Sunday, 3 August 2014

SUNDAY'S IN-DEPTH FORECAST FOR TODAY AND BEYOND IN ENGLAND



SETTING THE SCENE...

It's official! Last month overall was drier and sunnier than usual for July, and after a brief interlude of heavy rain things look like quietening down again a little.

The area of low pressure which brought the weekend's thundery downpours is now spiralling away northwards across Scotland.

Low pressure remains to the north during the first part of the new week, but a ridge of pressure is trying to build in from the south, so good news if you're lucky enough to be on a Bank Holiday on Monday - it should be much better than Sunday!

Drier and brighter for the first part of the coming week, but still a little unsettled. Temperatures on the warm side of average.

In more detail then...

SUNDAY

Rather cloudy and still some outbreaks of rain around, mainly over Dumfries and Galloway. Heavy at times, especially in the west, but turning more showery through the afternoon. Breezy and blustery in the west.

Temperatures further west around 16-17c, but nearer 18-19c in the best of any sun further east.

SUNDAY NIGHT

We still expect some showers overnight. Rain over Ireland swings up across the Border region, so it will be cloudy and mild with some outbreaks of rain. Nothing especially heavy, and mainly in the west and over hills. Lows 12-13c, 54-55f.

BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY (SCOTLAND)

Dry on Monday morning, best of any brighter breaks to the east. Winds not as blustery as Sunday. Continuing dry and bright into the afternoon with more sunshine, best of the sun across the Isle of Man and through Cumbria, tops 18-19c, 64-66f.

Feeling better overall, with more sunshine and less wind. The best day of the Scottish Bank Holiday weekend!

WEATHER OUTLOOK: for the Border region.

OUTLOOK

Generally, sunshine and showers.

Odd well scattered shower on Tuesday, especially in the west. Drier and brighter further east. Heavier showers possible on Wednesday, some thundery. Sun and showers on Thursday. Temperatures maybe just above average in the low 20's celsius. Warm nights.

                                                                                                            -Source: ITV

GOSPEL SINGER: DONNIE McCKLURKLIN HAS A WARNING FOR PEOPLE WHO ASPIRE TO BE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY



Pastor Donnie McClurkin has Grammys, NAACP Awards and the fame that comes with being on top of the gospel music game, but the singer and "Sunday Best" judge has a warning for people who want to get into the gospel music industry.




McClurkin, the 54-year-old pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, N.Y., blesses people with his singing voice away from the pulpit. While he has been a leading voice in gospel music with a career that spans almost 20 years, McClurkin has a warning for people who believe they can be the next platinum selling artist in gospel music.

"If you want to do it to get into the industry, don't do it. If you want to do it because you feel like you're a gospel singer, don't," McClurkin told The Christian Post. "It's got to be something that God has ordained because although it looks good from the outside looking in and although we bless so many people around the world with our music, inside of this gospel music world it's not easy."

The renowned singer is one of the best selling in the gospel music industry and has garnered three Grammy Awards, 13 Stellar Awards, Dove and NAACP Awards. Still he explained why he would not advise just anybody interested in being the next gospel music star to attempt to follow in his footsteps.

"There's so much work that goes behind this and if you're not called by God to do it, you'll mess this thing up. Because pride won't let you say 'I'm not called to' once you start," McClurkin told CP. "Once you start, you're going to keep on trying because you don't ever want to show that you were in the wrong and that you didn't hear from God. You've got to make sure that this is God and you've got to make sure that He called you to do it."

Still, McClurkin feels it is important to help usher in the new generation of gospel musicians and has served as a judge on BET's "Sunday Best" since 2010 to make that happen.

"It's adding so much to the gospel music industry. We've got Crystal Aiken, we've got Y'Anna Crawley, Le'Andria Johnson, Amber Bullock and the list goes on that would've never been heard or seen, at least we don't think so," McClurkin told CP. "But what we do know is Sunday Best gave them that platform. For people like Jessica Reedy and Maurice Griffin and the list goes on..all of that's happened because 'Sunday Best' decided that it was going to really deal with the anointed singers, the gifted singers and give them a national and international platform on BET."

The seasoned singer could not help but sing the praises of the contestants featured on the BET show each week.

