Information is Wealth.

Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, on Tuesday in Abuja ordered water-tight security in all places of worship for the New Year celebration across the country. Abubakar, in a New Year message, directed the Assistant Inspectors-General of Police in charge of Zonal commands across the country and Commissioners of Police in the 36 states to ensure the order was carried out. He assured Nigerians of the readiness of the police to effectively provide adequate security for the country in the New Year. He said that the various strategies adopted by the force in ensuring security in collaboration with the public were bound to yield positive result. According to him, the police is making robust efforts to close up all channels of violent crimes in the country. Abubakar said that public safety, fight against terrorism, r*pe, violence against women and children, capacity building and welfare of personnel would top priority of the force in the New Year. He als...

Chad Pregracke, an Illinois man who has dedicated his life to cleaning the Mississippi River and other U.S. waterways, is the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year. Pregracke organizes community cleanups across the country through his nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters. About 70,000 volunteers have pitched in, helping Pregracke collect more than 7 million pounds of trash in the past 15 years. "The garbage got into the water one piece at a time," Pregracke said earlier this year. "And that's the only way it's going to come out." Pregracke was recognized during Sunday night's airing of "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" along with the rest of this year's top 10 CNN Heroes -- everyday people doing extraordinary things to help change the world. He was chosen as Hero of the Year through a five-week public vote on CNN.com. "I'll just keep on cleaning up America's rivers and loving every minute of it," said Pregracke when he accepted the aw...

If you are one of the lucky many to have received a new tablet or smartphone over the holidays, congratulations! You'll want to rip open the box and start playing right away. But before you do something potentially distracting like downloading Dots, here are some starter tips to make the most of your new device, whether it's an iPad Mini, Nexus 5 smartphone or Kindle Fire HDX. Prevent heartbreak with security measures Your new gadget is shiny and amazing and already precious to you. So it might be hard to imagine a dark day in the future when you are careless enough to leave it in the airplane seat pocket in front of you or unlucky enough to have it stolen. Bad things will happen, but there are a few steps you can take now to make it hurt a little less down the line. First, turn on the screen-lock setting which will require a passcode or password (or fingerprint or face recognition) every time you turn on the phone or tablet. This is your number one defense against someone acce...

"Fail fast." It's a mantra you hear in the tech- startup world -- a reminder to chase your dreams even if you need to pick up the pieces and start from scratch every now and then. Of course, some failures work out better than others. This year saw its share of technology-driven missteps. Some were rare slip-ups by usually reliable tech titans. Others were folks who crashed the world stage via the Internet's powerful echo chamber, got lambasted for their efforts, then disappeared to presumably never be heard from again. Among them all, it wasn't hard to fill the top spot on this year's list of "tech fails." There are lots of arguments for and against the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama's signature health care law that has opened access to insurance for millions of Americans. But there's no debating that the rollout of its website, where millions of people would presumably sign up for care under the act, was a disaster. Some painted...

Today at market opening, Twitter shares ( NYSE:TWTR) dropped once again. Shares were at $60.27, down 5.46 percent compared to Friday's closing price of $63.75. This nosedive marks the end of the honeymoon between Twitter and the NYSE as many analysts stated that shares are overpriced. Until now, the stock held strong amid those reports, but that seems to be coming to an end. It is not the first drop as shares were already down 13 percent on Friday, shaving $5 billion off Twitter's market capitalization. It was a big correction of Thursday's good performance — on Thursday, shares popped 5 percent for no apparent reason. Many analysts find that Twitter is an expensive company. With a market cap of $33.6 billion, the company has yet to turn a profit — analysts don't expect to see any profit before 2015. But this pessimistic trend on the analyst's side seems to be increasing. On Friday, Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter downgraded Twitter. According to Bespoke Investment ...

Yahoo put of lot of effort and investment toward presenting a new Yahoo to the world in 2013, and a lot of that has hinged on improving its mobile business. There have been significant updates to old apps; over a dozen (out of a total of 28) mobile-related acquisitions to pick up talent, technology and products; and tests for what Yahoo should focus on next. But even as it has managed to grow its mobile audience this year, Yahoo is exiting 2013 on a mobile low note: not one of its apps is in the top 100 chart on the iTunes App Store. This dearth of winners is a sign of how, despite all the effort, Yahoo has not (yet?) managed to tap into a 'breakthrough' app that has remained a perennial favorite, with the downloads to prove it. Nevermind the new-look apps, and the out with the old, in with the new logo: Yahoo! remains Yahoo! As a point of comparison, consider how other app publishers are faring in Apple's top 100: Google has five apps (Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Yo...

