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Friday 31 January 2014

(Nigeria) LASG shuts 250 firms over tax evasion



The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) on Friday said that 250 companies were shut down in 2013 for not remitting their workers’ personal income tax to government.

Mrs Folasade Coker-Afolayan, Head, Distrain Unit of LIRS, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the companies withheld N2.7 billion personal income tax of workers.

She said that the defaulting companies’ tax liabilities were for periods ranging one to six years.
According to her, the companies which failed to remit the tax in 2013 were higher by 100 per cent over the defaulters in 2012.

“In 2012, we sealed 120 companies for failing to remit N450 million, but last year 250 companies were sealed for not remitting N2.7 billion,” she said.

She described tax enforcement by the Lagos State Government as very successful, stressing that tax payment was a civic responsibility of all.

Coker-Afolayan urged companies to remit their workers’ personal income tax promptly in 2014 to avoid being shut.

“Prompt payment of tax will enable the government provide the necessary infrastructure and improve the standard of living of the people,” she said.

Coker-Afolayan also advised tax payers to cooperate with the tax officers, stressing that it was an offence to assault tax officials.

Army trains 937 officers on counter insurgency



The Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji, Kaduna, on Friday said it trained 937 soldiers on counter terrorism as part of efforts to strengthen the fight against terrorism.

A breakdown of those, who attended the six-week training in the school, showed 489 were from Headquarters Infantry Corp Centre; 200, 7 Division; and 248, Nigeria Army Ordnance Corps (NAOC).
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, said the training was organised to prepare the soldiers to efficiently handle the current security challenges in the country.

He said as part of its efforts to fight terrorism, the army established new Division in Borno in the North-East to add brigades and strengthen army operations.

“The current security challenges facing the country, most especially in the North-East zone of the country, has made the Nigerian Army concerted efforts in fighting against terrorism,’’ he said.

Represented by Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab, the General Officer Commanding, 1 Division, Nigeria Army, Kaduna, Minimah commended the soldiers for their level of discipline and proficiency.

He directed them to deploy their new knowledge “to counter terrorists acts in real battle and other emergency situations”.

Minimah also directed them “to react swiftly and efficiently” during counter terrorism operations.
“It is the desire of the Nigeria Army to make you better professionals in your respective fields. This can only be achieved through continuous training.”

In his speech, the Commandant of the school, Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, said that the participants had distinguished themselves during the training, and expressed confidence in their ability to rise to any security challenge.

He said: “Nigeria Army School of Infantry (NASI) has been a major facilitator and force multiplier in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria’’.

He appreciated the support of the Army high command, saying that the school would continue to discharge its role more effectively.

US: Nigeria Won’t Break up in 2015

Worries about Nigeria breaking up may not be unfounded after all.  The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, during an interactive session with some journalists in Lagos, said his country, contrary to misconception, was not preparing  for Nigeria’s breakup.

He said: “I don’t see any sign of a breakup. There is no sign that Nigeria will breakup. If this country is going to breakup in 2015, to me, I don’t see any sign of it. You have challenges in this country, but you are moving forward towards a bright future. There is no issue that the country might break up.

“Yes, your country had a devastating civil war just like my own country. It almost tore us into two. I think both of our countries have learnt how difficult it is to hold a country together and that has certainly been a big factor in my country. The idea that Nigeria is going to fall apart in the coming months is news to me; I am not sure where that idea is coming from.”

Entwistle, who assumed duty in Nigeria last November, said Nigeria parades array of talents and extraordinary creativity that will continue to make the country an important place in Africa.

“In three months that I have been here, my overwhelming impression is how smart and intelligent that Nigerians are. After three months, I am very impressed by the creative spirit of Nigerians as they face challenges. It is clear there are huge challenges ahead, but we are committed to help Nigeria.

