A little boy who was born with eight limbs

** VERY TOUCHING **
A little boy who was born with eight limbs has been hailed as an Indian god - sparking crowds of people rallying to see him.

The village in West Bengal has become overrun with thousands of worshippers flocking to see the child, who has four arms and four legs, at the hospital.

His condition is believed to be caused by the baby's twin being joined to him in the womb.

Many were crying and praying - suggested he was the Hindu god Brahma - while some believed it was the sign of the end of the World.

A relative of the ''god baby'' told a television station in Baruipur, East India: When he first came out we couldn't believed it.
The nurses said he was badly deformed but i could see that this was
a sign from God.
Infact, this's a miracle, it's god's baby.
Indian god's have extra limbs just like this.

A police spokeman said: This is a freak baby and it's tragic, there is nothing Godly about him at all.
But the crowds are going berserk and clamouring to see him.

Hundreds are crying in the street,
Hundreds of others are praying and setting up camp here.
Some are even panicking and believe this is a sign of the end of the World.

I have never seen anything like this in my whole life/career before...
(not our portion in Jesus name)

 ·

Bomb blast in Kano

A bomb reportedly went off in Kano this afternoon. Eye-witnesses say the blast happened at Filin Parking in Kantin Kwari Market in Kano around 3: 30pm. Kantin Kwari market is said to be one of the largest markets in Kano. Details of the blast is still sketchy. More later... 

Aww...Chris Brown says he'll spend Christmas and New Year alone

So no reconciliation between himself and Karrueche anytime soon? Aww... 

Malala Yousafzai receives her Noble Peace Prize

17 year old Pakistani girl rights activist, Malala Yousafzai received her Nobel Peace Prize today  Dec. 10th at the city hall in Oslo, Norway. She won the award in October alongside Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi. Receiving her award, Malala said

"I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is not. It is the story of many girls. I am pretty certain that I am also the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize who still fights with her younger brothers". More pics from the ceremony after the cut...

Guests at the event included Queen Latifah and Steven Tyler 

Photo: Man buried in SUV Hummer in Nigeria

Search

 

What are your thoughts? will you like to be buried in a SUV Hummer?

- See more at: http://www.nigerianwatch.com/celebritywatch-with-michael-tubes/5907-photo-man-buried-in-suv-hummer-in-nigeria#sthash.jd1s49cf.dpuf

3 Biggest Currency Moves in 2014

It’s almost the end of the year and you know what that means - it’s time to look back and review the movers and shakers of the currency world! So which currency pairs dominated 2014 trading?

1. USD/JPY (+13.78%)
The yen traded in relatively tight ranges for most of the year after traders have priced in Shinzo Abe’s new stimulus policies in 2013, plan to which the BOJ had stuck to like glue. In fact, it wasn’t until Q3 2014 when yen bears pushed their pedals to the metal.

It was around mid-August when disappointing reports from Japan started piling up, enough to strengthen calls for the BOJ to do something. And in October, BOJ Governor Kuroda made good on his threats to do more if their inflation goals were challenged by not only increasing the pace of its easing, but it also downgraded its inflation forecasts AND hinted at another tax hike. Good night Japanese yen!

Related Reads:
Lack of new plans causes seesaw JPY trading
BOJ statement causes more JPY selloff

2. EUR/USD (-9.45%)
No currency-related list would be complete without the usual drama around the shared European currency. The euro was actually bound in wide ranges for the first half of the year despite the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Draghi’s early threats of negative deposit rates.

It wasn’t until late May to early June when the ECB made good on its threats that the euro selloff gained momentum. Not only did the ECB cut its interest rates and dragged its deposit rate to negative territory, but it did it one more time in September when few analysts were expecting it! It also didn’t help that European trade, manufacturing, and overall growth levels were tanking in the region at the same time  as the decline in the euro zone’s inflation levels.

Related Reads:
Draghi jawbones the euro by hinting at a possible QE
ECB cuts rates and implements negative deposit rates
ECB cuts rates...again!

3. USD/CHF (+8.21%)
Newly-appointed Fed Chairman Janet Yellen didn’t waste much time boosting the Greenback in March when the Fed removed the unemployment rate threshold and upgraded its U.S. growth forecasts.

