Terry scores in thrilling win

John Terry scored on potentially his final start as Chelsea celebrated winning the Premier League title with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Watford on Monday amid a party atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.


The Blues made nine changes from the team that clinched the title at West Brom on Friday, and it was departing captain Terry who scored the opener from a corner in the 22nd minute.

Terry appeared to have tears in his eyes after the celebrations but, less than 90 seconds later, it was his miscued header that gifted Etienne Capoue the equaliser.

Cesar Azpilicueta and Michy Batshuayi scored either side of half-time to make it 3-1 to Chelsea, only for Daryl Janmaat to reply with a fine individual goal before substitute Stefano Okaka levelled in the 74th minute.

But Cesc Fabregas came off the bench to snatch the winner with two minutes remaining and Sebastian Prodl was sent off in a fiery finish before fireworks and streamers filled the air.

The champions now finish the campaign at Stamford Bridge against Sunderland on Sunday when they will lift the Premier League trophy, and a victory would see them finish on 93 points, the second-highest tally behind Jose Mourinho's 2004/05 Chelsea side, and become the first side to win 30 games in a Premier League season.


Watford, meanwhile, could end just a point above the relegation zone if they lose to Manchester City on the last day.
Having secured the title on Friday, and perhaps with one eye on the FA Cup final on May 27, Antonio Conte made nine changes to his starting line-up from the win over West Brom.

After being given a guard of honour, Chelsea took their time to settle into their stride, and it was Terry who put them ahead in the 22nd minute when he finished from a corner.

Terry's celebrations soon turned to frustrations, though, as he headed up into the air in his own box and Capoue nodded in from close range.

Eden Hazard dragged a shot wide on the half-hour mark before Azpilicueta restored Chelsea's lead when he fired in after a corner came out to him on the edge of the box.

Trump doesn’t understand how exercise works

Possibly it's why he does so much golf.

President Donald Trump gave up athletic sports after college, several biographies have noted.

The Washington Post's 2016 biography said this was because he believed:

The human body was like a battery, with a finite amount of energy, which exercise only depleted.
It may be obvious, but this isn't how exercise works.

Exercise does deplete stores of glucose, glycogen and fats in muscle tissue, but these are restored when you eat.
It is true that if you had a limited food supply, exercising non-stop would be a guaranteed way of starving faster.

But Donald Trump does not have a limited food supply, and generally exercise is shown to only improve your health.

Exercise is shown by studies to help you live longer, which is why every health service in the world recommends exercise.

But as we know, Donald Trump is not one for accepting the wisdom of the times.

Four Chibok girls’ babies in our custody – FG

The federal government has confirmed that it has four babies born by the female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, who were kidnapped from their school dormitory three years ago by Boko Haram insurgents, in its custody.

Making this known yesterday, the government also opened up on the rehabilitation and reintegration programmes it is providing for the 106 Chibok schoolgirls who were either freed or had escaped from their captors, adding that it has concluded arrangements to reunite the 82 girls who were released recently with their parents this week.

Two hundred and seventy six students of the school in Chibok were abducted on April 14, 2014, sparking a global outcry and push for their rescue and return to their parents.

Fifty-seven of the girls escaped from captivity in the days immediately after their captivity, three more were able to escape between May 2016 and January 2017, another 21 were freed last October, while 82 were freed on May 6, 2017 after a prisoner swap with Boko Haram, bringing the total number of girls still in captivity to 113.

Of the 163 girls that have either escaped or regained their freedom, 106 remain in the custody of the federal government in Abuja, fuelling concerns over why they have not been reintegrated with their families and community, or even sent back to school by government.

However, the federal government in a statement from the Presidency Office of Digital Engagement (PODE) said yesterday that the parents and families of all the girls had been contacted and arrangements were already being made to reunite them with the girls.

“We expect that this reunion will happen in the week commencing 15th May, 2017,” it said.

It added that the girls would be given appropriate and comprehensive medical and psychological care and support, and government would underwrite all of the care they will receive, as well as ensuring that their education is concluded.

“The ultimate goal is to reunite them with their families, reintegrate them into the society and support them to achieve their personal, educational, and professional goals and ambitions,” the government said in the statement.

It said the 21 girls who were released in October 2016 and the additional three that gained their freedom were in a secure location in Abuja.

Providing more insight, it said the girls were undergoing a nine-month reintegration and rehabilitation programmes comprising psychological counselling and care, remedial education, vocational training (skills like catering and tailoring) as well as sports and recreation (football and handball).

“In addition to the girls there are four babies, also in the care of the government. All four babies belong to mothers within the batch of 24,” it added.

