A Russian naval research team has discovered five islands in the Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, state media reported on Tuesday.The islands vary in size from 900 to 54,500 square metres, Russia’s Northern Fleet said in a statement carried by state news agency, RIA Novosti.The islands, to the west of Severny Island, were first sighted three years ago during an analysis of satellite photos, the report said.Russia has been expanding its presence in the Arctic in recent years as rising temperatures have made the waters of the Northern Sea Route navigable for longer periods.

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants appear suddenly across the globe during the earliest part of the Late Cretaceous, but are already considerably diversified by this time, suggesting an earlier originHere are 10 cool facts about ants you never knew!1. There are over 12,000 ant species worldwideRanging from the ant you might find scuttling across your picnic to the ants building underground fortresses in the rainforest, to flying ants!2. The bullet ant is said to have the most painful sting in the world!Living in humid jungle conditions such as the Amazon, their sting has been compared to being hit by a bullet – ouch!3. Fire ants cause over £3 billion worth of damage a year!North America’s red imported fire ant might only be little, but the tiny critters have a painful bite which causes a burning sensation – hence the name “fire ant”, which costs the US millions in veterinary and medical bills every year! They’ve also been known to cause damage to farmer’s crops.4. Ants are the longest living insectsUnlike some bugs who might only live for days or even hours, the queen ant of one particular species – the Pogonomyrmex Owyheei – can live up to 30 years – so be careful not to stand on her!5. The ant is one of the world’s strongest creatures in relation to its sizeA single ant can carry 50 times its own bodyweight, and they’ll even work together to move bigger objects as a group!6. Ants hold the record for the fastest movement in the animal kingdomThe aptly named species of trap jaw ant, can close its jaws at 140mph, which it uses to kill its prey or injure predators. Image if that bit you on the bum!7. Ants can be found on every single continent except AntarcticaIronic really, when you consider the name…8. Ants are social insects which live in coloniesThe colony, also called a formicary, is made up of one or more egg-laying queens and a large amount of female “worker” ants who tend to her, build and maintain the nest, forage for food and and care for the young.Male ants have wings and their only function is to mate with the queen.9. Ants don’t have ears, and some of them don’t have eyes!Ants “listen” by feeling vibrations from the ground through their feet, and eye-less ants such as the driver ant species can communicate by using their antennae!Plus, they can send chemical signals (called pheromones) released through their body to send messages to other ants! They send out warnings when danger’s near, leave trails of pheromones leading to food sources and even use them to attract a mate – a sort of ant love potion!10. The largest ant’s nest ever found was over 3,700 miles wide!Found in Argentina in 2000, the ginormous colony housed 33 ant populations which had merged into one giant super colony, with millions of nests and billions of workers!

A Nigerian Lady, on Tuesday, October 22, 2019, took to her facebook page to share a relationship advice which she also tagged an ‘unpopular opinion’.The lady advised her fellow ladies not to turn down a date from a man because they have a boyfriend, and even if the man wants to be more than friends, the lady should politely say ”No i am not interested” as opposed to the conventional ”I have a boyfriend”Read her post below;Ladies, when a man ask you out on a date, do not decline because you have a boyfriend. Going out on a date is not to ‘make out’ but a friendly offer for the purpose of getting to know you better and be friends moving forward.Do not send good people out of your lives because you have a boo who probably has a boo.Even if a man wants you to be his lover, do not say,” I have a boyfriend”, just say a polite “no, I am not interested”.Let everything you do be about you and because of you. There are women who are married, who say “I am married” and have lovers anyway.So, be friendly, polite, respectful and firm. A decent man will not force it.I have great expectations this week and I pray your week goes according to plan.Cheers you all.Note!!!This message is an unpopular opinion,It is for the disciplined,smart and wise people..Not for everybody

