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Speaker Abbas Calls for Concerted Action on Climate Change

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The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, has called on parliaments across the globe to intensify efforts on climate action as the world marks the International Day of Parliamentarism. He said the International Day of Parliamentarism, which marks the anniversary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), is a day that calls for reflection among Parliaments anywhere in the world.

Abbas said climate change poses a great threat to mankind, hence the need to take concerted action to contain it. In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Musa Krishi, He said the 2023 theme, ‘Parliaments for the Planet,’ which focuses on climate action, was apt as the world battles climate change.

The Speaker noted that the Nigerian Parliament, which is a member of the IPU, would continue to work assiduously with other Parliaments around the world to address the issue of climate change through legislation. He said over the years, the Nigerian Parliament has played a key role on issues related to addressing climate change, saying that would continue in years to come.

According to the United Nations, the theme for this year’s commemoration of the International Day of Parliamentarism, ‘Parliaments for the Planet,’ is designed to mobilize parliaments and parliamentarians to act on the climate emergency

Reports of a ministerial nomination have been refuted by Ortom

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 Chief Samuel Ortom, the recently departed Governor of Benue State, refuted social media rumors that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration had proposed him for a ministerial job.

On Thursday, social media stories and rumors spread around Benue state that the former governor had been selected for the position, and many of his political allies and fans congratulated him on social media.

The rumor was refuted by the former governor, who called it incorrect and misleading in a statement released on Friday in Makurdi by his media assistant Terver Akase.

The immediate past governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has been drawn to the rumors on social media that he has been nominated for a ministerial appointment, the statement said. The news is incorrect and deceptive, so we implore the public to ignore it. Chief Ortom is extremely grateful to everyone who took the time to contact and confirm the facts.

Oil subsidy: Buhari admits he never wanted Tinubu to be elected

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On Monday, former Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari made the startling admission that the removal of the oil subsidy was not done for the benefit of the nation’s economy but rather as a political move to help the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its then-leader, Bola Tinubu, in the February 25, 2023 elections.

This revelation, which was made public through a press release by former presidential media aide Mallam Garba Shehu, has sparked a firestorm of criticism, raised more general concerns about how national interests were prioritized throughout Buhari’s administration, and shed light on a number of crucial problems that plagued Nigeria at the time.

Public indignation was also sparked by former president Buhari’s alleged admission over the removal of oil subsidies. Nigerians from all walks of life are now debating whether their ex-leader’s choices had been motivated by a sincere desire to advance the interests of the country or had instead been influenced by political considerations.

The decision to end the subsidy has drawn a lot of criticism because it immediately increased the cost of petrol, making it harder for regular people to make ends meet. Concerns about the ethics of governance under his administration were increased by the former President’s admission. His alleged passivity or turning a blind eye to unethical behavior within his administration, according to critics, allowed a culture of impunity to flourish.

Voodoo contracts, oil theft, and other types of large-scale thievery increased, further undermining public confidence in the government’s capacity to combat corruption. The country’s economic problems and lack of accountability hampered its development. Buhari’s alleged slowness in confronting the increasing violence committed by Fulani herdsmen was another unsettling feature of his presidency.

Some detractors said that the President’s “body language” encouraged these attacks, which led to the loss of numerous lives, kidnappings, and disruptions of farming operations. The military’s inability to appropriately address these atrocities contributed to the afflicted communities’ rising sense of instability and insecurity.

Imploded Titanic Submarine Seen For Ist Time As Pieces Recovered From Sea Floor

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The Titan’s wreckage was seen for the first time in pictures taken on Wednesday, more than a week after it imploded in the depths of the Atlantic

Debris from the Titan was brought ashore by deep-sea robots on Wednesday as the US Coast Guard continues recovery operations following the sub’s catastrophic implosion.

The Titan’s wreckage was seen for the first time in pictures after the Coast Guard announced on 22 June that ROVs (remotely-operated vehicles) found its chambers in a sea of debris 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic, roughly 12,000ft below the ocean surface.

