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Tuesday, 06 September 2022 06:23

What to know after Day 195 of Russia-Ukraine war

The U.N. nuclear watchdog is due to issue a report on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine on Tuesday, a day after shelling cut its electricity supplies for the second time in two weeks and raised fears of catastrophe. ENERGY * International Atomic Energy Agency said Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has enough electricity to operate safely, will be reconnected to the grid once backup power restored. IAEA to issue a report on Ukraine, including the plant, on Tuesday and brief the U.N. Security Council. * Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned of a near "radiation catastrophe" and said the shelling…

Monday, 05 September 2022 06:37

Nigeria to pay $496m to settle Indian firm’s claims over failed steel deals

Nigeria has agreed to pay $496 million to settle a multi-billion dollar claim from Global Steel Holdings Ltd following the termination of a contract to upgrade the country’s steel plants, the presidency said on Saturday. Global Steel, which is linked to India’s Mittal family, had between 2004-7 acquired rights to Nigeria’s entire state steel industry via five major concessions and share purchase contracts. The deal also included access to Nigeria’s iron ore reserves and the central railway network. But in 2008, the government of the late Umaru Yar’Adua terminated the contracts. Global Steel sought arbitration at the International Chamber of…

Monday, 05 September 2022 06:29

What to know after Day 194 of Russia-Ukraine war

European leaders on Sunday sought to ease the impact of high energy prices across the continent, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned of a difficult winter, even as he reported progress in a counter-offensive against Russian troops. Zelenskiy thanked his forces in his nightly address on Sunday for taking two settlements in the south and a third in the east, as well as additional territory in the east, saying he had received "good reports" from his military commanders and head of intelligence. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president's office, earlier on Sunday posted an image of soldiers raising the…

Sunday, 04 September 2022 06:55

Foreign contractor suspends work on Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail project over insecurity

Mu’azu Sambo, minister of transportation, says work on the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line has been suspended. According to a statement issued on Saturday, he spoke during an inspection tour of the project in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital. He said the suspension was due to insecurity and vandalism of railway properties along the corridor. Sambo said the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC), the contractor handling the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the project, had complained of attacks on its workers along the Abia state axis. “I am very displeased by these acts and I condemn it in strong terms,”…

Sunday, 04 September 2022 06:53

Tens of thousands protest in Prague against Czech govt, EU, NATO

An estimated 70,000 people protested in Prague against the Czech government on Saturday, calling on the ruling coalition to do more to control soaring energy prices and voicing opposition to the European Union and NATO. Organisers of the demonstration from a number of far-right and fringe political groups including the Communist party, said the central European nation should be neutral militarily and ensure direct contracts with gas suppliers, including Russia. Police estimates put the number of protesters at around 70,000 by mid-afternoon. "The aim of our demonstration is to demand change, mainly in solving the issue of energy prices, especially…

Sunday, 04 September 2022 06:52

What to know after Day 193 of Russia-Ukraine war

Stepping up an energy war between Russia and the West, Moscow has announced it will keep its main gas pipeline to Germany shut and G7 countries said they planned a price cap on Russian oil exports. ENERGY * Russia kept one of its main gas supply routes to Europe shut, stoking fears of winter fuel shortages and spotlighting differences between Gazprom and Germany's Siemens Energy over repair work on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. * Germany's gas supply situation is currently guaranteed but the situation is tense and further deterioration cannot be ruled out, the country's network regulator said after…

Saturday, 03 September 2022 06:28

Buhari has increased Duty Tour Allowance for public servants. These are the new rates for Ministers, SGF, PS, others

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the increase of duty tour allowances (DTAs) for ministers, permanent secretaries and civil servants on grade levels (GL) one to 17. Duty tour refers to an official trip embarked upon by a public servant. The approval of the new allowances was conveyed in a circular dated August 31, and issued by Ekpo Nta, chairperson of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission. Nta said the new allowances take effect from September 1. “The president of the federal republic of Nigeria has approved the upward review of duty tour allowances applicable to Permanent Secretary/Equivalent from N20,0000…