"What you see on 'Sunday Best' most people in secular music cannot do," McClurkin insisted. "You cannot get on one stage with only one or two rehearsals and give that kind of performance every single week."

While McClurkin is excited to see the caliber of singers that come on the show season after season, fans of the show know that he will not hold back in his critiques.

"If you stand up in front of a person to be critiqued and they tell you the truth then people say you're being mean and you're hurting their feelings," he told CP. "There are some times people stand on that circle and they have no business being there, and so you tell them point blankly, 'absolutely not.' You would rather them go home then try to sugarcoat something and have them keep doing something that they weren't called to do."

"A few weeks ago on 'Sunday Best' a young guy by the name of Drew Chambers went home and it broke my heart because the guy is a phenomenal singer," McClurkin told CP. "So I called him up and said 'Fred Hammond and I are going on tour this Fall, I want you to come with me.' And that makes up for the hurt that came from having to release him from the show."Still, it isn't always easy watching talented contestants having to go home because of low scores. McClurkin has proven that he does care about all contestants, not just who wins the televised music competition and even recently invited one on tour with him.

The singer was an Essence Music Festival host last month to honor fellow singer Yolanda Adams, who he jokes about wanting to marry, has a tour coming in the fall, serves as resident judge on "Sunday Best," senior pastor at his church and is getting a new record label off of the ground while flying around the world to spread the gospel. However instead of complaining about being spread too thin, McClurkin is praising God for His grace.

"The definition of grace is the supernatural ability to do what you cannot do in the natural and God graces us to do what He's called us to do," he told CP. "He put just enough hours in a day, just enough days in a week and just enough weeks in a month for us to accomplish things."

McClurkin also credits the team of people that work together with him and not just for him, so that he can accomplish great things for God's kingdom. He insists that being obedient to God helps him succeed while taking on so many things.

"There are many things that come in that are high visibility that are not right for me to take, or not the time for me to take because it would take away from what I'm trying to do," McClurkin revealed. "There are many things that come in that would interrupt what I have on my schedule. They may seem to be greater in quality but because it is the call of God I've got to say no to."

The singer and pastor went on to give an example of some scenarios that he has to face.

"There may be a call for me to go to Africa but a church could have 600 members that I promised I was coming," McClurking said. "I've got to tell Africa which is much more lucrative I can't come because this is what God committed me to and then God compensates you for your obedience to Him."

Saturday, 2 August 2014

BOKO HARAM: FEAR IN UNIUYO AS TERROR GROUP THREATENS TO ATTACK

There’s palpable fear and tension in Uyo, the
capital city of Akwa Ibom State following the
report that University of Uyo (UNIUYO) has
been listed for attacks by the outlawed Boko
Haram sect.
The Chief Security Officer (CSO), University of
Uyo (UNIUYO), Lt. Col. N.U.V. Efik, confirmed
that UNIUYO was one of the targets slated for
attack by the sect and warned students to be
more security conscious as they resumed for
the new semester.
A letter signed by the former military chief,
which was copied to the Vice Chancellor,
Professor Comfort Ekpo and all principal
officers of the institution, warned members
of the community to take security
precautions.
The letter reads: “Intelligence reports
received at this department indicate that the
university has been earmarked as one of the
major targets in the event of an attack in
Akwa Ibom State.
“Consequently, every member of the
university community is urged to please be
security conscious, observant and report any
suspicious movement or thing to the security
officer nearest to him or her.
“As a pre-emptive measure to safeguard the
university from attack, all small gates leading
into both annex and town campuses would
be closed to all between 12 noon and 3:00 pm
every Friday.
“Members of the university community are
advised to use the main gates during the
period as other measures deemed necessary
for the safety of the community will be
communicated to you from time to time.”

