Fmr. Pres. Trump’s New Media Venture To Launch Social Media App February 21

By

-

January 7, 2022

Former President Donald Trump’s new media venture plans to launch its social media app Truth Social on Feb. 21, according to an Apple Inc App Store listing.

TRUTH Social, the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) alternative to Twitter, is available for pre-order before going live on the U.S. Presidents’ Day holiday.

Similar to Twitter, the app offers features to follow other people and trending topics, according to demo photos. Its message equivalent of a tweet will be dubbed “truth”.

The app’s launch would come 13 months after Meta Platforms Inc’s Facebook and Twitter banned Trump for encouraging his supporters to participate in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol based on unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Marking the one-year anniversary of the attack, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that his predecessor’s false claims could unravel the rule of law and subvert future elections.

TMTG and Apple did not respond to requests for comment, but a source familiar with the matter confirmed that Feb. 21 is the planned launch date of the app.

The launch is expected to be the first of three stages in TMTG’s development. The second would be a subscription video-on-demand service called TMTG+ with entertainment, news and podcasts, according to the company website. A November investor presentation indicated that TMTG also wants to launch a podcast network.

TMTG is valued at $5.3 billion based on the stock price of Digital World Acquisition Corp, which rose 20% after Reuters reported the app’s listing on the App Store. TMTG agreed in October to merge with the blank-check firm at a valuation of $875 million.

Trump supporters and retail investors have snapped up Digital World’s stock, betting that Trump’s popularity with his Republican political base will translate into a commercial runaway success.

The blank-check acquisition deal faces regulatory risk. Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren asked Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler last month to investigate the planned merger for potential violations of securities laws around disclosure. The SEC has declined to comment on whether it plans any action.

U.S. Video Gaming Platform Pauses Service In China

By

Angel Gimalo

-

January 7, 2022

0

U.S. video gaming platform Roblox Corp., (RBLX.N) has taken down its Chinese app that fronted its expansion efforts into the country, telling Reuters it was part of “a number of important transitory actions” as it builds its next version.

On December 8, Roblox’s Chinese version LuoBuLeSi, published and operated by Tencent, abruptly closed down its server five months after it launched on iOS and Android.

Many users, taken by surprise, took to Chinese social media to complain about the short notice.

What users had been playing was in fact an “archive-deleting test version,” LuoBuLeSi said in a notice. But one user snapped: “Have you seen a testing game that lets users add funds to their accounts?”

“Last year, we launched Roblox China also known as LuoBuLeSi with a vision to build an immersive virtual universe of 3D experiences in China that we have been testing and iterating on along the way,” a Roblox spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch.

“We always knew that building a compelling platform in China is an iterative process, and we are thankful for the support of LuoBuLeSi users and our global developer community.”

Tencent has not responded to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

In May 2019, Roblox and Tencent announced a joint venture in which the former holds a 51% controlling stake and Tencent with 49%, a rare arrangement in which a foreign entity commands the majority share in a Chinese joint venture.

In July 2020, LuoBuLeSi rolled out an Android test version, which explicitly said it would clear user archives when the period ended.

U.S. Court Rejects Bid To Block Sale Of Texas Oil Refinery To Mexican State Oil Company

By

Angel Gimalo

-

January 7, 2022

0

FILE PHOTO: Refinery workers walk inside the LyondellBasell oil refinery in Houston, Texas March 6, 2013. REUTERS/Donna Carson/File Photo

A U.S. court has tossed out a request from two laundromat owners to block Mexican state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) from acquiring majority control of a Texas oil refinery.

Royal Dutch Shell in May agreed to sell Pemex its majority stake in the 302,800 barrel per day (BPD) Deer Park refinery outside Houston.

The deal with Pemex, its long-time partner in the plant, was said to be worth about $596 million.

U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rosenthal denied requests for a temporary restraining order and expedited discovery filed by two businessmen who argued the sale would increase U.S. energy prices.

Their laundromat business would suffer “an incalculable but evident” harm if more of the refinery’s fuel output is exported, according to a filing in U.S. District Court for Southern District of Texas.

A Shell spokesman said the oil major was pleased the court recognized there was no legal basis to pause the transaction. Pemex and Shell “are looking forward to closing as soon as possible.”

Neither Pemex nor a lawyer for Hagele and Sarcinella could immediately be reached for further comment.

Petronas Makes 3rd Gas Discovery In Malaysian Province

By

Angel Gimalo

-

January 7, 2022

0

Malaysia’s oil giant Petronas said on Friday a subsidiary has made a gas discovery at the Hadrah-1 wildcat exploration well of Block SK411 within the shallow waters of Balingian province, about 170 km northwest off the coast of Sarawak.

The discovery by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB) marks the third gas discovery in the Malaysian province in 2021, after Sirung-1 and Kulintang-1 in March and May respectively.

