Spicy Joe Vibes Blog

The Gunners had launched an ambitious bid for the Real Madrid striker this summer and the 28-year-old admits his countryman would have been a welcome addition Olivier Giroud insists he would have welcomed the signing of Karim Benzema at Arsenal this summer. Goal exclusively revealed in May that the Gunners were lining up an ambitious bid for the Real Madrid striker but had been prepared to delay their move until the closing stages of the transfer window. There is now a growing acceptance that Benzema is staying put in the Spanish capital but Giroud admits his fellow France international would have been a strong addition to Arsene Wenger’s side. “The coach [Wenger] knows very well what he is doing, and sometimes you should not buy just to buy, and sometimes there are not players out there that you need, who are available,” Giroud told beINSports. “We have a very good squad, with quality, and I am sure that with this squad we can go very far. But it would have been good if Kari

The former Lille man won the PFA Player of the Year award last season but the Blues manager has hinted that the Belgian needs to return to his previous level Jose Mourinhohas suggested that Eden Hazardmust improve his performance level after Chelseaslipped to a shock 2-1 loss to Crystal Palaceat Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Goals from Bakary Sako and Joel Ward gave the Eagles all three points on Mourinho’s 100th home game in charge of the club – with Alan Pardew’s men inflicting only the second defeat at Stamford Bridge of the Portuguese’s Blues reign. Mourinho has hinted that Hazard – who won the PFA Player of the Year award last season – and a number of senior players must start performing after the Blues’ stuttering start to their title defence, having taken just four points from four games thus far. "If you are the best player in the league, I think it should be a good responsibility to have a similar season than in the previous season,” he said. "I don't want

Since signing Sergio Aguero in 2011, Manchester City have repeatedly failed to bring in any attacking talent worthy of either playing alongside or standing in for the mercurial Argentine. Alvaro Negredo, Stevan Jovetic, Jesus Navas and latterly Wilfried Bony are players signed for (relatively) significant sums who have struggled to make a positive impact at the Etihad Stadium, whether Aguero has been on the pitch or the sidelines. Negredo's early season goals were important in 2013-14, Jesus Navas currently brings balance to Manuel Pellegrini's new system and Bony may yet get his chance, but for a club laying down roots in Manchester, these are not players who will leave a legacy. Having failed to defend their Premier League title, City are starting from scratch again. This summer, though, they have sent a message not just to the English game, but to Europe as well. While many on the continent may have been laughing behind their hands as the Blues splashed out £49 million o

A 60-year-old man plunged headfirst to his death from the upper deck of a baseball stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, brushing past wires holding a protective net, according to police and witnesses. Gregory Murrey, of Alpharetta, Georgia, fell about 40 feet (12 meters) in front of a sellout crowd of 49,000 during a game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees. He apparently lost his balance as spectators jumped up to boo the Yankees controversial star, Alex Rodriguez, who was walking up to bat, a witness told a local newspaper. The Atlanta Journal Constitution quoted the fan, Marty Burns, who saw the man fall, saying, “When they called A-Rod coming to bat, he got all excited, and his momentum took him over (the railing)." The cause of his fall had not been determined but no foul play is suspected, Atlanta police spokesman Greg Lyon said in a statement. The Braves issued a statement offering condolences to the Murrey family. A moment of silence was observed for Murre

The dollar lost ground against the safe-haven yen and the low-yielding euro on Monday as global stock markets began the week in the red, prompting investors to trim bets against currencies popularly used to fund risky carry trades. Under carry trades, investors sell a low-yielding currency to buy a riskier, higher-yielding ones for better returns. When volatility rises in global financial markets and stocks fall, they tend to take these positions off the table. European shares fell, with Germany's DAX and France's CAC on track for their worst month in four years. Chinese stock markets also fell while Japan's Nikkei .N225dropped.1 3 percent. Volumes were relatively low in Europe, with London shut for a holiday. If euro zone inflation slows more than expected, the European Central Bank will come under pressure to ease policy further. And with a U.S. increase possible as early as next month, traders said, the dollar's losses would be limited. "Stocks markets are i

Oil fell below $49 a barrel on Monday after its biggest two-day rally in six years last week, pressured by a supply glut and renewed concern about a hard landing for China's economy. International benchmark Brent crude climbed 10 percent last week but was still heading for its fourth straight monthly decline and has risen in only two of the past 14 months. At 0835 GMT, Brent LCOc1 was down $1.28 at $48.77 a barrel and U.S. crude CLc1, which had rallied 12 percent last week, dropped $1.00 to $44.22. "Volatility was high last week, so now we're seeing some retracement - $50 is proving to be a resistance level," said Olivier Jakob, analyst at Petromatrix, referring to Brent. "It is still a market which is very well supplied." Volume is expected to be lower than normal on Monday because of a British public holiday. Chinese equities fell sharply on Monday before recovering much of their losses ahead of a survey expected to point to further economic weakness.

