G-20 Meeting To Address Russia- Ukraine Conflict, Global Energy And Food Security

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July 9, 2022

U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken will see his Chinese counterpart this week at a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20 bloc of nations that will likely exacerbate splits over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

While strained U.S.-China ties will be the focus of Blinken’s talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the broader G-20 gathering in Indonesia of leading industrialized nations will almost certainly be overshadowed by the Ukraine conflict and its effect on global food and energy security. And Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be there, marking the first time he and Blinken will be in the same room, let alone the same city, at the same time in nearly six months.

The State Department announced Tuesday that Blinken would meet with Wang in Bali, but had little to say about the possibility of him seeing Lavrov, whom the U.S. has shunned since the Ukraine invasion in February. U.S. officials have accused Lavrov and other Russian diplomats of a lack of seriousness in the run-up to the Ukraine war.

The Biden administration has ruled out “business as usual” with Russia while it remains in Ukraine and U.S. officials said there would be no formal discussions between Blinken and Lavrov in Bali. But they could not rule out the possibility of a chance encounter, which would their first since they last met in Geneva in January.

Parents Kick As Railway Management Denies Students’ Ride to Lagos

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 8, 2022

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Parents of students of the Federal Government Girls’ College, FGGC, Oyo has urged the Federal Government to investigate the activities of the management of Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, on the Lagos-Ibadan axis, for allegedly denying their children a right to board the train from school back to their parents in Lagos.

Chairman, Parents/Teachers’ Association, PTA, Atanda Adesina, who made this allegation, said the action was a sign of massive corruption going on in the system.

He said about 130 of their children were returning to Lagos, after their examination, through the railway but the management asked them to pay for two coaches, which is far more than the number of their children.

Adesina said: “We decided to start using railway because of the insecurity in the land. Now, the manager in charge is denying our children their rights. We have 130 children and the NRC is expecting that we should buy two coaches, which is far more than the number of our children. We all know everyone is only managing the reality of the economy in the country. Many of the parents are struggling to survive; how can you add more burden on them?

“It is corruption. This is the way the Federal government is losing revenue. The manager and her colleagues know that they will surely get paid, even if nobody boards the train.”

We did it for security reasons—NRC

When contacted, the Western District Manager of the NRC, Angelique Ikwuka said the management decided to dedicate separate coaches for students because of security reasons.

Ikwuka, who said the parents ought to have given a two-week notice to the management, noted that the decision was not affecting only the college but other schools in the Southwest.

Nigeria Labour Congress Plans One-day Protest over ASUU Strike

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 8, 2022

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The Nigeria Labour Congress on Thursday said it would hold a one – day national protest to force the Federal Government to meet the demands of university-based unions.

The congress noted that reports from a meeting of its Central Working Committee showed lack of progress in the negotiation with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and National Association of Academic Technologists.

The President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, spoke in Abuja during the opening of the National Executive Council meeting of the Congress.

Wabba directed all the affiliate unions of the NLC to issue directives on the planned one-day national protest from next week.

“I think there is reluctance in addressing this issue (of strike) and therefore, CWC has decided that there will be a one-day national protest to call the attention of the government to resolve the issue immediately. After that, the next decision of the CWC will take place,” he said.

He however did not disclose when the national protest will hold.

Wabba also lamented the present fuel crisis in the country, while adding that the congress is studying the sack of teachers by the Kaduna State Government.

Meanwhile, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities has urged the President, Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday to expedite the process of resolving ongoing disputes between the government and the unions.

The chairman of the committee, Prof Samuel Edoumiekumo, made the call during the launch of the intellectual property policy document for universities in Abuja.

“We plead that drastic action is taken to stem the haemorrhage that the system is currently witnessing. For the sake of our children and our society, we need the decision,” he said.

Economic Boost Predicted As Funding Is Secured For Floating Wind Farm Off Cornwall

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Angel Gimalo

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July 8, 2022

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The possibility of a floating wind farm off the coast of Cornwall has moved a step closer after securing government funding, project bosses have said.

Swedish company Hexicon plans to install its TwinHub system, with the hope it could begin operating in 2025.

It would be deployed about 10 miles (16km) off Hayle.

Project supporters said it could be a boost to the local economy and help establish Cornwall in the growing renewable energy sector.

Figures have not been released, but it is understood the government funding has effectively secured a fixed price for the power TwinHub would produce for 15 years, making it economically viable.

Hexicon said it was a major stepping stone for larger-scale projects in the Celtic Sea and could kickstart the offshore wind sector in the south west of England.

TwinHub managing director James Brown said work would see the installation of two turbines on one foundation as part of the company’s aims in “trying to reduce our environmental footprint”.

It would be based near the Wave Hub, the undersea “socket” project located off Hayle, which Hexicon bought last year.

Once up and running, it could generate around 32 megawatts – enough electricity to power about 45,000 homes, the company said.

If operational, the project would also plug into local supply chains such as Falmouth Port, which could play an important role in its development, operation and maintenance, it added.

Truro and Falmouth Conservative MP Cherilyn Mackrory said it could be the “first step in what could be, what will hopefully be a really exciting new industry for the people of Cornwall”.

