Tornado storm in Mississippi produces heavy rain, hail, tornadouproots trees, as it causes damages in Wesson

 

Severe weather moved through central Mississippi Monday, producing at least one tornado. The twister formed about 12:15 p.m. east of Wesson, the National Weather Service confirmed. Debris could be seen on radar, the 16 WAPT Weather Team said.

Widespread damage was reported across the town, according to the Wesson Police Department. Trees and power lines were down.

Downed trees and roof damage were reported at Wesson Attendance Center. The roof was leaking in a hallway near the school library and in an area of the gymnasium, school officials said.

About 1,000 students were in the school when the storm hit. None were injured, authorities said.

The tornado knocked down several trees along Highway 429, east of Thomastown in Leake County, the weather service said.

The tornado moved into Copiah County about 12:20 p.m. and damaged a home in the Stronghope community, according to the weather service.
A few minutes before the tornado formed, winds of up to 100 mph were clocked in Lincoln County, near Copiah-Lincoln Community College. School officials said in a tweet that there was no damage reported on campus.
There was also damage reported to some homes in Walthall County, authorities said.
Tornado warnings were issued for several areas of central Mississippi late Monday morning, including Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties.

Heavy rain fell in Clinton, and radar showed rotation in the eastern side of the city. There was a report of trees down on Cynthia Drive, north of the Natchez Trace.

Pea- to quarter-sized hail was reported in areas of Madison and Rankin counties, the 16 WAPT Weather Team said.
The fast-moving storm moved into Lincoln County about noon and produced winds as strong as 80 mph in the Loyd Star area, meteorologists said.

Support for the Nigerian Premier League – Senator Ben Murray-Bruce

The call for Nigerians to back the Nigerian Professional Football League has found a new high profile voice in politician and businessman 
Ben Murray-Bruce. 

The outspoken senator has in recent times been whipping up patriotic sentiments in a relentless Twitter onslaught, calling for patronage and support for local businesses as a way to get our stricken economy back on track. 

He has urged support for the likes of local car manufacturer Innoson, Nasco Foods, Arik Airlines and Aba manufacturers among others and this week someone drew my attention to his tweets on our domestic football.
 

Finally, perhaps we are making some progress, albeit necessitated by our harsh economic realities. Some of us suspected we would get here, and that our businesses will be in trouble. We also knew that despite our unabashed sponsorship and support of European football, when the crunch came, we would be left on our own. 

The Arsenals, Chelseas, Manchester Uniteds, Barcelonas and Real Madrids will not come to the aid of the Nigerian economy, they will not be creating the jobs locally that our nation needs to bounce back. 

So, now appears that time when we must do the needful and invest our resources in the domestic game so we can create the jobs and wealth at home not abroad. As the senator has succinctly put it “We spend billions on European soccer and abandon our own local leagues. 

Sports can be a major employer of labor #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira”

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, supporting the NPFL is not a favour, but a business imperative. Sports create jobs, jobs lead to disposable income, and disposable income leads to business patronage and profits. 

For years now, while our league laid prostrate, our big business leaders have unwittingly spent billions promoting European football to Nigerians and this has seen them win millions of fans for leagues like the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga, the Italian Serie A and the German Bundesliga. 

The consequence of this has been Nigerians shipping billions overseas yearly through TV networks and direct travels to watch football games and buy tons of merchandise overseas. Well payback time is time is here. Nigeria is broke, the naira is plunging, business sales are dipping and thousands are being thrown into the job market. 

I doubt the marketing managers who felt really smug about blowing billions on the European game in the last decade are feeling smug about the figures the sales are showing.

They always argue that they back the European game because that is what fans are watching, well they are still locked in that foolish logic in 2016 when the fans have lost their jobs or have had their salaries slashed. 

What is the point of promoting to people who do not have disposable income? 

Money that should have been used to support the local game and create jobs within have all been shipped away to instead create jobs overseas. 

