Japanese aren’t having sex, aren’t having babies. The govt is taking extreme counter-measures
Hillary Hoffower Japan has a baby problem. • In Japan, people aren't having sex. • That means they're not having babies either, and the declining fertility rate is creating a...
The case for caseless phones
Maria Teresa Hart Fanatics of case-free phones say it’s about design, but could it really be about status? The first person I ever met who was fiercely anti-smartphone case was...
Firing Adedayo and dilemma of hateful, polluted polity - Leo Sobechi
Senate President, Mr Ahmad Lawan’s decision to revise the appointment of Dr. Festus Adedayo as his Media Aide comes off with a protruding belly of interpretations and implications, especially given...
How your looks shape your personality
We tend to think of our looks as separate from who we are. But it turns out that physical traits like height or attractiveness may shape our personalities, behaviours, even...
They wanted a son so much they made their daughter live as a boy
At first glance, 13-year-old Mangal Karimy could be any boy living in a small village in western Afghanistan, hauling firewood and feeding cattle on his father's farm. Silently he hurries...
Are you chronically unhappy? 15 signs that suggest so
AnnaMarie Houlis Chronically unhappy people let their emotions consume them. • Some people, regardless of how much money they have or property they own, are chronically unhappy. • However, many...
Nigerians forced by bandits to flee homeland to Niger Republic recount ordeal
Many locals from some villages in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State attacked by bandits had to flee the country to neighbouring Niger Republic to escape further attacks....
Your pillowcase could have more bacteria than your toilet seat for this one reason
Each night, your body sheds around 15 million skin cells, which build up if you don't wash your sheetsoften. You're essentially providing food for thousands of dust mites. This is...
The internet is changing Africa, mostly for the better
Daniel Van Boom Cheap smartphones are flooding Africa, giving many of its citizens access to the internet for the very first time. Anyone can get into Nigeria's tech scene, says...
The Steve Jobs guide to manipulating people and getting what you want
Dave Smith • Steve Jobs launched two of the most valuable and creative companies in modern times with Apple and Pixar. • But he didn't reach those heights by following...
What Nigeria can learn from Ghana’s data-driven approach to fighting poverty
On a blistering hot day last week, a team of Ghanaians clambered out of vans into Agbogbloshie, a notoriously poor neighborhoodin the capital city of Accra. Their eyes roamed over...
The six rules everyone should follow when flying
Tom Nichols I’ve just settled into my seat—in economy because not every day can be Christmas—for an evening flight from Boston to Zürich. We have barely finished boarding, and the...
A neuroscientist explains why this ‘secret’ to a longer and happier life is gaining attention from millions
In Japan, the secret to living a longer, happier and more fulfilled life can be summed up in one word: Ikigai. In Japanese, ikimeans "to live" and gaimeans "reason" —...
The surprising reason 492 out of 500 people at one company chose iPhone over Android
There are so many exciting new Android smartphones coming in 2019. In fact, several of the best ones have already been released. After two years with the same design, Samsung...
New wave of middle-class emigration deepens Nigeria's skill shortage - Bloomberg
Number of Nigerians overstaying U.S. visitor visas quadruples A new wave of emigration among Nigeria’s middle class is robbing the oil-rich West African nation of skills and putting local recruitment...
Happiness doesn't follow success. It's the other way around, according to science
Lisa C. Walsh, Julia K. Boehm, and Sonja Lyubomirsky • Most people are taught from a young age that happiness comes after we become successful, but the equation might be...
f you lose your iPhone, immediately do these 3 things
Jason Cipriani Losing your iPhone ($1,000 at Amazon) or having it stolen is one of the worst feelings ever. When you rely on your phones for nearly everything, the idea...
The transformational power of how you talk about your life
How you talk about the major events of your life has a profound impact on your personality. If you change your life story, could you become a healthier, happier person?...
Your casual friendships are more important than you think. Here’s how to keep up with them
Close friendships are wonderful, allowing us to form deep connectionswith a select few people who act as our core support system. But we shouldn’t underestimate the friends and professional ties...
Want your skin to glow like a child’s? Here are foods to eat
As cloudy skies start to turn sunnier, you might be checking your stash of sunscreen. But you may also want to see what's in your kitchen, as some foods can...
