Scholarship Programs You Can Apply For Every Year

Offered yearly, most annual scholarship programs are well-funded scholarships meaning they have enough funds to sustain the program for a long time and they have a large number of scholarships available.  Even if you missed the scholarship deadline or your scholarship application has been rejected the first time, you can be sure you can apply another time when you are more ready and/or qualified.

Last updated:  30 Jun 2013  | | Read More

Top 50 Scholarships in Europe for International Students

Each year, billions of Euros worth of scholarships are offered by Colleges and Universities in Europe for international students.  The European Union along with the European Government States also offer government-funded EU scholarships to attract international students into Europe. Like European students, foreign students are eligible to apply to hundreds of Universities in Europe that are tuition-free. 

Last updated:  23 Jun 2013  | | Read More

Top 10 Scholarships in Netherlands for International Students

Along with UK and Germany, the Netherlands is one of the top destinations for international students looking to pursue free studies in Europe.  The degrees offered by Dutch institutions are internationally recognized and there are a significant number of scholarships in Netherlands offered by Dutch Colleges and Universities as well as scholarships granted by the Dutch government and institutions.

Last updated:  16 Jun 2013  | | Read More

23 Scholarships Specifically Targeted to Developing Country Students

Did you know that there quite a number of  international scholarships targeted to students from developing countries? In this article, scholars4dev.com outlines the most popular scholarships that every developing country student should watch out for annually.

Last updated:  10 Jun 2013  | | Read More

Tuition Scholarships for International Students at Global Universities

While there are tuition free universities, there are also universities that offer tuition scholarships for excellent international students.  Scholarships in the form of  tuition fee waivers are the most common international scholarships offered by Universities. Tuition fee scholarships are the next best thing to fully-funded scholarships in a sense that a good portion of your study costs is already covered.

Last updated:  02 Jun 2013  | | Read More

10 Scholarships for Study in Any Country or Anywhere

Do you want to study for free anywhere you choose? Although very few, there are actually international scholarships that allow you to study at any country of your choice or wherever you may be. Scholarships funded by global organizations allow you to study at any country and because of its nature, distance learning scholarships allow you to pursue international studies in your own country or wherever you may be.

Last updated:  19 May 2013  | | Read More

Top 15 Merit-Based Scholarships for International Students

Although not all, most scholarship programs are merit-based meaning scholars are chosen based on academic merit or in others forms such as leadership, athletic, or artistic merits.  Merit-based scholarships are sometimes referred to as excellence scholarships since it seeks out the most bright and most talented students.  In this list, scholars4dev.com highlights the most popular merit-based scholarships out there.

Last updated:  12 May 2013  | | Read More

15 Fully-funded Development Scholarships for International Students

Not all scholarships are created equal. Some scholarship programs only offer tuition fee waivers, some only offer living allowances, while some only offer a one-time cash amount but there are those scholarship programs that offer all of the above plus more. These kind of scholarship programs provide everything you need to study abroad for free.  scholars4dev.com lists the best fully-funded scholarship programs out there for international students.

Last updated:  05 May 2013  | | Read More

Macquarie University International Scholarships (MUIS)

Macquarie University
BS/MS/PhD Degree

Deadline: 31 Oct/30 Apr (annual)
Study in:  Australia
Next course starts February 2014

Last updated: 18 Jul 2013 |

Read More

Amsterdam Merit Scholarships for Excellent International Students

University of Amsterdam
Masters Degree

Deadline: 1 Aug/1 Apr (annual)
Study in: Netherlands
Course starts February 2014

Last updated: 16 Jul 2013 |

Read More

Utrecht Excellence Scholarships for International Students

Utrecht University
Bachelor/Master Degree

Deadline: 1 Dec/1 Apr (annual)
Study in:  Netherlands
Course starts 2014

Last updated: 11 Jul 2013 |

Read More

Heinrich Boll Scholarships in Germany for International Students

Heinrich Boll Foundation
MS/PhD Degree

Deadline: 1 Sept/1 Mar (Annual)
Study in:  Germany
Next course starts 2014

Last updated: 09 Jul 2013 |

Read More

Westminster Full Tuition Fee Waivers for International Students

University of Westminster
Masters (MS) Degree

Deadline: 1 Nov/31 May (annual)
Study in:  UK
Course starts January 2014

Last updated: 04 Jul 2013 |

Read More

Gates Cambridge Scholarships for International Students

Gates Cambridge Trust
Masters/PhD Degree

Deadline: 3 Dec 2013 (annual)
Study in:  UK
Course starts October 2014

Last updated: 02 Jul 2013 | Opens 1 September 2013

Read More

Rhodes Scholarships at Oxford University for International Students

Rhodes Scholarship Fund
Masters/PhD Degree

Deadline:varies, Aug-Sept (annual)
Study in: UK
Course starts Oct 2014

Last updated: 27 Jun 2013 |

Read More

Monash University International Student Scholarships

Monash University
Bachelor/Masters Degree

Deadline: 31 Oct/31 May 2013
Study in: Australia
Course starts 2014

Last updated: 25 Jun 2013 |

Read More

University of Newcastle Postgraduate Research Scholarships (UNIPRS)

University of Newcastle
Masters/PhD Degree

Deadline: 31 August (annual)
Study in: Australia
Course starts 2014

Last updated: 20 Jun 2013 |

Read More

Greek Government Scholarships for Foreign Students

Greek Government
Masters/PhD Degree

Deadline: 26 July 2013
Study in: Greece
Course starts 2014

Last updated: 18 Jun 2013 |

Read More

The University of Western Australia Scholarships for International Students

Univ. of Western Australia
Masters/PhD Degree

Deadline: 30 August 2013 (annual)
Study in:  Australia
Course starts January 2014

Last updated: 14 Jun 2013 |

Read More

New Zealand Development Scholarships (NZDS)

NZAID
Diploma/Masters/PhD

Deadline: May-June 2013 (annual)
Study in:  New Zealand
Course starts AY 2014-2015

Last updated: 12 Jun 2013 |

Read More

Ghent Scholarships in Belgium for Developing Countries

University of Ghent
Masters (MS) Degree

Deadline: Dec 2013 (annual)
Study in: Belgium
Course starts September 2014

Source link: http://www.scholars4dev.com/#ixzz2ZPn23wKn

life is a holiday on earth....?!

what do you have inside of you?.....we are waiting for it..when you discover it.....and if you don't know it..then ask your doctor?

