"Jobs Abroad" Simply A Mirage

Homesick. (Reuters/Alex Lee)

When Lamin Ceesay, an energetic 25-year-old from Gambia, arrived in Guangzhou last year, he thought his life had made a turn for the better. As the oldest of four siblings, he was responsible for caring for his family, especially after his father passed away. But jobs were few in his hometown of Tallinding Kunjang, outside of the Gambian capital of Banjul. After hearing about China’s rise, his uncle sold off his taxi business and the two of them bought a ticket and a paid local visa dealer to get them to China.

The Sun Is Losing Its Spots

The sun is losing its spots, and it’s certainly something that we shouldn’t take lightly. According to news.com.au, our fireball has gone blank for the second time this month, leading Meteorologist Paul Dorian to believe that the next solar minimum is approaching and there will be an increasing number of spotless days over the next few years. This matters because the amount of sun spots reportedly affects our climate.

Visa Free Policy For Africans

African citizens currently face some of the most stringent visa restrictions in the world. According to the Africa Visa Openness Index Report launched by the African Development Bank (AfDB), citizens of African countries require visas to travel to 55% of countries within the continent. Within the next two years, however, the implementation of a proposed common visa policy under the African Union’s (AU) 2063 Agenda, a strategic document outlining the vision for African development, could profoundly impact the continent in terms of intra-regional trade, economic development, and regional integration.

How About Sideways Driving

Omnidirectional wheels have been around for decades but that doesn't stop us imagining the day they'll finally become practical to use. The latest video to inspire this omnidirectional dreaming comes from William Liddiard, a Canadian inventor who came up with his own take on the classic design. You can see the so-called Liddiard Wheels in action above, fitted to what appears to be a Toyota Echo.

African Fermentation Techniques And Probiotics

Humans may not know it, but we are full of lactic acid bacteria. It may sound scary, but these bacteria make up a significant component of any healthy person’s gastrointestinal tract. They are responsible for fermenting food as it passes through the gut, particularly in the intestines.

The US Can Ignore Canada

Despite being an important trade and defence partner, the US tends to ignore Canada. But that's paradoxically because the two get along so well, as Jordan Michael Smith writes.

Ibuprofen 'Disables' Ebola Virus

The painkiller ibuprofen and the cancer drug toremifene can disable the Ebola virus, say researchers.

Volkswagen’s Clean Air Efforts

WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - German automaker Volkswagen AG will pay more than $15.3 billion to settle charges that it cheated on U.S. diesel emissions tests, an agreement that will fund buybacks for consumers and provide up to $4.7 billion that could benefit makers of cleaner technologies.

Better Lives For Perdue Chickens

Some chickens at Perdue will soon be living a better life on the farm.

Perdue, the fourth-largest poultry producer in the country, announced this week that it would overhaul a portion of its chicken houses to give the animals more space and sunlight.

The Nigeria Power Situation: Hindsight, Insight and Foresight

My last post on the Nigeria power industry was a reaction to a Vanguard article by the Minister of Power. It was an article I read while at Murtala Mohammed Airport in the midst of what turned out to be a brief power outage. It was a reactionary post and its been on my mind for a few weeks to write a more structured article about where we went wrong, why we are where we are now, and what we need to do to ensure a future of economic development borne out of the provision of a critical element of the fuel that drives the engine of growth in most developed countries; electricity.

Oil Militants Call For Referendum On Breaking Up Nigeria

 

Oil militants who have slashed Nigeria's petroleum production with attacks on pipelines called Sunday for a referendum on breaking up the Nigerian federation.

To Buy A New SUV.,Governor’s Wife Takes Up Waitressing Job

 

"I want to work extra hard just so I can show them I can do the job"

The wife of Maine Governor Paul LePage has a new summer gig: waiting tables at a local restaurant. Her goal: to buy a new SUV.

Ann LePage is working part-time as a waitress at McSeagull’s Restaurant in Boothbay Harbor three days a week at lunchtime to save enough money to purchase a new Toyota Rav4, CNN reports.