Thursday, 31 July 2014

US MAN SUES SOCCER STAR CRISTIANO RONALDO OVER CR7 TRADEMARK

Global football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is
also known to fans by the shorthand CR7,
prompting the company behind his line of
sleek underwear to target a Rhode Island
man who has trademarked the letter-number
combination, according to a new lawsuit.
In a complaint filed Monday in Rhode Island
federal court, 43-year-old fitness enthusiast
Christopher Renzi said he had received
letters from lawyers for the Danish company
JBS Textile Group demanding he give up the
trademark because it had “imminent plans”
to enter the U.S. market with Ronaldo’s CR7
underwear.
JBS has also asked the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office to cancel Renzi’s
trademark, according to court documents.
Renzi is seeking the court’s declaration that
he owns the trademark.
“We just want them to leave us alone,” said
Renzi’s attorney Michael Feldhuhn.
Attorneys for JBS could not be reached for
comment.
Renzi registered the moniker in 2009 and has
put it on jeans and T-shirts, Feldhuhn said.
He also has a website advertising a seven-
minute fitness workout, also under the CR7
name.
According to the complaint, Renzi adopted
the mark based on his initials and the day he
was born, October 7.
Court materials showed that JBS, which said
it holds the “exclusive, worldwide license” to
market Ronaldo’s CR7 underwear, believed
Renzi trademarked CR7 specifically to profit
from Ronaldo’s soaring fame.
CR7 was “so closely tied to the fame and
reputation of Cristiano Ronaldo, that a
connection with the soccer player would
immediately be presumed by the general
public when encountering” Renzi’s branded
clothes, said JBS’s filing with the Trademark
Trial and Appeal Board.
The 29-year-old Ronaldo, who plays for the
Spanish club Real Madrid, is one of the most
highly paid and recognizable athletes in the
world. He has marketing deals with
numerous major companies. His Facebook
page has more than 93 million “likes.”
One of his latest postings shows a behind-
the-scenes underwear photo shoot for a CR7
campaign launching “next week.”
Besides underwear, his brand is already
expanding into shirts and shoes.
Ronaldo is a more famous user of CR7,
Feldhuhn said, “but it’s really based on who’s
using it first. We can show we were the first
use of the CR7 name in commerce in
America.”
Feldhuhn added, “They don’t really have the
trademark rights because they haven’t used
it.”

NIGERIA: ANOTHER SUSPECTED CASE OF EBOLA VIRUS REPORTED IN LAGOS

Just seven days after Mr. Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian and US citizen, died in a private hospital in Lagos, Nigeria, one of the personnel, who helped him out of the aircraft on his arrival in Lagos, has shown signs of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

The latest victim who has not yet been named was said to have helped the late Sawyer and was among the 59 persons the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government registered to have had contact with the late Sawyer immediately on his arrival in Nigeria on Sunday, July 20.

Early symptoms of EVD include fever, headache, chills, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, headache and joint pains, while later symptoms include bleeding from the eyes, ears nose, and the mouth as well as the rectum, eye swelling, swelling of the genitals and rashes all over the body that often contain blood. It could progress to coma, shock and death.

As at four days after Sawyer’s death in Nigeria, precisely, Monday, July 27, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, said 20 of the 59 people registered to have had contact with Sawyer had been physically screened. He said 50 per cent of these 20 people had type one contact with Sawyer and 50 per cent had type two contact.

Explaining this terminol­ogy, the Director, Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Abdulsalam Nasidi, said type one contact means those who had direct one-on-one contact with the late Sawyer, while type two contact refers to those that had contact with those who had direct contact with Saw­yer.

However, he said the committee working on the Ebola virus disease emergency was following the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline which recommended that only persons who showed signs of the EVD symptoms should be screened.

Efforts to get confirma­tion about the latest on the person showing signs of the EVD from Nasidi failed. A text message to his phone asking for confirmation was not responded to.

…No fresh case in Lagos –LASG

Lagos State Govern­ment yesterday, said no fresh case of the dreaded Ebola Vi­rus Disease has been found in the state or any part of the country.

According to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Ye­wande Adeshina, none of the persons said to have come in contact with the late Libe­rian victim of the Ebola Vi­rus Disease had manifested unusual body temperature or any other symptom of the dreaded virus.

She explained that all the 59 persons, who had close contact with the deceased Liberian in Nigeria were hale and hearty and had not exhibited any unusual symptoms, just as there had been no case of the dreaded disease from the country’s

borders.

Also, the Commissioner for Information, Lateef Ibirogba, has advised the citizenry to be wary of the activities of fraudsters, who were making spurious claims about their ability to provide cure for the Ebola Virus Disease, urging them to always contact health providers to report unusual feelings noticed.

