Malicious websites maped out by Google

SAN FRANCISCO – Google expanded its Transparency Report on Tuesday to include maps of spots around the world where hackers are laying traps or baiting Internet users.
“Two of the biggest threats online are malicious software that can take control of your computer, and phishing scams that try to trick you into sharing passwords or other private information,” Google engineer Lucas Ballard said in a blog post.
“So today we’re launching a new section on our Transparency Report that will shed more light on the sources of malware and phishing attacks.”
Information for the new section comes from a Safe Browsing program Google launched in 2006 to warn Internet travelers when they were heading for trouble such as bogus bank websites or pages booby-trapped with computer viruses.
“We’re currently flagging up to 10,000 sites a day, and because we share this technology with other browsers there are about one billion users we can help keep safe,” Ballard said.
The new section added at google.com/transparencyreport included a map that showed that “malware” hotspots include India and Central Europe.
Google’s Transparency Report also provides information about government requests around the world for information from the California-based Internet giant and demands for removal of content from online properties.
Last week, Google said that it asked a special US court handling national security investigations for permission to publish more open with the public about numbers of requests.
The court filing in Washington came amid a firestorm of protests over revelations that the National Security Agency had accessed vast amounts of data in a surveillance program under the supervision of the secret court.
>>>Vanguard

State of Emergency: CDS Vows to Wipe Out Terrorists in Affected States

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim has vowed that the troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) deployed to enforce state of emergency in some states of the north would not relent in its offensive until the remnants of Boko Haram insurgents are routed out with peace and stability restored.

Ibrahim stated this through the Nine-Man Defence Headquarters Assessment Team, which returned Tuesday from Yobe and Borno States to update him on the situation in the operational area of the Special Forces operating in the North East.

More to follow...

West Brom: No plans to sell Odemwingie

Osaze

West Brom chairman Jeremy Pearce has insisted that the club will not be forced into a cheap sale of Peter Odemwingie.
The striker is widely expected to leave the club following a season of unrest, but Pearce is adamant the Premier League club will not part company with him unless their criteria are met.
Odemwingie started just 13 Premier League games last season compared to 25 the year before and also halved his goal tally in the English top flight from 2011/12 to five.
The wantaway forward caused a great deal of controversy in the January transfer window when he effectively tried to initiate his own move to QPR, only for it to fall through.
“We have a player who is under contract until the end of the season,” Pearce told the Birmingham Mail.
“Unless something comes in to change our way of thinking he will be back in pre-season and we will deal with that.
“We took a view at the end of January – not only for the reasons of Peter Odemwingie or Queens Park Rangers, also whichever agents were involved who acted disgracefully, but for the long term of this football club that we have to behave a certain way.
“If we don’t do that they will all be knocking on the door. That said, unless we get an offer we’re happy with we won’t sell him.”

Erico applauds Eagles performance

FORMER Green Eagles goalkeeper, Joe Erico has hailed the Super Eagles performance at the ongoing Brazil 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup describing it as a good step to greater things to come.
The former NEPA coach, Erico said the Confederations Cup has given the team handlers the opportunity to really see how far the Eagles can go when they qualify for the World Cup proper billed for Brazil next year. He lamented that the team lacks sharp finishers hence they crashed out of the tournament with only three points after beating the whipping boys of the group, Tahiti.
“The team’s performance at the tournament was quite good , it’s very good for us because it has given us the opportunity to really see how far we can go when we qualify for the World Cup. Luckily, we have the last World Cup qualifier against Malawi here  and the experience from playing against the world’s best  at the Confederations Cup will be of  immense help to us.
Our strikers are lacking in speed off and on the ball. Today’s football requires quickness, a player must be fast and technically and tactically sound to cope. We saw how swiftly  Fernando Torres scored against us. Before our defender could raise his foot, the striker had already nodded the ball into the net. Our attackers require to be fast and sharp”, he said.
The former Eagles goalkeeper trainer, said he is a strong believer in youth development programme and he therefore, advised for the development of the youth by the nation’s football authorities.
He however commended the Super eagles Coach Stephen Keshi saying, “technically, Keshi has done well by bringing the team up-to the level they are now from nowhere.
Nobody gave them the chance against Uruguay  and Spain. So the good thing about this tournament is that they should see it as a pre-World Cup tournament which is going to give them room to improve ahead of the remaining World Cup qualifier”

