The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), in Gambia, Claudiana Cole, advanced reasons for stretching School days from Monday to Saturday, when she appeared before the country’s National Assembly.
Cole appeared to give explanations in response to a question raised by the Member for Bakau, Assan Touray, who asked the Minister to inform Members of parliament of the modalities in place to support learning activities in bigger schools, adding that students have resumed in the midst of a pandemic with school days stretched from Monday to Saturday.
In her response, the Minister told the MPs that the Ministry developed modalities for the reopening of Schools to ensure continuity of learning during the pandemic.
She said the models are tailored to suit the needs of Schools with a target of achieving 200 days on the School calendar. She however said the modalities are not one size fits all; that hence based on simulation, only 23 Schools across the country were expected to alternate.
Cole also explained the reasons for stretching School days from Monday to Saturday for Primary Schools and for all categories of Schools as well.
She said considering the social distancing requirement in Classrooms, those that accommodate up to 45, will take half of that number.
She said the Ministry needed to double the number of Classrooms that are currently available to be able to accommodate students and to give them equal amount of contact time for the School year.
She said this is the reason why for Schools which did not have enough Classrooms, they had to use different models and the alternating model is one that they use for the big Schools.
The Minister said this will ensure that all students would have the opportunity to be in Schools for a certain number of days in a week.
Gambia’s Education Minister Defends Extended School Days
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Releases 2021 UTME Results
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board says candidates who sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) between June 19 and 22, can now access their results using the short USSD code of 55019.
A statement issued by the examination body and signed by its head, public affairs and protocol, Fabian Benjamin, hailed the adoption of the unique National Identification Number (NIN) for what he described as the sharp reduction in the incidence of malpractices during the examination.
He said that the Board noted with satisfaction that the utilisation of NIN (National Identification Number) has helped in curbing examination malpractices as the 2021 UTME has recorded the least incidence of irregularities since the inception of the CBT examinations in Nigeria.”
However, Benjamin noted that will continue its review of the CCTV footages and other technical gadgets for detection of possible examination misconducts.
The JAMB spokesman also revealed that few results are currently being withheld for further investigations, threatening that the board would not hesitate to withdraw the results of any candidate subsequently found to have committed any form of examination misconduct.
JAMB had commenced the ongoing examination on June 19 and said it would continue till July 3.
More than 1.3 million candidates are taking part in the examination across more than 700 computer based centres nationwide.
Due to what it described as their below standard performance, the examination body delisted a total of 30 centres and placed 53 on its watchlist.
Kanye & Yeezy Sue Walmart For Selling Fake Foam Runners
Kanye West and his Yeezy sneaker label are suing Walmart, accusing the retail giant of selling fake shoes.
The complaint which was filed Thursday in California court in Los Angeles, claims the giant discounter has been selling fake versions of his bizarre-looking Foam Runner slides.
Introduced last year at a retail price of $75, the genuine Yeezy slides initially drew unflattering comparisons to Crocs. Nevertheless, they “instantly” sold out, and now sell for upwards of three times that on the secondary market, according to the suit.
“Walmart is flagrantly trading off of his and Yeezy brand’s popularity by offering for sale an imitation version of the Yeezy Foam Runner,” according to the suit.
The document noted that “the Yeezy brand is worth ‘billions’ of dollars, and the potential loss from the imitation shoes in the ‘hundreds of millions.’”
It stated that celebrities are often seen photographed in the Yeezy brand, which in turn “enhances the brand’s popularity and appeal to the general public.”
According to the lawsuit, Yeezy is “losing market shares” with the imitation shoes allegedly harming the reputation and the goodwill of the rapper’s brand.
Walmart appears to have removed most of the counterfeit Foam Runners from its web site, though some could still be found in a search of its site on Thursday afternoon, Fox Business reported.
Walmart issued a statement to TMZ Thursday explaining that the product in question was being sold via their platform by a reseller, and not the company itself.
“The product referenced in the complaint is not sold by Walmart, but rather by third party Marketplace sellers,” a company rep told the outlet.
“We take allegations like this seriously and are reviewing the claim. We will respond in court as appropriate after we have been served with the complaint.”
US Holds First Meeting With Israel’s New FM Amid Iran Moves
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Israel’s new top diplomat Yair Lapid on Sunday, in the United States’ first face-to-face meeting with the recently installed government that seeks a less combative approach with its main ally Washington.
Lapid, a centrist who delayed his own plans to be prime minister as he masterminded a coalition to unseat veteran leader Benjamin Netanyahu, is flying to Rome to see Blinken, who arrives in Italy on Sunday on a three-nation tour of Europe.
