Storm Daniel Forces Greek PM To Postpone Annual Economic Speech

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September 7, 2023

At least four people have died and more than six were still missing on Thursday after storm Daniel swept across central Greece, triggering landslides, destroying roads and bridges and carrying away dozens of cars.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis postponed an annual economic speech scheduled for this weekend and will instead visit areas hit since Monday by torrential rain that has flooded homes and destroyed key infrastructure, including power poles.

A bus is partially submerged following flash floods, as storm Daniel hits central Greece, in the village of Platanias, Greece, September 6, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis

“The state mechanism’s absolute priority right now is the rescue and evacuation of people from the areas affected,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told a press briefing.

“Our country is facing for the third day a phenomenon unlike any other we have seen in the past,” Marinakis said, before announcing that the recently re-elected leader’s main economic policy speech would be held in the middle of next week instead of Saturday.

The mainland port city of Volos, the surrounding mountainous Pelion area and the cities of Karditsa and Trikala were among the worst-hit areas.

Heavy rainfall, which came days after a two-week deadly wildfire died out in the north and authorities said was the most extreme on record, has turned many villages in the low-lying area of Karditsa, in the mainland Thessaly plain, into a lake.

Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said during a press briefing on Thursday that six people had been reported missing in the area of Karditsa.

A senior fire brigade official told Reuters that the body of a man was found in the town of Domokos. The bodies of two men and a woman were found on Wednesday across the region.

U.K. Records Hottest Day Of 2023 So Far – National Weather Service

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Angel Gimalo

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September 7, 2023

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Britain recorded its hottest day of the year so far on Thursday, the country’s national weather service said, with provisional data showing a high of 32.6 degrees Celsius (90.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in south east England.

This year’s previous high was 32.2 C, which was reached twice in June, the Met Office said, helping make that month the hottest June on record in Britain.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Steven Ramsdale said temperatures were “well above average for the time of year” due to high pressure to the south east of the country.

“Heatwave conditions have already been met for much of England and Wales, with parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland also likely to continue to see some unseasonably high temperatures,” he added.

The Met Office said last week that Britain had experienced its eighth warmest summer since 1884.

Subsidy Palliative: Kwara State Begins Distribution

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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September 7, 2023

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The Kwara State Palliative Committee has commenced the distribution of 250,000 bags of 10 kg rice palliatives across the 16 Local government areas of the state.

The exercise took off on Wednesday with Asa and Oke-Ero being the first two local government areas to benefit from the initiative.

The rice palliative funded by the Nigerian government in partnership with state governments seeks to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on the most vulnerable citizens.

One of the food palliatives committee members, Lawal Olohungbebe, said the government is doing everything to give the people what belongs to them which explains why they are on the ground to ensure an adequate distribution exercise as expected by the state government.

“What is going on here is giving people what they deserve and the government is doing everything for the people to get what belongs to them through the distribution of 10kg of rice.”

He said; “The funding of the rice palliatives was by the Nigerian government and that’s what you can see us doing here, distributing 10kg bags of rice to different local government areas in Kwara State.

“We have 16 local government areas and each Local Government has been assigned its number of bags of rice depending on their population. So, every local government is getting from what we have. Presently, we are taking the first batch of the consignment to Asa and Oke-Ero Local Government Areas. Those are the two local governments we are concentrating on for today. Tomorrow, we are going to another.”

“What we are doing presently is to ensure that different wards from the Local Government are here to pick up their stuff and as they are taking them to the communities, members of civil society organisation or any NGO are being attached to them together with the police to deliver the items.

“They have actually been informed that the items are not for every community member, The government understands that everybody is now vulnerable but we are looking at the extremely vulnerable members. These are people that even before the subsidy removal, they were not very well, not to talk of now that it’s been removed. These people include the physically challenged persons who are poor, being a widow is not the issue but poor widows, aged people who have no one to take care of them, and many others in different categories.

