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Showing posts from January 27, 2016

NIGERIA: A GOVERNOR WITHOUT A DEPUTY

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KOGI: Business man and politician, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has been inaugurated as the Governor of Kogi State. The inauguration ceremony, which was held at the 25,000 capacity Confluence Stadium, attracted thousands of residents including the the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and other APC chieftains. The deputy governorship candidate of the party in the governorship election, Mr. James Faleke, was however absent at the inauguration. Faleke had condemned the choice of Bello as replacement for the late Prince Abubakar Audu, insisting that the party was supposed to have made him the governorship candidate following Audu’s death. A correspondent of the   News Agency of Nigeria   at the venue reports that gorgeously dressed women and men started arriving at the stadium as early as 8am to witness the historic event. Tight security in and around the venue is being provided by a combined team of policemen, operatives of the Depar

Zika virus: What you need to know

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The Zika virus, an alarming and disturbing infection that may be linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains, is spreading through the Americas. Some areas have declared a state of emergency, doctors have described it as "a pandemic in progress" and some are even advising women in affected countries to delay getting pregnant. But what is the virus, how is it spread and how can people minimise the chances of catching it? Tulip Mazumda explains. The infection, which causes symptoms including mild fever, conjunctivitis and headache, has already been found in 21 countries in the Caribbean, North and South America. It has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains and some countries have advised women not to get pregnant. No treatment or vaccine is available. The virus was first detected in 1947 in monkeys in Africa. There have since been small, short-lived outbreaks in people on the continent, parts of Asia a

NIGERIA: Ijaw under military siege —Rights group

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SECURITY   operatives hunting for the militants who bombed oil pipelines in Delta State have invaded the riverine Bolowoh community in Ondo State, in search of a former commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Bibopre Ajube, aka Shoot-At-Sight. It was   learned that the security agents were hunting for the former militant leader, a partner of former General Officer Commanding, GOC, of MEND, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo. Meanwhile, former Commander of MEND, Victor Ebikabowei Ben, alias ‘General’ Boyloaf, has dismissed the recent statement by the JTF, in the Niger Delta that it would hold community leaders responsible for attacks by militants on oil facilities in their areas. Boyloaf, in an interview with   Vanguard , said, “Truth is, the JTF cannot hold any community leader responsible for any attack that has taken place in the past or in the future, and they know it,  because the community leaders are not empowered to secure or watc

Eritrean Marriage Freebies a Hoax – Prof. Kperogi

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Nigerian cyberspace was  a brim  with memes and hilarious updates on Tuesday, following an Internet hoax that Eritrean authorities had compelled men in the country to marry more than one wife or risk jail. Most newspapers that fell to the hoax paraphrased an alleged statement issued by the country’s Grand Mufti, assuring the men that the country would pay for their marriage ceremonies and houses. Both on Facebook and Twitter, the story bore the same theme as Nigerians create memes of different shades and style. While some users updated their status to mean they were travelling to the Northeast African country, inferring that they were travelling to pick one of the beauties, others posted the pictures of some of the beauties, believed to be of Eritrean origin. But in reaction to the trending issue, Farooq Kperogi, an assistant professor of Journalism and Emerging Media at Kennesaw State University, expressed surprise that some of Nigeria’s major newspapers fell to the Int

Get To Know More About; "The Mad World Of Donald Trump"

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1. Show looked lightweight but had substance Despite the cartoonish title, Matt Frei’s Channel 4 documentary The Mad World Of Donald Trump packed a decent punch. It was diligent, damning and hard-hitting when it came to exposing some of the wannabe US President's many flaws. We could’ve done without some of the tackier touches, though - the whooping vox pops, jaunty music and that Ivana Trump sound-a-like voiceover. 2. Rape allegation was most haunting moment One headline-making revelation was that during their 1992 divorce, Trump’s ex-wife Ivana accused him of raping her three years previously. The allegation appeared in her sworn deposition and was chillingly dark in its detail. Ivana tempered her language after the couple’s divorce, stating: ​"​ I referred to this as a ‘rape', but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.” Yet Frei described the claim as “a time-bomb” that could “come back to haunt him”. Depressingly, though, i

E-Cigarette Vapour Can Kill Lung Cells - Scientist

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LOS ANGELES:   E-cigarette vapour is not benign and inhaling high doses daily can kill lung cells, causing inflammatory diseases. "This study shows that e-cigarette vapour is not benign - at high doses it can directly kill lung cells, which is frightening," said senior author Laura E Crotty Alexander, from the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System. "We already knew that inhaling heated chemicals, including the e-liquid ingredients nicotine and propylene glycol, couldn't possibly be good for you," said Crotty Alexander, who is also an assistant clinical professor at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in US. "This work confirms that inhalation of e-cigarette vapor daily leads to changes in the inflammatory milieu inside the airways," she said. The researchers conducted their study in mice. Inflammatory markers - signs of full-body inflammation - in the airways and blood of mice that inhaled e-cigarette vapo