'Ebola-Proof' Tablet Device Developed

Medics wear full protective gear to shield themselves from the virus

A tablet device that can withstand being doused in chlorine has been developed to help medics caring for patients with Ebola.

Designed by technology volunteers and Google, it can be used even wearing gloves and in storms and high humidity.

Jonathan Eyes Boko Haram Ouster Within A Month

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan said in an interview broadcast on Friday that he hoped that Boko Haram militants would be pushed out of captured towns and villages within a month.

"I'm very hopeful that it will not take us more than a month to recover the old territories that hitherto have been in their hands," he told the BBC.

Nigeria's military has had a remarkable transformation, claiming to have recaptured dozens of communities from the Islamists in the restive northeast since early February.

2015 Nigeria General Elections: Jega ‘Very Confident’ About Safety Of Ad Hoc Staff

Professor Attahiru Jega, Chairman, INEC (Image source: TheCable)

Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says he is “feeling confident” about arrangements put in place to guarantee the security of ad hoc staff for the March 28 and April 11 elections. 

Speaking on Friday during an interview with Channels TV, he also said that Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are being produced in Nigeria and not in China as widely speculated.

“The outstanding PVCs are not being produced in China, according to allegations, but in a company here in Nigeria,” he said.

N7bn Bribe Allegation: DSS After My Life, Says Borno Pastor

Kallamu Musa-Dikwa earlier addressing news reporters to insist CAN was given N7bn bribe

The Borno State-born pastor, Kallamu Musa-Dikwa, who accused the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of collecting N7bn from President Goodluck Jonathan to campaign against the All Peoples Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has raised the alarm that operatives of the Directorate of State Service are after his life.

While insisting that the Christian body collected the said amount, Dikwa said the DSS had forced him to sign a document which they would use against him to prove to the entire world that “the President (Jonathan) did not bribe CAN to work against the Presidential candidate of APC.”

DARPA 'Cure' For Ebola Could Protect Us Against ALL Diseases: DNA Breakthrough Could Prevent Future Mass Outbreaks

US military's DARPA has developed a method to stop infectious diseases. It involves encoding RNA and DNA with instructions for antibodies. A person could then be injected with the antibodies at a pharmacy (stock image shown). This enables a person's cells to fight an infectious disease (Image source: Daily Mail)

United States Military Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA says they may have a method to stop all infectious diseases - including Ebola. By encoding RNA and DNA in a specific way, Darpa say a person could simply go into a shop and get an injection to protect them against a disease (SEE FULL ARTICLE HERE).

This could be used to prevent mass outbreaks in affected areas.

EBOLA OUTBREAK: Sierra Leone Lockdown To Hit 2.5m People

There have been more than 3,300 confirmed deaths from Ebola in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is to enforce a three-day lockdown of key parts of the country to try to contain the Ebola epidemic.

There have been 3,702 reported deaths from Ebola in the West African nation.

A three-day curfew in September, keeping people at home under quarantine, was hailed as a success by authorities, despite some criticism.

German Couple Pays €875 To Greece For Their Share Of WWII Reparations

Nafplion, view from Palamidi Castle. (Image from Wikipedia by Jeanhousen)

A German couple visiting Greece have handed over a check for €875 to the mayor of the seaport town of Nafplio, saying they wanted to make amends for their government’s attitude for refusing to pay Second World War reparations.

Nina Lahge, who works a 30-hour week, and Ludwig Zacaro, who is retired, made the symbolic gesture and explained that the amount of €875 would be the amount one person would owe if Germany’s entire war debt was divided by the population of 80 million Germans.

REVEALED: The CIA Report Used As Pretext For Iraq Invasion

Former United States President George W. Bush.(Reuters / Mike Stone)

The document summarizing the CIA’s purported knowledge of Iraqi chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs, produced in October 2002 and hidden from the public ever since, has finally been made public.

The CIA had previously released a heavily redacted version of the controversial National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) in 2004. Last year, transparency advocate John Greenwald made another FOIA request and received a declassified version of the document, which Vice News published this Thursday.

Kuwait Oil Minister: No Plans For Emergency OPEC Meeting

Kuwait's oil minister says his country will stick to existing production targets and sees no reason for an emergency session of OPEC despite the slide in crude prices.

Oil Minister Ali al-Omair was quoted by the official Kuwait News Agency on Thursday saying there is no reason for the 12-nation bloc to reassess strategy before its scheduled June gathering.

He says Kuwait would be "very happy" if other producers cut their output. But he says Kuwait will stick to production levels OPEC agreed to at its last meeting in November.

The price of Brent crude, a benchmark for international oil, has fallen by more than half since last summer. It was down 2.6 percent at US$55.38 in afternoon trading in London.

