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Once Upon A Time – Dec. 21 – 1913 – 1st Crossword Puzzle, With 32 Clues Printed

By
Angel Gimalo
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1620 Mayflower Pilgrims come ashore at in Plymouth Bay, traditionally thought to be at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts.

1898 Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium.

1968 Apollo 8: 1st manned Moon voyage launched with Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders.

1988 Lockerbie disaster: A terrorist bomb destroys Pan Am Flight 103 mid-air, over Scotland; kills all 259 passengers and crew on board, and 11 people on the ground [1].

1991 Soviet Union formally dissolves as 11 of 12 republics sign treaty forming Commonwealth of Independent States.

More Historical Events
Dec 21 in Film & TV
1937 The first full-length animated feature film and the earliest in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre.

Dec 21 in Music
1968 Glen Campbell’s album “Wichita Lineman” goes to #1 in the US.

Dec 21 in Sport
1891 1st game of basketball, based on rules created by James Naismith, played by 18 students in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Did You Know?
1913 1st crossword puzzle (with 32 clues) printed in NY World

Would You Believe?
2012 “Gangnam Style” by Psy becomes the first video to reach one billion views on YouTube

The Perfect Christmas Dish

By
Cleopatra Okohai
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Goat Meat Fried Rice

Hi there! So it’s that time of the year where we chant MERRY CHRISTMAS! with lots of smiles, hugs and love. But do you know what I love most about Christmas and the Yuletide season? Come closer let me tell you. The food! Yes. The festive season comes with lots of wining and dining. Whether at parties, or at home with family and friends, the food hits differently.

So, in the spirit of Christmas, I’ll be sharing a special Christmas dish in the hope to help you spice up your kitchen for the season. One of the common Christmas staple is Fried Rice and Chicken, right? But I’ll be sharing a special Fried Rice recipe called “The Goat Meat Fried Rice” (Lol I’m resisting the urge to add special before the goat meat). Well, That’s it.

The Goat Meat Fried Rice

Not only will I be sharing this special recipe, the full video of how to prepared it, will be shared as well, so try not to miss it. I was with a seasoned chef the other day and we had an amazing time making the Special Goat Meat Fried Rice and a Full Thanksgiving Chicken which came as bonus recipe. From the colourful ingredients to the smell and lastly the outcome which tastes so heavenly, It felt like Christmas already.

Christmas dish

So, watch out for the video on here and don’t forget to try it out, especially for Christmas/Yuletide. It is easy breezy to prepare and of course affordable yet uniquely different from your regular fried rice. Trust me, you won’t regret trying this special Christmas dish.

Read Also: Great Foods to help start your Day

Do remember to comment and share your take when the video drops. I’ll be here waiting for your comments. Merry Christmas Darlings!

Boeing And Airbus Warn US Over 5G Safety Concerns

By
Zoe Maven
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0

Bosses from the world’s two biggest plane makers have called on the US government to delay the rollout of new 5G phone services.

In a letter, top executives at Boeing and Airbus warned that the technology could have “an enormous negative impact on the aviation industry.”

Concerns have previously been raised that C-Band spectrum 5G wireless could interfere with aircraft electronics even as US telecoms giants AT&T and Verizon are due to deploy 5G services on 5 January.

Dave Calhoun and Jeffrey Knittel, in a joint letter to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that 5G interference could adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate.

The letter cited research by trade group Airlines for America which found that if the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) 5G rules had been in effect in 2019, about 345,000 passenger flights and 5,400 cargo flights would have faced delays, diversions or cancellations.

The aviation industry and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have raised concerns about potential interference of 5G with sensitive aircraft equipment like radio altitude meters.

This month, the FAA issued airworthiness directives warning 5G interference could result in flight diversions, saying it would provide more information before the 5 January rollout date.

In November, AT&T and Verizon delayed the commercial launch of C-band wireless service by a month until 5 January and adopted precautionary measures to limit interference.

Aviation industry groups have said the measures did not go far enough, with Boeing and Airbus saying they made a counterproposal that would limit cellular transmissions around airports and other critical areas

Kosovo Agrees To Rent Prison Cells To Denmark

By
Zoe Maven
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0

Kosovo has agreed to rent 300 prison cells to Denmark to ease overcrowding in the Scandinavian country’s jails.

Denmark will pay an annual fee of €15m for an initial period of five years, and will also help fund green energy in the country.

The rented cells are meant to house convicted criminals from non-EU countries due to be deported from Denmark after their sentences.

Kosovo has between 700 and 800 unused prison spaces and Danish laws would apply to any prisoners in the rented cells.

A joint statement said the two governments signed a “political declaration” of intent on Monday which will run for an initial period of five years,.

