GISTS DIRECT

Martin Luther once said, “even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” New research gives more reasons than ever to plant apple trees and enjoy their delicious and nutritious fruit. Here are ten surprising reasons to sink your teeth into an apple today: 1. Research found that when healthy adults consumed an apple fifteen minutes before eating a meal, they ate 15 percent less at the meal. This simple habit can result in weight loss for anyone looking for an easy and healthy way to lose weight. 2. In other studies, apples have been shown to significantly alter the amounts of the bacteria Clostridiales and Bacteroides in the large intestine, conferring gastrointestinal health benefits. 3. Thanks to their phytonutrient content, apples have been show to lower the risk of asthma and lung cancer in numerous studies. 4. In a study funded by the USDA, postmenopausal women who ate dried apples daily experienced a...

Minority Leader of the House of Representatives Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, said the action of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) at collecting money from job seekers amounted to fraud, which negated the spirit and letters of Section 419 of the Criminal Laws. “What the NIS did was to obtain money by false pretence, contrary to section 419 of our criminal laws. Whoever is responsible must be treated and punished as we would a 419ner. “To make matters worse, I am not aware that the revenue realised was considered as part of the revenue profile of the agency or the country when the 2014 budget was submitted. “I am saddened by this occurrence and dismayed that the Minister’s statement that those who died were to blame for their conduct, if true, showed no trace of humanity. ”It is obtaining by false pretense when you take money from 520,000 people without telling them up-front there was limited vacancy for just 4,000 people, half of which ...

The House of Representatives, yesterday, resolved to probe the circumstances surrounding the death of 21 job applicants during last Saturday aptitude test for recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS. It also resolved that families of the victims should be given automatic employment, provided they were qualified. The House also mandated its Committee on National Security and Public Safety to investigate last Saturday’s killings of over 100 residents in a Southern Kaduna village, directing the committee in plenary to carry out the assignment within two weeks and report back. Four committees, including those on Interior, Justice, Public Service Matters and Labour and Productivity, were mandated to investigate the matter and report to the House within four weeks. This development was sequel to a motion brought to the floor of the House by Sunday Karimi, PDP, Kogi State, under matters of national importance. In the motion, entitled, ‘Tragedy...

A New Jersey teenager who drew international attention when she sued her parents for financial support after leaving home in a dispute on Tuesday dropped the case against them, according to court records. Rachel Canning, 18, filed papers to dismiss the lawsuit in New Jersey family court, saying the decision was voluntary. The lawsuit’s dismissal ends a public battle between Canning and her parents that raised questions about the obligations of non- divorced parents in New Jersey to continue to financially support adult children after they leave home. Canning returned to her parents’ home in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, last week after a four-month estrangement that began when she turned 18, the legal age of adulthood. She had sued her parents, Sean and Elizabeth Canning, for her private high school tuition, living expenses and access to a college fund, arguing that though she did not reside with them, she was not legally emancipated and therefore was enti...

Thirteen northern governors of the North are currently in the United States seeking solutions to the Boko Haram insurgency that is fast threatening to grind socio-economic activities in the region to a halt. The governors met yesterday for about eight hours at the United States Peace Institute and the State Department in Washington D.C with U.S government officials and representatives of Norway and Denmark. While the meetings are expected to continue today, details of yesterday’s closed-door meeting, which was bankrolled by the U.S. government in collaboration with the governments of Norway and Denmark, could not be obtained. However, it was learnt that the issue on the front burner was how Nigeria could overcome the Boko Haram insurgency, especially through education and economic investments. Other issues discussed included re- invigorating the U.S. attention on the north, economic investment opportunities in the region, security and challenges of private ...

STORY HIGHLIGHTS The batteries the power pings from the data and voice recorders last for 30 days "The odds of finding the pinger are very slim," an ocean search specialist says Recent developments shed some light on early part of flight, but not where plane went next The total search area is roughly the size of the continental United States A ticking clock. A widening search. The box containing the flight-data and cockpit-voice recorders of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has batteries designed to keep it sending out pings for 30 days. The search is now in its 12th day, covering a total area roughly the size of the continental United States. That leaves 18 days until the batteries are expected to run out. Investigators hope the recorders may reveal vital information about why the passenger jet carrying 239 people veered dramatically off course and disappeared from radar screens. But they have to find them first. Searchers from at least 26 countri...

It has been confirmed that the newly appointed Defence Minister, Aliyu Gusau has truly tendered his resignation to President Jonathan. However, a rattled President Jonathan immediately charged Senate President David Mark with the task of prevailing on Mr. Gusau to rescind his resignation. The president reportedly promised to see that the issue was resolved expeditiously. A source stated that Mr. Gusau remained infuriated and refused to back away from his decision to leave the cabinet. Late last night, President Jonathan paid a visit to Mr. Gusau’s home in Abuja in a last-ditch effort to persuade him to stay at his ministerial job, but Mr. Gusau refused to see the president. Mr. Gusau kept away from today’s session of the Federal Executive Council, a weekly meeting of all ministers with the president. He reportedly told aides that he could not serve in a situation where military officers would show open disdain for their civilian leaders and him an exp...