Apple hires fresh talent for 'iWatch'

 Tim Bradshaw Tell us more

The company has begun hiring "aggressively" for the new "iWatch" project in recent weeks, say people familiar with Apple's plans for the wearable device.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Apple has begun hiring 'aggressively' for 'iWatch' wearable computer project
• Questions raised about Apple's ability to create or redefine new product categories
• CEO Cook: "amazing" new products on their way this fall and in 2014

(Financial Times) -- Apple has embarked on a hiring spree to tackle design problems with its "iWatch" wrist computer, bringing in fresh expertise amid concern that the launch of its first new product since the death of Steve Jobs could be at least a year away.

The company has begun hiring "aggressively" for the project in recent weeks, say people familiar with Apple's plans for the wearable device, a move that shows it has stepped up development but which raises questions over the ability of its own engineers to develop wearable technology.

As Apple moves from iPods, iPhones and iPads into an entirely new category of product, it is looking beyond its existing staff in Cupertino for the talent required to build it -- an indication that the endeavour involves "hard engineering problems that they've not been able to solve", according to one source.

Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, could still decide not to launch the product, just as past ideas have been scrapped, these people said. However, the iWatch -- a brand for which Apple has made several applications to trademark -- has now progressed from an exploratory phase to having several dozen employees dedicated to its development.

Could an 'iWatch' make Apple cool again?

Apple discloses data request numbers

Is Apple regaining its shine?

The timing of the hiring spree implied the iWatch would not be ready for launch until the latter part of next year, said people familiar with Apple's thinking, a blow to some investors who have been eager to see evidence that Apple's innovators still have the ability to create or redefine new product categories.

Apple declined to comment, but Mr Cook said in April's earnings call: "Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software and services that we can't wait to introduce this fall and throughout 2014."

While that is expected to include a new lower-cost iPhone with colourful plastic casing later this year, Mr Cook has recently expressed enthusiasm for wearable technology. Speaking at an AllThingsD conference in June, he said it was an area "ripe for exploration" and "incredibly interesting".

Earlier this month, Apple hired Paul Deneve, the outgoing chief executive of fashion house Yves Saint Laurent, to work on undefined "special projects", reporting to Mr Cook. His experience in fashion and luxury goods has been seen as potentially useful in a move into watches, as well as branding.

Apple's iWatch recruitment drive has included seeking out acquisitions of early-stage start-ups working on connected devices. Making so-called "acqui-hires" such as this has become common practice in Silicon Valley, where engineering talent carries a high premium, even for top companies such as Apple.

But with its stock price still far below its highs and facing growing interest in hardware and mobile software from neighbours such as Google and Facebook, retaining rank-and-file employees will be a challenge for Apple, say former employees and those recruiting at other firms.

One senior member of the iWatch team, who had been considering leaving the company, decided to stay after being awarded a substantial pay increase, according to one source.

Apple is not the only company looking to recruit talent for wearable technology in Silicon Valley. Almost all of Apple's rivals, including Google and Samsung, as well as start-ups such as Pebble and even PC manufacturer Dell, are working on smart watches or similar devices.

Out of This World: Chinese Astronaut Gives Lecture From Space Laboratory....when will your country get to this height technologically?

To watch the video, scroll down
China's second female astronaut, Wang Yaping, has delivered the country's first-ever video lecture from space.
Speaking to students via live video, Ms Wang used spinning tops, a ball, water and a fellow astronaut to explain physics in zero-gravity.
She was speaking from the Tiangong-1 space laboratory, where the Shenzhou spacecraft is currently docked,
China's fifth manned space mission, Shenzhou-10, is scheduled to end around 25 or 26 June.
The crew is also expected to attempt a manual docking later on Thursday.
This will involve getting back inside their Shenzhou capsule, unhooking from Tiangong and then flying around the lab to re-attach the capsule to the laboratory.

'Sixteen sunrises'
Ms Yang used difference experiments to demonstrate the concepts of weight and mass in space.
After showing how normal scales did not work in space, she used a special scale to measure the mass of crew commander Nie Haisheng, using Newton's second law of motion - measuring the mass of an object through force and acceleration.
At another point, to show how objects move in the microgravity environment of space, she asked her colleague to help her rotate 90 degrees, and then 180 degrees, from the floor of the laboratory.
Spinning tops were used to create gyroscopic motion in space, and a ball attached to a string to demonstrate pendulum motion.
Towards the end of the class, Ms Yang made a film of water using a metal ring, explained by the increased surface tension of water in space. She then turned the film of water into a water ball by pouring more water onto it, to wide applause from students watching in China.

Around 330 primary and secondary school students watched the lecture from a special classroom in Beijing, where they could also ask Ms Wang questions through a live video feed, state media said.
In response to a student's question, Ms Yang described what she could see in space.
"The stars we see are much brighter, but they do not twinkle," she said, explaining this was due to the lack of Earth's obstructing atmosphere.
"The sky we see isn't blue, but black. And every day, we can see the sun rise 16 times because we circle the Earth every 90 minutes"
An estimated 60 million students and teachers around China were also expected to watch the lecture live, the Ministry of Education sa

Robert Downey Jr. leads Forbes’ highest-paid actors,i wish i was an actor....

