No hiding it now! Gigi Hadid holds hands with Zayn Malik as pair step out in matching looks after yet another date night

They've sparked rumors they're dating after being spotted together in the past few weeks.

And model Gigi Hadid and singer Zayn Malik appeared to confirm the budding relationship as they held hands while leaving trendy club The Nice Guy in West Hollywood in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Gigi flashed her toned abs in a black crop top and skinny distressed jeans as she locked fingers with the former One Direction singer.

    

Gigi, who is the daughter of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Foster, split from singer Joe Jonas three weeks ago, around the same time Zayn publicly declared he will 'always love' his former fiancee, Little Mix's Perrie Edwards.

However, they appeared to have moved on - sparking rumors they were together when they were seen together on a string of dates in Los Angeles. 

Fans also went into overdrive after Zayn posted a photograph of himself wearing Gigi's glasses to Instagram.

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The couple even appeared to have matching looks, with Zayn also wearing a black top and faded grey Van Winkle in Lock n Load jeans from Ksubi. They also wore similar black shoes as they left the club.

The pair looked tired as they exited the West Hollywood venue around 2.30am on Sunday morning.

Joe and Gigi were also seen partying at the club on Tuesday and have been spotted together while out in Los Angeles over the last few weeks.

Bradford-born Zayn is enjoying some down time after famously quitting One Direction in March, and called off his engagement to girlfriend of four years Perrie in August.

He plans to launch a solo music career early next year that he says will better represent who he is as an artist.

Meanwhile, Gigi also reportedly split from former Disney star Joe after five months over their busy work schedules.

The model's career has been going from strength to strength, and achieved a lifelong goal by walking the runway for the Victoria's Secret show in New York on November 10. 

courtesy:dailymail

Here come the new girls... and they sure are heavenly! Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner stretch their wings as they join the Angels for their Victoria's Secret show debut

.Lily Aldridge was chosen to model the coveted, gem-laden $2million Fantasy Bra

.Ellie Goulding, Selena Gomez and The Weeknd were musical guests after Rihanna pulled out last week

.Kris Jenner and her ex Caitlyn were both in the audience to watch daughter Kendall's debut  

.Kendall asked sisters Kim, Kourteney and Khloe not to attend to avoid added 'pressure'

It's one of the most coveted jobs in the modelling world - a sign that a young model has truly made it.

And their excitement was palpable as best friends Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, both 20, burst onto the Victoria's Secret catwalk in New York City on Tuesday.

The rising stars were making their grand debut for the lingerie brand alongside long established Angels Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel and Lily Aldridge - who wore the dazzling $2million Fantasy Bra, this year boasting 6,500 precious gems, including diamonds, blue topaz, yellow sapphires and pink quartz, set in 18-karat gold.

The elaborate, gem-encrusted piece of lingerie is one of the highlights of the show and presented every year by the underwear giant's favourite model; past Fantasy Bra wearers have included Tyra Banks and Giselle Bündchen.

The event drew an elite crowd of fashion insiders and celebrity guests, but won't be televised on CBS until December 8 where it will be watched by millions.

A grinning Gigi danced with her close friend Selena Gomez, one of the musical guests, while Kendall flashed her dazzling smile as she wowed in a floaty bright peacock-like cape, which billowed out behind her red and blue basque.

Each was chosen to walk the runway twice - with Keeping Up With The Kardashians star Kendall showing her fashion week experience as she sashayed down the runway in a pale blue diamante number.

So is THAT the reason for the elevator spat? Explosive new book claims Beyoncé and Jay Z separated for a year amid claims the rapper was having an affair with Rihanna

• New biography of Beyoncé claims she separated from Jay Z for a year
• According to the book, his PRs spread rumors he was dating Rihanna in a bid to boost the 17-year-old's profile ahead of releasing Pon De Replay
• Though they were just rumors, 'Beyoncé couldn't handle the situation' 
• Beyoncé had just one boyfriend before dating and marrying Jay Z

Beyoncé and Jay Z separated for a year amid rumors the rapper was having an affair with Rihanna, an explosive new book claims.

The power couple, who started dating in 2000, allegedly split around the time Jay Z scouted then-17-year-old Rihanna in 2005 and managed the launch of her debut single Pon De Replay. 