Citigroup plans to rebuild its long-neglected equities franchise seeking to capitalize on a retrenchment by rivals in the face of new rules designed to make the financial system less risky, according people familiar with the bank's plans. A lack of investment in equities and a traditional focus on bond trading kept the No. 3 U.S. bank by assets in the lower echelons of equities league tables, which measure how much revenue Wall Street banks earn from their equity trading units. It will be tough to dislodge leaders such as Goldman Sachs Group, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan Chase & Co, that have long dominated the business. But having shored up its business and capital ratios since the financial crisis, largely by spinning off non-core assets, Citi now aims to profit from a retreat of rivals that were slow in adapting to new rules that force banks to keep more capital, two people with direct knowledge of Citi's plans told Reuters. Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse Barclays and

Stocks in Europe and Asia looked set on Monday for their worst monthly losses in at least three years, with investors still concerned about growth in China and the prospect of higher U.S. interest rates. Falling share prices helped put pressure on the dollar, though weekend comments from U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers leaving the door open to a rise in interest rates as soon as next month kept it well above last week's seven-month lows. Oil prices fell again both on the Fed rates outlook and as investors took profits on last week's 10 percent rise. Just last week, after a sharp fall in Chinese shares sent global stocks tumbling, a rise in U.S. rates for the first time since 2009 next month had seemed off the table. However, a senior Fed official said in a speech at the annual Jackson Hole symposium that U.S. inflation was likely to rebound, allowing rates to rise gradually. "This is a market that is walking on glass; China seems to be the central theme feeding into

1. You want something? Go for it! Some time ago, at a Conference, a motivational speaker, mounted the Podium, brought out his wallet and pulled out a N500 note. Holding it up, he asked, "Who wants this N500 note?" Lots of hands went up. Including mine. A slow chorus began to build as people began to shout "Me!" "Me!" I began to wonder who the lucky one would be who the speaker would choose. And I also secretly wondered (and I am sure others did too) why he would simply give N500 away. Even as the shouts of "I want it" grew louder, I noticed a young woman running down the aisle. She ran up onto the stage, went up to the speaker, and grabbed the N500 note from his hand. "Well done, young lady", said the speaker into the microphone. The speakersimply said, "Most of us just sit and wait for good things to happen. That's of no use. You've got to make things happen. Make a move!" Simply thinking about doi

AFRICA’S richest man and President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote yesterday said Nigeria would be self-sufficient in rice, sugar and other commodities in the next four years. He said this in Abuja at a meeting with the United Nations’ Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, businessmen and some philanthropists. Dangote, who spoke against the backdrop of his investment in the economy in the nation, added that Nigeria would soon become the largest exporter of petroleum products and fertiliser. The business mogul said he would not want to be known as the richest man alone, but would also lend his voice and other capacity to better the lots of Nigerians. He commended the steps being taken by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in addressing the challenge of corruption facing the nation. “War on corruption will enable government to have better outcome on any naira or dollar earned or spent,” he said. He said the government was taking measures to diversify the ec

The Federal Government has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to retrieve forthwith all valid diplomatic and official passports from all persons who are not entitled to hold such documents. This is contained in a statement signed on Tuesday by Mr Yusuf Isiaka, the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Interior, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Monday in Abuja. “The Permanent Secretary, Mr Abubakar Magaji, Federal Ministry of Interior, has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to retrieve all valid diplomatic and official passports with immediate effect from all persons who are not entitled to hold such documents,” the statement said. “The attention of the Federal Government has been drawn to the fact that some Nigerians who are not entitled to hold diplomatic and official passports are in possession of these documents,” it said. According to the statement, the measure is intended to protect and promote Nigeria’s integrity in t

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said that arrangement has been put in place for the sale of its 2016 application documents. This is due to a statement by the board’s Head of Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin and it was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Lagos. According to Dr Fabian Benjamin, the sales is to prepare candidates early for the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. He said that the scratch cards will be available for candidate to purchase in Zenith Bank, Sky Bank and First Bank. “The registration fee for the 2016 JAMB UTME is N5,000 and candidates are also to pay N500 to obtain the textbook, ‘The Last Days’ at Forcados High School. “Candidates will, however, be issued the book at the point of registration after showing evidence of payment,” Dr. Fabian Benjamin said. He added that the registration period will start from 31 August to 15 January, 2016. The registration website will close on January 19, 2