“Every conversation I have on any subject, (I am just coming from a   roundtable discussion on the power sector here), I have really been impressed by the energy and the drive and I get this sense that Nigerian people are saying: ‘yes, we have challenges; things we have to deal with but we can do this. This is our country. We will get this done.’ They appreciate help from outsiders and they just have this very strong sense of pride that this is our country. We are going to get this right,” he added.

He urged the federal government to strengthen its coordination efforts with international organisations and neighbouring countries to stop Boko Haram insurgency.

“Whether it is fighting terror or the war on drugs or any of these international problems that cut across borders, no one nation can do it by itself. To really get at Boko Haram, your government needs to continue working with Cameroun and Chad because these guys cross the borders. These are guys for whom international borders are largely meaningless. The only way to deal with these guys is to collaborate with your neigbours and relevant international organisations.

“I think in my conversation with your government and military, I think there is a growing concern over finding an enemy who mixes with the civilian population. So, that needs to be a focus,” he said.

US: Nigeria Won’t Break up in 2015

Worries about Nigeria breaking up may not be unfounded after all.  The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, during an interactive session with some journalists in Lagos, said his country, contrary to misconception, was not preparing  for Nigeria’s breakup.

He said: “I don’t see any sign of a breakup. There is no sign that Nigeria will breakup. If this country is going to breakup in 2015, to me, I don’t see any sign of it. You have challenges in this country, but you are moving forward towards a bright future. There is no issue that the country might break up.

“Yes, your country had a devastating civil war just like my own country. It almost tore us into two. I think both of our countries have learnt how difficult it is to hold a country together and that has certainly been a big factor in my country. The idea that Nigeria is going to fall apart in the coming months is news to me; I am not sure where that idea is coming from.”

Entwistle, who assumed duty in Nigeria last November, said Nigeria parades array of talents and extraordinary creativity that will continue to make the country an important place in Africa.

“In three months that I have been here, my overwhelming impression is how smart and intelligent that Nigerians are. After three months, I am very impressed by the creative spirit of Nigerians as they face challenges. It is clear there are huge challenges ahead, but we are committed to help Nigeria.

“Every conversation I have on any subject, (I am just coming from a   roundtable discussion on the power sector here), I have really been impressed by the energy and the drive and I get this sense that Nigerian people are saying: ‘yes, we have challenges; things we have to deal with but we can do this. This is our country. We will get this done.’ They appreciate help from outsiders and they just have this very strong sense of pride that this is our country. We are going to get this right,” he added.

He urged the federal government to strengthen its coordination efforts with international organisations and neighbouring countries to stop Boko Haram insurgency.

“Whether it is fighting terror or the war on drugs or any of these international problems that cut across borders, no one nation can do it by itself. To really get at Boko Haram, your government needs to continue working with Cameroun and Chad because these guys cross the borders. These are guys for whom international borders are largely meaningless. The only way to deal with these guys is to collaborate with your neigbours and relevant international organisations.

“I think in my conversation with your government and military, I think there is a growing concern over finding an enemy who mixes with the civilian population. So, that needs to be a focus,” he said.

N1.5 Trillion To Be Spent On Nigeria Police Force Over Six Years – President Jonathan





A total sum of N1.5 trillion will be spent over the next six years, to transform the Nigeria Police Force for effective service delivery in consonance with the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government.

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan made this disclosure today in Makurdi, Benue State, as he declared open the 2014 Police Service Commission Retreat.

The President, who was represented at the occasion by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, revealed that 60 percent of the funding will come from government sources, while the Organized Private Sector and other development partners will contribute 40 percent.

Jonathan further disclosed that the National Economic Council has approved that 1 percent of the monthly allocations meant for States be deducted and used to fund the Nigeria Police reforms.

He said, “The statutory funding of the Police Reform Programme is in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

He reiterated his recent statement at the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State that the government is committed to ensuring the continued improvement of the quality, capacity and numerical strength available to the Force and other security agencies.

