Egypt To Assist Nigeria In Preservation Of Looted Benin Bronzes

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January 28, 2022

The Egyptian Government has offered to assist Nigeria in the preservation of the 1,130 looted Benin bronzes being expected in the country from Germany.

The artefacts, with the least weight of 30kg each, looted by British troops in 1897, are to be repatriated from Germany to Nigeria this year.

Egypt Minister of Tourism and Antiquties Dr Khaled El-Anany made the offer in Cairo, Egypt when the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed paid him a visit.

The meeting was on the sidelines of a bilateral discussion with Africa Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) on how Nigeria can access funding to support its growing creative industry.

Mohammed had led some private sector stakeholders involved in Digital Switch Over (DSO), to Afreximbank to assist them on how they can source fund to complete the wholly private sector financially driven project.

The Egyptian minister said they were willing to deploy their wealth of experiences in antiquity preservation management to assist Nigeria in preserving the treasure being expected from Germany.

El-Anany disclosed that tourism contributed not less than 30 per cent to Egypt Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the Department of Antiquity alone under his Ministry employs 32,000 personnel to manage their Museums and Monuments and archeological sites.

According to him, Egypt has more than 2,000 tourist sites and 60 per cent of the tourists visit historical sites, museums and Opera.

The minister also offered to help Nigeria in the areas of capacity building, museum management and tourism statistics.

He said Egypt suffered similar fate and they had successfully repatriated a lot of their antiquities stolen and transported outside the shores of the country.

The minister urged Mohammed to work with the Nigerian Ambassador to Egypt, Malam Nura Rimi and some key members of his staff to develop the framework to actualise the offer for assistance.

He extended invitation to Mohammed and Heads of relevant agencies in his Ministry in Nigeria to attend African conference on Antiquities and Tourism, being organised in June in Cairo.

Mohammed said Nigeria was willing and ready to learn from the rich experiences of Egypt in tourism development and management.

Mohammed who accepted the offer and invitation of his counterpart said he would direct the relevant agencies under his Ministry to work out the areas of collaboration.

Row erupts online over African immigration to US

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Henry Williams

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January 28, 2022

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Some 50,000 people have taken part in a combative conversation in Twitter Spaces on the topic of African migration to the US, which has generated wider discussions in Nigeria about the xenophobia faced by people who move abroad.

US filmmaker Tariq Nasheed co-hosted the chat that was titled: “How Does Immigration Benefit Black Americans”.

People joined in from various countries in Africa to disagree with the notion that immigration from Africa hurts African-Americans, who Nasheed refers to as “foundational black Americans”.

Nigerian screenwriter Dami Elebe said the debate was divisive

Anambra State Governor Welcomes Airport’s First Commercial Embraer 195, E2 Aeroplane

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Angel Gimalo

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January 28, 2022

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It was a moment of joy and happiness for the executive governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano and the entire people of Anambra state, as the first commercial Embraer 195, E2 Aircraft landed at the Anambra state International Airport.

The aircraft landed this afternoon, at exactly 1:13pm with one hundred and ninety-five passengers from Lagos.

Being the first Embraer 195, E2 Aircraft to land at the airport, governor Obiano was present at the scene to personally welcome the passengers were welcome and handshake everyone of them, starting from the pilot.

As expected, birds of Airpeace Airlines, one of the frontline carriers in Nigeria landed safely, from Lagos at Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport, Umueri.

Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano was on hand to witness the flight debut flanked by members of the state executive council and others.

Darfur violence forces 15,000 to flee their homes – UN

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Henry Williams

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January 28, 2022

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Renewed ethnic violence in the Sudanese region of Darfur has led to loss of lives and displaced more than 15,000 people over the last week, the UN says.

It says a personal dispute between two men from the Masalit ethnic group and an Arab nomadic group sparked the conflict near the city of El Geneina.

Armed nomads then attacked the local market, set fire to part of the village, and killed nine people including two children.

The fighting also forced more than 4,000 people to flee across the border to Chad. More than two million people still live in camps as a result of the Darfur conflict in the early 2000s.

Last year saw renewed violence in Darfur with frequent attacks on camps and villages by militias.

FG’s economic policies are working, Buhari

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Henry Williams

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January 28, 2022

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President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted economic policies of his administration are working.

He made this known in Sokoto State, yesterday when he inaugurated the new three million metric tonnes/per annum BUA Cement Line 4 Factory.

