NEW SPECIE OF MONKEY IDENTIFIED IN AFRICA


New monkey identified in Africa
A new species of monkey has been identified in Africa, the second one in 28 years, say scientists.
The primate was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo where it is known locally as a "lesula".
The species is separated from its nearest cousins by two rivers: the Congo and the Lomami.
Conservationists say the discovery highlights the need to protect the diverse wildlife of the Congo basin.
The discovery was published in the online journal Public Library of Science.
The first contact scientists had with the monkey was when they encountered a juvenile female, kept in a cage by a primary school director in the town of Opala.
He referred to the animal as a "lesula", a common name among local hunters, and it was taken into care and monitored by scientists.
During investigations in the local area the team found further captive monkeys and six months later they finally observed the long black limbs of the species in the wild.
"When we started our inventories in the [Tshuapa-Lomami-Lualaba] landscape we knew it was essentially unexplored but we did not imagine how important the biological discoveries would be," said Dr John Hart of the Lukuru Foundation, who led the project.
"We did not expect to find a new species, especially in a group as well known as the African guenons."
In the paper, the formal description of the species detailed their distinctive facial features: "A mane of long grizzled blond hairs frames a protruding pale, naked face and muzzle, with a variably distinct cream-coloured vertical nose stripe."
After genetic analysis identified the species as a member of the guenon group of Old World monkeys, scientists named it Cercopithecus lomamiensis after the nearby Lomami River
Researchers estimated the monkeys' range at around 6,500 sq miles in central DR Congo but voiced concerns that this relatively small distribution could make the animals vulnerable to human pressures, such as bushmeat hunting.
"The challenge for conservation now in Congo is to intervene before losses become definitive," said Dr Hart.
"Species with small ranges like the lesula can move from vulnerable to seriously endangered over the course of just a few years."
Biologists suggested that the previously unexplored forest could be home to more unidentified species.
"This discovery may be only the first from this remarkable but poorly known forest, located in the central DRC [DR Congo]," said anthropologist Andrew Burrell from New York University who was also involved in the study.
"Recent surveys have shown that the forest also harbours okapi, bonobos and elephants, as well as 10 other primate species or subspecies."
Dr Hart added that the region is now in the final stages of being declared a protected area: the Lomami National Park.
"The discovery of the lesula has extended our knowledge of the evolution and ecology of African monkeys, and in particular has confirmed the importance of a previously little-known region for primate diversity," he told BBC Nature.

SUCCESSFULLY UNDERSTANDING PHISHING AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF




Phishing – the act of attempting to acquire sensitive, confidential or security information by pretending to be a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. It is becoming more and more sophisticated and thus imperative that we re-educate ourselves to ensure we all become aware of how to detect phishing attempts and avoid being a victim.

The act of phishing involves the following stages:
·         Planning: The Phisher decides which business to target and determines how to get e-mail addresses for the customers of that business.
·         Setup: The Phisher creates methods for delivering the message and collecting the data. Most often, this involves e-mail addresses and a Web page.
·         Attack: The phisher sends a phony message that appears to be from a reputable source.
·         Collection: The Phisher records and collect the information victims enter into Web pages or popup windows.
·         Identity Theft and Fraud: The phisher uses the information gathered to make illegal purchases or otherwise commit fraud.

Two common techniques of Phishing are:
Link Manipulation: this is a form of technical deception that makes a link appear to belong to the spoofed organization. For example, see two links below – purportedly from GTB Plc and FEDEX:
If you move your cursor over the link without clicking on it the real link is displayed as shown below:
Website Forgery: this deception makes a fake website to appear as that of the spoofed organizations. The url in the example above takes you to a fake website that appears like that of GTB.

Of recent, it has been observed that many people have received mails supposedly from GTB, First Bank, Fedex, and other financial institutions.
Please note that financial Institutions will never e-mail or telephone customers to ask for their account number or other personal or security details. If you receive an e-mail claiming to come from your financial Institution, requesting personal account information, do not provide the details. You should never give your account, security or personal details in response to unsolicited communications claiming to be from any financial institution. Also if you receive any email from other institutions you do not have an account with, kindly disregard and delete.

