After Crossing 52 countries, Rutherfot Becomes Youngest Person To Fly Solo World Round In Small Aircraft

By

-

August 25, 2022

Mack Rutherford, a 17 year old teenager has become the become the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a small aircraft.

Mack Rutherford landed at Sofia in Bulgaria, after a five-month journey across 52 countries. The trip took him through Europe, Asia, Africa, the US, across two oceans, with his plane touching down in the UK at Wick in Scotland and departing from London’s Biggin Hill Airport earlier this week.

Along the way, Mack, who is British-Belgian, encountered sandstorms in Sudan and spent the night on an uninhabited Pacific island.

After completing the feat on Wednesday, August 24, Mack encouraged others to “follow your dreams, no matter how old you are”.

“Work hard and move forward to achieve your goals”, he added.

The previous record holder for flying solo was British pilot Travis Ludlow, who was 18 years when he completed his journey last year.

Mack’s elder sister Zara is the youngest woman to fly solo around the world.

She completed her own journey in January this year and disclosed that she had “given him advice on the route” and she travelled to greet Mack as he returned to the starting point of his trip.

Mack, comes from a family of aviators. He set off from the Bulgarian capital on 23 March, experiencing extreme heat in Dubai and unexpected airport closures in India.

Mack also said he had slept in a shed beside a runway on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean after a “hairy moment” passing through through rain and low cloud.

In an earlier interview with CNN while he was part of the way through his journey, Mack described some of the beautiful places he was able to fly past, from wildlife in national parks in Kenya to the New York City skyline.

He added always having “something I can look at” helped him maintain focus in the low-altitude flights – which took up to 11 hours at a time.

Asked what his plans for the future were, Mack said: “I’m going to keep flying. I’m thinking of something like the air force, but I’m nowhere 100% sure on anything.

“After I finish this I’ve just got to focus on school and try and catch up as much as I can.”

With the feat he has now broken two Guinness World Records – becoming the youngest person to fly around the world solo, as well as the youngest to circumnavigate the globe in a microlight plane.

Katsina, UNICEF move to End Corporal Punishment In Schools

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

-

August 25, 2022

0

The Katsina State government has initiated moves to end corporal punishment in its schools, as part of measures to reduce the number of students abandoning their studies.

“Henceforth, any principals or teachers found administering corporal punishment on students and pupils will be dealt with,“ Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Lawal Buhari Daura, warned on Thursday in Katsina.

He spoke at a sensitisation meeting on ending corporal punishment in schools, organised in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), for various stakeholders in the education sector including select students from across various schools in the area.

Daura said that corporal punishment had posed a great challenge for several years as that measure of correcting erring students contributes immensely to the rise in the number of children who abandon school in protest.

He defined corporal punishment to also include hard Labour, bullying and the use of abusive language on students and pupils.

In his remarks at the programme, the state Coordinator of the Teachers Registration Council, Lawal Sani Galadinchi, noted that studies on the prevalence of “school violence against children worsen school attendance, lower reading ability and lower safety when travelling to and from schools.

“These findings have a huge implication on the educational system in Nigeria and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Corporal punishment as commonly used in the school setting is the use of force on individual learners to inflict pain on them for correcting misconduct.

“The perpetrators are usually school leaders, teachers, matrons, bullies and the victims are usually the learners.

Zamfara: Group Advocates Compulsory 12 Years Free Education for Children

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

-

August 25, 2022

2

A Civil Society Organisation, Connected Development (CODE), has called for the introduction of compulsory 12 years free education for Zamfara State children.

The call is contained in a statement issued by the Chief Executive Officer of the organisation Hamzat Lawal, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.

Lawal charged the State Government to guarantee free and quality education for children in the state, following its domestication of the Child Rights Act 2003.

He recalled that Gov. Bello Matawalle on August 17, signed the Child’s Protection Bill into Law in the state.

According to the statement, the Act serves as a comprehensive legal instrument for the protection of the rights of every Zamfara child.

It lauded the governor and State House of Assembly for domesticating the Act.