And though the rumors were supposedly spread by PRs to boost Rihanna's profile, Beyoncé 'wasn't sure what to make of the situation'.

The astonishing claim comes in a new unauthorized biography by best-selling writer J Randy Taraborrelli titled Becoming Beyoncé: The Untold Story.

It has led many to revisit the notorious elevator spat between Beyoncé's sister Solange and Jay Z, questioning whether Rihanna really was the root of their dispute.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Beyonce’s publicist for comment on the book, but did not receive an immediate response.

Scroll down for video 

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Beyoncé and Jay Z separated for a year amid rumors the rapper was having an affair with Rihanna, an explosive new book claims. According to the theory it was in 2005, around the time this picture was taken and Rihanna, then 17, released her debut single. At the time, Jay Z was 35 years old and Beyoncé was 24

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Ordeal: It has led many to revisit the notorious elevator spat (pictured) between Beyoncé's sister Solange and Jay Z, questioning whether Rihanna really was the root of their dispute 

Beyoncé, 34, and Jay Z, 45, are now married with a three-year-old daughter Blue Ivy. 

But they have battled through a lot to reach this point, Taraborrelli told Entertainment Tonight on Thursday.

Describing the alleged split, he said: 'Beyoncé didn't know what to make of this, and it actually ended up breaking them up for a time.

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Jay Z took on Rihanna as his protegée when she was 17 and mastered the release of her debut single Pon De Replay. The pair have remained close throughout the decade since. They are pictured together here in 2010

'They spent maybe a year apart from each other because Beyoncé just wasn't sure of what to make of the situation with Rihanna.'

But he adds: 'It's safe to say that Rihanna and Beyoncé are friends.'

According to Taraborrelli's theory, the split would have been around 2005, when Pon De Replay was released. At that time Jay Z was 35, Beyoncé 24, and Rihanna 17.

It would have taken place five years after an 18-year-old Beyoncé appeared on I Got That by Jay Z protegé Amil in 2000, marking the start of her open and very close association with Jay Z.

The pair started dating soon after. They remained under the radar until their 2002 duet, 03 Bonnie & Clyde.

They were pictured together on numerous occasions over the next four years. In 2005 they appeared virtually inseparable, hand-in-hand at every public event they attended. And in January 2006 Beyoncé told Cosmopolitan she had started 'thinking about what kind of wedding I’d want'. 

It is not clear whether Taraborrelli believes the couple were separated at the time of this interview. 

He also addressed the notorious spat of May 2014, when Beyoncé's sister Solange was caught on surveillance camera lashing out at Jay Z in the elevator of New York's Standard Hotel after the Met Gala.  

After a surveillance video of the incident made it's way on the internet without audio, many wondered what caused Beyoncé's 29-year-old sister to violently attack the 99 Problems rapper.

The author spoke to several individuals who are close to Beyoncé, and claimed he has heard from eyewitnesses that the Drunk In Love singer told Jay he could not attend Rihanna's after party at the Met Gala.

The mother-of-one did receive some good news on Thursday as she had a victory in court over one of her hit tracks titled XO released in 2013.

A relatively unknown singer named Ahmad Javon Lane accused the 7/11 hitmaker of copying his tune titled XOXO as the judge ruled that the songs were not very much alike in terms of musically, lyrically or even thematically and the case was ultimately tossed out, according to a Thursday report from TMZ.

The gossip site notes that the ruling party had explained Lane's song was 'explicitly sexual,' while Beyoncé's was more gentle with more romantic symbolism.

'It gets down in the KJ household': Kylie Jenner goes make-up free wearing pyjamas enjoying a night in... as sisters and mother Kris visit Lamar Odom

Her mother Kris and sisters Kendall, Kim and Khloe were all spotted visiting Lamar Odom in Las Vegas over the weekend.

But Kylie Jenner has opted to get some much needed rest and relaxation.

The 18-year-old reality star took to Instagram on Sunday night to share a picture of her enjoying a night in with a gal pal.

The pair each decided to wear patterned pyjamas as they got comfortable at the Keeping Up With The Kardashian star's residence.

Kylie did an odd pose on her couch reminiscent of the old 'Tebowing' stance made famous by former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow back in 2012.