The first daughter of late Deji of Akure, Oba Adebiyi Adegboye Adesida, who died of an undisclosed ailment on the 2nd of December, has been made the new traditional ruler of Akure Kingdom. Princess Adetutu Adeside-Ojie's position is said to be temporary pending when a new king emerges. She was installed after several traditional rites for the passage of her late father came to conclusion recently. The 36 year old new monarch lived abroad most of her life and holds a degree in pharmacy from the Texas Southern University, Houston Texas. Until her appointment as the new monarch, Princess Adetutu worked as a clinical pharmacist with the University Health system,Hospital in San Antonto Texas. She is married with three children.

How do you know if the guy you're dealing with is Mr. Right? Is he truly ready to be the man you need him to be, or is this relationship doomed to fail? It can be difficult to analyze if you have found your Mr. Right and ensure that you are moving forward with the man who is truly best for you. Below are some signs you can factor in that can help make your decision easier. 1. He Is Willing To Open Up & Be Honest When a man feels comfortable enough with you to open up and be honest, that is a great indicator that you two may have a genuine connection. Men don't typically open up easily, and it can be a struggle even with a woman he truly cares about. His ability to open up to you will help nurture great communication and allow you two to properly address any issues that exist. 2. He Has Learned How To Be Self-Sufficient If he can't take care of himself, how will he be able to take care of you. If you don't mind raising a grown boy, then do as you wish, but know what ...

And, we see this all the time. Hey,listen I've heard evidence of this phenomenon at the hairdresser, nail salon, at high school softball games, or at the grocery store. Mothers move in closer to each other and start to talk to one other very seriously and very competitively about their kids' achievements, successes, activities but certainly not about their disappointments, feelings, or emotional concerns. Nope, those topics are reserved for the night when those parents are alone with both the darkness of the night and their concerns. Now these are kids they are talking about, not careers. I'll tell you though that it sounds a whole lot like they are talking about jobs and job advancement. And, these kids who are their current careers, in my opinion, are at risk to become highly anxious and stressed as they struggle not to let their parents down. Don't kid yourself parents — your kids are desperately afraid of failing you. Want to figure out if your child has beco...

President Goodluck Jonathan was on Monday urged to hold talks on the future of Nigeria, as the country prepared to mark the centenary of the unification of north and south. The Movement for New Nigeria (MNN), a civil society group made up of a number of different ethnic groups, said a national dialogue was the only way of resolving contentious issues gripping the country. Jonathan is facing a political crisis after the defection of a number of high-profile state governors from his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the loss of his parliamentary majority.

The security forces have killed 56 suspected terrorists following raids in a region in the Borno State. Two soldiers were wounded during the ground and air operations in Alafa, 21 kilometres outside Bama.

The new management of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) on Monday in Lagos pledged to make its operations people oriented and value driven. IKEDC said that it was making the pledge after series of consultations with various electricity consumers in its 11 areas of jurisdiction. The districts are Abule Egba, Akowonjo, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Ikotun, Odojunyan, Ogba, Ojodo, Somolu, Oshodi and Ipaja.

Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday granted bail in the sum of N200 million each, to a Briton, Gareth Wilcox and Johnson Adebami, charged with N15 billion fraud. Wilcox, a former Managing Director of Ibom Power Company and LYK Engineering Company, is standing trial alongside Adebami, a former Managing Director of the defunct Gulf Bank Plc, on a 21-count charge bordering on alleged fraud.

For billionaire executives, a 16-hour flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo is just too damn long to spend out of pocket. The Spike Aerospace S-512 promises to cut that time in half, and it won’t cost more than a measly $80 million. The Boston-based Spike crew is made up of former Airbus, Bombardier, and Gulfstream engineers, along with a handful of entrepreneurs and investors that have set out to create the world’s first supersonic private jet. Their goal is to create a new breed of business aircraft that can reach a cruising speed of Mach 1.6 (1,218 mph) and a top speed of Mach 1.8 (1,370 mph). At those speeds, the S-512 is theoretically capable of flying from New York to London in less than four hours, all while carrying up to 18 passengers in the opulence they’re accustomed to. It’s no accident that Spike is quoting flight times over oceans and not the continental U.S. — the FAA prohibits supersonic flight over land , with few exceptions. But Boeing, Lockh...