FOR THE RECORDS: UNIPORT Hides Jonathan’s Doctorate Details

President Goodluck Jonathan

Based on PREMIUM TIMES reports, the University of Port Harcourt has declined a Freedom of Information, FOI, request for the doctorate degree records of President Goodluck Jonathan.

In a response to the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, a Rivers State-based civil society organization, the university said a request for President Jonathan’s academic records did not fall within the provisions of the FOI law.

2015 Nigeria General Elections: PDP Chairman, Mu’azu, Rules Out Landslide Victory For Jonathan, Others

Adamu Mu’azu, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Adamu Mu’azu, has ruled out a landslide victory for the party in the forthcoming general elections.

The PDP has formed the federal government as well as most of the state governments since the return of democracy in Nigeria 16 years ago, following its victory in the 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections. President Goodluck Jonathan is the PDP candidate in the March 28 presidential poll.

Indian Authorities Red-Faced After Exam Cheating Exposed

Indian youths sit a 2005 entrance exam in Bhopal, Bihar state

Authorities in eastern India were left red-faced on Thursday after images of relatives scaling the walls of a school exam centre to pass notes to candidates were broadcast on local television. Dozens of people were shown clinging to the windows of one four-storey building in the eastern state of Bihar, where more than 1.4 million teenagers are sitting their school leaving exams.

Celestial Delight: Rare Total Solar Eclipse Set To Dazzle UK Today

Supermoon total solar eclipse

Skygazers in UK are in for a celestial treat on Friday as they will witness a rare phenomenon of supermoon total solar eclipse.

It’s a rare celestial occurrence when the moon will cover the sun, blocking out its light. It is also being seen as the biggest solar eclipse for 15 years, since the UK was plunged into darkness in 1999 and until 2026.

19 People Killed In Tunis Museum Attack

Tunisian security forces secure the area after gunmen attacked Tunis' famed Bardo Museum on March 18, 2015. (AFP Photo / Fethi Belaid)

Tunisia’s prime minister says 17 tourists have been killed following a siege by two armed militants at a museum in the capital Tunis. Prime Minister Habib Essid said the standoff, in which a policeman and a Tunisian also lost their lives, was over.

The approximately three-hour attack and hostage siege took place at the Bardo Museum in the country’s capital. Seventeen tourists lost their lives, while one Tunisian, believed to be a janitor working in the museum, and a policemen were also killed. The crisis concluded when security forces stormed the building - next to the Tunisian parliament - and killed the two gunmen.

Atiku Disowns 120 Groups Defecting To PDP

Atiku Abubakar

A former Vice President and chieftain of the All progressives Congress, APC, Atiku Abubakar, has denied knowledge of the groups of politicians who announced their defection to the PDP from the APC.

Atiku said in a statement by his media office in Abuja that he remains a committed member of the APC and urged that the purported defections of these groups be discountenanced.

A total of 120 so-called pro-Atiku support groups on Tuesday defected from the APC to the PDP. They dumped the APC for the ruling PDP at an elaborate ceremony held at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

Those Criticizing Nigeria’s Military Are Reckless – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has described leaders and other critics who have taken it as a duty to rope the military into the country’s politics and electioneering activities as being reckless. He noted that he feels bad anytime he listens to people making insulting remarks about the armed forces, adding that the military must be appreciated by all Nigerians and insulated from politics.

The president stated this when he received a cheque of N1 million from one Mr Dotun Oyetunde in support of the nation’s armed forces at a meeting of the Security Council presided over by him.

2015 POLLS: Why I Won’t Debate With Jonathan – Buhari

General Muhammudu Buhari (retd)

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammudu Buhari (retd) has shed more light on why he will not debate with his main opponent, President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the debate being organized by the Nigerian Debate Group this month.

Buhari declared that there was nothing to debate on, as the PDP-led government had failed Nigerians woefully. He made this comment in Abuja at a meeting with members of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).

Our Job Is Almost Completed In North-East – Service Chiefs

Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Kenneth Minimah

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Kenneth Minimah, said yesterday that for the 2015 elections to hold in the North-East areas recently recovered by the military from insurgents, the structures of government and governance have to be reinstated in the areas.

The army chief also hinted that the country’s military had no information at the moment regarding the whereabouts of the over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped in Chibok, Borno State.

ON FIRE SINCE 1916: The Indian Village Which Has Burned For 99 Years (PHOTOS)

Coal fires cause pollution and ground subsidence at the world's largest coal-fire complex near Jharia, India. It's thought it would be possible to extinguish the fires, but there is a lack of political will. (Photo: Anupma Prakesh)

The town of Jharia, in India's northeastern Jharkhand province, plays host to more than 70 fires which have burned continuously beneath the earth's surface since 1916. Village residents are dying of breathing disorders and skin diseases at alarming rates as underground fires that have raged for nearly a century continue to blanket the city in toxic smoke.

