Exploring Modern Structure In Form Of Pyramid: Palace Of Peace And Reconciliation, Kazakhstan

By

-

July 18, 2022

The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, sometimes referred to as the Pyramid of Peace and Accord, is a modern structure in the form of a pyramid that serves as an event venue which is located in the capital city of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan (Astana).

Representing a symbol of friendship, unity and peace, the construction of this modern marvel was suggested by Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, who wanted it to be built in order to be the center of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional religions that takes place every year in Astana.

Built between 2004 and 2006, the Pyramid was designed by the famed British architect Norman Foster who created this modern architectural masterpiece that has a floor area of about 28,000 square meters (300,000 square feet) and incorporates also an opera house, educational facilities, exhibition halls, a gallery, a press center and a national center for Kazakhstan’s various ethnic and geographical groups.

The base of the structure is 62 meters (203 feet) long and wide, with the highest point being too 62 meters (203 feet) above the surrounding area, and it is entirely built-in stone with glazed inserts that allude to the various internal functions, while at the top is an apex of stained glass that was designed by the artist Brian Clarke.

Within the building, the entire space is organized around a soaring central atrium that is often animated shifting colored light patterns, and there is even a glass lens in the floor which casts light down into the auditorium, creating a sense of vertical continuity from the lowest level to the highest point.

Supported by four inclined pillars that are referred to as “the hands of peace”, the assembly chamber is where most of the main events are taking place.

Still, one of the greatest challenges for the building is the harsh weather of Astana that varies greatly in winter and summer.

That is why the engineers had to construct a steel and concrete skeleton which is able enough to withstand the expansions and contractions of the constructing material since the winters can bring temperatures of maximum -40 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit) up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in summertime.

Open for the general public every day, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation is certainly one of Kazakhstan’s truly unique buildings that can be found around the newly constructed capital, which attracts visitors who would like to get a glimpse from the different national costumes of the people who live in the country, while embracing the unity of the people and religions.

All in all, offering wonderful views of Astana, this modern palace is something that will inspire people from all corners of the world to flock to Kazakhstan and embrace the message of peace and love it transpires.

Once Upon A Time – July 18 – 2012 – Kim Jong-Un Officially Appointed Supreme Leader Of North Korea, Becomes Marshal In Korean People’s Army

By

Angel Gimalo

-

July 18, 2022

0

64 Great Fire of Rome begins under the Emperor Nero

1925 Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf (original title was the catchy “Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice”)

1936 Spanish Civil War: General Francisco Franco issues manifesto and leads an uprising in the Spanish army stationed in Morocco

2012 Kim Jong-un is officially appointed Supreme Leader of North Korea and given the rank of Marshal in the Korean People’s Army

2013 Detroit, Michigan, files for bankruptcy, becoming the largest US municipal bankruptcy ever at $18.5 billion

HISTORICAL EVENTS TODAY

TODAY IN FILM & TV

1959 “The Nun’s Story” based on the novel by Kathryn Hulme, starring Audrey Hepburn premieres in Los Angeles

TODAY IN MUSIC

1980 Billy Joel’s “Glass Houses” album tops US charts, featuring “It’s Still Rock ‘n’ Roll to Me”

TODAY IN SPORT

1976 Nadia Comăneci (14) becomes the first gymnast in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 score (doing so 7 times) at Montreal Games

MORE FACTS….

1743 1st half-page newspaper ad is published (NY Weekly Journal)

1938 Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan arrives in Ireland after a 28 hours flight, supposedly left NY flying for California

FAMOUS WEDDINGS

1922 British naval officer Louis Mountbatten (22) weds Lord Mount Temple’s daughter Edwina Cynthia Annette Ashley (20) at St. Margaret’s in Westminster, London

1933 American heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey (38) weds American Broadway singer and actress Hannah Williams (22); divorce in 1943

1938 Physicist and Nobel laureate John Bardeen (30) weds Jane Maxwell

Buhari says 85 million Nigerians now enrolled in NIN database

By

Henry Williams

-

July 18, 2022

0

President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that there are more than 85 million persons enrolled on the National Identification Number database.

The President disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, a year after stating that 54 million Nigerians have now enrolled.

