Politics
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Lagos seals 56 illegal structures in Ikoyi, Banana Island
The Lagos State Government has asked 56 property owners sealed in Ikoyi and on the Banana Island axis to produce their building plan permits and evidence of stage certification. The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, said this in a statement released to newsmen by Mr. Mukaila Sanusi, the spokesman of the ministry on Sunday. Salako had during an ongoing Special Enforcement Operations, said that the government was alarmed at the rate of unapproved and illegal structures springing up in Ikoyi and on Banana Island of the state. “The exercise continues to send strong signals of government’s determination to guard the State Operative Development Plans. “Also, it is meant to curb illegal physical developments as the buildings/building construction sites se...
4 Ways Digitisation Can Unlock Africa’s Recovery from COVID-19
Four steps to achieve a digital society for all Africans and avoid the stalling of African digitisation: 1. Bridging the digital divide Broad-based digitisation, especially for those people at the bottom of the pyramid, is an effective measure to ignite and sustain economic growth, and it starts with ensuring access to digital infrastructure for all. A study by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) found that expanding mobile broadband penetration by just 10% in Africa would equate to an increase of 2.5% in GDP per capita. Yet, traditional models for investing in digital infrastructure do not stack up in many rural or remote areas, due to a combination of high deployment costs, regulatory barriers and poor returns on capital. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_101.td-a-rec-img{ text-align:...
WHO: Africa’s coronavirus cases exceed 230,000
Flickr The World Health Organisation, Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, says the number of coronavirus cases in Africa is now over 230,000. The UN health agency gave the update on its official twitter account @WHOAFRO on Sunday. It stated that “there are over 230,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent – with more than 105,000 recoveries and 6,200 deaths.” WHO also noted that South Africa, Nigeria, and Algeria had the highest reported cases on the continent. According to the organisation, South Africa has 65,736 cases and 1,423 deaths, followed by Nigeria with 15,181 confirmed cases and 399 deaths, while Algeria has 10,810 confirmed cases and 760 deaths. WHO said that Lesotho, Seychelles and Gambia are countries currently with the lowest confirmed cases on the...
Jigawa ex-speaker drags speaker to court over committee chairmanship
The previous speaker in the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Isa Idris, and three other House members have vowed to challenge the current Speaker, Alhaji Idris Garba, for stripping them of committee chairmanships. The aggrieved members include the former majority leader from Gumel constituency, Alhaji Isa Isyaku, who was until his removal the Chairman of the Emergency Relief Committee, while the former chief whip from Ringim constituency, Alhaji Aminu Sule, was Chairman, House Committee on Due Process. Former Speaker Idris, who was the Chairman, House Committee on Dutse Community Development Authority (DCDA), was stripped of his chairmanship along with a member representing Taura, Alhaji Dayyabu Shehu, was removed as Chairman, Committee on Petitions. The embattled members have accu...
Pastor Adeboye: I will not rest in prayers until rapists are brought to justice
The General Overseer (GO) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, says he and his prayer warriors will not rest in prayers until the perpetrators of rape are accorded stiffer penalty. Adeboye said during a live programme on DOVE TV, monitored in Ibadan on Sunday, that the issue of rape had become rampant in the society. He described rape as bad and unbiblical that it could leave a permanent scare on the victim for the rest of her life. According to him, there is no pain that can be compared to the pain on the parents whose daughter had been raped. “Myself and prayer warriors will not rest in prayers until the perpetrators of this evil are brought to justice, not only in Nigeria but all over the world. “Everyone who has ever committed rape, particularly in Nige...
Turkey and Russia put off talks expected to tackle Libya and Syria
Russia and Turkey have postponed ministerial-level talks which were expected to focus on Libya and Syria, where the two countries support opposing sides in long-standing conflicts. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov decided to put off the talks during a phone call on Sunday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. “The two countries deputy ministers will continue contacts and talks in the period ahead. Minister-level talks will be held at a later date,” the ministry said in a statement. Lavrov and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had been set to visit Istanbul for the discussions. The Russian foreign ministry said discussion will be held on the date of the ministers’ meeting. The United Nations said this week that warring sides had begun ne...