Here the infernos have been left to burn unhindered following a coal mine collapse in the resource-rich region - which produced a blaze so intense authorities have balked for decades at the effort required to extinguish it.

Sierra Leone VP Samuel Sam-Sumana Sacked

President Ernest Bai Koroma (L) had a frosty relationship with his sacked deputy, Samuel Sam-Sumana (R)

Sierra Leone's Vice-President Samuel Sam-Sumana has been sacked for seeking political asylum in a foreign embassy, the president's office has said. Mr Sam-Sumana had shown a willingness to abandon the vice-presidency by seeking asylum, it added.

On Saturday, Mr Sam-Sumana said he had asked for asylum in the US because his life was in danger. 

Kenyan Alleged 'Ivory Kingpin' Gets Bail In Landmark Case

Feisal Mohammed Ali was arrested in Tanzania after fleeing Kenya ©- (AFP)

A court in Kenya on Wednesday granted bail to the suspected ringleader of an ivory smuggling gang on medical grounds, prompting immediate protests from wildlife activists.

Kenyan national Feisal Mohammed Ali, who figured on an Interpol list of the nine most wanted suspects linked to crimes against the environment, was arrested by international police agents in Tanzania in December after fleeing Kenya and extradited to face charges in the port city of Mombasa.

Releasing Ali on a 10 million shilling (102,000 euro) bond, Magistrate Justus Kituku said he did not believe the suspect would try to flee again.

"The court hopes the accused has learnt his lesson," said Kituku. "The world is a global village. You can run but you cannot hide."

An Epidemic of Political Violence As 20 Killed In Pre-Election Violence In Rivers

Rivers State Governor, HE, Rht Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi

The Rivers State Government on Tuesday raised the alarm over the spate of pre-election violence in the state in recent times, saying over 20 people have been confirmed dead.

The development, it said, has become an epidemic for the health sector to manage.

The government disclosed that statistics from Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital and Kelsey Harrison Hospital between January and March 12, 2015 revealed that 41 casualties were treated for gunshot injuries while 26 others were treated for machete wounds.

FG Slashes Electricity Tariff By 50%

PHCN NERC Chairman Sam Amadi

The Federal Government on Tuesday announced a reduction in electricity tariffs by 50 per cent. It explained that the reduction which came barely two months after it cut the pump price of petrol by N10, followed a series of complaints by electricity consumers.

The government through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission added that it took the decision after it removed the collection loss component of the Multi Year Tariff Order 2.1 of the affected Discos.

Israel Election: Netanyahu's Likud Storms To Victory; Netanyahu Soundly Defeats Chief Rival

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel celebrated with supporters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. (Photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party has won a surprise victory in Israel's election.

Exit polls had forecast a dead heat but with almost all votes counted, results give Likud a clear lead over its main rival, the centre-left Zionist Union.

Jega: I Won’t Resign, I Have a Job to Do

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has replied critics pushing for his ouster, saying that he will not resign his appointment, as he has a job to do.

Also the INEC chairman expressed satisfaction with the security situation in the northeastern part of the country, adding, however, that soldiers were never allowed at the polling units in past polls and would not be allowed during the forthcoming elections.

Singapore Ex-PM Lee Kuan Yew's Health Worsens

Lee Kuan Yew is widely credited with transforming Singapore from an economic backwater to one of Asia's wealthiest economies in just over three decades ©Toshifumi Kitamura (AFP)

The health of Singapore's founding leader Lee Kuan Yew has worsened due to an infection after nearly six weeks in hospital, the government said Tuesday.

The 91-year-old former prime minister -- widely credited with transforming Singapore from an economic backwater to one of Asia's wealthiest economies -- has been in Singapore General Hospital since February 5, on life support at the intensive care unit and receiving treatment for severe pneumonia.

Israeli Polls: 13% Of Israelis Cast Ballots In First 3 Hours

The data showed a 2.3-percent increase in voter turnout compared to the last poll two years ago (Photo: Worldbulletin)

About 13.75 percent of eligible Israeli voters cast ballots within the first three hours of Knesset elections, according to data released by the country's official electoral commission on Tuesday.

The data showed a 2.3-percent increase in voter turnout compared to the last poll two years ago.

In the 2013 election, only 11.4 percent of eligible voters had cast ballots as of 10am, although the figure had risen to 26 percent one hour later.

Israelis on Tuesday began flocking to polling stations across the self-proclaimed Jewish state to elect new Knesset members amid a dead heat between the incumbent Likud party and the center-left Zionist Union alliance.

Official election results will be announced on Thursday, according to the commission.