UNIABUJA Promotes 22 Academic Staff

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 8, 2022

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The Governing Council of University of Abuja, on Wednesday, announced the approval of the promotion of 44 academic staff to the rank of professor and associate professor.

A statement released by the Director of Public Relations of the university, Dr Habib Yakoob, which was made available to news correspondent in Abuja, noted that a total of 22 staff out of the 44 were promoted to the rank of professor.

“While 22 staff were promoted to the rank of professor, 20 were promoted to the rank of associate professor. The Council also approved the promotion of two bursary staff to the rank of deputy bursar.

“The promotions were considered and approved by the Council at its 92nd and 93rd Regular Meetings, which was held on Thursday 30th and Friday 31st March 2022, and Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th June 2022, respectively.

“A breakdown of the promotion list shows that the academic staff were promoted across several disciplines. There were 7 staff promoted in veterinary medicine; 4, Law; 3, Economics; 3, Biological Sciences; 2, Guidance and Counselling, and 2,
Mathematics.

“The disciplines of other promoted staff include Theatre Arts, Medical Biochemistry, Public Administration, Medicine, Engineering, Science and Environmental Education and Geography.

Congratulating the staff, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, who was quoted in the statement, noted that the promotion of the members of staff was a testimony to their continued dedication, hard work and discipline.

According to Na’Allah, the University management, with the support and guidance of Council, is determined to ensure that every staff gets promotion as and when due.

He said, “I must congratulate all our staff who have been promoted by Council at its 92nd and 93rd Regular Meetings. No doubt, this is a demonstration of hard work, diligence and determination on their part. These are virtues we encourage and promote among our staff at the University of Abuja.

“I urge the staff to continue to work even harder because this rank is not the end of academic prowess. These positions call for more hard work, responsibility and breaking newer grounds. You must show that this is the beginning of greater things to come from you,” Na’Allah said.

Kaduna Varsity To Call Off Strike July 13, Seeks ASUU Understanding

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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July 8, 2022

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The acting Vice-Chancellor of Kaduna State University, KASU, Prof. Abdullahi Ashafa says the institution will reopen on July 13, to enable its final year students to write their examinations and graduate.

Ashafa, who stated this in an interview in Kaduna on Friday, added that the state government plans to provide foreign scholarships to students with outstanding Cumulative Grade Point Average, CGPA.

He said that the students, in substantial numbers, upon graduation, would be sent abroad for their masters’ degree.

The VC added that the Kaduna State Scholarship and Loans Board had already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with two African universities, where the students would be admitted.

He said that the admission processes would be closed in September and the students had not written their second semester examination because of the protracted industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

“As parents, we thought that we should fast track the resumption process so that the students can write their examinations, obtain their results, and submit to the scholarship board to process their admissions,” he said.

He said that the school management have resolved, after a meeting with critical managers of the university, to reopen on July 13, with the second semester examination scheduled to commence July 25.

The VC explained that critical managers of the university, which include Deans and HODs shoulder the affairs of teaching and research in the university.

“The Deans and HODs are the critical managers of the university whose subordinates will have to be engaged to conduct the examination, supervise, and process the results.

“It is on this basis we are confident that we will be able to convince the state government to pay staff salaries that have been withheld,” he said.

He appealed to the leadership of ASUU, KASU branch, to understand with the university for the sake of the students, so that they can graduate and benefit from the available opportunity for foreign scholarships.

Ashafa recalled that the previous management of the university had attempted a dialogue with the leadership of the university’s chapter of ASUU but yielded no result because of the frosty relationship.

He revealed that the current management had directed that the query issues to some executive members of the union should be withdrawn.

The VC, on behalf of the management and the university Senate, apologised to the leadership of ASUU over the incident.

He also called on the students to return to school and continue with their studies, adding that no students would be prevented from writing examinations on account of failure to pay school fees.

The VC explained that after the increase in school fees in 2021, only about 25 per cent of the students made full payment, while some made part payment and others could not pay anything.

“We will not stop any student from writing the examination, even if the person has not paid the school fees.

“What we will do is that the affected students will not see their results and will not be allowed to register for the next academic session.

“However, the Executive Secretary of State Scholarship and Loans Board, Rilwan Hassan, had told us that Gov. Nasir El-Rufai has approved N500 million to pay the school fees of certain categories of students.”

Recall that the state government in April 2021 increased the university’s school fees between N24,000 and N26,000 to N150,000 and N500,000.

When contacted, the Chairman of ASUU in the university, Peter Adamu, said he was not aware of the plan to reopen the university on July 13 by KASU management.

“In fact, I am just hearing this from you, and I want to make it categorically clear that we are not a party to this arrangement,” Adamu said.

JUST IN: Elon Musk Ends Twitter Bid

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Angel Gimalo

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July 8, 2022

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Elon Musk is ending his $44bn (£36bn) bid to buy Twitter, alleging multiple breaches of the merger agreement.

The announcement could bring to an end a long-running saga after the world’s richest person decided to buy Twitter in April.

Mr Musk said he had backed out because Twitter failed to provide sufficient information on the number of spam and fake accounts.

Twitter says it plans to pursue legal action to enforce the agreement.