Pelagic Research Services, the company that operated the ROV that made the previous debris findings, said on Wednesday that its team had successfully completed off-shore operations and was now in the process of demobilisation after 10 days of work. The company said a press conference will be held later in the day.

Photos from the wharf show what appear to be several pieces of the submersible being lifted from the ship, including the nose cone with its distinctive circular window. The pieces were unloaded from the American ships Sycamore and Horizon Arctic at a port in St John’s, Newfoundland.

“We are not able to provide any additional information at this time as the investigation is ongoing,” said Liam MacDonald, a spokesperson for the TSB said.

The CEO of the company that operated the Titan, Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman were aboard the Titan when it imploded last week.

The submersible lost contact with its mothership Polar Prince just one hour and 45 minutes into its descent to the wreck of the Titanic on 18 June, sparking a frantic four-day search. Canadian, American and French marine authorities and experts combed large portions of the ocean hoping to find signs of life, before the tragic developments on 22 June.

The Coast Guard said last week that the US Navy had detected sounds that matched an “implosion or explosion” sometime after the sub vanished and before rescue efforts were launched. Rescue efforts continued at the time because the information was not definitive, the Coast Guard said.

An international group of agencies is now investigating what may have caused the submersible to implode, and US maritime officials say they’ll issue a report aimed at improving the safety of submersibles worldwide.

The Coast Guard said over the weekend that salvage operations were ongoing, but recovery of the bodies will be difficult due to the “unforgiving condition” on the ocean floor. A final report will be issued by the International maritime Organisation.

Cambridge University To Boost Waste Recycling To 80%

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Cambridge University is going to be using new bins, 3D scanners and 22 miles (35km) of conveyor belts in a bid to increase recycling from 50% to 80%.

Staff and students will get two bins to choose from – one for food waste and the other for dry mixed waste.

The university said the “pioneering” project would be “the first of its kind in the UK higher education sector”.

A spokesman said the university was “committed to exceptional environmental performance”.

The university said in a statement: “Waste will be cleanly sorted into recyclables after it is collected, to reduce confusion and unintentional contamination of materials.

“Food waste will be converted into energy at an anaerobic digestion facility, and the dry mixed waste will be separated into recyclables at a pioneering Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) that can identify and sort recyclables with advanced precision.

“The MRF (run by company Mountain Recycling) uses 22 miles (35km) of conveyor belts and sorting technology including 2D and 3D scanners, and near infra-red separators.”

It further said all of the university’s dry mixed waste collections would be made by electric vehicles.

“In another UK-first, the university’s stock of new wheelie bins are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic collected from the local area. These bins can be recycled a further 10 times,” it said.

Speaking about the project, which starts in July, Steve Matthews, facilities management operations manager, said: “The new system will allow us to recycle far more materials than before which will make a positive contribution to protecting the environment.”

Smoke, Heat Warnings Affect More Than 170 Million In The U.S.

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More than 170 million Americans are under either heat or air quality alerts as wildfire smoke and scorching temperatures continue to plague the US.

Air quality across a large swatch of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic has been deemed “unhealthy” by health officials.

Meanwhile, in the west, cities including Las Vegas and Phoenix are bracing for temperatures of up above 43C (110F) this weekend.

At least a dozen people have died of heat-related causes in recent days.

The poor air quality has been attributed to over 500 active wildfires in Canada that have sent smoke plumes south, even as conditions have improved slightly in parts of the Midwest.

On Friday, the country’s worst air quality was expected across a vast tract of land stretching from Michigan and Ohio to the East Coast.

The worst air quality in the US at approximately 09:00 local time (14:00 BST) on Friday was in New York City, followed by Washington DC, Detroit and Chicago, according to IQAir.com.

The Environmental Protection Agency said air in these area was either “unhealthy for sensitive groups” – which include the elderly, young children and outdoor workers – or “unhealthy”.

Authorities have declared a state-wide air quality advisory that will remain in effect through Friday. Governor Kathy Hochul urged that New Yorkers “take precautions to protect their health”.

In the Washington DC area, concerns over air quality prompted the cancellation of dozens of outdoor events and a warning from local health authorities to avoid strenuous outdoor activities and to consider wearing a mask when outside.

