Mercy Eke is an actress,vixen,entrepreneur,influencer,media personality and reality star. She was born on the 19th of September, 1993 and hails from Imo state. Mercy attended Egbu girls secondary school in Owerri.
Mercy came into limelight when she won season 4 episode of Big Brother Naija in 2019 and this changed her status completely. Today , Mercy is the envy of so many people including her fans. However, she broke the Big Brother Naija record , as she became the first female to win the reality show.
Mercy Eke
Following her big win in 2019, Mercy received an award for the best dressed female in the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCA). She also featured in her debut movie, “fate of alakada”. Mercy has signed numerous endorsement deals, she is currently into real estate, clothing business amongst others.
The currency’s value hit a record $48,000 (£34,820) this week. following Tesla’s announcement that it had bought about $1.5bn bitcoin and planned to accept it as payment in future.
But the rising price offers even more incentive to Bitcoin miners to run more and more machines.
And as the price increases, so does the energy consumption, according to Michel Rauchs, researcher at The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, who co-created the online tool that generates these estimates.
“It is really by design that Bitcoin consumes that much electricity,” Mr Rauchs told BBC’s Tech Tent podcast. “This is not something that will change in the future unless the Bitcoin price is going to significantly go down.”
The online tool has ranked Bitcoin’s electricity consumption above Argentina (121 TWh), the Netherlands (108.8 TWh) and the United Arab Emirates (113.20 TWh) – and it is gradually creeping up on Norway (122.20 TWh).
The energy it uses could power all kettles used in the UK for 27 years, it said.
However, it also suggests the amount of electricity consumed every year by always-on but inactive home devices in the US alone could power the entire Bitcoin network for a year.
Mining Bitcoin
In order to “mine” Bitcoin, computers – often specialised ones – are connected to the cryptocurrency network.
They have the job of verifying transactions made by people who send or receive Bitcoin.
This process involves solving puzzles, which, while not integral to verifying movements of the currency, provide a hurdle to ensure no-one fraudulently edits the global record of all transactions.
As a reward, miners occasionally receive small amounts of Bitcoin in what is often likened to a lottery.
Breonna challenged herself from the start of highschool year to write applications into 50 Universities and get accepted into them. That’s a big and long term goal to set. A lofty goal. A lay man may see it as setting up one’s self for disappointed, but Breonna knew what she wanted and went ahead to get it.
Ranging from John Hopkins University to Georgia State University to St. John’s University and Iowa State University. She got all their acceptances to become a member of their school.
The Cherry on top is that she didn’t just get acceptances, she also received 17 different scholarships to study any course of her choice and is currently going viral for her good job.
South Africa is considering swapping or selling the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against coronavirus, the health minister says.
Plans to use it to vaccinate health workers have been put on hold after a small study suggested a “minimal” effect against the country’s new variant in young people.
It is intending to use a vaccine from Johnson & Johnson instead.
South Africa has one and half million doses of the AstraZeneca jab.
“There are already some countries that are asking that we must sell it to them,” South Africa’s Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told a news conference on Wednesday.
“Our scientists will continue with further deliberations on the AstraZeneca vaccine used in South Africa and depending on their advice, the vaccine will be swapped before the expiry date.”
He added that he was due to speak with the World Health Organization shortly after the news conference.
South Africa has recorded almost 1.5 million cases of coronavirus, and 47,000 deaths – far more than anywhere else on the continent.
What was the study and what did it find?
Researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and the UK’s Oxford University carried out the trial, which has not yet been published or peer-reviewed, on around 2,000 healthy, young people with an average age of 31.
They found that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine offered “minimal protection” against mild and moderate cases of the South Africa variant of coronavirus in that low-risk group.
This means that even in people who’ve been vaccinated, the virus could still spread from person to person.
But it did not look at the impact of the vaccine on severe disease from Covid because there was no-one in the study who was in a high-risk category (over 50) or had an underlying health condition.
Oxford University researchers say promising results from other trials using similar vaccines in South Africa suggest their shot should be effective at preventing severe cases – the main aim of all Covid vaccines.
South Africa now plans to give the AstraZeneca jab to a group of 100,000 older nurses and healthcare workers.
That’s to see if the vaccine is effective against the new variant and in preventing severe illness in an older age group.
What do we know about the South Africa variant?
The South Africa variant carries a mutation that appears to make it more contagious or easy to spread.
However, there is no evidence that it causes more serious illness for the vast majority of people who become infected.
As with the original strain, the risk is highest for people who are elderly or have significant underlying health conditions.
Scientists say the variant accounts for 90% of new Covid cases in South Africa.