The central bank then went on to drain the last of its QE3 program as Uncle Sam’s economic prospects continued to improve. It also helped that a bit of risk aversion over geopolitical concerns sparked appetite for safe haven countries and their currencies. Right now the Fed is focusing on trying to working a rate hike in 2015 without causing too much disruption in the global markets. By the looks of USD’s price action, the Fed didn’t do a great job on the latter!

Related Reads:
3 geopolitical risks that weighed on currencies
Fed tries to temper rate hike talks
Exit strategy talks fuel appetite for USD

BONUS: USD/RUB (+63.97%)
I don't usually write about the Russian Rouble (RUB) but this move is just too crazy to ignore. USD/RUB hit the ground running in Q1 2014 as Russia worked on annexing Crimea from Ukraine, a move that garnered economic sanctions from its major trade partners. Russia and Ukraine reached some sort of truce though, and USD/RUB dropped back to its January levels by late June.

It was in mid-July when the Russian economy really started to hurt from the economic sanctions. Oil prices also started dropping like there's no tomorrow, which isn't good since oil and gas make up nearly 70% of Russia's exports and 50% if its federal budget. Right now the pair is still making new record highs with no ceiling in sight.

Related Reads:
How the Russia-Ukraine tension started
Why Russia would want to take over Ukraine
How Russia's sanctions can affect the forex market
Impact of OPEC's decision to not hold back oil supply

SO SAD: Oprah Winfrey Has Just 3 Months to Live

Daytime talk show extraordinaire Oprah was given the shock of her life when a routine check up turned into her having less than four months to live following a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. 

“I’ve made more money than I could spend in a life time, but I’m going to enjoy seeing what kind of dent I can put in $2 billion in 3 months” Said Oprah proclaiming that she would spend half her fortune making a few lucky fans dreams come true, donating the rest and while leaving something for her dog and Steadman. Oprah seem to be in high spirits saying “why be sad when I can buy a small country, name it Oprah, and live forever” 

What will be some of the quotes the world will remember her for? 

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. 

    Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it. 

    The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams. 

    I remember a specific moment, watching my grandmother hang the clothes on the line, and her saying to me, ‘you are going to have to learn to do this,’ and me being in that space of awareness and knowing that my life would not be the same as my grandmother’s life.

     Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself. 

    What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come.

    For everyone of us that succeeds, it’s because there’s somebody there to show you the way out. 

    I don’t think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good. 

    I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier. 

    When I look into the future, it’s so bright it burns my eyes.

4 Long-Term Market Effects of the OPEC Decision

Oil prices tumbled to their five-year lows of around $65/barrel recently and no, that ain’t just a Black Friday discount. As it turns out, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided against implementing measures to curb the sharp decline in crude oil prices, as they refrained from announcing a cut in production.

Several forex market participants, along with most OPEC member nations, were counting on the oil cartel to reduce production by 5% or 1.5 million barrels per day. In doing so, oil supply could be limited, which would then put an upward pressure on prices. In a surprise move, the OPEC refrained from making any changes to their production target, as the cartel failed to reach an agreement.

Apart from weighing further on oil prices, here are a few more longer-term market repercussions of their decision (or lack thereof):

1. Price war between the U.S. and OPEC

Industry experts remarked that the OPEC’s inaction marks the start of an oil price war with U.S. producers. You see, the recent boom in fracking for shale oil in West Texas have allowed U.S. oil supply to reach its highest level in three decades, threatening to eat up the global market share of the OPEC’s oil output. For now, the OPEC accounts for roughly 40% of the world’s oil supply, which could shrink if U.S. ramps up its production.

By keeping its oil production unchanged, the OPEC seems to be edging out U.S. competition in pushing prices to unprofitable levels. Energy consultants from Citigroup and IHS predict that big U.S. oil producers could still stay profitable and carry on with operations for as long as crude oil trades around $70/barrel. Some say that further technological advancements could bring the breakeven price down to as low as $40/barrel in the coming years, which suggests that these U.S. oil producers aren’t closing shop anytime soon!

2. More geopolitical tension?

Apart from the conflict between U.S. producers and the OPEC, geopolitical tension among sanctioned countries, namely Russia and Iran, could escalate if oil prices fall further. Recall that the EU and the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia because of the Ukraine standoff earlier this year while international sanctions were also imposed on Iran because of its nuclear program.

