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Friday, 17 January 2020 06:01

Climate change could release ancient viruses from melting glaciers - Report

Scientists found 33 viruses in two ice cores taken from a Tibetan plateau glacier Twenty-eight of the viruses are unknown to science and not seen before Scientists warn that ancient viruses are likely to be released as glaciers melt Unknown ancient viruses up to 15,000 years old have been discovered lurking in prehistoric ice atop the Tibetan plateau. Scientists extracted two lumps of ice from a glacier and found a total of 33 pathogens frozen inside, with 28 of them never seen before by humans. Researchers say global warming is threatening to melt the world's glaciers and that under a…

Thursday, 16 January 2020 05:27

New VAT rate took effect immediately after Buhari’s assent – Accountant General

The new Value Added Tax (VAT) rate of 7.5 per cent took effect immediately the new Finance Act 2019 was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, Accountant General of the Federation, Mr Ahmed Idris, has said. Idris, who spoke with journalists in his office in Abuja, said with the coming into effect of the new law, all payments from government treasury, whether approved before the assent of the bill into law or not, will attract the new tax rate. “In government, you don’t take an action unless there is an approval or legal instrument. No one can…

Thursday, 16 January 2020 05:24

Lagos explains why Fela’s statue erected by ex-gov Ambode was pulled down

Lagos State government said on Wednesday that it pulled down the Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s statue at Allen Roundabout for the improvement of road infrastructure and to ease traffic gridlock in the state. Gboyega Akosile, the Chief Press Secretary to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State governor told PREMIUM TIMES that the roundabout had been identified as the cause of traffic gridlock in the area and there is need to reduce the roundabout and ultimately remove the statue. “We are the ones that erected it as the Lagos State government, the only constant thing in life is change and the state government has…

Wednesday, 15 January 2020 05:44

Nigerian passport one of world’s weakest - Report

Yomi Kazeem Nigeria might be Africa’s largest economy but it is increasingly home to one of the continent’s weakest passports. Over the past decade, the Nigerian passport has suffered the worst decline in rankings on the annual Henley Passport Index with a 19-place drop. The decline in passport power now sees Africa’s most populous country rank 95th—firmly etched in the bottom quarter of the rankings. The drop in rankings also means Nigerian passport holders can visit two countries fewer now than they could in 2010 without first obtaining a visa. Regionally, Africa accounts for four of the seven biggest drops…

Wednesday, 15 January 2020 05:43

Meeting with Buhari: Beyond IPPIS - ASUU

PRESS RELEASE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has found it necessary to correct the wrong impression created by a section of the media that the meeting of the Union with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, 9th January, 2020 was called solely to discuss the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) which ASUU rejected, and still rejects, for sound reasons. 1. Background to the Visit ASUU believes that engagement with the leadership of Nigeria by the academic community should be a seamless process. Before the last visit to the State House, ASUU had previously engaged former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo,…

Wednesday, 15 January 2020 05:42

Customs CG queried over claim of spending N1.6bn to recruit 3,200 personnel

The confirmation of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) that it spent N1.6 billion to recruit and train the 3,200 personnel it will engage soon. The recruitment exercise, which began in April last year, had stoked controversies due to the delay, alleged impropriety and fraud it threw up. Vice Chairman of Senate Committee on Customs, Mr Ade Fadahunsi, had accused Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Hameed Ali, of paying a whopping N1.6 billion to a consultant for the recruitment of 3,200 personnel into the service. But Customs spokesperson, Mr Joseph Attah, said yesterday that “dropping the figure as recruitment is misleading” and explained…

Wednesday, 15 January 2020 05:40

Doctors fume as mob strip female colleague naked at Abuja hospital

Medical doctors under the umbrella of Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA) said it would no longer accept physical or verbal assault on medical doctors by patients for whatever reason. Their position followed a report of recent physical assault on a female medical doctor (name withheld) at Maitama District Hospital, Abuja, by relatives of a patient who passed on while under the care of the hospital. CMA President, Mr Osahon Enabulele, in a statement released in Abuja, yesterday, said the attack was one too many. “This is the second case of assault of medical doctors in the same Maitama District hospital and…