• 
  Robert Downey Jr.
  

| | A A

REUTERS

Thursday 18 July 2013

Last Update 18 July 2013 2:25 am

NEW YORK: With estimated earnings of $75 million, “Iron Man” Robert Downey Jr. is Hollywood’s highest paid actor, ahead of Channing Tatum and Hugh Jackman, according to Forbes.com.
Downey, 48, starred in Disney’s Marvel superhero films “The Avengers” in 2012 and “Iron Man 3” in 2013, each of which earned more than $1 billion at the box office, assuring him the top spot in the annual ranking of Hollywood’s top acting earners.
“Every studio in town would love to cast him, and now they’ll pay big buck for the privilege,” Forbes.com contributor Dorothy Pomerantz said about Downey on Tuesday. Forbes.com estimated his earnings between June 2012 and June 2013.
New father Tatum, 33, who self-financed the male-stripper movie “Magic Mike” that made $167 million with director Steven Soderbergh, captured the No. 2 spot with estimated earnings of $60 million. Australian actor Jackman, 44, whose new movie “The Wolverine” opens in US theaters next week, was not far behind with $55 million.
Mark Wahlberg, 42, had a comedy hit with “Ted,” a film that earned $550 million and pumped up his earning to $52 million to secure fourth place, and wrestler-turned actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, 41, rounded out the top five with $46 million.
Johnson starred in “Fast and Furious 6,” which made $500 million at the box office in less than two weeks, and “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.”
Adam Sandler, 46, at No. 7, was the only comedian to make the top 10 thanks mainly to the animated hit “Hotel Transylvania, which grossed $347 million and helped bump his earnings up to $37 million.
Denzel Washington, 58, took a cut in pay in exchange for a share of the profits for “Flight,” which turned out to be a shrewd deal. The film made $162 million putting the Oscar winner in eighth place with earnings of $33 million.
Last year, Tom Cruise, 51, topped the list with earnings of $75 million. This year, he dropped to eighth place with $35 million, gained largely from his international audience, Forbes said.
Forbes.com compiled the ranking and estimated earnings by talking to managers, producers and agents.

Crown Prince meets with Syrian opposition leaders

• 
  Crown Prince Salman receives Syrian National Coalition president Ahmed Aowainan Al-Jarba and his delegation at the Royal Court at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Thursday. (SPA)
  

| | A A

Saudi Press Agency

Friday 19 July 2013

Last Update 18 July 2013 2:33 pm

JEDDAH: Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, received at the Royal Court at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Thursday the president of Syrian National Coalition Ahmed Aowainan Al-Jarba and his accompanying delegation.
During the meeting, Al-Jarba briefed Salman on the sufferings of the Syrian people from the atrocities of the Assad regime.
Salman stressed the Kingdom's firm stance of the need to put an end to all kinds of genocide and starvation suffered by the Syrian people.
The audience was attended by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, chief of the Crown Prince's Court and special adviser.
Saudi Arabia had been providing humanitarian assistance to the tens of thousands of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.

’Improving’ Mandela marks 95th birthday in hospital

• 
  Balloons printed with a portrait of democracy icon Nelson Mandela adorn the premises of the Medi Clinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria where the former South African president is confined. (AFP)
  

| | A A

Sibongile Khumalo | AFP

Thursday 18 July 2013

Last Update 18 July 2013 4:16 pm

PRETORIA, Gauteng: Nelson Mandela spent his 95th birthday in hospital Thursday but his health was “steadily improving,” South Africa’s presidency said, as people around the world honored his legacy with charitable acts.
Six fraught weeks after he was admitted to hospital with a recurring lung infection, South Africans breathed a sigh of relief to learn that their national hero was getting better as they carried out good deeds to mark international Nelson Mandela Day.
“Madiba remains in hospital in Pretoria but his doctors have confirmed that his health is steadily improving,” the presidency said in a statement, using Mandela’s clan name.
Ndileka Mandela told AFP her grandfather was now more responsive. “He’s using his eyes, nodding,” she said.
The updates prompted joyful prayers of thanks outside Mandela’s hospital which, for 41 days, has been the focal point of a national vigil.
“Tata (father) Mandela has once again proved that he is a fighter,” said well-wisher Agnes Shilowane, a local university student.
Nearby, school children read poems and left cards as nurses sang happy birthday to the former political prisoner who went on to become South Africa’s first black president.
Later, a military brass band played a rousing rendition of the national anthem.
Birthday greetings and messages of support poured in from around the world — and even from astronauts on the International Space Station — to mark the anniversary, which many had feared Mandela would not live to see.
US President Barack Obama — who was unable to visit Mandela during a trip to South Africa last month — led tributes to the peace icon, calling on people to honor him through volunteer work.
“Our family was deeply moved by our visit to Madiba’s former cell on Robben Island during our recent trip,” Obama said in a statement.
“We will forever draw strength and inspiration from his extraordinary example of moral courage, kindness, and humility.”
Other well-wishers included the Dalai Lama, former US president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, US actor Morgan Freeman and Mandela’s former jailer FW de Klerk, who went on to share the Nobel Peace Prize with him.
“Mandela’s place in South Africa’s history is assured,” former president De Klerk said in a statement.
“His legacy of courage, perseverance and magnanimity will continue to inspire us — and people throughout the world — for generations to come.”
Across South Africa, biker gangs cleaned streets, volunteers painted schools and politicians spent 67 minutes on worthy projects — all to mark Mandela’s 67 years of public service.
“Let us return Madiba’s sacrifices and contributions through our own efforts to build a better society,” President Jacob Zuma said.
Near Pretoria, Zuma tried to channel Mandela’s cross-community appeal by delivering government housing to poor whites.