Saturday, 03 September 2022 06:27

Nigeria advocates debt forgiveness for developing countries for climate change funding plan

Creditors should consider forgiving poor countries’ debts in return for a commitment to using outstanding payments on programs to mitigate climate change, Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said. In addition to freeing up government budgets, such a plan would enable creditors and debtor nations to allocate the spending to their so-called National Determined Contributions, Osinbajo said in a speech at the Center for Global Development in Washington DC on Thursday. The NDCs, agreed in Paris in 2015, represent commitments by countries to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and adapt to climate change. “I think this might also be a point to consider…

Saturday, 03 September 2022 06:25

FG explains why some Nigerians were disallowed entry into UAE

The federal government says Nigerians need to respect the immigration laws of other countries to avoid “unwarranted treatment”. On Wednesday, a viral video of Nigerians reportedly stranded at the Dubai international airport surfaced on social media, with a Twitter user, @dunchichi, saying at least 20 Nigerians were stuck at the airport and their passports seized. The development elicited reactions on social media platforms, with Nigerians criticising the treatment of the travellers. Reacting to the development, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), said despite being warned on the new UAE visa rules for certain age categories, some…

Friday, 02 September 2022 07:02

NNPC’s claim of N6.34tn petrol subsidy doubtful, unscientific - Customs boss

Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali, has stated that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (formerly Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) cannot justify the volume of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) being consumed in the country daily to warrant the over N6.34tn subsidy payment on the commodity annually. Ali, in his presentation to the House of Representatives Committee on Finance at the continued hearing on the proposed 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper in Abuja on Thursday, argued that NNPC cannot scientifically prove the 98 million litres/day consumption it was claiming, alleging that the nation’s oil company was…

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Friday, 02 September 2022 07:00

Nigeria’s out-of-school children now 20m - UNESCO

Nigeria now has about 20 million out-of-school children, according to the latest global data on out-of-school children by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). UNESCO, which says a new and improved methodology was used to arrive at the latest figures, said there are “244 million children and youth between the ages of 6 and 18 worldwide (who) are still out of school.” According to the statistics, India, Nigeria and Pakistan have the highest figures for out-of-school children globally. The figures in Nigeria have oscillated between 10.5 million and around 15 million for more than a decade, with…

Friday, 02 September 2022 06:58

New UK law to aid exposure of foreigners who secretly buy properties

The United Kingdom (UK) has mandated foreigners or overseas entities that own land or property to declare beneficial owners and/or managing officers. The law entitled ‘Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022’ established the new ‘Register of Overseas Entities’, held by the UK’s Companies House. The law, which took effect on August 1, 2022, also made provisions for “severe sanctions” for those who do not comply, including restrictions on buying, selling, transferring, leasing or charging their land or property in the UK. Under the new law, overseas entities who want to buy, sell or transfer property or land in the…

Friday, 02 September 2022 06:51

Loved in the West, unpopular at home, Soviet Union’s last leader Gorbachev won’t get a state funeral

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to miss the funeral of the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, denying the man who failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet empire the full state honours granted to Boris Yeltsin. Gorbachev, idolised in the West for allowing eastern Europe to escape Soviet communist control but unloved at home for the chaos that his "perestroika" reforms unleashed, will be buried on Saturday after a public ceremony in Moscow's Hall of Columns. The grand hall, within sight of the Kremlin, hosted the funerals of Soviet leaders Vladimir Lenin, Josef Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev. Gorbachev will…

Friday, 02 September 2022 06:50

What to know after Day 191 of Russia-Ukraine war

United Nations nuclear experts who crossed into Russian-held territory in Ukraine to assess the safety of Europe's biggest atomic energy plant are seeking to assess physical damage to the facility, where both sides warn of possible disaster. NUCLEAR PLANT * IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said his agency would maintain a constant presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, after he returned from a mission there while leaving experts from his team in place at the site. * Ukraine's nuclear power operator said the IAEA mission to the plant, which was seized by Russia early in the conflict, would be successful…

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