The Welsh international's 15-yard shot was
well saved by the outstretched boot of
goalkeeper Harper, but the rebound fell
kindly for Podolski to convert from close
range.
Arsenal should have scored a bizarre fourth
goal after 64 minutes when Harper
misjudged a back-pass, gifting the ball to
Giroud, who struck the underside of the bar
from practically on the byline.
Arsenal centre-back Per Mertesacker headed
over from a Cazorla free-kick in the 76th
minute, while Ramsey, Huddlestone and
Fryatt all saw late efforts well handled by
their respective opposition goalkeepers.
© Sapa - AFP

SPORTS: Congratulations Sunderland and Mike Dean - Mourinho

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho fired a thinly-veiled criticism at the officials after his unbeaten home record in the Premier League was ended in a 2-1 loss to Sunderland.

The Blues' title bid was severely dented on Saturday night as Fabio Borini converted a late penalty at Stamford Bridge after Cesar Azpilicueta tackled Jozy Altidore in the area.

There did appear to be contact between the players before referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot.

"Congratulations to Mike Dean, because he made a fantastic performance. And congratulations to Mike Riley, because what they did during the season was fantastic for the way the championship is going."

Jose Mourinho

Mourinho, though, appeared frustrated by Dean's performance throughout, before also seemingly criticising referees' chief Mike Riley in a short and curt post-match interview with Sky Sports.

Four things

"I just want to say four things and I'm sorry because if you ask me more questions, I'll repeat exactly the same thing," said Mourinho, who had not spoken at his previous three press conference following his fine for entering the pitch during a defeat at Aston Villa last month.

"Congratulations to my players because they gave what they have and what they don't have.

"Congratulations to Sunderland, because they won.

"Congratulations to Mike Dean, because he made a fantastic performance.

"And congratulations to Mike Riley, because what they did during the season was fantastic for the way the championship is going.

"Congratulations to all of them - and I have nothing more to say."

Mourinho walked away from the post-match interview when asked to expand on his comments, and was similarly short on answers in the press conference that followed.

"I will not wait for your questions, I'm so sorry about it," said the Chelsea boss.

"But in four quick points I can say everything I want to say, so we are not going to waste time, because every question you can ask me I will answer exactly the same way.

"So we stick with four quick points.

"The first point is to congratulate my players, they did everything they could, they fought, they played from the first to the last second.

"And I think they deserve that.

"Sometimes we praise the players when we win, I think it's fair to praise my players after a defeat.

"Secondly, congratulations to Sunderland, it doesn't matter how or why, or in which way they won, but they won, they won the three points, and it's three fantastic points for them.

"So I think it's also fair to congratulate them.

"The third point, I want to congratulate again, but this time is Mike Dean.

"I think his performance was unbelievable, and I think when referees they have unbelievable performances I think it's fair also that managers we give them this.

"So fantastic performance, he came here with one objective, the objective of making a fantastic performance and he did that.

"And fourth, I think it's also fair, congratulations to Mike Riley, because he's the referees' boss, and what they are doing during the whole season is fantastic, especially in the last couple of months, especially in matches involving the teams that were in the title race, it's absolutely fantastic.

"And I also congratulate Mr Mike Riley, thank you."

EPL: We won't underrate Norwich City - Brenda Rogers

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers insists his players will not take Norwich for granted in Sunday's vital Premier League clash.

It is a massive match for both clubs - Norwich are fighting for their Premier League lives, whilst Livepool are in pole position for their first top-flight title in 20 years.

Norwich's new boss Neil Adams - the former youth team coach - replaced Chris Hughton as manager earlier this month, and in his first match the Canaries were beaten by fellow relegation candidates West Brom.

The Liverpool boss said: "I felt for Chris Hughton because it's a difficult job. You go into a club and the objective certainly for Norwich I'm sure is to stay in the Barclays Premier League, and I think he was well on his way to doing that.

"He had some big results against big teams at home. Of course it was difficult away from home.

"The new coach has come in, he'll have worked at youth level, which is a great starting point for any coach.

"I had many years as a youth coach and you learn about systems and tactics, different ideas, and then you hope you have the courage and conviction when you get the opportunity under pressure to put those into place.

"They changed the shape of the team, played a diamond last weekend, and created some chances. They've got some good players and they'll see it as a game they really need to win.

"Obviously it's been difficult for them this season but we don't underestimate them, we'll respect them and know they are a threat.

"Carrow Road's a wonderful place to play football. We had a great result there last season so we'll hope to continue our good run against them."

Watch Luis Suarez's 11 goals against Norwich from the last four times the teams met.

Luis Suarez will look to continue one of the more remarkable Premier League scoring records.

Suarez has scored 11 goals in his last four games against Norwich, including hat-tricks on both his previous visits to Carrow Road.

In the home match in December, Suarez went one better and scored four times, and Rodgers says playing on his own up front - without the injured Daniel Sturridge - could make his even more dangerous.

