Facebook Inc plans to release new versions of its Portal video chatting devices this autumn, the company’s vice president of AR/VR, Andrew Bosworth, said during an interview at the Code Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. “We have a lot more that we’re going to unveil later in this fall, new form factors that we’re going to be shipping,” Bosworth said of the new devices. He did not say how many had been sold since Portal’s launch late last year in the United States, or what the new devices were. The launch came amid concerns over Facebook’s privacy and content moderation practices that have led some…
Author: Ekpedeme Umoh
The relations between South Korea and the United States are not in good shape, a North Korean state media said on Sunday, criticizing Washington for unveiling a “unilateral” and “gangster-like” attitude towards North Korea’s nuclear policy. Yonhap news agency cited North Korea’s Meari, a propaganda website, as saying that the US is responsible for the discord as it has been “pressuring South Korean authorities to adjust the pace” of the inter-Korean reconciliation process along with the progress in denuclearisation talks. “The US and South Korean authorities are trumpeting ‘a stronger than ever US-Korea alliance,’ but if we look inside, their…
President Buhari has accepted the voluntary retirement of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). In a statement by his senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President wrote; “President Buhari has accepted the voluntary retirement from service of Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria, effective from May 28, 2019”. The President thanked Justice Onnoghen for his service to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and wished him the best of retirement life. His retirement benefits in cash and kind will cost taxpayers about N2.5 billion. As part of the package for…
Several people were injured at a gay pride parade in Washington on Saturday when some in the crowd ran to escape what they thought was gunfire, and a man was later arrested when police found a firearm near him, officials said. Police, at the outset of the incident, received a report of a man with a gun at a park, Washington police Commander Guillermo Rivera told reporters. “As the officers were going to that scene there was a crowd of people running away from it,” Rivera said. “Some of the individuals in the crowd said that there was a man…
Facebook-owned photo-messaging app Instagram is now displaying lyrics with songs posted on Stories. Along with letting users edit the text style, animations and other aspects, the feature would also allow users to decide if they want to show lyrics or screen or post Stories the older way, with no lyrics, Engadget reported. The feature would be available in regions that currently have access to the app’s music library, introduced last year. Users would be able to search through its available library of songs and select the one they want to add to a story. As long as the song has…
The Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has suspended the license of Daar Communication Plc, promoter of AIT and RAY POWER until further notice. The shutdown was announced on Thursday evening by the Director General of NBC, Modibbo Kawu. He said the action was taken for failure of the broadcasting station to abide by the broadcasting code. According to a press briefing on the suspension at the NBC Headquarters in Abuja, Mr Kawu accused AIT/Raypower of broadcasting “divisive comments” on s social segment of “Kakaaki” programme, tagged, “Kakaaki Social”, where he alleged inciting comments such as, “Nigeria is cursed, we declare independent…
A group of concerned citizens has accused Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano State, of trying to destroy the traditional institutions in the state for political reasons. Ganduje had created five emirates whittling down the powers of the Emir of Kano In a statement signed by Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, Maryam Uwais Esq and some other notable Nigerians of Northern extraction, the group said the governor singlehandedly desecrated 1000 years of tradition and unraveled an established constitutional order thereby altering a millennium of Kano’s hegemony through the creation of five new emirates from the legitimately recognized existing one. They also said the…
The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) on Monday called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate alleged financial crimes at the Yaba College of Technology. According to the Coordinator of AFRICMIL, Chido Onumah, the sum of N1,682,085,539 (One billion, six hundred and eighty-two million, eight hundred and six thousand five hundred and thirty-nine naira) was allegedly stolen by some staff of the College between 2008 and 2014. The allegations of these financial malpractices were contained in a petition dated May 5, 2019, and sent to the anti-graft agency by Mr. Joseph…
The United States State Department says you will now have to submit your social media usernames when applying for a visa into the country. According to BBC, the new regulations also require that people also submit five years’ worth of email addresses and phone numbers. This is part of the state department’s plan to ensure national security in the country. When proposed last year, authorities estimated the proposal would affect 14.7 million people annually. Certain diplomatic and official visa applicants will be exempt from the stringent new measures. However, people who travel to the US for work and study will…
Andy Ruiz Jr produced one of the biggest shocks in the history of heavyweight boxing to rip Anthony Joshua’s IBF, WBO and WBA world heavyweight titles from him and tear up the division’s proposed plot lines. In a fight at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Ruiz floored Joshua four times en route to a seventh-round stoppage and it was no fluke. However, the two men will rematch for the IBF, WBA and WBO world titles back in the UK, most likely in October or November. Joshua was magnanimous and generous in spirit in defeat, apologising to thousands of fans who…