She captioned the image to her 39.6million followers: 'It gets down in the KJ household.' 

The teenage star's cosy charcoal grey top and bottoms had spooky white ghosts all over it as she posed next to her blonde gal pal and two small dogs.

Her medium-length raven-coloured locks were tied back into two pigtails as she sported natural, complimentary make-up on her face.

The relaxed night in comes just after her sisters Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner along with mother Kris Jenner dropped everything to board a private jet in Van Nuys, California, on Saturday night bound for Nevada's Sunrise Hospital, where Khloe Kardashian has been keeping a 24-hour vigil beside her estranged husband, despite breaking up with him in 2013.

Kendall even flew in from London, where she has been working as a model, and the family has suspended all activity on their paid-for apps to rally round 35-year-old Odom

‘Dear Baba’: Jonathan Writes Obasanjo, Seeks Blessing For New Foundation

Given the bad blood that governed the relationship between both men towards the end of Mr. Jonathan’s presidency, the letter seemed to be an attempt at rapprochement with the former 
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has written to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, seeking the latter’s blessing for his next public engagement: the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, and pledging to spend the rest of his life making the world better place.
The foundation will advance Mr. Jonathan’s interest in human development, peace and security, the letter, which begins with the endearing greeting, “Dear Baba”,.

The letter was written on a letterhead which says “The Office of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, President, Federal Republic of Nigeria 2010 and 2015.”

In it, he informs Chief Obasanjo that following his handing-over of power to President Muhammadu Buhari, he proceeded on a “long deserved break.”

“Now well-rested, I am back to work to continue to serve and dedicate my life to promoting peace and prosperity for all,” adding that he has set up an office in BayelsaState where he can be reached, and his staff are prepared to serve Chief Obasanjo and respond to his enquiries at any time. 

“Furthermore, I will be devoting the rest of my life and energy to making the world a better place.  I am currently finalizing efforts to set up The Goodluck Jonathan Foundation.  More details on the work of the Foundation will be available at the launch, which I believe should take place by the 3rd quarter of 2016.”

He said he looked forward to Mr. Obasanjo’s continuous support, counsel and cooperation.

Given the bad blood that governed the relationship between both men towards the end of Mr. Jonathan’s presidency, the letter seemed to be an attempt at rapprochement with the former president.

SaharaReporters learnt, however, that Mr. Obasanjo responded to Jonathan with a terse letter saying he wishes him good luck in his future endeavors.

Obasanjo and Jonathan had a public falling-out before and during the Presidential elections earlier this year. The acrimonious relationship led the former president to tear his party card openly.

what do you think of this move by the former president?

new one from olumide oloba.

olumide oloba one of Nigeria's finest young indigenous rappers releases this hot one and he titles it ''AYE OLOBA''  featuring skalie mental .
Aye oloba has been hitting the streets produced by dj biggy
download and enjoy

download here

'We are protecting the freedoms of European citizens': Hungary defends closing its Croatian border as several busloads of migrants reaches Slovenia Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Hungary closed border with Croatia last night, forcing migrants to Slovenia

First bus has arrived on Slovenian border where migrants will be registered

Slovenia has cancelled all trains from Croatia to stem the tide of migrants

383,000 migrants from Middle East, Africa, Asia entered Hungary this year

More on Europe's migrant crisis: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/migrantcrisis

Hundreds of migrants trapped in Croatia have reached the Slovenian border after Hungary shut its border with the country last night.

Buses carrying more than 600 have already arrived at the border crossings of Gruskovje and Petisovci, Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic said.

Hungary, which also built a 110-mile-long barb wire fence along its border with Serbia, said it closed the crossing to 'protect the freedoms' of European citizens.

The blockade at the Hungary-Croatia border forced thousands of migrants to divert to Slovenia, home to two million people, where the new arrivals will be registered before 'most of them' are transferred to the Austrian border.

Slovenia cancelled all trains from Croatia so migrants could not enter the country that way. Experts fear the move will leave thousands of migrants stranded in Croatia, which is 'ill-equipped' to deal with them.

On their way: Migrants are registered in Lendava after crossing the Croatian-Slovenian border today

Slovenia said it would ramp up border controls and create entry points for migrants to come into the country, but promised to keep accepting them as long as Austria and Germany kept their borders open.