Really, the big difference is that Angry Birds and Bad Piggies both have a side view of the world. Side views work quite well for video analysis (which is how I get most of my data from the game). Angry Birds Go! uses a 3D view showing the motion from the perspective of the car and bird driving it (or just above the car). Analyzing the motion in cases like this isn’t as straight forward as sideways motion. I’ve looked at similar cases before though. The one that comes to mind is this analysis of the Mars Curiosity Landing video . The basic idea is that the farther away an object is from the “camera”, the smaller it appears. By looking at this angular size you can get a measure of the distance to the camera (or viewer). Here is a useful illustration of the relationship between angular size and distance. I can measure the angular size of some object in the video and from this get the distance. But there is an easier way which I will describe in a moment.

The year finally winds up in some couple of days and the desire not to merry can be near impossible, so soon will be temptation to spend, spend, spend. Evidently, spending during this season can be quite demanding with huge demands from shopping for personal and family needs to travelling expenses (if need be). While cautious spending is crucial at this period, the need to savour the season is also satisfying especially if it’s your only time to celebrate with close and extended family members.

A powerful technique in changing your money mindset is visualization. If you look up visualization online, you’ll find page after page of “self-help” gurus shilling the idea that you can achieve your goals through the simple act of picturing their achievement in your head.

An out of control personal finance situation can destabilize your whole life. This write up provides some tips on how you can improve your financial situation. Working from home is one avenue worth investigating when you want to save money. The truth is that working in an office can be expensive. Fuel and meal expenses are two of the main expenses that you will incur when driving to work and working in the office. It is a good idea to apply your tax refund toward paying down your debts. Use your refunds to pay back your debt, in an effort to achieve a solid financial situation. Unfortunately, the money is spent quickly and the debt still remains.

To be on top of your financial plan, the first step is to really understand your net worth as not being abreast of this means you must have ended 2013 without being in the position to say, “this is where I am.” For the New Year, starting in about 72 hours, begin with understanding your net worth and going forward, you will be able to upgrade for a better financial positioning. For you therefore to be able to plan successfully for the future, you need to know where you stand now.

You know that if you want to make it through retirement, you need to plan now. And that planning should involve an investment plan. Your goals and individual needs will be a big part of the kind of investment portfolio you have to get you through your retirement years. Here are some steps to take in order to create your retirement investment plan:

The day after tomorrow will mark the end of 2013 and the New Year will come in. At the beginning of every year, people set targets such as faster job promotion, a salary increase, car purchase, marriage, build house, spend more time with family and so on, all to be accomplished within the year. While it’s good to set your goals for the New Year, it is also good to review or reappraise your performance in terms of goal accomplishment.

Acquiring property either to live in or for investment purposes is foremost at the heart of many individuals. Property ownership gives a sense of financial security both for the present and the future. It is also a good store of value and a hedge against inflation and other micro economic factors. Acquisitions can be fraught with irregularities and should be handled by professional acquisition specialists and legal advisers versed in the commercial and legal aspect of the acquisition process. Life cycle of a property acquisition transaction is spread broadly across the following 7 steps;

No doubt, this is a period of holidaying when people and families embark on lot of travels for Christmas and the New Year celebrations.

Many today are spending more than their savings, and steadily going deeper into debt as a result. This is an easy and common pattern to fall into, and one that requires some planning and discipline to reverse. The first step is creating a budget. As unpleasant as this may sound, creating a budget is nothing more than examining your income and expenditures in order to determine exactly how much money you have coming in and where you’re spending that money.

Nike Inc., the world’s largest sporting-goods company, posted second-quarter profit that topped analysts’ estimates as higher-priced shoes boosted sales. Net income in the three months through November rose 40 percent to $537 million, or 59 cents a share, from $384 million, or 42 cents, a year earlier, the Beaverton, Oregon-based company said in a statement.