I do not hear the British, Germans, Italians and Germans crying the way we do about fallen oil prices, I do not here them talking about devaluation and looking for loans to survive, and I can only hope we have learned some lessons.

Thanks to the senator for drawing attention to this. I personally do not know him closely and, being a bit circumspect about politicians, I would tread softly, but commonsense like this means people like me will be paying closer attention to him.


See Top Ten Trending Stories:

 One Two  Three   Four    Five   Six    Seven  Eight   Nine  Ten

Bruno Mars and Beyonce's Perforance at Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show

Coldplay, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars celebrated 50 years of Super Bowl halftime shows — and Beyoncé’s new single “Formation” — during Super Bowl 50 on Sunday.

The trio of performers collaborated on a number of songs throughout the show, with headliner Coldplay kicking things off. Martin started the performance by crouching on the field as men and women, dressed in dark clothing, ran toward the stage. 

His band then ripped through “Viva La Vida” and “Paradise,” before playing their new single “Adventure of a Lifetime.” (Coldplay was joined members of the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles during the performance.)

“Wherever you are, we’re in this together,” Martin said during “Viva La Vida.”

Coldplay, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars celebrated 50 years of Super Bowl halftime shows — and Beyoncé’s new single “Formation” — during Super Bowl 50 on Sunday.
Strangely, what the halftime show did best, though, was fun

A Super Bowl halftime show whose early going promised to make it one of the franchise’s worst ever managed to evolve, briskly, into something far more interesting; a meta-commentary on various star personas and on the Super Bowl halftime show itself.

The segment of the show belonging solely to Coldplay was the set’s worst. Though the band was the halftime show’s notional headliners, it was the least relevant-seeming of the three acts onstage. 

Bruno Mars and Beyoncé had been invited, the language around the show suggested, as a nod to the franchise’s “history,” and yet they felt far more urgent and intriguing than the British band, whose act was also plagued by significant audio problems. 

Lead singer Chris Martin’s onstage leaps felt like an attempt to gin up the sort of enthusiasm that Mars, with the opening bars of his hit “Uptown Funk,” generated organically.

Mars and Beyoncé are a part of halftime show history, sure, but it’s very recent history. They performed on the world’s biggest stage two and three years ago, respectively.



See Top Ten Trending Stories:

 One Two  Three   Four    Five   Six    Seven  Eight   Nine  Ten

Riders Blown Off Bikes Due To High Winds

---

 

It’s not often that you see races cancelled, because of wind but the Volta a La Marina in Benidorm, Spain had winds so high that they had to do exactly that. This takes riding in the wind to a totally new level.  

Cyclists in stage three of the Volta a La Marina in Benidorm are blown about in strong winds on Sunday, forcing organisers to abandon the race. Some of the 153 riders try to keep moving, but are soon forced to put their feet down, while others are blown off their bikes. 

See Top Ten Trending Stories:

 One Two  Three   Four    Five   Six    Seven  Eight   Nine  Ten

Ex-Rivers Lawmaker, Eleanya, Shot Dead In Port Harcourt

---

Unknown gunmen on Thursday shot a former member of Rivers State House of Assembly, Monday Eleanya in Port Harcourt.

A witness said Eleanya, who represented Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni constituency in Rivers State House of Assembly between 1999 to 2003 under the platform of the People Democratic Party (PDP) was shot in the early hours of Thursday by yet to be identified gunmen.

Daily Trust learnt he was driving out of his Ada George road, Port Harcourt residence when the gunmen struck.



A colleague of the former lawmaker, George Tolofari confirmed the incident to journalists in Port Harcourt.

"Eleanya was my friend, brother and former colleague. I received the news of his murder with rude shock.

“I don't know the gist of his recent move to APC, but I know he has been a committed member of our great party from when we moved to APC from PDP," he said.


Fondly called World Bank.