Jonathan stressed that the Nigeria Police Force must be repositioned to deliver on its mandate, as the lead agency in the maintenance of internal security.

He described the theme of the Retreat, “Sustaining Nigeria Police Reforms,” as apt, as it will discuss such issues as Inter-Agency Collaboration; Police Partnership as well as the Impact of Police Reform in the Administration of Justice.

“These are important topics which, if well treated, at this Retreat will provide a framework for better and enhanced national security,” Dr. Jonathan stressed.

The President urged participants to pay special attention to the papers to be presented by experts with the understanding of the security challenges facing the nation and the role of a well-motivated Police Force in effectively combating them.

According to him, “Government considers it a sacred and important duty to guarantee the security and welfare of our people as well as protect the sovereignty of our country. The Police have an important role to play in this respect.”
Jonathan emphasized that the Police Reform Programme is intended to adequately equip the Force for this role, as the Government will not tolerate excuses for failure.

In his welcome address, the Acting Governor of Benue State, Steven Lawani, stated that Benue State does not support the establishment of State Police in the country, as it believes the time is not ripe.

He however called on the Nigeria Police Force to redouble its efforts in stemming criminal activities, noting in particular that political activities will soon peak in preparation for the 2015 general elections.

On his part, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, called for delegated powers to the Police Commissioners and the Assistant Inspectors General of Police to promote deserving relevant officers in line with their powers to discipline.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mr. Mike Okiro, said that the outcome of the Retreat would form the basis for the Blueprint of the present Administration for the Police Service Commission.

Mr. Jonathan’s police plans were this afternoon in Abuja strongly criticized by observers.  One of them told SaharaReporters that it is in line with Jonathan’s penchant for making promises he knows he will not be able to implement.

“He has held the presidency since 2010,” the analyst said.  “Why is he announcing a six-year plan that he knows he may well not be in office to implement.

(Nigeria President) Jonathan “Never Accused” Former Service Chiefs Of Unnecessary Competition, Presidency Says

 
 

The presidency has dismissed as “untrue and misleading,” media reports which claimed that President Jonathan said in Yola on Tuesday that he “fired” former service chiefs because of “unhealthy competition” amongst them.

“It appears that for reasons of mischief and reckless sensationalism, a section of the media deliberately chose to misrepresent the President’s innocuous and clear call for greater synergy and inter-service cooperation in the war against terrorism,” presidential spokesman Reuben Abati said.

He said the President Jonathan at no time during his remarks in Yola say that the former chiefs were guilty of undue rivalry, nor did he say that such unhealthy rivalry was responsible for recent security breaches in Adamawa and other parts of the country.

“As Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces and Chief Security Officer of the Federation, President Jonathan is fully aware of the importance and sensitivity of all defence and security-related matters,” Abati declared.

“If he had any reprimand or admonition for the former service chiefs, which he does not, he would not have cavalierly given it at a public function as the media falsely reported.”

He said the President has nothing but praise for the manner in which the outgoing service chiefs did their job in very challenging circumstances and did not in Yola suggest or imply that any wrongdoing, lack of cooperation or unhealthy competition was responsible for the recent changes in the Military High Command.
“Members of the Armed Forces and all objective observers know that such changes are routine and in the interest of the growth and well-being of the Armed Services.

“President Jonathan has no need therefore to justify the recent changes to anyone and the recourse by the media to a totally off-the-mark interpretation of his remarks in Yola to explain the changes was most unnecessary and pointless,” the statement said.

facebook introduces paper, an immersive news reading app

 facebook introduces paper, an immersive news reading app
Users of Apple’s iPhone are about to get a new way to browse their Facebook feeds and find other interesting articles that have been posted on the service: a visually focused application called Paper.
The social network intends to announce the app on Thursday, although it will not actually be available for download from Apple’s App Store until Monday. Initially it will be available only to users in the United States.

