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Could your brain keep on living even after your body dies? Sounds like science fiction, but celebrated theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking recently suggested that technology could make it possible. “I think the brain is like a program in the mind, which is like a computer,” Hawking said last week during an appearance at the Cambridge Film Festival, The Telegraph reported. “So it’s theoretically possible to copy the brain on to a computer and so provide a form of life after death.” He acknowledged that such a feat lies “beyond our present capabilities,” adding that “the conventional afterlife is a fairy tale for people afraid of the dark.” Hawking, 71, made the remarks in conjunction with the premiere of a new documentary about his life. He has spoken previously about what he calls the “fairy story” of heaven and the afterlife. Likening thehuman brain to a computer whose components will fail, he s...

The Federal Government has imposed a luxury tax on private jet owners and operators in the country. As a result, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has directed the owners and operators of private jets to pay the sum of $4,000 for every flight departure within the country. According to a memo to all private jet operators and obtained by our correspondents, the NCAA ordered that Nigerian-registered private jets would henceforth pay the sum of $3,000 for every departure, while foreign registered private jets would pay $4,000 per departure. The memo, dated August 28, 2013, and signed by the Director-General, NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, was titled, ‘Order charging certain fees on operations in general aviation.’ The memo, with reference number: NCAA/DG/OR/GA/VOL.11/2013/06, reads, “In compliance with the provisions of Section 30 (2) (q) & (s) of the Civil Aviation Act of 2006, the Authority hereby orders: All foreign registered aircraft e...

Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, says he is confident that the protracted strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities will soon be called off. Okojie, who spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at a meeting with journalists, said the commission had been doing everything within its powers to ensure a speedy resolution of the issues raised by ASUU so that students could return school. He said, “We are part of the system and we understand the issues, we are meeting with members of the union all the time and the issues are being tackled. “So, we are optimistic that the strike will soon be called off and our children can go back to school in the shortest possible time.” The NUC boss also reacted to the call by ASUU for NUC to be scrapped, saying “the call is not in good faith as the commission has not gone to sleep over its duties.” Also speaking on the recurrent disagreement between the comm...

A video believed to have been released by the wanted leader of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, also known as Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, surfaced in Maiduguri on Wednesday. In it, a man claiming to be Shekau, debunked earlier claims by the Nigerian military that he died from gunshot wounds on August 19, 2013. The then JTF spokesman in Borno State, Lt Col Sagir Musa, had in a statement said, “Intelligence report available to the JTF Operation Restore Order revealed that Shekau, the most dreaded and wanted terrorists’ leader may have died. “He died of gunshots wounds received in an encounter with the JTF in one of their camps in Sambisa Forest on June 30 , 2013. Shekau was mortally wounded in the encounter and was sneaked into Amitchide-a border community in Cameroon for treatment from which he never recovered.” But in the video, Shekau said the world “should know that he could not die except by the will ...

Nollywood actor and TV host, Chidi Mokeme, has been approved as the host of the new season of Gulder Ultimate Search reality TV show. This year’s edition of the show started in Uyo, Akwa- Ibom State, on September 23, 2013, Monday. Mokeme who anchored the reality TV show, in its first and second seasons made a stunning comeback as the anchor man last year after taking over from erstwhile presenter, Bob Manuel Udokwu. The actor was officially announced as the host of the reality TV show, at the selection party of the Gulder Ultimate Search 10 finalists which held inside the New Expo Hall of Eko Hotel and Suites, weekend, in Lagos. Also at the event, the last 12 finalists that will scavenge the Usaka Forest of Akwa- Ibom State were unveiled. Speaking at the event, Mokeme disclosed that he was looking forward to a thrilling time in the jungle. He also advised the contestants “to gear up for the rigorous challenges that make up the upcoming adventure, fo...

The Federal Ministry of Environment says it will phase out the use of trichloroethane substance by 2015 as part of efforts to protect the ozone layer. The Deputy Director, Pollution and Environmental Health, in the ministry, Mr Kashimu Bayero, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday that methyl bromide would also be phased out by the same period. Trichloroethane (TCA) is a solvent used in the cleaning industry and also used as a processing agent while Methyl bromide is a substance used for fumigation and preservation in the agriculture industry. Bayero said that the ministry had set the target for banning the use of the substances in line with the deadline set by the Montreal Protocol to phase out ozone- depleting substances in developing countries. The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. “Th...