At least 20 other countries including Austria, Norway, Japan and the UK, have found cases of the variant.
What about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine?
Negotiations are still going on over the amount and the price South Africa will pay for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is made by Belgian pharmaceutical firm Janssen.
It has not yet been approved for use in South Africa.
The first of the nine million doses it has ordered are due to arrive next week.
Mr Mkhize said these would be provided to some 500,000 healthworkers as “an implementation study”, possibly starting as early as next week, but this was still to be confirmed.
He also promised to explain next week just how much of the vaccine will be coming to South Africa.
Which other vaccines is South Africa considering?
Mr Mkhize said that South Africa had already secured vaccine doses from Pfizer which it has agreed to bring in earlier than originally agreed.
The country is also in discussions with other manufactures, including the makers of Sputnik V, Sinovac and Moderna vaccines, he added.
A French nun who is Europe’s oldest person has survived Covid-19, just days before her 117th birthday.
Lucile Randon, who took the name of Sister Andre in 1944, tested positive for coronavirus on 16 January but didn’t develop any symptoms.
She told local media she “didn’t even realise I had it”.
She isolated separately from other residents in her retirement home in Toulon, southern France, but is now considered fully recovered.
Sister Andre, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, is now looking forward to celebrating her birthday on Thursday – although she is going to mark the occasion with a smaller group of residents than usual.
“She has been very lucky,” David Tavella, spokesman for the Sainte Catherine Labouré retirement home, said.
He told Var Matin newspaper: “She didn’t ask me about her health, but about her habits. For example, she wanted to know if meal or bedtime schedules would change.
“She showed no fear of the disease. On the other hand, she was very concerned about the other residents.”
Sister Andre was born on 11 February 1904. As well as being Europe’s oldest person, she is also the second-oldest living person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group’s (GRG) World Supercentenarian Rankings List.
When asked by French broadcaster BFM if she was scared of having Covid, Sister Andre said: “No, I wasn’t scared, because I wasn’t scared to die.
“I’m happy to be with you, but I would wish to be somewhere else – to join my big brother, and my grandfather and my grandmother.”
Popular Facebook Blogger, Kamuche Doris Adaora Ukoma has died 4 days after celebrating her birthday.
Her brother, Somto disclosed this sad news. Kamuche Doris, who is the founder of #NdiIgboAndFriends, celebrated her birthday on Feb 5. A day later, on February 6, she took to Facebook to thank everyone who wished her well on her birthday.
She wrote: “Thank you my Facebook family for that glorious Birthday wishes and prayers you made for me yesterday. I will try to reply your inbox messages they are too many. Ka Chineke gozieunu for all the post you made for me. Thank you all.”
That was her last post. Apart from being a blogger, Kamuche was also a registered nurse and an advocate for people living with sickle cell anaemia. The cause of her death was not revealed. Friends and loved ones have gone on Facebook to mourn her.
You remember buying a crate of eggs, and when you got home and cracked them, some were fresh, some were getting old and some were really bad. Then, you really need to test the eggs before even buying them.
Below is how to check it:
Check the expiring date
Usually, eggs don’t stay more than 30 days in a store. It’s not like the eggs go bad after the date, but it will help guide you on not buying old eggs. So, if you’re buying your eggs from the stores, always check for the expiring date.
Smell and Colour
If you don’t buy from stores, your nose and eyes will do the work here. Once the eggs start to have a bad smell then you know that it is bad. The colour of shell are very vibrant. Once the colour starts to look different or starts looking dull, then it is bad.
Water test
When you have already bought the eggs, you can conduct a water test. In the picture below, if the egg is at the bottom, then it is fresh, if it floats a little then it is getting old, once it gets to the top then it is bad.
Researchers from Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center, Israel , have developed a new coronavirus drug that cured most volunteers who received it between three to five days.
The team at the hospital said 29 out of 30 people suffering from moderate to severe COVID-19 recovered within three to five days in the Phase 1 trials of the drug called EXO-C24.
They said all the volunteers also survived.
The hospital conducting the Phase 1 trial described the development as a ‘huge breakthrough’.
EXO-CD24 is a medication delivered directly to the lungs, to help prevent the immune system dealing with COVID-19 from overreacting and causing complications.
Prof. Nadir Arber, the researcher who runs the lab said the preparation is inhaled once a day for a few minutes, for five days.
He said, “The preparation is directed straight to the heart of the storm — the lungs — so unlike other formulas which selectively restrain a certain cytokine, or operate widely but cause many serious side effects, EXO-CD24 is administered locally, works broadly and without side effects.”
