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Nigerian Artist, Eugene Konboye Turns Plastic Flip-Flops Into Portraits

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Eugene Konboye, a Nigerian artist, is turning discarded plastic flip-flop sandals into colourful portraits in an effort to help clean up the environment in a country where plastic pollution is prevalent.

What started as an assignment in college in 2017, has become a full time job for Konboye, whose studio in the city of Abeokuta in the southwest state of Ogun now trains aspiring artists who want to follow in his footsteps and create flip-flop portraits.

Nigeria produces at least 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, according to government figures, with some of it finding its way into the ocean and rivers.

Flip-flops are the footwear of choice for many Nigerians and Konboye, 30, sources his material mostly from dump sites, landfills and river banks. Back in his studio he disinfects and washes his findings before cutting them up and pasting them on a board to create a face on each one. Some customers come to his studio with photographs which he will use to create a personalised portrait.

Ligue 1: Moffi Features As Nice Edge Marseille

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The Nigerian international who was making his first appearance for Nice after his move from Lorient had a decent performance.

Sofiane Diop netted the opening goal in the 36th minute before Gaetan Laborde made it 2-0 with a beautiful finish for Nice.

Malinowski reduced the tally to 2-1 when he scored in the 60th minute to give the team hope of a comeback. However, Billal Brahimi scored for Nice to take the game beyond Marseille’s reach.

The Nigerian star was later substituted in the 73rd minute for Barkley after an impressive display.

Greece: Snow Reaches Acropolis, Halts Ferry Services

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High winds and a cold snap in Greece halted ferry services and highway traffic and dusted the Acropolis and other ancient monuments in Athens with snow on Monday.

The inclement weather prompted authorities in greater Athens in close schools and courthouses and suspend debates in parliament. Cellphone alerts sent by authorities to the capital’s residents urged the public to remain indoors.

The agency said the harsh weather sweeping across southern Greece would mostly affect areas north of the capital and the nearby island of Evia and was expected to last through Wednesday.

“We strongly recommend that people exercise caution and strictly limit movements to those that are absolutely necessary,” fire department spokesman Yiannis Artopios said. “The bad weather is intense.”

Air Traffic Controllers Begin Second Day Of Strikes At 16 Spanish Airports

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Air traffic controllers at 16 Spanish airports, including Valencia and Palma de Mallorca, began their second day of strikes on Monday.

The air traffic controllers are set to keep striking every Monday until at least the end of February.

However, the disruptions to flights have been minimal so far due to what unions are calling “abusive” minimum services that workers are legally required to carry out.

“They are cornering us, and this isn’t going to end well,” said Gregorio Claros, spokesperson for the USCA union and air traffic controller in Seville. “We could continue all the way through Easter week or maybe even summer.”

The air traffic controllers in the 16 affected airports – A Coruna, Alicante-Elche, Castellon, Cuatro Vientos, El Hierro, Fuerteventura, Ibiza, Jerez, Lanzarote, La Palma, Lleida, Murcia, Sabadell, Sevilla, Valencia and Vigo – are all working for private companies as opposed to being employed by the Spanish state.

They say they are the “worst-paid” air traffic controllers in Europe and the only ones who have to pay for their own training.

Negotiations between the unions and the companies broke down in January. The unions claim this year’s contract renewal meant workers were losing purchasing power, being forced to work more, and being subject to worse working conditions.

The USCA union says fruitful negotiations are key “at this moment when air traffic is returning to normal levels and the image of the main economic activity of Spain (tourism) is being harmed by the level of delays in airports.”

The unions also denounce the trend of following the “low-cost” airline model in air traffic control by liberalizing the market and squeezing workers.

In Spain, the government partially liberalized the market for air traffic controllers 12 years ago.

Besides air traffic controllers, travelers in Spain have recently had to navigate through strikes staged by employees at Ryanair, Air Nostrum, and Vueling.

Saudi Arabia Expands Mineral Exploration With 377 Mining Complexes

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Saudi Arabia’s mining sector is witnessing unprecedented growth as the government is pushing to develop the industry with increased investment and upgraded laws to attract more private players.  

This saw the number of mining complexes in the Kingdom as of the end of 2022 rising to 377, with an estimated area of 44,365 sq. km, according to the latest government data.

Makkah is home to the majority of 76 mining complexes last year.  

This is followed by Riyadh and Madinah with 60 and 53 complexes respectively, while Asir’s complexes totaled 34, revealed the ministry.  

Saudi Arabia possesses more than 20 different types of minerals, including gravel, gold, iron, copper, granite and marble, stated the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources in a tweet.

The Kingdom has 35 locations with specific geological formations, called mineral belts, that contain abundant mineral deposits 

As of 2022, these belts represent 14 percent of the Kingdom’s size and cover 305,000 sq. km.  The ministry added that the mineral deposits of these belts are around 75 percent of the Kingdom’s total mineral deposits, which have a projected value of SR5 trillion ($1.3 trillion).  

