Mimiano

A Photo of Pope Francis  Two years to the day after he was elected to lead the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics, Pope Francis said today that he expects to have only a short papacy. An ABC News report quoted him as telling Mexican broadcaster Televisa: “I have the feeling that my Pontificate will be brief, 4 or 5 years; I do not know, even 2 or 3. “I feel that the Lord has placed me here for a short time, and nothing more.” The report said the 78-year-old pontiff compared the feeling to “a gambler who convinces himself he will lose so he won’t be disappointed. And if he wins, he’s happy.” When asked if he liked being pope, Francis reportedly told the interviewer that he doesn’t mind, but that he also wouldn’t mind some degree of anonymity. “The only thing I would like is to go out one day, without being recognized, and go to a pizzeria for a pizza,” he was quoted to have said. Francis, who assumed the office following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, mark

Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO), Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has assured corrupt leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that nemesis would soon catch up with them. Fani-Kayode spoke against the backdrop of a forged letter purportedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Brigadier Jones Arogbofa and believed to have been circulated by the opposition APC. According to him, “We have said it before and we shall say it again: the entire leadership of the APC is suffering from paranoia and delusion. They are hiding under their beds and running from their own shadows. This is a clear case of the biblical provisions that say ‘there is no peace for the wicked’ and that ‘the wicked run even when no-one is pursuing them.’ These people have lost their peace and they are running even when no-one is pursuing them. “If they are so sure of winning the election and if their hands are clean t

The Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayodele Oke, has declared that “before March 28, no territory of Nigeria will be under control of Boko Haram.” He gave the assurance Wednesday in the United States of America while attending an event at the Atlantic Council, Washington. Oke, in an interview with Foreign Policy magazine, deflected criticisms that the on-going offensive against Boko Haram launched since the postponement of the presidential ballot from Feb. 14 to March 28 indicates the delay was a political move by incumbent Goodluck Jonathan. “It is above partisan politics when we are discussing national security,” he said. “Nigerians need this democracy more than the international community does,” he further said. Oke did take more seriously was Boko Haram’s recent claim they are now aligned to the Islamic State, which they announced in a video posted online on Saturday. That connection, if proven real, would be especial

‎President Jonathan earlier today paid a visit to the Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministry in Ijesha, Lagos. Continue to see more photos  at the crusade

By Stephen Brown and Noah Barkin MUNICH (Reuters) - Germany's Angela Merkel said on Saturday that sending arms to help Ukraine fight pro-Russian separatists would not solve the crisis there, drawing sharp rebukes from U.S. politicians who accused Berlin of turning its back on an ally in distress. The heated exchanges at a security conference in Munich pointed to cracks in the transatlantic consensus on how to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin over a deepening conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 5,000. Ukraine's military said on Saturday that pro- Russian separatists had stepped up shelling of government forces and appeared to be amassing troops for new offensives on the key railway town of Debaltseve and the coastal city of Mariupol. The rebel offensive has triggered a flurry of shuttle diplomacy, with Merkel and French President Francois Hollande jetting to Moscow on Friday to try to convince Putin to do a peace deal. But Euro

By Saif Hameed and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Five blasts across Baghdad on Saturday tempered Iraqis' anticipation of a more relaxed and accessible capital as the government prepared to lift a night-time curfew that has kept the city on a war-time footing for more than a decade. At least 37 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the explosions, security and medical sources said, and dozens of others were wounded. The attacks included a suicide bombing at a restaurant in a Shi'ite neighborhood and improvised explosives devices planted in a bustling central market district, underscoring the peril ordinary people still face from militant violence in Baghdad. Bombings have waned and waxed for nearly 12 years, but they have not ceased since the U.S.- led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003. Ending the curfew and "demilitarizing" several neighborhoods is part of a campaign to normalize life in Iraq's war-blighted capital. Officials

By Alistair Bell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The young American hostage who Islamic State says was killed in a Jordanian air strike was condemned to death by the militant group last year, according to an American Muslim activist. Islamic State seized aid worker Kayla Mueller in 2013 in northern Syria and initially gave her a "life sentence" in retaliation for the jailing in Texas of a Pakistani woman whose case is a well-known cause among Islamist militants, said activist Mauri Saalakhan, who leads a U.S. campaign to free the Pakistani. The militant group said on Friday that Mueller, a 26-year-old from Prescott, Arizona, was killed when Jordanian fighter jets bombed a building where she was being held. Jordan expressed doubt about the claim and U.S. authorities said they could not confirm it. Mueller's family had long asked U.S. officials, aid groups and media outlets, including Reuters, not to use her name for fear the publicity could induce Islamic St