Oil and gas comprise nearly 70% of Russia’s exports and 50% of its federal budget, with the Russian economy and the rouble also in a nosedive along with oil prices. Meanwhile, oil production in Iran has hit a 20-year low, as exports were cut in half to just 1 million barrels per day. Despite these economic pains, leaders of both countries insist that they will not give in to Western demands just to have the sanctions lifted.

3. Deeper Loonie selloff?

As we’ve discussed in the School of Pipsology, the Canadian dollar is positively correlated to crude oil prices since Canada is one of the top producers in the world and is a major exporter to the United States. With that, further declines in “black crack” prices might continue to weigh on the Loonie, which tumbled against most of its forex counterparts after the OPEC announcement.

With the recent boom in U.S. production, the country is relying less on its crude oil imports on Canada. And that can’t be good for the export-driven Canadian economy, which used to have nearly 85% of its oil shipments going to Uncle Sam!

4. Cheaper gas prices, more cash for shopping

On a brighter note, the slip n’ slide in oil prices is making gasoline much cheaper at around $2.77/gallon. According to AAA, the largest motoring group in the U.S., average gas prices are at their lowest levels since October 2010.

With that, consumers can keep filling up their tanks and still have enough cash left for shopping! I wouldn’t be surprised if Black Friday and Cyber Monday raked in more sales this year, as Americans probably used their extra moolah to take advantage of those deals and discounts. Heck, spending could continue to climb as the December holidays draw near!

In a nutshell, these recent events suggest that oil prices might not bottom out anytime soon if price wars between the U.S. and OPEC persist. This could keep risk appetite, commodity prices, and the Canadian dollar weak in the coming months. Do you think this will be the case?

Read more: http://www.babypips.com/blogs/piponomics/forex-oil-20141202.html#ixzz3Koxx4e81

41 Boko Haram members beheaded in Biu

BY NDAHI MARAMA, Maiduguri

No   fewer   than   41 suspected members of Boko Haram sect were killed and beheaded by men of the Civilian Joint Task Force, a.k.a Civilian JTF, at Biu, Borno State following a failed attempt by the insurgents to overrun the Sabon Gari village, in Damboa Local Government Area of the state, Thursday.

Biu,located south and about 185 kilometres drive from Maiduguri the state capital, is one of the largest local government areas in the state.

50 suspected Boko Haram members arrested hiding underneath the truck carrying sheeps and goats during a routine check

Sources told Saturday Vanguard that the combine efforts of military officers and members of the Civilian JTF pursued the insurgents to Gur area, around Mandafuma village where they engaged them in a fierce battle which lasted for about two hours killing 41 members of the sect, before beheading them and hanging their heads on sticks. The victorious Civilian JTF members displayed the heads of their victims as the returned to Biu amid fanfare.

A member of the Civilian JTF, Umar Hassan who confirmed the incident told Saturday Vanguard that, “we beheaded the insurgents after the shoot out which lasted for about two hours and took their heads to Biu to show the people that the Boko Haram insurgents are human and not beasts and so, people should not fear them but instead, join hands with us and security operatives to ensure that the sect members who are enemies of Islam and the people of Nigerians are defeated.”

Umar further said that when his members heard that the insurgents went to attack Sabon Gari, where people were just returning to their homes after three months of exile as internally displaced persons in various camps across the state, they moved in quickly to foil their action pointing out that troops had however arrived the area before them, hence both groups joined hands to defeat them.

“After the insurgents were repelled, they headed towards Mandafuma in Biu local government and took the route to Gur village in an attempt to escape, but again the military and our members ambushed them.

“They were engaged in fierce battle with the soldiers and 41 of them were killed, 1 am alive, no soldier was killed in the ambush. After they were killed we cut off their heads and took them. We asked the people of Biu to stand against the Boko Haram fighters, who are now destroying our villages despite the supposedly ceasefire agreement with government,” he added.

Victor Moses returns to Chelsea

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has confirmed that winger Victor Moses has returned to parent club Chelsea after suffering a thigh injury.

Assistant manager Mark Bowen had earlier revealed that he thought Moses would be out for between six to eight weeks and now in his press conference before the game against Liverpool Hughes has said that Moses has returned to Chelsea.