Measures planned by the Bank of Ghana to control lenders’ foreign-exchange trading may not halt a slide in the cedi as it heads for a 19th straight annual depreciation against the dollar, Standard Bank Group Ltd. said. Budget and current-account deficits in the West African nation, which has the region’s second-largest economy, will determine the cedi’s rate more than the central bank’s plan to introduce new trading rules and direct lenders to report prices on a common platform, Samir Gadio, an emerging-markets strategist at Standard Bank’s London unit, said.

South African bonds rallied, pushing yields on 13-year debt down to the lowest in more than a month as investors’ inflation expectations waned. The rand rose against the dollar. South Africa’s 15-year break-even rate, the difference in yield between regular and inflation-linked debt, has fallen 23 basis points since reaching a six-month high of 6.83 percentage points December 4.

Canadian smartphone marker, says BBM, its mobile messaging platform, is used by more than 85 percent of BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) enabled organisations running BlackBerry smartphones, an end-to-end solution that allows logging, archiving and auditing of BBM conversations and aids in meeting compliance requirements in regulated industries.

Japan’s Sony Corp has decided not to sell its lithium-ion battery unit, media reported on Sunday, in a gamble that it can turn the business around with a weak yen and growing demand for smart phone batteries. In addition to a weak yen, which can boost overseas earnings, the battery unit is also seeing increased demand for some of its new products, the Nikkei business daily reported.

Billionaire Harold Simmons, one of the richest men in America and a major contributor to the Republican Party, has died in his native Texas at 82.

“Please, kindly judge this by yourself. As a pregnant woman, will I willingly attempt to cut off my husband’s man-hood? I ordinarily would not have said anything. I did not realise this will escalate to this stage. The case is being handled by my lawyer at the moment. “My husband is not a hot-tempered man but he gets angry once in a while. He lied that he washes my clothes. He only did that once or twice when I was ill. We had a disagreement that day and he beat me up. My mother came to the house and took away our son. “Without telling anybody, I went to my hospital and was treated. I did not tell him. But when I got home, he continued to harass me. He said I must ensure his son was returned to the house. “I was so tired and I went to sleep. But in the middle of the night, he woke me up and asked me again to produce his son. We started fighting and he was beating me. In order to escape his beating, I had to hold his man-hood. I wanted him to leave me alone. I held ...

Do you know what 2014 has in store for you and your family? If your answer is “no” or “I’m not sure,” then now is the perfect time to decide what 2014 is going to look like for you. In order to create what we truly desire in our lives, it all starts with setting our intentions and then taking action to make it happen. If you want 2014 to be a year that you look back on as a turning point in creating the life you truly want for you and your family, then follow this 4 step formula:

Nigeria is to become the 25th largest economy in the world by 2028, second only to Egypt in Africa. This will firmly consolidate the country’s place as the largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, the 2013 Centre for Economic and Business Research’s (CEBR) World Economic League Table has revealed.

The death was disclosed in a statement signed by Jahman Anikulapo, an aide to Mr. Soyinka, one of the world’s foremost dramatists and winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in literature. The statement noted that the late Iyetade Soyinka was a student at the Staff School and Queens School, Ibadan before she studied Medicine at the University of Ibadan. Mr. Anikulapo’s statement described the deceased as “affable, intelligent and sometimes capricious,” adding that she “struggled with her health in recent years.” Despite her health woes, the late Iyetade Soyinka “greeted every day with a smile and doted on her two children.” The statement, which was issued on behalf of the deceased’s family, revealed that Ms. Soyinka “took ill quite suddenly and passed away while being treated at UCH, Ibadan. “Iyetade leaves behind two children, both parents, numerous siblings, nieces and nephews.” No funeral arrangements were announced in the statement. SaharaReporters was unable to reach Prof...

The National Assembly will pass the much anticipated Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, next year, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources, downstream sector, Dakuku Peterside, has said. Peterside, who made this disclosure at the weekend, said “both legislative chambers are at the top of the PIB and I’m sure we will pass it in 2014”. He explained that “the PIB is at a stage we call the technical session where the committees involved look at the bill holistically before formal presentation for adoption.” On the purported frosty relationship between the lower legislative chamber and the executive arm of government, the Rivers legislator simply said:  “As far as the House is concerned, there is no rancour between us. On our part we legislate and if the executive fail to execute we compel them to do so”.  