FRSC introduces e-ticketing for traffic offence

Abuja – The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in partnership with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), on Tuesday, inaugurated e-ticketing to facilitate easy booking of motorists for road traffic offences.
Speaking at the inauguration, Mr Osita Chidoka, the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, said the bank had donated the first set of 60 hand-held devices for the e-ticketing.
According to him, 10 other devices have been donated by another bank for the programme.
Chidoka said the e-ticketing would initially take off as a pilot scheme in Lagos, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He said that with the introduction of the system, the FRSC would gradually move away from the conventional method of booking traffic offenders, which he described as obsolete and time-consuming.
The corps marshal said the new system would enable the FRSC to track habitual offenders, improve data management and reduce time spent in booking offenders.
“It will also enhance the capacity of the FRSC to confront road traffic offenders,’’ he added.
He said the commission was in partnership with UBA in sensitising motorists to the dangers of receiving or making phone calls and sending messages while driving.
Mr Kennedy Uzoka, the Deputy Managing Director of UBA, said that the bank was ready to work with the FRSC to save lives.
“We have been looking for partners to save lives and we found the FRSC; we chose the FRSC because of its impact at the national level.
“We can use technology to change the way people behave but texting while driving is very dangerous,” he said.
In an interview with newsmen, Prof. Robert Boroffice, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, urged motorists to desist from using the phone while driving as the habit was a major cause of road accidents.
“If you take the statistics of lives and property lost on the road you will find out that the number is even more than the number of lives lost through AIDs and other pandemic diseases,’’ he said.
Boroffice commended the FRSC for introducing the e-ticketing, saying it is in line with the cashless policy of the present administration.
“The system will also reduce fraud, so the issue of somebody shortchanging the Federal Government or the FRSC does not arise. It is a good initiative.’’ (NAN)
>>>vanguard

Uduaghan sends football champions abroad

Ogedegbe Primary School in Warri could soon be more than a Primary school. Kids from the school won this year’s Channels Kids Soccer Competition in Lagos.
And for that Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan , in line with his sports development programme, plansd to transform the school into a special football nursery that will also take their school work seriously.
Interestingly, Dr. Uduaghan was a special guest in the final of the competition with Babatunde Fashola, the Governor of Lagos State.

He watched the team from his state lift the trophy and he invited them to the Governor’s Cup final in Warri, May 29.
And yesterday, he visited the school during the inspection of ongoing projects in Delta State. He expressed delight that the school, which produced the likes of Wilson Oruma, has been some kind of a breeding ground for football and said the following to them:
‘’I want to thank you for making Warri proud when you won the Channels Cup which was live on television. I decided to visit you during break time in order not to disrupt your school programme. You played good football during the competition.
I followed you throughout and watched the final. You made us proud. I want to assure the kids that the government will encourage any one who wants to take to football as a career. We will expand your football field to make it a standard one, help in training the kids and boost the football tradition here.
We will send the Channels Kids to a summer school abroad where they could train and also do summer school work. It is part of the training and exposure that I hope will help in developing the kids.’’
Uduaghan promised to pay stipends to the parents of the players to assist in providing them good nutrition for good growth.
Headmistress of the school, Philomena Onoherhe thanked the Governor for his leadership qualities and said that they have been inspired to do more in the area of sports and academics.

CAF Appoints Keita For Eagles/Elephants Match

The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has appointed Malian official, Mahamadou Keita as centre referee for the 2014 African Nations Championship qualifying match between Nigeria and Ivory Coast, billed for Saturday next week in Kaduna.

Keita, 30, became an international referee in 2009.
He will be assisted by compatriots Moriba Diakite, 33 (Assistant Referee 1), Nouhoum Bamba, 35 (Assistant Referee 2) and Ousmane Sidibe, 39 (Reserve Referee).
The Match Commissioner is Idrissa Sarr, a renowned former FIFA-graded referee from Mauritania.
For the return leg in Abidjan on July 27, CAF has appointed officials from Morocco to take charge. Noureddine el Jaafari, a 35-year old who became an international referee only this year, will be at the centre, to be assisted by compatriots Bouazza Rouani, 39 (Assistant Referee 1), Youssef Mabrouk, 38 (Assistant Referee 2) and Khalid Ennouni, 40 (Reserve Referee).The Match Commissioner will be Kossi Adjodo from Togo.