The drug uses exosomes, tiny carrier sacs that shuttle materials between cells , to deliver a protein called CD24 to the lungs.
The protein works to help calm the immune system and prevent cytokine storm . A cytokine storm is the name given to a worsening reaction to COVID-19 that can result in multiple organ failure and death.
The risk of a cytokine storm is particularly prevalent in older and at-risk groups.
One of the researchers involved in the study, Shiran Shapira, said the protein is located on the surface of cells and has a well known and important role in regulating the immune system.
The production of treatment for coronavirus would help massively in the fight against the disease.
The drug will move to the next phases of research, for additional information on its effectiveness and safety.
EXO-CD24 , like vaccines will have to receive emergency authorization before it can be used as a COVID-19 therapy
Nigerian artist , Orisefemi has reacted to an allegation that he brought a lady into his matrimonial home and had sex with her, while his wife “Nabila” was at work.
On Monday, 9th of February , Nabila alleged that a strange woman whom she described as an imbecile, had sex with her husband, while she was at work.
Orisefemi reacted, he said;
“If I ever had sex yesterday with anybody, let me die untimely” .
It’s time for some discipline – or, at least, that’s what the Kenyan government thinks.
Secretary General of the Union, Wilson Sossion said the reintroduction of caning in schools will put students, parents and teachers on a collision path.
“If the government believes that caning will change badly brought up children, let them station a police officer in every school to do that. It [corporal punishment] is also against the rights of children which we stand for as a country,” Sossion said.
For now it appears Kenyan educational stakeholders are divided over the issue and it is yet to be seen how they will react to the eventual re-introduction of caning in schools
The education minister has openly called for corporal punishment to be reintroduced in schools across the country.
He says discipline (and perhaps a little caning) is the only way to deal with unruly students – who, in recent weeks, have burnt down their dormitories and attacked their teachers.
Education minister of the country Prof. George Magoha has announced his desire to have corporal punishment reintroduced in schools.
He said that is the only way to curb what he calls the rising cases of indiscipline among students.
There have been several reports of riots, arson attacks and attacks on teachers executed by students.
The education minister believes caning students will help reduce criminal activities among students.
Last month the Magoha was quoted as saying at an event that “Learners will not commit crimes and walk scot-free. We shall ensure that these situations are neutralized before they escalate.”
“They must be caned and we shall authorize teachers to punish them,” Magoha added.
Prof George
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) seems to disagree with the idea of having caning back in schools.
Teachers’ unions are up in arms and say they won’t accept the return to such archaic practices.
So, is physical punishment really coming back to Kenyan schools?
A Nigerian lady has done herself proud with her academic achievements
Basirat Rufai is, at the moment, in a class of her own. The young lady’s academic pursuit at the University of Ibadan ended on a very high note as she finished in a majestic fashion.
Basirat, who read pharmacy, emerged the overall best graduating student in the 2018/2019 academic year that were recently graduated by the institution.
The brainy lady also bagged distinctions in all her pharmacy courses and topped her amazing academic feats with an almost-perfect CGPA of 6.9 in a 7.o grading system – a first class honours. In a post made on Monday, February 8, 2021 on Linkedln, Basirat said she is proud of herself and went on to appreciate God for his unending support to her quest for academic excellence and her family and loved ones as well as lecturers for being with her in each step of the journey.
She wrote:
“It is only by God’s grace.
“Allow me to re-introduce myself…
“Meet Pharmacist Basirat Rufai (B. Pharm. First Class Honours) with a CGPA of 6.9/7.0
“Also, the Overall Best Graduating Student of the 2018/2019 set.
“Bagged Distinctions in all pharmacy courses.
“Special appreciation goes to Almighty God for His unending support. Also, my parents, family, lecturers, classmates and friends who assisted me in this journey.
The Member representing Aba North/ Aba South in the House of Representatives on the platform of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) Rt. Hon Ossy Prestige, is dead.
A family source explained that the late lawmaker died in a German hospital after being placed on life support for a very long time.
“He has been down with colon cancer for a very long time but his condition became worse after the federal government declared a total lockdown. He was initially flown to London and later moved to Germany,” said the family source who craved anonymity.
In a statement, the family described the death of Prestige as shocking, saying burial arrangements will be announced later.
“As it pleased the Lord and in total submission to His Will, but with heavy hearts, we announce the passing away of Hon. Prestige Ossy, the member representing the Aba North/South Federal Constituency of Abia State at the National Assembly whose transition to Higher Glory occurred in the wee hours of 7th February in Germany where he has been receiving treatment for the past months,” the statement read.
