Mercyvill

In this March 1, 2015. file photo, a man at Iraq's National Museum in Baghdad walks past two ancient Assyrian human-headed winged bull statues. Islamic State militants "bulldozed" the renowned archaeological site of the ancient city of Nimrud in northern Iraq on Thursday, March 5, 2015, using heavy military vehicles, the government said. Nimrud was the second capital of Assyria, an ancient kingdom that began in about 900 B.C., partially in present-day Iraq, and became a great regional power. The city, which was destroyed in 612 B.C., is located on the Tigris River just south of Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, which was captured by the Islamic State group in June(AP Photo/Karim Kadim, File) The ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud was essentially bulldozed and destroyed by ISIS this week. But it’s not the first time the city was razed to the ground. Nimrud is located ...

Another Jane Doe from the 2005 civil case against Cosby speaks exclusively to BuzzFeed News. She says Cosby made bizarre demands, including telling her to lose weight and style her hair like Queen Noor of Jordan. A photo of Patricia taken for a modeling portfolio in NYC in 1980, the same year she said she was drugged and assaulted by Cosby for the second time. Via Patricia / Riccardo Savi / Getty Images When Bill Cosby invited 22-year-old Patricia to a dinner party at his family home in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, in 1978, she assumed she would be dining with his wife as well. Instead, Cosby was the only other guest. He led Patricia to two place settings on a coffee table next to his fireplace. “I felt alarm bells go off because it did ...

With dialogue like, “You wish you were white so they would like you better,” John Ridley, who earned an Oscar for the 12 Years a Slave screenplay, is adding to network television’s already much talked about diverse new offerings, but with a much harder punch. Tony (Johnny Ortiz) as he gets placed into juvenile detention on American Crime . Felicia Graham / ABC The fact that American Crime premiered the day after the Department of Justice announced criminal charges would not be brought against a former Ferguson, Missouri, police officer for the death of Mike Brown is purely coincidental. The case has forced the country to talk about how crime and punishment play out in America, and it’s one that has domi...

Jabbari’s death sentence was a big cause of controversy. International human rights organizations had been pleading with Iran to stop the execution. “We are devastated that Reyhaneh was denied justice,” Amnesty International told BuzzFeed News. Iran executed a 26-year-old woman in a Tehran prison on Saturday after she was convicted of murdering a man who was allegedly trying to rape her. Iranian Reyhaneh Jabbari, center, sits while attending her trial in a court in Tehran, Iran. AP Photo/Golara Sajjadian The woman, Reyhaneh Jabbari, admitted to killing Dr. Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, 47, during her 2009 trial, but said she had done so out of self-defense. Sar...

Forget oil or gold. West Africa’s most dangerous terrorist group is funding its rampages by ignoring the rich and targeting the poor. As a convoy of trucks carrying smoked fish cruised along the border of Niger and Nigeria last week, a Nigerien Air Force plane swooped low and opened fire, destroying the trucks and forcing the drivers to flee into Nigeria on foot. The ill-fated fishmongers, Nigerien officials said , were collaborating with Boko Haram to sell their goods in Nigeria, despite Niger’s recent ban on cross-border fish trades. (Residents of Niger are called Nigerien; those from Nigeria are known as Nigerian). According to the Nigerien government, Boko Haram taxes goods transported through the territory the group controls to add to its cash reserves and finance terrorism, and the recent ban is intended to choke the Islamist group’s resources. This alleged collaboration between rural fish traders and members of Boko Haram sheds some light ...

There’s a bizarre and deeply offensive new meme in contemporary American politics: comparing one’s enemies to the Islamic State. Wisconsin Governor and 2016 presidential hopeful Scott Walker is the most recent and notable offender, but he’s by no means alone. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference late last month, Walker argued that his experience busting unions in Wisconsin has left him well prepared to deal with the threat posed by the militants. “I want a commander in chief who will do everything in their power to ensure that the threat from radical Islamic terrorists does not wash up on American soil,” Walker said. “If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.”

