According to manager Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli would not be sold in the January transfer window; he would be given every chance to fight his way back into the team

Balotelli was left out of Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round goalless draw with Bolton, provoking speculation the 24-year-old’s career at Anfield was over.

Rodgers said on Monday that it’s been a difficult period for the Liverpool striker but “he’s a good boy”.

Balotelli is said to have started the season with just eight league matches, his last in a 2-1 home defeat by Chelsea on 8 November, and has been linked with a move to Lazio.

The Italy forward is yet to score a Premier League goal since arriving from AC Milan last summer.

Rodgers added: “I’ve seen some bits this morning suggesting that’s him done here. That’s not the case at all”.

The team Manager also said: “I’ve shown in my time here that if players who have been out the fold for various reasons work hard every day in training, and show intensity and focus, then they have every chance of getting back in the side and staying there”.

The post Brendan Rodgers: Mario Balotelli Will Get More Chances appeared first on Channels Television.

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The Kaduna State Governor, Mukhtar Yero, has assured Fulani herdsmen and local farmers in the state that he would end cattle rustling and all sorts of violent clashes in some parts of the state.

The governor gave the assurance at a forum where the Fulanis, under the umbrella of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACAN), adopted him as their consensus governorship candidate for next month’s election.

He assured the Fulani community that if re-elected as governor, the problem of cattle theft and other forms of insecurity would be addressed.

Governor Yero, dressed in traditional Fulani attire at the occasion, also assured local traditional and Islamic leaders of his commitment to ending insurgency in the state.

Elections are around the corner and politicians are busy canvassing for votes. In Kaduna, like other states, many promises have been made to the electorates concerning their welfare and future.

One major campaign promise the two major political parties in Kaduna State – PDP and APC – had made to the electorates is that of commitment to tackling insecurity.

The rising incidents of cattle theft, which has continued unabated in some council areas of Kaduna State has been a source of serious concern to residents.

Brutal raids and massacres by unknown gunmen have claimed at least 4,000 lives and driven an estimated 20,000 people from their homes, mainly in the southern part of the state.

Both the state and the Federal Government have been criticised for failing to crush the cattle rustlers and ending the frequent violent clashes between herdsmen and local farmers.

Leaders of the MACAN, Ibrahim Bayero, said the decision to support Governor Yero’s re-election bid was sequel to the improved security provided by the present administration in the state.

The group also said the PDP-led government had provided infrastructural facilities while giving attention to agriculture and youth empowerment.

However, they appealed …read more      

Gunmen possibly linked to Islamic State attack a hotel in the Libyan capital popular with foreigners, officials say. …read more      

Japan says it will work with Jordan to secure the release of a Japanese journalist as well as a Jordanian pilot, who are both being held by Islamic State militants. Yiming Woo reports.

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The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr Jimi Agbaje, says he will focus on primary education, housing and transportation amongst other areas if elected in February’s governorship election.

Mr Agbaje told Channels Television on Tuesday that huge improvement was needed in the education sector, stressing that the Lagos State government had not paid enough emphasis on primary education which was most important in the education of every Nigerian.

“We need to make Lagos work better. A lot of the education budget is spent on secondary and tertiary education. Lagos State has spent about three per cent on primary education and it is negligible.

“Children don’t have a good foundation. Because the primary level is not working, you have children in the private primary schools.

“If you get the foundation right you will be spending less as you go up the ladder,” he said.

The PDP governorship candidate said that he would ensure that basic education remained free, emphasising that there is no country that makes progress without a good primary education foundation.

“Lagos State spends about 14 per cent of its budget on education. The western region spent 40 per cent of its budget on education.”

He further said that his administration, if elected, would ensure that funds were set aside for the training of teachers in the state.

Mr Agbaje said: “Education is about innovation and creativity and it is pertinent that children are prepared along that line”.

“Education has change all over the world and it is no longer the one-plus-one is equal to two. It is about innovation and creativity. You will find that a lot of those who have changed the world did not get to where they were from university education. It is the kind of education that they received at that basic level.

“Currently, about 82 per cent …read more      

President Barack Obama calls for greater partnership between U.S. and India in a town hall speech that finishes a three-day visit to the country. Rough cut (no reporter narration).

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President Cristina Fernandez announces plans to disband Argentina’s intelligence agency amid suspicions that rogue agents were behind the mysterious death of a state prosecutor investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre. Yiming Woo reports.

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Low female participation in the workforce poses an increasingly urgent problem in South Korea, the world’s fastest-ageing developed country. Yiming Woo reports.

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A Greek fighter plane crashes during NATO training in Spain, killing eight French nationals and two Greeks. Yiming Woo reports.

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A huge plume of smoke shoots into the air as activity in Mexico’s Volcano of Fire picks up again. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

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