“All these, we as a committee cannot identify them at the ward levels that’s why we ensure every ward has a palliative distribution committee which is made up of the most senior traditional ruler in the ward, the most senior pastor, most senior Imam, representative of the youths, representative of women and representative of people living with disabilities and at the same time, depending on the peculiarity of each ward, all tribes in each ward are represented, then they generate the list of those who are extremely in need,” Mr Olohungbebe explained.

He noted that this development is just one of the different layers of the palliatives the state government is rolling out, citing the N10,000 added to the monthly pay of the civil servants, buses conveying students to their schools and even many more to come as palliative measures.

One of the stakeholders in Oke-Ero Local Government, Moses Oni, the Odofin of Iloffa who came in respect of his district said the rice may be too small to some people, but the fact that it makes a whole lot of sense to the extremely vulnerable persons makes it a laudable gesture.

According to another member of the committee, Stephen Awoyale, Asa Local Government Area as of January 2023 is 208,978 population. It has 17 wards and the assigned palliatives are 11,000 bags of rice in total.

“The population of Oke-Ero is 95,235 with 10 wards. Therefore, 4,400 bags of rice were assigned to the area in total,” he said.

Hillary Clinton Returns To The White House For An Arts Event Next Week

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Koko Lawrence

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September 7, 2023

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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to make a rare public appearance at the White House, attending an arts event next week with first lady Jill Biden.

The White House announced that Clinton is scheduled to appear Tuesday to help honor the 2023 winners of the Praemium Imperiale, a global prize awarded annually by the Japan Art Association for lifetime achievement in the arts.

Praemium Imperiale laureates were first celebrated at the White House by President Bill Clinton and the then-first lady in 1994.

Hillary Clinton, a former New York senator who served as Obama’s secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, lost her 2016 bid for the presidency to Donald Trump.

Complete Neolithic Monument Discovered On Scotland’s Isle Of Arran

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Koko Lawrence

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September 7, 2023

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Off the coast of Scotland, on the Isle of Arran, archaeologists have discovered a Neolithic monument that was used for ancient ceremonies and gatherings.

Archaeologists from Glasgow University and local volunteers began excavating at Drumadoon, the site of the only complete Neolithic cursus monument in the region, this past August.

A cursus is a vast rectangular enclosure believed to have been constructed for processions, ceremonies, and gatherings. These structures are among the earliest and largest constructions in the isles. They date to between 4,000 and 3,000 BC, and range in size, from 656 feet to 6 miles long.

At more than one half-mile long, the Arran cursus is close to the standing stone circles of Machrie Moor, which was a significant ceremonial site. The cursus, however, predates the stone circles.

“It’s strategically located to take people from the coast up to the interior of the island and to showcase Macrie Moor,” Kenny Brophy, a senior lecturer in archaeology at Glasgow University and a cursus specialist, said in an interview.

Those who erected the cursus using sticks and bone tools would have been among the first farmers in Scotland. It was likely built over the course of multiple decades by locals or visitors on pilgrimage bound by a strong religious or political belief.

Archaeologists believe the combination of ceremonial and farming landscape in the area may be part of a more extensive program.

V&A Dundee: Latest UK Museum To Strip Sackler Name From Walls

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Koko Lawrence

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September 7, 2023

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V&A Dundee, the Scottish branch of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, has stripped the Sackler name from its galleries, but will not be returning the £500,000 (roughly $627,000) it was gifted from the Sackler Trust before opening in 2018.

With this, V&A Dundee becomes the latest in a long line of storied cultural institutions worldwide to distance itself from Sackler family. According to reports, Signage acknowledging the donation was removed from view last month, while a separate plaque in the museum’s Oak Room was taken down in September 2022.

Members of the Sackler family were among the world’s most active museum benefactors. They funded new wings and galleries, as well as endowed directorships and curatorships, at institutions worldwide. But in recent years, members of the family have faced scrutiny over their role in exacerbating America’s opioid epidemic through the aggressive marketing of the highly addictive painkiller Oxycontin, produced by Purdue Pharma.

The pharmaceutical company was long operated by members of the Sackler family, several of whom have been individually sued over their involvement in the health crisis. In 2021, Purdue Pharma was formally dissolved. The family denied wrongdoing but was made to pay out billions of dollars to settle various legal claims.