It described as absolutely false, claims that the parents of the girls had been denied access to them or that the girls were being held against their wishes.

It stressed that those who had complained about not having access to the girls were either community people or activists who have no filial or direct relationships with the girls.

“The girls and their parents have made it clear that they wish to remain under the care of the federal government in Abuja at this time.

“The girls are all in high spirits and are enthusiastic about taking advantage of this opportunity for education and self-development.

“At no point have they or will they be compelled to remain in the care of the government against their will. At the end of the reintegration programme, the girls will take up federal government scholarships for the completion of their secondary education.

“The recently released 82 girls will enjoy the same opportunities accorded the 24 previously rescued girls.

“The girls’ families are regularly in Abuja to see them. Chibok girls are high-profile targets and the government is taking the utmost care to ensure their security and safety.

“The girls have also been scheduled for quarterly visits back home to Chibok, subject to security clearance by the authorities,” the statement said.

The government recalled that the girls visited Chibok during the Christmas holiday and were due to return at Easter, but the security condition at home did not make the visit conducive in April.

“Instead their families travelled to Abuja to see them.

“Also note that the persons complaining about being denied access to the 21 girls are not their biological parents or guardians. We are very careful who we grant access to, to see the girls.

“We will only grant access to their biological parents and/or direct guardians and not community members, both for security and for psychological reasons.

“We do not want people to keep asking them questions that will make them relive the horrible experiences they had while in captivity,” the government said.

Relationship : Women apparently look for just one thing in a male partner

Guess ? What do you look for in a romantic partner?
A casual flick through the many dating apps and sites available will reveal even the least fussy of us still have certain criteria.

Good sense of humour, kind to animals, six figure salary - the barometer seems to be wide and varied.

Or is it?
Apparently, us women look for one thing and one thing only in our search for a significant other - and it will make you squirm.

A study has explored what it is which makes us choose a male partner, and it has nothing to do with a GSOH.

What women want?

Instead, what us women are supposedly after is a man who resembles our brothers.
Just think about that disturbing little nugget for a second.

The study, which was was published in The Evolution and Human Behaviour Journal, asked participants to look at photos of men and then rank them according to who bore the greatest resemblance.

The scientists included photos of the volunteers' partners and brothers, which they had also sent in.
What the researchers found was "clear evidence for perceptual similarity in facial photographs of a woman's partner and her brother."

"[Our findings] were not a rule or true of every woman but we do find that, at levels greater than chance, partners did show some subtle resemblance to the women's brothers," Lead researcher Tamsin Saxton told The Independent.

Tamsin also suggested "familiarity seems to be attractive", meaning people are attracted to those with similar views, interests and tastes, in which case "maybe that is something that is coming into play."

Anthony Joshua set for rematch with Wladimir Klitschko in October

British boxer and heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua could be set for a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko at the Principality Stadium in October.

Joshua was hoping to make a return in November but scheduled autumn internationals have dampened those plans and he could be set for action a month earlier than expected.

Wales are in action at home across four consecutive weekends across November and December and the Independent are reporting that promoter Eddie Hearn is planning a showdown fight for October 28 as the best possible date.

Hearn said: “I believe Klitschko will go ahead with the rematch so we are looking at dates.
“The Principality Stadium is not really available in November because of rugby so 28 October is the option. Most of December is available but I don't really want to go that late.
“Josh has a bit of a sore shoulder, Klitschko has had a tough fight, his face was bashed up. You have got two more weeks in May, all of June and after that they will be thinking 'right let's get back in camp'.
“Even if you started back in camp in August, then you have September and October so end of October can work.”

The IBF and WBA champion is expected to have a lucrative rematch with Klitschko following their memorable encounter at Wembley at the end of April.

The national stadium in Wales is now expected to host the rematch because of the retractable roof, but Hearn is still looking at options overseas and will consider all options before making a final decision.
Hearn added: “For Cardiff that date is an option and also December but I don't really want to go into December so we are looking at the MGM in Las Vegas, China and Dubai as options too.”

Paris Jackson defends nudity

Paris Jackson has defended her right to pose naked.

The 19-year-old star took to Instagram to share a black-and-white topless shot of herself and wrote a lengthy message about why she embraces nudity.

She wrote: "i'll say it again for those questioning what i stand for and how i express myself. nudity started as a movement for 'going back to nature', 'expressing freedom', 'being healthier' and was even called a philosophy. being naked is part of what makes us human. for me it helps me feel more connected to mama gaia. i'm usually naked when i garden. it's actually a beautiful thing and you don't have to make it sexual the way many hollywood stars (and the media) do. (sic)."

