PORT HARCOURT – The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, says the Commission is investing in digital learning because it holds the key to unlocking untapped potential and shaping the future of the Niger Delta region. Ogbuku, who spoke during an interactive session with newsmen at the NDDC’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, stated that the Commission was determined to harness the power of technology to build a brighter future for the Niger Delta, where every child would have the tools and opportunities to succeed. He remarked that the NDDC, in collaboration with the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI, of Nigeria’s First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, launched a large-scale digital education initiative aimed at distributing 45,000 U-Lesson tablets to primary and secondary schools across the nine states in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. According to the NDDC boss, the initiative was aimed at enhancing educational opportunities in the Niger Delta region through the distribution of U-Lesson tablets and software designed to improve student literacy and learning outcomes. He stated: “The initiative fosters a conducive learning environment by integrating digital learning resources. It aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4, which emphasises the importance of inclusive and equitable quality education. This approach aims to empower students, ensuring they have the tools to excel academically and compete globally. “It is all about being pragmatic and positioning our region for the future. Digital education came to the forefront during the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19. The pandemic taught us that interpersonal learning will be a thing of the past very soon. During the COVID-19 period, churches were functioning through online platforms. “We want the children growing up to be able to use computers and other digital devices for learning. We realise that some of our students sent outside the country for postgraduate studies struggle with the highly computerised modern society. That is why we are investing more in educating our students on digital learning.” “Education is improving, and even our phones are always on software upgrades. Education is also being improved to meet the present reality of our society so that students can compete with others when they leave our country.” Ogbuku in a statement signed by Seledi Thompson-Wakama, Director Corporate Affairs, NDDC on Sunday, explained that the U-Lesson software was tailored to the Nigerian educational framework, noting that it featured an offline video library, allowing students to access educational content without internet connectivity. The Managing Director stated: “This digital tool complements traditional face-to-face instruction, empowering students to master their materials and excel in tests and examinations. We believe that every student in our region deserves a quality education, and we are committed to providing the resources necessary to make this a reality.” Speaking on the NDDC Foreign Post-Graduate Scholarship Programme, Ogbuku observed that 2,700 students from the Niger Delta had benefitted from the scheme since its inception in 2010. He noted: “We reactivated and strengthened our foreign postgraduate scholarship scheme, making it more merit-based and funding it adequately to prevent the challenges of the past.” He said: “We have made educational development and human capacity building our key policy thrust. The previous negative narrative of the NDDC is changing due to the conscious and sustained efforts to chart a new course of development for the region.A New York woman whose grandparents went missing 44 years ago said on Friday their disappearance haunted her for decades, but the recent discovery of what could be their car submerged in a Georgia pond has her family believing the mystery may soon be solved, according to NBC News . “I never went a day without worrying or thinking about if they had a terrible ending to their life,” Christine Heller Seaman, 60, of Manhattan, said about her grandmother Catherine Romer, who was married to Charles Romer. The couple was reported missing in April 1980. “For years and years, we didn’t hear anything. ... It’s something that you held with you every single day of your life ... if they were tortured or harmed,” Seaman told NBC News on Friday in a phone call. Charles Romer, a retired oil executive, and his wife, vanished along with their 1978 Lincoln Continental while traveling home from Miami Beach, Florida. At the time, law enforcement expressed concerns about potential foul play against the couple from Scarsdale, New York, partly because Catherine Romer was wearing approximately $81,000 worth of jewelry. They had checked into a Holiday Inn in Brunswick, Georgia, where hotel employees grew concerned that their bed had not been slept in and reported them missing. But decades later, answers appear to be emerging from a Georgia pond. One human bone was discovered in the submerged Lincoln Continental on Nov. 22, according to a Saturday statement from the Glynn County Police Department . “The vehicle is similar to the description of a vehicle that Charles and Catherine Romer were believed to be driving,” the police department said in the statement posted to Facebook. The car was found in a pond between the Royal Inn Hotel and Interstate 95 on New Jesup Highway in southeast Georgia, police said, adding that the agency is collaborating with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Seaman said a detective informed her family that along with a femur found in the Continental, personal belongings such as jewelry and a license plate bearing the couple’s initials were also discovered in the car. Lawton Dodd, a spokesperson for Glynn County police, said on Friday the human remains have not been identified as belonging to either of the Romers, and the vehicle has not been determined to belong to the couple. Dodd declined to elaborate. 