ASUU: Banks, Financial Institutes Threatens Solidarity Strike

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July 17, 2022

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

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Angel Gimalo

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July 17, 2022

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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

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Angel Gimalo

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July 17, 2022

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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.

Evacuations Begin As Wildfire Spreads To Spain, Croatia, Greece

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Angel Gimalo

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July 17, 2022

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France has evacuated more than 14,000 people threatened by wildfires in the south-west, as fires also spread in Spain, Croatia and Greece.

Authorities in France’s Gironde, a popular tourist region, have evacuated guards from campsites – the tourists left earlier.

Fires have spread in the Teste-de-Buch and Landiras areas.

In southern Spain, more than 3,200 people fled fires in the Mijas hills, though later some were able to return.

Portugal’s fires are contained for now.

However, the Portuguese government says 659 people have died – mostly elderly – from the heat over the past week.

Imperial College Students Aim To Become 1st University Team To Launch Reusable Rocket Into Space

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 17, 2022

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A rocket has been launched from a moor in Ayrshire by a group of students aiming to cross the boundary of space.

The Nebula rocket blasted off to nearly 5,000m on a test flight from Fairlie Moor on Saturday.

Imperial College London’s Karman Space Programme hopes to become the first university team to launch a reusable rocket into space.

The project is named after the Karman line, the internationally recognised boundary to space at 100km high.

Why is Scotland a prime rocket launch site?
Saturday’s launch tested avionics and telemetry systems to enable future rockets to go beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.

Powered by solid rocket propellant, the 2.2m long Nebula rocket was designed and built by the student team.

Nebula’s nose cone separated earlier than planned and parachutes intended to bring it down to earth gently did not deploy properly.

However, operations lead Dyuti Chakraborty, 19, said the team gathered important data about how the rocket functioned.

“I think everyone is ecstatic and just so relieved that we could do it,” she said.

“We’ve been on this rocket for a very long time and for many of us it’s our first rocket that we’ve ever designed or made.

“It’s been quite a nerve-wracking couple of days.”

Around 50 students are involved in the project. They plan to cross the Karman line with future versions of the Nebula by 2024.

They intend to build a nine metre-long rocket which will be powered by ethanol and nitrous oxide.

Royal Welsh Show: Over 250,000 Visitors To Attend, Advice On Heatwave Offered

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 17, 2022

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Visitors are being reminded to cover up, wear a hat and use sunscreen if they are visiting the Royal Welsh Show this week.

The Royal Welsh Show is organised by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, which was formed in 1904.

It takes place in July of each year, at Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells, in Powys, Mid Wales.

The event usually attracts around 250,000 people from around the world.

In previous years, those working at the show have found novel ways to ensure animals are safe in the hot weather – so pigs in wet blankets is not such an unusual sight.

Events include:

Judging of cattle, sheep, horses, goats, pigs and various other domestic animals
Sheepdog trials
Sheep shearing competitions
Horse riding competitions
Four-in-hand and Carriage
Driving displays
Falconry
Games and sports such as the King’s Troop, Royal Horse
Artillery of the Royal Horse
Artillery
Arts and crafts show
Live music

The show runs from Monday 18 to Thursday 21 July.

Taraba Guber Aspirant Vows to Prioritise Education

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 17, 2022

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The governorshp candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba, Lt.-Col. Kefas Agbu (rtd) on Sunday pledged to transform education sector if elected governor of the state.

Agbu stated this in Wukari, his home town, where he was received by a large crowd of supporters over his emergence as the Taraba PDP standard bearer.

According to Agbu, quality education is key to training young citizens to effectively manage security, economy and attract development for the state.

He said that if elected governor of the state, he would equip primary and secondary schools with modern teaching and leaning facilities, and adequate trained teachers to meet the global standards.

“My desire for quality education in Taraba if elected governor is to build development base young talent who would think positively about the state.

“With quality education for our children, developmental ideas would be impacted in the manner that non will grow to think of criminality.

“I believe in peace and development, and I am convinced that quality education is the key to all of these,” he said.

Agbu assured the people that he would also use his experience as former army intelligence officer to tackle security issues in parts of the state to foster development.