In total, Kosovo is due to receive a total of €210m over the next 10 years for renting the prison in Gjilan, some 50km from the capital, Pristina, from 2023. Danish ministers were due to visit the jail on Tuesday.

Danish Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup said in a statement that the deal will create space in their prisons and ease the pressure on prison officers at the same time as it also sends a clear signal to third-country nationals sentenced to deportation.

There has been criticism of the move with activists in both countries saying Denmark should not be sending unwanted foreign convicts to other countries, or far away from their families.

Since 2015, the number of inmates in Denmark has risen from 3,400 to 4,200, while the number of prison guards has declined from 2,500 to 2,000.

In recent years, Denmark has taken a hard line on immigration and introduced dozens of restrictions, including an order to separate young asylum-seeking couples.

Mauritius Oil Spill: Captain Guilty Over Tanker Spill

By
Zoe Maven
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0

The captain and first officer of a ship that ran aground on coral reef in Mauritius have been found guilty of endangering safe navigation.

The captain, Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, admitted to drinking moderately during a birthday party onboard before the MV Wakashio ran aground on 25 July 2020.

Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar and his first officer, Hitihanillage Subhoda Janendra Tilakaratna were found guilty under the 2007 Merchant shipping act by the Court of Investigation, set up by the Mauritian government.

Nandeshwar said he had given orders to approach Mauritian waters so that the crew could get phone reception to make calls to their families.

About 1,000 tonnes of fuel leaked into the water, sparking an ecological emergency.

The ship ran aground at Pointe d’Esny, a known sanctuary for rare wildlife. The area also contains wetlands designated as a site of international importance by the Ramsar convention on wetlands.

The investigation found that the lookout officer had been allowed to stay at the birthday party which meant that he could not ensure the safe navigation of the ship.

Nandeshwar apologised to Mauritians for the damage caused. Tilakaratna appealed to the court for leniency and said he had not been able to see his family since his arrest.

At the time of the incident, Greenpeace Africa warned that “thousands” of animal species were “at risk of drowning in a sea of pollution” with dire consequences for the economy, food security and health in Mauritius.

Mauritius is home to world-renowned coral reefs, and popular with tourists.

The pair are due to be sentenced on 27 December.

UN Says Over 160 Migrants Drown In Shipwrecks Off Libya

By
Zoe Maven
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0

A United Nations migration official on Tuesday announced that more than 160 migrants drowned in two separate shipwrecks off Libya over past week,.

Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration, said at least 102 migrants were reported dead after their wooden boat capsized off Libya on Friday.

She said at least eight others were rescued and returned to shore. The fatalities were the latest disasters in the Mediterranean Sea involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

The second shipwreck took place Saturday. The Libyan coast guard retrieved at least 62 bodies of migrants. The same day, the coast guard intercepted a third wooden boat with at least 210 migrants on board.

The new deaths have brought the tally in the central Mediterranean route to around 1,500 migrants drowned this year, Msehli said.

Recent months have seen a surge in crossings and attempted crossings from Libya as authorities accelerated their deadly crackdown on migrants in the capital of Tripoli.

Around 31,500 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya in 2021, compared to nearly 11,900 migrants the previous year, according to the IOM. Around 980 migrants were dead or presumed dead in 2020, the U.N. agency said.

Libya has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Human traffickers have benefited from the chaos in the oil-rich nation and smuggled migrants through the country’s lengthy border with six nations.

1972 Events In Burundi Described As Genocide

By
Zoe Maven
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The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which presented its progress report to the Burundian parliament in congress on December 20, described one of the worst episodes of inter-ethnic massacres in the country, which began at the end of April 1972, as “the genocide against the Hutus of 1972 and 1973.

The Hutus are now in power. A qualification that was endorsed, by acclamation, by both houses of the Burundian parliament.

Established in 2014, Burundi’s highly contested TRC had the daunting task of investigating crimes committed in that country from the Berlin Conference of 1885 to the end of the civil war in 2008. But the TRC focused its investigation on this dark period.

The report presented to the parliament in congress is rather voluminous. More than 5,000 pages that summarize years of investigation focused exclusively on what Burundians used to call “the events of ’72.

This date corresponds to one of the worst episodes of inter-ethnic massacres in the country.

For the Collective of Survivors and Victims of this crisis, it is a breath of relief, while for other Burundians it was a disappointing outcome.

François-Xavier Nsabimana, president of the Collective of Survivors and Victims said the feeling of satisfaction was not complete, moreso since this is only a step, which has shed light on an event that had been hidden for a long time.

The 1972 crisis began on the 29th of April in Rumonge, in the south of the country, with targeted attacks against the Tutsis.

Indiscriminate repression against the Hutus, the majority ethnic group, followed at the national level under the 1st Republic led by Michel Micombero.