Oil Prices Dive As Britain Votes To Leave EU

 

Vote leave supporters stand outside Downing Street after Britain voted to leave the EU. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices slumped by more than 6 percent on Friday after Britain voted to leave the European Union, raising fears of a broader economic slowdown that could reduce demand.

Financial markets have been worried for months about what Brexit, or a British exit from the European Union, would mean for Europe's future, but were clearly not fully factoring in the risk of a leave vote.

Black Female Physicist Leading Cancer Treatment Breakthrough

When most people think of a physicist, they think of Albert Einstein, not a beautiful young Black woman. But Hadiyah-Nicole Green is about to change that–and, in fact, she wants to.

Democrats Sit-in Demanding Gun Control

Democrats want a vote on gun control legislation before lawmakers' week-long break

(WASHINGTON) — A drained and dwindling group of Democrats, some draped in blankets and toting pillows, carried their remarkable House floor sit-in past daybreak Thursday, disrupting the business of Congress in the wake of the Orlando shooting rampage with demands for gun-control votes in an extraordinary scene of protest broadcast live to the world.

Nigeria’s Naira: Floating Or Sinking?

On Monday afternoon, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ended the Nigerian Naira’s sixteen-month peg to the U.S. Dollar, sending the Naira into a free-fall. The currency had been pegged at 197 Naira per Dollar, but as the chart below shows, it had been trading at over 320 Naira per Dollar for months on the black market (read: free market) and currently sits at 345 Naira per dollar. At the time of writing, the Naira was officially trading at 282.50 Naira per dollar.

Watch The USNS Big Horn Refuel Two Ships At Once

The USNS Big Horn Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler with room to tote some 180,000 barrels or jet fuel or oil. But she doesn't just carry it around for fun; the idea is to use this fuel to help resupply ships that are already underway, and this recent video from the U.S. Navy shows just how that process works, and with two ships at once, no less.

The Roman Empire's Secret Weapon

A team of archaeologists, bolstered by a helpful fisherman, have discovered a previously unknown psychological tactic employed by the Roman army: whistling slingshot bullets.

A Vietnamese Jet Went Missing....

A Vietnamese Coast Guard plane has disappeared from radar while part of a search operation for a downed military jet.​

On Tuesday, a Vietnamese fighter jet went missing near the South China Sea coastline. Yesterday, a coast guard plane with nine passengers that was part of the search party has also gone missing in the same area.

Washington To Peijing: I'm Watching You As Two U.S Aircraft Carriers Move to the Philippines.

The U.S. Navy has moved two carrier battle groups into the Philippine Sea to conduct exercises, the first two-carrier exercise in the region in two years. The move comes just before a UN court ruling expected to be against China and its claims in the South China Sea.

Side Job Earns $23,000 A Month

(Joel Young and his family reside an hour east of Cincinnati, Ohio.Courtesy of Joel Young)

When former musician Joel Young needed a voice-over for a video project at church in 2013, he hired a professional.

Oprah Winfrey As Donald Trump’s Running Mate!

If Donald Trump wants to make America great again, he definitely won’t be doing it with Oprah Winfrey. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has made no secret of Winfrey as a dream running mate, even going so far as to tell ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that if they ran together, they would “win easily.”

Warren Visits Clinton's Brooklyn Headquarters

Senator Elizabeth Warren

(CNN) —Elizabeth Warren, a senator being eyed as a possible Democratic vice presidential pick, dropped by Hillary Clinton's campaign headquarters on Friday, according to people in the room.

Clinton's Running Mate: Warren Or Sanders?

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign rally in Cleveland, Ohio June 13, 2016. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton is considering U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren for her running mate for the Democratic presidential ticket, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing several people familiar with the process.

Auschwitz Guard, 94, Jailed For Five Years

DETMOLD, Germany (AP) — A 94-year-old former SS sergeant was found guilty Friday of 170,000 counts of accessory to murder and sentenced to five years in prison for serving as an Auschwitz guard, in a verdict that survivors from the Nazi death camp hailed as a long overdue victory.