According to English tabloid, The Sun, the Super Eagles are not the preferred rival that the Three Lions will want to face amongst the teams in Pot 4, which also contains Serbia, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, Korea and Saudi Arabia.

The best case scenario that will see the Three Lions tackle Russia, Iran and Panama has been termed Group of Life, while the worst case scenario which sees England face Brazil, Iceland and Brazil has been called the Group of Death.

England have become more wary of the Nigerians after the latter made a strong statement of intent, coming from two goals down to defeat Argentina 4-2 in their last match of 2017 on November 14, so they don’t want to draw the three-time African champs.

Group F containing England, Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden, was nicknamed the Group of Death at the 2002 World Cup; the Three Lions and Super Eagles played out a goalless draw in Osaka in the final match of the group.

Arsenal striker Alex Iwobi, Chelsea’s Victor Moses and Ola Aina, Leicester City trio Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa and Wilfred Ndidi will be on the plane to Russia barring an injury, while Everton’s Henry Onyekuru is in contention.

President Buhari has warned Nigerians to desist from stealing public funds as public officers that are caught stealing public funds would be sent to jail.

Speaking at the launch of a book in Abuja yesterday, President Buhari said;

“We are all aware now that if you steal public funds and you are caught, you will face the law. Internationally, Nigeria is now a respected nation. I can’t keep up with invitations to visit other countries much less for other countries leaders that want to visit us. A number of world leaders are expressing the desire to visit Nigeria virtually on monthly basis.”.

Leaving your kids with their grandparents could be bad for their health and may even increase their risk of cancer, scientists have warned.

Grandmothers and grandfathers spoil their grandchildren with sweet ‘treats’ and massive helpings of fattening food, a new review claims.

They also allow them to laze about inside, playing video games or watching TV, instead of running around outside, it is alleged.

And they reportedly tend to smoke in front of the kids, exposing their young lungs to second-hand tobacco smoke and setting a bad example.

Scientists found that the risks were “unintentional”.

The extraordinary claims are based on a review of research into the influence grandparents have on lifestyle factors that can sow the seeds of cancer in later life.

Lead author Dr Stephanie Chambers, of the University of Glasgow’s Public Health Sciences Unit in Scotland, said:

“While the results of this review are clear that behaviour such as exposure to smoking and regularly treating children increases cancer risks as children grow into adulthood, it is also clear from the evidence that these risks are unintentional.

“Currently grandparents are not the focus of public health messaging targeted at parents and in light of the evidence from this study, perhaps this is something that needs to change given the prominent role grandparents play in the lives of children.”

The Glasgow team analysed data from 56 studies from 18 countries that included information about the influence of grandparents on their grandchildren.

Overall, grandparents were found to have an adverse effect – despite meaning well.

In many cases, such as rewarding good behaviour with sweets, they were putting the health of their grandchildren at risk with kindness.

President Robert Mugabe is insisting he remains Zimbabwe’s only legitimate ruler, an intelligence source said on Thursday.

The source said Mugabe is resisting mediation by a Catholic priest to allow the 93-year-old former guerrilla a graceful exit after a military coup.

The priest, Fidelis Mukonori, is acting as a middle-man between Mugabe and the generals, who seized power on Wednesday in a targeted operation against “criminals” in his entourage, a senior political source told Reuters.

The source could not provide details of the talks, which appear to be aimed at a smooth and bloodless transition after the departure of Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

Mugabe, still seen by many Africans as a liberation hero, is reviled in the West as a despot whose disastrous handling of the economy and willingness to resort to violence to maintain power destroyed one of Africa’s most promising states.

Zimbabwean intelligence reports seen by Reuters suggest that former security chief Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was ousted as vice-president this month, has been mapping out a post-Mugabe vision with the military and opposition for more than a year.

Fuelling speculation that that plan might be rolling into action, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has been receiving cancer treatment in Britain and South Africa, returned to Harare late on Wednesday, his spokesman said.

South Africa said Mugabe had told President Jacob Zuma by telephone on Wednesday that he was confined to his home but was otherwise fine and the military said it was keeping him and his family, including wife Grace, safe.

In spite of the lingering admiration for Mugabe, there is little public affection for 52-year-old Grace, a former government typist who started having an affair with Mugabe in the early 1990s as his first wife, Sally, was dying of cancer.

Dubbed “DisGrace” or “Gucci Grace” on account of her reputed love of shopping, she enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF in the last two years, culminating in Mnangagwa’s removal a week ago, a move seen as clearing the way for her to succeed her husband.

In contrast to the high political drama unfolding behind closed doors, the streets of the capital remained calm, with people going about their daily business, albeit under the watch of soldiers on armored vehicles at strategic locations.

Whatever the final outcome, the events could signal a once-in-a-generation change for the former British colony, a regional breadbasket reduced to destitution by economic policies Mugabe’s critics have long blamed on him.

A teacher of Colombian origin was arrested for last year for sending suggestive photos to her students and threatening to make them fail if they refused to have sex with her.

The woman, identified simply as Yokasta M. was arrested after a father of one of the students saw photos of the teacher on his son’s phone and reported to the relevant authorities. This was in 2016.

Soon after she was exposed, her husband filed for divorce. The case was highly sensational last year and made news headlines. It was reported that the teacher selected the boys, all less than 17 years of age, based on their appearance.

An investigation has been ongoing since and a recent report from Channel 4 of Nicaragua says she has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. A lot of people are questioning the sentence, saying 40 years is too long a time for the crime she committed.

Bryan Anthony Bowen approached two girls on Facebook, sending them obscene messages and asking for nak-d pictures, according to the Daily Post.

Judge Rhys Rowland said that Bowen, 26, of Welshpool, was “small in stature and emotionally inadequate,” saying he would have a hard time in prison.

Bowen, who had no previous convictions, sent a 15-year-old girl messages saying, “Do you want to f***?” and “I will f*** you for your birthday present.”

When police searched his laptop, they found he had previously approached a 13-year-old girl with a series of messages, including one saying she was, “Fit as f***.”

Judge Rowland handed Bowen, who has learning difficulties and went to a special school, a 48-week prison sentence suspended for two years.

He will register as a sex offender for 10 years.

(Metro)