The meeting comes as President Joe Biden’s administration moves ahead with fresh talks on reviving a 2015 accord with Iran in which Tehran drastically scaled back nuclear work in return for promises of sanctions relief.
This move has been strongly opposed by Israel.
Biden and Blinken are also eager to preserve a fragile ceasefire that took effect on May 21 between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, after the worst fighting since 2014.
Lapid, who took office on June 13 under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, a nationalist, has accused Netanyahu of jeopardizing Israel’s once rock-solid support in the United States by openly rallying behind former president Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
The new coalition government still sees Iran as the major threat to Israel, and has launched its own strikes on the Gaza Strip but has pledged to put the alliance with Washington first and to try to keep differences private.
After one of Lapid’s telephone conversations with Blinken, the Israeli foreign ministry said that the two agreed on no surprises in the relationship.
In his three days in Italy, Blinken will see Pope Francis on Monday which will be the pontiff’s first meeting with a high-ranking Biden administration official.
Blinken will also take part in meetings hosted by Italy of the Group of 20 major economies and of the coalition to defeat the Islamic State extremist group.
Blinken kicked off his trip to Europe in Berlin, where he met with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Sudan Approves New Economic Reforms, Cuts Government Spending
Sudan cabinet says government will cut its spending and increase social spending, after completing a raft of rapid economic reforms this month that threaten to compound pressures on the majority of the population.
Earlier this month, Sudan fully removed subsidies on car petrol and diesel, and in February it devalued its currency and began a policy of a flexible managed float.
Last week it eliminated its customs exchange rate, used to calculate import duties, as the final step in a devaluation of its local currency.
The country will cut costs of external official trips by 50%, reduce fuel quotas for government vehicles by 20%, sell all surplus government vehicles and cut embassies’ budgets by 25% among other measures, the cabinet said on Saturday after three days of closed meetings.
Sudanese money – pound a business background
The government will expand the registration of a family support project called Thamarat or Fruits to include three million families or about 15 million people within two months.
Through the program financed by the World Bank and other donors, Sudan is paying out monthly cash allowances to these families to ease economic pain.
The new measures include increasing the budget of another program that was meant to provide cheap food commodities from two billion Sudanese pounds ($4.51 million) to 10 billion pounds ($22.54 million).
The government will pay a monthly grant of 10 billion pounds to all state workers, not subject to taxes, starting from July 1, most of which will be allocated to the lowest grades of workers.
It also promised to review the salary structure and to apply a new improved one starting from the fiscal year 2022.
Sudan is emerging from decades of economic sanctions and isolation under ousted former President Omar al-Bashir.
It had built up huge arrears on its debt, but has made rapid progress towards having much of it forgiven under the IMF and World Bank’s Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) scheme, which would reopen access to badly needed cheap international financing.
The IMF said on Tuesday it has secured sufficient financing pledges to allow it to provide comprehensive debt relief to Sudan, clearing a final hurdle towards wider relief on external debt of at least $50 billion.
Tanzania High Court Overturns Opposition Leader Mbowe’s Conviction
Tanzania’s High Court in Dar es Salaam has overturned a ruling that convicted Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe and eight other party leaders of several charges.
Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in March found them guilty of the offences and ordered them to pay a total of Tsh350 million (about $150,955) in fines.
They had been charged with conspiracy to commit offences, unlawful assembly, rioting after proclamation, raising discontent and ill-will for unlawful purposes, sedition and inciting commission of offences committed between February 1 and 16, 2018 in Dar es Salaam.
However, party lawyer John Mallya said the High Court has ordered the reimbursement of Chadema leaders.
Chief of Army Staff Yahaya Tasks Troops To Destroy All Terrorists’ Enclaves
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General, Faruk Yahaya, has urged troops of Sector 2 Joint Task Force North East Operation Hadin Kai to destroy all Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province terrorist enclaves in their various locations.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General, Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement, said that Yahaya gave the charge while addressing troops in Damaturu, Yobe State.
The COAS commended the troops for the successful conduct of various operations which include, Operation Ayiso Tamunoma, Katana Jimlan, Fire Ball and Operation Tura Takaibango among others.
He enjoined them to use their experiences from the series of operations to destroy the remnants of the marauding terrorists within their area of responsibility.
Yahaya assured them of improved welfare and a new reward system for troops who performed gallantly in any operation.
According to the statement, the Commander Sector 2 Operation Hadin Kai, Brigadier General Adamu Nura had earlier briefed the COAS on the operational engagements and challenges in the sector.