Earlier, His Royal Majesty Aku UKa of Wukari, Dr Manu Ada told the candidate that people in the area were desirous of peace and convinced by his profile as an ex-army officer to handle the rising insecurity and bring development for the state.

Ada blessed Agbu and prayed God to lead him to victory for the good of the people of the state.

The candidate also officially unveiled his running mate, Dr Abdullahi Alkali to the people of the state.

Locals Concerned As World’s Second Largest Salt Lake, Lake Urmia Shrinks

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Angel Gimalo

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July 17, 2022

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Police in Iran have arrested several people at protests against the near disappearance of what was once the world’s second largest salt lake.

Lake Urmia was Iran’s main domestic tourism resort before it began shrinking in 1995 due to extreme drought, agriculture and dam building.

These days, hotels and boats lie abandoned, with no water in sight.

Many locals in the remote north west, where the lake is located, blame authorities for its disappearance.

The police chief in the region described the demonstrators as hostile and said they intended to disturb public security.

Iranian tourists used to flock to Lake Urmia, near the border with Turkey, to enjoy its natural beauty and the reported restorative properties of its mineral-rich mud.

But in the mid-1990s, a combination of intensifying agriculture, new dams built across the lake’s tributaries, and extreme drought conditions led to a sudden drop in the lake’s water levels.

Local residents, many of whom depended on the lake for their livelihoods, watched on as their most treasured resource retreated into the distance.

Waterside hotels and guesthouses were left hundreds of metres from the shoreline.

Within 20 years, the lake shrunk to about 10% of its former size and a red algae bloomed in what was left of the water.

The tourists stopped coming and many residents moved away, leaving boats and buildings to slowly decay into the newly-emerged salt plains.

Lagos Begin Clampdown On SPY Number Plates

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 17, 2022

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The Lagos State Police Command on Saturday said it has begun enforcement of the ban on the use of police spy number plates.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, announced this on his verified Twitter handle on Saturday.

LN247 reports that the Inspector-General of Police on Wednesday ordered a ban on use of police spy vehicle number plates by vehicle owners across all the states of the federation.

The Force spokesperson, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who made this known in a statement, also stated that, irrespective of whether it was authorised or not, all authorisations were revoked indefinitely.

“This order is necessary to forestall the continuous disregard for traffic rules and regulations and other extant laws guiding road use by individuals hiding under the privileges of SPY police number plates.

“The IGP has, therefore, directed that police officers and other agencies attached to VIPs who use the SPY number plates should ensure prompt compliance with this directive or risk being arrested for violation of the order,” Adejobi said.

The police command in Lagos, therefore, urged all persons currently in possession of such plates to forthwith discontinue their usage.

Hundeyin warned that as part of the enforcement, the plates would be confiscated by the police and other security agencies wherever seen in the state.

“Users of these plates are to cooperate with security agencies in this regard. In line with the SOPs of the ban and its enforcement, no user of the plates is to be arrested, except where, of course, such a user resists the removal and confiscation of the plate or assaults security agents in the process.

“It is to be noted that it is immaterial that the number plates were duly acquired and appropriately used, as all authorisations have been revoked,” he said

Army Officer Seeks To Be First Woman To Cross Antarctica Alone, Unsupported

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 17, 2022

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An Army officer who made history trekking to the South Pole has said she will take on “phase two” in October, hoping to become the first woman to cross Antarctica alone and unsupported.

Preet Chandi, from Derby, is thought to have become the first woman of colour to complete solo and unaided a 700-mile Antarctic journey she began at the end of last year.

She is now training for a coast-to-coast trek of more than 1,000 miles.

It is expected to take about 75 days.

Capt Chandi completed an expedition from the Hercules Inlet to the South Pole in January
Capt Chandi, from Sinfin, said the new challenge would be an inland crossing starting at the grounding line for Hercules Inlet and ending at the Reedy Glacier.

She will endure temperatures as low as -50C and wind speeds of up to 60mph while pulling a sledge alongside her kit.

Capt Chandi said when she arrived at Heathrow Airport in January after her expedition from the Hercules Inlet to the South Pole that the coast-to-coast trek was her next target.

She has since confirmed her application to Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions (ALE) for her coast-to-coast journey was approved a few weeks ago and she plans to begin the challenge in October.