Paris added that her dedication to nudity is part of her feminist beliefs.
She said: "not only is your body a temple and should be worshipped as so, but also part of feminism is being able to express yourself in your own way, whether it's being conservative and wearing lots of clothes or showing yourself. there's different ways of absorbing mother earth's energy, my favorites are earthing which is absorbing the earths vibrations from contact between the soil and your bare feet, as well as letting your naked skin absorb the rays of the sun. the human body is a beautiful thing and no matter what "flaws" you have, whether it be scars, or extra weight, stretch marks, freckles, whatever, it is beautiful and you should express yourself however you feel comfortable. if this makes some of you upset i completely understand and i encourage you to maybe no longer follow me, but i cannot apologize for this in any way. it is who i am and i refuse to shy away and keep my beliefs a secret.
"every one as an opinion and every one has their beliefs. we don't always agree with one another and that's okay. but again, we are all human, and to appreciate the things that other people do that make us human helps us feel connected. how can that be a bad thing? (sic)."

Femi Fani-Kayode, Nenadi Usman, others re-arraigned for N4.9bn money laundering

Former controversial minister and former spokesperson of the PDP 2015 presidential campaign, Femi Fani-Kayode and a former Finance minister, Nenadi Usman  were today re-arraigned before Justice Ridwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The case was reassigned to Justice Aikawa after FFK protested that the case be withdrawn from the initial presiding judge, Justice Muslim Hassan.

In the 17 count charge filed before the court by EFCC, FFK is alleged to have conspired with the others including Nenadi Usman and two others, to directly and indirectly, retain various sums of money while executing the PDP campaign project between January 8th and March 25th 2015.  According to EFCC, the money spent is believed to be proceeds from fraud. 

In one of the counts, the defendants were accused of conspiring among themselves to “indirectly retain the sum of N1,500, 000,000.00 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.” They are also alleged have retained 300m, N400m and N800m during the campaigns. The EFCC says all the money retained are believed to be proceeds from criminal acts. 

When the charges were read to them this morning, they all pleaded not guilty to the crime.  Justice Aikawa then adjourned the case to June 6th and 9th for the commencement of trial and for the judge to rule on FFK's application for the matter to be transferred to Abuja.

See more photos below;

Russia has nothing to do with cyberattack – Putin

Russia had nothing to do with a massive global cyberattack, President Vladimir Putin said Monday, calling for urgent consultations on countering the hackers.

Hundreds of thousands of computers in more than 150 countries have been hit by the ransomware attack, which has been described as the largest-ever of its kind.

The attack began Friday and struck banks, hospitals and government agencies among a variety of other targets, exploiting known vulnerabilities in older Microsoft computer operating systems.

“As for the source of these threats, Microsoft’s leadership stated this directly, they said the source of the virus was the special services of the United States,” Putin said.

Putin was referring to a weekend blog post by Microsoft president Brad Smith stating that the US National Security Agency had developed the code being used in the attack.

“This completely doesn’t concern Russia,” Putin added on the sidelines of an international summit in Beijing.

The US has accused Russia in the past of mounting several cyberattacks.

In March the Justice Department indicted two officials of Russia’s Federal Security Service and two criminal hackers whom they allegedly hired to steal data from some 500 million Yahoo user accounts.

The fast-spreading malware called “WannaCry,” is the first ever detected to combine both a worm — which enables it to burrow into an entire network from a single infected computer — and ransomware, demanding $300 (275 euros) in the virtual currency Bitcoin to unlock systems.

While there was “no significant damage” to Russian institutions such as banks and hospitals, Putin said the incident was “worrisome” and warranted immediate talks “on a serious political level”.

“There is nothing good in this and calls for concern,” he said.

“A protection system from these manifestations needs to be worked out.”

Zamfara UBEC Chairman Jailed for Corruption

Murtala Adamu, Executive Chairman Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board was on Friday May 12 convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment by Justice Zainab Abubakar of the Federal High Court Gusau Zamfara State for allegedly engaging in private business while in public service.

The convict’s journey to prison started when the Commission received a petition from one Abdullahi Nakura who alleged that the convict refused to pay him and other contractors for jobs executed for the board.

Upon receipt of the petition, the commission swung into action and its investigation revealed that apart from nonpayment for contracts, the convict was also in the habit of collecting kickbacks from contractors. It was further discovered that the convict also awarded contract to his own company.

In her judgment, Justice Zainab discharged and acquitted the convict on the ten count corruption charge brought against him by the EFCC but found him guilty of the offence of engaging in private business while still in Public Service. Accordingly, the convict was sentenced to six months imprisonment or a fine of N200, 000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira Only).

The convict was a two term House of Assembly Member in Zamfara State between 2003 to 2011 after which he was appointed chairman of the Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board where he is now serving his second term.