Unlike the regular Facebook mobile app, the new app does away with buttons, menus and other distractions. The focus is on making it easy to consume content. Everything appears full screen and you move around the app by swiping or pinching the screen.

Fire it up, and you see the updates from your news feed, one at a time. Photos of wide scenes like the Grand Canyon expand beyond the screen, with a tilt or twist of the phone allowing you to change your perspective to see other parts of the image. Videos start playing automatically. Longer posts appear in one scrollable chunk.

Beyond your feed, you can drill down into topics like headlines, the planet, creators and cute animals, where you will see stories and visuals selected by Facebook’s algorithms as well as a handful of human editors. Some come from content partners, like CNN, National Geographic and The New York Times, which have optimized the look of their material on the app. Other articles are drawn from posts that have been made publicly on the service, such as artists’ photos of their work or posts by celebrities.

“It’s a new way to browse stories from your friends, find topics you care about and share stories with your friends,” said Michael Reckhow, the Facebook product manager overseeing the project, in an interview. “We hope that this helps to connect people directly to the source of the content.”

As a bonus for users, there are no ads.
Paper, which has been under development for the past year, is the latest addition to Facebook’s family of single-purpose apps, which includes Messenger for instant messaging and Instagram for sharing photos and videos. 

“One of the things we want to do over the next few years is build a handful of these great, new experiences,” Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, said Wednesday while discussing the company’s fourth-quarter financial results.

Visually, Paper resembles the cover screen of Facebook Home, the software overlay introduced last year that could effectively turn an Android phone into a Facebook-everything device. But unlike Home, which made Facebook inescapable, Paper is intended to transcend Facebook’s previous limits.

“This is really focused on content discovery and content browsing,” said Mike Matas, Paper’s product designer. Mr. Matas, a former Apple designer, joined Facebook in 2011 when his start-up, Push Pop Press, was acquired by the social network, and he has been working on the concepts behind the app ever since.
Paper joins a crowded field of content-browsing apps, which include the established leader, Flipboard, as well as newer entrants like Inside.com, Trove, Yahoo’s News Digest and Prismatic.

Mr. Matas suggests that Paper is different from all of those. “There’s nothing out there for displaying really rich stories,” he said. (I’m sure Flipboard, which resembles a well-designed digital magazine, would beg to disagree.) 

But Paper’s combination of social signals from friends and selections by human editors, an approach similar to that used by Trove, could make it an appealing alternative for Facebook users who primarily use the service to discover interesting articles and videos rather than communicate directly with friends.

World of Tech: Beer Opening Shirt


That great and powerful wizard known as technology never sleeps. This magician is constantly striving to improve our daily lives, or at least make them weirder. The kitchen, of course, is a constant source of inspiration for gadget makers and tinkerers. Here are some new gizmos that could make you even more excited about entering that kitchen to eat, drink or be merry.

First up, a shirt for dudes that is designed to help open ornery beer bottles. Clothing maker Criquet has designed a whole line of these shirts, which feature reinforced linings to make opening brewskis a breeze. You can get one for $85, or you could spend that same $85 and buy a whole bunch of beers. It’s up to you.

Michael Mosley infests himself with tapeworms

He swallowed tapeworm cysts, stuck a leech on his arm, and tried to infest himself with lice, in a new BBC Four documentary programme.
The worms lived in his body for several weeks - and he felt no ill effects.
The stool samples he gave while infected will be used by scientists studying signs of parasitic infection.