Calls for US Congress to block Iran nuclear deal could be sign of weakened ties between Washington and Tel Aviv. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged US Congress to block a proposed nuclear deal with Iran in a much-anticipated speech in Washington D.C. After that speech, US President Barack Obama said Netanyahu offered no "viable alternatives" to nuclear talks with Iran. For many, the speech has only deepened the rift between the US and Israel, with Netanyahu wary of a new strategic realignment in the Middle East if a deal with Iran were to be reached. Would Washington review its seemingly unlimited support for Israel? And are the ties between the two countries at risk? al jazeerah.

Reported demolition at Nimrud comes less than a week after a video was released showing destruction at Mosul Museum. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters have used a bulldozer to start destroying a 3,000-year-old Assyrian palace near Mosul in Iraq, archeologists and other sources have told Al Jazeera. The reported demolition at Nimrud on Thursday comes less than a week after video was released showing ISIL fighters destroying ancient artefacts in the Mosul Museum. "They came at midday with a bulldozer and started destroying it," said an Iraqi official, referring to the ancient Assyrian palace 20km southeast of Mosul. In the late 1980s, Iraqi archaeologists discovered a tomb there with one of the richest troves of ancient gold jewellery ever found. Until Thursday, the palace contained intricate stone reliefs and winged bull statues known as lamassu. The ISIL video last week showed the destruction of artefacts in the Mos...

Kenya's government relies on dramatic pictures of burning ivory to obscure any critical interrogation of its record. Kenya Wildlife Service rangers burn 15 tonnes of ivory confiscated from smugglers and poachers [REUTERS] Patrick Gathara is a strategic communications consultant, writer, and award-winning political cartoonist based in Nairobi. It is a ritual we have been treated to by every administration since the Nyayo days. The government rolls out part of its stockpile of ivory and the president lights a bonfire for the cameras. The flames are meant to illuminate the state's commitment to the preservation of our wildlife, to ending the international trade in ivory and other wildlife products and to the fight against poaching. Uhuru Kenyatta got in on the act on Tuesday when he lit up 15 tonnes of ivory tusks in the Nairobi National Park. It is the largest haul to receive the presidential baptism of fire. By comparison, Daniel arap M...

Ruth Palmer discovered that she was a victim of online identity theft Have you met Leah Palmer? She is an attractive, single, fun-loving 20-something Briton currently living the high life in Dubai. She has an active social-media presence and often chats with family and friends on sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you are a man, you might even have spotted Leah on dating app Tinder, looking for romance. Ignore the man in the photo. He is her nasty ex-boyfriend. Actually, Leah Palmer does not exist.

In our series of letters from African journalists, writer and novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani looks at journalists' struggle for survival in Nigeria. Nigerian journalists are typically paid wretched salaries, and even the pittance to which they are entitled is often owed for months at a stretch. A former editor with Nigeria's ThisDay newspaper last month became something of a celebrity in local media circles after an Abuja court awarded him damages against the newspaper's publishers. Paul Ibe had in 2011 filed proceedings against his former employer, seeking payment of outstanding monthly salaries and other allowances. "I went to court not because of the money but because of the principle involved," he told me. "Every labourer deserves his pay."

Iran's 1979 revolution may have put an ayatollah in charge - but for women it had plenty of positive side-effects... in education, in the workplace, and even in the home, discovers Amy Guttman during a ride on the Tehran underground. My guide Farah, a tall, slender woman in her late 30s, wears jeans and a simple manteau - the mandatory robe women must wear in public, covering neck to knee. Her long, straight black hair is tucked beneath her headscarf, but visible as it coils at her neck. We're heading to Tajrish Bazaar, in north Tehran, to explore 10 different kinds of dried plums, and other goodies. We choose the metro - Farah for its convenience, and I, for a chance to go underground in Tehran, because it provides a picture of the city most tourists never see.

Nigerian forces have been struggling to contain the Boko Haram insurgency Suspected Boko Haram militants have killed at least 64 people in a village in Borno state, north-east Nigeria, witnesses have said. The gunmen who stormed Njaba targeted men and boys before setting the village on fire, survivors added. The raid happened early on Tuesday but was not reported immediately because of the remoteness of the area. Boko Haram has killed thousands of people in its drive to establish an Islamic state. The raid on Njaba came as many villagers were attending morning prayers, a witness quoted by news website Sahara Reporters said. Fatima Abaka said there was "pandemonium" when the shooting started.