One of the charge read that "You Murtala Adamu Trading under the name and style of MJIE Enterprises ( while being the Executive Chairman of the Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board)  on or about 25th April,  2012, within the jurisdiction of Federal High Court disguised the origin of the sum of N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira Only)  paid by Alhaji Yusha'u Sokoto of Alkanci Furniture by way of receiving the said sum into an account you maintain in the name of MJIE Enterprises in Fidelity Bank which sum was derived directly from participation in corruption with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the money and you thereby committed an offense punishable under section 15(1)(a)(ii) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.

TETFUND Accountant, Two Others Arraigned N623m Contract Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC today arraigned the trio of Auwal Ibrahim, principal accountant,Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Abuja; Wali Muktar Usman, director of works, Federal College of Education, Gombe and Architect Yunusa Yakubu and his company Lubell Nigeria Limited and Archfirst Nigeria limited before Justice Sa'ad Muhammad of the Gombe State High Court on a 17 count charge bordering on conspiracy, contract scam, abuse of office and diversion of public funds.

The accused persons allegedly abused their positions by awarding inflated Tetfund contracts to companies in which they had interest or which belong to their cronies, and receiving gratification from contractors.

Ibrahim, the 1st accused allegedly received various sums of money as gratification from Yakubu for contract awarded to his company Lubell Nigeria Limited in Gombe State University.
Usman the present director of works Federal College of Education Gombe is the sole signatory and promoter of Archfirst Nigeria Limited,  a clear violation of public service regulation which forbids ownership of private businesses by serving public officers.

A number of transactions by the accused persons were also traced to the accounts of Murtala Salisu, the Ag director works of Gombe State University in different banks.

Count three of the charge reads, "That you, Auwal Ibrahim, being a public officer working at Tetfund in such capacity sometime in February 2015, on account of Tetfund contract, funded by your office and executed by Lubell Nigeria Limited at Gombe State University in Gombe, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did received for your self monetary benefit of =N=143, 122, 174.02 (One Hundred and Forty Three Million, One Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand, One Hundred and Seventy Four Naira, Two Kobo) through First Bank Account No.2026950260 belonging to Double Espresso Ltd, a limited liability company which you have interest therein from the said Lubell Nigeria Ltd  (contactor) thereby committed an offence contrary to and Punishable under Section 10 (i)(ii) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000".

They pleaded not guilty to all the charges read to them. In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel Abubakar Aliyu applied for a date for trial.

While adjourning the case to 20 June, 2017 for trial,  Justice Muhammed also granted bail to all the accused persons in the  sum of N10m each and two sureties in like sums. The sureties must have landed property with Certificate of Occupancy within the jurisdiction of the court.

Banks post N61bn extra profit despite recession in 2016

Despite the economic headwinds that slowed down growth in country, banks quoted in the Nigerian Stock Exchange posted a cumulative N504bn profits in 2016, an increase of N61.3bn ( equivalent to 13.8 per cent) over the N443bn recorded  in 2015.

Daily Trust analysis of financial statements of 16 banks with the exception of Skye Bank Plc, whose full year 2016 financial statement is still being expected at the NSE, shows that the cumulative gross earning (revenue) of the banks grew from N3.6tr to N3.7tr.  The banks recorded an increase in earnings of N88.3bn, representing a 2.4 per cent growth.

From the records, only Ecobank failed to record profit within the year under review. The bank posted a loss of -N52.6bn, a reversal of the N21.3bn PAT recorded in 2015. The result represents a 347.5 per cent loss.

The overall results revealed an interesting trend, giving that the Nigerian banking market was  said to have  faced  serious headwinds from slow GDP growth, falling FX reserves/availability and regulatory pressures, slower deposit growth fuelled by lack of economic growth and public sector developments such as the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

However, despite the gains, the records showed a general slowdown in lending within the period, with liquidity constraints and deteriorating macro environment, inflation and growing risk premium, which drives interest rates.

The Central Bank Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, had described the shape of the country’s economy as ‘Stagflation,’ a more serious economic problem. “In reality, Nigeria’s economy is currently facing a classic case of ‘stagflation’. This situation largely occurs when a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is falling or stagnant, while unemployment and inflation are rising, all simultaneously,” he said at  the 2016 annual bankers’ dinner held in Lagos.

It was in 2016 that Nigeria battled its highest rate of inflation in 11 years. Inflation which started the year out at 9.6 per cent, witnessed a  consistent  rise on a monthly basis, standing at 18.48 per cent in November according to figures released  by the National Bureau of Statistics. It had crossed from single digit and doubled over the period of  11 months affecting government’s capacity to raise funds from the debt market as investors asked for higher yields. 

