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Showing posts from January, 2017

Tearful Dad Selling Pens With Daughter on the Streets. Then a Single Picture Changes His Whole Life

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After being photographed selling pens roadside in Lebanon, Abdul Halim al-Attar now has a new home for his children and the bakery of his dreams. Back in 2015, a photo of Abdul Halim al-Attar, a Syrian refugee living in Lebanon, showing him selling pens on the side of the street went viral. That picture changed his life forever. Hussein Malla / AP After the internet managed to track him down, an IndieGoGo campaign in his name raised an incredible $191,000. Hussein Malla / AP Al-Attar has only gotten 40% of the amount left after banking and processing fees — about $168,000 — so far, thanks to difficulties in transferring the funds to Lebanon. PayPal doesn’t operate in Lebanon, forcing a friend of the fundraising campaign to bring over withdrawn amounts from Dubai. But the amount he’s received has helped both him and other Syrian refugees. Though he told BuzzFeed News in August that he was hoping to move to Europe, when the Associated Press caught up with hi...

Guy Leaves Dress In The Dead Sea For 2 Months And The Result Is Extraordinary

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For her project titled Salt Bride, Israeli artist Sigalit Landau decided to submerge a black gown in the Dead Sea. The gown spent 2 months in the salt-rich waters in 2014, and as you can see from these stunning pictures, the end result is nothing short of magical. The project is an eight-part photo series inspired by S. Ansky’s 1916 play titled Dybbuk. The play is about a young Hasidic woman who becomes possessed by the spirit of her dead lover, and Landau’s salt-encrusted gown is a replica of the one worn in the dramatic production of the 1920s. Landau checked on the black gown various times in order to capture the gradual process of salt crystalisation that you can see in the pictures below. You can also see them at London’s Marlborough Contemporary, where they’ll be on display until September 3rd. Image credits: Sigalit Landau/Marlborough Contemporary Image credits: Sigalit Landau/Marlborough Contemporary Image credits: Sigalit Landau/M...

Breaking: Adeboye retires as RCCG’s General Overseer

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Enoch Adeboye Pastor Enouch Adejare Adeboye has retired as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God  (RCCG) in Nigeria. He announced the decision on Saturday morning at the Annual Ministers Thanksgiving of the Church in Shimawa, Ogun State. Pastor Joseph Obayemi, former Special Assistant to the General Overseer (SATGO) on Finance was named as the new General Overseer. Adeboye, popularly called Daddy G.O by Church members also named Pastor Johnson Odesola, who was the Special Assistant on Administration and Personnel, as the church Secretary. Pastor Adeyokunnu will also serve as Treasurer of the Church. NAN reports that Adeboye was born on March 2, 1942, in Ifewara, Osun State. Pastor Adeboye had his B.Sc. in Mathematics at University of Nigeria Nsukka, and subsequently got his PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Lagos, and worked as a lecturer in Mathematics at the universities of Lagos and Ilorin, before going into full time pries...

Gambia's electoral commission chief 'goes into hiding'

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Alieu Momar Njai presided over Yahya Jammeh's shock election defeat The Gambia's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chief has gone into hiding, his family has told the BBC. There are unconfirmed reports that Alieu Momar Njai, who announced Yahya Jammeh's defeat in the polls last month, has fled the country. President Jammeh initially accepted defeat, but then changed his mind and is now refusing to step down. Security forces took over the headquarters of the electoral commission shortly afterwards. Mr Njai's son did not confirm whether his father had left the country, but said that he hoped and prayed that he was "in safe hands", writing in a Facebook post President Jammeh, who has ruled The Gambia for 22 years, is due to be replaced by property developer Adama Barrow, who won elections on 1 December with more than 45% of the vote. Three private radio stations have been taken off air in the country since Sunday, in the first sign of a media crackdow...

Yahya Jammeh ready for war, closes two radio stations

Dark clouds lie overcast in The Gambia as the deadline for its long serving leader, Yahya Jammeh, to quit gets nearer. There is so far no sign that he plans to go any where on 19 January as he appears to be digging in. The latest action by his government was the closure of two private radio stations, Teranga FM Radio and Hilltop Radio, based in Banjul. The closure came amidst an escalating political crisis caused by President Yahya Jammeh’s refusal to accept his election defeat, by real estate businessman Adama Barrow. Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, initially conceded defeat to Barrow but then called for fresh elections, drawing condemnation from local opponents and foreign powers. The veteran leader’s refusal to step down has opened up the possibility of a military intervention by West African forces after the ECOWAS body said it was putting military forces on alert. Jammeh called that a “declaration of war”. Teranga FM and Hilltop Radio were clos...