It argued that the full implementation of the legislation would prevent violations and abuse of the rights of every child in the state.

“It is counterproductive, if children are hindered from developing themselves to become fully-fledged and successful members of society, due to a collapse of the education sector.

“To guarantee the successful future of every child, CODE urges the Zamfara State Government to commit to 12 years of free and compulsory education for every child,” the statement added.

The group urged the governor to be part of its upcoming Education Summit, where the challenges facing the sector and solutions would be extensively discussed.

“The platform is dedicated to assembling critical stakeholders to rub minds on ways to improve school enrollment and retention in northern Nigeria,’’ it said.

It maintained that a key provision of the Act was for every child to have access to quality education.

It noted that the state had recorded a decline in children’s enrollment in schools of late, with insecurity and poverty “worsening the already dire reality”.

The statement added that reports showed that at least 20,000 senior secondary school students did not sit for the 2022 West African Examinations.

It attributed the development to the State Government’s inability to pay examination fees and also clear a backlog of over N1.6bn owed to the examination council.

“This raises concern about the state of education in the state, which is home to over 9.2 million citizens, according to the 2006 census,” it stated.

Pres. Biden Announces ‘$10,000’ Student Debt Relief For Americans

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

-

August 25, 2022

0

President Biden said Wednesday he is taking action to cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt for millions of Americans and an additional $10,000 for low-income borrowers while extending a pause on monthly payments, delivering long-awaited relief just weeks before the midterm elections.

Under the plan, borrowers earning less than $125,000 a year, or less than $250,000 a year as a couple, will be eligible for up to $10,000 in loan forgiveness. Recipients of Pell Grants, which are reserved for students with the greatest financial need, are eligible for another $10,000 in relief.

“An entire generation is now saddled with unsustainable debt in exchange for an attempt at least at a college degree,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. “The burden is so heavy that even if you graduate, you may not have access to the middle-class life that the college degree once provided.”

Current students will be eligible for debt relief as well, although future students will not be, according to senior administration officials who explained the details of the plan on a call with reporters. Undergraduate loan payments will also be capped at 5% of monthly income.

Biden said roughly 43 million borrowers will benefit from the debt forgiveness portion of his plan. About 60% of those borrowers are Pell Grant recipients and thus eligible for the $20,000 in cancellation, and 90% come from households making less than $75,000 per year. Biden said nearly 20 million people will have their debt fully canceled.

The president is also deferring student loan repayments until the end of the year, and the Education Department and the president said this will be the last time the pandemic-era pause is extended.

The Education Department said nearly 8 million borrowers will have their debt forgiven automatically, while others will have to apply for relief. The Department of Education will provide a short application for borrowers seeking debt relief in the coming weeks, Biden said. The Department of Education says borrowers can sign up to be notified when the application is available.
Income caps will be based on either 2020 or 2021 income. If a person or couple’s income was below the cap in either year, they will be eligible, a senior administration official said.

The move to forgive student debt follows months of internal White House deliberations over the feasibility and cost of doing so.

Biden made student loan forgiveness one of his top priorities during his presidential campaign.

A Penn Wharton Budget Model analysis concluded that forgiving $10,000 of student loan debt for those earning up to $125,000 a year would cost nearly $300 billion in the first year. It also found more than two-thirds of the debt forgiveness would aid Americans in the top 60% of earners.

ASUU Strike: NANS Backs FG’s ‘No Work No Pay’ Stance Against Union

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

-

August 25, 2022

0

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has attacked the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for refusing to suspend its ongoing strike over unpaid six months salary arrears.

ASUU had said in its recent meeting with the Federal Government said that it refused to call off the strike as government refused to pay its members six months salaries during the period they were on strike.

But NANS, in a statement issued by its president, Sunday Asefon, condemned in totality, the insistence of ASUU on the payment of a six-month arrears salary for the entire period of the strike before they could call off the strike.

According to NANS, this demand was not only insensitive, but also selfish, inconsiderate, and uncharitable.

It stated that the six months were periods of no work and that as much as it encouraged the government to pay their arrears irrespective, it was unfair to base the resumption of academic activities on full payment of the arrears.