He cautioned people to desist from sending panicky text messages round about the Ebola disease that could heighten tension and create anxiety.

He also advised those who wanted to make cheap money from the case to de­sist from their strange claims of cure for the disease or risk the wrath of the law, as only medical solutions were known to be appropriate for the disease.

He reminded residents of the state to make use of the emergency phone numbers- 08023169485, 08033086660, 08033065303, 08055281442 and 08055329229 provided to contact health authorities in case anyone with observed symptoms of the Ebola disease was noticed.

He also advised residents to observe the highest level of personal environmental hygiene, adding that they should visit hospitals or primary health centres nearest to them to report strange feelings noticed.

YOUNG SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS 3 POLY STUDENTS AWAITING NYSC POSTING

Three students of Kano State Polytechnic
were yesterday confirmed dead as another
explosion went off in the metropolis. The
blast, which occurred at the main campus of
the polytechnic, also injured seven other
victims, who have been rushed to the Murtala
Mohammed Hospital.
The blast went off a few minutes after 2pm at
the gate of the Central Administration of the
school, hitting a number of students who had
gathered to check their postings following the
release of the National Youth Service Corps
(NYSC) mobilization list that had just
been pasted on the notice board. The Rector,
Prof. Dalhatu Mohammed Galadachi,
confirmed the explosion on the campus
located on BUK Road, saying that the blast
was most unfortunate.
Witnesses fingered a young girl wearing a
black veil (hijab) as the agent of death ,
saying she slipped into the crowd of students
unnoticed and blew herself up. They said that
it was the impact of the explosion that killed
as well as injured those immediately around
her at the time of the explosion. The corpses
were removed to the morgue.
Speaking to Daily Sun, the Commissioner of
Police, Alhaji Adenrele Shinaba, described
the suspected bomber “as, a teenage girl
wearing black veil ( hijab)” while confirming
that three persons, which included the
suicide bomber herself, died.
The commissioner expressed concern over
the fact that recent suicide bombings in the
state were carried out by young girls wearing
veils.
He said that despite his concern, the police
have no role to play with regards to the mode
of dressing by the public, noting that as a
security organization, the police have been
sharing information with the appropriate
authorities regarding the disturbing trend in
which suicide bombers hid their bombs
under their veils. “I don’t have the power to
choose the mode of dressing of the society. I
can only advise. That decision is not mine to
make. But this is no time for sentiment. We
have to face reality. We have been sharing
our information on this with the government.
We don’t know what they would do with it,”
he said.
Meanwhile, a state of anxiety has enveloped
the state capital as residents have adopted
fresh security measures to beat the deadly
 ploys of the insurgents, among which
include avoiding places of high human traffic
or vehicles and to limit their movements to
only highly essential needs and callings.
Also, in some quarters in the state capital,
residents simply avoid direct or close
contacts with young girls wearing veils even
as checks have also shown that the mode of
dressing in a long veil is no longer
fashionable to the ladies given the suspicion
it evokes from the public and security
agencies.

LIBERIA SHUTS SCHOOLS TO TACKLE EBOLA OUTBREAK

Liberia’s government has announced that it is
closing down all schools across the country
to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.
Some communities would be placed under
quarantine as well, President Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf said.
Non-essential government workers will be
sent home for 30 days and the army
deployed to enforce the measures.
The number of people killed by the virus in
West Africa has now reached 672, according
to new UN figures.
The BBC’s West Africa correspondent Thomas
Fessy says treatment facilities have
reportedly been overwhelmed in the Liberian
capital Monrovia.
Ebola virus disease (EVD)
Symptoms include high fever, bleeding
and central nervous system damage
Fatality rate can reach 90%
Incubation period is two to 21 days
There is no vaccine or cure
Supportive care such as rehydrating
patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting
can help recovery
Fruit bats are considered to be virus’
natural host
Some wards have already filled up, forcing
health workers to treat some patients at their
homes.
President Sirleaf said that Friday 1 August
would be a non-working day in Liberia to
allow for the disinfection of all public
facilities.
“All non-essential staff – to be determined by
the heads of ministries and agencies – are to
be placed on 30 days’ compulsory leave,” she
added.