Around 94 percent of the mineral belts are located in the Arabian Shield, which spans over 622,00 sq. km.  

The belts are spread over the country’s administrative regions, also led by Makkah which contains nine belts, revealed the ministry data. 

The remaining 26 belts are located around the Kingdom — seven in Asir, six in Riyadh, five in Tabuk, four in Madinah, two in Baha, and one each in Qassim and Najran.

Most of the mineral belts contain gold and sulfides, where the former has 16 and the latter 15.  In addition, there are three belts for nickel and one belt for zinc.

The Ministry upgraded its mining investment law in 2020 to develop the mining sector and designed a long-term integrated mining system aimed at protecting both employees and the environment. 

The government expects such improvements to spill over to adjacent sectors by way of providing jobs and boosting local spending in Saudi Arabia.

Earthquake: Qatar To Send Relief Flights To Turkey

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Qatar says it will start operating relief flights to Turkey to transport search and rescue teams to the earthquake-affected zones along with vehicles, a field hospital, tents and other supplies, its state news agency reported.

Qatar-funded Qatar Charity said it was distributing 27,000 hot meals in Gaziantep, where it has an office, and was supplying relief items to shelters in Turkey and Syria.

The group allocated $6m for the first stages of its response.

Roman-Era Castle Destroyed By Quake In Turkey Earthquake

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A devastation wrought by Monday’s deadly earthquake in south-eastern Turkey included the almost total destruction of a 2,000-year-old castle built during the Roman Empire.

It was built in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries, before becoming a museum.

Two plus-7 magnitude quakes hit the region on Monday, killing more than 2,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

A video obtained and verified by the BBC showed Gaziantep Castle in ruins, with many of its walls collapsed and broken into pieces on the streets below.

Some of the fortifications in the “east, south and south-east” of the castle had been destroyed by the earthquake, Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu has been reported as saying, adding that “debris was scattered on the road”.

Parts of the nearby Sirvani Mosque were also destroyed, reports said.

The castle was built by the Romans during the 2nd and 3rd centuries, then strengthened and expanded by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in the 6th Century.

It also saw changes made during the reign of the Ayyubids in the 12th and 13th Centuries, as well as the Ottoman Empire, and played an important role during Turkey’s war of independence of the early 20th Century.

Until recently it served as the Gaziantep Defence and Heroism Panoramic Museum.

Over 100 Experts demand Investigation of data proving COVID Injections damage the Heart

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On Tuesday, UK Medical Freedom Alliance, Doctors for Patients UK and the Health Advisory & Recovery Team, along with around 100 medical professional co-signatories, sent an open letter to Helen Stephenson, CEO of the Charity Commission, to express their deep concerns about recent allegations made by Member of Parliament Andrew Bridgen in the House of Commons.

Read also: Trudeau drops COVID Vaccine Mandate due to Covid-19 Deaths from Triple/Quadruple Vaccinations in the past 3 months

During his “vaccine harms speech” in mid-December, Mr. Bridgen stated that a whistle-blower alleged that the Oxford University Cardiology Research department, whose lead clinician, Professor Charalambos Antoniades is funded by the British Heart Foundation (“BHF”) has withheld important data about covid injection harms, for fear of losing funding from the pharmaceutical industry, and was therefore prioritising funding over patient safety.

In their letter, the group are calling for a full and independent investigation into any suppression of data by the BHF, itself, or by senior BHF grant holders and have made a number of FOI requests.

The UK Medical Freedom Alliance (“UKMFA”) is the UK’s most recognised and respected organisation advocating for every individual’s right to informed consent, bodily autonomy and medical choice.

Doctors For Patients UK (“DfPUK”) was set up in September 2022, by a group of doctors who wanted to create a platform and safe space for clinicians to discuss current issues in healthcare and medicine. The group was borne out of a shared concern that core principles of medical ethics were – and still are – being disregarded, such as the oath to “First do no harm,” the respect for individual bodily autonomy and the need to obtain fully informed consent for all medical interventions.

Health Advisory & Recovery Team (“HART”) members had been independently researching and reviewing covid policy and peer-reviewed studies since spring 2020. Their aim is to provide relevant scientific evidence in accessible forms, for a variety of audiences.

Below is the joint open letter from UKFMA, DfPUK, HART and approximately 100 medical professionals.

Joint Open Letter from Doctors for Patients UK, HART and the UK Medical Freedom Alliance to Helen Stephenson, CEO, Charity Commission, 31 January 2023

Dear Ms Stephenson

We wish to express our deep concern, regarding allegations that the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is involved in concealing and withholding important information relating to the potential of the novel mRNA vaccines to damage cardiac tissue and function.