‘Oxtail and dumplings'
The Mandela family also did their bit, with his grandchildren volunteering at a children’s home.
They were then expected to gather at the hospital for lunch, along with Mandela’s third wife Graca Machel, who also celebrates 15 years of marriage to her husband today.
“We’re doing our 67 minutes and bringing our old clothes that we’re not using anymore. Then we’ll converge at the hospital to have lunch with granddad,” said Mandela’s granddaughter Ndileka said.
She said the birthday meal would include Mandela’s favorite food, including “oxtail, prawns, dumplings and vegetables.”
The United Nations declared the Nobel Peace laureate’s birthday Mandela Day in 2010, but for many this year it takes on extra poignancy.
In central Lisbon the Don Pedro IV Square was to be renamed Nelson Mandela Square, and an open-air Mandela-themed opera concert was planned in Paris.
On Saturday, the Australian city of Melbourne will hold a concert featuring local and African artists, while a music festival later this year in Norway will promote equality in schools.
Born on July 18, 1918, Mandela fought against white rule in South Africa as a young lawyer and was convicted of treason in 1964.
He spent the next 27 years in jail.
It was in part through his willingness to forgive his white jailers that Mandela made his indelible mark on history.
After negotiating an end to apartheid, he became South Africa’s first black president, drawing a line under centuries of colonial and racist suppression.
He then led reconciliation in the deeply divided country.
“Never before in history was one human being so universally acknowledged in his lifetime as the embodiment of magnanimity and reconciliation as Nelson Mandela,” said retired archbishop Desmond Tutu, himself a Nobel Peace laureate.
But the sunset of Mandela’s life has been somewhat eclipsed by bitter infighting among his relatives.
A row over his final resting place has seen three of his children’s graves dug up and their remains moved amid public brawling and legal action among his children and grandchildren.

2015 polls may end up like Rivers/NGF crises...TINUBU PROPHECY!

at Monday, July 15, 2013

The National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said the Rivers State and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum crises are a presage of what will happen in the coming 2015 elections.

He, therefore, condemned the crises and the underlying forces behind them, saying such would only turn “an imperfect democracy into a perfect mess.”

The former Governor of Lagos State, in a statement on Sunday, accused President Goodluck Jonathan of masterminding the crisis in Rivers State.

Tinubu, who described the crisis as an “assault on the constitution,” explained that the crisis showed the failure of the Peoples Democratic Party to promote democracy in the country.

He said, “However, we all know the truth but most are afraid to speak.  There is no way the police and  small number of five lawmakers would act so brazenly, unless they receive instructions from their high places, attempted to impeach the Speaker.

Nigerians must ask: Is this way the President Jonathan intends to transform  Nigeria? By turning it from an imperfect democracy into a perfect mess?

“In some ways, this Rivers episode is not surprising. What happened in the Rivers House is one more reminder. PDP leaders hold democracy in contempt and will trample on it, if given the slightest opportunity. If they invert the relatively small numbers involved in the Nigerian Governors Forum and the Rivers State House, what they might do to general elections involving such a large population as ours is a hard piece of wood to chew.”

According to him, the crisis showed that security cannot be guaranteed in the coming elections.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Labour Congress has dissociated itself from the planned mass protest being organised by the Rivers State Government and some civil society organisations over the political crisis in the state.

The union said it would not participate in the protest, but did not give any reason for its decision.

Secretary-General of the congress, Chris Uyot, said the NLC had no plan to join the planned street protests, noting that the congress had not taken a definite position on the matter for now.

“From my findings at the Rivers State NLC council, there is no plan to join the street protest,” Uyot said on Sunday.

The Secretary-General, Trade Union Congress, Musa Lawal, also said the national leadership of the organisation had yet to take a position on the planned protest.

“The state council is free to participate in the protest; the national leadership is yet to take a position on it, but we are having a meeting tomorrow (Monday) and several issues will be discussed then,” he said over the telephone

Labour unions in the state were reported to have pledged to join the strike and possibly asked workers to go on indefinite strike.

The unions had insisted that apart from the Federal Government and the state government finding a solution to the impasse in the state House of Assembly, the police must also vacate the Obio/Akpor Local Government Secretariat.

In a statement  in Abuja on Sunday, the party said  the ACN call was an indication that the opposition party was indeed unserious, lacked direction and only sought to distabilise the polity.

Though Okeke said the PDP was not in support of the fracas witnessed in the Rivers State House of Assembly recently, but he added that brawls were “common features in parliaments across the world”, and wondered how the recent fray in the  Assembly could  translate into an impeachable offence on the part of the President.

Baby born with rosary round her neck in Niger

at Monday, July 15, 2013

Thousands of people trooped to a private maternity home in Kotaworo area of Bida, in Niger state on Sunday to catch a glimpse of a baby girl said to have been delivered with a Muslim prayer Rosary (Tasabih)  on her  neck.

The middle aged mother of the baby,  Adijat was said to have been rushed to a local midwife home near the residence of Pa Mohammed Bello Masaba, the  Polygamist at about 2 pm on Sunday and after minutes of labour, she was delivered of the baby.


According the owner of the local maternity home, Alhaji Abubakar Baiwa Shasha who took delivery of the baby, “I was shocked  when in the course of the delivery the baby came with a Chisbih on her neck. The baby was born with a black rosary at delivery point.”

“But I was surprised  when after a while the rosary turned to white to the amazement of the few people around.”

As soon as the news spread round the town, thousands trooped to the the maternity home shouting “Allahu Akibar; Allahu Akibar (God is Great) as they scrambled to see and touch the baby. ”

Efforts to get the father of the baby, Isah, a native of Loma in Kwara State were fruitless as he refused to talk to our Correspondent.

An Islamic scholar, Malam Idiris Ndajiwo said the delivery of the baby with the mysterious rosary “showed the greatness of Allah. The delivery of the baby today, in this town and this area (Kutaworo) is a big thing to us Muslims. This actually goes to show that Allah is in control of what happens to any one and in the whole world.”

Another well wisher and the Personal Assistant to popular Islamic scholar, Pa Mohammed Bello Masaba, the octogenarian super polygamist, Alhaji Muktari Salau Bello said, “we have never witnessed such kind of miracle before in this town, but we thanked Allah for what He has done. In fact what happened is a miracle and we are very happy about it”.