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan carried out a third straight day of air strikes on Islamic State targets on Saturday, it said, in response to the group's killing of a captive Jordanian pilot. “Sorties of air force fighters today bombed bases of the Daesh terror gang,” state television said in a bulletin, using a derogatory Arabic name for the militants. It said some of the targets were in the Syrian city of Raqqa but gave no other details. Jordan began on Thursday what it called an "earthshaking" response to the death of the pilot. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Whitehead, a former senior partner and co-chairman of Goldman Sachs who helped make it a top-tier Wall Street firm and led its international expansion, has died, the investment bank said on Saturday. He was 92. Whitehead joined Goldman Sachs in 1947 and worked his way to the highest rung of its corporate ladder before leaving after 38 years to become a deputy secretary of state under U.S. President Ronald Reagan. He was a chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a member of the board of the New York Stock Exchange. Active in political and philanthropic circles, he also served as chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp after the World Trade Center was destroyed during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. "We grieve the loss of John Whitehead and honor his achievements and contributions in service to his country and Goldman Sachs," Goldman chief executive Lloyd Blankfein said in a statement. &q

The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has said that there were `new developments’ that needed to be addressed before the conduct of the 2015 general elections. Jega made the remark on Saturday in Abuja when he and other officials of the commission met with representatives of the registered political parties at the commission’s headquarters. He said that the inputs of the leaders of the political parties were important in addressing the new developments. Meanwhile there are strong indications that the presidential and National Assembly elections originally scheduled for 14 February may have been rescheduled to March 28 while the governorship and state houses of assembly elections earlier fixed for 28 February may now hold on 11 April, all of these subject to final ratification of the meeting between INEC National Commissioners and State Resident Electoral Commissioners currently ongoing. The decision to reschedul

Abuja - The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Nigerians not to vote for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari, for refusing to participate in the live radio and television debates organised for presidential candidates, reports Tribune. The party described Buhari’s contempt for debates and their organisers as despicable Femi Fani-Kayode, the Director of Publicity of the party’s Presidential Campaign Organization, said Buhari;s refusal to participate in the debates clearly shows that he is incapable of engaging in rigorous live television debates on the issues of governance. He said Buhari’s refusal speaks of his intellectual laziness and loss of touch with contemporary issues of development and statecraft. He urged the electorates to vote against Buhari as a recompense for his action.

Abuja - The federal government has directed that all schools from the primary to the tertiary level should remain open during the general elections, The decision was reached at a meeting between the federal government and the 36 states Commissioners for Education, including the F.C.T. Education Secretary. The meeting presided over by the Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, agreed that no holiday should be declared for the elections considering the fact that schools have lost much ground following their closure to prevent the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Shekarau promised write the state governments to ensure that adequate security are provided for boarding institutions marked as polling units for the elections.

If you’ve been trying to figure out the components of a winning relationship, you aren’t alone! Researchers, philosophers, and lovers throughout time have been seeking the secret formula. In an effort to help you identify what to look for in a relationship, we’ve compiled 10 problems that often pop up and cause major problems. Also included are a number of recent studies that you can read for more information. On a mobile device? Feel free to flip through the slideshow and then scroll down the page for more details: You’re Bored The journal Psychological Science published a study that revealed couples who engaged in interesting activities (both together and apart) were much happier than those who were bored. You Fight a Lot, But Never Did in the Beginning of Your Relationship If you find yourself fighting a lot, you may want to examine the history of your relationships. A Florida State study discovered that those who fought during the first year or two, y

Heart Stop Beating is the story of two visionary Texas Heart Institute doctors, Dr. Billy Cohn and Dr. Bud Frazier. Frustrated by the often short lifespans and mulitple complications of usual heart replacement devices, the two  invented a two centrifugal pump machine. Cohn and Frazier tested the machine by removing the hearts of several calf’s and replacing them with the device. After much success it was time for human trials. The first patient would be Craig Lewis, was 55-year-old dying from amyloidosis, a disease which causes a buildup of abnormal proteins. The proteins clog the organs so much that they stop working. Lewis’ heart was so damaged, he only had 12 hours to live. So, in March of 2011, the doctors successfully replaced Lewis’ heart with the ‘continuous flow’ device they developed, proving that life was possible without a pulse or a heart beat– essentially without a human heart. Although Lewis died due to complications from his disease, the heart

when i was a boy,we use to be told that We are the leaders of tomorrow;i am now a man....when will this dreams be fulfilled? instead,We are still being rulled by our fore fathers. when will all this stop? Arise ooooh ye youths and claim your Right we are not longer gonna be rulled by our grandpa's anymore. This is our Right clickmoore.blogspot.com — feeling sad