DR. FEMI OKUROUNMU PRESENTING THE REPORT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL DIALOGUE TO PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Delta State, Mr Charles Ajuyah, SAN, weekend, said that the state government was committed to ensuring that normalcy returned to Kokori town in Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state in no distant time.

Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State says all traders in the state’s 33 Local Government Areas (LGAs) will have access to government’s N300 million interest-free loans in January 2014. Ajimobi gave the assurance on Sunday at an interactive session with market men and women, held at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building at Secretariat, in Ibadan. “Oyo state traders will be entitled to this interest-free loan. The loan will be co-ordinated by members of the executive organs of the six umbrella bodies of market associations in the state”, he said. The governor said each of the bodies would receive N50 million, and urged the associations to ensure that the loan revolved among the members. He also said no fewer than 20 neighbourhood markets would be completed in 2014 to cater for traders who were banned from selling their wares along the roads. The President, Oyo State Markets Association, Alhaji Dauda Oladapo, expressed appreciation to Ajimobi for the loan, assuring...

French police on Sunday arrested a 22-year-old who said he killed a homeless man in a northwestern Paris suburb and drank his blood, officials said. Police and judicial sources said the man was arrested around 04:00 (03:00 GMT) in Colombes which is located near La Defense, Paris's business district. The victim, whose throat was slit and whose corpse bore multiple stab wounds, was found in an underground parking lot. He was a French national aged 49. "The accused claimed to have drunk the blood of his victim but we have nothing at present that can back this up," a police source said. The suspect had bloodstained clothes and had been taken to hospital for an injury. According to the investigators, the victim told passersby he had committed a murder. During questioning by police, he repeated the statement in English. Investigators said the man could be Lithuanian but added that they were checking his nationality as he did not have his passport or any ident...

A lightning bolt struck a church in Malawi, killing eight worshippers and injuring several others, local media reported. Several members of the Seventh Day Adventist church in the capital Lilongwe were admitted to hospital after Saturday's strike, the Nyasa Times said, citing witnesses, police and health officials. It was not immediately clear whether they were injured by the lightning or in the panic to escape. "People were inside the church attending the service when the lightening stuck. I first heard a loud burst which frightened almost everybody and few minutes later I just saw a stampede," the paper quoted a witness as saying.

The Gaza Strip's only power plant returned to life after Israel resumed fuel deliveries on Sunday, a Palestinian official said, two days after a lack of supplies halted electricity production. "The plant resumed functioning with the provision of fuel, which restarted with the reopening in the morning of the Kerem Shalom crossing," the official told AFP. The power plant stopped working on Friday due to the closure of the border crossing where goods transit between Israel and the besieged Palestinian enclave. The Israeli decision to close the crossing came after a Palestinian sniper shot dead an Israeli man working near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. The plant, which supplies around 30% of Gaza's electricity needs, fell silent on 1 November as stocks of diesel ran out. The power station returned to life on 15 December after receiving a delivery of fuel purchased from Israel by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority using funds donated ...

A bomb targeted an Egyptian military intelligence building north of Cairo on Sunday, wounding four soldiers, the army said, in the second bomb attack on the security forces in the Nile Delta in less than a week. The bomb went off near an entrance to the building in the village of Anshas, 100km north of the capital, partly destroying the back wall.

A British television show dedicated to valuing people's usually modest antiques said on Sunday that it has uncovered a "hidden masterpiece" worth up to $659,800.

The United Nations on Sunday reported armed groups had been spotted close to a key town in South Sudan, after the government said thousands advancing on the state capital had been convinced to return home. The UN has expressed concern over claims some 25 000 armed youths from the Nuer tribe allied to ex-vice president Riek Machar were readying to attack Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, amid international efforts to broker a ceasefire.

Suspected fighters from  Boko Haram opened fire on a bachelor party, killing eight people and wounding several others, witnesses said on Sunday. "Three Boko Haram members came on motorcycles at about 11 yesterday night," Abdul Usman told Reuters in the main northeastern city of Maiduguri, where he fled after escaping the attack on Tashan Alade village. "They were shooting indiscriminately." Forces have stepped up the offensive against the rebels in the past few days after Boko Haram fighters armed with grenade launchers and anti-aircraft guns attacked an army barracks in the town of Bama.