2014 CHAN: Keshi calls up Agbim, 23 others for Ivory Coast Tie

Keshi

Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Stephen Keshi has swiftly turned his attention to the 2014 African Nations Championship qualifying match against Ivory Coast, by calling up 24 home boys for the game billed for next weekend.
Even as the African champions were ruing several missed chances in the 3-0 defeat to World and European champions, Spain at the FIFA Confederations Cup tournament in Brazil, Keshi pencilled down goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim, defenders: Azubuike Egwuekwe, Godfrey Oboabona, Solomon Kwambe and Benjamin Francis, midfielders: Emeka Eze and Sunday Mba and forward: Muhammad Gambo from the squad that were with him in Brazil, he added 14 more from Nigeria’s top flight and two from the lower division.
Others in the squad are goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi, defender Kunle Odunlami and striker Obinna Nwachukwu and Gomo Onduku who were part of the team’s training camp in Germany ahead of the international friendly with Mexico in Texas, USA.
Defender Chibuzor Okonkwo, no stranger to the senior team camp, is joined by familiar faces Umar Zango and Ezekiel Bassey, Ayo Saka and Anthony Okputu.
Nigeria Professional Football League top scorer, Dele Olorundare of Sunshine Stars is joined by former junior international midfielder, Olufemi Oladapo.
New faces are: Mohammed Ajia of Bayelsa United, Enyimba FC’s Ifeanyi Edeh, Pius Samson of Ranch Bees, Festus Ajah of Union Bank FC and Warri Wolves’ Etebo Oghene.
The players are expected to report at the Bolton White Apartments, Abuja on Sunday, 30 June, 2013.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has announced that the match will be played at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna on Saturday, 6th July.
“We are happy for the favourable response from the Kaduna State Government, and we have also approached the National Sports Commission for permission to use the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna for the encounter.
“The grass is excellent and the entire facility is so well-maintained. The Super Eagles will find the place comfortable,” Barrister Musa Amadu, NFF General Secretary who was in Kaduna on Monday, said.
LIST OF INVITED PLAYERS:
Goalkeepers: Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves); Daniel Akpeyi (Heartland FC).
Defenders: Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves); Godfrey Oboabona (Sunshine Stars); Benjamin Francis (Heartland FC); Kunle Odunlami (Sunshine Stars); Ezekiel Bassey (Lobi Stars); Umar Zango (Kano Pillars); Solomon Kwambe (Sunshine Stars); Chibuzor Okonkwo (Enugu Rangers)
Midfielders: Sunday Mba (Enugu Rangers); Ayo Saka (Enyimba FC); Olufemi Oladapo (3SC); Emeka Eze (Enugu Rangers); Mohammed Ajia (Bayelsa United)
Forwards: Muhammad Gambo (Kano Pillars); Obinna Nwachukwu (Heartland FC); Gomo Onduku (Bayelsa United); Ifeanyi Edeh (Enyimba FC); Anthony Okputu (Lobi Stars); Pius Samson (Ranch Bees); Festus Ajah (Union Bank); Etebo Oghene (Warri Wolves); Dele Olorundare (Sunshine Stars)

Robbers kill Ogun Vigilante Services operatives

A gang of suspected armed robbers on Friday night killed five operatives of the Ogun State Vigilante Service at Onihale, Ifo in Ifo Local Government Area of the state.

The operatives were said to be part of the security personnel guarding a filling station at Onihale area, a satellite town of Ifo.

A witness, who pleaded anonymity said the robbers, numbering about 20 who operated in an unmarked lorry caught men of the vigilante services unawares.

It was learnt that some policemen attached to the State Anti-Robbery Squad arrived the scene and exchanged fire with the robbers.

Two of the dead vigilante operatives identified as Nurudeen Kasali, the leader of the team and one Akeem popularly called Omo Iya Laja had already been buried in Ifo on Saturday while the identity of their three other colleagues had yet to be revealed as at press time.

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the robbery attack but said only two persons were killed.

Adejobi, a deputy superintendent of police, added that the robbers escaped with varying degrees of bullet wounds which they sustained during the gun duel with policemen.

The PPRO also said items recovered from the vehicle abandoned by the fleeing robbers following included one pump action gun, two double- barrelled guns, one phoenix pistol, 34 live ammunition of the pistol, five empty magazines of AK 47 rifle, a sledge hammer as well as three cars.

Adejobi also said 250 expended shells of AK47 rifle were recovered from the scene of the robbery.

The police however appealed to all medical practitioners, both traditional and orthodox, to inform the police in case anybody approaches their hospitals to treat bullet wounds.

Maku mourns Daily Trust MD; says death a huge loss to journalism

ABUJA—Information Minister, Mr. Labaran Maku, has described the death of the Managing Editor of Daily Trust Newspaper, Mallam Suleiman Mohammed, as a huge loss to the journalism profession.
The minister stated this in Abuja when he paid a condolence visit to the management and staff of the newspaper.
He said the deceased worked hard to uplift the standard of the profession and showed exemplary character as well as uncommon commitment to journalism.
He remarked that the people of Nasarawa State, where the deceased hailed from also share from the loss, as a young state that is in need of manpower, especially in the media to complement the projection of the image of the state and its citizens.
The minister also condoled the family of the deceased and prayed God to strengthen and give them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.