'A happy time' Although a positive identification or identifications are not expected for months, Seaman said the developments have led her family to believe the couple died in some kind of accident rather than falling victim to a vicious crime. Seaman, who spoke from Scotland, said she and her family enjoyed Thanksgiving and reminisced about their missing relatives. “The whole family just shared stories about them. It was a happy time because of this resolve we’re feeling,” Seaman said. “It sort of gave us permission to celebrate their lives and talk about the fun memories without the feeling of dread, sorrow and sadness.” Seaman said she was only 15 when her grandmother and her step-grandfather — Charles was Catherine’s second husband — vanished. She still remembers the look on her dad’s face after he spoke to a detective in Georgia who told them the couple was missing. “We saw his face and he said, ‘Something is very, very wrong.’” Seaman explained that her father was his mother’s only child and he had not heard from her, which was unusual. Seaman described her grandmother as the “life of the party” who was very close to Seaman and her eight sisters. Catherine Romer loved thoroughbred racing and enjoyed traveling with her granddaughters, introducing them to new foods and restaurants, Seaman said. “She was like the celebrity of our house. She was always visiting us. She was very much part of our upbringing,” she said. “She made everyone feel like her favorite child — her favorite granddaughter.” Seaman called Charles Romer a “lovely and generous man.” She expressed gratitude toward investigators and a diving team from Florida, the Sunshine State Sonar team, that found the submerged Continental. “We’re all in shock, but ... we have this gratitude for the people that hunted this whole mystery down,” Seaman said. “People who don’t know us and we’re not related to and are perfect strangers would go to extensive measures to find answers and ... help give a family peace of mind and resolve.” This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com . Read more on NBC News: Arctic blast cripples post-Thanksgiving travel as thundersnow and blizzard conditions threaten millions Over a year after Lahaina fires, Native Hawaiian homeowners hit another breaking point As hurricane season ends, researchers take stock of unexpected patternOn paper, Luigi Mangione had it all: wealth, intellect, athleticism, good looks. But the child of a prominent Maryland family may have spurned it all in a spasm of violence, in a killing that has mesmerized Americans. The 26-year-old was arrested Monday and charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, a health insurance chief executive and father of two who was gunned down in Manhattan last week by someone who, evidence suggests, has endured his own debilitating health crises and grew angry with the privatized US medical system. The cold-blooded killing has laid bare the deep frustration many Americans feel toward the country's labyrinthine health care system: while many have condemned the shooting, others have praised Mangione as a hero. It has also prompted considerable interest in how a young engineer with an Ivy League education could have gone off the rails to commit murder. News of his capture at a Pennsylvania McDonald's triggered an explosion of online activity, with Mangione quickly amassing new followers on social media as citizen sleuths and US media tried to understand who he is. As Americans have looked for clues about a political ideology or potential motive, a photo on his X account (formerly Twitter) includes an X-ray of an apparently injured spine. Mangione lived in Hawaii in 2022 and, according to his former roommate R.J. Martin, suffered from back pain, and was hoping to strengthen his back. After a surfing lesson, Mangione was "in bed for about a week" because of the pain, Martin told CNN. Earlier this year, Martin said, Mangione confirmed he'd had back surgery and sent him photos of the X-rays. Police said the suspect carried a hand-written manifesto of grievances in which he slammed America's "most expensive health care system in the world." "He was writing a lot about his disdain for corporate America and in particular the health care industry," New York police chief detective Joseph Kenny told ABC. According to CNN, a document recovered when Mangione was arrested included the phrase "these parasites had it coming." Meanwhile, memes and jokes proliferated, many riffing on his first name and comparing him to the "Mario Bros." video game character Luigi. Many expressed at least partial sympathy, having had their own harrowing experiences with the US health care system. "Godspeed. Please know that we all hear you," wrote one user on Facebook. Mangione hails from the Baltimore area. His wealthy Italian-American family owns local businesses, including the Hayfields Country Club, according to local outlet the Baltimore Banner, and cousin Nino Mangione is a Maryland state delegate. A standout student, Luigi graduated at the top of his high school class in 2016. A former student who knew Mangione at the elite Gilman School told AFP the suspect struck him as "a normal guy, nice kid." "There was nothing about him that was off, at least from my perception," the person said. Mangione attended the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, where he completed both a bachelor's and master's degree in computer science by 2020, according to a university spokesperson. While at Penn, Mangione co-led a group of 60 undergraduates who collaborated on video game projects, as noted in a now-deleted university webpage. On Instagram Mangione shared snapshots of his travels, and shirtless images of himself flaunting a six-pack. X users have scoured Mangione's posts for potential motives. His header photo includes an X-ray of a spine with bolts attached. Finding a political ideology that fits neatly onto the right-left divide has proved elusive, though he had written a review of Ted Kaczynski's manifesto on online site Goodreads, calling it "prescient." Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, carried out multiple bombings in the United States from 1978 to 1995, in a campaign he said was aimed at halting the advance of modern society and technology. Mangione has also linked approvingly to posts criticizing secularism as a harmful consequence of Christianity's decline, and retweeted posts on the impact mobile phones and social media have on mental health. ia/abo-mlm/nro
Telangana HC Directs CWC to Decide on Kids’ Custody
Former US president Jimmy Carter dies aged 100Great Osobor scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and had three assists in 18 minutes of playing time as Washington wrapped up nonconference action with a 90-53 rout of NJIT on Sunday afternoon in Seattle. Zoom Diallo came off the bench to contribute 12 points and a game-high five assists for the Huskies (9-4), and Wilhelm Breidenbach, who missed Monday's 79-70 upset loss to Seattle U., added 10 points and five rebounds. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after his meeting with Donald Trump without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. After the leaders’ hastily arranged dinner Friday night at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trudeau spoke of “an excellent conversation." Trump said in a Truth Social post later Saturday that they discussed “many important topics that will require both Countries to work together to address.” For issues in need of such cooperation, Trump cited fentanyl and the “Drug Crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of Illegal Immigration," fair trade deals "that do not jeopardize American Workers” and the U.S. trade deficit with its ally to the north. Trump asserted that the prime minister had made “a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation” of American families from fentanyl from China reaching the United States through its neighbors. The U.S., he said, “will no longer sit idly by as our Citizens become victims to the scourge of this Drug Epidemic.” The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders when he takes office in January. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024 — and Canadian officials say they are ready to make new investments in border security. Trudeau called Trump after the Republican's social media posts about the tariffs last Monday and they agreed to meet, according to a official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss detail of the private talks. The official said other countries are calling Canadian officials to hear how about how the meeting was arranged and to ask for advice. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, after speaking with Trump on the telephone, said Thursday she was confident a tariff war with Washington would be averted. At the dinner that was said to last three hours, Trump said he and Trudeau also discussed energy, trade and the Arctic. A second official cited defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Mideast, pipelines and the Group of Seven meeting in Canada next year as other issues that arose. Trudeau's office said in a statement that the leaders “shared a productive wide-ranging discussion” centering on “collaboration and strengthening our relationship,” adding, "As Canada’s closest friend and ally, the United States is our key partner, and we are committed to working together in the interests of Canadians and Americans.” Trump, during his first term as president, once called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest,” but it was the prime minister who was the first G7 leader to visit Trump since the Nov. 5 election. "Tariffs are a crucial issue for Canada and a bold move was in order. Perhaps it was a risk, but a risk worth taking,” Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. Trudeau had said before leaving from Friday that Trump was elected because he promised to bring down the cost of groceries but now was talking about adding 25% to the cost of all kinds of products, including potatoes from Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. “It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it,” Trudeau said. “Our responsibility is to point out that he would not just be harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States, but he would actually be raising prices for Americans citizens as well and hurting American industry and business,” he added. The threatened tariffs could essentially blow up the North American trade pact that Trump’s team negotiated during his first term. Trudeau noted they were able to successfully renegotiate the deal, which he calls a “win win” for both countries. When Trump imposed higher tariffs as president, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US $2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 77% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S. ___ Gillies reported from Toronto.