Dr Mosley is known for his "gonzo" medical journalism - he has previously taken "truth serum", trialled magic mushrooms, and undergone the fasting 5:2 diet.
'Delightful' discovery In this latest film, he swallows three tapeworm cysts (eggs) which he obtained from infected cattle in Kenya.
Several weeks later, he swallows a "pill camera" which travels into his gut and broadcasts live pictures to his iPad.
He discovers three worms - "triplets" - attached to the lining of his intestine, about a metre in length.
"When I first saw the worms, I was in an Indian restaurant. I shouted out: 'Blimey! There's a tapeworm in me!' The other diners looked very surprised."
Michael Mosley with a human tapeworm The beef tapeworm can grow more than 10m inside the human gut
"I was delighted, but at the same time, it was rather horrible.
"My wife wasn't too keen on the idea, either. But I told her not to worry - this particular tapeworm is relatively innocuous."
The beef tapeworm, Taenia saginata, is transmitted from cows to humans via infected meat.
It can grow more than 10m long in the intestine, and reproduces by passing new eggs out in the faeces.
The worm is usually asymptomatic - and Dr Mosley suffered no obvious effects, although he did put on about 1kg (2.2lbs) in weight.
Mosley with pill camera Swallowing this "pill camera" let Michael Mosley see the worms inside his intestine
"It could be that the parasite increased my appetite. I ate a lot of chocolate," he explained.
"So anyone who is thinking of popping parasites as a weight-loss device should think twice."
While that idea may seem absurd, there is growing evidence that parasites may have health benefits in certain cases.
They are being considered as treatments for allergies and auto-immune diseases, as they appear to dampen the body's inflammatory responses.
Dr Mosley himself has "mild" hay fever, but was disappointed to find that the worms made no difference to his symptoms.
By documenting his experiences, he hopes to help scientists at Salford University, who are searching for early warning signs of worm infections.
"There are other tapeworms that are very nasty in humans - especially the pork tapeworm. It can get into your brain and eyes and causes cysts," he said.
'Blood everywhere' If scientists could spot these infections early, they have a chance of treating patients. But in most cases the first clue that a person is infected comes much later - such as when they pass out larvae in their faeces.
Michael Mosley with leech This leech was a happy camper on Dr Mosley's arm
In the programme, which will air in February, Dr Mosley also attempted to infest himself with head lice.
"I was unsuccessful - they didn't take to me," he said.
However, a blood-sucking leech that he stuck to his forearm made itself perfectly at home.
"They told me it drank eight times its body weight in blood. There was blood everywhere when I took it off," Dr Mosley said.
The main conclusion of his experiments, he said, was that "parasites on the whole, are not crazy about me".
His other conclusion: don't try this at home.
"I wouldn't recommend buying something on the internet and infecting yourself. Heaven knows where it's been," he said.
"Some people get better, some get worse, it appears. And we never seem to hear from the people who get worse."
'Michael Mosley: Infested! Living with parasites' will be broadcast in BBC Four's natural history season, starting in February.

Three years ago today,Liverpool sign Luis Suarez

Three years ago today, Liverpool completed the signing of Luis Suarez. The No.7 has since fired 74 goals in 117 matches for the Reds!

Bieber smoked pot, took Xanax before Miami arrest

 
Teen idol Justin Bieber smoked marijuana and took the anti-anxiety drug Xanax before his arrest in Florida last week, police said Thursday, a day after he was charged over a separate case.

Bieber has pleaded not guilty to charges of drunk driving, resisting arrest and driving with an expired license for drag racing in a flashy Italian sports car in Florida.

"He was driving with Xanax and marijuana in his system when he was pulled over last week by Miami Beach police," Sergeant Bobby Hernandez told AFP.

A preliminary toxicology report does not indicate how much THC -- found in pot -- or key Xanax ingredient alprazolam Bieber had in his system. It turned up negative for illicit drugs such as cocaine, opiates and methamphetamine.

The one-time boy wonder was tested just after his January 23 arrest, part of a string of bad behavior from the 19-year-old singer.

He is set to be arraigned on February 14, although he does not need to be present for the proceedings.

Bieber's father Jeremy meanwhile tweeted a photo saying the pop star was home "safe and sound" after Canadian police charged him Wednesday with the December assault of a limousine driver.

The young heartthrob is due in court on March 10.

In a growing list of run-ins with the law, Bieber's Los Angeles home was searched earlier this month because he allegedly hurled eggs at a neighbor's house.