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (front row C) and members of his government pose for a group picture after the first meeting of the new Cabinet in the parliament building in Athens, Jan. 28, 2015. New Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says he wants to reach a "fair, viable and mutually beneficial solution" with its international lenders as he begins to reverse the austerity measures he says have led to a humanitarian crisis in his country. Tsipras said Wednesday in Athens during his first meeting with his new Cabinet that he is eager to avoid any destructive confrontations with its creditors, but said Greece would no longer blindly submit to the demands of the European Union. The new government is seeking to eliminate some of Greece's massive debt and ease austerity measures imposed on it in exchange for more than $300 billion in loans, including reversing sharp wage and pension cuts. It is also canceling plans to privatize many of its assets

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, has said that President Goodluck Jonathan will win in Imo State in the February presidential election. This was contained in a statement by the minister’s assistant, Peter Osamgbi, on Tuesday. According to the statement, the minister addressed a group of professionals in Owerri, the Imo State capital. While fielding questions from the professionals, Onwuliri said President Jonathan had fulfilled his electoral promises to Nigerians through “his lofty transformation programmes which Imo State has immensely benefited from.” Onwuliri,who is also the deputy coordinator of the PDP presidential campaign in the state, said that “aside reclaiming the Government House from the APC government under Rochas Okorocha on February 28, the Imo PDP shall first and foremost deliver hundred percent votes for President Goodluck Jonathan on February 14 to further prove that Imo remains a PDP stronghold.” Source:punch

The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, now known as Cambridge Assessment, on Wednesday confirmed that African language papers, including Hausa, were offered for the West African School Certificate Examination in the Northern Region in 1961. The UK examination body, in a statement on its website, also said that the number of candidates who sat for the WASSC Hausa examination in 1961 was 152. Cambridge was responding to allegations that the results presented by the All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) were fake as being alleged in some quarters. There had been reports that Hausa was not part of the WASSCE of 1961 as claimed in the results presented by Buhari. The examination body said it will not declare the results of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on the grounds that the Data Protection Act of 1998 prevents the body from declaring anybody’

The Federal Government on Wednesday said the H5N1 influenza virus, also known as bird flu, is now present in 11 states in Nigeria. It confirmed the presence of the virus in four other states apart from the seven states earlier reported on January 22, 2015. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, outlined the additional states to include Oyo, Jigawa, Gombe and Imo. He said the total number of birds exposed had risen to 232,385 with 51,444 mortalities recorded. Details soon.

Lamudi, the real-estate classifieds platform, has launched in three more countries in Africa; Gabon, Angola and the Republic of Congo. This brings up the total number of countries on Lamudi’s international network to 52 spread across Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East. Lamudi says the property sectors in the countries are beginning to make the online switch, creating demand for property listing services like one offered by Lamudi. Co-founder and Managing Director, Kian Moini is upbeat about the firm’s progress. “Since we launched in late 2013, Lamudi has grown at breathtaking speed. The website is now available in more than 30 countries in the emerging markets, offering house-hunters from Mozambique to Mexico access to over 800,000 global property listings,” he says. Lamudi is part of the Africa Internet Holding – supported by Rocket Internet, MTN and Millicom – same group behind Jumia, Jovago, Easy Taxi and 2 other startups.

A pple grossed $74.6bn in revenue, and $18bn in profit in the first quarter of 2015, the highest ever in corporate history, smashing a record previously held by Russia’s Gazprom with $16.2bn. According to a statement on Apple’s website, the results were fueled by all-time record revenue from iPhone and Mac sales as well as record performance of the App Store. Apple sold 74.5 million units of iPhone in the last quarter of 2014. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO who himself earned 40% more in the past year says, “Our revenue grew 30 percent over last year to $74.6 billion, and the execution by our teams to achieve these results was simply phenomenal.” Apparently, it’s been a good year at Apple despite 22% drop in iPad sales. Apple will ship its new Apple Watch wearable device in April of this year. This may nudge up its revenue even further in the new quarter even as concerns are rife that it’s high-end price may not be able to woo more than the Apple faithful.