The baby was later taken to the Etsu Nupe’s palace where they were received and blessed by the royal father , Alhaji Yahaya Abubukar.

Confirming the delivery of the mysterious girl when contacted on phone, the Emirate Secretary Alhaji Abdulmalik Usman said, “it is true. The baby was brought to the Palace and she was received and blessed by His royal highness, the Etsu Nupe and they have since left for their home. “

Pictures: Rousing welcome for Al-Mustapha in Kano

Pictures: Rousing welcome for Al-Mustapha in Kano

at Monday, July 15, 2013

Major Almustapha- OPC Leader Fredrick Fasheun disembarking in Kano

Hundreds of thousands of people in Kano lined the streets to welcome former Chief Security Officer to late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha,Major Hamzat Al-Mustapha when he arrived the city Sunday afternoon.

Armed soldiers and members of the Odua People’s Congress,OPC, took over security and crowd control for the itinerary of the former CSO.

Al-Mustapha, who cancelled his visit to his grandmother’s house and the Abacha’s as he arrived the commercial city, went to the goverment House to have audience with the state governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, Friday, last week, freed Major Hamza Al-Mustapha a

JTF battles Boko Haram, rescues women; children hostages

JTF battles Boko Haram, rescues women; children hostages

at Monday, July 15, 2013

The military on Sunday claimed the rescue of women and children hostages from a Boko Haram Islamist stronghold, saying troops killed several insurgents during recent gun battles in the area.

The Bulabulin Nganaram area of the northeastern city of Maiduguri, where the fighting occurred, is considered an enclave of the radical Islamist group.


The military battled Boko Haram fighters in the area from July 3 to July 8, killing “some terrorists”, spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said in a statement.

“Many abducted women, children and girls were rescued and handed over to their families,” he added.
Boko Haram, which has said it is fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north, has been accused of carrying out a series of abductions across the region.

The military also said it discovered a series of bunkers dug by the insurgents at the site.

A number of bodies were also found, Musa said.

The dead included people “killed by the terrorists” as well the bodies of presumed Boko Haram fighters which had been buried in the area, according to Musa.

He mentioned “mass graves” found amid the bunkers, but provided no figures or details.

The military has repeatedly been accused of providing misinformation about the Boko Haram conflict, including with respect to casualties.

Boko Haram combatants are known to retrieve the bodies of members killed in clashes. The corpses allegedly found at the site may be those of Islamist fighters killed in previous battles and later buried by the group.

The security forces continue to enforce a mobile phone shut down in much of the northeast, including in Maiduguri.

The communication blackout was imposed in mid-May to block Boko Haram fighters from coordinating attacks amid an ongoing offensive aimed at crushing the insurgency.

With no mobile phone service, it has been difficult to verify or corroborate the military’s accounts of any clashes.

The defence ministry spokesman was not available to comment on the nature of the discoveries at the Maiduguri site.

Nigeria has claimed huge successes against Boko Haram during the offensive, but insurgent attacks have persisted in some areas.
 
There have been three attacks targeting schools in recent weeks in three locations, leaving more than 50 people dead, most of whom were students.

The conflict is estimated to have cost 3,600 lives since 2009, including killings by the security services.

Zenith Bank ranks number one in Nigeria, among world’s top 1,000

ZENITH Bank tops Nigerian banks in this year’s Top 1000 World Banks Ranking of The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times Group, London, United Kingdom. This global recognition further portrays the bank as one of the most preferred in the country.
According to the report, 13 Nigerian banks made the ranking. They are Zenith Bank, First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank, United Bank for Africa, Ecobank, Fidelity Bank, First City Monument Bank, Skye Bank, Diamond Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Union Bank and Standard Chartered Bank.
Zenith Bank moved 35 places from 322 in the world last year to 287; First Bank moved from 338 to 367, Guaranty Bank moved to 417 from 455; Access Bank moved to 506 from 541 and UBA moved to 553 from 563.
The ranking is usually based on the definition of Tier–1 Capital as set out by Basel’s Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and that it aims to show global international banks’ soundness in relation to the Basel guidelines on capital adequacy.
The percentage change in the Tier-1 Capital, which underlines the strength of banks, for Zenith Bank increased by 23.82 per cent, the highest in the wholly Nigerian banks that made the ranking.
In the capital asset ratio of soundness parameter, Zenith Bank came top at 17.70 per cent followed by Guaranty Trust Bank at 16.23 per cent. Third is Fidelity Bank at 15.67 per cent, Standard Chartered Nigeria is fourth at 13.38 per cent followed by FCMB at 12.00 per cent and First Bank at 11.96 per cent; Access Bank at 11.60 per cent; Stanbic IBTC at 11.55 per cent; Ecobank at 11.14 per cent; Skye Bank at 9.90 per cent; UBA at 7.65 per cent; Diamond Bank at 7.31 per cent; and Union Bank at 6.35 per cent.
In the report, South Africa’s banks retained their position as the largest lenders in Africa with Standard Bank remaining in the lead. However, most of the banks have subdued this year as far as Tier1 and asset growth were concerned.
According to the magazine, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) leapfrogged two U.S. banks to top the 2013 global ranking of banks with the most capital, highlighting the growing size and importance of Chinese lenders. ICBC topped The Banker magazine’s annual list of the top 1,000 banks for the first time, relegating Bank of America to third from first, while JPMorgan Chase remained second. ICBC was third last year.

“I do know that all those who planned and carried out the assassination of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola and my husband, M.K.O Abiola, will soon receive their judgment from God,” she said.