The singer also got in trouble with authorities for spraying graffiti in Australia and Brazil, where he was also allegedly involved in flesh trade.

A petition on the White House website calling for the Canadian-born pop star's deportation had garnered more than 204,000 signatures by 4:30 pm Thursday (2130 GMT).

The number of signatures easily surpasses the 100,000-threshold required for presidential consideration.

Microsoft board close to naming Nadella as new CEO

 Microsoft Corp is likely to appoint its cloud-computing head, Satya Nadella, as its next chief executive, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday, as the board concludes a five-month search for a tech-savvy heavy-hitter to lead the world's largest software company.

As part of the move, co-founder Bill Gates may step aside as chairman and be replaced by lead independent director John Thompson, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity because the process is private. Gates would remain a director, the source added.

Bloomberg first reported the news on Thursday.

Rising star Nadella, a native of Hyderabad, India - where Microsoft has its largest non-US research center - was promoted to run the company's fast-expanding cloud, or internet-based, computing initiatives in July last year as part of current CEO Steve Ballmer's radical re-organization of the company.

The appointment of the 22-year Microsoft veteran would make him the most powerful Indian-born tech executive in the world and put him alongside PepsiCo Inc's chief, Indra Nooyi, as the leader of a well-known, large-cap US corporation.

Born in 1967 and educated in India and the United States, Nadella's tech career started at internet software pioneer Sun Microsystems. He joined Microsoft in 1992 and quickly climbed the corporate ladder with leading roles in the Office and Bing search-engine teams.

He was promoted to run the company's server and tools unit in 2011. That unit now forms the backbone of Microsoft's cloud-computing platform, which Nadella runs under his official title of executive vice president, cloud and enterprise.

"He's a solid choice," offering continuity of strategy and proven execution, said Sid Parakh, an analyst at fund firm McAdams Wright Ragen.

Some investors had campaigned for an external CEO who might be more likely to shake up the company and reward shareholders with greater dividends and share buybacks, but Parakh said that did not mean Nadella would be unpopular with Wall Street.

"Any new CEO is going to have to have the shareholders' say in mind. But it's not certain that will translate into actions," said Parakh.

If Nadella is named CEO, it is likely Thompson will help out on the crucial task of managing Microsoft's relations with its powerful Wall Street investors, the source said.

Nadella has little experience of that aspect of the job, and Ballmer and Gates did not prioritize it. Gates would likely focus on technical innovation in any new role, the source said.

There have been calls for months for Gates to step down from investors who believe Microsoft's co-founder is a block to radical change and investor-friendly moves.

Beyonce to be studied in the University


Queen Bee has joined other celebrities including Oprah and husband Jay Z, (who has a Georgetown University sociology course named after him), who are studied in the University. The course is called Politicizing Beyonce and can be taken at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

The University’s Department of Women’s and Gender Studies will be exploring the social & cultural significance of the songstress’s music and image.

The course will allow fans to explore Beyonce's alter ego Sasha Fierce, and debate the extent of control she has over her own image. They will also debate whether her red hot persona is an outlet of female sexual empowerment or merely complying with western gender stereotypes.
"This isn’t a course about Beyonce’s political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama’s inauguration weekend. She certainly pushes boundaries. While other artists are simply releasing music, she’s creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona.’ Kevin Allred, the person in charge of the course at Rutgers University said

Shakira and Rihanna's steamy new music video is out! (Watch)

Shakira and Rihanna have unveiled the video for their single 'Can’t Remember to Forget You,' and when two of the world's sexiest women collaborate, what do you expect? Skimpy outfits, naked embrace, dramatic hair flips and a near-kiss.

The songbirds really showed themselves in the saucy video and tried to outdo each other. Watch it after the cut and tell us who you think really rocked the video. I choose Shakira, nobody does the hip movement like her. Enjoy...