It was alleged in the House of Commons that staff working in a cardiology research department at Oxford University withheld information, for fear of losing funding from the pharmaceutical industry, and were therefore prioritising funding over patient safety.

Mr Andrew Bridgen MP stated in Parliament on 13 December 2022:

“It has also been brought to my attention by a whistleblower from a very reliable source that one of these institutions is covering up clear data that reveals that the mRNA vaccine increases inflammation of the heart arteries. It is covering this up for fear that it may lose funding from the pharmaceutical industry. The lead of that cardiology research department has a prominent leadership role with the British Heart Foundation, and I am disappointed to say that he has sent out non-disclosure agreements to his research team to ensure that this important data never sees the light of day. That is an absolute disgrace.”

It was subsequently asserted on GB News that the research department mentioned above was headed by Professor Charalambos Antoniades whose position is funded by the BHF. Despite GB News approaching Professor Antoniades for comment, he has made no public denial that Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) were entered into by members of his department.

Doctors and the public rely on reputable and well-established charities such as the BHF to provide accurate and up-to-date information, as well as to highlight and investigate potential, novel causes of heart damage and heart disease. Concerns should be raised immediately, whenever there are doubts relating to the safety of any pharmaceutical product, so that administration of the product can be halted, protecting the public from unnecessary harm, while an investigation is carried out.

The BHF rapidly dismissed the allegations made by Mr Bridgen and called for those making the allegation to provide specific and credible information in support of it.

Due to the seriousness of the allegations, and given the absence of any public denial or clarification from Professor Antoniades, we are calling for a full and independent investigation into any suppression of data by the British Heart Foundation itself or by senior BHF grant holders.

There are a significant number of signals that COVID-19 vaccines have led to cardiac pathology, which warrants an urgent review of their safety:

  1. The Pfizer trial saw four cardiac arrests in the vaccination group but only one in the placebo group after 6 months (although the numbers are too small to be statistically significant, this was a signal that should have been followed up).
  2. The evidence for vaccine-induced myocarditis is well established and in older patients this may be misdiagnosed as any of the more common forms of heart disease. The rate of myocardial infarction was disproportionately high in the first three days after vaccination.
  3. Studies in Thailand and Switzerland have shown rises in troponin levels consistent with damaged heart muscle in 3% of those vaccinated. Heart cells cannot be replaced and the resulting scarring can lead to electrical conduction issues and sudden death. 30% of the children in the Thailand study had cardiac signs or symptoms.
  4. Vaccine-derived spike protein was detected in the heart biopsies of 9 out of 15 patients with postvaccination myocarditis.
  5. Vaccinated people had a rise in cardiovascular risk factors that would predict a significantly increased risk of heart disease (from 11% to 25% risk of a heart attack in 5 years). This study has been criticised for not having a control group but is the equivalent of an early phase clinical trial in demonstrating a safety concern.
  6. An Israeli study showed a 25% increase in acute coronary syndrome and cardiac arrest calls in 16-39 year olds associated with the first and second doses of vaccine but not with COVID-19 infection.
  7. There were 14,000 more cardiac arrest calls to ambulances in England in 2021 than 2020.
  8. There has been a rise in cardiac excess deaths and excess deaths have been disproportionately seen in more highly vaccinated groups e.g. less deprived cohorts and people of white ethnicity.
  9. In a report of 35 autopsies in Germany, there were 5 deaths confirmed as caused by a COVID-19 vaccine and a further 20 deaths where a contribution from the vaccination could not be excluded.
  10. Post mortem studies have shown inflammation of the coronary arteries after vaccination, causing death four months later.
  11. A separate post mortem report showed vaccine-derived spike protein in heart muscle, in the absence of COVID-19 infection, in a subject who had myocarditis before he died.
  12. Australian hospitals have experienced intense service pressure since Summer 2021, despite no significant COVID-19 infection rates or reduction in healthcare capacity at that time.
  13. Australians have seen a similarly timed rise in excess non-Covid deaths, with ischaemic heart disease being the biggest contributor. This was despite no significant volume of COVID-19 cases or reduction in healthcare before Omicron as was seen in the UK.
  14. Systematic exploratory analysis of the possible causes in the rise in excess deaths by comparing countries suggests a link to healthcare quality cannot be excluded but there is no link to COVID-19 or Long Covid. There is a weak link to lockdown severity but a strong correlation with vaccination.

Crucially, data has not been shared to counter the hypothesis that the mRNA vaccinations are linked to recent excess deaths caused primarily by cardiac pathology. The ONS were regularly publishing deaths by vaccination status. The last data was released for May 2022 and showed a higher mortality rate for that month in the vaccinated. No data has been shared since.