Croatia, which expects to transport more than 2,400 migrants to its border with Slovenia today, said it would close its border if others did the same.

Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said: 'Slovenia will not close its border unless Germany closes its border, in that case Croatia will have to do the same.' 

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said 300 migrants had been brought to Petisovci while another 300 were taken to Gruskovje, both on the Croatia-Slovenia border.

UNHCR spokeswoman Caroline van Buren said: 'They are being registered by police and then taken to a refugee camp in Sentilj, close to the Austrian border.

Van Buren said the majority of people being registered were refugees from Syria and Iraq, adding: 'They are fleeing from war... They are literally running for their lives.'

Croatian railway authorities said a train carrying 1,800 migrants had left the border area and was due to arrive in the northern town of Cakovek, on the Slovenian border, at 2.30pm GMT.

The numbers expected to arrive would be a first for Slovenia which only saw around 3,500 migrants arrive over past month after it reinforced border controls in mid-September.

Hungary closed the Croatian border in a bid to block tens of thousands of refugees and migrants from reaching their desired destination of Germany via Budapest and Austria

Hungarian police allowed around 1,500 migrants to trudge across the Zakany crossing into their country before sealing the border at around 1am (11pm GMT) last night.

Omar Thaqfa, a 33-year-old refugee from the embattled Iraqi city of Mosul, said: 'We have been in cold since two in the morning in Serbia. We were sitting in the street. Very cold. I am going to Germany.'

The migrants and refugee with the right documents can still seek asylum in European countries but economic migrants will be unable to cross freely into Europe.  

Hungary's shut-down came as an EU deal with Turkey, designed to help migrants looked on the brink of collapse.

Turkey accused Europe of offering up too little money to defuse the crisis, which has seen around 600,000 mostly-Syrians land on Europe's shores this year, and said the plan to stem these arrivals was 'just a draft'.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: 'They [Europe] announce they'll take in 30,000 to 40,000 refugees and then they are nominated for the Nobel for that. We are hosting two and a half million refugees but nobody cares.'

He also urged the EU to take Ankara's bid for EU membership more seriously, saying: 'They keep saying: 'We can't do without Turkey'. Then why don't you let Turkey in the EU?'

Erdogan's foreign minister said the EU's initial proposals for any deal were 'unacceptable' and said his country needed at least £2.2billion in the first year. 

Turkey did agree to tackle people smugglers, cooperate with EU border police and stem Syrian refugees reaching Greece by sea as part of a tentative deal.

In exchange, European leaders promised to speed the process which would allow Turkish people to obtain visas to Europe more easily and give the country more money to tackle the migrant crisis.

EU leaders did not specify how much money they would give Ankara but said the £2.2billion demanded would be a 'problem'.

While the EU summit was underway, an Afghan refugee was shot dead as he tried to cross Turkey's border into Bulgaria, in what the United Nations said was the first incident of its kind.

He was among a group of 54 migrants who were spotted by police near the south-eastern town of Sredets.

Officials said he was wounded by a ricocheting bullet after border guards fired warning shots into the air, when the unarmed migrants tried to resist arrest.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said he 'deeply regrets' the shooting but said it showed the need for 'rapid common European measures' to tackle the crisis.

More than 3,000 migrants have died trying to get to Europe this year, with most of them drowning in the Mediterranean.

Hungary's decision to close its border with Croatia came soon after EU leaders in Brussels failed to agree on a plan to send EU forces to stop migrants from reaching Greece

Experts feat that many migrants will now be stranded in Croatia, which is ill-prepared to provide for them in large numbers.

Lydia Gall, a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Budapest, said: 'There is no way Croatia can cope with ... accommodating and providing for the immediate needs for these people.

'Within days you would end up having tens of thousands of people in Croatia and further down the Western Balkan route, in Serbia and Macedonia.'

Hungary's fellow members of the so-called Visegrad Group —  Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia — are sending dozens of soldiers, police and equipment to support Hungarian forces guarding the border with Croatia.

Hungarian officials said their cooperation would be an example to the rest of the EU regarding joint border protection.

Since Hungary erected the fence on the Serbian border, hundreds of migrants have breached the barrier, which is considered a criminal offence.

