Mercyvill

By Armistice Day it is expected that almost four million people will have seen the huge ceramic poppy display at the Tower of London that marks the centenary of the start of World War One. There are almost 900,000 poppies - one for each British or Colonial soldier who died during the Great War. The BBC's Tim Muffett reports on how the exhibit has allowed families to remember their loved ones and how it has captured the public's imagination.

 An explosion near a bank killed at least 10 people in Kano on Friday, witnesses and rescue volunteers said. People were lined up at an ATM outside a bank on the outskirts of the town of Azare when the explosion happened, witnesses said. Several other people were injured. The witnesses said the blast appeared to have come from a plastic bag near the bank. Comments from police about what caused the explosion weren't immediately available, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Azare has been the site of previous attacks by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram , which has waged an insurgency in north eastern Nigeria for five years in a campaign to impose its strict version of Sharia, or Islamic law.

Obama tries to move on after big GOP win STORY HIGHLIGHTS Jay Parini: Many impressed by Obama in 2008 let down. What changed about him? He's done much: Brought down unemployment, saved economy, brought health care reform But he doesn't communicate this. Why? Perhaps he doesn't believe in himself, he says Parini: Especially on foreign policy, my hope is he'll better spell out his hopes for the world (CNN) -- I'm obviously not the only one disappointed in Barack Obama. I thought he would be another Reagan in at least one respect: He'd be a great communicator. Listening to his speeches in 2008, I thought that this man could connect. He had energy and vision, hope and strength. So what happened? Jay Parini Somewhere along the way, disturbingly early in his first term, he fizzled as a communicator. It's not that he didn't do good things.

Cross Sections of the Participants at the Enterprise Day of Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board, at NECA House, Alausa, Ikeja….yesterday 23-07-14 Master Adeola Shobowale, 18, a student of Government Technical College, Agidingbi, came to the NECA House, Alausa, Ikeja in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, a confused young man. He has just graduated from the college and came to the NECA House for the Enterprise Day aimed at sensitising and building young entrepreneurs. The reality of facing the unemployment market was staring him in the face, so he was confused. He has bright ideas of what he wants to do to earn a living after leaving the college, but the fund to start up his dream project seems elusive. His heart soared when the State Government announced that all students who graduated from technical colleges in the state would be given a take-off loan to start their own businesses. The Lagos State Micro-Finance Institution, LASMI, is the institution to

(Thinkstock) Echinacea is often advised for warding off the winter sniffles, says Claudia Hammond, but does it actually work? Working antisocial hours can prematurely age the brain and dull intellectual ability If you find yourself about to go down with a cold this winter, the chances are that at some point a friend will suggest you take echinacea. Some swear by it to ward off a cold when they feel the first stirrings of a sore throat. Others take it once a cold is full-blown, in the hope that it will speed their recovery. Native Americans have long valued echinacea for its medical properties , but in the 20th Century its use spread to many countries after it became popular in Germany. In today’s health food shops ­ you can see dozens of different kinds of preparations. The question is, does it work? Every couple of years a new study is published showing that echinacea either does or doesn’t reduce your risk of contracti

The Up3 features metal-covered sensors that rest against the skin Jawbone has a new wristband that uses a relatively unusual technique to provide feedback about sleep patterns. The Up3 measures the wearer's heart rate via metal-covered sensors that protrude from its underside to press against the skin. This contrasts with the approach of rivals that combine infrared and visible-light LEDs with photosensors, which are more battery-intensive. However, it faces further competition from more feature-laden smartwatches. The Up3 wristband uses a technique called bioimpedance to track its owner's pulse. This involves passing an imperceptible electrical current through the body to measure its resistance to the effect.

On October 27, 1962, the captain of a Soviet submarine ordered a torpedo with a ten-kiloton nuclear warhead to be launched at a U.S. aircraft carrier. One man's decision prevented that order from being carried out—and his story is a cautionary tale about what could still happen in today's world. Image: Arkhipov family album (via Wikipedia) An article published on the website of the Arms Control Association, describes the sequence of events that nearly led to nuclear war. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, a U.S. destroyer dropped depth charges to force a nuclear-armed Soviet submarine to surface, even though it was in international waters. The submarine had lost contact with Moscow days earlier and the captain—believing that all-out war had broken out between the U.S. and the Soviet Union—gave the orders to launch a nuke at the U.S. vessel.

(Shutterstock*) If you’ve been overindulging on the alcohol or skimping on the workouts, your metabolism may be lagging. What’s worse, you may feel ever so slightly under the weather, which is no way to live. But remember: your health is in your control. If you are feeling a little sluggish and off track, try these 8 simple tips to boost your metabolism and regenerate your energy.

(Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images) Q: I work for a government-owned enterprise. As a citizen, I feel this company belongs in part to me, and I have a strong desire for it to succeed. However, I see unethical behaviour going on around me. The logical path is to quit, but I don't want to give up on the company. What can I do? A: This is a patriot’s dilemma: how best to serve your country without becoming a part of actions you don’t condone. As you note, the easiest way to get away from problematic conduct at work is to quit and get another job where you don’t find yourself in troubling situations. But you don’t want to do that, because you feel there’s a higher ethical value in working to build a company on behalf of the country.

Peter Holboll stabbed his mother in her Kentish Town flat A man with paranoid schizophrenia who killed his mother has been sent to a secure hospital for an unlimited time. Peter Holboll, 44, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The Old Bailey heard he stabbed his mother, Tamara, 76, before setting fire to her flat in Kentish Town in May. In the days before her death, both she and her son had pleaded for him to be admitted to hospital because his mental health was deteriorating. 'Overly dramatic'

Thousands around the world on social media have shared the image of the "Angel of Kobane" or "Rehana", a Kurdish fighter who has become a symbol of resistance against Islamic State. According to the stories, she's slain as many as 100 Islamic State fighters. Only one hitch: she's probably not who people think she is. The world is still watching the town of Kobane in northern Syria. Kurdish fighters there, backed by air strikes from an international coalition, are battling with Islamic State. But it's hard to get images from inside Kobane, with access for journalists limited.

Shias are a minority among Nigeria's Muslims A suicide bomber has killed 15 worshippers at a Shia religious ceremony in north-eastern Nigeria's Potiskum town, a Shia leader has said. Security forces killed another five people after arriving at the scene and opening fire, he said. The military has not commented on the allegation. No group has said it carried out the attack, but suspicion is bound to fall on militant Sunni Islamist group Boko Haram. It denounces Shias, a minority in Nigeria, as non-Muslims.

Scientists have discovered a way to find your veins before poking around half a dozen times to find the spot. Now the Australian Red Cross Blood service is using the near infrared light device that locates blood to study whether being able to locate hard to find veins will result in reduced anxiety and thus make it more likely these types of donors will come back and donate again.

China has developed an anti-drone laser technology that can apparently shoot down a low flying drone within a two kilometer radius. The official Xinhua news agency reports that the technology has been co-developed by the China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP), with the claim being that small-scale drones can be shot down within five seconds of the system locking on. It said the reason for using laser as an anti-drone tech is to increase the accuracy with which drones can be blasted out of the sky — vs other less precision methods such as using a sniper or intercepting by helicopter. A test of the technology with more than 30 drones apparently resulted in a 100 per cent success rate.