Rodgers said: "I saw his three goals that he scored at Carrow Road before I came in and then obviously he's had four and three during my time here against Norwich.

Jamie Redknapp looks ahead to Liverpool's match with Norwich and thinks Luis Suarez could cause the Canaries trouble again.

"But I take most solace from what we do as a team. Luis plays that role really well, he's scored a big part of his goals up there on his own.

"He enjoys that role, the freedom and the space that it offers, and thankfully we've got other players that can score goals in the team. He's been fantastic and he will continue to be."

Liverpool are looking for an 11th straight Premier League win to keep their place at the top of the table with three games to play.

NIGERIA: Foreign Terrorist Groups assisting Boko Haram

on April 20, 2014  

By Ebele Orakpo

A forensic criminologist and security co-ordinator at the American University of Nigeria, Dr. Lionel Von Frederck Rawlins has disclosed that Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabab terrorist organisations operating in the Islamic Maghreb and Arabian peninsula have been helping members of Boko Haram carry out their operations in Nigeria.

Rawlins, a US marine, who has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the Middle East and Far East as a counter-terrorist specialist, explained that Nigeria is under siege from terrorists from other lands.

He advised the Nigerian government to seek help in dealing with the insurgency.

According to him, the Nigerian government and people “only have to ask and they will send people.

“Some people believe that it is politically-motivated, may be it was and it started off that way; some believe it is religiously-motivated but I don’t know if that is true, I doubt it because Muslims are killing Muslims as well, not just Christians and non-Muslims; so if you want to look at it that way, it is a fallacy. What I would say is that it has got to the point where Boko Haram is killing people because Boko Haram is now proving a point that it can kill and get away with it. It has gone beyond religion, politics and ideology. It is a belief: ‘I can kill people and I can get away with it and let me show you I can do it.’ That is what it is now. It is a showman thing.

”A case in point: Look at what they did or tried to do in Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri recently. They tried to take on a military base! That alone tells you that these people are so emboldened they don’t even care about attacking a military base where soldiers are with weapons. It has gone beyond the normal talk of politics, religion, ideology or corruption. It is now showmanship: ‘I can kill you if I want and there is nothing you can do.’”

He explained that Boko Haram currently receives help from other globally recognised terror groups. What you have now are “insurgents from other countries. They are trained by Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab and other groups. They send people here to train them. They also go for training and come back but you must remember, many terrorist groups are in this together and they don’t have problem training and supporting each other because they know that one day, they can call each other for help and when they do, they expect that you will come and help. They may say ‘we need you to help us get Mali, and then you send people because they trained you, gave you funding and all the resources you need, so that was done for you to pay back. So, you are correct to say they got people to help them. There are times also that survivors report that people who came with Boko Haram to kill them were speaking a language they have never heard before; nothing out of Nigeria, so they could be French, Spanish, something from Mali, CAR, Kenya, etc. They know instinctively that it is not a Nigerian tongue which proves the fact that they bring in outsiders.”

He said the Nigerian peoploe need to give military the support needed to boost morale. “We have to give the military the support that it needs and if you don’t give them that support, it is very demoralizing for the soldiers. It erodes their confidence and their morale to know that ‘I am fighting to defend you and then when Boko Haram insurgents are killed, you turn around and blame me, but when Boko Haram kill 50, you don’t say anything.’ You don’t go after them with the same force and the same venom; you don’t go after them like you go after the military when people are killed and to me, that is unfair. If you are going to do it, do it both ways. Tell the bad guys that what they are doing is wrong and tell the good guys as well that what they are doing is wrong when they go wrong.”

On his book on The Church od Satan, he said:

“It was the thesis for my master’s degree in criminology. I was fascinated by cultism and Satanism, witchcraft, voodoo, juju and how they used to kill people. They never called it satanic murder. The Press would call it satanic murder but the court of law would not because there is no such thing in law. The court does not have any law that says it is a satanic, cult or juju murder. I was fascinated by how these people would commit murder and keep it secret and no one knows and they get away with it. So in doing that, I had to go interview witches in the US, it’s a legitimate religion so they don’t mind telling people they are witches protected by the constitution. They go to the church of Satan and they are proud of it. I had to go the Church of Satan.

“And what do they do there?

They didn’t do anything weird in front of me. To get in there, I had to apply and they interviewed me. You can’t just walk in because they don’t know who you are or what you want. After a couple of months of trying to get in, they finally let me. They worship like everyone else but instead of singing praises to God, they sing praises to Satan and the cross is turned upside down. The singing was dark and evil but I wanted to interview many of them to see what actually they were about. The fact is, there are satanists, witches, juju, voodoo etc. They are all there. Many of them are fraudsters though. They defraud people out of their money but I would not tell people to be afraid to go out and do things because you are not going to find a bunch of people all around the world trying to kill you because Satan told them to”.

Culled from Vanguard Newspaper