Meanwhile, in the western US, millions of people in Nevada, Arizona and California can expect excessive heat warnings beginning on Saturday, with temperatures in some places expected to rise to 43C.

In Texas, which has seen temperatures above 37C for nearly two weeks, temperatures have begun to drop. Eleven people have reportedly died of heat-related causes in the state’s Webb County, which is centred on the city of Laredo along the Mexican border.

“Although a few locations across Central and East Texas may reach advisory criteria, the prevalence of 105F [43C] heat indices will be far less widespread, and our protracted stretch of advisories/warnings for heat will come to an end,” the National Weather Service said in a bulletin.

Storms that are expected in other parts of the south are also expected to bring temperatures down over Saturday and Sunday.

Over 700 people die heat-related deaths each year, according to CDC statistics, with another 68,000 people sent to emergency rooms.

Heatwaves have become more frequent, intense and last longer because of human-induced climate change, scientists say.

Some have warned that climate change is also likely to lead to more wildfires and subsequent smoke warnings.

A University of California – Irvine study published on 12 June, for example, found that “an increase in temperatures and dryness has been identified to be one of the major drivers” of summer forest fires.

Virgin Galactic: Sir Richard Branson’s Rocket Plane Begins Commercial Services

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Sir Richard Branson has finally begun commercial operations with his Virgin Galactic rocket plane, Unity.

The vehicle soared high over the New Mexico desert on Thursday to enable three Italians to conduct science experiments in weightless conditions.

It was the first “purchased” mission, as opposed to just a test flight.

Sir Richard will now begin sending up the 800 or so individuals who’ve bought tickets to ride on Unity.

The 72-minute mission took off from Spaceport America at 0830 local time (1430 GMT) and was livestreamed around the world.

Just under an hour into the mission, after reaching an altitude of 44,500ft (13,600m), the carrier plane, Eve, then released Unity to ignite its engine and boost up to the edge of space. At the top of its climb, the rocket plane was at 279,00ft (85km).

US multi-millionaire Dennis Tito became the world’s first ever space tourist in 2001, paying a reported $20m; and more recently Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin beat Virgin Galactic in the race to take paying passengers on short hops above the atmosphere.

The Amazon founder has a rocket and capsule system he calls New Shepard. It’s a different approach to Unity but provides a similar flight experience.

Some of Virgin Galactic’s ticket holders have been waiting over a decade to get their chance to visit the edge of space; and most will have a long wait still.

Unity can carry only a handful of passengers at a time, and with a mission rate of one outing per month it will take a while to work through the backlog.

The pace won’t improve until Virgin Galactic introduces a new class of rocket planes that are expected to make their commercial debut in 2026. These vehicles will have a flight cadence of once per week.

After Thursday’s mission, Michael Colglazier, CEO of Sir Richard’s company, said: “This historic flight was our first commercial flight and our first dedicated commercial research mission – ushering in a new era of repeatable and reliable access to space for private passengers and researchers.”

Exploring Adulis, An Ancient Archaeological Site In Eritrea  

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An excavated site at Adulis, Eritrea. From 6th century BC until the arrival of Islam in the 7th century AD Adulis was the Red Sea port of the powerful Aksumite Empire in central Ethiopia.

Adulis, also known as Aduli, is an ancient archaeological site which is located in the northern part of the Red Sea, and it is officially nowadays in the central coastal part of the State of Eritrea.

Serving mainly as a port that had high importance during the antiquity period, it is best known for its role in the trade during the rule of the Kingdom of Aksum, with its peak being between 4 and 7 century.

As the city was connected to Aksum in Ethiopia by a mountainous route via the other Eritrean ancient city of Qohaito, Adulis is considered to have been a port that was used as an excellent connection to India through which luxuries such as ivory, tortoise-shell and rhinoceros horn have been shipped throughout the rest of the world.

Henry Salt in 1810 was the first person that identified the archaeological site, although there are some sources which suggest that it was discovered during a French mission to Eritrea under Vignaud and Petit which occurred in 1840.