Ginger: Health benefits and fact

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Ginger is a common ingredient in Asian and Indian cuisine. However, ginger has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries among many cultures. Ginger has a long history of use for relieving digestive problems such as nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness and pain.   The root or underground stem (rhizome) of the ginger plant can be consumed fresh, powdered, dried as a spice, in oil form or as juice. Ginger is part of the Zingiberaceae family, alongside cardamom and turmeric, and is commonly produced in India, Jamaica, Fiji, Indonesia and Australia.   This MNT Knowledge Center feature provides an in-depth look at the possible health benefits of ginger, its nutritional profile, how to incorporate more ginger into your diet and any potential health risks associated with consuming it.   Possible health benefits of gingerstem of ginger Ginger has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries. Consuming fruits and vegetables of all kinds has long be...

How To Use Your National Identity Card To Cash Out From Any ATM Worldwide

The National Identity Management Commission NIMC, is responsible for issuing out National ID Cards for Nigerians. Established by the NIMC Act No. 23 of 2007, the NIMC has the mandate to establish, own, operate, maintain and manage the National Identity Database in Nigeria, register persons covered by the Act, assign a Unique National Identification Number (NIN) and issue General Multi-Purpose Cards (GMPC) to those. Many Nigerians have successfully received their National ID Cards, however, only a few care to more about their ID Cards. Obviously, the ID Card looks like an ATM Card, and in reality, it is a MasterCard which can be used worldwide to withdraw money from any ATM, irrespective of the country you are in. In addition, the Nigerian government has also said that the National ID Card may be used as Visa acceptable by some countries. But that is a topic for another day because today, I will be discussing on the use of the National ID Card as ATM Cards, used to withdraw money from...

How To Check If Your National Identity Card Is Ready

Steps on How To Check/Know If Your National Identity Card Is Ready or it is not Most people have enrolled for the National identity Card for quite a long time but do not have an idea of when you would collect it. It is high time to confirm if your National Identity Card is ready for collection. You should be aware that there is now an online platform where you can check/know the status of your identity card and to know whether your National ID card is ready of not. The following steps should guide you to know/check if your NIMC Card is ready or not 1. Visit NIMC card status checker site at https://touch.nimc.gov.ng/ 2. Then click the proceed button 3. Now, fill in your First name, last name and your National Identification Number and hit the ‘check now button’. It will take a few seconds to load and then display the status of your NIMC card. Hope this information helps you clarify things on collecting the National Identity Card. if you are yet to register for your Nat...

Snap! Selfie-seeking tourist bitten by Thai croc

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A French tourist was bitten by a crocodile inside a Thai national park as she tried to get close to the fearsome animal to take a selfie, an official said on Monday. The incident took place on Sunday afternoon in Khao Yai, a popular national park filled with dense jungle hiking trails and waterfalls three hours north of Bangkok. "She wanted to take selfie with the crocodile who was lying down near a stream," a park official told AFP, asking not to be named because he did not have the authority to speak to the media. A French tourist who was bitten by a crocodile while trying to take a selfie in Khao Yai national park in Thailand is expected to recover ©WILLIAM WEST (AFP/File) "It was startled and bit her on her on the leg." The official said two crocodiles had made their home on that particular section of the park for years with warning signs laid out. "I guess that she wanted to see it for real," he added. Local media posted pictures of park range...

Planets, moon put on a bright show in the New Year's sky

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Story highlights The waning crescent moon and a bright Venus were visible on Jan. 1For some skywatchers, Mars and Neptune could be seen, too (CNN) If you ever see a particularly big, bright star in the night sky, chances are it may not be a star at all. It is probably Venus,  the brightest planet  visible from Earth. Such was the case on Sunday night, when an especially bright Venus paired up with a waning crescent moon, creating quite a sight for skywatchers. According to EarthSky , Mars was also visible, although much smaller and not as bright. And for those with a telescope and some astronomical sleuthing skills, a glimpse at Neptune rounded out the planetary pageant. Admirers took advantage of the sky's Instagrammable moment: This picture was taken by MaoTing Hsu in Taichung, Taiwan. The top image was taken in Hong Kong, China by B. Yeung. Credit CNN

Government raises import duties on consumable, luxury goods

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Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun • SUVs, boats, sports cars now attract 70% • Rice, alcoholic spirits 60 % • Fairly used(tokunbo) cars, 35 % • Industrial oils, bolts, others down to five per cent The Federal Government has raised duties on luxury goods such as yachts and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) imported into the country.But also affected are some food items such as rice, salt and sugarcane that have local alternatives. The plan to raise the duties which was first contemplated by former Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala under the immediate past administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan had remained on the drawing board due to Jonathan’s loss of the presidential election to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and the consequent change of officials between the former administration and the current one. Under the new Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) Common External Tariff (CET) ...