Mercyvill

Boko Haram carried out one of its deadliest attacks yet earlier this month, on the Nigerian town of Baga. It is difficult to verify the number of people killed but one woman who survived the attacks has told the BBC Hausa service about life in the town. She managed to escape from Baga and has asked to remain unnamed. "Boko Haram fighters are currently in control of the town. When they attacked, they destroyed shops and burnt down our houses. There are lots of bodies scattered on the street and some have started decomposing. The militants gathered the old men who could not leave the town and some strong women and forced them to bury the corpses because of the stench - I saw all of this.

(CNN) Once you consume them, they can move throughout your body -- your eyes, your tissues and most commonly your brain. They leave doctors puzzled in their wake as they migrate and settle to feed on the body they're invading; a classic parasite, but this one can get into your head. "It had moved from one side of the brain to the other ... very few things move in the brain," says Dr. Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas about a British man found to have a tapeworm moving inside his brain in 2013. This form of tapeworm had never been seen before in the United Kingdom.

How a 40-mile trip to Lagos took 12 hours. Pius Utomi Ekpei/Afp/Getty It was long after dark on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, outside Lagos, and traffic had barely moved in five hours. Through the rear window of our Land Cruiser taxi, I could make out an apocalyptic scene: six lanes of buses, 18-wheelers, fuel tankers, and sedans, wedged bumper-to-bumper in both directions. Curses and horn blasts pierced the diesel exhaust–choked air. Brakes screeched as vehicles inched forward. I lay down in the backseat, trying to get some sleep. Moments later, I felt a thump, and the car rocked violently back and forth.

According to Amnesty International, the group's assault on a Nigerian border town may be its "deadliest act" yet. The wreckage outside the Kano Central Mosque following multiple Boko Haram attacks in November. (Reuters) On Friday, Amnesty International released a report about a recent series of attacks by Boko Haram that killed hundreds, if not thousands of people in Nigeria. According to Daniel Eyre, the author of the Amnesty report, the terror groups raids on Baga, a border town near Chad, may constitute the group's "deadliest act" yet: If reports that the town was largely razed to the ground and that hundreds or even as many as 2,000 civilians were killed are true, this marks a disturbing and bloody escalation o...

Fake accounts can lead to real emotions. Kevan/Flickr/The Atlantic Spam is the Internet's eternal squatter, the unwanted roommate who sees no reason to pay rent, yet borrows the Netflix password and regularly clogs the plumbing. But for whatever reason, we put up with it. So, when spam gets kicked out, we celebrate—at least, we usually do. In December, when Instagram purged countless spam accounts , users whose popularity depended mainly on their army of followers lamented their loss . They missed the bots. The bots boosted their influence, even if that influence was artificial. Of course, the bots weren't sophisticated followers these users needed; they had just become part of a new p...

(Getty Images) Our top 12 stories of 2014. #9: When a man was fitted with a new heart, his mind changed in unusual ways. Why? The answer reveals a surprising truth about all our bodies, says David Robson. Every second or so, Carlos would feel a small “bump” hitting his tummy. It was the beating of his “second heart”. The small mechanical pump was meant to relieve the burden of his failing cardiac muscles, but Carlos (not his real name) disliked the sensation. The beat of the machine seemed to replace his pulse, a sensation that warped his body image: as the device throbbed above his navel, Carlos had the eerie feeling that his chest had dropped into the abdomen.

Psychology: A simple trick to improve your memory. (Getty Images) Want to enhance your memory for facts? Tom Stafford explains a counterintuitive method for retaining information. Some teenagers appear to show changes in their brains after one season of playing American football If I asked you to sit down and remember a list of phone numbers or a series of facts, how would you go about it? There’s a fair chance that you’d be doing it wrong. One of the interesting things about the mind is that even though we all have one, we don't have perfect insight into how to get the best from it.