From the records, Guarantee Trust, Zenith, UBA, Access, Stanbic IBTC,  First Bank, Union and FCMB  led the profitability pack with double digit income lines, with Zenith and GTB posting in excess of N100bn respectively.

On the PAT chart, GTB with N132bn, Zenith with N129bn, UBA with N72bn and Access bank with N71bn, account for N404bn of the total N504bn grossed cumulatively by all the banks, representing 80.2 per cent. The other 12 banks grossed N100bn, accounting for only 19.8 per cent.

Year 2016 was also a spectacular one for FCMB whose PAT shot to N14bn from N4bn in 2015. Stanbic IBTC equally saw a growth in PAT from N18.8bn in 2015 to N28.5bn in 2016.

Only five banks saw a drop in profitability, namely: Ecobank from N21bn PAT in 2015 to a loss of -N52bn. Sterling Bank dropped from N10bn PAT  in 2015 to N5bn in 2016. Fidelity Bank from N13bn 2015 PAT to N9bn in 2016. Diamond Bank saw a decrease from N5.6bn in 2015 to N3.4bn. Unity Bank from N4.6bn in 2015 PAT to N2.1bn in 2016. And Jaiz bank from N910m in 2015 to N311m in 2016.

For Diamond Bank, whilst interest and operating expense both came in contained y/y at ₦N42.3 billion and ₦N97.1 billion respectively, loan loss provision remained the major pressure point for earnings, up 7% y/y to ₦59.0 billion.

For Fidelity, despite the growth in operational income by 4.0%, PBT declined by 21.1% due to a N4.8bn increase in gratuity and retirement costs in the 2016FY as the bank discontinued its legacy Gratuity and Retirement scheme. Excluding this one-off charge, PBT for the year would have been N15.8bn.

Though its “non-performing loans (NPL) ratio increased to 6.6% largely due to a combination of naira devaluation and our conservative approach in appraising our risk assets portfolios, our other regulatory ratios (Liquidity Ratio / CAR) remained well above the set regulatory thresholds,” the bank said.

Unity Bank   attributed its    lower bottom-line partly to high impairment charge of N35bn in 2016, compared with N27bn charged in December 2015.

However, all the banks examined saw growth in their gross earnings (revenue) except Diamond Bank which witnessed a drop from N217bn in 2015 to N212bn in 2016.

Though Ecobank recorded a loss on its balance sheet, its gross earnings grew from N542bn in 2015 to N665bn in 2016.

It explained that its  end of year bottom line performance was  impacted by its voluntary adoption of a full impairment charge regarding its  legacy loan portfolio, for which a resolution vehicle was set up; the first private sector funded resolution vehicle of its kind in Nigeria, with the sole objective of ring-fencing the legacy loans from Nigeria’s core bank.

The bank saw a Loss Before Tax of $131m (2015: profit before tax $205m) mainly attributable to higher loan impairment charges taken in 4Q 2016. The full impairment losses on financial assets of $864m absorbed, predominantly from specific client names related to a legacy portfolio experiencing deterioration in quality.

A proposed $400m convertible bond issue is expected in 2Q 2017; $300m already supported by existing shareholders. The issue will be available to all others on the same terms.

Despite these cumulative impressive performance, 2016 saw major retrenchment by some banks under various guesses. Skye Bank Plc, sent 175 of its employees into the labour market; Unity Bank and Diamond Bank sacked over 200 respectively.

The biggest sack was shared between Zenith Bank and Ecobank. Both banks were reported in the media to have sacked over 1000 of their employees.

The banks have often executed their action as been in line with strategic plans to drive shareholders’ value, renewed drive for optimal performance, realignment and repositioning in  certain roles and improved efficiency as reasons  necessitating these sack, whom they mostly claim   were adequately compensated. - Daily Trust

Police officer overdoses on drug call

A police officer has ended up in hospital after overdosing by accidentally touching a highly potent drug.

Chris Green, an officer from East Liverpool in Ohio, US, collapsed after he handled what was suspected to be Fentanyl.

The substance, a painkiller also used as a recreational drug, is 50 to 100 times more powerful than fellow opioids morphine or heroin.

Mr Green had searched a car on Friday night after the driver carried out an alleged drug deal,
The officer had worn gloves and a mask when searching the vehicle but, when he returned to his police station, a colleague noticed Mr Green had white powder on his shirt.

He instinctively brushed off the powder with his bare hand and, within a few minutes, collapsed.
Fentanyl can be absorbed into the body merely through skin contact.

The officer was revived with a total of four doses of opioid antidote Narcan - administered first by an ambulance crew and then later when Mr Green was taken to hospital.