Mr Musk faces a $1bn (£830m) break-up fee and possible lawsuit by opting out.

Australia Becomes Latest Nation To Remove All Entry Restrictions Related To COVID-19

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 8, 2022

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Australia has finally removed all its remaining COVID-19 entry rules from this week making it easier for travellers.

The country had implemented the strictest pandemic border restrictions in the world for the past two years.

But from Wednesday, the nation has removed all of its remaining rules such as proof of vaccination or negative test report to enter.

People wanting to visit Australia will not be required to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration or Maritime Travel Declaration also, informed the Department of Home Affairs.

Not only this, unvaccinated visa holders can also enter the country without any restriction.

The Australian Border Force took to Twitter and tweeted, “COVID-19 border restrictions have changed.

Travelers don’t need to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration or Maritime Travel Declaration and all visa holders can travel to Australia without a travel exemption.”

Though the country has removed all the restrictions, some states may impose their own rules.

Australia started welcoming foreign travellers from February 2022.

But the entry requirements and restrictions were in place.

Visitors were required to be fully vaccinated and carry their show proof of a negative RT PCR test.

Then in April, the country removed its pre-arrival testing requirements but travellers were still required to be vaccinated to enter.

With this development, Australia has become the latest nation to remove all entry restrictions related to COVID-19.

The US, Italy, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Iceland, Ireland, Croatia and Aruba have already removed all pandemic-era related entry restrictions.

National Aeronautics And Space Adminiatration Releases Teaser Photo Of Space From James Webb Telescope

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 8, 2022

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NASA has a provided a tantalizing teaser photo ahead of the highly-anticipated release next week of the first deep-space images from the James Webb Telescope — an instrument so powerful it can peer back into the origins of the universe.

The $10 billion observatory — launched in December last year and now orbiting the Sun a million miles (1.5 million kilometers) away from Earth — can look where no telescope has looked before thanks to its enormous primary mirror and instruments that focus on infrared, allowing it to peer through dust and gas.

The first fully formed pictures are set for release on July 12, but NASA provided an engineering test photo on Wednesday — the result of 72 exposures over 32 hours that shows a set of distant stars and galaxies.

The image has some “rough-around-the-edges” qualities, NASA said in a statement, but is still “among the deepest images of the universe ever taken” and offers a “tantalizing glimpse” at what will be revealed in the coming weeks, months, and years.

“When this image was taken, I was thrilled to clearly see all the detailed structure in these faint galaxies,” said Neil Rowlands, program scientist for Webb s Fine Guidance Sensor at Honeywell Aerospace.

Jane Rigby, Webb s operations scientist at NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center, said the “faintest blobs in this image are exactly the types of faint galaxies that Webb will study in its first year of science operations.”

NASA administrator Bill Nelson said last week that Webb is able to gaze further into the cosmos than any telescope before it.

“It s going to explore objects in the solar system and atmospheres of exoplanets orbiting other stars, giving us clues as to whether potentially their atmospheres are similar to our own,” he said.

“It may answer some questions that we have: Where do we come from? What more is out there? Who are we? And of course, it s going to answer some questions that we don t even know what the questions are.”

Webb s infrared capabilities allow it to see back in time to the Big Bang, which happened 13.8 billion years ago.

Because the Universe is expanding, light from the earliest stars shifts from the ultraviolet and visible wavelengths it was emitted in, to longer infrared wavelengths — which Webb is equipped to detect at an unprecedented resolution.

At present, the earliest cosmological observations date to within 330 million years of the Big Bang, but with Webb s capacities, astronomers believe they will easily break the record.

Nigeria Petroleum Ministry To Set Up Oil, Gas Investment Centre

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Elizabeth Williams

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July 8, 2022

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The Nigerian Ministry of Petroleum Resources says it is setting up an Oil and Gas Investment centre which will act as a one-stop Oil and Gas Investment centre to spur Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).

It said the centre would be reciprocated along all the MDAs to create an enabling business environment for would-be investors to attract all the available FDIs into the sector.

Director overseeing the office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Kamoru Busari, at the Nigerian Oil and Gas (NOG) Conference; spoke at the industry regulators session of the 2022 NOG conference which had its theme as “Funding the Nigerian Energy Mix for Sustainable Economic Growth”.

He said the development was in fulfilment of its mandate as enshrined in Section three (e) of the PIA to: “Promote an enabling environment for Investment in Nigerian Petroleum Industry”.

He said it became necessary because of the need to begin to create business models that would reduce the export of crude oil while increasing export of value-added petroleum products.

He said deliberate regulations and policies that would encourage investments and enhance private businesses in these streams needed to be formulated.

“The task before every one of us now is to breathe life to the flesh already built by the act to play our roles as regulator and opportunity enablers.

“This will be through direct collaboration with all relevant stakeholders in the operationalisation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to prevent impediments in operations and processes.

He said 2022 NOG was unique, being the first after the Nation succeeded to pass the age-long PIA which had been in contention for over two decades.

He urged all NOG participants to make contributions in line with the theme, to effectively transform the likely challenges or impediments from the new law to opportunities to grow Nigeria’s Oil and Gas sector.