(Getty Images) Why does a hot curry burn your mouth? Veronique Greenwood explores why your tongue sometimes tingles in unexpected ways. When you consider the tongue, what leaps to mind are the five canonical tastes – sweet, salt, bitter, sour, and umami. These sensations arise when receptors on the surface of taste bud cells are activated by your food, triggering nerve fibres that run to your brain and help generate the experience of a savoury roast or a fresh strawberry. But your tongue is more versatile than that. It's also sensitive to temperature, pressure, and chemicals that mimic both of these things, which turn up in a number of foods. This peculiar latter group of sensations is called chemesthesis, and you probably experience some flavour of it every day.

General Buhari(rtd) After recent common rumours against the presidential aspirant of the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC), Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), over his education certificate SaharaReporters has disclosed a letter written by the United States Army War College, Pennsylvania praising Buhari’s intellect and smartness during his period as a fellow at the respected military academy. The letter was gotten from a source within the Nigerian army shows that Buhari attended and graduated from the College with the Class of 1980 on June 9 of that year. It is dated 13 June 1980 and addressed to then Chief of Defense Staff, General Alani Akinrinade. The Commandant of the War College, Major-General DeWitt C. Smith Jr in a letter defined Buhari as “a most distinguished International Fellow” who graduated with the Class of 1980. Lieutenant General, DeWitt C. Smith, Jr, was the longest-serving commandant of the U.S. Army War College. He d...

Akinwunmi Ambode at the commissioning of Solar Powered Panels in Model School Meiran The All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Lagos, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, today joined the state’s Governor, Governor Babatunde Fashola in the commissioning of Solar-powered Panels built to enhance e-Learning at the Lagos State Model College, Meiran.

When the news of General Muhammadu Buhari travelling to the United State Of America was reported, many immediately speculated that the APC presidential candidate was flying abroad for treatment following his recent on-and-off health state. But contrary to these reports and speculations, PREMIUM TIMES has revealed the real reason why General Buhari is travelling to the U.S. According to the media outfit, Gen. Buhari is only honoring an invitation by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies [CSIS]. Media reports had suggested some days ago that the APC candidate had become so sick that he was planning a medical trip abroad. Mr. Buhari responded by saying he was not sick but only had cold.

Great presidents are made great by horrible circumstances combined with character, temperament and intelligence. Like firemen, cops, doctors or soldiers, presidents need a crisis to shine President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan took the oath of office on 29 May, 2011 amidst thunderous expectations of a new dawn, given the mountain of problems that characterized the nation. Jonathan is one of the most intelligent presidents to ever step forward in Nigeria’s history the second fully fit university graduate. The likes of his intellectual capabilities have not been surpassed in public life since the Founding Fathers put pen to paper. His personal character is also solid gold. Take heart, Nigeria: we have the leader for our times. I say this as a Pan Africanist who believes totally in One Nigeria, former life-long siddon look Nigerian. I say this as a proud Nigerian . I speak as someone who knows it’s time to forget tribal loyalty, party loyalty, ideology and pride and ...

"Our objective here is that cocaine will not then work anymore," says Claus Juul Loland. (Shutterstock*) Currently there is no medical treatment for cocaine addiction, but scientists say a recent discovery about dopamine moves them a step closer. Dopamine is a signaling molecule in the brain that is involved in our sensation of reward and motivation—and, therefore, addiction. The dopamine transporter functions as a molecular vacuum cleaner removing the released dopamine, controlling its signaling. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have uncovered an interaction, a so-called gate, that controls access for dopamine to its binding site in the protein.

Japanese hostage crisis suggests financial problems This image taken from an online video released by the Islamic State group's al-Furqan media arm on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, purports to show the group threatening to kill two Japanese hostages that the militants identify as Kenji Goto Jogo, left, and Haruna Yukawa, right, unless a $200 million ransom is paid within 72 hours. Japan's Foreign Ministry's anti-terrorism section has seen the video and analysts are assessing it, a ministry official said on Tuesday. (AP Photo)  The Islamic State, or ISIS, posted a video Tuesday that purports to show two Japanese hostages and included a threat to execute both of them unless the organization receives $200 million in 72 hours. The threat to kill both men, Kenji Goto Jogo and Haruna Yukawa, contrasts ISIS’ previous tactic of simply decapitating its captives in lieu of any negotiation.