The students said they had also unfortunately, noticed that since the beginning of the strike, ASUU had refused to put the students who were the major losers into consideration whatsoever.

“They have hidden from us the major areas of contention. Every other stakeholder, except ASUU, has met with us directly to discuss the issues.

“ASUU had masqueraded some of their interests as the interest of tertiary education in Nigeria, and at some point masqueraded their interest as the interest of the students. We know that ASUU is less concerned about the interest of the students because of our experiences with them at our various tertiary institutions,” it stated.

NANS added that university authorities had used ASUU members and leaders to expel, suspend and rusticate students for merely protesting for improved welfare.

“They expel and rusticate students for protesting for basic needs such as water, power, habitable hostel accommodation, etc.

“ASUU members arbitrarily failed students for questioning their positions or opinions and sometimes for asking too many questions. These same people cannot suddenly turn around to claim they are fighting for our interest, our interest they trample upon at every given opportunity at our various tertiary institutions,” the body said.

According to NANS, “We believe that if the government has met substantially major areas of their demand, ASUU should tread the path of honour by calling off the strike. We no longer believe that this continuous strike is fashionable, reasonable, justifiable, and necessary.”

Medieval Times’ Kynnersley Village Designated As Conservation Area

By

Angel Gimalo

-

August 25, 2022

0

A village in Shropshire has been designated as a conservation area.

Kynnersley dates back to medieval times, retaining part of the original road layout. It also features a number of cottages built in the 19th Century by the Duke of Sutherland for his tenants.

It is the eighth conservation area within the Telford and Wrekin borough.

Councillor Carolyn Healy said the local authority wanted to preserve “unique” towns and villages.

Telford and Wrekin Council said a conservation area was defined as an “area of special architectural or historic interest, the character and appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance”.

It means Kynnersley will have tighter planning controls, meaning the local authority will have to protect Kynnersley’s special character when deciding on planning applications.

Pollution Warning: French Appeal To EU Over UK Waste Sewage Discharges In Sea

By

Angel Gimalo

-

August 25, 2022

0

The UK is threatening health and marine life on the French coast by allowing raw sewage to be dumped in the Channel and North Sea, says three Euro MPs.

Pollution warnings have been issued for almost 50 beaches in England and Wales, after heavy rain caused sewage overflow to be diverted into rivers and the sea.

The French MEPs accuse the UK of neglecting environmental commitments and risking marine life and fishing.

British water companies have said they are investing in solving the problem.

Since its departure from the European Union, the United Kingdom had neglected its environmental commitments, the MEPs said in a letter calling for legal or political action from the European Commission.

A UK government spokesperson said their allegation was “simply not true”.

Despite no longer being bound by EU laws, the UK was still a signatory to relevant United Nations conventions on protecting shared waters, the MEPs argued.

The three MEPs all belong to French President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-EU En Marche party. One of them, Pierre Karleskind, chairs the European Parliament’s fisheries committee.

UEFA Champions League: Bayern Draws Barcelona, See Groups Full List

By

Emenike Agu

-

August 25, 2022

0

Bayern Munich were placed in the same section as Robert Lewandowski’s Barcelona in Thursday’s draw for the UEFA Champions League group stage in Istanbul, while Erling Haaland will face his former club as Manchester City were paired with Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern and Barcelona will also come up against Inter Milan in Group C, which is completed by the Czech champions Viktoria Plzen.

Bayern beat Barcelona 8-2 in a one-off quarter-final in Lisbon in 2020, while the Catalans also lost 3-0 twice to the Germans last season as they were eliminated in the group stage.

Lewandowski, 34, signed for Barcelona during the close season for a fee that could reach 50 million euros ($49.9m) after scoring 344 goals in eight years at Bayern.

Haaland left Dortmund for Premier League champions City in the close season. Those sides will also face Sevilla and Danish champions FC Copenhagen in Group G.

Last season’s beaten finalists Liverpool will play Ajax, Napoli and Rangers in Group A, while reigning champions Real Madrid will face Celtic as well as RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk in Group F.