On Friday, 16 men accused of entering Hungary illegally were tried in a court in the southern city of Szeged.

One of those men, Rajab Al Khalil, said he was trying to reach Germany after escaping the ISIS terrorists controlling his hometown.

The 28-year-old from Mosul said: 'I did not know which country I was in until I saw the Hungarian flag on the uniform of police. If I can leave, I will never come back here.'

Fayose orders arrest of FRSC official for traffic offence

Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose on Thursday arrested an officer of the Federal Road Safety (FRSC) in Ikere Ekiti for driving against traffic.

Fayose personally arrested the FRSC officer while on his way to the flag off of dualization of the Ado-Ikere-Ondo State boundary road and commissioning of some projects in Ikere town as part of activities marking the first anniversary of his administration.

The FRSC officer whose name was given as Adeola Alabi left the bad portion of the road for the other lane and drove against traffic to avoid potholes and reconnect the lane he was before.

The incident which happened at Sawmill area of Ikere Ekiti caused traffic snarl as some residents came out to watch the drama.

Alabi’s action infuriated Fayose who ordered security operatives in his convoy to ensure the road safety officer was apprehended.

After he was arrested, Alabi prostrated before Fayose, begging the governor to have mercy on him.

The governor did not listen to his pleas, maintaining that law must take its course.

Fayose ordered that the Peugeot 505 Saloon car driven by Alabi should be seized and taken to the Ekiti State Traffic Management Agency (EKSTMA) yard.

The culprit is expected to cough out N50,000 as fine for driving against traffic.

How NTA, AIT maltreated us during the 2015 presidential campaigns — Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has restated his gratitude to Nigerians for his victory at the general elections saying he emerged winner against all odds.

Speaking at The Red Media Summit in Lagos, Thursday,‎ Mr. Buhari that he won the election despite the deployment of state forces against him.

“Muhammadu Buhari’s goodwill greetings to you is on account of the fact that he won an election that many people think he was not going to win,” said Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, ‎‎who represented Mr. Buhari.

“Americans say that elections are won on the dollar. It’s very improbable that anybody can win an election without money. We didn’t have advertising money on our campaign. Even when we had little money to spend on advertising, the Nigerian Television Authority was not making available to us slots, neither was AIT.

“I remember on a particular night I called NTA, they had 16 slots of one minute adverts and I said I wanted to buy one minute for the Buhari campaign, they said all 16 had been sold.

“Some other instances that exposed the partisan nature of the NTA. Money was returned to us, from AIT money was returned to us. They simply won’t advertise for us.”

Mr. Shehu expressed the presidency’s gratitude to Statecraft, an arm on The Red Media, for ‎”selling an unlikely candidate to a very skeptical nation.”

“The day there was a security siege at my home, I woke up to see that my house had been surrounded by armed policemen in the course of the campaign,” Mr. Shehu said.

“In fact it was the cocking of their guns that rose me and my family members from our sleep. Only to discover that tens of policemen, police vehicles, and some other unidentified vehicles darkened our windows around my home.

“The first thing I did was to say ‘Who will help me out of this situation?’ I needed to expose what was going on, and the‎ first man I reached was Adebola Williams of Statecraft. Adebola began to announce on Facebook and Twitter from that moment until the security elements realized that the whole world was looking at what they were doing, because I remained indoors throughout the siege.

“Of course it was much later that we came to know why they had come. Even the APC Presidential Campaign was penetrated by fifth columnists, and I will make this confession, because a day before that siege we had had a meeting with the security committee at which we agreed that we were going to run a story announcing that the National Security Adviser at that time, Mr. Sambo Dasuki, was staging a second coup d’etat against Muhammadu Buhari.

“The former National Security Adviser was involved in a coup that threw out Muhammadu Buhari as military president in 1984.

“This time around, all the things that followed, the postponement of the election on account of this and that and a lot of the thinking of the campaign was that this was yet another coup being hatched by the National Security Adviser and we eventually discovered that this siege on our homes was to pre-empt the story.‎”

Earlier, Biodun Shobanjo, the Chairman of the occasion, said the media landscape in Nigeria had changed over the decades.

‎”In 1975, it costs N16 for a billboard advert. Today it is between N7 million and N10 million,” said Mr. Shobanjo, Chairman, Troyka Holdings.