Eleanya was a top PDP member until few months ago when he defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Spokesman of the Rivers state police command Almad Muhammad said he was yet to have the report of the incident.


See Top Ten Trending Stories:

 One Two  Three   Four    Five   Six    Seven  Eight   Nine  Ten

US concerned over Rwanda's destabilising activities

---

The US has raised concerns with Rwandan officials over reports suggesting it is involved in "destabilising activities" in neighbouring Burundi, officials have said.

Rwanda is reported to have armed and trained refugees to fight on behalf of the Burundian opposition.

Rwanda's government has denied similar allegations in the past.
Burundi has been hit by civil conflict since President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to stand for a third term.

Has African Union let down Burundi?
Burundi on the brink
Tit-for-tat killings spread fear

In a hearing in the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, two top diplomats cited reports from colleagues in the field that they said pointed to Rwandan involvement in the Burundi crisis.

Thomas Perriello, US envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa, said the reports suggested that Burundian refugees, including children, were being recruited from camps in Rwanda to participate in armed attacks against the Burundian government.

Burundi's Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe welcomed the statements, saying they were "better later than never because we've been telling the Obama administration about this for the last seven or eight months," Voice of America reports.

He also urged the US "to move beyond simple rhetoric and take action", without giving further details.

Turmoil erupted in Burundi after Mr Nkurunziza announced plans last April to run for a third term, which he went on to win.

More than 400 people have died in the violence and at least 240,000 have fled the country.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US assistant secretary of African affairs, said that US officials had encouraged Rwandan authorities "to play a productive role and not to do anything that might further destabilise Burundi".

Writing on Twitter, Rwanda's Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo mocked the international community for not doing more to stop the cycle of violence in Burundi, without responding to the latest statements from the US:

The governments of Rwanda and Burundi are from rival ethnic groups and there is growing international concern that another ethnic conflict could take root in the region.

Last week, a UN panel reported that Burundian refugees had been recruited at a refugee camp in eastern Rwanda in May and June 2015, and given two months of military training.
At the time, Ms Mushikiwabo described the allegations as "unfounded".

Burundi's deepening crisis:

• April 2015: Protests erupt after President Pierre Nkurunziza announces he will seek a third term in office.

• May 2015: Constitutional court rules in favour of Mr Nkurunziza, amid reports of judges being intimidated. Tens of thousands flee violence amid protests.

• May 2015: Army officers launch a coup attempt, which fails.

• July 2015: Elections are held, with Mr Nkurunziza re-elected. The polls are disputed, with opposition leader Agathon Rwasa describing them as "a joke"

• November 2015: Burundi government gives those opposing President Nkurunziza's third term five days to surrender their weapons ahead of a promised crackdown.

• November 2015: UN warns it is less equipped to deal with violence in Burundi than it was for the Rwandan genocide.

• December 2015: 87 people killed on one day as soldiers respond to an attack on military sites in Bujumbura.

• January 2016: Amnesty International publishes satellite images it says are believed to be mass graves close to where December's killings took place.

 

See Top Ten Trending Stories:

 One Two  Three   Four    Five   Six    Seven  Eight   Nine  Ten

Head On Train Crash Leaves Nine dead, 50 Seriously injured in Bavaria, Germany

---

Nine people are dead and 50 seriously injured after a head-on collision between two trains in Germany's southern state of Bavaria, according to police.

Altogether, 100 to 150 people suffered injuries in the collision, police say. Authorities have issued an urgent call for blood donations to help treat the injured.

The crash occurred shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday local time near the spa town of Bad Aibling, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southeast of the Bavarian capital of Munich.

The collision left train carriages fused together and partly derailed, according to a statement from train company Meridian, which described the crash as a "terrible accident."

The crash occurred on the Mangfall Valley Railway, a single-track regional rail line running between the towns of Rosenheim and Holzkirchen, according to Meridian.

