Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Video - Team USA beats Team Nigeria 110-66 in exhibition before Rio Olympics
The U.S. men's national basketball team finished off its pre-Olympics showcase with a 110-66 win over Nigeria on Monday night. The Americans had no trouble sweeping through their four-game exhibition schedule and enter Rio looking like the heavy favorites to take the gold.
The game at Toyota Center started out close but quickly turned into a blowout. Team USA went on a 30-6 run in the first half to blow things wide open then steadily built on its lead with good defense and shooting.
Even though the U.S. wasn't playing its best, its talent advantage is almost always present. The team's ability to spread size and length across all five positions makes mismatches a near constant. A shorter three-point line compared to the NBA means elite shooters like Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson can start gunning from even closer than usual. Nobody has figured out how to score regularly on these guys, either.
Nigeria was able to get some penetration at times but found itself stuck from there. DeAndre Jordan, Durant and the other rim protectors were always ready to make things difficult. Nigeria doesn't have the three-point shooting to drive, kick it out and regularly make defenses pay, especially given the length that the U.S. has in closing out. Nigeria shot 4-of-29 from three in this game (including 0-of-23 to start), which was the biggest reason they fell behind so quickly. You can't shoot 14 percent from three against anyone, but especially not against Team USA.
The Americans shot 54 percent from the floor, including 13-of-33 from three. Carmelo Anthony led the team with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Klay Thompson wasn't far behind with 17 points, while Durant scored 14. Kyle Lowry almost had a triple-double with 11 assists, eight points and eight rebounds in 27 minutes.
For Nigeria, the leading scorer was Chamberlain Oguchi, who scored 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Oguchi hit all four of Nigeria's three-pointers. Alade Aminu, the brother of Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu, added 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting. The other Aminu is no longer participating with the national team this year, reportedly due to complications over insuring his NBA contract. Former NBA players Ike Diogu and Ben Uzoh added 10 points apiece.
It was another strong defensive effort for Team USA, which will enter Rio looking very strong on that end of the floor. The team's shooting came and went during the showcase, but defense ensured that the final results were never all that close. Coach K's team allowed just 56.3 points per game during the four exhibitions.
The competition will be much tougher in Rio, where the stakes are higher and the talent is more plentiful, but the past few games have made it clear the U.S. is yet again the team to beat. They're going to be brutally tough on defense and spread the floor with shooting galore. As we saw again against Nigeria, most teams won't really be able to match up against that.
Monday, August 1, 2016
Video - Niger and Nigeria launch separate military operations to combat terro
Military forces in Niger and Nigeria have launched separate military operations to enable them deal with the current security threats they face. In the West African region, it's been Boko Haram and just recently, militancy in Nigeria's Niger Delta region.
Video - Turkey asks Nigeria to shut down Turkish colleges
Turkey wants Nigeria to shut down all Turkish colleges in Nigeria.The Turkish government claims Fethullah Gulen owns them.He is the man alleged to have sponsored a failed military coup on July 15.
Shell owned oil pipeline blown up in Nigeria
Nigerian militants on Sunday blew up a crude pipeline operated by Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell in the restive oil-producing south, residents said.
"The incident occurred at about 1am near Odimodi community in Delta State with the velocity of the blast shaking apartments in the community amidst a huge ball of fire," said local resident Endoro Newworld.
"The trunk line known as Trans Ramos belongs to the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), he said.
"At sunrise, a group from the community in company of the SPDC surveillance team was able to locate the site of the blast," he said.
Another resident who did not want to be identified told AFP the pipeline had been previously targeted by militants.
"Precisely on the 22nd of this month, there was a failed attempt to attack the same facility, hence we were expecting that security in the area would have been tightened, but we are really disappointed that they succeeded this time," he said.
There were no details available about the damage or any possible casualties.
Shell officials could not immediately confirm the incident and no group has claimed responsibility.
The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) militant group has claimed a string of attacks against the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as well as oil majors Shell, Chevron, Exxon and Eni since February.
The attacks have slashed output at a time when Nigeria is grappling with low global crude prices which have hammered government revenues, weakening the naira currency and pushing up inflation to near 11-year highs.
The Avengers want oil majors to leave the Niger Delta, blaming them for contributing to widespread poverty and under-development of the region.
The group also wants self-determination for the oil-producing states and political autonomy.
The rebels have spurned dialogue to end the violence, prompting the government to warn of an imminent military showdown with the insurgents.
"The incident occurred at about 1am near Odimodi community in Delta State with the velocity of the blast shaking apartments in the community amidst a huge ball of fire," said local resident Endoro Newworld.
"The trunk line known as Trans Ramos belongs to the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), he said.
"At sunrise, a group from the community in company of the SPDC surveillance team was able to locate the site of the blast," he said.
Another resident who did not want to be identified told AFP the pipeline had been previously targeted by militants.
"Precisely on the 22nd of this month, there was a failed attempt to attack the same facility, hence we were expecting that security in the area would have been tightened, but we are really disappointed that they succeeded this time," he said.
There were no details available about the damage or any possible casualties.
Shell officials could not immediately confirm the incident and no group has claimed responsibility.
The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) militant group has claimed a string of attacks against the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as well as oil majors Shell, Chevron, Exxon and Eni since February.
The attacks have slashed output at a time when Nigeria is grappling with low global crude prices which have hammered government revenues, weakening the naira currency and pushing up inflation to near 11-year highs.
The Avengers want oil majors to leave the Niger Delta, blaming them for contributing to widespread poverty and under-development of the region.
The group also wants self-determination for the oil-producing states and political autonomy.
The rebels have spurned dialogue to end the violence, prompting the government to warn of an imminent military showdown with the insurgents.
Nigerian online fraudster behind $60m scams arrested
The alleged Nigerian ringleader of an online fraud network will face charges of hacking, conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretences, Interpol has said.
The 40-year-old and a 38-year-old who was arrested with him on similar charges are out on administrative bail in Nigeria as investigations continue, it added.
The alleged ringleader was suspected to be behind scams totaling more than $60m (Ј45m) involving hundreds of victims worldwide, Interpol said.
The global police body added:
"The [alleged] network compromised email accounts of small to medium businesses around the world, including in Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Romania, South Africa, Thailand and the US, with the financial victims mainly other companies dealing with these compromised accounts."
The 40-year-old Nigerian national, known as ‘Mike’, is believed to be behind scams totalling more than USD 60 million involving hundreds of victims worldwide."
The 40-year-old and a 38-year-old who was arrested with him on similar charges are out on administrative bail in Nigeria as investigations continue, it added.
The alleged ringleader was suspected to be behind scams totaling more than $60m (Ј45m) involving hundreds of victims worldwide, Interpol said.
The global police body added:
"The [alleged] network compromised email accounts of small to medium businesses around the world, including in Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Romania, South Africa, Thailand and the US, with the financial victims mainly other companies dealing with these compromised accounts."
The 40-year-old Nigerian national, known as ‘Mike’, is believed to be behind scams totalling more than USD 60 million involving hundreds of victims worldwide."
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