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Andrew Pocock, has said the British government is reviewing its plan to introduce a £3,000 visa bond scheme. He also said while there were security concerns in Nigeria, they were not overwhelming in many respects and could be managed. Pocock said this on Wednesday when he visited the Nigerian Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell, and to discuss ways in which more British companies could be encouraged to invest in the nation’s capital market. Reports had emerged earlier this year that the British government was planning to implement a new scheme under which some visitors from some Commonwealth countries, including Nigeria, would be asked to pay a £3,000 cash bond in return for visitor visas that allowed them to stay in the UK for up to six months. “In the long run, we are interested in a system of bonds that deters overstaying and recovers costs if a foreign national has used our public servic...

Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, says he is confident that the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will soon be called off. Speaking, Wednesday, in Abuja, at a media parley with journalists, Okojie said the commission was doing everything within its powers to ensure a speedy resolution of the issues raised by ASUU so that students could return to school. “We are part of the system and we understand the issues, we are meeting with members of the union all the time and the issues are being tackled. “So, we are optimistic the strike will soon be called off and our children can go back to school in the shortest possible time,” he said. In reaction to the call by ASUU for NUC to be scrapped, Okojie said “the call is not in good faith as the commission has not gone to sleep over its duties”. Also speaking on the recurrent disagreements between the commi...

ABUJA (AFP) – Boko Haram Islamists opened fire Friday on security operatives conducting an operation near a legislative building in Abuja, sparking a gunfight that injured several people, the intelligence branch said. RESCUE OPERATORS EVACUATING REMAINS OF PEOPLE KILLED IN AN UNCOMPLETED BUILDING BY UNKNOWN GUNMEN AT APO ZONE E IN ABUJA ON FRIDAY (20/9/13). Following a tipoff from arrested Boko Haram fighters, security forces headed to a purported weapons cache behind the building in Abuja’s Apo neighbourhood, said Marilyn Ogar, spokeswoman for the Department of State Services. Shortly after midnight they started “digging for the arms”, Ogar said in a statement. They then “came under heavy gunfire attack by… Boko Haram elements within the area, which prompted immediate response from the security team,” she said. “Some persons were injured and 12 others were arrested in connection with the incident,” Ogar ad...

Death toll in last Tuesday’s Boko Haram attack on Beneshiek has risen to 87. Following the gruesome attack by the terrorists, who disguised in military uniforms, 23 persons were reported killed while several others were declared missing. An official of Borno State Environment Protection Agency, Mallam Saidu Yakubu, however, confirmed yesterday that “87 bodies were recovered in the bush and our people are still searching for more.” Saidu disclosed this to newsmen when he accompanied Governor Kashim Shettima to the scene of the massacre. Meanwhile, Islamist insurgents have rampaged through a town in Yobe State with heavy weapons, setting public buildings on fire and killing a soldier and the wife of a senior policeman, authorities said yesterday. The Wednesday attack was the latest carnage to hit the region, which has seen an upsurge in violence in recent days. Armed with Kalashnikovs, rocket launchers and homemade bombs, the terrorists stormed ...

He has all the riches he could ever dream for in this life. But to avoid any risk of missing out in the afterlife, wealthy entrepreneur ‘Count Scarpa’ is burying his greatest treasure – his new £310,000 Bentley convertible. In a bizarre announcement on his Facebook page the 62-year-old declared that he plans to do as the Pharaohs of Egypt did and take his riches with him when he dies by burying them. So tomorrow, he will entomb his brand new Bentley Continental worth over £310,000 to make sure he has a comfortable journey into the ‘other side’. The funeral ceremony, he promises, will be at 11am. His Bentley is his prized possession, so he’s burying it, inspired by the Egyptian Pharaohs, in the hope of having it in his afterlife. In a photo on his social network site Count Scarpa stands beside his black Flying Spur, the latest model on the market, with a cockatoo on his arm and writes: ‘I decided to do as the Ph...

LAGOS—Worried by the epileptic power supply in the country, a pressure group, Good Governance Initiative, GGI, has disclosed that aside from being a dumping ground for power generating sets, Nigerians spent over N25 billion importing same in 2012, the highest in the world. President of the initiative, Mr. Festus Mbisiogu, called on Nigerians to extract a promise from the preferred bidders of the unbundled Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, assets to improve on the current generation of power to grow the economy. He said: “The epileptic power supply has remained a cog in the wheel of the nation’s progress and is eating deep into the profits of businesses, particularly of companies that incur huge expenses in powering their businesses. “The insufficient public power supply has led to the relocation of most multinational companies to other African countries, those who decided to stay back rely on generators, while those that can’t...