Punches In Ghana Parliament Over Electronic Payments Tax

By
Zoe Maven
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0

A brawl has broken out on the floor of Ghana’s parliament as lawmakers debated a proposed tax on electronic transactions that has divided the house for weeks.

The 1.75% e-levy, which would include taxes on mobile money payments, has been fiercely opposed by the opposition since it was first proposed last month, and held up the passing of the national budget.

Members of parliament rushed the front of the chamber after Speaker Alban Bagbin suggested the tax be debated and voted upon under a hastened ‘urgency’ procedure.

Some threw punches and grappled while others restrained their colleagues.

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Artta argues that the levy would widen the tax net and raise an additional 6.9 billion Ghanaian cedi or $1.15 billion in 2022.

But his proposal was met with boos and jeers in parliament when it was first announced.

Those opposed to the levy say it would disproportionately affect lower-income people and those outside the formal banking system who rely heavily rely on mobile money transfers, reducing overall economic activity.

Ofori-Artta has promised to hold further discussions with stakeholders about the levy.

A vote on whether or not to proceed with the urgency procedure was due to resume on Tuesday.

Egypt Jails Key Revolution Figure Abdel Fattah For 5 Years

By
Zoe Maven
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0

Egypt has sentenced Alaa Abdel Fattah, a leading figure in the 2011 revolution, to five years in jail, with two others receiving four years.

A computer programmer, blogger and high-profile activist who mobilised youths in the uprising that unseated autocrat Hosni Mubarak, Abdel Fattah had been in pre-trial detention since September 2019.

Abdel Fattah, his lawyer Mohamed al-Baqer and blogger Mohamed “Oxygen” Ibrahim were convicted of “broadcasting false news” in their trial in Cairo.

Taking to Twitter, Fattah’s sister Mona Seif said Alaa was sentenced to five years, Baqer four years and Mohamed Oxygen four years, adding that the judge was too cowardly to even inform them.

A judicial source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the verdict and sentencing to Newsmen.

Rulings in the court cannot be appealed. They require final approval by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Washington, which has already frozen 10 percent of its aid to Egypt over repeated rights violations, said it was “disappointed” by the sentence.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Journalists, human rights defenders, and others seeking to peacefully exercise their freedom of expression should be able to do so without facing criminal penalties, intimidation, harassment, or any other form of reprisal.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ,  also decried Monday’s ruling as “unacceptable”.

CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa Coordinator Sherif Mansour said the verdict demonstrates the lengths to which authorities are willing to go to punish these journalists for their work.

Lagos State Governor Signs N137.3b Largest Fixed Bond By State Government

By
Angel Gimalo
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0

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday, signed the necessary documents required by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) to finalise the issuance of Lagos State’s N137.3b 13% 2021/2031 Fixed Rate Bond Series IV Bond Issuance, under the N500b fourth debt issuance programme of the state.

Speaking at the signing ceremony with the issuing houses in attendance, Sanwo-Olu said the conclusion of the process will bring to 377.715b the total value of bond issued from the Lagos State 500b debt issuance programme.

The governor stated that though the plan was to raise up to N125b but closed the book build with bids totalling N137.3b.

” This strong response from the investing community – to our administration’s debut bond issuance – is humbling and is indeed a testament to continued investor confidence in the State’s ability to deliver on its infrastructural and socio-economic developmental objectives; and to meet repayment obligations.

“Notwithstanding the significantly over-subscribed book, and active participation from a wide array of institutional investors – including banks, pension fund administrators, asset managers and corporates, Lagos State has maintained its discipline on size and pricing.

Mindful of the prevailing yield environment, the Series IV Issuance was maintained at N137.3 Billion and cleared at a coupon of 13% per annum. Only bids within the clearing bid were accepted.”

Sanwo-Olu further said In line with the state’s vision to build a Greater Lagos, the proceeds of the bond will be used to finance key infrastructure projects, primarily in roads and healthcare.

He listed the projects to include the Lekki Regional Road, Rehabilitation of Ijeododo road and Rehabilitation of the alternative route to Admiralty Circle Toll Plaza.

“These projects will contribute to a better quality of living for our people, while also creating a more enabling environment for commercial and economic activity. There is no doubt — and we have seen this from previous interventions — that the multiplier social and economic effects will more than justify the cost of the investment.”

Sanwo-Olu applauded the Federal Ministry of Finance, PENCOM and Debt Management Office Nigeria, as well as the Securities & Exchange Commission for their support and collaboration

“We equally thank the investing community for their sustained support of Lagos State and our efforts to improve the social and economic welfare of all residents in Lagos. We do not take for granted your enthusiastic response to our Bond offer.

“We will continue to uphold our commitment to remain the most responsible issuer in the Nigerian capital market,” Sanwo-Olu said.

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