An international institute which ranks universities across the globe, Cybermetrics Lab of Spain, has rated Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, as the best university in Nigeria, for the fifth consecutive time. A statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of OAU, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, on Thursday, stated that the university ranking body rated the curricular, research, academic and general administration of the university as the best in Nigeria. Olarewaju stated that in the newest ranking, which was released on Monday, the Universities of Lagos and Ilorin came 2nd and 3rd respectively. Reacting to the news, the Vice-Chancellor of OAU, Prof. Bamitale Omole, said this was the first time in the history of higher education in Nigeria where one university “would maintain its position the first and the best in the country for more than four consecutive times. ”Omole commended the ranking, while attributing the feat to years of the hard work and dedication to duty o

ExxonMobil, alongside the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Africa Region, has exposed Geology lecturers from 30 Nigerian universities to what has been described as the latest technology in the profession. The company said that the gesture was to improve the quality of Geoscience education in Nigeria. Lecturers from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; University of Lagos, Akoka; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; University of Ibadan; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; University of Benin and the University of Port Harcourt, among others, attended the training. The General Manager, Exploration of Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, an ExxonMobil subsidiary, Mr. Andrew Ejayeriese, made this known in a statement on Monday. According to him, the programme is part of the company’s efforts to improve Geoscience education in Nigeria to a globally competitive level. The training, which took place in Lagos, had the participants exposed to the latest

The academic community of the Adeyemi University of Education, Ondo is in a dilemma over who now heads the institution between Prof. Richard King and Prof. Olukoya Ogen. King was appointed as the vice-chancellor of the institution in May, 2015, when the College of Education was upgraded to a university while Ogen was still the provost of the college. It was gathered that confusion set in following the purported reversal of the status of the school to that of a college of education and Ogen, who had earlier vacated the position following the upgrade of the institution, was asked to resume as the provost. A recent media report had indicated that all the colleges of education upgraded to universities by the Jonathan administration had been reversed to their former status by Buhari. Other affected colleges of education include the Federal College of Education, Zaria, Kaduna State; Federal College of Education, Kano and the Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerr

Famous Hong Kong actor and stunt artist, Chan Kong- sang, popularly known as Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan who is also a film director, producer and singer will not visit Nigeria in person but as a leading screen character in Dragon Blade, directed by Daniel Lee. Dragon Blade is Chan’s latest work that has been released theatrically in several countries of the world. It berths in Nigeria next month, with FilmOne acquiring the theatrical rights to exhibit it. Dragon Blade has remained a big hit since it was released last year. The movie headlined the 2014 Abuja International Film Festival where it won most of the top awards, including the best foreign film of the Fidelis Duker-led festival Critics who have seen the movie say the cinematographic splendor, sprawling battle scenes, unconvoluted story, memorable thrilling scenes, mind-blowing stunts with pints of comic relief synonymous with the legend makes Dragon Blade a movie worth seeing. Set in the year 48 BC, HuoAn (Jac

Abundant insurance and reinsurance market capacity, assisted by the influx of alternative capital, coupled with a lack of large loss events, has contributed to a decline in global insurance rates for the ninth quarter running, according to analysts at Marsh. “Competitive market conditions, characterised by an abundance of global capacity and a lack of large insured loss activity resulting in reported improved underwriting results with favourable combined ratios, helped account for the ninth consecutive quarter of rate decreases,” noted Marsh. Commercial insurance rates decreased in various geographies and across the majority of large business lines during the second-quarter of 2015, as the competitive market environment continues to challenge firms’ profitability. With pricing in the global property catastrophe reinsurance market remaining pressured owing to a lack of major loss events, a glut of capital and heightened competition, reinsurance market participants a

For many patients, it has become a routine part of the medical process: Get a diagnosis or treatment plan and then seek a second opinion. A growing number of online services are offering second opinions and some are seeing increasing patient demand for a second set of eyes. Some of the services are sponsored by established medical centers, including Massachusetts General Hospital and Cleveland Clinic. Others are independent businesses that work with specialists on a consulting basis. Employers increasingly are contracting with such services, and insurance companies at times require patients to get a second opinion, such as for surgery. Studies show as much as 20% of patients seek second medical opinions; in specialties such as oncology, the rate is more than 50%. And recent research has found that second opinions often result in different diagnoses or treatments. Second-opinion services are “one of those areas that is growing fairly quickly,” said Gregory Pauly, chi