How the two trains came to collide head-on on a single rail line was still unclear, said Christian Schreyer, board chairman for Transdev, which operates the railway.

"We really have no clue how this could happen," he told CNN. "Both of our trains have been on this track at the same time."

The trains were equipped with an automatic braking system that would stop them if they ran through a red signal. Also, each train had a driver and a driver instructor on board.

It would be extremely unlikely for both drivers on a train to miss a red signal -- and then for the automatic braking system not to kick in, Schreyer said.

"We assume that those signals were green, but we don't know yet," he said.
Schreyer said he was still en route to the crash scene from northern Germany, but from what he had heard, the trains were moving at speed when they collided.

"I don't think that (they) were on full speed, but looking at what has happened, they have been not very slow, let's say it that way," he said.

The trains were permitted to run at 120 kph, or just under 75 mph, on the line, he said.

See Top Ten Trending Stories:

 One Two  Three   Four    Five   Six    Seven  Eight  Nine  Ten

Man has Been Saving His Pennies Since The 70s. You Won't Believe What The Bank Tells Him...

---

The phrase ‘Find a penny, pick it up, then all day long you’ll have good luck!’ has never proven more true than in this story. For 73 years, Otha Anders picked up pennies whenever he saw them on the street.

He said that he made a habit of picking up and saving his pennies since the mid-70s. ‘I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive to remind me to always be thankful.'

Over the years, Anders collected enough pennies to fill 15 large five-gallon water jugs. However, he was recently forced to cash them in after he found out that his homeowners insurance policy wouldn’t cover his precious coins. With no other option, Anderson took the collection to the bank, where they used a coin-counting machine to find out just how much money he had collected in each jug.

Turns out that the first bottle had a grand total of $341. Once all of the bottles were tallied, he was told he had $5,136.14! He immediately deposited the money into his bank account, and paid off a dental bill.

Bank Vice President Jennie Cole said it wasn’t a typical day at the bank when Anders had his collection of pennies rolled in on a dolly, but he is a longtime customer who they really wanted to help.

‘We value his business, as we do all of our customers’ she said. ‘But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.'

Did the final tally surprise you? Save a Penny Today..

See Top Ten Trending Stories:

 One Two  Three   Four    Five   Six    Seven  Eight   Nine  Ten

Nigerian Air Force is Recruitment

---

The Service in a statement signed by Air Vice Marshal C. N. Chukwu on behalf of the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, gave the details of the procedures for applying.

The statement by Chukwu reads in full:

---

 APPLICATION FOR NIGERIAN AIRFORCE AIRMEN/AIRWOMEN RECRUITMENT EXERCISE (BMTC 2016).

GUIDELINES
* All applicants must be Nigerians not less than 1.68m tall for male and not less than 1.65m for female.
* Interested applicants are to apply free of charge online at www.careers.nigerianairforce.gov.ng
* Applicants are to print out the underlisted documents after completion of application online:
a. Local Government Attestation Form.
b. Parents/Guardian Consent Form.
c. Acknowledgement Form.

QUALIFICATIONS
* Non Tradesmen/Women.
a. Applicants must be between the ages of 17 and 22 years by 31 December 2016.
b. Applicants must possess a minimum of 3 credits including Maths and English in SSCE/NECO/GCE.
* Tradesmen/Women.
a. Applicants applying as tradesmen and women must be between 17 and 24 years by 31 December 2016.
* Applicants must possess a minimum of 3 pasess including English in SSCE/NECO/GCE and must possess at least a lower credit in ND/NCE or any relevant trade certificate from reputable and approved government institutions/organisations.

NOTE
* Online registration starts on 8 February 2016 and closes on 25 March 2016.
* Zonal recruitment exercise will start from 11 – 29 April 2016.
* NAF Online registration and all other recruitment processes are free of charge and no payment should be made.
* The Local Government Attestation/Indigeneship certificate must be accompanied by the passport photograph and photocopy of the signees drivers licence or international passport. The signee is also to authenticate the passport photograph of the applicant behind.
For further information see the instruction page on the website as from 8 February 2016 or e-mail: airforce.support@swglobal.com.