Mr Green was reported to have recovered by Sunday.
He told local newspaper The Morning Journal: "I started talking weird. I slowly felt my body shutting down.

"I could hear them talking, but I couldn't respond. I was in total shock. 'No way I'm overdosing,' I thought."

The driver of the car Justin Buckle and his passenger Cortez Collins had been arrested and are facing charges of tampering with evidence.
Police said there was white powder all over the vehicle.

In recent years, several American states have been hit by a wave of Fentanyl-related deaths as part of an overdose epidemic across the country.
The deadly drug was described by East Liverpool police chief Patrick Wright as a "weapon of mass destruction".

What Talking To Self Means For The Brain's Intelligence

We all talk to ourselves, whether it's aloud or silent inner talk. Although thinking out loud makes us look insane, science suggests it's actually a sign of intelligence, not mental illness. 

Psychologists at Bangor University in the UK have found external monologues boost brain power to improve our focus and achieve goals.
Paloma Mari-Beffa of Bangor University says our inner talk serves to control ourselves by helping us organize our thoughts, plan actions, consolidate memory, and modulate emotions. This inner talk evolves itself to talking out loud to further reinforce our approach to achieving set goals.

"Talking out loud can be an extension of this silent inner talk, caused when a certain motor command is triggered involuntarily," wrote Mari-Beffa, in an article for The Conversation.

For example, as children, we learn by talking to ourselves because this is part of our developmental immaturity. Psychologist Jean Piaget dubbed this "egocentric speech", and realized toddlers begin to control their actions as soon as they start developing language. A 2008 study conducted by George Mason University found 5-year-olds do better on motor tasks when they talk to themselves out loud, whether it's spontaneously or when told to do so by an adult, compared to when they are silent. The researchers noted as children begin talking to themselves, their communication skills with the outside world improve.

In the study, published in Acta Psychologica, Mari-Beffa and Alexander Kirkhan conducted an experiment where they gave a total of 28 participants a set of written instructions, and asked them to read them either silently or out loud. The researchers observed talking out loud actually improved the participants’ control over a task compared to what is achieved by inner speech. They believe much of this benefit comes from simply hearing oneself.

An auditory command seems to better control behavior than written ones. Even if we talk to ourselves during challenging tasks, our performance tends to improve when we do it out loud, rather than silently.

"The stereotype of the mad scientist talking to themselves, lost in their own inner world, might reflect the reality of a genius who uses all the means at their disposal to increase their brain power," wrote Mari-Beffa.

Similarly, previous research has shown talking to ourselves makes our brain work more efficiently. In a 2011 study, researchers gave 20 people the name of an object, (i.e., a loaf of bread or an apple), to find in the supermarket both in silence and then aloud as they looked for it in the store. The participants found the object with more ease when they spoke to themselves while searching, because thinking out loud helped spark memory. 

In other words, speaking facilitated search, meaning there was a strong association between the name and the visual target.
These studies suggest talking to ourselves is not only a way to control our behavior, but it's also something that we prefer to do by default. It helps us organize our thoughts. Psychologist Linda Sapadin believes talking to ourselves helps us validate important, difficult decisions. It clarifies our thoughts to determine what's important and solidify any decisions we're contemplating. This is often way we're advised to "talk it out" when we have problems.
This is why we often see sports elites like tennis player Serena Williams talking to herself during competitions to stay focused and achieve her goals. Perhaps adapting an athlete's state of mind by talking out loud can act as our own motivational pep talk to improve our focus. Initially, talking to ourselves may seem like madness, but science argues it’s the habit of a genius. - IBT

Arsene Wenger provides update on Alexis Sanchez injury

Arsene Wenger confirmed Alexis Sanchez asked to be taken off but expects him to return for Arsenal‘s next game after appearing to suffer a thigh injury during Saturday’s 4-1 win over Stoke.

The Chile international signaled to the bench shortly before scoring his second goal of the game as the Gunners kept alive their hopes of Champions League qualification.

Arsenal face Sunderland at home in midweek before finishing their Premier League campaign against Everton at the Emirates next Sunday, while the FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley takes place on May 27.

The north London club can ill-afford to be without their star forward who now has 10 assists and 21 goals in the Premier League this season, and Wenger hailed the attitude the former Barcelona man.

Wenger said: ‘Yes, he asked to come off. Alexis is special you know not only because of his talent but he always finds the resources.

‘I don’t claim anything I just think he has shown again that it’s not about talent but desire too and fighting spirit and he has that as well.

The physios told me he wanted to come off, I don’t know what it was, but he’s a fighter.’