Former Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki has urged President Goodluck Jonathan not to stifle opposition states. Jonathan last week, while hosting outgoing Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, warned opposition state governors to stop abusing him and the Federal Government or they would lose many things. Saraki, now an All Progressive Congress (APC) senator, told reporters at the weekend in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. The senator, who expressed doubt that the president could have made such a statement, urged leaders to respect their oath of office. He said: “The president said that? He said that? I don’t even know what to say. What I just want my own people, in Kwara and Nigerians in general, to know is that they should take sentiment out of these issues. What we are talking about in Nigeria today is not whether you are a Northerner or otherwise, Yoruba man or Ijaw, Christian or Muslim. We should not allow sentiments. “Even if a state governor ...

The Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, yesterday snubbed the North West Zone Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Zonal rally organized to mobilize support for President Goodluck Jonathan in Kaduna, choosing a plenary session of the House to mourn Nigerians killed by Boko Haram. Tambuwal, who hails from Sokoto State in the same zone, welcomed members back to the House with an emotional rallying cry over the ongoing massacre of innocent Nigerians and students. He pointed out that Section 14 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government, and called on the government to rise to the occasion. “By government I do not mean only the Executive,” Tambuwal said. “We in the Legislature are also part of government. And we cannot therefore merely join in the chorus of lamentations. Our duty is to act swiftly and decisively in the protect...

The Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, yesterday snubbed the North West Zone Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Zonal rally organized to mobilize support for President Goodluck Jonathan in Kaduna, choosing a plenary session of the House to mourn Nigerians killed by Boko Haram. Tambuwal, who hails from Sokoto State in the same zone, welcomed members back to the House with an emotional rallying cry over the ongoing massacre of innocent Nigerians and students. He pointed out that Section 14 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government, and called on the government to rise to the occasion. “By government I do not mean only the Executive,” Tambuwal said. “We in the Legislature are also part of government. And we cannot therefore merely join in the chorus of lamentations. Our duty is to act swiftly and decisively in the protect...

29-year-old businesswoman, Olanike Olaiya, who was allegedly defiled by popular Fuji musician, Alhaji Abass Akande, also known as Obesere, has pleaded with the police authorities not to allow the matter to be swept under the carpet so that she will not die. According to Olaiya, the singer’s insertion of a mysterious ring in her private part, which caused her to bleed for weeks, might not be unconnected with fetish activities. The graduate of Ibadan Polytechnic also expressed dissatisfaction with the way the case was being handled at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos. Specifically, she fingered the Investigating Police Officer, simply known as Jacob, of involvement in a conspiracy to frustrate the investigation in favour of Obesere. “We’re not lovers” According to a report by Vanguard, Olaiya denied the claims by Obesere that they were both lovers and that she wanted to use the saga to blackmail him into ...

A graphic detail of the way of life in Borno and the entire North- East since the Boko Haram menace begun was painted on Monday by the Bornu Elders, who described life under the stranglehold of terrorist activities, as “seeing hell”. Addressing a gathering of Northern Elders Forum in Kano, Zanna Hassan Boguma, who delivered a goodwill message on behalf of Borno Elders Forum, declared that the entire region is now engaged in full scale war from enemy within. Boguma stated that “we have been seeing hell, our people are constantly decimated, our towns and villages razed, properties destroyed, schools and places of worship burnt, even innocent travelers were not spared”. The elder statesman said that from the incessant attack that the axis had witnessed in the last few weeks was a confirmation of how vulnerable the entire region is. He further disclosed that the region has been reduced to a war zone with attendant humanitarian crisis, stressing...

The crisis of rocking the Osun PDP is getting messier. Few hours after the State Secretary's suspension, the latest information coming in has it that 27 Local Chairmen of the party have suspend the State Chairman, Alh. Ganiyu Ola-Oluwa. The chairmen directed the State Vice Chairman, Dr. BT Salam to take over as Ag State Chairman as from today.

Scotland led 14-9 at half-time, full-back Stuart Hogg touching down after a hopeful high kick and wing Tommy Seymour crossing for the hosts. France wing Yoann Huget scored an interception try after an ill-advised miss-pass by Duncan Weir, but Weir regained the lead for Scotland with a penalty. Scott Johnston's side looked to have done enough to secure a deserved victory, only for replacement scrum-half Jean-Marc Doussain to win it with a last-gasp penalty. It was a bitter outcome for Scotland, who showed great spirit and no little skill, in stark contrast to their chastening defeat by England at Murrayfield last month. France host Ireland next Saturday with the sides level on six points. The winner of the match between England and Wales on Sunday will also go into the final weekend with six points. Philippe Saint-Andre made seven changes to the France side humbled by Wales a fortnight ago, but only three of them because of injuries. With number eight Louis ...