“The gas discovery in the Hadrah-1 wildcat exploration well by PCSB further proves the promising prospects in the underexplored Cycle I, II & III plays within the Balingian province,” Emeliana Rice-Oxley, Petronas Vice President of Exploration, Upstream, said in a statement.

“The excellent quality of reservoirs encountered augurs the remaining potential in the surrounding areas, with PCSB well positioned to pursue the untapped similar plays in Blocks SK411 and SK306. We look forward to delivering more natural gas – the cleanest fossil fuel – safely and reliably to the market,” she added.

The company said they drilled Hadrah-1 to a total depth of 1,850 metres in November 2021 and encountered gas within an approximately 200-metre thick sequence of high-quality sandstone and carbonate reservoirs.

The company has previously discovered oil and gas within the same play at the D18 field in 2019.

Russia Export Company Signs Four-Year Gas Supply Deal With Turkey State Energy Company

By

Angel Gimalo

-

January 7, 2022

0

Russia’s Gazprom Export said it has signed a four-year gas supply deal with Botas, Turkey’s state energy company, for the supply of 5.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year into Turkey.

The companies did not state the price at which the deal had been signed. Exports from the Russian company to the Turkish company had grown substantially in 2021, 83.7 percent higher than in the same period of 2020.

The companies said in December that a working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, with Alparslan Bayraktar, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey, and Burhan Ozcan, Chairman of the Board and General Manager at BOTAS has taken place for them to review their interactions.

Russian gas supplies to Turkey have been previously transported through the TurkStream and Blue Stream cutting-edge offshore gas pipelines.

Farmers Encouraged To Monitor Farms As Namibia Battles Third Locust Outbreak

By

Angel Gimalo

-

January 7, 2022

0

Namibia is currently fighting the third locust outbreak in the Karasburg District, Karas Region in the southern parts of the country.

Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry spokesperson, Jonah Musheko, said in a statement on Thursday, January 6, 2022.

The first outbreak was reported on Sept. 21, by a commercial farmer and a team was immediately dispatched; unfortunately, they could not trace it,” Musheko said.

“The initial control commenced on Nov. 3 in the Karasburg district and, by then, the infested area was estimated at approximately 800,000 hectares of farmland, and over 240,000 was surveyed with approximate 2,000 treated/sprayed,’’ he added.

According to Musheko, since mid-December, the ministry had been detecting swarms of brown locusts and spraying teams had been dispatched and were in the field to date.

“As at Dec. 5, spraying was carried out at the farms Nakop up to Swartkop, covering approximately a total of 80,000 hectares.

“These first instars locusts are still hatching; they do not move much and did not form groups yet. However, there are large swarms of adult locusts that migrated through the area while reproducing,’’ he added.

Meanwhile, Musheko, encouraged farmers to continue monitoring and scouting their farms and report any new incidents of locust infestations.

Once Upon A Time – Jan. 7 – 1999 – President Bill Clinton’s Impeachment Trial Begins In The US Senate

By

Angel Gimalo

-

January 7, 2022

0

312 Lucian, Presbyter of Antioch, is tried and executed for his faith in Nicomedia.

1610 Galileo Galilei discovers the first three moons of Jupiter: Io, Europa & Ganymede.

1714 Typewriter patented by Englishman Henry Mill (built years later)

1870 Isabella Thoburn of Ohio arrives in India where she becomes a great missionary-educator.

1917 Baptism of Elija Titus Latunde at twelve years of age. He will become the third president of the Christ Apostolic Churches in Nigeria, which will experience phenomenal growth under his leadership. He will also spearhead secular development projects and serve as a peacemaker with Muslims.

1941 Chinese Kuomintang forces under orders from Chiang Kai-shek open fire on the surrounded Communist New Fourth Army at Maolin, Anhui Province, killing or capturing 7,000 troops.

1953 US President Harry Truman announces American development of the hydrogen bomb.

1954 Georgetown-IBM experiment, 1st public demonstration of a machine translation system, is held at IBM’s head office in New York.

1999 President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial begins in the US Senate after the House voted to impeach him for lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

Historical Events Today

Today In Film & Tv

1894 William K.L. Dickson captures “Fred Ott’s Sneeze” as a motion picture at Thomas Edison’s Black Mariah Studio, West Orange, New Jersey.

Today In Music

1955 Marian Anderson becomes the 1st African American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera.

1958 Gibson issued US patent for the Flying V Guitar.

Today In Sport

1955 Marian Anderson becomes the 1st African American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera.

1972 Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Atlanta Hawks, 134-90 for their 33rd straight win, the longest winning streak in major professional sports.

Would You Believe This Fact About Today? Would You Believe?

1930 Marguerite Perey discovers francium (Fr), the last naturally occurring element to be found.

OAU Partners CARTA, Train 17 Doctoral Students On Research Methodology

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

-

January 7, 2022

0

The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, in partnership with Consortium of Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA), recently conducted training for 17 doctoral students in research methodology under the aegis of the Intervention towards strengthening research training (ItSTRETO) Fellowship.