Nigeria had for years struggled to create a credible national database through the NIN without success. However, with the new government’s policy introduced in December 2020 mandating all mobile subscribers to link their SIM with NIN, many Nigerians are being forced to enrol for the national identification number.

Obaseki says Adeleke’s victory in Osun State shows PDP can take on APC in 2023

By

Henry Williams

-

July 18, 2022

0

The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has said that the victory of Senator Ademola Adeleke in the Osun State governorship election is a sign the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can take on the All Progressives Congress in the national elections next year.

Obaseki disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Sunday after the Independent National Elections Commission declared Adeleke the winner of the Osun State gubernatorial election.

Adeleke defeated the incumbent governor, Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC in a keenly contested election over the weekend.

Godwin Obaseki hinted that the victory shows PDP is on a rebound, and most of its members who had issues or challenges as a result of the convention will now see that PDP is still the party to beat.

Power Sector: Nigeria’s power generation improves to 91,007MWh

By

Henry Williams

-

July 18, 2022

0

Nigeria generated a total of 91,007.53MWh of energy on Sunday, 17th July 2022, improving by 5% compared to 86,644.51MWh recorded in the previous day. This is according to information from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

In the same vein, power supply increased by 4.8% to 89,752.36MWh on Sunday, from 85,644.46MWh sent out on Saturday. This implies that 98.62% of the total power generated was sent out to Distribution Companies.

It is worth noting that, despite the increase, electricity generation and supply in Nigeria is still crippling below the minimum 105,000MWh of electricity required to record stable power supply in the country.

Energy generation peaked at 3,967.9MW on Sunday, while off-peak generation was stated at 3,539.1MW. The highest frequency recorded during the day was 50.44Hz while the lowest was 49Hz

Exploring Fruška Gora, The Jewel Of Serbia

By

Angel Gimalo

-

July 17, 2022

0

Fruška Gora, sometimes referred to as the Jewel of Serbia, is beautiful mountain that is located in the Syrmia Region on the northern part of the Republic of Serbia, with a small part overlapping the territory of the Republic of Croatia.

Considered as a lone mountain with extraordinary landscape that rises 539 meters (1,768 feet) above the sea, Fruška Gora is part of the Fruška Gora National Park which was established in 1960.

The park area covers 22,000 hectares (54,363 acres), and it is grouped with linden trees that are considered to be the greatest concentration in Europe.

In addition, there are also more than 700 species of medicinal herbs that grow on Fruška Gora.

The entire area plays an important role for the scientific community, as it is a natural geological phenomenon since it is built from the rocks from almost all geological periods.

During the existence of the shallow ancient Pannonian Sea, the mountain incredibly was an island.

Today, the mountain has different landscape, since towards the higher part, it can be noticed that there are thick forests, while in the lower valleys are located orchards and vineyards which are considered to be several centuries old.

Human habitation in the area can be traced back to the neolithic times, however, during the period of Austro-Hungarian rule, the area saw higher intensity of development.

Still, one of the most impressive features of the area are the city of Sremski Karlovci, and the dozen Serbian Orthodox monasteries which are spread all over the mountain.

That is why sometimes Fruška Gora is called the Serbian Mount Athos, and even the Serbian Orthodox officials have named it the “Holy Mountain” in 2003.

In conclusion, serving as a ground for scientific research, it is the place where the Serbian people seek religious peace and tranquility, while trying to enjoy in the impressive landscape of the surrounding, and as they are very proud with it, they do also recommend it to all those visitors coming to Serbia.

Kidnapped Senior Official Of Niger Delta Development Commission Regains Freedom

By

Angel Gimalo

-

July 17, 2022

0

A senior official of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Engr. Kingsley Okorafor, who was kidnapped by some gunmen in his hometown, Umulogho autonomous in Imo, has regained freedom from his abductors.

Recall that it was earlier reported that the daredevil armed men abducted him in the early hours of Saturday morning, about three kilometers away from a military checkpoint in the area.

When queried if a ransom was paid before his release, he said he is not aware.

The family source said, “I can authoritatively confirm to you that my brother who was earlier kidnapped on Saturday has regained his freedom and has reunited with other family members.”

ASUU: Banks, Financial Institutes Threatens Solidarity Strike

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

-

July 17, 2022

0

The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) has said it will join the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in its solidarity strike over the lingering Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.