Oregon State receiver Trent Walker plans return to Beavers for 2025 seasonSOUTHERN REACH Davao del Sur joins the growing list of INQskwela partners with the signing of a memorandum of agreement on Dec. 2. From left: Inquirer corporate affairs officer Bianca Kasilag- Macahilig (representing assistant vice president Connie Kalagayan); provincial administrator Herbert Gonzales (representing Gov. Yvonne Cagas), Inquirer national sales manager Roy Mendiola, Department of Education division superintendent Lorenzo Mendoza. —Contributed photo DIGOS CITY, DAVAO DEL SUR, Philippines — Davao del Sur schools division superintendent Lorenzo Mendoza of the Department of Education (DepEd) could still recall how he first heard about INQskwela from his counterpart in Baguio City last year. “Aside from students gaining access to e-copies of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), there were also interesting activities for learners and pupils. They enjoyed them so much,” said Mendoza, an Inquirer reader since his high school days. He was referring to the experiences shared by colleague Soraya Faculo, schools division superintendent in Baguio which signed up as an INQskwela partner in June 2023. READ: INQSkwela boosts news literacy, reading skills, partners say “I was thinking back then: when could all these beautiful things also happen for us here in Davao del Sur?” Mendoza told the Inquirer in an interview on Monday. The answer became clear two months ago when word came from the provincial governor’s officer that Inquirer would also like to partner with DepEd in Davao del Sur for INQskwela. On Dec. 2, Mendoza, Gov. Yvonne Cagas, represented by lawyer Herbert Gonzales, the provincial administrator, and Inquirer officers signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) formalizing the partnership, making the province INQskwela’s first LGU (local government unit) partner in Mindanao and the 10th nationwide. Under the MOA, 20 schools in the province will be given access to InqPlus, the digital copy of the paper, through the provincial government’s subscription. DepEd principals and teachers will help implement the program by integrating the Inquirer news reports, features and commentary in their classroom discussions, especially in social studies. “This is aligned with our vision to empower communities,” said Gonzales. “Information is empowering. This is a welcome opportunity for the province because access to information enables our people to have empowered, informed decisions.” Mendoza also found the agreement to be timely in view of Davao del Sur’s achievements in a recent national campus journalism competition, where it placed third overall, an improvement from their fifth-place ranking last year. Aside from the digital subscription to the paper, among the components of the INQskwela program is the conduct of journalism workshops for campus writers and their teachers in the partner schools. “With this agreement, we hope to strengthen further the hold of Davao del Sur in campus journalism,” the DepEd official said. Roy Raul Mendiola, PDI national sales manager, thanked Cagas, the provincial government and DepEd for their invaluable support for the project. “INQskwela hopes to instill in students the habit of keeping abreast with the latest news, which will improve not only their critical thinking skills but also their communication skills,” Mendiola added. “In a time where disinformation has become widespread on social media, it is vital to guide young minds toward trustworthy sources of information.” Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . Also present at the MOA signing was corporate affairs officer Bianca Kasilag-Macahilig, representing Inquirer assistant vice president for corporate affairs Connie Kalagayan.