The three most popular varieties of tea are green, black, and oolong. These varieties all come from the same plant. (Shutterstock*) The benefits of tea are no small sip. Tea can be warming, invigorating, soothing, and most importantly, health promoting. With thousands of varieties, tea is a versatile drink and great alternative to coffee or calorie-laden lattes. Many types of tea have outstanding health benefits so while it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the vast amount of tea to choose from, a little knowledge can set you on the right path.

The key to learning and memory in early life is a lengthy nap, say scientists. Trials with 216 babies up to 12 months old indicated they were unable to remember new tasks if they did not have a lengthy sleep soon afterwards. The University of Sheffield team suggested the best time to learn may be just before sleep and emphasised the importance of reading at bedtime. Experts said sleep may be much more important in early years than at other ages.

Download Flash Player now You need to install Flash Player to play this content. Rare video filmed by Boko Haram shows an attack on a military barracks The conflict between Nigeria's army and Islamist group Boko Haram has killed some 1,500 people so far this year, according to human rights group Amnesty International. Despite a state of emergency, attacks have intensified. The BBC's Will Ross speaks to a man who risked his life in a failed attempt to track down the militants. "As soon as we began climbing the hills, the Boko Haram fighters started shooting down at us," says John as he describes the beginning of a military operation to flush the Islamist militants out of their hideouts on the slopes of the remote Mandara Mountains along the border with Cameroon.

ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ) is the world’s largest, richest terrorist organizations, ever. It’s a self-sustaining enterprise that runs mainly on extortion and crime networks, hostages, oil, donations… According to Martin Chulov; ISIS has grown from a ragtag band of extremists to perhaps the most cash-rich and capable terror group in the world with a $2 billion jihadist network.  The scale of ISIS resources is  unprecedented:  A  terrorist organization while ruthless, but still able to occupy large areas of territory, quickly… for example; it controls several major cities in Iraq, which it occupied in just three days, it holds parts of several other cities and continues to menace still other cities throughout Iraq and Syria: It’s quite an accomplishment…   According to Michael Knights; some estimates of ISIS ’s wealth are overstated, for example; the $2 billion estimate that’s been floating around is too high, but that’s not t...

Suspected militants from Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram have kidnapped at least 60 people in neighbouring Cameroon, officials say. They said several people had been killed in the cross border attack against villages in northern Cameroon. Many of those kidnapped were children, security officials said. Boko Haram has seized control of many towns and villages in north-east Nigeria, and has begun threatening some of the country's neighbours. bbc.

Iraqi Yazidi women wait at a checkpoint in Kirkuk after their release by the Islamic State. (Khalil Anei / European Pressphoto Agency) By Associated Press Almost all of the 200 Yazidis freed by Islamic State are in poor health and bear signs of abuse and neglect The Islamic State group released about 200 Yazidis held for five months in Iraq, mostly elderly, infirm captives who likely slowed the extremists down, Kurdish military officials said Sunday.

. BAGHDAD (AP) — Nearly every night for a year, mortar and sniper fire from Islamic State group militants has pinned down outgunned Iraqi troops on the edge of Fallujah. The city, the first to fall to the Sunni extremists a year ago this month, exemplifies the lack of progress in Iraq's war against the Islamic State group, which holds a third of the country. U.S.-led airstrikes and Iranian aid have helped Iraqi troops, militiamen and Kurdish fighters take back bits around Islamic State-held territory, but recapturing it all remains far out of reach.

Dubai construction company Middle East Development will begin work on what will be Africa's tallest tower in June. The Al Noor Tower in Casablanca, Morocco, the will reach 540m - twice the height of the the continent's current tallest building, Johannesburg's Carlton Tower which stands at 233m. Multinational Architecture firm Valode and Pistre is looking after the design of the building. The building will have a total floor space of 335,000 sq m and include a 200-key hotel with 200 rooms, a spa and business centre. Completion of the $1bn structure is set for 2018, according to Construction Week Online. ab.