The Super Eagles are expected to stay in Calabar for the final match of their World Cup qualifying series despite the re- opening of the National Stadium, Abuja. Over the last two years, with the Abuja Stadium pitch in disrepair and overgrown by weeds, the Cross River State capital has hosted the majority of Nigeria’s international fixtures, including cadet games. But the freshly-regressed National Stadium was re-opened on Tuesday and there have been suggestions that the NFF might move the Super Eagles back there in November when they host Ethiopia. A top official of the NFF said that that scenario was very unlikely. “As far as the federation is concerned at this moment, there is no reason to change the venue,” the official said. “If the NFF decides to bring the team to Abuja and anything goes wrong, people will say it is because the venue has changed. “In any case, it will be the height of ingratitude to the government and people o...

Wondering what else can be done with the toilet apart from it's main purpose! You guys are free to drop your comments in the box below!  Like seriously! This is outrageous! Lol!

The bill will provide a legal footing for the federal government’s internet and phone spy program. The Nigerian Senate, Wednesday, brushed aside public discontent with a secret federal internet and phone spy program, and gave an early approval to a legislation seeking to empower authorities to intercept electronic communications between, and from Nigerians. On their second legislative day from a two-month break, senators voted in support of a second reading for A Bill for An Act to Provide for the Interception, Development And Protection of Communications Networks and Facilities For Public Interest And Other Related Matters, 2013. If given a third reading eventually, approved by the House of Representatives, and signed into law by the president, law enforcement agencies will have the powers to monitor and seize Internet and phone data-including emails, text messages, phone records and more- from several millions of Nigerians, a privilege many Nigerians fe...

LAGOS — The federal government said, yesterday, that Nigerian owners of foreign registered private jets were taking out of the country annually over $10 million through payment of foreign cockpit crew, charges and taxes overseas. According to government, this has further assisted to boost capital flight out of the country. Coordinating General Manager, Corporate Communications of Aviation Agencies, Mr. Yakubu Dati, who disclosed this in Lagos, also revealed that owners of private jets who use them to operate illegal charter services were ripping off the country of well-deserved revenue and destroying legally registered commercial charter operators who abide by the regulations of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. He said it was to stop the exploitation of the country and grow the business of registered charter operators that the regulatory agency slammed $3,000 on every operation of private jet owners who use their aircraft to carry out illegal servic...

ABUJA — PEEVED by alleged comments by Minister of State for Finance, Dr Yerima Ngama that the 2013 budget was no longer implementable due to what he called “over-bloated revenue estimates by the National Assembly”, the Senate yesterday, directed its Committee on Finance to, as a matter of urgency, summon the two ministers of finance to appear before it to defend the allegation. The Senate also said it was awaiting the Accountant-General of the Federation to present before it, the various monies released in the on-going year for ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, in accordance with clauses 6 and 9 of the 2013 Appropriation Act. Finance Minister, Ngozi-Okonjo-Iweala The development came even as Senate President, David Mark blamed the various committees for not doing enough to monitor budget performances by the executive arm of government. The Senate which deliberated the issue at its plenary, mandated Committees on Finance and Appropriat...

ASUU has been on strike since June 30. The Vice President Namadi Sambo has, in a bid to end the continuous gridlock in the dialogue between the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and federal government, taken over the negotiation process. The government’s negotiation team was formerly headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim. For the first time since the commencement of the over 10-week-old strike action by the union, the Vice President met with the leadership of the union at the Presidential Villa on Thursday. The meeting was held behind closed doors. Nigerian Universities have been shut down since June 30 as a result of federal government’s failure to honour an agreement signed between it and ASUU in 2009 bothering on issues of university funding and improvement of infrastructure in the sector. Speaking to journalists at the Presidential Villa after the closed door meeting, the ASUU President, Nasir Fagge, s...