Facing demands from artists and activists to sever their ties to the disgraced family, several major institutions announced that they would no longer be accepting money from the Sackler Trust.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art severed ties to the family’s money in 2019, and in December 2021, began removing the Sackler name from seven galleries.

Congolese Arts Refuge Helps Street Children Find Voice

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Koko Lawrence

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September 7, 2023

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Congolese arts refuge helps street children find their voice — Oze Makvala, 19, who has slept rough on the streets for years, takes part in a workshop with other homeless teenagers at Mokili Na Poche cultural centre, a Congolese arts refuge that helps street children, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo September 5, 2023. REUTERS/Justin Makangara

A small recording booth on the outskirts of the Congolese capital Kinshasa has become a safe space for homeless teenagers to rap and sing about their life on the streets and dreams of a brighter future.

Lyrics about sexual abuse, theft, and run-ins with the police lay bare the hardships faced by the few dozen children and young people who attend the Mokili Na Poche Cultural Centre – a day refuge offering a place to wash, eat, and learn to those in need.

“it really makes me happy when I sing,” said 19-year-old Osé Mavakala, who has slept on the streets for years like more than 20,000 other homeless children in Kinshasa, according to U.N. Agency UNICEF.

Other teens looked on with pride as Mavakala rapped intently into the microphone at a session in late august.

He has been coming to the centre for the past three years, taking part in the music, art, and literacy classes it offers from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Founder Cedrick Tshimbalanga hopes these skills and the routine will help the children find their feet and their voices.

The classes are also a chance for the young people to make up for lost opportunities. While Democratic Republic Of Congo has made progress in boosting access to education, over 7 million children aged between five and 17 still do not have access to schooling, according to UNICEF.

FG Hikes Electricity Meters Price By 40%

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faith Jegede

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September 7, 2023

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The Federal Government, on Wednesday, announced an increase in the prices of single-phase and three-phase pre-paid electricity meters and declared that the hike takes effect from September 6, 2023.

In the order, released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission the government stated that a single-phase meter would now cost N81,975.16k from the previous price of N58,661.69k, while the price of a three-phase meter was raised from N109,684.36k to N143,836.10k

In the past couple of months, the cost of various commodities in Nigeria’s energy sector has continued to rise steadily

In explaining the reason for the hike in costs of the meters, the NERC said it was to ensure fair and reasonable pricing of meters to both Meter Asset Providers and end-use customers.

It said the hike would ensure MAP’s ability to recover reasonable costs associated with meter procurement and maintenance, while ensuring that their pricing structure allowed for a viable return on investment.

“Evaluate the affordability of meter services for consumers, aiming to prevent excessive pricing that could burden end-users. Ensure that MAPs are able to provide meters to end-use customers in the prevailing economic realities,” the commission stated.

It said the closure of the metering gap for end-use customers was fundamental to the financial sustainability of the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry as end-use meters provide revenue assurance to both the utility and their end-use customers.

“The Meter Asset Provider scheme is one of the four frameworks in the regulations for the provision of meters to end-use customers in NESI.

“Section 8(1)(c) of the regulations provides that the costs of single-phase and three-phase meters issued by MAPs, inclusive of all other associated costs of installation and warranties shall be at the regulated rates approved by the commission.

“The commission notes that significant changes in macroeconomic indicators, such as inflation and changes in the foreign exchange rates have necessitated a review of the regulated rates for MAP meters,” the NERC stated.

Flights Cancelled As Rain Storms Pound Southern China Region

By

Angel Gimalo

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September 7, 2023

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The remnants of Typhoon Haikui drenched southern China for a third day since making landfall, and airports in Guangdong province cancelled hundreds of flights due to stormy weather on Thursday though winds had weakened.

Although storm clouds moved westward towards Guangdong, one of the country’s richest provinces, more downpours were still forecast for the southeastern province of Fujian, where state media reported economic losses had reached 5.054 billion yuan ($690.81 million) since the typhoon made landfall on Tuesday.