The Navy announced it would commission a Seaward Defence Boat (SDB) early next year. According to Nigerian Navy Directorate of Information, the launch of the 38 metre vessel was a bold attempt at self-reliance in local construction of naval platforms. “Since the Presidential directive at the commissioning of NNS ANDONI, the CNS, Vice Admiral Ezeoba, has left no stone unturned towards the construction of SDB 2. The 38M SDB is presently under construction at the Naval Dockyard Limited (NDL),” the Nigerian Navy Directorate of Information stated. It added that the project started with the construction of the inverted hull as a single unit, while the superstructure is being built as a separate entity. Upon completion of both units, they will now be welded together to achieve a single compact unit. The various segments of the superstructure have been fabricated and welded together. Earlier this month, history was made in the Navy, when upon completion of the hull, it was turned f...

President Goodluck Jonathan predicted a brighter future for Nigeria in the coming year. The President made the prediction at the last Sunday of the year Church Service at the Apostolic Faith Church Regional Headquarters in Jabi, Abuja. He called on Christians to continue to pray for peace and unity of the country, in the midst of daunting challenges. Jonathan said despite its diversity, Nigeria had remained as one nation. “Therefore citizens need to shun the barriers created by the diversity and embrace togetherness at all times,” he said. The President particularly forecast a brighter future for children in the country. Jonathan promised to continue to do his best and thanked the church for their prayers. He shared with the congregation more of his great expectations for Nigerians in the New Year, especially the children. The end of the year service had over 100-man orchestra, with rich accompaniment of musical instruments and a section where the children presented a special ren...

‘Kedike’ crooner, Chidinma Ekile, is one budding Nigerian singer who has continued to grow in leaps and bounds and is not looking back. A few weeks ago, some mischievous people tried to play some naughty pranks on the ‘Emi Ni Baller’ star by releasing a sex tape they purported belonged to her, maybe with the intention of bringing her down; but their plans actually back fired as the alleged sex tape has practically pushed her up the ladder of her game.

A leader of the Ukrainian feminist group Femen bared herself near St Peter’s Square on Thursday shouting “Christmas is cancelled!” in a protest against the Catholic Church’s stance on abortion. Inna Shevchenko, 23, went topless and ran towards the square but was stopped by some 20 police officers. She had “Christmas is Cancelled ” written across her chest. The police quickly formed a barrier around the activist to prevent media from documenting the event. Inna Shevchenko topless at St. Peter’s Square: being pursued by Vatican policeman Covered in a blanket, she was taken away in a police car as tourists and pilgrims looked on with bemusement. Inna being held by a policeman Inna now subdued and arrested. All Photos AFP Femen activists have targeted St Peter’s Square before, including on the eve of the conclave that elected Pope Francis in March, and have begun a series of protests in Christian centres in support of abortion laws. Femen is a Ukrainian group whose ...

The Chairman of the Northern Christian Elders’ Forum, NOSCEF, Elder Saidu Dogo on Tuesday decried the high level of discrimination against Christians in the 19 northern states and FCT.

Etibar Elchiyev: with the magnetised spoons A 42 year old Georgian man based in Tbilisi today broke a Guinness World record that he himself created in December 2011: having the most spoons stuck on the human body. Two years ago, Etibar Elchiyev, called the ‘magnet man’, set the record by sticking 50 spoons on his body. The kick-boxing trainer originally planned to break the Guinness World Record for balancing spoons on one’s face – with 27 the current target to beat. But he made the new weird Guinness record by managing to secure 50 metal spoons around his neck and chest setting the world record for the Most spoons balanced on a human body. Today, he succeeded in sticking 53 metal spoons, thereby breaking his own record. There are doubts whether Elchiyev’s body really contains magnet to make the feat possible. One commentator said he is only playing smart as metallic objects will stick to a hairless, smooth body. Etibar Elchiyev: with the magnetised spoons...

The bodies of a woman and her young son have been found in a house in Midlothian. The discovery was made in the town of Bonnyrigg at 18:30 on Saturday. Police Scotland said the alarm was raised by a member of the public who was concerned about the family. The boy is thought to be under five years old. A 32-year-old man is being treated in hospital following the deaths. Police said they were not looking for anyone else in relation to the matter.