“Between then and now there has been a massive flux resulting from a media flux. In the past it was easy because you had 8-10 media platforms, today, it is so difficult to plan how to reach the consumer.

In 2013, according to Mr. Shobanjo, about N136 billion was spent on advertising in Nigeria – N63.3 billion to TV, N23.5 billion to print media, N20.5 billion to radio, and N23.8 billion to outdoor advertising.

‎”Those days you knew who your consumers are and what you wanted out of them,” Mr. Shobanjo said.

“If I ran a radio commercial in those days, all I wanted the consumer to do was to participate by taking a buying decision. We made them followers from what we’d beamed to them, and subsequently identify leaders among them that we can use to influence others.

“Today all of that has changed – both from the perspective of those who are in marketing to those who are used to distributing that information.

“Marketers must embrace a world with more uncertainties and must use multiple media vehicles to reach their target markets.”

lol.......This dude got hit

Sitting close to her in church, he looked focused on what the preacher was saying.
Suddenly, Helena's phone beeped...
It was a text message.
She stretched for her phone beside her to see what it was this time.
The number one suspect was MTN and their anooying "love messages".
Raising the phone, she must have pressed OK when the phone slipped off his hands onto Tayo's body.
Immediately,
As a nice guy he always wants to seem,
Tayo got hold of the big-screened phone and had a sharp sweeping glance at the message on the phone,
He couldn't believe it.
It was GTB's alert and the amount was #2, 350, 503. 00...
Whaaattt?
Considering how fast Tayo gave her back the phone, Helena never suspected he saw it.
Even if he saw it, she wouldn't mind.
Believe me.lol
.
At the end of the service, Tayo "marked" Helena so closely and managed to start a convo.
It was swift, he got her number and everything started happening fast.
You don't meet this opportunity everyday.
A babe with 2million in her account?
Chineke Lekwe !!!
.
3 weeks after, Tayo shocked Helena with a marriage proposal.
Helena was a church sister. She doesn't believe in dating. She believes that the man that would marry her should come straight up with a proposal.
Tayo has fit into that.
"Oh Tayo must be a Godly man" she reasoned...
He didn't even ask for her to come visit his house...
Unlike other guys, he didn't ask for sex.
Now, he proposed?
What a lucky girl Helena believed she was.
.
Piam... Piam... Piam...
Tayo and his people had come for the introduction.
Now, they have the list.
It's not that expensive. He hustled to raise some cash and piam!
They ve done the marital rites.
What a sharp guy !!!
He did his best to avoid letting Helena know that her money was the main attraction why "everything" was happening, so he never asked her abourrit.
.
On that same night, while they were in the room enjoying themselves,
Helena's phone beeped again.
Another text message.
Helena pressed some buttons and Lo, it was the same alert again.
This time around, the amount has risen to 3 million naira.
Helena hissed...
Tayo jumped up from the bed wondering why his new found maga of a wife would hiss like that, as he glanced through the phone once again, and didn't know when he shouted "Woooowwww".
But Helena would need his help;
.
"Daddy, please I'm tired of this text message that is always putting me in trouble. My aunty that is in Canada opened an account using my phone number as the contact number a day before she travelled. She did it on emergency. But now, I want to inform the bank to remove my phone number from that account before armed robbers would see this alert in my phone and attack me."
.
On hearing this,
Tayo froze in shock with his mouth and eyes wide open, as he couldn't believe what he just heard.
He can't seem to breathe well again...
.
"EEEeeeeeehhhhhhH"
Was the only loud scream that he could utter.
.
"Baby'm... Is anything the matter"... Asked Helena who was now surprised...
****************************
.
Can Someone Here Please Answer Helena Abeg...
I No Sure say Tayo Go Survive This Shock, hehehe...

Patience Ozokwo, RMD, Uche Jumbo Attend Champions For Change Event (Photos)

Mama G looking goodNollywood stars, Patience Ozokwor ,Richard Mofe Damijo,Uche Jombo,Emem Isong and more attended the Champions For Change Workshop organised by Ford Foundation .

AS FELABRATION 2015 KICKS OFF

IT is that time of the year again, as the 2015 edition of Felabration, a celebration of the music heritage, life and times of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti comes in full swing on Monday, October 12.

