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Liverpool Beat Salzburg, Qualify For Champions League Knockout

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Liverpool struck twice in two minutes through Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah to avoid an embarrassing early Champions League exit by winning 2 – 0 in Salzburg on Tuesday .

The European champions needed to avoid defeat against the Austrian champions to book their place in the last 16 and victory ensured they did so as winners of Group E ahead of Napoli .

Salah had been guilty of missing a host of big chances as Liverpool walked a tightrope for nearly an hour , but made amends with a sumptuous finish from a narrow angle after Keita ’ s header had settled the holders ’ nerves.

Salzburg had scored 87 goals in 24 previous games this season , including three when Liverpool edged a seven -goal thriller between the two back in October .

But Norwegian wonder kid Erling Braut Haaland was thwarted as the Reds recorded their first clean sheet in the Champions League this season .

Liverpool needed goalkeeper Alisson Becker to be at his best early on as the Brazilian blocked from Takumi Minamino and Haaland .

However , the better chances were coming for the Premier League leaders at the other end.

Salah dragged his first big chance wide on his favoured left foot at the end of a brilliant Liverpool break from one end of the field to the other .

Keita had been rewarded for his goalscoring return to the team in Saturday’ s 3 – 0 win at Bournemouth and seemed keen to make a mark against his former side .

But the Guinea midfielder failed to beat Cican Stankovic when played in by Salah ’ s slick reverse pass in first half stoppage time .

Salah was the culprit of more missed opportunities at the start of the second half when he fired over from Sadio Mane ’ s brilliant through ball and seconds later he was denied by Stankovic as he tried to round the goalkeeper .

Liverpool ’ s profligacy could have been punished when Haaland had his big chance to live up to the hype linking him with a host of Europe ’ s top clubs , but the 19 – year – old hit the side- netting with just Alisson to beat .

Seconds later the visitors finally made the breakthrough when the two ex -Salzburg men in Mane and Keita combined .

Stankovic rashly rushed off his line as Mane sped onto Andy Robertson’ s pass and his dinked cross was headed into an unguarded net by Keita .

A minute later , any hope left for Salzburg to spring an upset evaporated when Salah implausibly scored from the most difficult chance he had all evening.

The Egyptian seemed to have been forced too far wide on his right foot as Stankovic raced from his goal once again , but Salah somehow bent the ball with unerring accuracy into the far corner.

In each of the last two seasons Liverpool have also needed to get points in their final group game before going onto reach the final and no one will want to face Klopp ’ s men again come the knockout stages .

A first Premier League title in 30 years may be the priority on Merseyside with an eight – point lead over Leicester at the top of the table .

(AFP.)

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Foundation Trains 50 Women Farmers In Bauchi

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A Bauchi based Non Governmental Organisation known as Al-Muhibah Foundation, has conducted a three-day training for 50 women farmers on fonio farming in the state.

The founder of the foundation, Hajiya Aisha Mohammed who is also the wife of Gov. Bala Mohammed, stated this at the end of the training for the women on Sunday.

According to her, the project was funded by the Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) and aimed at empowering women in the area of farming fonio locally called acher.

She explained that 25 women were selected from Alkaleri and 25 from Tafawa Balewa local government areas of the state respectively.

READ ALSO: UNFPA, Al-Muhibah Foundation Train 60 Persons With Disabilities On Skills Acquisition In Bauchi

She said the decision to settle for fonio acher farming training was as a result of its nutritional value, adding that Bauchi state was among the states facing malnutrition problems due to the lack of adequate nutrition diet for children.

“It is on this basis that looking at the nutritional value of Acha fonio, are the opportunities in helping to reduce the cases of or curb severe malnutrition.

“We also key into the Islamic Development Bank policy to learn how to empower women through interventions that improve health, food security, economic opportunities, education, access to technology which would enhance women’s financial literacy and business skills.

“Today, the 50 women farmers have received farming tools, insecticide, fertilisers, farmland, seedlings, capacity building training as well as 20 water pumping machines to each of the two LGAs,” she said.

The governor’s wife further explained that the project was to also ensure that the productivity, sustainability and profitability of the Fonio-Acha value chains were sustained, developed and expanded in the two benefiting LGAs by empowering women groups in the local production of the crop.

READ ALSO: Bauchi School With 45 Classes, 45 Toilets Lauds UNICEF’s Sanitation Programme

Earlier, the Finance and Administration Officer of the Foundation, Mr Stephen Goyit, explained that ISDB sponsored 70 per cent and Al-Muhibah Foundation sponsored 30 per cent of the project.

He said based on the project design, the 40 water pumping machines and accessories were distributed to the women farmers in a cluster for easy monitoring.

Goyit added that a total sum of N30,000 was given to each of the beneficiaries for feeding and transportation allowances.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Grace Yohana who expressed happiness to have received the training, appreciated Al-Muhibah Foundation for the ‘kind gesture’.

I’m very happy about this intervention. They gave us N30,000, we learned many things about fonio farming and the state Ministry of Agriculture has also promised to give each of us one bag of fertilizer,” she said.

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Pastor Adeboye Reveals How God Will Call Him To Glory

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The General overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E. A Adeboye has said if rapture fails to take place soon, he would die on a Sunday after eating pounded yam.

The Man of God, who made the assertion at the ongoing Holy Ghost Congress of the church in Ogun State, said he would die the way one of his uncles died after church service.

Recounting how the uncle died, Adeboye said he was in the house after dancing during a church service and gave up the ghost without being sick.

He said the uncle died inside a toilet while the wife was preparing his meal.

READ ALSO: How Pastor Adeboye Anointed Me, Prophesied I’ll be Osun Governor – Adeleke

“After she finished pounding the yam, she knocked at the door of the toilet, when they opened the door, my uncle was gone; no sickness, no ache, no pain.

“I know somebody will say if we are never sick, how are we going to die and go to heaven? You don’t need to be sick to go to heaven”.

“If the Lord tarries His coming, I will go on a Sunday after a good meal of pounded yam,” he said.

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Company To Pay Nigeria £20m In Compensation Over Judgement Debt Suit

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A Court in the United Kingdom has ordered Process & Industrial Developments (P&ID) Limited to pay Nigeria £20 million in damages and compensation following its victory in a $11 billion judgment debt heard in October, 2023.

The court ordered that the money be given to Nigeria within the next 28 days.

The award of £20 million in damages was revealed during a subsequent ruling on the subject in London to determine what happened after the October ruling.

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Reports said the hearing was also held to determine whether P&ID would be granted permission to appeal the decision, however, the court denied P&ID’s request to remand the case to arbitration.

It contended that the company’s conduct during the process was heinous, thus the judgment.

Nigeria had sued P&ID for at least £20 million in damages and legal fees but obtained significant relief in October when the UK court released it from entanglement in the $11 billion judgment debt previously issued in favour of P&ID Limited.

READ ALSO: Lawyer Faults Ondo Commissioner’s Claim Of Forgery Of Akeredolu’s Signature

In the lawsuit between the Federal Government of Nigeria and P&ID, Justice Robin Knowles of the Commercial Courts of England and Wales affirmed Nigeria’s claim that the gas processing contract was obtained by fraud.

In the judgment delivered after five years of legal battle, Judge Knowles said: “In the circumstances and the reasons I have sought to describe and explain, Nigeria succeeds on its challenge under section 68. I have not accepted all of Nigeria’s allegations. But the awards were obtained by fraud and the way they were procured was contrary to public policy.”

Recall that P&ID was contracted by Nigeria in 2010 to build a gas processing plant in Calabar, Cross River State, in the country’s south but the deal fell through because the Nigerian government did not keep its half of the bargain.

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