Here's a scientific explanation for why rich people think they're better than everyone
Katie Warren In cognitive assessments and trivia tests, upper-class people assumed they'd perform better than others. • It's official: Rich people really do think they're better than everybody else. •...
You’ve been criticised a lot? These are 4 brilliant ways to handle it
Tim Cook had a zinger of wisdom hidden deep within a rousing commencement speech. It can be hard to handle criticism. We all know we need to do it; it's...
The subtle ways your friends change you
Our health choices are constantly influenced by our friends, both consciously or unconsciously. We often think that self-control comes from within, yet many of our actions depend just as much...
Here’s a look at Northern communities where mothers are paid to allow their children attend school
Located on a large expanse of land, Rafin Giwa Model Primary School in Kwakware community, Kebbi State, is gradually becoming a prime destination for anxious parents wishing to enrol their...
Here’s why you don’t remember your dreams - and how to recall them
Stephen Dowling Many of us struggle to remember the details of our dreams. The reasons lie in the complicated cycles of our sleep. I am standing outside my childhood primary...
The '3.5% rule': How a small minority can change the world
Nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts – and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change. In...
Millions of students are buying 'plagiarism-free' essays - and it's nearly impossible for teachers to prove
Hayley Peterson • An estimated one in six students is buying school assignments from so-called "essay mills" that claim to offer original, "plagiarism-free" essays, term papers, dissertations, and more for...
The 1968 novel that predicted today
In the first of BBC Culture’s new series on fiction that predicted the future, Hephzibah Anderson looks at the work of John Brunner, whose vision of 2010 was eerily accurate....
Why ‘small wars' are only going to get deadlier
Steven Metz • The US has spent decades fighting small, asymmetric conflicts against insurgencies around the world. • Insurgent forces have always been fierce opponents, but technological change likely means...
As churches are demolished at home, Chinese Christians find religious freedom in Kenya
But migrants embracing God in highly Christian Nairobi are often unaware of the atheist Communist Party’s war on religion Every Sunday morning in an affluent suburb of Nairobi, Kenya, the...
How hindsight bias skews your judgement
Sometimes we just know something will happen and it does. But experts say channelling that experience into decision-making is an error that leads to mistakes. On 8 November 2016 –...
Why food poverty is a health time bomb
More and more children in ostensibly rich countries like the UK are now going hungry - with serious consequences. Kerry Wright didn’t feel hungry. Not in the way you might...
The world is sadder, angrier and more scared than ever before
People across the world are sadder, more scared and angrier than ever before, according to a startling new survey into global well-being. The study is US analytics company Gallup's annual...
Here's how Google knows in less than 5 minutes if you could be a great leader
After years of study, Google uses a few simple questions to identify the company's best leaders. Great companies are built by great leaders. (That's why the ability to identify and...
What and where is heaven? The answers are at the heart of the Easter story
Robyn J. Whitaker My pious Baptist grandmother once shockingly confessed, at the ripe old age of 93, that she didn’t want to go to heaven. “Why,” we asked? “Well, I...
‘How I made fathers carry babies on their backs'
Marta Moreiras and the subjects of her portraits - fathers carrying babies on their backs - were surprised by the attention they attracted as she took their photographs on the...
There’s an ingredient in madam’s breast milk that can prolong your life - Study
Jack Kaskey Mother’s milk isn’t just for babies anymore. Global chemical giants DowDuPont Inc. and BASF SEare investing millions to ramp up production of an indigestible sugar found naturally in...
These are the 10 most confusing words in English language
Mark Abadi Certain words can leave some people perplexed. • Merriam-Webster has a list of the most looked-up words in its online dictionary. • Words like conundrum or affect/effect continue...
This 1 word makes others think less of you, and you probably say it several times daily
TEDx speaker Maja Jovanovic explains why it's bad, and what you should say instead. How many times a day do you use the word "sorry"? Statistics on Americans are hard...
Nutritional supplements don't work - Report
A study has found that taking supplements has little effect and only nutrients found in foods can lower your chances of death. In fact, some supplements - such as calcium...