STAR TV

Abuja — The Senate has begun a probe into non-payment of all severance, gratuities and pensions arrears to retired state judicial officers by state governments. Against this backdrop, the Senate yesterday mandated its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to carry out a holistic investigation on the issues surrounding the non-payment of these entitlements and report back within four weeks. The Senate also mandated the committee to review the laws impeding the harmonization of the processes and prompt payment of retirement benefits of all judicial officers in the country. The upper chamber urged the National Judicial Council, NJC to harmonise the payment of retirement benefits of all judges of superior courts of records in the country as it had done with the salaries and emoluments of retired judicial officers listed in Section 6 of the Constitution. The resolutions were sequel to a motion by Senator Chukwuka Utazi, PDP, Enugu

People with depression and social anxiety have some common and specific structural abnormalities in their brains that can be spotted in imaging scans. This was the major finding of a study from Sichuan University in Chengdu in China, which features this week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, IL. The researchers — Dr. Youjin Zhao and co-author Dr. Su Lui — came to their conclusions after examining high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans of 37 people with major depressive disorder (MDD), 24 with social anxiety disorder (SAD), and 41 people in good health (the controls). They looked for differences in the gray matter of the brain, focusing specifically on the thickness of the cerebral cortex, a thick outer layer of tissue that is densely packed with neurons and deals with most of the brain's information processing. MDD, commonly referred to as depression, is a serious medical illness characteriz

RUMORS have been swirling for weeks that Harry Styles had been booked for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and now the lingerie giant has confirmed that the former One Direction star will indeed perform at the Shanghai catwalk spectacular on November 20. Styles, in his Gucci suited glory, will join Grammy-award winning artist Miguel, Hamilton star Leslie Odom Junior and Chinese pop sensation Jane Zhang onstage at Shanghai’s Mercedez-Benz arena. “We started booking our musical guests months ago when Harry Styles, international superstar, signed on,” Ed Razek, chief producer of the Victoria’s Secret show, told People . In response to reports suggesting that Katy Perry had been denied a visa and could no longer join Styles and Miguel in Shanghai, Razek said that the brand’s dealings with Chinese authorities had only been harmonious. “The news reports I’ve been reading from the US here in Shanghai regarding this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show are not an acc

The world's biggest fan-voted award show is almost here! If you didn't already guess, the 2017 American Music Awards are set to air this evening on ABC. Lucky for fans across the country,  the biggest names in music are getting ready to celebrate. Nick Jonas , Lady Gaga , Christina Aguilera , Selena Gomez , Florida Georgia Line  and Shawn Mendes are just some of the talented artists who will take to the stage and perform at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. In addition, the three-hour telecast will feature plenty of awards including the influential Artist of the Year trophy. As host Tracee Ellis Ross makes the final touches to her jokes, we're celebrating the big winners of the night below. Keep checking throughout the evening to see who America voted for. And make sure to watch the 2017 AMAs tonight at 8 p.m. only on ABC. Lifetime Achievement Award WINNER: Diana Ross Artist of the Year Bruno Mars The Chainsmokers Drake Kendrick Lamar Ed Sheera

David Cassidy is in the hospital in critical condition -- his organs are shutting down, and as one source put it, "It's looking grim." We're told David was rushed to a Florida hospital 3 days ago ... and his condition has been worsening since his admission. We're told he's suffering from organ failure and unless he gets a liver transplant soon he could soon die. We're also told he's suffering from kidney failure. David, we're told, was in an induced coma but is now in and out of consciousness. David's family has been arriving at the hospital to comfort him. The 67-year-old former Partridge Family star has been in failing health for more than 2 months ... this according to sources connected to the family. We're told doctors have made it clear to the family ... with Cassidy's organ deterioration, they need to prepare for the worst.

