FEATURES

Saturday, 27 November 2021 03:57

Using these 8 common phrases can ruin your credibility

The other day my husband and I were watching the news and a politician discussing the state of affairs in Washington began with “in my humble opinion.” Over the course of his short interview he repeated that phrase four or five times. He was a good speaker except for this. He had much to say, but all we remember of his interview was “in my humble opinion.” Expressions like these are called “caveats”—phrases tucked into our speech to qualify what we’re saying. “Caveat” comes from a Latin word meaning ‘beware.’ When we use caveats we literally warn our audience to…

Friday, 26 November 2021 05:59

Forget small talk: Why emotionally intelligent people embrace the rule of the awkward conversation

Next time you meet someone new, ditch the small talk. Science says they--and you--will be glad you did. Imagine you're attending an industry conference and the speaker splits everyone into pairs. "Uh-oh," you probably think. Then he says you'll spend the next ten minutes asking each other four questions: "For what in your life do you feel most grateful?" "If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, your future, or anything else, what would you want to know?" "If you were going to become a close friend with the other participant, please share what would…

Wednesday, 24 November 2021 05:53

Scientists mystified, wary, as Africa avoids Covid disaster

At a busy market in a poor township outside Harare this week, Nyasha Ndou kept his mask in his pocket, as hundreds of other people, mostly unmasked, jostled to buy and sell fruit and vegetables displayed on wooden tables and plastic sheets. As in much of Zimbabwe, here the coronavirus is quickly being relegated to the past, as political rallies, concerts and home gatherings have returned. “Covid-19 is gone, when did you last hear of anyone who has died of Covid-19?” Ndou said. “The mask is to protect my pocket,” he said. “The police demand bribes so I lose money…

Tuesday, 23 November 2021 05:58

Boko Haram: Maiduguri struggles to recover without electricity

A whirring machine churns out prints at the Gaza Printing Press in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri while owner Garba Zango supervises. The copies are perfect, but his costs have lately gone through the roof. The past 10 months have been the toughest of Zango's nearly 50-year career as his city of 800,000 struggles without power from the national grid. "Every aspect of life - everything - has changed in Maiduguri," Zango, 66, said. "If we were getting 10 naira profit (per unit before), profits have now fallen to 2 or 3 naira." Maiduguri is the capital of Borno…

Sunday, 14 November 2021 05:55

Is your brain healthy? Research says this simple test can tell you

A study of a half a million adults shows this simple physical test can show how your brain is doing However you define success, whether it's building a billion-dollar business or being an amazing parent, there's one factor that gives you a massive boost towards reaching your goals. A healthy brain helps you achieve whatever it is you want to achieve in life. And sadly, as we age, we all start to wonder if our memory, focus, and cognitive speed is beginning to decline. How can you tell if your brain is as sharp as it ever was? No doubt…

Thursday, 04 November 2021 05:58

Nigeria’s paradox of being oil rich but energy poor: What way out?

Africa's biggest economy has 206 million people, endemic poverty and vast energy reserves that could be harnessed to fuel development. But it's coming under huge pressure from developed countries to abandon fossil fuels and shift to renewable energy in order to help save the climate. Nigeria is not the only country confronting this dilemma. At the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, developing economies across Africa, Asia and Latin America are facing increasing pressure to cut carbon emissions at the very moment they are industrializing, a process that powered the advance of the West and lifted billions of people out of…

Sunday, 31 October 2021 05:54

How 'Let's Go Brandon' became code for insulting Joe Biden

When Republican Rep. Bill Posey of Florida ended an Oct. 21 House floor speech with a fist pump and the phrase “Let’s go, Brandon!” it may have seemed cryptic and weird to many who were listening. But the phrase was already growing in right-wing circles, and now the seemingly upbeat sentiment -- actually a stand-in for swearing at Joe Biden -- is everywhere. South Carolina Republican Jeff Duncan wore a “Let’s Go Brandon” face mask at the Capitol last week. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz posed with a “Let’s Go Brandon” sign at the World Series. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s press secretary…