Koko Master Dbanj stepped out in grand style,as he attended the Sound city Nokia lumia party that held at the Civic centre Lagos. DBanj wore his Jon Buscemi Luxury, a high quality shoe which features,a full grain Italian leather upper that comes equipped with a 18K plated detailing on the ankle strap with a working lock and clochette. According to reports, the shoes would go for N130,000. “Painting the town red tonite with my Buscemi toh bad!! OooSssHhhEee!!!!”. The musician announced on his instagram page as he posted the photo.

Bill Gates has reclaimed the title of world’s richest person from Mexico’s Carlos Slim with a net worth of $72 billion, according to Forbes annual rankings. Warren Buffett, again number two, was the year’s biggest dollar gainer, having added $12.5 billion to his fortune. Facebook’s hot stock pumped up Mark Zuckerberg’s fortune by $9.6 billionand put him back into the top 20 after missing the top cut last year; Carl Icahn lost his battle to stop Dell from going private but he had a great year and moves back in the top 20 for the first time since 2008. The biggest percentage gainer was Workday’s David Duffield, whose fortune more than tripled to $6.4 billion, and just behind him in terms of percentage jumps was the entrepreneur Elon Musk , now worth $6.7 billion and ranked 61st. Source: Yahoo!

The student leader says he and his colleagues could no longer keep quiet while officials toy with their future. The National President, National Association of Nigerian Students, (NANS) said Monday Nigerian students have lost confidence in the administration of President Jonathan in revamping the educational sector to international standard. Prince Miaphen said in a statement distributed to journalists that the Jonathan administration had failed to address the lingering ASUU crisis and by so doing thwarting past efforts to rev up the standard of education in the country. “It worrisome and infuriating that the administration of Goodluck Jonathan has failed to implement the 2009 agreement reached with ASUU. This as a result has caused a great setback in the pursuit of education by Nigerian students.” The NAN president said the Jonathan administration was toeing the path of his predecessors who he said paid lip services to education and other sensitive ...

More prominent British leaders have continued to speak out against the British government’s plan to impose a refundable £3000 visa bond on Nigerians. The new UK plan is to make foreign visitors from Nigeria, Ghana, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka routinely pay a security deposit to come to the U.K., an idea that has spurred outrage in countries such as India and Nigeria. Officials and business people in the affected countries have condemned the proposal, and the British government has not said how many visa applicants will have to pay the bond. The UK government plans to begin a pilot project in November involving “high-risk” countries. Some visitors will have to pay a £3,000 ($4,800) deposit, which will be refunded upon departure but forfeited if travelers overstay their visas. But yesterday, Britain’s deputy prime minister ,said he will try to block any such move to pay the visa bond. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg...

The Presidency on Sunday alleged that the former FCT Minister who is also the Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Mallam Nasir El- Rufai, was attacking President Goodluck Jonathan, because he sought a favour which was not granted. A statement by the Special Assistant (New Media) to the President, Mr. Reno Omokri, in Abuja, described as unfortunate, el-Rufai’s comments contained in the interview published in a national daily on Saturday. Omokri said El-Rufai had also said in the interview that “nothing can make Jonathan succeed and that the President is grossly incompetent, because he doesn’t listen, and doesn’t even understand the issues.” But the Presidential aide urged the public “not to be misled by the machinations of el-Rufai, a man who is in dire need of prayers and perhaps psychological assistance.” Omokri alleged that “Nasir el-Rufai wanted something from the President which was why...

Both factions to meet again on October 7. Leaders of the two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, met on Sunday night at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The late night meeting was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan and attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo and the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Tony Anenih. The meeting was attended by the seven governors in the new PDP faction led by Abubakar Baraje including Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Abdulfattah Ahmed (Kwara), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto). Two governors from the Bamanga Tukur- led PDP- Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and Idris Wada (Kogi)- were also in attendance. At the end of the meeting, the two factions were urged to desist from uttering further inflammatory statements capable of widening the divide while efforts are ongoing to resolve the crisis. The meeting, held at the First La...

Commanding Officer of Special Operation Battalion, Mubi, Lt.- Col Beyidi Martins, yesterday, confirmed the arrest of 11 suspected Boko Haram members in Michika, Adamawa State. Beyidi told newsmen in Yola, Adamawa State, that the suspects were arrested on Saturday by men of the battalion and JTF from Maiduguri, Borno State, with the assistance of Civilian JTF. He said six of the suspects were taken to Maiduguri, while two of the remaining five brou-ght to Mubi died resisting arrest.