In conclusion, please note that the use of your company provided email address in online social sites, newsgroups, forums and other online activities exposes your email address and the domain name to persons with malicious intents (email harvesting spammers).
 whenever in doubt, we encourage you to avoid clicking on any suspiciously looking link and/or open any such email(s); kindly contact the IT Service Desk immediately.

NIGERIA'S CURRENCY RESTRUCTURING CONTROVERSY: WHAT CBN WANTS YOU TO KNOW

There has been lots of controversies over the proposed currency restructuring moves by the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN). The proposed introduction of new coins does not go down well with the people because apart from the fact that many people do not like using coins ( I do not like coins either), many experienced economists are of the opinion that minting coins is more expensive than notes and the metal value is often more than the face value.

The proposed 5,000 naira note is believed will only cause inflation and more hardship. This has even caused a serious blasting of the former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo by the CBN Governor. Add to that the rumour that the CBN will use 40billion to print the new currencies. The CBN has decided to clear the air with the press statement below. Read, download and share

JTF UNCOVERS FILLING STATION USED FOR ILLEGAL REFINERY. ARRESTS TWO


Men of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) yesterday recorded success in their mandate to put operators of illegal refineries out of business. They uncovered a filling station, Nenco Oil, alleg-edly used by suspected oil thieves as a cover for illegal business. The JTF officials also arrested the two suspected oil thieves - Edwin Nnana and Bernard Eze. The suspects were said to be using the filling station to refine crude oil.
The back of the filling station accessed by two gates on the left and right extremes, is a large expanse of land littered with crude storage tanks, underground tanks, dugs, liquid pumps, pipes and other paraphernalia used to refine crude. Investigation by National Mirror indicated that the filling station is always without fuel to sell to motorists, but tankers were always seen loading petroleum products there. The owner of the filling station and some others, who escaped through a back gate behind the station, is still at large.
The JTF men stormed the premises after a tip-off by members of the public. Aside the two suspects arrested, two tankers used to transport fuel were seized.
One of the tankers was empty, while the other was loaded with 33, 000 litres of illegally refined AGO (diesel). The JTF also recovered a fire fighting truck loaded with diesel, and several vehicles suspected to be used in transporting stolen crude to the illegal refinery.
The Army Public Relations Officer (APRO), 2 Brigade, Port Harcourt, Maj. Michael Etete, said that oil thieves were ruining the nation’s economy and that the JTF would not relent in its efforts to ensure that they were put out of business.
Etete said: “Any tanker carrying illegally refined products will not escape the scrutiny of the JTF.” The arrested suspects, however, told journalists that they were not aware that their employer’s business was against the law.

US WILL CONTINUE TO REMEMBER SEPTEMBER 11: OBAMA DECLARES



The victims of September 11 will be remembered “no matter how many years pass,” President Barack Obama said yesterday during one of the three main ceremonies marking the 11th anniversary of the attacks in which nearly 3,000 people were killed by airliners hijacked by Islamist militants.
Two of the passenger jets brought down the Twin Towers of New York City’s World Trade Centre, another hit the Pentagon outside Washington and a fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania when passengers aboard that flight fought back against the hijackers.
Obama, speaking at the Pentagon where 184 people were killed, told victims’ families that the country shares their loss.
Speaking under clear blue skies that recalled the crisp morning of September 11, 2001, Obama said America’s fight is not with Islam but with al Qaeda, the group responsible for the attacks, and its allies. It is a line he has used several times since taking office promising to mend ties with the Muslim world.
Before the Pentagon ceremony, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama observed a moment of silence on the South Lawn of the White House. Afterward they stopped at Arlington National Cemetery, where the two paid their respects at the graves of military service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.