Moses joined the Blues from Wigan but he failed to work his way into the first team and last season went out on loan to Liverpool. .

However he struggled there as well and hardly featured yet his time with Stoke has definitely been more successful.

He is considered a key player by the management and his absence will be a huge blow for Hughes and his coaching staff.

It is currently unclear whether or not the loan has actually been terminated but it seems as if Moses has just gone back for treatment.

Corruption allegation: You’re a liar, senate tells Obasanjo

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Joseph Erunke

ABUJA – THE Senate Thursday said that the allegation by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the National Assembly was using constituency projects to siphon the public funds was a total lie meant to denigrate the sanctity of the parliament.

The Senate also claimed that it was the Obasanjo’s administration that approved the constituency projects to be built in the national budget which was executed by the executive.

Speaking through its chairman on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Senate described the allegation of corruption against it by the former president as unfortunate and an attempt to tarnish the image of the National Assembly.

According to the statement, the Red Chamber said it was unfortunate that the former President would distort the issue of constituency projects as meaning a direct monetary advance to lawmakers and thus amounting to the “promotion of corruption” by the National Assembly.

Describing the allegation as spurious, Abaribe in the statement said the former President’s comment was distant from the truth and nowhere near reality, adding that if it were so, the former President would not have tolerated such for the period he was the President of the country.

According him, “President Obasanjo for the avoidance of doubt, was the initiator of the constituency project in the year 2000 as a means of ensuring that projects were fairly spread across the country using the Senatorial zones as the spring board.

“To ensure execution of the projects, President Obasanjo again factored the constituency projects into the annual budgets to be implemented by the executive depending on availability of funds. That is to say that no lawmaker ever comes close to the funds or even determine the contractor for the said projects  or when the said contract would be awarded.

“So, it looks curious and surprising  that President Obasanjo would turn around after over ten years of initiating such a project to allege that the National Assembly is performing the function of both the executive and the parliament.

“Is it not preposterous for anybody to believe that members of the National Assembly would against the provisions of the constitution with regards to application of separation of powers, award contracts ‘to their agents to execute’ and expect the Presidency under a President Obasanjo or any other President for that matter to pay for what they are not part of?

“Such allegation stands logic on its head, as it amounts to an indictment of the Presidency for wilfully contravening the budget laws by ceding its power to execute to the National Assembly, if it was the case.”

The Senate according to Abaribe therefore, challenged the former President to go a step further to furnish Nigerians with details of how the National Assembly members became executors of national budget rather than being law makers.

He said, “It will also help to clear the allegation once and for all, if any presidency official not only from the time past but currently, could come forward and explain the true position of the so called constituency projects.  Doing so would at least set the records straight.”

The Senate spokesman cautioned political leaders to be wary of the consequences to our democracy of dragging the revered institution of lawmaking to public odium just to score some political point.

Three civilians killed in Ukraine shelling

Three civilians were killed by shelling in the rebel-held city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine over the past 24 hours, separatist officials said on Tuesday.

One shell hit a minibus early on Tuesday, killing two passengers including a man of around 25 and a woman in her forties, and injuring eight others, a hospital source told AFP.

The incident happened close to Donetsk airport, the scene of heavy fighting between Ukrainian and rebel forces for several months.

Four areas of the city were hit by shells overnight, the Donetsk town hall said, without giving details of the third death.

More than 4,300 people have been killed since fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine in April.

Pakistani man kills niece for listening to loud music – police

A teenage Pakistani girl has been shot dead by her uncle following a row over loud music, police said Tuesday.

The incident happened Saturday in the Kallar Kahar valley in Punjab province’s Chakwal district, around 120 kilometres (75 miles) from the capital Islamabad.

“The girl Rehana Bibi was alone at her home and was listening to music when her uncle Muhammad Gulistan… came to her house and asked to lower the volume,” Sadat Ali, an official on duty at Kallar Kahar police station, told AFP.

“On her refusal, they quarrelled and Gulistan shot her dead,” said Ali, adding that Bibi was aged about 17.

Another police official, Ali Akbar, said they were attempting to arrest the killer.

Police said they were not aware of any family feud leading up to the attack.