In Guangdong’s capital Guangzhou, Baiyun Airport, one of the busiest in China, cancelled 316 flights and delayed 271, according to flight tracking app Flight Master. Shenzhen’s Baoan Airport cancelled 176 flights and delayed half of its flights while Zhuhai’s Jinwan Airport cancelled 91 and delayed 74.

Torrential rain reportedly led to rivers overflowing in the Guangdong town Tangxi, and some villages suffered severe waterlogging. Over 350 people, including elderly, women and children were relocated from low-lying areas, according to state media.

The China Meteorological Administration forecast rainstorms in central and eastern Guangdong, the southern part of Jiangxi province, southern areas in Hunan province, the northeastern areas of the Guangxi region, and the central part of the island of Hainan, while northern parts of Guangdong and the southeastern coast of the province were expected to be hit harder.

Later this week, the storms are expected to continue in Guangxi bringing the southwestern region extreme rainfall on Friday and Saturday before potentially dissipating on Sunday. Authorities issued warnings of mountain torrents and geological disasters for the cities of Guilin, Laibin, Guigang and Wuzhou.

Flooding in parts of Fujian province during the past two days forced the evacuation of nearly 300,000 people and damaged more than 2,500 homes.

Almost 10,000 hectares (24, 710 acres) of crops in Fujian were inundated.

Intense rains in the city of Fuzhou shattered 12-year-old rainfall records, surpassing the amount brought by Typhoon Doksuri late July.

Nigeria Records $8.57bn Undisbursed W’Bank Loans

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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September 6, 2023

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Nigeria has about $8.25bn undisbursed World Bank loan as of July 2023.

This was based on data obtained from the Summary Statement of Loans/Credit/Grants on the website of the World Bank.

A breakdown further showed that the undisbursed loans included $7.45bn from the International Development Association and $1.12bn from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The undisbursed loans encompass loans approved but not signed as well as the signed loan commitments.

The IBRD and the IDA, which make up the World Bank, have, over the years, advanced loans to Nigeria.

The IBRD lends to governments of middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, while the IDA provides concessionary loans – called credits – and grants to governments of the poorest countries.

The undisbursed loans reportedly might drive Nigeria’s debt to the World Bank from $12.72bn to $21.15bn.

It showed that the yet-to-be-disbursed loans could increase Nigeria’s debt to the lending institution by 66.27 percent.

This was according to the audited financial statements of the World Bank for the fiscal year 2022, which showed that the bank was yet to disburse about $8.12bn to Nigeria as of June 30, 2022.

Explaining the reason for the yet-to-be-disbursed loans, particularly the signed loan commitments, the bank said, in its 2022 statements, that the “loans are not effective and disbursements do not start until the borrowers and/or guarantors take certain actions and furnish documents.”

World Bank Pledges Support For President Tinubu’s Policies, Reforms

Data obtained from the Debt Management Office showed that Nigeria currently owed World Bank $14.33bn as of March 31, 2023.

A breakdown showed that Nigeria $13.84bn IDA loan and a $488.35m loan, according to the DMO’s external debt report.

The Federal Government recently said it has no intention to borrow from any local or foreign organisation with its removal of subsidy on petrol and exchange rate harmonisation.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, revealed this at the end of the inaugural Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja.

However, speaking at a press briefing on Friday, Edun clarified that the Federal Government will still proceed with the loan requirement approved in the 2023 budget.

However, the government wants to stop borrowing for recurrent expenditure and focus only borrowing for capital expenditure.

He said, “Government is not in a position to borrow if you consider 90 per cent debt service to revenue and behind that, a rising debt to GDP ratio. If you look at the last budget, you will see that there is a borrowing requirement built into it, appropriated by the National Assembly. And that is ongoing.

“It is an indication of the commitment of the government to find other sources of funding rather than relying on borrowing and to bring down or even eliminate a certain type of borrowing as soon as possible. That type of borrowing is borrowing for recurrent as opposed to borrowing for capital expenditure, which has a return and which is self-financing.”