South African Government Working on Plans to Re-Open Cinemas Across the Country
A new set of regulations gazetted by the SA government on Thursday shows that movie theatres might be opening again across the country sometime soon. Cinemas are currently closed, not allowed to operate during Level 3 of the national lockdown. For it now it seems that the new government regulations have included theatres and cinemas in an arrangement that allows competitors to negotiate amongst each other, and with their landlords in order to lower rent and allow for rent holidays. In normal times, these negotiations are restricted by South Africa’s competition laws. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_eae.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_eae.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “The Department (of trade and industry) has received representation from stakeholders in the cinema exhibition ind...
Why 5G is a Must for Post-COVID South Africa
The widespread lack of internet access for most South African households, coupled with the expectation for remote working and learning to be the new norm in post-lockdown society, is placing greater importance on next-generation 5G technology, which will play a critical role in the country’s socio-economic growth and recovery following the impact of lockdown regulations. This was revealed by Willem Roos, the CEO of rain, during the most recent edition of the Business Lecture Series hosted by Stellenbosch Network in conjunction with Stellenbosch University’s LaunchLab. The Business Lecture Series is the latest in a line of events curated by Stellenbosch Network to help educate local leaders and entrepreneurs from across society so that they can better adapt their operations, seek out new op...
Taylor Swift Calls for Permanent Removal of “Racist” Confederate Statues
The Black Lives Matter protests spurred by George Floyd’s murder aren’t stopping anytime soon — unless, of course, racial equity magically appears overnight. While marching for racial justice and calling for the police to be defunded, protestors have begun taking it upon themselves to dismantle, if not destroy, statues honoring white supremacists from history like Robert E. Lee and John B. Castleman. As it turns out, they have a huge celebrity supporting that cause: Taylor Swift. On Friday, the Grammy-winning pop star released a statement calling for the permanent removal of all Confederate statues in Tennessee. “As a Tennessean, it makes me sick that there are monuments standing in our state that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things,” Swift wrote on Twitter. “Edward Car...
Inadequate Investment in Cybersecurity is Behind Increase in Cyber Attacks
Following on this week’s Life Healthcare cyberattack, the issue of cybersecurity has once again been brought to the fore as businesses and individuals are forced to evaluate whether measures in place are strong enough to withstand major breaches in their security. Life Healthcare is the third major South African company that has been targeted by hackers this year. In February, Nedbank warned that the information of about 1.7 million clients was potentially affected by a data breach, and the following month chemicals and fertiliser maker Omnia Holdings said it’s IT infrastructure was subject to a cyberattack. Amongst the other big businesses that have been targeted in South Africa are Johannesburg City Council, Capitec Bank and Telkom. The trend is also true for the rest of the continent. I...
Keep IT Costs Down with Managed Data Services
Sourced from Shutterstock The arrival of COVID-19 and its impact on the economy threatens to undo the careful technology investments made by businesses. Over the past decade, digital-centric and data-driven business environments have been gaining momentum, taking advantage of new breakthroughs such as cloud, advanced process automation, data analytics, remote working, etc. But now there is a real chance that these investments could be undone or, more likely, fail to reach their intended potential. It’s ironic, considering that these same investments have been helping companies adapt to the changes created by the pandemic. For example, those organisations that could safely and confidently switch to employees working from home rely on their modern digital environments. Now all that is under ...
South Africa’s CO.ZA Reaches 1.25 Million Registered Domain Names
There are now over 1.25 million individual domain names registered within South Africa’s flagship CO.ZA Internet domain, according to the ZA Central Registry NPC (ZACR). “It speaks volumes that CO.ZA has powered over the 1.25 million mark during the current lockdown as anecdotal evidence suggests South Africans are increasingly snapping up domains to help them launch businesses, pursue creative and study endeavours, secure their digital identities and generally become much more active online,” says Lucky Masilela, ZACR CEO. New domain name registration by SMMEs (Small, Medium & Micro Enterprises), in particular, has picked up significantly since late March with many new CO.ZA registrations since lockdown by small business owners who find this domain delivers the perfect blend of afford...