MKO’s wife unhappy over release of Al-Mustapha, Shofolahan

One of the wives of Chief Moshood Abiola, Mrs Modupe Onitiri-Abiola, has expressed her dissatisfaction with the acquittal of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Lateef Shofolahan by the Court of Appeal.
The court, on Friday, upturned the death sentence passed on the duo by a Lagos High Court over their involvement in the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola on June 4, 1996.
Al-Mustapha was the former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, while Shofolahan was an aide to Kudirat, wife of the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential.
Abiola won the election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party.
The appellants were set free from the Kirikiri Prisons in Lagos at about 5.30 p.m. after spending over 14 years in detention for their alleged involvement in the murder of Kudirat.
Onitiri-Abiola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, on Sunday, that the court’s decision was unfortunate.
“I feel embarrassed for the justice system of Nigeria and also feel so much pain for the children of the late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.
“How can the Court of Appeal discharge Al-Mustapha and Sofolahan, saying there is no evidence against them.
“I do know that all those who planned and carried out the assassination of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola and my husband, M.K.O Abiola, will soon receive their judgment from God,” she said.

I didn’t graduate with third class - Soyinka

NOBEL Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on Sunday, said he graduated with Second Class Upper Division and not Third Class Honour from the University College, Ibadan, as widely believed.
He said this while fielding questions from 79 secondary school students drawn from different parts of the country, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, as part of 2013 Open Door Series project, “Memoirs of Our Future,” an international cultural exchange programme organised to mark his 79th birthday.
The programme was organised by a Lagos-based multi-media company, Zmirage, in collaboration with the Ogun State government.
Soyinka told the students that he decided to open up on the matter as a mark of respect for them, while urging the students, especially those living in violence-prone areas of the North, not to be discouraged by the activities of Boko Haram.
He admonished the students not to be satisfied with failure, but to strive to be the best in all their undertakings, while tasking President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government and state governors to eliminate barriers and create conducive environment for Nigerians to access qualitative education.
The literary icon enjoined the students not to be discouraged by certain negative events, but should rather draw inspiration from the life of a 16-year-old Pakistani girl, Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head on October 9, 2012 by Taliban fighters over her campaign for girl-child education in Pakistan.
He told the students that Malala, on Friday, addressed the maiden United Nations Youth Assembly, where she called on world leaders to provide free education to all children and further vowed not to relent in her campaign.
Professor Soyinka asked the federal and state governments to obtain the speech of Malala and make it available to all libraries, schools and archives, to serve as reference point for upcoming generations.
“It looks very negative and hopeless. We must not allow ourselves to be discouraged. And the fact that people are still going to schools in those areas (violence-prone areas of northern Nigeria) shows that we should not be discouraged. You are not a complete human being if you are not educated, schooled or cultured.
“No matter what goes around you, you (students) must insist on your education. I am demanding from governors and the Federal Government to obtain the speech of that young girl (Malala), burn it into CDs (compact discs) and make it available to all libraries, schools and archives,” he said.
Soyinka said he would have loved to become an architect or a trained musician, and described his first teacher (one Mr Olagbaju) as his role model.
“I would have loved to be an architect or a musician, not an amateur but a trained one, and if I have the opportunity to sit behind a pilot in the plane, I would have loved to be an airplane pilot. When I left school, I wanted to be a journalist. I actually sat for an exam to be absolved in Daily Times…but after the exam, I was told that I wrote a short story and not a news story. So, I was not taken. Thank goodness, I did not become a journalist,” he added.
The Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, had earlier urged the students not to relent in their educational pursuits.
He described Soyinka as “a world citizen,” while he also advised the participants in the essay competition to emulate the life of the Nobel Laureate.
Amosun later presented prizes to five winners of the essay competition.
The first prize went to Motolani Akinpelu of Oladipo Alayande School of Science, Oke Bola, Ibadan, while the second prize went to Andrew Adedero of Mount Saint Gabriel Secondary School, Makurdi, Benue State.
Tomisin Adebisi and Chukwu Winke of Lead City High School, Ibadan, Oyo State and Dority International School, Aba, Abia State, jointly emerged third, while Odiakosa Alfred of St. Charles Secondary School, Onitsha, Enugu State, came fifth.

Late nights sap children’s brain power....the reason why there is mass failure in our schools these days

Late nights and lax bedtime routines can blunt young children’s minds, research suggests.
The findings on sleep patterns and brain power come from a United Kingdom study of more than 11,000 seven-year-olds.
Youngsters who had no regular bedtime or who went to bed later than 21:00 had lower scores for reading and maths.
Lack of sleep may disrupt natural body rhythms and impair how well the brain learns new information say the study authors.
They gathered data on the children at the ages of three, five and then seven to find out how well they were doing with their learning and whether this might be related to their sleeping habits.
Erratic bedtimes were most common at the age of three, when around one in five of the children went to bed at varying times.
By the age of seven, more than half the children had a regular bedtime of between 19:30 and 20:30.

Scientists building the world's first synthetic yeast

By Melissa Hogenboom Science rep

Synthetic yeast could be used to make biofuels and vaccines

A UK team is building a synthetic chromosome to be inserted into the world's first synthetic yeast.

Teams worldwide are making the other parts of its genome, which will be assembled to make the yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Once complete, new strains of synthetic yeast could help make products such as vaccines, biofuels and chemicals.
The UK government has announced a grant of almost £1m towards the project, which aims to be complete by 2017.
Synthetic biology involves assembling artificial genes to create new materials in a similar way that engineers build machines using many parts. Some even think it can form the basis of a new industrial revolution.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

Now we have the opportunity to adapt yeasts further, turning them into predictable and robust hosts for manufacturing the complex products we need for modern living ”

Prof Paul Freemont Imperial College London

Humans have successfully learnt to control many aspects of nature, from agriculture to artificial insemination - now the emerging field of synthetic biology appears next in line to take centre stage.