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain — who again start among the favourites to win a trophy that has continued to escape them since the Qatari takeover of more than a decade ago — will meet Juventus as well as Benfica and Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa in Group H.

Chelsea, winners in 2021, will take on Serie A champions AC Milan as well as Red Bull Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb in Group E, while Tottenham Hotspur will face last season’s Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt along with Sporting Lisbon and Marseille in Group D.

Porto and Atletico Madrid meet for the second season running in Group B, which also featured Bayer Leverkusen and Belgian champions Club Brugge.

This season’s group stage will begin with the first round of games on September 6 and 7.

All six matchdays will be played in the space of nine weeks, finishing on November 1 and 2, with UEFA needing to complete the group stage before the World Cup begins on November 20.

See the groups below:

Group A
1. Ajax
2. Liverpool
3. Napoli
4. Rangers

Group B
1. Porto
2. Atlético
3. Leverkusen
4. Club Brugge

Group C
1. Bayern
2. Barcelona
3. Inter
4. Plzeň

Group D
1. Frankfurt
2. Tottenham
3. Sporting CP
4. Marseille

Group E
1. Milan
2. Chelsea
3. Salzburg
4. Dinamo Zagreb

Group F
1. Real Madrid
2. Leipzig
3. Shakhtar
4. Celtic

Group G
1. Man. City
2. Sevilla
3. Dortmund
4. Copenhagen

Group H
1. Paris
2. Juventus
3. Benfica
4. M. Haifa

Barton Villagers Rescue 700 Fish From Dried-Up Pond

By

Angel Gimalo

-

August 25, 2022

0

A team of villagers has rescued about 700 fish from a pond that had almost entirely dried up.

The volunteers decided to act after seeking advice when they were seen struggling in very low water in Barton, Cambridgeshire.

They were caught and moved to a temporary tank in a back garden, where they will remain until rain has refilled the pond.

The Environment Agency urged anyone who sees fish in distress to report it. A spokesperson said: “Moving fish without appropriate guidance could risk spreading diseases between waters.”

Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Draws: FIFA Declares Media Accreditation Proces opeN

By

Emenike Agu

-

August 25, 2022

0

FIFA is pleased to announce that the accreditatio for media representatives wishing to cover the Draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ has been launched.

The Draw will be conducted at the Aotea Centre in Auckland (Aotearoa New Zealand) on Saturday, 22 October 2022 at 19:30 local time.

Media accreditation for written press, photographers and non-right holders will be managed through the FIFA Media Hub and the deadline for accreditation applications is 30 September.

The media centre at the Aotea Centre will be open on Saturday, 22 October from 15:00 to 23:00 and a mixed zone will be in operation following the draw event. Please note that a media opportunity is currently planned for the morning of Friday 21 October at the Aotea Centre in Auckland. Other media opportunities, including a Māori cultural welcome, will be communicated closer to the event.

Information for TV and radio broadcasters

Please note that on the day of the draw, non-rights holders will have access to the Media Centre, subject to space availability, but will not be able to bring any recording/audiovisual equipment into the venue and will not have access to any activities taking place on site (including the actual draw ceremony and the mixed zone).

There is a separate accreditation process for FIFA Media Rights Licensees (MRLs) that is serviced by the FIFA Broadcaster Servicing team. A specific MRL link for the online accreditation registration will be made available to the MRLs by the FIFA Broadcaster Servicing team. Accreditations will be dependent on their booked services on-site.

Media Accommodation

Media with an approved accreditation will be able to book a room at the SkyCity Hotel or The Grand by SkyCity with a specific link to be provided with the accreditation approval letter. Media will have until 12 October to secure a room.

Important visa and COVID-19 information for entry to Aotearoa New Zealand

Media accreditation does not guarantee entry to Aotearoa New Zealand. The visa process can only be started once you have received your accreditation approval letter. Full instructions on the visa application process are available here . Further updates or changes to visa procedures and COVID-19-related health measures for accredited media representatives travelling to Aotearoa New Zealand will be communicated through the FIFA Media Hub, as and when it becomes available.