Veteran Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw has condemned the act of ‘slay mamas’ using breaching cream on their babies.The ace actress, who frowned at such act, took to her Instagram page @k8henshaw to express how bad she felt, adding that there was nothing to glow in babies’ bodies, cautioning parents not to destroy children’s future for aesthetic values.She wrote: “This is where I draw the line!!! Selling all sorts of unverified products to mothers telling them to glow their babies with flawless shower bath!!“What is this self-loathing that you want to transfer to children?? For 20k or 30k you want to destroy a future for aesthetic value,” She said.She stressed on the spark out over skin transformation method involving a hot bath in order to wash away their coloured skin.The movie artiste, who doubled as an activist for women and kids, slammed any beauty therapist who used such procedure on kids.The 48-year old actress said that it was not proper for anyone to take children’s right in choosing their skin looks at such a tender age.The actress and fitness enthusiast is one of the elite group of actresses, who have significantly contributed to the Nollywood’s enduring reputation for creative excellence.Henshaw, an award-winning Nollywood star actress, producer, politician and fitness expert, is also a social advocate with interest in the welfare of her community.The Nollywood star commenced her acting career in 1993 with the movie “When the Sun Sets”, where she played the lead role.Her performance in the role opened up doors of opportunities for her in Nollywood.Henshaw has featured in over 100 movies, which include “Do Good Series”, Consequences When the Sun Sets, Above Death, In God We Trust, A Million Tears , My Little Secret , Games Men Play , Stronger Than Pain.In 2015, Henshaw took interest in politics and decided to represent and serve her people.Her aim was to represent Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal Constituency at the Federal House of Representatives under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but lost at the primary level.Henshaw was later appointed by the Governor of Cross River State, Benedict Ayade, as the Special Adviser, Liaison, Lagos.She has won numerous awards which include, Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in Lead Role 2008, City People Movie Award for Face of Nollywood (English) – 2015, Best Actress Award at ZAFAA for her role in the movie Iquo’s Journal – 2015 among others.Henshaw was once married to Roderick James Nuttal, and their union was blessed with a daughter Gabrielle Nuttal.

Veteran actor, Pete Edochie has frowned at the way Africans are adopting the doctrines and culture of the whites, thereby neglecting our own tradition and culture.The celebrated actor seriously whitewashed African men who kneel down to propose to their wives to be, all in the name of love. He said by so doing, you’re giving the woman power over you, thereby making her the head of the marriage.In his words; “Kneeling to propose to a woman is white people’s culture because women dominate there and have more right than men, it is not the African man’s ways”.He went on to remind us that, in the traditional setting, it is a woman who kneels to give drink to a man to show her loyalty, humility and total submission to the man and that’s the way it should be.“I didn’t kneel to propose to my wife and we’ve stayed 50years in our marriage, I took my time to woo her, when it’s time to settle down, I asked if she’ll marry me and that was it”, he said.He went on to give account of how the Whites came to Africa pretending to be archeologists but little did we know they came to destroy our culture and trade us.

One of the best things about learning something new is being able to share that knowledge with others. And while some facts are weird and wonderful and others are totally useless, there's a whole category oftrivia that is just so incredible you can't resist asking everyone you meet "Did you know this?!"1. Did you know grapes light on fire in the microwave?Back in 2011, a physicist at the University of Sydney went viral after he placed a grape in the microwave and filmed the fiery aftermath. And oddly enough, scientists couldn't explain the phenomenon until quite recently. A March 2019 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reported that the fruity fireball occurs as a result of the loose electrons and ions that cluster to form plasma when grapes get hot.2. Did you know the average mammal takes 21 seconds to empty its bladder?No one will blame you if you've never bothered to time yourself on the toilet. But you may be interested to know that researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology found that most mammals weighing more than six pounds take 21 seconds to pee. According to live science, this oddly consistent time is due to the fact that the urethra is "appropriately scaled" to be a "flow-enhancing device." And apparently, the perfectly enhanced flow takes 21 seconds to complete. It's one of the perfect did you know facts to try at home!3. Did you know the 1939 novel,Gadsby, is the longest book ever published that doesn't contain the letter 'e'?Back in 1939, American author, Ernest Vincent Wright, published Gasby, a 50,000-word novel that doesn't use the letter 'e' once. What's more, it's not the only novel that ditched the letter. Author Georges Perec also wrote the French-language book La Disparition without the letter 'e' in 1969. That's even more astounding when you consider that the letter 'e' is the most commonly used letter in the English (and French!) language.4. Did you know bubble wrap was originally invented as wallpaper?If you can't wait to pop every air-filled pocket the minute you pull a piece of bubble wrap out of a package, can you imagine how irresistible it would be if it was covering your walls?5. Did you know Santa Claus was given an official pilot's license in 1927?When Santa Claus makes his trip around the world on Christmas Eve, you can rest assured that he's legally allowed to drive his sleigh—at least in the United States. In 1927, the jolly man in the red suit was given a pilot's license from the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics William P. MacCracken.According to the Library of Congress, "The old saint called at the Commerce Department in Washington" and when he arrived, his picture was taken as he was given his license, airway maps, "and the assurance that the lights would be burning on the airways on Christmas Eve."6. Did you know Einstein's brain was stolen when he died?Einstein didn't want his corpse to be worshiped or his brain to be studied, so he instructed those who were responsible for his remains to "cremate them, and scatter the ashes secretly in order to discourage idolaters."7. Did you know Antarctica is covered in a sheet of ice that's 7,000 feet thick?For reference, that's about 19 football fields. The U.S. Antarctic Program also notes that if the ice sheet ever suddenly melted, it would raise the sea level worldwide an estimated 200 feet and submerge much of the Gulf and Atlantic coastal areas of the U.S.8. Did you know "arachibutyrophobia" is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth?It's pretty common to be afraid of heights and scared of spiders, but if you have arachibutyrophobia, you're among the smaller group of people that suffer from a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of their mouths. This phobia is often connected to a fear of choking or a fear of sticky textures, but it can also be its own isolated fear.9. Did you know birds in Minnesota get drunk off of berries?In October 2018, Gilbert Minnesota Police Department issued a public notice about birds that appeared to be "under the influence." It turns out that the airborne animals were apparently eating berries that had fermented due to early frost which was making them "tipsy." Unfortunately, this meant that the buzzed birds were acting confused and flying into windows. Hopefully, they were able to sleep it off.10. Did you know it only takes six minutes for alcohol to affect your brain?Just one drink can quickly go to your head, whether you feel it or not. Researchers at Heidelberg University Hospital found that just six minutes after consuming alcohol, changes are already taking place in the brain. So even if you don't feel tipsy right away, you're definitely not totally sober either.