Wednesday, 15 January 2020 05:38

Britain, France, Germany formally accuse Iran of breaking nuclear deal

Britain, France and Germany formally accused Iran on Tuesday of violating the terms of its 2015 agreement to curb its nuclear programme, which eventually could lead to the reimposing of U.N. sanctions lifted under the deal. The European powers said they were acting to avoid a crisis over nuclear proliferation adding to an escalating confrontation in the Middle East. Russia, another signatory to the pact, said it saw no grounds to trigger the mechanism and Iran dismissed the step as a “strategic mistake.” The three countries said they still wanted the nuclear deal with Tehran to succeed and were not…

Tuesday, 14 January 2020 05:25

VAT increases to 7.5 percent as Buhari signs Finance Bill into law

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, signed the Finance Bill, which, among others, seeks to increase value-added tax (VAT) from five per cent to 7.5 percent. The president announced this move on his verified Twitter account today. He said “I am pleased to announce that this morning I signed into law the Finance Bill, 2019. “We introduced the bill alongside the 2020 budget, to reform Nigeria’s tax laws to align with global best practices, support MSMEs in line with our Ease of Doing Business Reforms, incentivize investments in infrastructure and capital markets and raise government revenues.” the tweet reads. This is…

Tuesday, 14 January 2020 05:24

Experts list expected gains, fears as Finance Bill becomes law

Some experts have identified a lack of infrastructure and enabling environment; transparency and accountability; and effective utilisation of public funds, as the major challenge that will beset the expected gains of the Finance Bill signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari. There are indications that members of the nation’s economic team have already assembled in Abuja to fine-tune modalities for the takeoff of the new law that is mostly centred on raising revenue for the government. A council member of Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Mrs Titilayo Fowokan, said the signing into law of the finance plan marked another…

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Tuesday, 14 January 2020 05:23

In-your-face: Despite public outrage, Aisha Buhari shares video of daughter in presidential jet

Days after Nigerians widely criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for allowing the use of a presidential jet by his daughter, Hanan Buhari, for a private activity in Bauchi, the president’s wife, Mrs Aisha Buhari has shared a video of her daughter waving to the public from the jet, on Monday. The video, seen by many as a defiant response from the first lady, was posted on Mrs Buhari’s verified Twitter handle as well as her Facebook page on Monday. In the 55-second video, the president’s daughter is seen greeting locals and appreciating cultural sites in what appears to be the North-east…

Tuesday, 14 January 2020 05:21

Ipokia Obaship: Paramount ruler, PS, Director risk imprisonment

Paramount Ruler of Yewaland and the Olu of Ilaro, Mr Kehinde Olugbenle who is Chairman of the Chieftaincy Review Committee, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Kunle Osota and a Director of the Ministry, Mr Adewuyi Adesoji risk being committed to prison for interfering in the Obaship tussle for the vacant seat of the Onipokia of Ipokia, pending before a court of competent jurisdiction in Ogun State. This was contained in a committal proceedings form 35, against the trio for contempt of Court, for interfering in an ongoing legal tussle with suit number AB/253/2019…

Monday, 13 January 2020 05:43

Senate proposes constitutional amendment to make access to food fundamental right

Worried about escalating prices of food items, rising poverty level and other economic hardships in the country, Nigerian Senate is processing a bill for the alteration of the constitution to compel Federal Government to take more proactive steps to guarantee food security for Nigerians. Specifically, the bill, named “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) Bill 2019 (SB 240)” seeks to ensure that the state directs its policy towards food security and makes access to food a fundamental human right in the constitution. The bill, which is being sponsored by Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Mr Abdullahi…

Sunday, 12 January 2020 05:31

Protests, condemnation after Iran admits downing Ukrainian plane

Iran’s admission that it shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 aboard, has provoked international outrage and triggered growing protests against Iranian authorities in Tehran and other cities including one in which Britain’s ambassador was detained. In what President Hassan Rouhani called a “disastrous mistake”, Iran said on Saturday that a missile fired in error on Wednesday by its air defences while on alert after Iranian missile strikes on U.S. targets in Iraq brought down the plane. Iran had denied for days after the crash that it had shot down the airliner. Even as top Iranian officials and the…

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