In Pakistan’s highly patriarchal and often violent society, women are frequently killed over minor issues or so-called matters of “honour”.

The Aurat Foundation, a campaign group that works to improve women’s lives in Pakistan, says more than 3,000 have been killed for “honour” since 2008.

Italian doctor with Ebola arrives in Rome

An Italian doctor who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone arrived Tuesday in Rome, where he will receive specialist treatment, media reported.

The doctor, the first Italian to be infected with the disease, was flown into the military airport of Pratica di Mare, outside the capital.

The doctor, who reports say is a 50-year-old man, was transported in a specially sealed unit on board a military plane, TV pictures showed.

He will be hospitalised at the Lazzaro Spallanzani national institute for infectious diseases.

The Italian health ministry said he has not yet developed feverish symptoms and his general condition is good.

The doctor was working for the charity Emergency at a clinic for Ebola victims when he contracted the disease, which has killed nearly 5,500 people in its latest outbreak in west Africa.

Time magazine refers to abducted Chibok girls as "Boko Haram girls"

Time magazine refers to abducted Chibok girls as "Boko Haram girls"

So Time magazine today revealed the names of those nominated for Person of the Year 2014, and the missing Chibok girls were nominated, which is a great. The only problem is that Time referred to the girls as "Boko Haram girls" in their list. 

Trust Nigerians to call call them out. Continue to see the rest of the list and tweets from some Nigerians who found it distasteful...

Chris Brown wears safety pins in his nose

Chris Brown wears safety pins in his nose

Chris Brown wore a safety pin through one side of his nose as he attended Trey Song's 30th birthday party in California on Saturday Nov. 22nd.

Two Suspected Fraudsters Arraigned for €61,500 Scam

 Two Suspected Fraudsters Arraigned for €61,500 Scam

Find the EFCC press statement below...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned two suspected fraudsters, Gabriel Osereme Xavi (a.k.a. Collins Page) and Aikhaituamen Best Junior Cyril, before Justice E.F. Ikponmwen of the Edo State High Court sitting in Benin, on charges bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.

While Xavi was slammed with a 12-count charge, Aikhaituamen was docked on 6-count charge.

The duo however pleaded not guilty to the charges after they were read to them on November 21, 2014.

The accused persons are alleged to have fleeced a 49 year-old Belgian nurse, Goryczka Janina, whom they met on Facebook, of the sum of fifty five thousand, five hundred Euros.The victim allegedly met one of the accused persons sometime in January, 2014, who introduced himself as “Collins Page”, a Croatian Engineer resident in Wigan, England.

Within days of their meeting, “Page” contacted her with the story that he was in Nigeria to supervise a construction project in Edo State and that he was having difficulty with his credit card as it had been blocked for security reasons. He solicited Janina’s assistance for desperate cash.

Over the next few weeks, Janina kept sending him money until she had transferred a total of €61,500 through one Emmanuel Okoh based in Cape Town, South Africa and Messrs Junior Best and Cyril Ojiemen.

When ‘Mr. Page’ pressurized her for more money, Janina confided in a friend who told her that she might have fallen into the hands of scammers.

In view of the plea of the accused persons, prosecuting counsel, G. K. Latono asked for a trial date and prayed the court to remand them in prison custody.

Counsel to the first accused person, P. E. Onobun and counsel to the second accused C. N. Dike prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable them file applications for bail.

Justice Ikponmwen adjourned the case to December 8, 2014 for consideration of bail applications and ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison custody.

Two of the charges against Xavi read:
Count-1: “Gabriel Osereme Xavi (a.k.a. Collins Page), Aikhaituamen Best Junior, Ojiemen Cyril (still at Large) and Emmanuel Okoh (still at Large) sometime between January and February 2014 at Benin within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable court with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain money by false pretence from Goryczka Janina, offences contrary to and punishable by Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006”.

Count-2: “Gabriel Osereme Xavi (a.k.a. Collins Page) and Emmanuel Okoh (still at Large) on or about the 31st day of January, 2014 at Benin within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of €40,000 (Forty Thousand Euro) from Goryczka Janina on the false representation that you were a Croatian Engineer handling a road construction project in Edo State, Nigeria and the money was for purchase of equipment and materials towards the project, which representation you knew to be false”.