 Zimbabwe's ruling party has sacked President Robert Mugabe as its leader, officials say. Zanu-PF has appointed ex-vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, who had been fired by Mr Mugabe two weeks ago. The sacking of Mr Mnangagwa had prompted an extraordinary chain of events as the military intervened to block Mr Mugabe, 93, from installing his wife, Grace, in his place. Mr Mugabe is set to meet military leaders on Sunday and a motorcade has been seen leaving his private residence. Tens of thousands of Zimbabweans had attended street protests on Saturday, demonstrating against the Mugabes. BBC correspondent Andrew Harding, at the Zanu-PF meeting, tweeted a video of people dancing after the decision to remove Mr Mugabe was taken. He said cheering erupted as the decision was announced, although the move has yet to be formalised. But it increases further the pressure on Mr Mugabe that has been building over the past few days, and there are now moves to impeach him as

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has begun the release of official results for the governorship election held in Anambra state yesterday. In the official results released so far, the Anambra State Governor and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Willie Obiano, has won all five local government areas announced. He is trailed closely behind by Tony Nwoye of APC. Anyamelum LG Registered voters – 60,034 Accredited voters – 23,837  APC 5, 412 APGA 14, 593 PDP 2, 323 UPP – 77 Total valid votes – 22,646 Rejected votes – 989 Total votes cast – 23,635 Five polling units in Awka South had their result cancelled. The result from a ward was rejected owing to over-voting. A total of 9, 064 votes were cancelled. Awka South LG   Registered voters – 149,279 Accredited voters – 36,114 APC – 6, 167 APGA – 18, 957 PDP – 5,354 UPP 150 Valid votes – 31,365 Rejected votes – 1905 Total Votes cast – 33,270 Dunukof

The most populated country in Africa, Nigeria has become an untapped tourist paradise with long stretches of exotic beaches, lush mountains, well preserved tradition and culture and enchanting tourist attractions. From the spiritual shines to the ancient cities of the north, from the river deltas to the Yoruba kingdoms, the Ibo’s stunning environments and among many simply pure sceneries; Nigeria leaves every visitor breathing hard with suspense and excitement. Of Course, vacations are always unique, thanks to the fact that they give us an opportunity to spend some quality moments with our beloved family members, grow the connections more strong and last but not the least make some lifetime memories.  And, if you are looking for a perfect place to jet off with your family for such a fantastic holiday then Nigeria can be one of the best places to be. Moreover, you can make the whole episode a frugal one even, thanks to the lucrative Travelodge offers . Ye

At the Singapore Botanic Gardens Children's Festival, kids get to take part in more than 100 free programmes With more than 100 free programmes available, families can look forward to two fun-filled weeks at the inaugural Singapore Botanic Gardens Children's Festival. Organised by the National Parks Board (NParks), the festival offers children a plethora of options, from hands-on activities and performances to movie screenings and food and games. The festival is aimed at helping families and other visitors experience and appreciate the biodiversity and natural heritage of the Gardens. Dr Nigel Taylor, group director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, says: "We hope families will have an enjoyable time learning and bonding through participating in the various activities." Held from Nov 11 to 26, the festival areas are the Eco-Garden and Jacob Ballas Children's Garden. The two locations are within a three-to 10-minute walk from the Gardens'

The man accused of killing eight people in New York by driving a truck down a cycle lane was inspired by the Islamic State (IS) group, police say. New York Police's Deputy Commissioner John Miller said that notes in Arabic claiming the attack on behalf of IS were recovered from the scene of the attack in Lower Manhattan. The suspect, Sayfullo Saipov, a 29-year-old Uzbek immigrant, was shot and injured by police. He is in hospital and under arrest. Mr Miller said: "Based on the investigation overnight, it appears that Mr Saipov had been planning this for a number of weeks. "He did this in the name of Isis [an alternative name for IS], and along with the other items recovered at the scene was some notes that further indicate that. "He appears to have followed almost exactly to a 'T' the instructions that Isis has put out in its social media channels before, with instructions to their followers on how to carry out such an attack."