Public transport staff in Athens went on strike for the second time in a week on Wednesday before a parliamentary vote on a law the government says will revamp outdated labour rules.
Ships remained docked at ports, and many bus, subway and railway services were suspended as transport staff walked off the job.
Workers from other sectors also held work stoppages and were expected to join several protest rallies in central Athens before the vote on the bill later on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ conservative government, which took office in 2019, said the reform would modernise “antiquated” laws dating back decades to a pre-internet time when most workers clocked into offices and factories at the same set hours.
Trade unions have described the draft law as a “monstrosity”, insisting government should withdraw the bill, which they say will reverse long-established workers’ rights and allow companies to bring in longer hours through the back door.
The most disputed part of the bill allows employees to work up to 10 hours on one day and less time on another. Unions fear that will enable employers to force workers to accept longer hours.
The bill would also give workers the right to disconnect outside office hours and introduce a “digital work card” from next year to monitor employees working hours in real time, as well as increase legal overtime to 150 hours a year.
Greek Strike Against Labour Reform Bill Disrupts Transport
JAMB Releases 2021 Mock Result
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the result of the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) mock exam conducted on June 3.
Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB spokesperson made this known in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.
Benjamin said in the statement: “The result of the mock examination conducted on the June 3 is now on our website.
“Candidates can check their results by visiting www.jamb.gov.ng (click on quick link then log on to e facility to provide registration number to check the result).
“A total of 160,718 candidates indicated interest to sit for the examination but only 62,780 turned out for the mock exercise whose results are now released.”
The main examinations will hold between June 19 and July 3.
Nigerian Aviation Agency Warns Pilots, Airlines On Hazardous Rainy Weather
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has cautioned all pilots over severe thunderstorms and other hazardous weather hampering flight operations especially in view of the onset of the rains.
The warning is a follow up to the Advisory Circular addressed to all pilots and airline operators and comes on the advent of the Seasonal Climate Prediction released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) for the year 2021.
NIMET had predicted early/late March as the start of the rainy season in the Southern states while late April/June 2021 is the start of the rainy season in Central and Northern parts of Nigeria.
Consequently, NCAA on Wednesday, stated that the weather advisory circular was necessary for evolving weather information associated with the onset of rainy season and the effects on safety and efficiency of flight operations; and to elicit the cooperation of stakeholders.
Therefore, Pilots, Operators and Air Traffic Controllers Pilots are directed to observe series of responsibilities which include as follows:
Air Traffic Controllers may temporarily close the airspace when any of the conditions in (1) are observed or forecast by NIMET;
Flight Crews/Operators and Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) are to ensure adherence to published aerodrome weather miniman;
Pilots to exercise maximum restraint whenever adverse weather is observed or forecast by NIMET; and
Pilots/Flight Crew members to obtain adequate departure, en-route and destination weather information and briefing from NIMET Aerodrome Meteorological Offices prior to flight operations.
The aviation agency called on passengers to exercise patience and understanding during this period of heavy downpour, while strict compliance to this warning is expected from all stakeholders.
Former Lawyer Of Gaddafi’s Son Becomes New ICC Prosecutor
Foremost British lawyer, Karim Khan, has been sworn in as the new Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
At a ceremony on Wednesday, Khan pledged to reach out to nations that are not members of the court and to try to hold trials in countries where crimes are committed.
Khan, 51, a former defence lawyer for the Hague-based tribunal, was elected by ICC member states in February to serve a nine-year tenure at the world’s only permanent war crimes court.
He has been left a bulging case file by his predecessor Fatou Bensouda, who extended the ICC’s reach so dramatically that she was hit by US sanctions but also suffered a series of high-profile failures.
Khan took a public oath of office in a ceremony at the ICC, making him just the court’s third Prosecutor since it was founded in 2002 to try people for the world’s worst crimes.
Khan previously led a special UN probe into crimes by the Islamic State extremist group and, more controversially, also represented late Libyan leader Moamer Ghadaffi’s’s son, Seif al-Islam, at the ICC.