Still, throughout the years, there have been numerous archaeological excavations by the colonial powers which uncovered the bigger part of Adulis, and which have pointed out that Adulis might not have been part of the Axumite Kingdom, but another kingdom that was not a constituent part of Axum.

When the historians will agree to which kingdom exactly Adulis belonged it is unclear, nonetheless, there are high hopes that the excavated artifacts from the site will be brought back to Eritrea’s capital, Asmara, where they could be displayed so that every visitor of this small nation in East Africa would be able to see the parts of the ancient history of the country.

Even in recent years, there have been plenty of gold and silver coinage, glass, marble, decorated pottery unearthed here, which proves that Adulis is still rich in archeological findings.

All in all, it might not be as big as the most visited or more famous archaeological sites, Adulis will continue to baffle archeologists as to which kingdom it actually belonged, with hope that UNESCO will recognize the importance and put it on the famous World Heritage Sites List.

Once Upon A Time – June 30 – 2002 – First World Cup Held In Asia, Brazil Beats Germany In Record 5th Title

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1520 Spanish conquistadors are expelled from Tenochtitlan following an Aztec revolt against their rule under Hernán Cortés during “La Noche Triste” (the Night of Sadness).

1860 Famous debate on Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution held at the Oxford University Museum and dominated by arguments between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce

1905 In Russia, the “Potemkin” arrives at Odessa, where sailors take the bodies of dead crewman ashore; sailors join civilians in revolutionary actions of the ‘1905 Revolution’

1908 A giant fireball, most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet flattens 80 million trees near the Stony Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia, in the largest impact event in recorded history

1934 “Night of Long Knives” – Adolf Hitler stages a bloody purge of the Nazi party

1938 Superman 1st appears in DC Comics’ Action Comics Series issue #1

1992 South African ANC President Nelson Mandela meets with UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at Dakar

1997 British lease on the New Territories in Hong Kong, established by the Second Convention of Peking, expires

Historical Events Today Events in 2023

Today in Film & TV

1955 “Johnny Carson Show” debuts on CBS-TV

Today in Music

1992 “End of the Road” single released by Boyz II Men (Grammy Award Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song 1993, Billboard Song of the Year 1992)

Today in Sport

2002 FIFA World Cup Final, International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan: Ronaldo scores twice as Brazil beats Germany, 2-0 to win record 5th title; first World Cup held in Asia

MORE FACTS…

1937 The world’s first emergency call telephone service is launched in London using the number 999

1898 Winton Motor Carriage Company publishes the first known automobile ad in Scientific American using the headline “dispense with a horse.”

Famous Weddings

1831 Soldier and future Confederate General Robert E. Lee (24) marries Mary Custis (22) at Arlington House, Arlington Virginia

1949 Austrian-American filmmaker Billy Wilder (43) weds American actress and singer Audrey Young (27), until his death in 2002

1973 Prime Minister of Canada Joe Clark (34) weds lawyer Maureen McTeer (21)

A massive mysterious explosion in eastern Siberia that destroyed wildlife and felled a vast number of trees remains a mystery to this day – June 30, 1908

Subsidy Removal: FG Saves N400bn in 4weeks – Operators

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Operators within the downstream oil and gas sector have said the federal government has racked in N400 billion due to fuel subsidy removal in the last 30 days.

National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Okonkwo disclosed this in an interview on Friday.

Recall that in a meeting with oil and gas operators in February, Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, had stated that the country spends N400 billion monthly on fuel subsidies.

Speaking on the state of the sector owing to the removal of the subsidy and changes in the Country’s foreign exchange market, Okonkwo said that the deregulation has a long time impact.

According to him, the development would either lead to an increase in fuel price or a decrease depending on the market-determined price of forex.

He added that the impact on the masses would gradually decrease by introducing Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, into the sector.

“You know how much the government is spending monthly on fuel subsidies payment, but that expenditure to the tune of dollars or Naira will be saved.

“The government has indeed reduced spending on fuel subsidies, though the thing is biting, so we have drafted an alternative in Compressed Natural Gas, CNG,” he said.