President Goodluck Jonathan has appealed to Nigerians to continue to trust the PDP in their choice for elective offices. Jonathan made the appeal at a rally organised by the party's North Central Zone in Minna on Saturday. He added that PDP remained the only party that was yet to change its slogan, logo or name since its formation in 1998. Jonathan urged Nigerians not to trust those he said had dined and wined with the party for the past 14 years, and had attained various elected positions like governors, senators and others only to turn around and dump the party. He described such people as chameleons who should not be trusted. "PDP is still the party for all Nigerians. It is the party for the Nigerian students, it is party for Nigerian youths, women, men and elders," he said. He expressed optimism that the PDP would win elections in Nasarawa and Kwara States come 2015. Jonathan stressed that the party would ensure that the two states were recove...

Radar signals show a Malaysia Airlines plane that has been missing for more than 24 hours may have turned back, Malaysian officials have said. Rescue teams looking for the plane have now widened their search area. Investigators are also checking CCTV footage of two passengers who are believed to have boarded the plane using stolen passports. Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared south of Vietnam with 239 people on board. Air and sea rescue teams have been searching an area of the South China Sea south of Vietnam for more than 24 hours. But Malaysia's civil aviation chief, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur the search area had been expanded, to include the west coast of Malaysia. Five passengers booked on the flight did not board, he added. Their luggage was consequently removed. Twenty-two aircraft and 40 ships are now involved in the search, armed forces chief Gen Zulkefli Zin said. Air force chief Rodzali Dau...

The Los Angeles Clippers won their seventh game in a row, after beating the Atlanta Hawks 109-108, and strengthened their leading position in the Pacific Division with a 43-20 record. Jeff Teague missed one of his two free throws with a 1.2 second remaining in the final quarter that could have tied the game at 109, instead the Hawks fell to their sixth straight loss. In San Antonio, Frenchman Tony Parker inspired the San Antonio Spurs with a 30- point contribution as they past the Orlando Magic 121-112, and extended their winning streak to six games. With the win, San Antonio joined the Oklahoma City Thunder atop of the Western Conference with a 46-16 record apiece. Elsewhere, the Philadelphia 76ers dropped their 16th consecutive defeat, after a 104-92 home loss to the Utah Jazz, who snapped a five-game losing streak, and the Washington Wizards held off the Milwaukee Bucks 114-107. Gordon Hayward scored 22 points, and Alec Burks contributed 19 for the Jazz, w...

Tottenham defender, Jan Vertonghen has promised Chelsea's fans hell when both teams trade tackles tonight at Stamford Bridge, rather than enter a war of words with coach Jose Mourinho. The Belgian was labelled a 'disgrace' by the Chelsea boss after falling to the floor when clashing with Fernando Torres when the clubs last met in September at White Hart Lane. But Vertonghen believes that he can prove himself on the pitch, and is confident of a shock three points for Spurs against the Premier League leaders. 'If we want to reach the Champions League we have to win this game,' Verthonghen told The Sun, with his club currently four points adrift of Manchester City in fourth place, who have two games in hand. 'I did not respond to Mourinho at the time - and I won't do it now. 'I don't want to add fuel to the fire in the run- up to the match. I don't want to go into a war of words with Mourinho. I just want to prove myself on th...

Oyo State Government yesterday ordered the closure of all public primary and secondary schools in Iseyin Local Government Area, in order to avert a religious crisis. Schools in the state resumed for the second term Monday, according to The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The state Ministry of Education had on Sunday announced that students in the area should stay away from their schools indefinitely. The indefinite closure was said to be a preemptive strategy to prevent a clash between students of two religious faiths over mode of dressing. According to the Chairman of the council area, Alhaji Yusuph Saheed, the directive of the government was necessary to forestall crisis in the ancient town and its environs. “The state government is very proactive and sensitive to religious matters; that is why the announcement of the closure was made. “As it is now, we are working round the clock to return our students to class as soon as possible. “Security of lives and propert...

Italy forced Nigeria to a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage on Monday night, both teams ending a thrilling World Cup warm up on a deservedly high note in front of England’s management team of Roy Hodgson and Ray Lewington. Veteran Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi, who was only making his fifth appearance for the African champions, justified his inclusion in the coach Stephen Keshi-tutored side by providing the assist for Nigeria’s equalizer before pulling the West Africans ahead. Sunderland forward Emmanuele Giaccherini ensured a fourth successive draws for the Azzuris when he smashed home Italy’s equaliser shortly after the restart to help share the spoils in one of the best matches to be seen at the Fulham ground for a long time.Moments later, Ameobi turned scorer from Francis Benjamin’s assist. The Zaria-born footballer impressively held off Angelo Ogbona to steer a volley past Sirigu. But less than a couple of minutes into the restart, Giaccherini restored parity for Prandelli’s men, as...