The affirmation came as state governors and the organised labour, on Wednesday, faulted the N3 trillion subsidy bill the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) presented to the Federal Executive Council.

They maintained that the “lacuna in the subsidy removal agenda was hidden in the untruths bandied by administrators of the subsidy, particularly the NNPC, which both groups identify to be at the forefront of mismanagement of the proceeds that accrued therein.”

Tanzania To Focus On Teachers’ Employment – President Suluhu

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Precious Obazee

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January 28, 2022

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Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan says government will now focus on teachers’ employment following the successful accomplishment of the construction of classrooms across the country.

The Head of State made the revelation while speaking on phone with Benjamin William Mkapa Head Teacher, Joseph Deo.

She made the call during the celebration of her 62nd birthday organized at the school in Dar es Salaam.

President Samia stated that there are numerous issues in the education sector, including infrastructure, learning materials, and providing a conducive learning atmosphere, all of which the government is working to address.

She also pointed out that there is still a challenge in primary schools, where classrooms and furniture are in short supply.

The president expressed her gratitude to the school’s pupils and teachers for organising a birthday party in partnership with NMB Bank, adding that her government will work on the issues raised by Deo.

Deo thanked President Samia for the funds disbursed for the construction of classrooms in which, the school got two classes which are complete.

He said the school has 1,635 students from form I – IV and also accommodates students with special needs and nine teachers with special needs.

Last year, Tanzania secured a US$567.25 million loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) as part of the Covid-19 relief package, which was used to enhance the education, health, water and tourist sectors.

The government planned to spend 302.7 billion Tanzanian shillings – of the 535.6 billion Tanzanian shillings budgeted to the President’s Office Ministry of State (Regional Administration and Local Government) on the construction of 15,000 classrooms in secondary schools and at satellite primary schools.

The government recently announced that the construction of the projected 15,000 classrooms was 95 per cent complete in all regions of Tanzania Mainland, with only a few regions falling behind due to obstacles such as raw material availability, project plot allocation and weather fluctuations.

Earlier, Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda had stated that leaders of the country have emphasized the necessity of inclusivity at all levels.

He said the country will never allow sexism, adding that the government must ensure that those who may otherwise be excluded or disadvantaged, such as those with physical or mental disabilities or members of other minority groups, have equal access to opportunities and resources.

Prof Mkenda explained that Tanzania has a female President not because of her gender, but because everyone in the country, regardless of gender, religion, or disability, has equal access to opportunities.

Anti-vaccine Canada Truckers Roll toward Ottawa In Protest

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faith Jegede

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January 28, 2022

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Hundreds of truckers rode towards the Canadian city of Ottawa, to protest the countries compulsory covid-19 vaccination mandates.

The protesters are unhappy that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has imposed a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truck drivers.

Industry officials say a huge percentage of drivers traversing the U.S. frontier are inoculated but many others have refused, saying the mandate contravenes personal freedom.

Hundreds of truckers, converging on Ottawa from several directions, are due to arrive on Friday and aim to park their rigs on Parliament Hill, paralyzing downtown traffic.

News media have alleged that some protesters talked about blocking hospitals, assaulting Trudeau, and a coming civil war but organizers insist the demonstrations will be peaceful.

Senior party members are praising the truckers legislator Pierre Poilievre said “You’re bound to have a number who say unacceptable things … but that doesn’t mean we disparage the thousands of hardworking, law-abiding, and peaceful truckers, who quite frankly, have kept all of you alive for the last two years,”

Trudeau on Monday accused conservative politicians of stoking fear over the mandate.

Explore Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces In Longsheng County, China

By

Angel Gimalo

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January 28, 2022

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The Dragon’s Backbone is composed of stacked ribbons of rice paddies that look like the ridges of the mythical creature.

Also called the Longsheng or Longji Rice Terraces, the captivating layers change colors with the seasons.

The terraced fields are built along the slope winding from the riverside up to the mountain top, between 600 to 800 metres above sea level.

A coiling terrace line that starts from the mountain foot up to the mountain top divides the mountain into layers of water in spring, layers of green rice shoots in summer, layers of rice in fall, and layers of frost in winter. The terraced fields were mostly built about 650 years ago.

Longji (Dragon’s Backbone) Terraced Rice Fields received their name because the rice terraces resemble a dragon’s scales, while the summit of the mountain range looks like the backbone of the dragon.

In early June, water is pumped over the rice paddies and young plants are transferred to the main terraces.