See Top Ten Trending Stories:

 One Two  Three   Four    Five   Six    Seven  Eight   Nine  Ten

10 Trended facts every man should know about ‘Self-juicing’ (Masturbation)

Masturbation

is one act that a lot of men perform, but might not be too inclined to talk about. But there are a few things you might not know about it. Let’s break down 10 things you should know about masturbation.

1. Not that long ago, masturbation was thought to cause a wide variety of diseases and medical conditions, including mental illness, blindness, gout, and even cancer, but today we know that’s not true.

2.  In the early 20th century, medical experts believed that masturbation was extremely unhealthy and even sinful behaviour.

3. Masturbation is still considered morally reprehensible in many denominations of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

4.  Reverend Sylvester Graham created the graham cracker, a bland cookie similar to Digestives, as a means to curtail sex drive and masturbation. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg prescribed a diet of bland food for the same reason – which included his famous invention, Corn Flakes.

5. Dr. Kellogg also recommended more extreme approaches to reduce male masturbation, such as circumcision, suturing of the foreskin to prevent erections, and cages placed over the genitals that would deliver electric shocks.


6.  Masturbation is now seen as an expected, healthy and even beneficial behaviour, a typical part of child and adolescent development.

7. Even back then when people were much more socially and sexually conservative, 92% of men and 62% of women reported that they had masturbated. The numbers haven’t changed much since. For example, in a recent study, 95% of men and 71% of women said that they masturbated.

8. Based on new data, it’s safe to say that almost all men masturbate. The majority of women also masturbate, or perhaps even most, given that women tend to under-report their sexual experiences due to fear of being judged.

9. Habitually masturbating to avoid something that you’re not dealing with, or to the extent that it’s starting to intrude negatively on your life, is a concern. Some guys masturbate to deal with stress, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, or relationship problems. In the moment, masturbation can provide relief. But as an ongoing strategy, it doesn’t make things any better; if anything, it makes things worse.

10. Excessive masturbation could lead to decreased sexual performance or interest, as men only have so much mojo to go around. 

Would you still do it? It's up to you! 


See Top Ten Trending Stories:

 One Two  Three   Four    Five   Six    Seven  Eight   Nine  Ten

All Eyes are once again on Donald Trump

The Republican front-runner who has dominated the polls and the airwaves since he launched his presidential bid in June clinched his first electoral victory on Tuesday night.

But Trump's road to New Hampshire has rarely been one of playing into expectations. Rather, Trump has consistently defied convention and proved the punditry and political elite wrong.

The real estate mogul and TV reality star launched his presidential campaign on June 16, ending more than two decades of persistent flirtation with the idea of running for the Oval Office

Republican candidates: Who is John Kasich? | Who is Marco Rubio?

"So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again," Trump told a crowd of supporters and curious observers in a lengthy and meandering 45-minute announcement speech.

Democratic candidates: Who is Hillary Clinton? | Who is Bernie Sanders?

Trump's announcement speech debuted a controversy-laden campaign that defied political gravity as the billionaire businessman uttered one divisive and controversial statement or policy proposal after the next.

Huffington Post blasts Trump as 'racist, sexist demagogue'

Flirting with a run for years

It wasn't the first time Trump had floated a presidential run, coming closest to throwing his hat in the ring four years earlier before ultimately bowing out and endorsing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. And many thought Trump's toying with a presidential run in 2015 was just the latest in a long line of presidential flirtations that started in 1987 and were revived in 1999, 2004 and 2008 as well.

In between, Trump had become known not just for building skyscrapers and golf courses around the world, but as a reality television star through his 14-season run as host of "The Apprentice."