Bensouda has left him with a full in-tray, including a probe into the Philippines war on drugs that she announced on Monday, an investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan, and the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
In her farewell statement, Bensouda said that she had “made my decisions, with careful deliberation — but without fear or favour. Even in the face of adversity. Even at considerable personal cost.”
She had also aimed to open probes into Ukraine and Nigeria but was leaving those to Khan to complete.
The British lawyer will meanwhile have to contend with the outright opposition of key countries that have refused to join the ICC, including the United States, Israel, China and Russia.
World Bank Say Nigeria’s Apex Bank Is To Be Blamed For Its Foreign Exchange Crisis
The foreign exchange crisis in Nigeria is making it difficult for investors to help country as many have to been forced to ditch the official market for the black market due to shortage supply and mismanagement by the county’s apex bank.
According to World Bank, in its bi-annual Nigerian Development Update, a report published twice yearly, the way the exchange rate was managed limited access to FX and thus adversely affected investor confidence and investment appetite. This has widened the disparity between the official I&E Foreign Exchange Window (IEFX) and the parallel market in recent weeks due to a combination of speculation, demand and fear of future devaluation of the currency.
The Washington-based lender also noted that surging inflation is undermining the economic recovery of the nation as it projects an economic growth of 1.8% this year, compared with a previous estimate of 1.2%. It warned that the economy will continue to grow slower than the pace of population expansion of about 2.6% a year if deep reforms are nit implemented.
“Policy decisions related to exchange rate, trade and monetary and fiscal factors are driving inflation, especially during 2021, more so than exogenous factors related to conflict and weather shocks,” said Marco Hernandez, the World Bank’s chief economist for the country.
World Bank advised that the central bank should aim for greater flexibility by reestablishing a dollar interbank market, effectively allowing banks to trade currency on their own behalf to increase liquidity and move toward a single rate.
It added that the lack of a credible monetary anchor will keep inflation elevated as the central bank is too busy trying to achieve too many objectives, such as controlling price increases, promoting economic growth and keeping a stable exchange rate.
Malaysia’s King Calls For Stable, Secure Government Administration
Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah said on Wednesday the country’s parliament should reconvene as soon as possible, to allow emergency ordinances and a coronavirus recovery plan to be debated by lawmakers.
The king’s remarks come a day after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said parliament could reopen by September at the earliest, providing that the average number of daily coronavirus infections fall below 2,000.
Parliament was suspended in January after the king declared a national emergency on Muhyiddin’s advice. The opposition said it was an attempt by the premier to shore up his position amid a leadership challenge.
The king in a statement on Wednesday said parliament plays an important role in discussing steps taken by the government to deal with the health and economic crises.
The king also stressed on the need for a “stable and secure government administration” capable of effectively handling the epidemic and restoring the economy.
In a separate statement, the nine-member conference of rulers – which includes the king – said they do not see a need for the emergency to be extended beyond its Aug. 1 expiry date.
The conference echoed the king’s view on the need for a stable and secure government, and said that all efforts must be made to secure as much public support for inclusive measures to manage COVID-19.
Malaysia has reported 4,142 deaths from the coronavirus. The country has the highest number of infections per capita in Southeast Asia, with more than 673,000 cases recorded.
INEC Announces Dates For Ekiti, Osun Governorship Elections
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the dates to conduct the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, announced this on Wednesday at the meeting of the commission held at its headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He said the Commission has approved that the Ekiti State Governorship election will hold on Saturday, June 18, 2022, while the Osun State Governorship election will hold one month later on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
Professor Yakubu added that the Commission is preparing to conduct the remaining off-season end of tenure elections ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He said already, activities listed in the timetable for the Anambra State Governorship election are being implemented as well as are those of the FCT Area Council election holding on February 12, 2022.
He informed the meeting that the detailed Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the two governorship elections have been uploaded on the website and social media platforms of the electoral umpire.
The INEC boss, appealed to political parties and aspirants to ensure rancour-free primaries and conduct peaceful electioneering campaigns.
He revealed that the commission has relocated many polling units from inappropriate places to public buildings accessible to voters, polling agents, observers, and the media during elections.
Following the latest development, he unveiled a total of 56,872 new polling units, saying Nigeria now has 176,846 full-fledged polling units.