As medical professionals, and in the interest of patient safety, we demand that the British Heart Foundation immediately release the following information, in the public interest and in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA):

Any and all information and emails regarding potential and actual harms caused by the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.

A copy of any Non-Disclosure Agreements that have been sent to people working at, or associated with, the British Heart Foundation and Oxford University, relating to COVID-19 vaccine safety and data.

A full list of conflicts of interests that the BHF and Oxford University have relating to the COVID-19 vaccines.

We further call upon the Charity Commission to conduct an independent and urgent investigation into these very serious allegations relating to the British Heart Foundation. Suppression of research findings, conflicts of interest and acting in the interests of commercial entities are in direct conflict with the requirements inherent in holding charitable status.

Thank you for your attention. We look forward to receiving a prompt response.

Exploring Blyde River Canyon, South Africa 

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Blyde River Canyon, sometimes referred to as Motlatse Canyon, is a very large canyon that is considered to be among the largest ones in the entire world, and it is located in the Province of Mpumalanga, within the eastern part of the Republic of South Africa.

Being 26 km (16 mi) long, it is the third-largest canyon in the world, and unlike other canyons, Blyde River Canyon is dominated by subtropical vegetation which makes it a very green and lush place.

The canyon includes the Blyde River Canyon Reserve which stretches down the canyon itself, and at every single turn, there are more and more impressive views that are complemented by impressive views over sheer edges that are rising 800 meters (2,624 feet) above the riverbed.

In addition to its impressive size, Blyde River Canyon is considered also to be one of South Africa’s most outstanding natural sights that are one of the more popular natural features a person can see in person while in the country.

Being part of the Panorama Route, a scenic road in South Africa connecting several cultural and natural points of interest, the canyon swiftly became one of the most prominent places that international travelers are constantly visiting on their trips to South Africa.

Furthermore, the geology and climate of this high rainfall plateau result in masses of waterfalls that are mesmerizing to look at, and perhaps the most interesting one is the Kadishi Waterfall which with its 200 meters (660 feet) in height represents the “weeping face” of Mother Nature.

Nevertheless, the surprises are not stopping with the waterfall, another alluring feature is the Three Rondavels.

These gems are three round, grass-covered mountain tops with somewhat pointed peaks which resemble the traditional African-style hut, better known as rondavel, and despite this, they are often called the Three Sisters.

The formation of these geological marvels came with the slow erosion of underlying soft stone, leaving the exposed and more resistant quartzite and shale rondavels.

Additionally, supporting large diversity of life, the fauna includes numerous fish and antelope species as well as hippos and crocodiles, and every primate species that can be seen in South Africa.

The bird-life on another hand is even richer and includes more than 50 bird species, among which the Cape vulture, black eagle, crowned eagle, African fish eagle, gymnogene, jackal buzzard, white-rumped vulture, bald ibis, African finfoot, Knysna lourie, purple-crested lourie, Gurney’s sugarbird, malachite sunbird, cinnamon dove are worth being mentioned.

In conclusion, certainly considered one of the greatest gems of South Africa, Blyde River Canyon shall continue to be featured on every tourism brochure making sure that it will help undecided tourists to choose South Africa as their next travel destination.

Once Upon A Time – February 6 – 1971 – American Astronaut Alan Shepard Is 1st To Hit A Golf Ball On Moon

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1508 Maximilian I proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor, 1st Emperor in centuries not to be crowned by the Pope

1778 France recognizes USA, signs Treaty of Alliance in Paris, 1st US treaty

1819 Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading port

1840 The Treaty of Waitangi is signed between 40 Māori Chiefs (later signed by 500) and representatives of the British crown in Waitangi, New Zealand. The treaty was designed to share sovereignty between the two groups.

1952 Queen Elizabeth II succeeds King George VI to the British throne and proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms including Canada, Australia and New Zealand

1989 Solidarity union leader Lech Wałęsa begins negotiating with Polish government

Historical Events Today Events in 2022

Today In Film & TV

1921 Charlie Chaplin releases his first full-length feature – “The Kid”, a silent film starring Charlie Chaplin & Jackie Coogan

Today In Music

1965 Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” hits #1

Today In Sport

2018 Brazilian jockey Jorge Ricardo equals world record number of victories for a jockey – 12,844 in Rio de Janeiro

1992 The Sámi people of the far northern Nordic countries have an official day celebrating their existence

1971 American astronaut Alan Shepard is 1st to hit a golf ball on the moon

Famous Weddings

1843 American Frontiersman Kit Carson (33) weds Mexican socialite Josefa Jaramillo (14) at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, in Taos, Mexico

1949 Diplomat Henry Kissinger (25) weds Ann Fleisher (23) in Washington Heights, Manhattan

1993 US Senator Mitch McConnell (51) weds economist Elaine Chao