Having a balanced breakfast every day boosts your health, and reduces the risk of obesity and insulin resistance. It can help you lose or maintain weight, if necessary. The early food intake “launches” your metabolism. Your body feels full and satisfied, which reduces the likelihood of overeating. When you skip breakfast, blood sugar levels fall, which results in energy decline. You crave something sweet or fatty. Your body tries to get the necessary calories during the day by asking for additional portions. Any breakfast is better than nothing, but the healthiest choice would be egg dishes, salmon toast, cottage cheese…
North Korea has reportedly executed its special envoy to the United States following the collapse of the second summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, a South Korean newspaper reported. The newspaper, Chosun Ilbo reported that Kim Hyok Chol, North Korea’s special envoy to the U.S., was executed by firing squad in March for being “won over by the American imperialists to betray the supreme leader”. The paper also claimed that four other North Korean Foreign Ministry officials were executed that same month because of the breakdown of the February summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, but did not provide details.…
Consuming too many energy drinks in a short time span may increase blood pressure and disrupt heart rhythm, a study has found. For the study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, enrolled 34 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 40 years. Participants were randomly assigned to drink 32 ounces of one of two commercially available caffeinated energy drinks or a placebo drink on three separate days. The drinks were consumed within a 60-minute period but no faster than one 16-ounce bottle in 30 minutes. Researchers at the University of the Pacific in the US measured…
If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain your figure, you’re probably following a healthy diet. Of course, there are plenty of temptations to cheat on that diet, particularly when you’re out with friends and you feel like cracking open a cold beer. But how much sugar is in beer? Does beer have sugar? The simple answer to this is no, beer does not contain sugar. This is surprising to many people because beer has a reputation as a beverage that will pack on the pounds and stretch out your waistline, giving you the dreaded beer belly. But if you…
One of Brazil’s most successful current pop starts, Gabriel Diniz, has been killed in a plane crash. The 28 year old was travelling from Salvador in Bahia state to Maceió further up the east coast to his girlfriend to celebrate her birthday on Monday 27 May, 2019, when his plane crashed, killing him along with his two pilots, Linaldo Xavier and Abraão Farias. The Piper PA-28 Cherokee was deemed air worthy, but was licensed for flight training and not for air taxi trips such as the one Diniz was making. Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) is reported to be…
People who regularly read with their kids are less likely to engage in harsh parenting and their children are less likely to be hyperactive and have attention problems, say researchers. The study, published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, suggests additional benefits from shared reading, a stronger parent-child bond. “For parents, the simple routine of reading with your child on a daily basis provides not just academic but emotional benefits that can help bolster the child’s success in school and beyond,” said study lead researcher Manuel Jimenez, Assistant Professor at Rutgers University in the US. “Our findings can be applied to programmes that…
Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, is set to offer himself as a mediator amid the escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran. Donald Trump has said he would support Shinzo Abe’s efforts to act as a mediator between the US and Iran, as reports suggested the Japanese prime minister would visit Tehran next month for talks with the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani. “I know that the prime minister and Japan have a very good relationship with Iran so we’ll see what happens,” Trump, who has offered Tehran direct talks, told reporters before a working lunch with Abe.…
Pope Francis, while speaking at an anti-abortion conference sponsored by the Vatican on Saturday has condemned the act of abortion likening it to hiring a hit man. “Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem?” he asked. “Is it licit to hire a hitman to resolve a problem?” His comments come as the abortion debate is again making headlines in the US with state initiatives seeking to restrict the procedure. It can be recalled that on Friday, Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed a bill that bans abortions after eight weeks without exemptions for incest or rape.…
State-owned China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) unveiled a prototype for a new high-speed magnetic-levitation also known as “maglev” train that could dramatically cut travel times in the nation. The train is being designed to carry passengers at 373 mph (600 km/h) and China hopes the train will be serving passengers in 2021. CRRC deputy chief engineer Ding Sansan, who Is also head of the train’s research and development team, in a statement to CNN said, “Take Beijing to Shanghai as an example — counting preparation time for the journey, it takes about 4.5 hours by plane, about 5.5 hours by…
To understand why tobacco is harmful, it’s important to understand how it damages nearly every organ in your body. Be it your heart, lungs, blood vessel, mouth, or even skin, no organ is immune from tobacco’s negative effects. Cardiovascular system Smoking has both immediate and long-term consequences for the cardiovascular system. The chemicals in tobacco damage heart muscles and cause blood vessels to narrow. This means smokers under the age of 40 are five times more likely to have a stroke or heart attack. The carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke binds to hemoglobin and makes it harder for the blood…