Yorùbá People Àwọn ọmọ Yorùbá Wole Soyinka Hakeem Olajuwon D'banj Tiwa Savage Sade Fela Kuti Olusegun Obasanjo Ola Rotimi Seal Samuel Ajayi Crowther Jarome Iginla E. A. Adeboye Wizkid Wale Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje David Oyelowo Total population c. 40 million Regions with significant populations   Nigeria 36 million (2013) [ 1 ]   Benin 1.2 million (2012) [ 2 ]   Ghana 0.4 million [ 3 ]   Togo 0.1 million [ 3 ]   Ivory Coast 0.1 million [ 3 ]   Europe 0.2 million [ 4 ] North America 0.2 million [ 5 ] Languages Yorùbá Yoruboid languages English French Religion Christianity 55% Islam 35% Yorùbá religion 10% Related ethnic groups Bini , Nupe , Igala , Itsekiri , Ebira , Fon , Ewe The Yoruba people ( Yoruba : Àwọ̀n ọ́mọ́ Yorùbá ) are an ethnic group of southwest...

No matter how fractured a people are as they head to the polls, after the elections, democracy expects that they will pull back and reconcile themselves to their common history, heritage and home. If the election is a free and fair one, that process is easy. If it is not, that process of reconciliation becomes difficult. In some cases, it could threaten the same democracy it intended to enthrone. Democracy, if you strip it of all encumbrances, is a funny proposition. It says that the process of structuring a society requires that those who seek to lead must first get the consent of the people. It is the consent of the people that bestows legitimacy upon a leader. Unfortunately, the people in any society are not homogenous. To get their consent, those ...

| credits: File copy Several women from the South East geopolitical zone on Wednesday met in Awka, Anambra State to discuss ways of abolishing several harmful practices against the Igbo woman. The event, which took place at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral field, Awka was organised by Umuada Igbo, an umbrella of all Igbo women married outside their hometowns. It was also organised to mark the World Women’s Day with the theme, “Make it Happen.” The event was supported by IPAS-Nigeria.

Image credit: shrdnar | Flickr Entrepreneurship is the ultimate risk and reward dynamic. Taking your business to the next level can be one of the most exciting things. When business is good, you have more control over your life. But reaching a plateauing or moving backward can prompt the most seasoned entrepreneur to pull out his hair. If you are going to get your business to the next level, you must aim to shatter some mental and physical roadblocks that thwart your company's progress.

When the status quo just won't do anymore, these 10 ideas will help you take your home based business to a new level. Small is beautiful. Slow and steady wins the race. Inch by inch, row by row, that's the way my garden grows. While such homespun wisdom might be fine for common folk, it can be awfully frustrating for an ambitious homebased business owner determined to take his company to the next level of growth and profitability. Sure, a thriving one- or two-person service business with no inventory, rent or employees can seem like an easy way to make money at first, but when the phone starts ringing off the hook and customers keep coming back for more, homebased business owners who fail to plan often fall victim to their own success. Either they burn out trying to juggle everything themselves or they spend so much ti...

Igbo people Ṇ́dị́ Ìgbò O. Equiano Jaja of Opobo Nri Òbalíke C. Achebe P. Emeagwali P. Utomi C. Abani Ngozi O.-I. C. N. Adichie Chiwetel Ejiofor J. O. Mikel G. Nnaji Total population c. 32 million (est.) Regions with significant populations Nigeria 32 million (2014) [ 1 ] Languages Igbo Igboid languages English Religion Primarily Christianity , sometimes syncretised with indigenous Igbo religion and belief systems Related ethnic groups other Cross River groups of southeastern Nigeria ( Ibibio , Efik , Annang , Ogoni ); more remotely the YEAI group within Volta-Niger . The Igbo people , historically spelled Ibo , [ 2 ] are an ethnic group of southeastern Nigeria . They speak Igbo , which includes various Igboid languages and dialects. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa . [ 5 ] In rural Nigeria, Igbo people are mostly craftsmen, farmers and traders. The most important crop is ...