NUBIFIE said this in a statement signed by Its National President, Anthony Abakpa, and General Secretary, Mohammed Sheikh, on Sunday.

The NLC had said that it would embark on a nationwide protest on July 26 and July 27 in solidarity with the trade unions in the Nigeria public universities and others.

NUBUFIE said it was obvious that the lingering lecturers’ strike, since Feb. 14, would continue to take huge toll on the academic performance of the students.

It also noted the psychological trauma it had impaired on both the student and the poor parents.

NUBIFIE called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene concretely and end the ongoing strikes.

The NUBIFIE statement read in part: “However, if after one-day protest by NLC on this issue and nothing is done, the union will have no other option than to call out all our members in banks, insurance and other financial institutions in solidarity with ASUU.“

You would recall that ASUU had since Feb. 14 embarked on an indefinite strike over face-off with the government.

The union had accused the government of failing to implement the Memorandum of Understanding and Memorandum of Action signed between both parties.

Other issues include government’s poor commitment to the payment of academic earned allowances and the continued use of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System.

The lecturers are also unhappy with the refusal of government to adopt the Universities Transparency and Accountability Solution, and the proliferation of universities in the country.

Flight Disruptions: British Government Launches Aviation Passenger Charter

By

Angel Gimalo

-

July 17, 2022

0

The British government launched an Aviation Passenger Charter on Sunday to help passengers know their rights if they are faced with problems at airports after the widespread disruption seen this year.

Long queues and cancelled flights caused by staff shortages have caused chaos at times, prompting airlines to cut back their schedules as the industry struggles to keep up with a surge in demand.

London’s Heathrow Airport this week asked airlines to stop selling tickets for summer departures and capped the number of passengers flying from Britain’s busiest hub at 100,000 a day.

The new charter will help passengers know what to do if they are confronted by cancellations, delays or missing baggage, the government said, with guidance on how to complain if they feel they have been treated unfairly.

“Passengers deserve reliable services, and to be properly compensated if things don’t go to plan, and the chaotic scenes we’ve seen at airports are unacceptable,” Transport Minister Grant Shapps said.

“The new charter will help to give UK passengers peace of mind as they enjoy the renewed freedom to travel, whether for holidays, business or to visit loved ones.”

Last month, the government published a 22-point support plan to avoid further disruption, including telling airlines to run “realistic” summer schedules and promising to speed up security checks. It said these were now being processed in “record time”.

Turkish Resort City Welcomes More German Tourists Than Russians For 1st Time In 5 Years

By

Angel Gimalo

-

July 17, 2022

0

The famed Turkish resort city of Antalya has welcomed more than a million German tourists so far this year, according to Recep Yavuz, head of the Antalya City Council Tourism Working Group.

“In the first six months of this year, 955,000 German tourists visited Antalya. As of the first week of July, the number of German tourists exceeded 1 million,” Yavuz wrote.

The news meant that for the first time in five years, German tourist arrivals overtook Russians, which used to make up the largest chunk of foreign visitors.

More than 3 million German tourists are expected to visit the Turkish Riviera resort this year, he added.

Yavuz wrote that “neither the increasing pandemic cases in recent days, nor the rising prices due to the Russia-Ukraine war can prevent Germans from traveling.”

“Tourism activity from Germany, which started in April, continued to increase with the summer vacation of some states at the end of June,” he said.

Explaining that while one-third of Germans go on vacation in their own countries, just as many visit Mediterranean countries, Yavuz said, “Turkey, Spain, Greece and Italy are the most preferred countries.”

“Families with children prefer Turkey, while young people prefer Spain. Besides Antalya, the Aegean and Istanbul are the regions most sought after by the Germans. Especially Antalya plays an important role in the choice of Germans with its very different hotel options and all-inclusive system.”

Yavuz noted that they expect German tourist arrivals to exceed 1.5 million through August, September, October and November and that this number will reach a total of 3 million toward the end of the year.

Families with children prefer the July-August period, Yavuz said, while middle-aged and retired people prefer the months of September, October and November to travel.

“Unless there is an extraordinary situation regarding the pandemic, we will see German guests in Antalya until the end of November this year.

Antalya tourism will see 3 million in 2022 for the first time after 2015, when it hosted the highest number of German tourists in its history with 2.9 million holidaymakers,” he said.