This is getting serious: Gay Marriage is now legal in Ireland

Same-sex marriage is now legal in the Republic of Ireland, after legislation passed by referendum in May came into effect Monday.

The Irish state became the first in the world to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote when the Marriage Act 2015 was passed.

Same-sex couples who have been wed abroad will now be legally recognized by the state, while gay and lesbian couples who want to marry will be able to do so. People already in civil partnerships can now choose to wed as well. The law will not affect the legal status of existing civil partners who do not want to get married.

The new act only applies to civil marriage, so any religious organization or Irish church that objects to the new law will not be forced to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

Meanwhile, two men, Richard Dowling and Cormac Gollogly will walk down the aisle today, thereby making history by becoming one of the first, if not the first same sex marriage registered in Ireland.

BBC report

50 Dance clubs and 100 game centers shut down in KANO

The Kano State Film Censorship Board has closed down over 50 solo dance houses and 100 games clubs for exposing underage girls to prostitution and encouraging truancy among pupils and students.
The agency said apart from enticing innocent girls to indulge in prostitution and other social vices, some of the girls were impregnated in the clubs.

Premuim Times reports that ,he executive secretary of the board, Ismail Afakallah, noted that only last week before they effected the closure of the dance houses, there was a case of two teenage girls impregnated in one of the houses.

He said the government took “harsh position” to ensure that the state was free of vices that corrupt the morals of the society.

Commenting on the closure of the game centres, Mr. Afakallah said the addictive tendencies of the game clubs encourage theft and truancy among pupils and students.

“Because of the hazard of such game clubs in breeding delinquent elements in Kano, the censorship board had no option but to close down the houses,” he said.

Photos: Eyeball Tattooing is the new trending thing now despite warnings it can cause blindness

Eyeball tattooing is reportedly gaining traction in Australia, despite medical professionals warning it can cause blindness and cancer. At least 20 Australians have permanently inked their sclera - the white area around the iris – in the practice founded by American body modification specialist, Luna Cobra.

Despite optometrists cautioning the dangers of the practice, people are increasingly undergoing the sclera inking in a bid to stand out.


'I think it's just becoming a trend among people that just want to be super-extreme. But the worry is that they are just getting anyone to do it — or doing it themselves,' Luna Cobra told News Corp.

His practice, which was inspired from a friend photoshopping his eyes in an image, involves injecting ink directly into the eyeball, which spreads and colours the white of the eye.

Senate asks JAMB to extend validity of results to 3 years

The Senate, yesterday, directed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, to extend the validity of its results to a period of at least three years. JAMB was also ordered to immediately stop its policy of re-assigning candidates to schools they didn't apply to, saying such policy was contrary to the act establishing the board.

The order came following a motion entitled: ”JAMB’s New Admission Policy, “ sponsored by Senator  Joshua  Lidani, APC, Gombe South, which was debated during plenary.

They also urged JAMB to consult widely with Parents Teachers Association, PTA, ASUU and all other stakeholders in the education sector with a view to coming out with a friendlier holistic, comprehensive and sustainable admissions policy.

It also directed its Committee on Education to enquire into circumstances surrounding the JAMB policy, including all allegations of favouritism and generally review the power of JAMB vis-a-vis administration and submit findings within one week.

Lidani said JAMB, at its 2015 Combined Policy Meeting, held on July 14, 2015, in Abuja, announced the adoption of a policy whereby candidates of universities with surplus applicants for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, UTME, were reassigned to other universities with lower number of candidates than their capacities. Which he said was inappropriate because some candidates get sent to private universities that they cant afford.

Source: Vanguard

Graphic Pix: 32 killed, 80 injured in bomb attack in Yola yesterday

32 people have been confirmed dead while 80 others were injured in the bomb attack at a motor park in Jambutu in Yola, Adamawa state yesterday November 17th. The incident occurred at about 8.30 last night. Found a very graphic picture from the scene of the incident..if you have the heart, see it after the cut...

Lola Omotayo's loving birthday shoutout to her hubby

Peter Okoye is a year older today and his wife Lola shared this photo and wrote "To my boo of life, the king of my dreams, my hot chocolate, my love, my delight, the father of my beautiful children I celebrate your life today. Happy birthday my darling husband. May you always fly high in life and touch all your dreams. May God bless you with happiness, joy, continued success, wisdom and peace. Gold, platinum or diamonds are not enough to express your worth. May God continue to protect you for us. Your best years are still ahead IJN. I am proud of the man that you have become and I love you plenty my sweetheart. Have a fantastic day today"

Fayose's fate to be known at Supreme Court today

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state will today know his fate as the Supreme court will be delivering judgement on the petition filed by the APC challenging his victory at the June 21 2014 governorship election. APC in its petition, had alleged that unlawful use of soldiers, intimidation of its supporters and compromised ballot papers were used to achieve his victory at last year's elections. The APC had lost in an earlier petition at the Ekiti state Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on December 19, 2014 which upheld Governor Fayose’s victory. A dissatisfied APC approached the Supreme court for further hearing on the matter.

Meanwhile tension has reportedly gripped the state as both party supporters are awaiting the outcome of the supreme court judgement today.