The show not only helped make Trump a household name but cemented the real estate mogul's image as a tough, bold businessman with a knack for deal-making -- a key plank of Trump's appeal to voters as he has forged an increasingly plausible path to the White House.

But Trump's celebrity status was also something he had to overcome as he worked to pitch himself to voters as a serious candidate capable of running the country.

He has flaunted his wealth and success in business as a centerpiece of his presidential platform, trumpeting a $10 billion net worth -- though Forbes estimated it at roughly $4 billion.

The billionaire pledged from the start to self-fund his presidential campaign, not only ridding himself of some outside influences, but also freeing up more time to campaign as candidates often devote a tremendous amount of time to raising funds.

"I'm really rich," Trump famously said during his announcement speech, adding that his confident attitude is what the country needs after having "losers" run the country.

Trump has still accepted $6.5 million in contributions to his campaign since launching his id, but has also injected about $12 million of his own money and disavowed any super PACs looking to support him early in the race.

 

Not New to politics

While campaigning as an outsider, Trump is no stranger to politics.

For years before officially announcing his bid, Trump courted right-wing talk show hosts and hardline conservative politicians and activists for years.

He famously fanned the flames of the "birther" movement in 2011 and today takes credit for President Barack Obama's decision to release his birth certificate.

Trump will now do battle for the Republican nomination with a crowd of more conventional politicians, including a scrum of governors and senators.

And he'll stand out in another way beside his brash, attention-grabbing public persona -- he's hardly an orthodox conservative on a range of issues. Trump regularly bashes trade deals with China, Mexico and other countries. He's spoken favorably about higher taxes on the wealthy. And he talks up protecting Social Security and Medicare in the social insurance programs' current forms, rather than making them more state-based, as some other Republican candidates advocate.

Source: CNN

No Computer Skill, No Promotion - FG of Nigeria Tells Workers

The government said the order became necessary because it would soon switch from biro-to-paper examinations to computer-based exams for onward promotions and advancement in the civil service.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, HoS, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, gave the order in an interview with journalists in Abuja shortly after she rewarded 12 civil servants for their punctuality and commitment to work.

Oyo-Ita, who gave commendation letter and a computer each to the 12 workers, explained that the computer reward was deliberate to drive home the call for a digitalised civil servant.

She added that any federal civil servant who failed to sharpen his or her skill in computer would not partake in computer-based promotion examinations.
She charged civil servants to be abreast of latest developments in Information, Technology and Communication, ICT, for office holders.

The HoS stated that the use of computers had been the major vehicle of change in the transition from industrial to information age, adding that computer had made sending of information from one source to the other easier and simpler.

“Computer has become an indispensable tool for individual and national empowerment, improvement, development and actualization of service,’’ she noted.
She also noted that  automation of information activities in office had changed the nature of office work and had highly affected the activities of knowledge on workers. Mrs. Eyo-Ita said she only fulfilled the promise made to reward civil servants for punctuality and attitude to work.

“I decide to shift from the impunity of lateness to work to punctuality and commitment to work in order to serve as encouragement to others and also spur some others to improve on their attitude to work,” she added.
The beneficiaries incclude Mr Oluwasegun Ademisoro, Engr. Evans Osaghaede, Mr Shehu Aminu, Engr. Abel Phillip, Engr. Nuhu Garba, Mr Ikam Atah, Mrs Temitope Amasika,    Mr Biboye Egberipov, Mrs Christiana Mordi, Mrs Maria Okonkwo, Mrs Joyce Petu and Mr Affiong Dominic from the Ministries of Communication Technology, Power, National Sports Commission, Presidential Advisory Committee and Aviation

Speaking on behalf of the recipients, Mr Abel Phillips, in the Ministry of Power, said the award would spur other civil servants to improve their attitude to work, while having it at the back of their minds that their efforts would be rewarded someday.




See Top Ten Trending Stories:

 One Two  Three   Four    Five   Six    Seven  Eight   Nine  Ten