According to the organisers, the annual international music festival will parade a variety of music stars from within, and outside the country. Some of the acts slated to perform are, Third World: An international reggae group and the Newen Afrobeat Band from Chile. Also likely to perform is Lauren Hill, and a host of A list Nigerian musicians.

Felabration is the brainchild of Yeni Kuti, the legend’s eldest offspring, and is held every year in honour of the Afrobeat creator, and music icon.

With the theme, Just Like That, this year’s edition officially kicked off with a debate for secondary schools on Tuesday, October 6 at Freedom Park, Lagos Island. Public and private schools alike slugged it out as they debated the topic, Poverty Is Not An Accident, a quote made famous by the late Nelson Mandela.

The NECA building at the Central Business District, Alausa will host the annual Fela Debates symposium. The topic for this year, Human Rights is my Property, will be moderated by the immediate past governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola. Also speaking will be Sandra Izsadore, who was instrumental to redirecting Fela’s music perception from American styled Jazz to the Rhythms of Africa, Afrobeat. Also speaking will be Prof Chidi Odinkalu of the Nigeria Human Rights Commission, Mr. Kunle Ajibade. Journalist; and renowned human rights activist; Mrs. Ayo Obe.

From Monday October 12, the festival’s official home, the New Afrika Shrine, will come alive later that night, with the first batch of performers taking the stage. The events will run from Monday till Sunday 18 October, with daytime carnivals and road shows on major streets in the Lagos axis.

If you want to know the future, ask a chimp - they're just as good as predicting events as 'experts' are

The average expert is only as good as a random guesser

Chimps are just as likely to guess right as experts are

Social science

SUPERFORECASTING: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF PREDICTION

by Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardner

(Random House £14.99)

Right-thinking people have long suspected that the vast majority of the pontificating political and economic pundits on TV and in the press are like Manuel the waiter in Fawlty Towers... They 'know nothing'.

For many years, Philip Tetlock, an American professor from the University of Pennsylvania, has been gathering evidence that provides scientific proof for such suspicions. The average 'expert', it turns out, is about as good at predicting what the future holds as a dart-throwing chimp is at hitting the bullseye.

In a 20-year survey, Tetlock examined the accuracy of thousands of predictions made by 'experts' about the economy, stocks and shares, elections, wars and other important issues.

The average 'expert', it turns out, is about as good at predicting what the future holds as a dart-throwing chimp is at hitting the bullseye

He discovered the average expert did only as well as a random guesser. Not only that, the more famous an expert was, the less accurate he or she was.

People are prepared to listen to, and pay out for, forecasts that are 'as dubious as elixirs sold from the back of a wagon'.

In co-operation with a little-known branch of U.S. intelligence services, he established The Good Judgment Project. For the reward of a $250 Amazon gift voucher, nearly 3,000 volunteers helped out with it.

The aim was to identify ordinary people who were good at forecasting. People like Doug Lorch, a retired computer programmer who rapidly became one of Tetlock's 'superforecasters'.

Lorch was asked hundreds of obscure questions: will Serbia be officially granted European Union candidacy by December 31, 2011? Will the London Gold Market fixing price of gold exceed $1,850 on September 30, 2011?

Lorch, with the other superforecasters, proved to have an almost spooky ability to predict correctly. Foresight is real, it seems, and some people have it in spades.

As Tetlock writes: 'They aren't gurus or oracles with the power to peer decades into the future, but they do have a real, measurable skill at judging how high-stake events are likely to unfold three months, six months, a year or a year-and-a-half in advance.'

Why on Earth, you might think, does the U.S. spend billions of dollars annually on geopolitical forecasting when it could just give Lorch an Amazon voucher and ask him to get on with it?

Why are the superforecasters so good at short-term prediction and so many of the alleged experts like chimps with fists full of darts?

Tetlock thinks he has the answer to that question, which, put most simply, is that they have an open-mindedness, an intellectual curiosity and a freedom from ideological preconceptions.

Superforecasting is a fascinating book. It may sometimes be hard to disagree with the critic who argues that: 'What matters can't be forecast and what can be forecast doesn't matter.'

Yet Tetlock's star performers clearly do possess a particular set of skills, which he is confident can be passed on to others.