The world's first living cell controlled entirely by synthetic DNA was made in 2010, but this was in a bacterial cell without a nucleus; yeast is a much more complex cell.
Like humans and plants, yeast is a eukaryotic organism that contains complex structures that store DNA within a nucleus. It was picked as it only has about 6,000 genes which makes it small compared to other more complex organisms such as plants.
Computerised DNA Now a team around the world will make up the 16 chromosomes needed to complete the yeast genome, including researchers from the US, China and India.
Chunks of DNA will be designed by teams on computers, which will then be synthesised by specialised companies. The teams will then assemble the pieces of DNA in a sequential manner and insert them into a yeast cell, first stripping out its natural DNA.
Tom Ellis is leading the UK team with Paul Freemont, both from Imperial College London. Prof Freemont explained that building genetic structures such as chromosomes is a fundamental process for synthetic biology, where human features can be implemented into chromosomes to allow them to be manipulated.

Continue reading the main story

Is DNA the 'smartest' molecule in existence?

"Yeasts have evolved over millions of years, making energy from sugars and excreting alcohol and carbon dioxide gas," he said.

"Humans have adapted these organisms to their advantage, using their by-products to make alcoholic drinks and risen baked goods.
"Now we have the opportunity to adapt yeasts further, turning them into predictable and robust hosts for manufacturing the complex products we need for modern living."
The work could help scientists gain a better understanding of human biology, Prof Freemont added.
"Yeast is a model organism we use to study cancer. It has the architecture and some of the coding regulatory systems we have. Therefore, it's a massive leap forward because these are individual chromosomes that have all the abilities to mimic the chromosomes in our own cells."
'Unparalleled opportunities' The international project is being co-ordinated by Prof Jef Boeke of John Hopkins University in Baltimore, US.
He said that once complete, it would provide "unparalleled opportunities" for asking some profound questions about biology such as: "How much genome scrambling generates a new species? How many genes can we delete from the genome and still have a healthy yeast? And how can an organism adapt its gene networks to cope with the loss of an important gene?
"Moreover, genome scrambling may find many uses in biotechnology, for example in the development of yeast that can tolerate higher ethanol levels."

Like humans and plants, yeast is a eukaryotic organism

David Willetts, minister for universities and science, said the work will impact important industrial sectors like life sciences and agriculture.
"This research is truly groundbreaking and pushes the boundaries of synthetic biology.
"Thanks to this investment, UK scientists will be at the centre of an international effort using yeast - which gives us everything from beer to biofuels - to provide new research techniques and unparalleled insights into genetics."

5.9kg cocaine abandoned at Lagos airport

 by Comfort Oseghale 

DRUGS suspected to be cocaine, weighing 5.9kg, has been abandoned by a suspected drug trafficking syndicate at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.

The drug, which was detected by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, was hidden inside some industrial equipment.

A statement by the Head of Public Affairs, NDLEA, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said the industrial equipments were said to have originated from panama.

NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr Hamza Umar said that the cocaine consignment was left unclaimed.

He said, “The luggage was imported from Panama. When nobody came forward to claim ownership, we invited other security agencies and carried out search. It was through the search that the cocaine was discovered inside the equipment.”

The statement added that the discovery was made as a suspected drug trafficker excreted 54 wraps of cocaine he had ingested in Brazil.

Umar said, “Onyema Nnamdi, 36, was apprehended in connection with the ingestion of 54 wraps of cocaine, weighing 875 grammes.”

Nnamdi claimed that he intended to marry with $4,000 that was promised as payment.

He said, “I have struggled in my life but I have nothing to show for it. I was in Cape Verde for six years before I went to Brazil in March 2013. My decision was to use the proceeds to marry and settle down.”

Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Ahmadu Giade promised to investigate the illegal shipment and expose those behind it.

He said, “Drug barons have no hiding place. This abandoned seizure is an indication that we are winning the war on narcotics. This case shall be thoroughly investigated and those that are responsible be exposed and brought to justice.”

Important Information Concerning the Benefits of Watching Stand Up Comedy !

These days we live in a world that is full of stress and worry. With the cost of living rising faster now than at any time in recent memory, people are having to work more hours and even multiple jobs and are still finding it impossible to pay their bills. The truth is that this is the main cause of the worry and stress that is causing so many problems for people in our present society. To learn more about the funny stand-up comedians, follow the link.

For those of us who are in this kind of situation it is vital that we avoid becoming obsessed with our financial issues. Of course, we should give them the attention that they deserve, but there is medical evidence that suggests that overwork, worry and stress actually contribute to serious physical illnesses. Studies have shown that the high stress lifestyle increases the likelihood of digestive problems, cancer, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Interestingly enough, the antidote to this high stress lifestyle, aside from  anti depressants, cholesterol and blood pressure medicine, is something very simple: laughter. Laughter has been scientifically proven to offer people who suffer from high stress both long and short term physical and mental benefits to their health. For many of our problems the old saying that laughter is the best medicine can be said to be literally true. Find out more information about the dark humor from the best comedians stand-up.

The immediate benefits of laughter are to the heart, lungs and brain. When we laugh we take in large amounts of oxygen which stimulates our lungs and heart and causes the brain to release endorphins that produce a feeling of well being. When we enjoy laughter we are actually able to feel less stress and therefore the harmful affects of the stress are lessened. There is also evidence that digestion can help improve digestion and proper circulation and therefore benefit health.

One of the best ways to enjoy laughter is by watching stand up comedians. But finding stand up comedy on TV, even with cable, is not as easy as it used to be. The Internet is actually the best source for stand up comedy videos. Whether you are looking for legendary comedians, new stand up comedy talent, dark humor or just the best stand up comedians ever, you will be able to find whatever you are looking for on the Internet. Read more about comedians at http://topcomedianstv.com/search.php.

By taking the time to visit a comedy video website you will be able to watch hours of the best comedy videos available whenever you have the time to watch. By laughing and enjoying hours of comedy videos you will not just have a good time but you will be tapping in to a scientifically proven source of improved health and well being: that is laughter.

Computer mouse inventor, Doug Engelbart, dies at 88 ...WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO AFFECT LIVES LIKE HE DID?........think about it!