Hon Prestige Ossy
“In his death bed and up to his last days, his love for his uncommon people of Aba and Abia State found expression in words. He fought gallantly to live for his people but God decided to take him into rest in his bosom. Who are we to question God?
“As we continue with necessary arrangements to repatriate his remains and accord him a hero’s farewell that he eminently deserves, we shall endeavor to carry everybody along. May his soul rest in peace.”
Prestige, who clocked 56 in January, is the third member of the lower legislative chamber who died in the ninth assembly.
Following Ruggedman post in which he stated that women are more successful in the movie industry, Toyin Abraham reacted to the comments of many Nigerians who said most actresses success is linked to support gotten from male counterparts.
She further stated that many women are succeeding today without support from men. She also mentioned that , she has paid for a new vehicle.
Today, other actors in the movie industry , including Iyabo Ojo announced the delivery of the brand new car Toyin Abraham just purchased.
Indeed , Toyin Abraham is succeding in the movie industry. It seems her new status happened after she won the “best actress” category in the last AMVCA award. Congratulations to Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi.
Mary Wilson, who co-founded The Supremes and remained a member of the group until they split up, has died at the age of 76.
The singer passed away at her home in Henderson, Nevada, her publicist Jay Schwartz announced, but he did not confirm the cause of death.
The Supremes were known for hits such as Baby Love and You Can’t Hurry Love.
The group was founded in Detroit as The Primettes in 1959, when Wilson was 15 years old.
Singer Beverley Knight tweeted:”Mary Wilson along with Florence Ballard and Diana Ross changed the game permanently. Hit after hit after hit, on regular rotation to this day. A Supreme Titan may have left us but that legacy will never be surpassed.”
The founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy, said in a statement: “I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supremes.
image captionMary Wilson, Florence Ballard and Diana Ross made up The Supremes
“The Supremes opened doors for themselves, the other Motown acts, and many, many others… I was always proud of Mary. She was quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of the Supremes. Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed.”
A funeral for Wilson will be held privately due to Covid-19 restrictions, her family said, but a celebration of her life will take place later this year.
Wilson was an original member of the group alongside Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Barbara Martin.
Martin left the group before they became successful, and The Supremes continued as a trio. The Supremes became Motown’s most successful act of the 1960s scoring 12 number one singles in the US.
image captionWilson released a memoir in 1986 titled Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme
Their first number one was 1964’s Where Did Our Love Go, which was soon followed by Baby Love, Come See About Me and Stop! In the Name of Love.
Baby Love was the only single to reach number one in the UK, but several of their singles hit the top 10 including You Keep Me Hangin’ On and You Can’t Hurry Love.
In 1967, Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong and Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross and the Supremes.
Three years later, Ross left to pursue a solo career. After her departure, Wilson was left as the only original member of the group.
Wilson continued performing with Cindy Birdsong and Jean Terrell as the “new” Supremes, better known today as the “70s Supremes”.
The group disbanded following Wilson’s 1977 departure.
image captionTwo days before her death, Wilson announced she was working on new solo material
Wilson became a New York Times bestselling author in 1986 with the release of her autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme.
The Supremes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Interest in the group’s legacy was renewed after the release of the film Dreamgirls in 2006, which starred Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Hudson.
The movie was based on the story of The Supremes, although Wilson said it did not depict their true story.
In 2019, Wilson took part in Dancing With The Stars, the US version of Strictly Come Dancing.
Just two days before her death, Wilson uploaded a video on YouTube announcing that she was working on releasing new solo material.
image captionWilson took part in the 2019 series of Dancing With The Stars
A computer hacker gained access to the water system of a city in Florida and tried to pump in a “dangerous” amount of a chemical, officials say.
The hacker briefly increased the amount of sodium hydroxide (lye) in Oldsmar’s water treatment system, but a worker spotted it and reversed the action.
Lye is used in small amounts to control acidity but a large amount could have caused major problems in the water.
Oldsmar Mayor Eric Seidel said: “There’s a bad actor out there.”
No arrests have yet been made and it is not known if the hack was done from within the US or outside.
A computer controlling Oldsmar’s water treatment system was remotely accessed on Friday.
A plant operator saw an attempt to access the system in the morning but assumed it was his supervisor, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
But another attempt was made early in the afternoon and this time the hacker accessed the treatment software and increased the sodium hydroxide content from 100 parts per million to 11,100 ppm.
The operator immediately reduced the level to normal.
Sodium hydroxide is the chief ingredient in liquid drain cleaners. It is very corrosive and can cause irritation to the skin and eyes, along with temporary loss of hair.