The graduation and awards ceremony as well as training programme was made possible through a grant from CARTA., drawing the curtain on a -three year training of 17 selected doctoral students in research methodology.

It included four joint seminar series, where leading experts in various aspects of research methodology were invited to train and mentor the doctoral fellows.

The fellows comprised doctoral students from science, health sciences, arts, education and social science faculties.

Supervisors of the 17 doctoral fellows and board of the Postgraduate College were involved in the fellowship through four supervisors’ academic retreats and four steering committee meetings respectively.

Decision extracts from supervisors’ academic retreats and steering committee meetings were adapted into the new postgraduate college regulation.

Also, the curriculum used to train the doctoral students have been adopted as compulsory methodology training course for all doctoral students in the university.

Vice Chancellor, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, appreciated CARTA for its investment in doctoral research, and further pledged the university’s support to CARTA programmes and initiatives.

He then charged the fellows to go out and do great things in research, using the lessons that they have learnt in the programme and in OAU.

In her remarks, the CARTA Director, Prof. Sharon Fonn of University of Witwatersrand, expressed her excitement at the success of the ItSTRETO programme, thanking the OAU management, research team and students for their various roles in ensuring the success of the programme while congratulating fellows and encouraging them to aim for excellence in life and scholarship.

Prof. Alex Eze, first Executive Director, CARTA and former Director, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), also appreciated OAU for ensuring that the bid for ItSTRETO project was successful.
Eze also congratulated the fellows, saying CARTA ranks OAU high in commitment to excellence in research.

Certificates of completion were given to each doctoral fellow that completed the ItSTRETO training along with certificates and awards of recognition to the research team that initiated the programme.

Ex- Speaker, Dogara Urges NUC To Stop Licensing Private Varsities

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

-

January 7, 2022

0

Former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has expressed worry over proliferation of private universities and called on government to exercise restraint in approving further licenses.

Dogara who is the Chancellor of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, urged the National Universities Commission (NUC) to check the increased cases of proliferation of private universities to save public institutions and indigent students who may not be able to afford fees being charged by these institutions.

He said: “The National Universities Commission must be quick to have a recess, a break for a period of time to allow the very large number of private universities already licensed to mature.

“I am reliably informed that there are 202 universities in Nigeria, out of which the Federal government owns 49; states 54, while the remaining 99, including Achievers University, are promoted by private initiatives.
Many of the newly established private universities are still struggling to find their feet; not because there are no prospective university students in JAMB’s pool, but we would be shying away from the reality if we fail to realise that very many of the applicants cannot afford the fees charged by private universities.

“So many prospective university students would rather wait for a few years to benefit from public university rather than exploit the vast opportunity available in private institutions”

Dogara, however acknowledged private universities for the great jobs being done for those who can afford it, and for assisting government in stemming the tide of education tourism.

“Hitherto, many Nigerian youths were found in great numbers in many universities across the globe, particularly in West African countries. But since the advent of private universities in the country, the story has changed for good.”

First Class Degree In Public Varsities Not Trade By Barter Says EKSU VC

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

-

January 7, 2022

0

The Vice Chancellor of the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Professor Eddy Olanipekun, has revealed that award of first class degree to graduating students in public universities in Nigeria is largely by merit and not a matter of ‘trade by barter’.

The Professor of Industrial Chemistry also declared that EKSU has done creditably in promoting scholarship in the last 40 years of its creation.

Olanipekun noted that EKSU who was ranked third among the 60 state universities in the country on webometrics vividly confirmed that the institution’s management had worked hard to make the citadel of learning to impact positively on scholarship.

Olanipekun stated this at EKSU during the unveiling of the logo for the 40th establishment of the institution.

Speaking about the proliferation of first class in some universities, Olanipekun said: “I can only speak for the public universities, and I can say that it is earned by merit.

“Whoever gets it must have worked for it, and it is not by trade by barter. It is a matter of getting what you have worked for.”

Applauding the giant steps taken by EKSU in the last four decades, the VC said: “This university has been outstanding in performances in 40 years. On webometrics ranking done recently, EKSU was ranked third out of 60 state universities in Nigeria.

“EKSU was also ranked 16th out of the over 200 federal, state and private universities in Nigeria. It was 114 about two years ago. That we have been able to push it forward to this level in two years shows that we have worked hard and made a lot of sacrifices.

“Our vision is to make this university one of the best in Nigeria, or one of the best 10 in the country.”

On the strides made by EKSU to improve scholarship and delivery, the VC said: “Let me tell you that graduating students can now collect their certificates and transcripts immediately after their convocation.”

Having a retrospect of how the institution was established in 1982 as Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) before being changed to Ondo State University, University of Ado Ekiti and now EKSU in that sequence, Olanipekun appreciated those who had made sacrifices for the citadel of learning to stand as a reliable training ground for Nigerians.

One the significance of the unveiling of the logo, the scholar stated that: “You will agree with me that this celebration is worth it, going by the impressively outstanding performances of our university in the last 40 years among the comity of universities.”