U.S. Announces $25m Funding For Wave Energy Research, Development

By

Angel Gimalo

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January 28, 2022

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $25 million in funding to support increased research, development and demonstration of technologies that harness wave power to create electricity.

The funding supports eight projects that will make up the first round of open-water testing at the PacWave South test site off the Oregon coast.

These awards will strengthen wave energy technologies to accelerate their commercial viability and deploy them at scale to help decarbonize the grid and reach President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The selected projects are part of the Water Power Technologies Office’s (WPTO) “Advancing Wave Energy Technologies through Open Water Testing at PacWave” funding opportunity to support wave energy technologies through research, development, and eventual deployment.

The Eight Projects Focuses On:

Testing wave energy converter designs for use in geographically remote areas or on small, local energy grids.

CalWave Power Technologies Inc. (Oakland, CA): $7,500,000
Columbia Power Technologies Inc. (Charlottesville, VA): $4,182,275
Developing wave energy converter designs that can be connected to or disconnected from the electricity grid.
Dehlsen Associates, LLC (Santa Barbara, CA): $1,800,000
Oscilla Power Inc. (Seattle, WA): $1,800,000

Performing research and development at PacWave related to environmental monitoring technologies, instrumentation systems that operators use to control wave energy converters and other technologies.

Integral Consulting (Seattle, WA): $379,329
Littoral Power Systems, Inc. (New Bedford, MA): $3,976,401
Portland State University (Portland, OR): $4,507,330
University of Washington (Seattle, WA): $1,299,689

Family Clarifies No ‘Picasso NFT’ Set To Be Sold Online

By

Koko Lawrence

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January 28, 2022

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Switzerland Digital Picasso — A ceramic art-work of Pablo Picasso is displayed in Cologny near in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. Heirs of Pablo Picasso, the famed 20th-century Spanish artist, are vaulting into 21st-century commerce by selling 1,010 digital art pieces of one of his ceramic works that has never before seen publicly — riding a fad for “crypto” assets that have taken the art and financial worlds by storm. (AP Photo/Boris Heger)

Pablo Picasso’s family is not selling a digital asset linked to one of his works after all.

After a granddaughter and great-grandson of the artist trumpeted the upcoming sale, lawyers for the family said Thursday that his heirs have not authorized the launch of any such “Picasso NFT.”

An intra-family disagreement has cropped up over it.

Marina Picasso, and her son, Florian Picasso, showed a ceramic work this week in Geneva that they said was a piece by the Spanish great that would be linked to a “non-fungible asset” being sold online. They and their managers said the pottery bowl itself and an NFT would be sold in March at auction.

“Maybe we should have been a bit more clear from the beginning,” said Cyril Noterman, the longtime business manager for Florian Picasso, who is a DJ and music producer. Noterman said more than 1,000 NFTs going on sale starting on Friday were in fact linked to Florian’s work, not that of his great-grandfather.

Jean-Jacques Neuer, a lawyer for the Picasso Administration –- which manages works held by five Picasso descendants, including Marina, and oversees the use of the Picasso name – contacted the AP on Thursday to say that it has not approved the sale of any “Picasso NFT” and that a NFT by Florian Picasso and his collaborators were “his own creation, independent of any claim vis-a-vis Pablo Picasso and his works.”

“The information given through the media by which the Picasso heirs would join into the market for ‘Pablo Picasso’ NFTs is thus completely wrong,” he wrote. Richard Malka, a lawyer for Diana Widmaier Picasso, another granddaughter of the artist, sent the same statement.

Neuer issued a “warning” that any association with a Picasso work would violate “artistic monopoly,” and any NFT billed as linked to such a work would be a “counterfeit.”

The Picasso Administration manages the holdings of three of Picasso’s children — Maya Widmaier Picasso, Claude Ruiz Picasso, and Paloma Ruiz Picasso — as well as two grandchildren: Marina Ruiz Picasso and Bernard Ruiz Picasso, the children of another son of the artist, the late Paul Picasso.

Together, the five are brought together in a legal structure that in essence confers joint ownership of Picasso intellectual property.

The lawyer said under the current structure, only Claude Ruiz Picasso — the administrator for the family — could authorize an NFT project, and he does not favor one.

“What’s happening is that some members of the family don’t agree with the project, and don’t want the name mentioned,” said Florian Picasso by phone late Thursday, referring to the family name.

NFTs are effectively digital certificates of authenticity that can be attached to digital art or pretty much anything that comes in digital form — audio files, video clips, animated stickers, even a news article read online.