Porsches, Range Rovers and even Maseratis… luxury cars are no strange sight weaving through the old bangers that rumble along Abidjan’s chaotic streets, another indication of the emergence of a wealthy class in Africa. Each of the vehicles costs at least tens of thousands of euros, representing decades of work for an Ivorian earning the minimum wage, even after it was recently hiked 60 percent to 60,000 CFA francs (around 90 euros, $125) a month. Yet in wealthy Abidjan neighbourhoods the streets are jammed with more luxury autos than in rich quarters of European capitals. It’s the same story in Johannesburg, Lagos, or even Libreville. In the Gabonese capital it is common to see SUV after SUV snaking along the oceanside boulevard. Wealthy Africans love the big, high, four-wheel drive vehicles. Not only are they better adapted to the roads, regularly in a poor condition, they have also become something of a status symbol. In Gabon, 70 percent of the 6,000 new vehicles ...

Jennifer Ehidiamen, a graduate of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos, western Nigeria, has won the first Innovative Young Journalist Award organised by Journalists For Christ, JFC. Ehidiamen beat two other nominees to clinch the award and grab the N30,000 cash prize. She was announced winner on Saturday at an event held at the Excellence Hotel in Ogba area of Lagos. “I would like to give all the glory back to God almighty,” she said. Jennifer Ehidiamen

By Felicity Arbuthnot Global Research, December 06, 2013 Accusing politicians or former politicians of "breathtaking hypocrisy" is not just over used, it is inadequacy of spectacular proportions. Sadly, searches in various thesaurus' fail in meaningful improvement. The death of Nelson Mandela, however, provides tributes resembling duplicity on a mind altering substance. President Obama, whose litany of global assassinations by Drone, from infants to octogenarians – a personal weekly decree we are told, summary executions without Judge, Jury or trial – stated of the former South African's President's passing: "We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again ... His acts of reconciliation ... set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives. "I studied his words and his writings ... like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela s...

There are a number of herbal remedies and home remedies to get rid of underarm odour Prepare and drink a glass of sage herbal tea, which is known to reduce your sweat-gland activity,particularly if you tend to perspire heavily when under stress or tension. Steep two teaspoons of sage in one cup of hot water for 15 minutes, strain and drink once a day or throughout the day. Wipe your armpits with witch hazel or white vinegar, which helps to deodorize the area. The scent will typically be gone in a few minutes. you can use a cotton ball to apply this. Use a washcloth to wipe your underarms with apple cider vinegar, which helps to lower the pH levels of the armpit skin. This helps eliminate odor-causing bacteria, which cannot survive the low pH environment. Use baby powder or baking soda in place of deodorant. Simply apply this to your dry armpits. The powder helps to absorb moisture and also kill bacteria. www.josiahdele.blogspot.com

A story tells of a merchant in a small town who had identical twin sons. The boys worked for their father in the department store he owned and, when he died, they took over the store. Everything went well until the day a twenty-dollar bill disappeared. One of the brothers had left the bill on the cash register and walked outside with a customer. When he returned, the money was gone. He asked his brother, "Did you see that twenty-dollar bill on the cash register?" His brother replied that he had not. But the young man kept probing and questioning. He would not let it alone. "Twenty-dollar bills just don't get up and walk away! Surely you must have seen it!" There was subtle accusation in his voice. Tempers began to rise. Resentment set in. Before long, a deep and bitter chasm divided the young men. They refused to speak. They finally decided they could no longer work together and a dividing wall was built down the center of the store. For twenty years hostility a...

No one could have predicted that Mom would go on strike at Christmas time. It all started innocently enough the first Sunday in Advent. Mom had made a list of all the people she had to send Christmas cards to this year. Dad was in the kitchen cooking. MiniMo, my little brother, was writing a letter—a top secret letter, he said. But it wasn't too secret—I could hear him reading the words aloud as he wrote "Dear Santa..." I was practicing some Christmas songs on the piano. Grandma was due to arrive any minute, and then we were going to have our little Advent celebration. "Hey, where is Ben?" asked MiniMo abruptly. "That lazy lump is still asleep," said Mom. She didn't sound pleased at all. Ben is our big brother and is almost seventeen. He's constantly fighting with our parents. Most of their arguments have to do with his weird hairstyles. He had a Mohawk last summer, dreadlocks in the fall, and, at the moment, he is completely bald. There he was...