No fewer than 14 people died on Saturday when a vehicle plunged into a river on Bahindi-Kende road in Bagudo Local Government Area of Kebbi, local officials and the media said. The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kebbi Council, Tukur Mari, who witnessed the accident said it occurred at midnight Saturday. The Vice-Chairman of Bagudo Local Government, Aliyu Zagga, and the District Head of Kende, Bello Zagga, also confirmed the incident. Mr. Mari said the accident occurred when the driver of the vehicle lost control of the car, which fell into the Kende River. He said 14 of the 15 passengers in the vehicle died. A survivor, Shamsuddeen Kende, was receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Dakingari, while the dead were buried on Sunday morning according to Islamic rites, he said.

ENUGU—A three-storey building under construction at 16, Nnobi Street in Enugu State capital, collapsed in the early hours of Saturday. No casualty was recorded. The building, which consists of 13 flats and a penthouse, and had been roofed, suddenly came down at 6.40am, forcing residents in the neighbourhood to scamper for safety. Governor Sullivan Chime’s private house, known as Thinkers’ Lodge, a one-storey apartment, is located on the same street in Uwani, which is close to Enugu South Local Government secretariat. The owner of the building, identified as Paschal Eneh from Udi town in Udi Local Government Area, where Governor Chime also hails from, currently resides in South Africa. ECTDA report State Commissioners for Lands and Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ujam and Engr. Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, respectively, who rushed to the scene shortly after the incident, said the building collapsed due to structura...

ASUU Strike: “New PDP” calls for fasting, prayers. A factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Abubakar Baraje, has requested all members of the party worldwide to embark on seven days of fasting and prayers commencing from Monday, September 16 as one of the ways of resolving the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. Mr. Baraje said his faction decided to commit the present logjam in educational sector to God because it has proven too intractable for the Federal Government to solve. He said his party was deeply concerned by the plight of students and parents due to the continued closure of public universities following the strike by ASUU to protest the Federal Government’s failure to implement the agreement it signed with the Union in 2009. “Muslims all over the nation and abroad who are PDP members should close their fast by this Friday, 20th of September, 2013, at their places of worship while...

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has renewed his contract with the club, which had been due to expire in 2015, the Spanish giants confirmed on Sunday. The Portuguese international will attend a ceremony at 1:45 pm (1145 GMT) with Real president Florentino Perez at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium to mark the renewal of his deal, the club said on its website. The 28-year-old’s record since joining Madrid from Manchester United for a then world record 94 million euros back in 2009 has been phenomenal with the Portuguese scoring 203 times in 203 appearances. Real Madrid did not give details of the contract extention, but Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that the deal will run until 2018 and make Ronaldo the best paid player in the world. “The salary of the player will be close to 20 million euros, making him the best paid footballer in the world,” it said. Four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi was the previous highest pa...

Perhaps you have found out the hard way that trying to impress women we consider hot and se'xy does not help. Perhaps you are still on your journey to discovery. Many men try too hard to impress ladies in the hope of getting them to like them and later, perhaps get into bed with them. What they do not know is that being too nice to a woman, agreeing with everything she says, and being too accommodating actually pushes you further from her. So called hot girls usually know what you will do before you do it. Many a time, it will take being different or offsetting her usual expectation to 'catch her eye.' Being spineless, predictable and obedient to her every whim only tells her how weak, needy, boring and inferior you are to her. Once you expose her 'superiority' over you through your actions, she will take that position and actually live it. You will then be perpetually out of her league. So how do you avoid making the mistakes many men make? ...

'Fear women'. This is a simple but serious warning we see written on cars and shops. We also hear it in our everyday talk. Those who adhere to this philosophy will tell you of stories they have heard, seen and experienced about how men have been destroyed by women. But why should men fear women? A man has 40 per cent by weight of muscle but a woman has only 20 per cent. A man has more blood, more oxygen and more hormones to give him twice the brute strength of a woman. Men, therefore, tragically think women are the weaker vessel. What they fail to appreciate is that in the weak vessel is a powerful anointing that a woman can use to still the strongest tsunami of a man to a whisper by simply raising one finger. If a woman realises her power and decides to use it, she can own a man irrespective of who or what he is. A woman's power over man dates back to Biblical days. Adam was crushed by Eve. Sampson, who was very powerful, surrendered to Delliah. Da...