The King of Pop has ranked No. 1 in this year’s list of highest-paid dead celebrities for the 7th consecutive year, despite recent controversy. His streaming jumped 2.1 billion U.S. spins from 1.8 billion a year agoForbes released its 2019 list of the Top-Earning Dead Celebrities on Wednesday, the day before Halloween.And Michael Jackson remains the King of Pop even in death, topping the list for the seventh consecutive year with $60 million in pretax income from Oct. 1, 2018, through the same date this year.

The Mariam Ashley Yusuf (MAY) Foundation says it will start sensitisation campaign against human trafficking and sexual abuse to secondary schools in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).Ms Ashley Yusuf, the President of the foundation said this in an interview with the Newsmen on Friday in Abuja.MAY Foundation is a humanitarian NGO that rallies support and lead advocacy for displaced and vulnerable persons as well as the less privileged.The NGO works in collaboration with relevant local and foreign humanitarian organisations as well as relevant government agencies that address social issues, including the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).According to Yusuf, the school campaign is a flagship initiative of the foundation geared toward sensitising teenagers and other vulnerable youths, especially those in secondary schools.“Our society today is being ravaged by the scourge of human trafficking, and at the rate it is going if not checked, it will overwhelm us in the next decade.“When talking about human trafficking and abuse, a lot of focus has always been on adults with little or no attention given to our young people in secondary schools.“They need to be educated on the menace of allowing themselves to be trafficked for whatever reason as they grow up and to avoid becoming victims of sexual abuse.“We are starting the campaign with selected Secondary Schools in Abuja including the Girls Secondary School in Dutse.“Teenage pregnancy is an issue plaguing the lives of young girls across the country, and it is caused by rape in many cases.“These vices strive on ignorance and that is why we going to sensitise these adolescents and equipped them with adequate knowledge for informed decisions,” she said.Yusuf that the school campaign team would include volunteered professional counsellors and officials of NAPTIP.She said that some of the victims of human trafficking, especially youths were actually in desperate search for greener pastures to cities and foreign lands because of harsh economic realities at home.She therefore appealed to government at all levels to make effort toward making life better for the average Nigerian, especially the youths.

Travelling on Nigerian roads have become more dangerous in recent times because of the activities of kidnappers and abductors. And the southwest roads are no different.As reported, bandits, including foreigners, have invaded southwest forests, where they have apparently set up temporary camps.From these camps, they intermittently storm the highways and kidnap travellers, whom they hold and only release in exchange for ransoms.They terrorise, defile and sometimes kill their victims.In view of this, here are 11 tips to save you from kidnapping on the southwest roads:1. Be vigilant at all times and review your security measures regularly.2. As much as possible, avoid travelling at night. Limit travel after dark outside city centres as far as possible; and avoid quiet and poorly lit roads.3. Take particular care if you’re visiting crowded public places or attending events which attract large crowds. Criminals often use these situations as cover for robbery and kidnapping.4. High-profile Nigerians are frequently targeted; so, be discreet in the kinds of gadgets you display in your car when on the road.5. Be mindful of curfews or restrictions that may be imposed on the movement of vehicles and persons, and don’t attempt to break any of them.6. Avoid carrying large amounts of cash and don’t wear valuable watches, jewellery or items of sentimental value that could attract undue attention to you.7. Be particularly vigilant when sitting in traffic jams or at traffic lights. Keep car windows up and doors locked, and make sure valuables are out of sight.8. If you feel your vehicle is being followed, drive to the nearest place of safety (e.g. the nearest police station).9. You should take particular care when driving outside cities, and consider travelling in convoy.10. If you are travelling by public transport, board in designated motor parks, rather than standing by the road to solicit free ride from strangers, or taking cheaper alternative that could prove unwise.11. If you’re driving your own car, don’t pick up people at random.(Source: Gov.UK)