Total population over 35 million (2007 estimate) Regions with significant populations Nigeria , Niger , Sudan , Chad , Ghana , [ 1 ] Togo , Benin , Burkina Faso , Cameroon , Côte d'Ivoire Languages Hausa English French Arabic Religion Islam ; small minority practices Hausa animism and Christianity Related ethnic groups Maguzawa , Azna , Mawri , Gwandara , Ngezzim , Bole ; other Chadic peoples. The Hausa ( autonyms for singular : Bahaushe ( m ), Bahaushiya ( f ); plural Hausawa and general: Hausa / Haoussa ; exonyms being Ausa , Mgbakpa , Kado , Al-Takari , Fellata and Abakwariga ) are the largest ethnic group in West Africa [ citation needed ] and one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa . The Hausa are a racially diverse but culturally homogeneous people based primarily in the Sahelian and Sudanian areas of northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger , with significant numbers also living in parts of Cameroon , Côte d'...

Quick Kill In Slow Motion: The Nigerian Civil War CSC 1984 SUBJECT AREA Intelligence ABSTRACT Author: STAFFORD, Michael R., Major, United States Army Title: QUICK KILL IN SLOW MOTION: THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR Publisher: Marine Corps Command and Staff College Date: 1 April 1984 This paper examines the lessons of the Nigerian Civil War from the perspective of a U.S. military officer. It seeks to analyze the factors which stand out from the first modern war in independent Black Africa and equate their significance to general military concepts. A summary of the historical and cultural aspects which predicated the civil war preceeds a review of the development of the Nigerian military. Capabilities of the Federal and Rebel forces are acknowledged and lead to discussion of the strategies of the respective sides. Selected battles and campaigns are evaluated to define the strengths and weaknesses of the combat...

‘Made in China’ Isn’t Selling in China, and It’s Affecting the Economy. The Chinese regime’s plans to create a middle class of consumers is facing a bumpy road. Rather than spend their money on Chinese products, wealthy Chinese are traveling abroad to buy everything from baby formula to toilet seats. It was in November 2012 when the leader of the Chinese regime, Xi Jinping, first mentioned the “Chinese Dream.” Faced with a country riddled with corruption and a growing economic bubble, he grew this concept into a plan two years later to build a Chinese middle class that would become the cornerstone of society. The “Chinese Dream” proposed by Xi was later described by Cheng Li, director of research and a senior fellow at the John Thornton China Center of the Brookings Institution, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency, as “a blueprint for an expanding middle class in China.”

Investors have reason to worry as SEC caves on audit disclosures. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Jo White delivers remarks during the Investment Company Institute's general membership meeting at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel May 3, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Five years ago, Sino-Forest Corp. was one of the largest commercial forestry companies in China and a stock-market darling, attracting capital from legendary hedge fund investors such as John Paulson. Sino-Forest owned and operated tree plantations throughout China, and manufactured and sold wood products to downstream customers. The company floated shares onto the Toronto Stock Exchange. Its stock soared as investors rushed to participate in a supposedly booming Chinese economy. At one time, Sino-Forest’s market capitalization eclipsed $6 billion.

Bill Gates has been named the world's richest person for 16 of the last 20 years Bill Gates has been declared the richest man in the world for the 16th time by Forbes magazine's annual ranking of global billionaires. The Microsoft founder once again beat Mexican businessman Carlos Slim to the top spot. Mr Gates' net worth rose by just over $3bn (£1.94bn) in the year to 13 February, to $79bn. There are a record 1,826 billionaires in the world, Forbes said, an increase of 181 in the past 12 months. Mr Gates has now been top of the list for 16 of the last 21 years , Forbes added. Legendary US investor Warren Buffett regained third place in the list with a net worth of $72.7bn, from Amancio Ortega, the founder of Spanish fashion chain Zara.

People should listen to music for no more than one hour a day to protect their hearing, the World Health Organization suggests. It says 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of permanently damaging their hearing by listening to "too much, too loudly". It said audio players, concerts and bars were posing a "serious threat". WHO figures show 43 million people aged 12-35 have hearing loss and the prevalence is increasing. In that age group, the WHO said, half of people in rich and middle-income countries were exposed to unsafe sound levels from personal audio devices.