Swallowing it can cause damage to the mouth, throat and stomach and induce vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said: “I’m not a chemist. But I can tell you what I do know is… if you put that amount of that substance into the drinking water, it’s not a good thing.”
But he added: “At no time was there a significant adverse effect on the water being treated. Importantly, the public was never in danger.”
The Oldsmar plant provides water to businesses and about 15,000 residents.
The remote access programme to the water system has been temporarily disabled.
US Republican congressman Ron Wright has died aged 67 after testing positive for Covid-19 last month, officials say.
The Texas lawmaker “passed away peacefully” with his wife Susan by his side on Sunday, his office said.
The couple had both been infected with the virus and were receiving treatment at Baylor Hospital in Dallas.
Mr Wright, who had also been battling cancer in recent years, is the first sitting member of Congress to die with the coronavirus.
On 21 January, he released a statement announcing that he had tested positive for Covid-19.
“I am experiencing minor symptoms, but overall, I feel okay and will continue working for the people of the 6th [Congressional district] from home,” his statement said.
Mr Wright was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018.
Announcing his death on Monday, his office said that he would be “remembered as a constitutional conservative” who was “a statesman, not an ideologue”.
“Despite years of painful, sometimes debilitating treatment for cancer, Ron never lacked the desire to get up and go to work, to motivate those around him, or to offer fatherly advice,” it added.
The office provided no further details.
Several members of Congress, from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, have tested positive for Covid-19 over the past year.
The US is by far the world’s worst-hit nation, with more than 463,000 coronavirus-related deaths and over 27 million cases since the start of the pandemic.
The average number of daily infections in the US, however, has been gradually falling since early January.
Elon Musk’s car firm Tesla has said it bought about $1.5bn (£1.1bn) of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin in January and expects to start accepting it as payment in future.
The news caused the price of Bitcoin to jump 17% to $44,220, a record high.
Tesla said it was trying to maximise returns on cash that is not being used in day-to-day running of the company.
It comes days after Mr Musk added “#bitcoin” to his Twitter profile page, which drove up the price.
He removed it days later, but has continued talking up Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, including Dogecoin, which jumped 50% after his endorsement.
In a stock market filing, Tesla said it “updated its investment policy” in January and now wanted to invest in “reserve assets” such as digital currencies, gold bullion or gold exchange-traded funds.
It said it had already bought $1.5bn of Bitcoin and could “acquire and hold digital assets” in the future.
“Moreover, we expect to begin accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment for our products in the near future, subject to applicable laws and initially on a limited basis,” it said.
Mr Musk said a week ago in a tweet that Bitcoin was “on the verge” of being more widely accepted among investors.
Some analysts said Tesla’s investment could be a game-changer for the cryptocurrency.
“I think we will see an acceleration of companies looking to allocate to Bitcoin now that Tesla has made the first move,” said Eric Turner, vice-president of market intelligence at cryptocurrency research firm Messari.
“One of the largest companies in the world now owns Bitcoin and by extension, every investor that owns Tesla, or even just an S&P 500 fund, has exposure to it as well.”
But Neil Wilson, chief market analyst for Markets.com, warned that Bitcoin was a “very volatile” cryptocurrency.
“Tesla is now starting to take on big [foreign exchange] risk – this may not worry a lot of investors, but some conservative types might be concerned,” he said.
Bitcoin, which has hit record highs in recent months after a rollercoaster ride over the past decade, has also drawn support from major financial institutions this year.
The world’s biggest money manager, Blackrock, recently changed a handful of investment mandates to allow some of its funds to invest in the currency.
However, central banks remain sceptical of digital currencies.
In October, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey cautioned over Bitcoin’s use as a payment method.
“I have to be honest, it is hard to see that Bitcoin has what we tend to call intrinsic value,” he said. “It may have extrinsic value in the sense that people want it.”
Mr Bailey added that he was “very nervous” about people using Bitcoin for payments, pointing out that investors should realise its price was extremely volatile.
Below is the video of a lady who turned down marriage proposal. Her lover went on his kneels to on propose but she refused to accept the ring.
Probably she didn’t accept the ring bebecause she was shy or he isn’t just good enough for her. We don’t know why she rejected the ring but you could suggest the reason by commenting.
Actress, Toyin Abraham has reacted to a post made about Ruggedman in which he stated that women are making more money and doing better than men in the movie industry.
Toyin Abraham
Read what Nigerian rapper , Ruggedman posted below;
Toyin Abraham responded by shedding more light to what us really happening in the industry. According to her , actresses are well paid just like their male counterparts. Read below.
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