MTN Says Rising Insecurity Could Disrupt Its Service In Nigeria
The telco is the first company in Nigeria to admit that there could be a possible disruption to its services due to the growing insecurity.
A statement seen by Reuters said that “Sadly, we must inform you that with the rising insecurity in different parts of Nigeria, service delivery to your organization may be impacted in the coming days.”
“This means that in some cases, our technical support team may not be able to get to your site and achieve optimum turnaround time in fault management as quickly as possible.”
MTN operates in 22 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Out of the 22, Nigeria is MTN’s most lucrative market. However, it is also one of the markets with the most problems.
MTN Nigeria generates about one-third of the company’s revenue.
Economic growth stalled in Nigeria due to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the World Bank, food inflation, heightened insecurity and stalled reforms slowed the economy and increased poverty. However, growth resumed in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Nigeria faces increased insecurity across the country. The insecurity ranges from mass abductions at schools, kidnappings for ransom, armed conflict between herdsmen and farmers, armed robberies and various insurgencies.
The growing insecurity affects economic growth and job creation in the West African country.
China To Launch High-Stakes Crewed Mission To Space
China will send three astronauts into orbit on Thursday in a high-stakes mission, the first of four crewed space flights to complete the country’s space station by the end of next year.
China will launch Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo into orbit aboard the spacecraft Shenzhou-12 at 9:22 a.m. (0122 GMT) on June 17 from Jiuquan in northwestern Gansu province.
Nie, 56, a former air force pilot, will be the oldest Chinese astronaut to go to space.
Shenzhou-12, meaning “Divine Vessel”, is the third of 11 missions needed to build China’s space station. Construction began in April with the launch of Tianhe, the first and largest of three modules.
The Shenzhou-12 crew are to live on the Tianhe, which means “Harmony of the Heavens”, a cylinder 16.6 m (55 ft) long and 4.2 m (14 ft) in diameter.
The three-month stay for Nie, Liu and Tang will be the longest for any Chinese astronauts, and one focus will be seeing how the men handle their relatively long time in orbit.
“The (mission) is longer this time, and not only do we have to set up the core module – this ‘home’ in space – we’ve to carry out a series of pivotal technical tests,” Nie told reporters in Jiuquan.
“This mission is more arduous and the challenges are greater.”
Shenzhou-12 will be Nie’s third space outing, the second for Liu, 54, and the first for Tang, 45.
On Liu’s Shenzhou-7 mission in 2008, his first, he almost did not get to perform a space walk to plant the Chinese flag on the exterior of the spacecraft.
Liu, with the help of another astronaut, used a crowbar to pry open the hatch after it refused to budge.
“We experienced some dangerous situations and encountered some difficulties on that mission,” Liu said on Wednesday.
“The amount of time spent outside the cabin on this mission is much longer, and there will be many rounds of extra-vehicular activity. The mission has thus become extremely complex and tough.”
Ethiopians Fight Climate Change With Rocks And Wire
Heavy flooding has washed away soil in an agricultural area of Ethiopia’s Amhara state – but members of the community are fighting back with a simple solution.
In the highlands of Ethiopia, Terrefe Tsega and dozens of other construction workers are loading rocks into wire cages.
They’re called gabions, and for farmers here they could be a vital weapon against the effects of climate change.
“This work is about maintaining the gullies. First we collect and prepare the stones; then we dig into the ground, and then we put in the gabions.”
This is an area of Ethiopia’s northern Amhara state that used to be covered in farms.
But heavy flooding has washed away the soil – leaving farmers with less food to sell or feed to their families.
The gullies are part of an irrigation system that directs the rainwater and traps soil.
“The benefit of our work for this community is that we are helping to save the environment from soil erosion and the youth from the community are getting employment and earning income to cover expenses.”
Terrefe is employed by the Rural Poor Stimulus Facility.
It was set up by the International Fund for Agricultural Development to support rural communities hit by the global health crisis.
For Terrefe it’s meant being able to help his community but he says the money he has earned has also changed his life – allowing him to buy sheep, chickens and clothes for his children.