Sunday, 31 October 2021 05:51

Facebook's new name ridiculed by Hebrew speakers

Facebook's announcement that it is changing its name to Meta has caused quite the stir in Israel where the word sounds like that for "dead". To be precise, Meta is pronounced like the feminine form of the Hebrew word. A number of people have taken to Twitter to share their take on the name under the hashtag #FacebookDead. The emergency rescue volunteers Zaka even got involved, telling their followers on Twitter: "Don't worry, we're on it". Another Twitter user said: "Thank you for providing all Hebrew speakers a good reason to laugh." Facebook isn't the only company to be ridiculed…

Tuesday, 26 October 2021 05:45

‘Why I returned to Boko Haram and how I escaped', woman tells story of her romance with terrorist commanders

In 2017, Aisha Yerima shocked her family when she willingly returned to Boko Haram captivity after she had been freed by the military. Four years on and the 30-year-old has now escaped and returned to her parents' home in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. She was kidnapped by Boko Haram at the age of 21 from a town Southeast of Maiduguri and went on to marry one of the group's commanders, whom she said won her heart with romance and gifts. He had gone off to battle when the military attacked their camp in the Sambisa Forest, rescuing Aisha…

Tuesday, 26 October 2021 05:43

Failed state? Why Nigeria’s fragile democracy is facing an uncertain future

Peter Beaumont A series of overlapping security, political and economic crises has left Nigeriafacing its worst instability since the end of the Biafran war in 1970. With experts warning that large parts of the country are in effect becoming ungovernable, fears that the conflicts in Africa’s most populous state were bleeding over its borders were underlined last week by claims that armed Igbo secessionists in the country’s Southeast were now cooperating with militants fighting for an independent state in the anglophone region of neighbouring Cameroon. The mounting insecurity from banditry in the Northwest, jihadist groups such as Boko Haram in…

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Sunday, 24 October 2021 06:18

Sunday Igboho’s aide released from DSS detention gives blow-by-blow account of the midnight attack by security operatives on the separatist’s home

Onaolapo Ademola is one of the 12 associates of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, recently released on bail from the custody of the Department of State Services. In this interview with KAYODE OYERO, Ademola narrates how the secret police raided the Ibadan residence of Igboho in a Gestapo style in the midnight of July 1, 2021, killing two associates and arresting him and other Igboho’s aides Please tell us about yourself. I am Onaolapo Ademola by name. I am 32 years old. I’m a solar inverter expert. I deal in land and real estate and also have…

Saturday, 23 October 2021 05:58

5 things you’re doing that attract snakes

Sure, you clean your home to make it look presentable, but maintaining a tidy space is also the first step toward keeping pest problems at bay. However, it's not just rodents and roaches you're fending off by ensuring that your space is clean as a whistle: experts say that avoiding certain tasks as a homeowner could be making your house or yard look like an attractive hideout for snakes. Before you find yourself faced with a slithering surprise, find out which cleaning and maintenance habits could be attracting snakes to your space. 1 Don’t neglect cleaning up your bird feeder…

Friday, 22 October 2021 05:44

Think big: Six ways to accomplish more as a leader

The best leaders among us think big. Visionary leaders create a future that seems impossible to others. Think Kennedy, who sent a man to the moon. Or Steve Jobs, who imagined the iPod and iPhone, which would transform the way we communicate with one another. Or Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected President of South Africa, and the leader of the Anti-Apartheid movement. And then there are everyday heroes who make big, audacious, impossible things happen. Like Desray Shuck, former head of leadership development for the global mining conglomerate, Anglo American, with operations across six continents and with over 63,000…

Wednesday, 20 October 2021 06:02

#EndSARS: 'He died in my arms.' 12 months on, a mother's agonising wait to find out why her son died at Lekki toll gate

When Adesola heard about the shooting at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos on October 20, 2020, she immediately thought of her son who had earlier left home to join the hundreds of young people protesting against police brutality at the site. In a blind panic, she called his phone, but there was no answer. She immediately hailed a passing motorcycle taxi, known locally as an Okada, and raced to the scene. But nothing could have prepared her for the harrowing scenes she witnessed when she got there, she said. "While I was looking for my son... I saw people…

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