Asked if he considered Sanchez a doubt for Tuesday’s game against Sunderland, Wenger said: ‘I don’t think so.’

Girl drags father to court for delaying her marriage

A 23-year-old spinster, Khadija Ibrahim, on Monday, sued her father, Ibrahim Bassa, before at an Upper Area Court, Karu, Abuja for not allowing her to marry a man of her choice.

She told the court that she had a suitor, who was willing to marry her but her father had refused to give his consent to her request for marriage.

“He has refused to grant my request for marriage and he has also not given me a satisfactory explanation to that effect.

“The man I want to marry has made several attempts to meet with my father to discuss the wedding plan but he always avoided him.

“The day my suitor will be coming, that is the day my father will leave the house for an unknown place and this habit is delaying our marriage plan.

“The only reason he gave me was that the man I want to marry is not Fulani, which is not satisfactory to me because that is the only man I love.

She pleaded with the court to order her father to allow her get married to the suitor whose name she gave as Abdulhamidu.

“I want the court to compel him to give a satisfactory reason why I cannot marry the man I love,’’ she said.

On his part, the respondent, Bassa, told the court that the allegations of his daughter were all true.

“It is true that I have not granted the man any audience.

“I have always avoided him because I am against his choice as a suitor.

“I have warned my daughter that marriage is not a child’s play. How can she get married to a man whose root and origin are not known to us?

“He said, if you are getting married in the Fulani tribe, the man or woman’s immediate and extended families must be known to everyone.

“My Lord, she is too young to make a choice of marriage and even to marry an outsider but she has remained adamant and even brought me to court,’’ he said.

The judge Abdullahi Baba, adjourned the matter till May 29.

He advised everyone to maintain peace and asked all the parties involved including the plaintiff and her suitor to appear in court on the next date of adjournment.

Buhari’s Anti-corruption War Is Sensational, Not Sincere – Saraki

Senate President Bukola Saraki has explained why the current fight against corruption has not “yielded much success” because it is rippled with sensationalism.

Speaking in Abuja at the ‎launch of ‘Antidotes for Corruption: The Nigerian Story’, a book written by Dino Melaye, a senator from Kogi west, the senate president advised that fight against corruption be focused on deterrence and not punishment.

He said the current government was making effort in forcing back the menace.

“I am convinced that why our fight against corruption has not yielded much success is that we have favoured punishment over deterence‎,” he said.

‎”We must review our approaches by building our institutions to make it difficult for people to carry out corrupt practices.

“We must fight corruption with sincerity, and not fight symptoms… unlike the five-minute sensationalism we have now. It must not be based on individuals but on institutions.

Court dissolves marriage over wife desertion of matrimonial home

An Aba-la-Ohazu Customary Court in Aba South LGA of Abia, has dissolved the marriage between James Nnanna and his wife, Jane on grounds of `willful desertion of the matrimonial home’ by the wife.

James, the petitioner, told the court that his wife was quarrelsome and nagging, adding that her bad attitude had caused him untold hardship and great inconveniences.

He said that his wife willfully deserted their matrimonial home without justification on April 19, 2013, abandoning him with their three children.

According to James, after running away, Jane made arrangement with thugs to beat him at his workshop at Mbubo Street, off Item road, Aba.

James, who hails from Amokwe, Item in Bende LGA of Abia, said he married the respondent according to the customs of Akoli-Eda people in Afikpo South LGA of Ebonyi.

He said they co-habited for about five years during which they had a baby girl on April 4, 2008 and a set of male twins on May 3, 2010, before formalising their marriage on January 3, 2013.

He told the court that his wife deserted them during the third birthday of the twins.

James prayed the court to dissolve the marriage and grant him custody of the children to enable him take care of them.

In his ruling, the senior Magistrate, Diamond Olewengwa, said that Jane, who was present in court when James gave his evidence, did not controvert her husband’s testimony.

He said that the attitude displayed by Jane during the trail, was an indication that she had accepted the man’s desire to dissolve the marriage.

He added that Jane’s desertion of her matrimonial home for more than two years, and denying her husband his conjug right, also indicated that the marriage had broken down irretrievably.

Olewengwa declared the marriage dissolved for lack of love and desertion of matrimonial home by Jane.

He ordered James to return the N30.00 bride price he paid on Jane’s head.

He said that both parties were free to remarry any other person of their choice.

The Magistrate granted custody of the three children to James and ordered Jane to revert to her maiden name or any other name of her choice.

He urged them to maintain the peace.

Jose Mourinho investigates possibility of re-signing Javier Hernandez

Jose Mourinho has investigated the possibility of re-signing Javier Hernandez this summer, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The Mexico international was sold to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015 for £7.3 million having previously spent a year on loan at Real Madrid.