The inventor of the computer mouse, Doug Engelbart, has died aged 88.
Engelbart developed the tool in the 1960s as a wooden shell covering two metal wheels, patenting it long before the mouse’s widespread use.
He also worked on early incarnations of email, word processing and video teleconferences at a California research institute.
The state’s Computer History Museum was notified of his death by his daughter, Christina, in an email.
Her father had been in poor health and died peacefully on Tuesday night in his sleep, she said.
Doug Engelbart was born on 30 January 1925 in Portland, Oregon, to a radio repairman father and a housewife mother.
He studied electrical engineering at Oregon State University and served as a radar technician during World War II.
He then worked at Nasa’s predecessor, Naca, as an electrical engineer, but soon left to pursue a doctorate at University of California, Berkeley.
His interest in how computers could be used to aid human cognition eventually led him to Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and then his own laboratory, the Augmentation Research Center.
His laboratory helped develop ARPANet, the government research network that led to the internet.
Engelbart’s ideas were way ahead of their time in an era when computers took up entire rooms and data was fed into the hulking machines on punch cards.
At a now legendary presentation that became known as the “mother of all demos” in San Francisco in 1968, he made the first public demonstration of the mouse.
At the same event, he held the first video teleconference and explained his theory of text-based links, which would form the architecture of the internet.
He did not make much money from the mouse because its patent ran out in 1987, before the device became widely used.
SRI licensed the technology in 1983 for $40,000 (£26,000) to Apple.
At least one billion computer mouses have been sold.
Engelbart had considered other designs for his most famous invention, including a device that could be fixed underneath a table and operated by the knee.
He was said to have been driven by the belief that computers could be used to augment human intellect.
Engelbart was awarded the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT prize in 1997 and the National Medal of Technology for “creating the foundations of personal computing” in 2000.
Since 2005, he had been a fellow at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
He is survived by his second wife, Karen O’Leary Engelbart, and four children.

ASUU/ASUP strike: Ignore ministers’ reports, dialogue with workers, TUC charges Jonathan •As Yabatech students, others protest

In a frank message to the President, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to ignore the reports of his ministers on the ongoing crises in the nations’ universities and polytechnics, declaring that the ministers will never tell him the truth about the situation in the education sector.
Rather, the congress advised the President to dialogue with the university and polytechnic teachers that are both on nationwide strikes.   “We urge President Goodluck Jonathan not to rely solely on reports from people in his cabinet who might never tell him the truth about the situation at hand. From one side of their lips they tell us that Nigeria has a robust and strong economy, and from the other side they tell us that from October, 2013 the government may have problems paying workers’ salaries/allowances. Something is definitely wrong somewhere.
“If nothing is wrong, there is no reason why an agreement that was signed in 2009 with stakeholders in the tertiary institutions is yet to be honoured four years later. This is not only preposterous, but also has a devastating and fatal consequence on sanctity of contract,” the TUC said in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and the Secretary-General, Comrade Musa Lawal.
The congress said it was particularly troubled taking into cognisance the abysmal performance of students in their examination and other academic endeavours, adding, “If the nation must enter the club of 20 leading countries in the world, we must begin to address these issues holistically.”
The statement said the congress was highly disturbed by the various strikes embarked upon by the ASUU and their counterparts in ASUP, saying that the strike had been brewing for four years, being a fall-out of the Federal Government’s non-implementation of some key clauses in a Memorandum of Understanding that it entered into with the lecturers in 2009.
It therefore called on the government to engage the workers, adding, “The TUC wishes to appeal to government to engage all the striking workers in a dialogue to resolve the issues at stake and give room for more conducive and optimally productive working environment.”
“The educational downslide and attendant problems must be stopped lest we find ourselves in an abyss. The government should take decisive action that will meet the legitimate needs and expectations of ASUU and ASUP.  The time to do that is now!”
MEANWHILE, angry students from Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) and other higher institutions on Tuesday disrupted traffic along Ikorodu Road in Lagos State to protest against the continued closure of their school.
The students gathered under the umbrella of Nigeria Education Right Coalition against Commercialisation of  Education in Nigeria.0
The students were protesting the indefinite strike, embarked upon by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), which has been on for months now.
The visibly angry students rebuffed efforts by men of the Nigeria Police to disperse them as they chanted war songs.
Some of the students laid down on the middle of ever-busy Ikorodu road, while others were busy distributing fliers to drivers who were driving at snail speed on the other side of the road.
One of the students, who simply identified himself as Bright, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune carpeted the Federal Government and the Minister of Education for what he described as “uncaring attitude”
When contacted , the image maker in charge of the state police command , Ngozi Braide said that she was not aware of any protest and promised to find out from the appropriate authority.

Nigeria to probe crazy 79-0, 67-0 scores!!!

  by AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

0
inShare

LAGOS, Nigeria, July 9 – Nigeria’s top football authority has suspended four teams who reported “mind-boggling” results from their play-offs matches, describing the scores of 79-0 and 67-0 as “scandalous” tallies that must be probed.
Plateau United Feeders and Police Machine FC both needed convincing wins to earn promotions to the Nigeria Nationwide League, but officials immediately rejected the eye-popping results.
In a statement, the country’s Football Federation described the scores as “a mind-boggling show of shame never previously witnessed in Nigeria.”
“Plateau United Feeders somehow manufactured a 79-0 victory over Akurba FC while Police Machine FC demolished Babayaro FC 67-0.”
Federation spokesman Ademola Olajire told AFP a deal was certainly struck among the sides, but the details, including whether any money changed hands, are not yet known.
“We are setting up an investigation. We don’t know exactly what happened. We just feel scandalised,” he said.
“The four teams involved are suspended immediately and indefinitely,” federation chairman Mike Emeh said in a statement.
Everyone involved in the Monday matches, including officials and staff at the pitch in northern Bauchi state, could face sanctions, the federation said.