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President Buhari: There can’t be development in an insecure environment
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, underscored the need for adequate security in African countries. He said no growth or development could be achieved an insecure environment. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving a special envoy of the Algerian President, who is also the country’s Foreign Minister, Mr Sabri Boukadoum, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The statement was titled, ‘We’ll deepen economic cooperation with Algeria, President Buhari assures’. Buhari wondered what African leaders will bequeath to the next generation if they could not secure their countries. He said peace, tranquillity and security were essential in African countries. He said, “Unless you secure your environment, you can’t man...
Niger, Labour parley on slash in workers’ salaries ended in deadlock
The parley between officials of the Niger State Government and organised labour over the planned slash in workers’ salaries effective from November, which was held in Minna on Thursday, has ended in a deadlock. The government team was led by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, while the Chairmen of state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Yakubu Garba, and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Tanimu Yunusa, led the team for the organised labour. The meeting, newsmen learnt, did not convince representatives of labour on the need to slash workers’ salaries, resulting in both parties leaving the venue without any agreement. It was however gathered that the representatives of organised labour, at the meeting, punctured the claim by the government that it...
Tame Impala, Sampa The Great Dominate 2020 ARIA Awards
Sampa The Great made history in 2019 when she became the first woman of color to win the ARIA for best hip-hop release. The Melbourne-based artist made history again by snagging the award for a second time, one of a hattrick of ARIA wins on the night. The Zambian-born, Botswana-raised singer and rapper also took out best female artist and best independent release for her debut full-length album The Return, winner of the 2019 Australian Music Prize. Sampa also delivered one of the ARIA Awards’ highlights, a performance of “Final Form” shot in Africa. On receiving the hip-hop honor, she noted: “This award means a lot to me because hip-hop has been redefined in the past five, 10 years in Australia. Young black artists, colored people, keep doing what you’re doing. Keep bring...
Holiday shopping moves online amid surging coronavirus, retailers face shaky prospects
File Photo Long lines and crowds at shopping centers have been as much a Thanksgiving tradition as the turkey dinner, but this year, things could look different. As COVID-19 numbers continue to surge, rushing to brick-and-mortar retail stores might seem not so appealing to many, and the holiday shopping season is moving online. “More and more shopping was already moving online, but COVID-19 concerns are definitely accelerating the shift to online buying,” David Reibstein, a marketing professor from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, told Xinhua. The trend is evident as shown by recent data. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, reported that its third-quarter e-commerce sales surged 79 percent from a year ago. Amazon, the largest e-commerce retailer, reported a 37 percent ...
Indian farmers protest against farm laws
Police in India’s northern states Punjab and Haryana on Thursday had to stop the farmers at different inter-state borders from entering Delhi, who planned to protest against the recently passed farm laws. The protesting farmers contend that the three farm laws were detrimental to their interests. On the other hand, the federal government said the new laws aimed at “liberalizing” the farm sector and promising more incomes to farmers. A large number of farmers’ organizations in Haryana and Punjab states had called for a two-day protest in Delhi on Thursday and Friday. TV footages showed the farmers breaking the barricades installed by the police personnel. Some even threw the barricades into a river, while the police dispersed the farmers using water-canons and teargas shells. Thousands of f...
US Supreme Court bars New York from imposing attendance limit on houses of worship
The US Supreme Court has barred New York from imposing coronavirus restrictions on houses of worship in a ruling likely to be heralded by conservatives as a victory for religious freedoms. Services should not be treated differently from permitted secular gatherings, said the unsigned ruling, one of the first since the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett tipped the court’s balance to the conservatives. Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York state, had ordered that only up to 10 people could gather at sites of worship in high-risk areas designated “red zones”. The court was responding to two applications — from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, as well as two synagogues — claiming they were singled out under the restrictions designed to limit the contagion’s spread in hard-hit New Yor...
eGovernment: NITDA begins capacity building for ministries, agencies
Commonwealth of Nations The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Wednesday began a two-day virtual strategic capacity building workshop for federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). The exercise is being carried out to hasten the implementation of the National e-Government Masterplan and inculcate the use of Information Technology in government activities. The training is in three phases for directors of ICT and heads of procurement, network administrators and domain managers, while the third batch is for the NITDA team driving the digital transformation agenda. The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, who was represented by the Director e-Government Development and Regulation, Vincent Olatunji, in his opening remarks said the training aims at e...
Radiohead, Elbow Members Call for Better Streaming Royalties at Opening of UK Parliament Probe
Garvey and Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien were among a group of four artists and two industry analysts that provided evidence on the first day of the inquiry, which is anticipated to stretch for several months and will call upon executives at major labels and streaming platforms to answer questions. The Parliament probe — which so far is being done with witnesses testifying virtually, as the U.K. is in lockdown — is also addressing a lack of transparency in record contracts and opaque accounting practices, safe harbor provisions and the European Copyright Directive, which will hold online user-generated services like YouTube liable for unlicensed content. The inquiry comes at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has decimated income from touring, focusing artists’ attenti...
UNIOSUN student commits suicide
A 23-year-old 100 level student of Osun State University, Ikire campus Juba Orisajafor on Tuesday drank poison and died few hours he preached against suicide on his WhatsApp. It was gathered that Orisajafor on Tuesday morning around updated his WhatsApp status, condemning suicide. His post on WhatsApp reads: “Often time I ask myself, Why do people commit suicide? Perhaps because they’ve got no one to encourage, motivate or guide them or because they felt there is no solution to whatever problem they are going through. Perhaps they forgot there’s more to enjoy when there’s life (hope) is not lost”. A source told newsmen that one of the students in the hostel where Orisajafor was living saw him lying unconscious in front of his hostel around 6:30pm after taking a bottle of a sniper. “He was ...
Group rejects South-South governors desire to control NDDC
A Niger Delta group, Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD), has condemned the desire of South-South governors to control the affairs of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The group described as untrue governors’ claim that their demand for control is borne out of concerned about the rot in the NDDC. In a statement by Comrade Igbini Odafe Emmanuel, national president, the group reminded South South governors that their continued failure to utlilise oil derivation funds and other funds acruing to their states sparked the agitation for the establishment of NDDC, which “will operate independently and without direct or indirect interference or control by our state governors or their agents.” It described as insulting threat by South South governors over NDDC, queryi...
Joe Biden urges Americans to be safe during holiday, fight coronavirus pandemic
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday pleaded with Americans to take steps to remain safe as COVID-19 cases surge on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday and pledged again to make combating the pandemic a top priority when he takes office in January. “I believe you always deserve to hear the truth from your president. We have to slow the growth of this virus. We owe it to the doctors and the nurses and the frontline workers … We owe it to our fellow citizens,” Biden said. He urged people to forgo big family gatherings, wear protective masks and maintain social distancing. “I know we can and we will beat this virus,” Biden added, acknowledging that Americans are feeling pandemic fatigue. “Life is going to return to normal. I promise you. This will happen. This will not last forever.” T...
Manchester City ease into Champions League last 16
Manchester City booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League but there were more concerns for Pep Guardiola over his side’s lack of ruthlessness in a 1-0 win at Olympiakos on Wednesday. Phil Foden’s low strike nine minutes before half-time ensured City deservedly kept up their 100 percent record in Europe this season. But a one-goal margin of victory was a scant reward for the visitors’ dominance even with a heavily-rotated side. Guardiola made five changes to the team beaten 2-0 at Tottenham on Saturday to see City off to their worst league start since the first few months of the club’s Abu Dhabi-backed ownership. Scoring goals has been City’s big problem in the Premier League, but they had scored three in each of their opening three Champions League wins over Porto, Marseill...