As part of measures to improve electricity supply across the country, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, the Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has called for the diversification of power generation in the country. He made this call at the Nigeria Association of Energy Correspondent, (NAEC) Conference 2015, held at Eko Hotel, Lagos recently. Kachikwu revealed that Nigeria should be ready to extend its energy generation beyond natural gas, hydro and oil sources to meet its power needs. He noted that apart from the percentage contribution of power estimated at natural gas- 39.8 percent, hydro- 35.6 percent and oil-24.2 percent, the country is endowed with the mix of other conventional energy reserves including coal , solar, wind , biomass and potential for nuclear. “Diversification into available resources will reduce the country’s dependence on oil and gas, thereby setting the stage for sustainable development. Reserves availability of the various

Henceforth, if you are driving within Lagos State and officials of the Ministry of Transportation or other law enforcement agents stop you to verify the authenticity and genuineness of your motor insurance certificate, please oblige them. This is because the Nigeria Insurers Association, NIA, has handed over some motor insurance verification devices to officials of Lagos state government to check for genuine insurance on the platform of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Database, NIID. According to the NIA, the move is part of efforts aimed at getting more Nigerians into the insurance net and boosting the culture of insurance among citizens of Lagos State. As a vehicle owner, you need to cooperate with these agents because the Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Sewedo Oluseyi Whenu promised that officials of the state vehicle inspection services would put the devices to effective use. NIA Chairman, Mr. Godwin Wiggle said that it is re

Google is pumping vast amounts of cash into its cutting-edge life sciences plans , turning a secretive unit based on smart contact lenses into a high powered, expert company. The newly announced business will be entirely focused on the billions of dollars of annual revenues on offer from helping patients with a range of major health issues, from diabetes, Parkinson’s, cancer and heart disease to the general quest to increase comfortable life span. The split is part of Google’s Alphabet reshuffle that has seen the clearer separation of activities such as advertising and self driving cars. At the head of the new health unit is Andy Conrad, who has an extensive nanotechnology and molecular biology background, and who was head of life sciences at the former Google X research division. Google co-founder Sergey Brin, never one to miss out on a big business opportunity, is determined for the company to position itself at the forefront of the immensely lucrative health tech

BOSTON(Reuters) - U.S. money-market funds, which have lost billions of dollars in revenue since the height of the financial crisis, are raising fees after years of cutting them, according to industry executives and analysts. The $2.7 trillion industry has lost some $30 billion in revenue since 2009, according to the Investment Company Institute. Money funds reduced fees to ensure that investors did not actually lose money in an era of rock-bottom interest rates. But in recent months, top money-market fund sponsors including No. 1 Fidelity Investments, Federated Investors Inc and Charles Schwab Corp, have been charging higher fees as they recognize slightly better yields on the securities they buy for their funds. "Fund companies see the light at the end of the tunnel," said Peter Crane, president of money fund research firm Crane Data LLC. With expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates, yields on the securities that money-market funds purchase,

(Reuters) - Faced with falling exports and deflation risks, it suited much of Asia to let their currencies drift lower, until China's abrupt devaluation triggered a tide of volatility that is upsetting not just their currency management but also their growth strategies. China's 2 percent devaluation on Aug. 11 added to evidence that its economy was struggling, and overseas it caused a ripple of panic that a currency war was in the offing. Currencies and stock markets in the region have since tumbled to multi-year lows, pulling global markets in their wake, as worries about China played into broader concerns about global growth, a collapse in commodity prices and the timing of a rise in U.S. interest rates. Suddenly, in a region still haunted by memories of destabilizing currency devaluations during the 1997/98 Asian crisis, the option of a gently sliding currency has been taken off the table by a freefall that threatens a destabilizing flight of capital, sharp market swings

WASHINGTON(Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence hit a seven-month high in August and new single-family home sales rebounded in July, suggesting underlying strength in the economy that could still allow the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year. Other data on Tuesday showed moderate gains in house prices in June, which should support consumer spending and keep home purchasing affordable, especially for first-time buyers. "This is evidence of the 'some further improvement' in the economy that the Fed is waiting for to raise rates. They are so close, they need just a little more confirmation," said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union Bank in New York. The Conference Board said its consumer index jumped 10.5 points to 101.5 this month, the highest reading since January, amid optimism over the labor market. The survey, however, was conducted before a global equity markets sell-off that began last week, which has diminished the chances of a U