MTN Group yesterday, in Johannesburg, South Africa, announced it would be the first African company to offer Amazon Web Services (AWS) Direct Connect to business customers across multiple countries on the continent. The new service will leverage the extensive footprint of MTN’s Global MPLS network, to provide customers with connectivity between their data centres or businesses and the AWS EU Ireland region. This will give enterprises across Africa a dedicated link with which they can access the flexible, scalable and reliable AWS cloud. “The relationship with Amazon Web Services is an important step in our plans to address the needs of enterprise customers in emerging markets, particularly Africa,” says MTN Group Chief Enterprise Officer, Mteto Nyati. “As MTN Business, our purpose is to enable and inspire growth on the continent. We believe that by working with a global technology leader such as Amazon Web Services, MTN will be better placed to enable customers

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday disowned former Minister Labaran Maku, who claimed his support for dumping the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), saying he cannot be involved in anti-party activities. Maku contested for the governorship candidature in Nasarawa State last year, but lost The President said he had at no time had any discussion or encourage him to join another party. He said in Lafia, Nasarawa State yesterday that the PDP does not encourage anti-party activities and he would never flout the party’s rules and regulations as the leader of the party, insisting Maku was on his own. He thanked the crowd that welcomed him at the Lafia Township Stadium for believing in him. He assured that the mineral resources in the state would be tapped amid dwindling oil prices and in line with the administration’s policy to diversify the economy, adding that Nasarawa will be one of the areas the central government will w

For anyone who has not read Professor Charles Soludo’s article in the Vanguard (online version) on January 25 2015, I would encourage them to do so. It is littered with abusive and unbecoming language. It shows how an embittered loser in the Nigerian political space can get so derailed that they commit intellectual harakiri by deliberately misquoting economic facts and maliciously turning statistics on their head to justify a hatchet job. We hope all the intellectuals in the international circles in which Professor Soludo has told us he flies around in will read what a Professor of Economics has chosen to do with his intellect. In this one article Soludo has shamelessly pandered to so many past leaders that Nigerians are asking one more time – what position is Soludo gunning for now? He claims in his article that he has had his own share of public service, yet he has failed twice in his attempts to be Governor of Anambra State and Vice Presidential candidate of v

My attention has been drawn to the release of General Muhammadu Buhari "certificate" and many people were sending me pictures of this certificate. I thought that should finally end the brouhaha about the ?#?BuhariGate?, but on taking a better look and some little research, it was obvious the certificate is a fraud. Look exactly like those ones produced by Oluwole magicians! Now let's analysis the certificate in 5 bullet points: 1. Observe that there is NECO written on top of the result. It's worth noting that NECO was created in April 1999, by Abdulsalam Abubakar. 2. Secondary schools in Nigeria during Buhari era ended at form 5 not form 6 as shown in the certificate. 6 years secondary school education started in Nigeria in 1989 - 1990 academic year. 3. The certificate also showed Ministry of Education, Katsina state. Katsina State was created on 23 September 1987 from Kaduna State. 4. The certificate also had Mohamed Buhari instead of Muhammadu

1) Wake up 30 minutes earlier each day. Enjoy the fresh air & avoid the mad rush. 2) After you open your eyes, tell yourself today is going to be another wonderful day. 3) Sit on the bed and feel the ground. Then, think about your future/ long term goal. Tell yourself that today you are going to be one step closer to your dream. 4) Check today’s schedule. 5) Have your yummy breakfast. 6) Before you leave the house, look into the mirror once more and tell yourself you look awesome. 7) Smile to everyone you meet. 8) Help at least 3 people without expecting any return. 9) Give compliments to people when people around you have done a great job. 10) Focus on one thing at a time. 11) Leave the company on time. It’s time for yourself and your family. 12) Feel the sky the moment you step out the building. There’s no need to rush. 13) Listen to the music and read a book that touches your heart. 14) Give yourself some “me time”. Review your day. Ask yourself “what

While I was working in a muslim mosque as an imam, as a parish priest, I preach in my parish that Jesus Christ is not God, for me, God was only Allah, and I believed Allah never got married, so no sons for Allah. So I preached there that Jesus is not God. Then somebody ask me, who is Jesus?’’ from the crowd. Maybe a muslim, but he asked me, who is Jesus?’’ I was preaching he is not God, but the question is who is he? To know who is Jesus? I read the entire Koran once again: 114 chapters, 6666 in the Koran when I read it, the name of prophet Muhammad. I found it in Koran 4 places, but the name of Jesus I found in 25 places. There itself, I was a little confused. Why does the Koran give more preference to Jesus? And second thing, I could not see any woman’s name in Koran: the Prophet Muhammad’s mother’s name, or wife’s name, no, in the Koran, there is only one woman’s name that i found is Mariam, the mother of Jesus no other woman’s name. And in the holy Koran