Mourinho has publicly criticised his predecessor Louis van Gaal for allowing the 28-year-old to leave Old Trafford and claimed Hernandez would have scored 20 goals this season were he still playing for Manchester United.

Hernandez himself appeared to endorse Mourinho’s message by retweeting and liking several posts on Twitter linking to reports of the Special One’s words of praise.

Mourinho is expected to add to his strikeforce over the summer having watched his forwards squander more clear cut chances than any other team in the Premier League, while he will also be without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, should he remain at the club, for the foreseeable future following his serious knee injury.

United are expected to push ahead with plans to sign Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madird and are reportedly in the running for Everton’s Romelu Lukaku and Alvaro Morata who are both wanted by Chelsea as well.

But Mourinho is now also said to be making enquiries for Hernandez,who scored 37 goals in 103 Premier League appearances for United between 2010 and 2015.

South Africa ‘working on scrapping visa for all African citizens’

South Africa is working towards allowing all African citizens to enter the country without visas – but at first “trusted travellers” like diplomats, officials, academics, business people and students will be the only ones to benefit.

The Department of Home Affairs outlines the steps that will be taken towards scrapping visa requirements in its latest White Paper on International Migration, which was adopted by cabinet six weeks ago but not made public yet.

The African Union’s Agenda 2063, championed by former AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, calls for the scrapping of visa requirements for all African citizens travelling on the continent by 2018 based on the views of the African Rennaissance.

The African passport was launched with great ceremony by Dlamini-Zuma and Rwandan President Paul Kagame at last year’s AU summit in Kigali.

According to the White Paper, South Africa “fully supports the vision of an Africa where its citizens can move more freely across national borders, where intra-Africa trade is encouraged and there is greater integration and development of the African continent”.

It said the current status was untenable. “For instance, on average Africans need visas to travel to 55% of other African countries. They can get visas on arrival in only 25% of other countries. Finally, they do not need a visa to travel to just 20% of other countries on the continent.”

Security-based approach

But the White Paper, which moves South Africa’s approach to immigration from a purely administrative one to a security-based approach, warns that the scrapping of visas needs to happen with caution.

South Africa’s risk-based approach “advocates for an incremental removal of migration formalities for frequent and trusted travellers including diplomats, officials, academics, business persons, students, etc.”

The policy is envisaged as follows: African citizens can enter South Africa visa-free where there are reciprocal agreements.

Visas will only be needed when there are risks of foreign nationals overstaying, security risks like organised crime, terrorism and political instability, civil registration risks, i.e. fraud by foreign governments in issuing documents or an unable or unwillingness to identfy their nationals when requested, and for countries “with a high number of nationals who abuse the asylum system”.

One of the countries identified elsewhere in the document as doing such is Zimbabwe.

Key elements of the visa-free regime would be visa-free entry for visits up to 90 days, recognition of visas for third parties, for example regional visas, agreed standards on immigration and border management, agreed standards on civil registration and “sophisticated, real-time risk management, information and intelligence sharing”.

Where visas are required “South Africa should make it as easy as possible for bona fide travellers to enter South Africa”, by standardising and expanding the use of long-term, multiple-entry visas for frequent travellers, business people and academics, according to the White Paper.

A list will be developed of countries whose visa adjucation systems are trusted and recognised by South Africa, and technology will be used to establish trusted traveller schemes.

Free movement of African citizens

At regional level, South Africa “should continue to advocate for a free movement of African citizens,” the paper states.

It also says, however, that there has been a large influx of semi-skilled an unskilled economic migrants who couldn’t get visas and permits through the “mainstream immigration regime”.

These had some negative consequences, such as the asylum seeker management system being “abused and overwhelmed by economic migrants”, and then these migrants, and by extension also South African workers, being abused by “some unscrupulous South African employers”.

There has also been “increased trade in false documentation and petty corruption by police and immigration enforcement officials”, and social cohesion has suffered, “as all citizens assume that all migrants from the rest of Africa are irregular and undesirable”.

There has also been a “revolving door” of migrants returning, and deportations to neighbouring countries increasing significantly.

The White Paper, which has a strong focus on attracting more skilled migrants to counter the brain drain, also announces a special dispensation for migrants from the Southern African Development Community, with the focus on giving visas to skilled migrants, traders and small and medium sized business owners.

Visas for lower skilled migrants will be “quota-based”, but details on this still have to be decided.

Home Affairs minister Hlengiwe Mkhize is expected to announce details on the new immigration dispensation in her budget speech in Parliament on Wednesday.

It is expected that the new policy will find its way into legislation by next year. - Agency Report