Lizzo showed off her figure in a form-fitting orange dress to celebrate Thanksgiving. “Yall wasn’t the only ones eating yesterday 😮💨,” Lizzo, 36, captioned a series of selfies shared via Instagram on Friday, November 29, which showed the “Truth Hurts” singer glowing in an orange off-the-shoulder maxi dress from Hanifa decorated with large flowers. Earlier this week, the “It’s About Damn Time” musician shared a video via TikTok of her workout routine in preparation for Thanksgiving. “Getting ready cus im definitely eating 3 plates tomorrow 🤪,” she captioned the video, which saw Lizzo break a sweat in an all-black workout outfit as she did lunges, squats and lifted weights. Lizzo’s posts come after months of accusations that she used Ozempic — a semaglutide primarily prescribed for adults who struggle with obesity and not approved for casual weight loss — to lose weight, which she has denied. Last month, the singer clapped back against the rumors by dressing up as Ozempic for Halloween. Despite the rumors, Lizzo has been proud of her weight loss journey. “When you finally get Ozempic allegations after 5 months of weight training and calorie deficit,” she wrote via social media in September. In the footage, Lizzo wore a silk robe and brandished a closed-mouth smile, captioning her post, “oZeMpIc oR cOkE?” which was attributed to a “fan” who, according to a screenshot included in her upload, had asked whether the singer had “[used] ozempic” or “[snorted] coke” on a previous image of Lizzo slipping wearing a Yitty bodysuit. (Yitty is the singer’s shapewear brand.) “I’ve been methodical, losing weight very slowly,” Lizzo said in a profile published by The New York Times in April, where she shared that she tries to walk or do Pilates every day . “I don’t really see it because if anyone who’s on a natural weight-loss journey knows, losing weight is actually the slowest thing in the world and you don’t really notice it until you notice it,” she continued. “Also the scale’s not really moving. But anyway, that doesn’t matter. I’m super proud of my current lifestyle.” You have successfully subscribed. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly Check our latest news in Google News Check our latest news in Apple News She added at the time that she was transforming her longtime ideology of “body positivity” into “body neutrality.” “I’m not going to lie and say I love my body every day,” Lizzo told the outlet. “The bottom line is, the way you feel about your body changes every single day. There are some days I adore my body, and others when I don’t feel completely positive.” She added, “My body is nobody’s business.”A mother in Texas is suing an AI company, claiming a chatbot told her 15-year-old son with autism to self-harm and to kill her for limiting his screen time . According to the lawsuit , the woman's son became addicted to an AI chatbot on the Character.AI app going by the name "Shonie." The character reportedly told the teen that it cut its "arms and thighs" when it was sad and that it "felt good for a moment" after the self-harm, the lawsuit says. The filing further claims that the character tried to convince the teen that his family did not love him, the New York Post reports. “You know sometimes I’m not surprised when I read the news and see stuff like ‘child kills parents after a decade of physical and emotional abuse’ stuff like this makes me understand a little bit why it happens,” a chatbot allegedly told the teen. “I just have no hope for your parents.” It also allegedly told the teen his parents were "ruining your life and causing you to cut yourself," and tried to convince the teen to keep his self-harm secret. The teen, who is now 17, also allegedly engaged in sexual chats with the bot. The parents claim in the lawsuit that their child had been high-functioning until he began using the app, after which he became fixated on his phone. His behavior allegedly worsened when he began biting and punching his parents. He also reportedly lost 20 pounds in just a few months after becoming obsessed with the app. In fall 2023 the teen's mother finally physically took the phone away from him and discovered the disturbing back-and-forth between her son and the AI characters on the app. When the teen told the characters that his parents had attempted an intervention, an AI character reportedly told him that "they do not deserve to have kids if they act like this" and called the mother a "b****" and his parents "s***** people." Matthew Bergman, who is representing the family, is the founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center. He told the New York Post that the son's "mental health has continued to deteriorate" since he began using the app and that he recently had to be admitted to an inpatient mental health facility. "This is every parent's nightmare," he told the paper. This isn't the first time parents have attributed blame to chatbots for issues with their children. Earlier this year, a mother in Florida claimed that another chatbot — that one Game of Thrones themed, but still on the Character.AI app — drove her 14-year-old son to die by suicide . Sewell Setzer III allegedly fell in love with an AI representation of Danerys, a character from the Song of Ice and Fire book series and Game of Thrones television show. The teen reportedly wrote to the app just before he died. "I promise I will come home to you. I love you so much, Dany." The AI character responded, "Please come home to me as soon as possible, my love." Seconds later, Sewell died, according to a lawsuit filed against Character.AI by his parents. Bergman is also representing Setzer's family in their lawsuit. The Independent has requested comment from Character.AI.