In a related development, the Army Chief also charged troops in the Theatre of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) to be decisive and alert in the fight against ISWAP and Boko Haram Terrorists in the North-East.
The COAS gave the charge while addressing troops of Sector 3 Operation Hadin Kai and Multinational Joint Task Force, Monguno in Borno State during his maiden operational tour of the Sector.
General Faruk Yahaya, who lauded the level of discipline and commitment exhibited by troops of the Sector to duty, admonished them to be apolitical, decisive and circumspect in all their operational engagements.
He charged them to sustain the aggressive tempo of the operations and keep the flag flying, in order to bring the insurgency to an end in the northeast.
Federal Government Says No Plans To Ban Gas Cylinder Imports
As part of the National Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) expansion and implementation plan, the Federal Government says it has no immediate plans to ban the importation of cylinders.
The Senior Special Assistant on Domestic Gas in the office of the Vice President, Dayo Adesina disclosed this in an interview with Journalists on Sunday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital
He said that the government was working on first building local capacities before contemplating a ban.
According to Adesina, who is also the Programme Manager, National Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) expansion and implementation, Nigeria still had a lot of cylinder deficits to fill in meeting the LPG expansion plan.
He explained that the plan was to get LPG to the remotest of villages and discourage the use of firewood and other fuels inimical to the environment.
Adesina said that there were only about two million gas cylinders, in the country with a population of over two hundred million people which he said was very poor compared to other countries.
He pointed out that Brazil, with a population similar to Nigeria, has a cylinder population of 150 million and an additional five million injected annually.
For India, he said that the cylinder population was over 100 million while Mexico had a cylinder population of almost 100 million.
Adesina said that the government needs to move quickly to inject cylinders nationwide if it must keep its commitment to reducing emission.
He stressed that banning importation now would not be a solution, adding that the rather logical thing to do would be to gradually build local capacity until the nation can become self-sufficient in production.
Classified Ministry Of Defence Documents Found At Bus Stop
Classified Ministry of Defence documents containing details about HMS Defender and the British military have been found at a bus stop in Kent.
One set of documents discusses the likely Russian reaction to the ship’s passage through Ukrainian waters off the Crimea coast on Wednesday, while another details plans for a possible UK military presence in Afghanistan after the US-led Nato operation there ends.
The government said an investigation has been launched, however a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said an employee had reported the loss of sensitive defence papers, adding that It would be inappropriate to comment further.
The documents, almost 50 pages in all, were found in a soggy heap behind a bus stop in Kent early on Tuesday morning.
A member of the public, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted the BBC when he realised the sensitive nature of the contents.
The BBC believes the documents, which include emails and PowerPoint presentations, originated in the office of a senior official at the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The documents relating to the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer, HMS Defender, show that a mission described by the MoD as an innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters, with guns covered and the ship’s helicopter stowed in its hangar was conducted in the expectation that Russia might respond aggressively.
On Wednesday more than 20 Russian aircraft and two coastguard ships shadowed the warship as it sailed about 12 miles (19km) off Crimea’s coast.
Moscow’s defence ministry said a patrol ship fired warning shots and a jet dropped bombs in the destroyer’s path but the UK government rejected this account, denying any warning shots had been fired.
The mission, dubbed “Op Ditroite”, was the subject of high-level discussions as late as Monday, the documents show, with officials speculating about Russia’s reaction if HMS Defender sailed close to Crimea.
Sajid Javid Replaces Matt Hancock As Health Secretary
Sajid Javid says he wants to see a return to normal as quickly as possible after replacing Matt Hancock as health secretary.
Speaking on Sunday, Javid said he would do all he could to deliver for the people of the United Kingdom.
His appointment comes after Hancock stood down on Saturday for breaching Covid rules with inappropriate act with a colleague.
Javid, who has had several key government roles, said his predecessor had worked incredibly hard.
Javid’s return to a senior cabinet role comes 16 months after his shock resignation as chancellor, in February last year, a month before he was due to deliver his first Budget.
At the time, the prime minister ordered him to fire his closest aides and replace them with advisers chosen by Number 10 if he wanted to remain in post – conditions he said he was “unable to accept”.
Javid, who had clashed with the prime minister’s former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, chose to quit instead and was replaced by his former deputy at the Treasury, Rishi Sunak.
Meanwhile, his appointment has been criticized by Labour, saying he had been an architect of austerity that weakened the NHS.
Speaking on Sunday to reporters, Javid said Hancock had achieved a lot in the role, adding “I’m sure he will have more to offer in public life”.