Kaduna State governor Ramalan Yero has been caught on tape allegedly addressing his supporters and urging them to inflict violence on the All Progressives Congress should his team be affected during the elections. Premium Times reports that they have obtained an audio recording of the Governor apparently addressing his supporters and threatening violence against the APC and its prominent member, former FCT Minister, Nasir El-Rufai. Speaking in the Hausa language, Governor Yero vowed swift “revenge” against anyone “born of woman” should they attack the PDP team in the state. “If you are born of a woman, please pelt us with stones, when we go out for campaigns. We dare you to destroy or burn our vehicles. Burn our house. I swear by Allah, anyone who does any of these things, we will revenge,” he claimed. Governor Yero appears “furious” on the tape, according to Premium Times, and threatened to stop El-Rufai from entering Kaduna State henceforth. “If I say you

A convicted Nigerian drug trafficker is among six drug offenders to be executed in Indonesia on Sunday. The Nigerian,38 year-old Daniel Enemuo, alias Diarrssouba was convicted in 2004. Indonesian authorities announced the execution today. It will be the first execution under new President Joko Widodo. The planned executions were announced by the Indonesian Attorney General’s Office. Widodo, who took office in late October, signed off on the executions last month. He pledged no clemency for drug offenders, despite pleas from the European Union, the Brazilian government and Amnesty International. The five foreigners due to be executed are from Nigeria, Malawi, Vietnam, the Netherlands and Brazil. “Indonesia’s new government took office on the back of promises to improve respect for human rights, but carrying out these executions would be a regressive move,” said Rupert Abbott, a Southeast Asia research director for Amnesty International. European Union foreign

This was disclosed in a statement made available to Punch in Abuja, by the coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri. Boko Haram militants were said to have razed at least 16 Borno State towns and villages in new multiple attacks. According to Omeri, in recent days, there has been heavy fighting between Boko Haram and Nigerian troops in some parts of Borno State, especially Baga. He explained that since the insurgents’ first attack on Baga last weekend, security forces have been on their tail, chasing them. He said: “ On Wednesday, a group of militants conducted a second terrorist attack on the area, leaving casualties and destroying property. Security forces have responded rapidly, and have deployed significant military assets and conducted airstrikes against militant targets. “These brutal and barbaric attacks by Boko Haram represent none of the people of Nigeria and no religion. Our security forces will continue to pursue the perpetrators

Madam Eunice recalls that there was nothing special about the day on which Goodluck was born in Otuoke. His birth was however very easy compared to her other experiences with childbirth. She says: “I often had prolonged labour during childbirth, sometimes for up to a week, and because of this, I usually had still- births. But when it was the turn of Goodluck, I delivered him the very day I started having labour pains. This surprised me”. Apart from this, Eunice, did not regard the day as extraordinary. According to her, the people of Otuoke went about their duties as usual. No dramatic event occurred. Perhaps, the fact that nothing special happened was indeed significant and the truly important event was his birth. Giving his reason for naming his son Goodluck, his father said: “ I called him Goodluck because although life was hard for me when he was born, I had this feeling that this boy would bring me good luck. His paternal grandmother, Sarah, also declared t

Kano - Boko Haram gunmen fought running battles with Nigerian troops on the streets of the northeastern city of Damaturu on Friday, in an apparent reprisal attack after a recent raid on a militant stronghold, residents told AFP. "The gunmen arrived at around 7:30 pm (1830 GMT), firing guns and shouting 'Allahu Akbar!' (God is greatest)," said Mukhtar Sani, a student of the Yobe State University in the city. Troops intercepted the insurgents and Aishatu Bala, who lives nearby, added: "All the streets are deserted. Everybody has moved indoors and all we hear are sounds of gunfire."

Yaounde - Cameroon's President Paul Biya has appealed for international military help to fight Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which this week threatened to step up its cross-border raids into the country from Nigeria. The Nigerian group is part of a "global" movement that has attacked Mali, the Central African Republic and Somalia in its drive to establish its authority from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic, Biya said. "A global threat calls for a global response. Such should be the response of the international community, including the African Union and our regional organizations," he said in a New Year speech on Thursday to diplomats at the presidential palace. He said he regretted that a regional military force against the insurgents had yet to be established. At least 15 people were killed in an attack on a bus in north Cameroon on New Year's day. A man purporting to be Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, threatened in a

London - Frank Lampard on Friday moved to clear up "lies and nonsense" over his move to New York City FC, confirming he will move to the States after completing his loan deal with Manchester City. Lampard issued a statement which said he does have an agreement in place with Major League Soccer side New York and will move there at season's end. "I want to make it completely clear about my situation as I have read a lot of lies and nonsense over the last few days," the statement said. "When released from Chelsea last year at the end of my contract I signed a commitment to play for NYCFC for two years starting January 1, 2015. I was then offered the chance to train and be part of the Man City squad in the interim to keep myself in the best shape going into New York. "This period has since been extended by Man City and I will now start playing for NYCFC at the end of this current Premier League season. "There has always been a c