YORK/LONDON(Reuters) - Most bouts of global market volatility in recent years have featured one constant: the U.S. dollar strengthens as investors clamor for the perceived safety of U.S. assets such as Treasuries. By contrast, over the last two previous trading days, the dollar lost 4.0 percent against the yen, while dropping to a seven-month low versus the euro on Monday, as world stock markets slumped and emerging market currencies plummeted. The dollar's weakness may continue in the short term, but analysts expect its longer term rally to continue eventually. The greenback is still seen as a refuge for those with the closest links to China such as companies and investors operating in Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand dollars as well as a slew of emerging market currencies. In the short term, two factors may be pressuring the dollar against the euro and yen. First, an accelerating economic slowdown in China and the resulting volatility in global markets have lowered expe

shares struggled on Wednesday as investors feared fresh rate cuts in China would not be enough to stabilize its slowing economy or halt a stock collapse that is wreaking havoc in global markets. China's key share indexes attempted to move higher several times in morning trade only to be slapped back by waves of selling, reflecting investors' views that much more support was needed from the government and the central bank. Following a near 20 percent plunge in stock prices in three days, the People's Bank of China cut interest rates late on Tuesday and lowered the amount of reserves that banks must hold in a much-anticipated move that some economists said was long overdue. While the double-barrelled policy move was initially cheered by markets around the world, the impact didn't last long as investors quickly resumed their focus on the deteriorating outlook for China and its impact on the global economy. "The whole market sentiment is still risk-off, which is wh

This is to inform the public that application for MTN Foundation Scholarship scheme has commenced. A maximum of 500 qualified and successful full- time Nigerian students studying science and technology related courses are awarded the scholarship which covers tuition, book allowance and stipends. The scholarship, which is worth N200,000 per year, is renewed every year until graduation for existing awardees provided they have maintained a minimum CGPA of 3.5 or its equivalent (second class upper/upper credit) while new applications, when advertised, are welcome from full time students in their second year of study. Eligibility The students must be in their second year at the time of application. Applicants from public Universities and Colleges of Education in Nigeria must be full time undergraduates in 200 level/2nd year. Applicants from public Universities and Colleges of Education must have a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) score of 3.5 or its equ

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is impatient for the transfer window to close at the end of the month to end the uncertainty over the future of Spain forward Pedro. Pedro revealed last month the Spanish and European champions had received offers for him after agreeing to trim the size of his buyout clause to 30 million euros ($33.3 million). Media reports suggested the 28-year-old might seal a move to English champions Chelsea, although Manchester United are said to be the current favourites to secure his services. Although Pedro started Monday's Spanish Super Cup second leg against Athletic Bilbao in the absence of the unavailable Neymar, Luis Enrique is expected to give him limited playing time again this term with a settled forward line of the Brazilian, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.Luis Enrique wants Pedro situation resolved

New York - Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull will headline the iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina concert in Miami this November, which will be streamed live online. Other performers joining Lopez and Pitbull at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami include Don Omar, Wisin, Prince Royce, Marco Antonio Solis, Camila, Becky G., Fonseca and Voz de Mando. The Nov. 7 event will be streamed live on Yahoo Live. iHeartMedia Spanish-language stations will also broadcast the event and Telemundo will have a special re-broadcast on Nov. 15. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Saturday. The concert will come a few months after the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas in September that will feature Kanye West, Sam Smith, Janet Jackson, the Who, Lil Wayne, Coldplay, the Weeknd and Blake Shelton. - AP

Valencia will not let the unresolved future of Argentina centre back Nicolas Otamendi distract them from Wednesday's Champions League playoff first leg at home to Monaco, according to coach Nuno. Otamendi, 27, a fierce tackler who is also strong in the air, is poised to join Manchester City for a fee of 45 million euros ($49.8 million), Spanish media reported on Tuesday. Nuno did not confirm a deal had been reached but said an announcement would come soon. "There is nothing more important than the Monaco match," the Portuguese told a news conference. "We have been preparing the game for days without the option of Otamendi. The players are exclusively focused on the opponent." Valencia, the 2000 and 2001 Champions League runners-up, qualified for the playoffs thanks to a fourth-place finish in La Liga last season and are hoping to secure a lucrative spot in the group stage for the first time in three years. Singapore billionaire Peter Lim bought a maj