Juventus striker, Cristiano Ronaldo is set to be summoned to face rape allegations after lawyers for his accuser, Kathryn Mayorga, tracked down his address in Italy. US police reopened the case in October and Mayorga’s lawyers have been hunting for the Portugal international’s address since then. Ronaldo’s legal team has been trying to get the case dismissed – and court papers say they have declined to help locate his house. But now, the 34-year-old’s home address in Turin has finally been located after a trawl through property records held by Italy’s Central Authority, The Mirror reported. Attorneys representing former teacher…
U.K Prime Minister, Theresa May has announced her resignation, breaking down in tears as she revealed she is standing down as Conservative party leader on Friday 7 June, 2019. The prime minister was under pressure to quit after a backlash from her own Members of Parliament against her Brexit Plan. Speaking in Downing Street, May said it had been “the honor of my life” to serve as Britain’s second female prime minister. Her voice breaking, she said she would leave “with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I…
Music executive, Ubi Franklin is said to be expecting his fourth child from Sandra Iheuwa, a U.S based Nigerian serial entrepreneur. This is coming a month after the TripleMg boss welcomed his third child with a South African lady, Nicola Siyo, who was said to be his former employee. According to Sandra, she claimed she was actually expecting a set of twins for him but she lost one of them in early March. She also claimed she had been living in Ubi’s house and will be jetting out of the country anytime from now to the U.S where she is…
A 29 year old Nigerian ex- Washington, D.C. Police Officer, Chukwuemeka Ekwonna, has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for two counts of sex trafficking of a minor in the U.S. Specifically, between October 2016 and February 2017, Ekwonna, who was an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington D.C. at the time, engaged in sexual conduct with two girls, who were 14 and 15 years old, in exchange for money. Both victims were students in the ninth grade at the time of the offenses. He used an account…
EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, on May 22, 2019, arraigned a suspected fraudster, Tan Ah Chai Richard, alongside his company, Coastal Asia Investments Limited, before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on a five- count charge bordering on forgery, use of false documents, conspiracy to forge and an attempt to obtain money by false pretense to the tune of €250,000,000. One of the counts reads: “That you, Tan Ah Chai Richard, Coastal Asia Investments Limited and Dr. Sawang Jana (still at large), on or about the 27th September, 2018 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of…
Prof Mark Okoro Chijoke, First Ever Nigerian Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Still Going Strong at 86 Professor Mark Okoro Chijoke, paved the way for other engineers in Nigeria as he became the first ever Nigerian Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Born on the 15th of February, 1929 at Arochukwu in Imo State, Professor Chijoke was educated at Methodist College, Uzuakoli; Grammar School, Okirika; University College, Ibadan (foundation student); Queen Mary’s College, University of London. Notable among his published works include; “A critique on the conduction characteristics of the ‘Potential Minimal Diode’, “A Practical Approach to an Early…
ARM, a chip designing company based in the UK has told staff it must suspend business with Huawei, according to internal documents obtained by the BBC. The employees were instructed to halt “all active contracts, support entitlements, and any pending engagements” with Huawei and its subsidiaries to comply with a recent US trade clampdown. ARM is not a manufacturer of processors, but their CPU IP currently sits at the core of most mobile devices, holding a dominant market share within the smartphone and tablet markets. Creating smartphones without ARM’s IP is practically impossible, making ARM’s suspended business ties with Huawei…
When you’re dieting or trying to lose weight, it often seems like there are fewer things that you can indulge in and too many that you have to avoid. This is partially true, but it also depends on your portions and how often you eat certain foods. High-fat foods are often one of the first things that you’re told to eliminate from your diet. However, it isn’t necessary (or healthy!) to cut out all fat from your diet. There are healthy fats that you can and should include in your diet. If you eat meat, be sure to choose leaner…
Lionel Scaloni, Argentina coach has recalled Sergio Aguero to his squad for the Copa America after having frozen out the Manchester City striker since taking over from Jorge Sampaoli after the World Cup. Scaloni also retained Paulo Dybala in his 23-man squad named on Tuesday, despite the Juventus forward’s lean season with the Italian giants. The 30-year-old Aguero, who scored 21 goals as City completed an unprecedented English treble by winning the Premier League and two domestic cups, rejoins talisman Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria in an Argentina team eager for silverware after crashing out of the World Cup’s…
Rapper Cardi B has pulled out from Friday nights 92Q Spring Bling Festival in Baltimore, based on doctors’ advice, as she continues to recover from recent cosmetic surgeries. TMZ reports that’s the rapper needs proper time to allow the swelling to go down from liposuction and breast augmentation. She recently performed at Rolling Loud in Miami and was twerking non-stop in L.A. at the launch party for her Fashion Nova clothing line. Cardi told the crowd at her May 5 concert in Memphis she should have canceled because “moving too much is going to f*** up my lipo” … but she rocked the house anyway.…
