19th December 2022 |
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Good morning. Did you watch the final of the World Cup last night? There are two types of football fans right now? Those who slept well and those who didn't.
Which one are you?
World Cup. Argentina have won the 2022 World Cup after a thrilling penalty shoot-out victory against France in an astonishing final. The roller-coaster contest was one of the all-time great finals and cemented Argentina captain Lionel Messi’s already glittering legacy, with the 35-year-old guiding his side to their first World Cup win since 1986 – and third overall.
Peru. Newly appointed Peruvian President Dina Boluarte is facing a crisis as demonstrators demand her resignation. Boluarte was sworn in by Peru’s Congress to replace Castillo on December 7 after lawmakers ousted the former president. Boluarte’s administration had declared a nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday, suspending freedom of movement and assembly in a bid to quell the unrest, which has left several people dead.
Liberia. Hundreds of protesters gathered on Saturday at the outer section of the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia to protest against soaring costs of living, a day before President George Weah’s return from a 48-day trip abroad. According to the World Food Programme, an estimated 64 percent of people in Liberia – one of the world’s poorest countries – live below the poverty line and 1.3 million of those live in extreme poverty.
1998 President Clinton impeached
After nearly 14 hours of debate, the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice. Clinton, the second president in American history to be impeached, vowed to finish his term.
NIGERIA
A Cry for Clean Water
The Story
The Cross River State Government has reported an outbreak of Cholera in Ekureku community of the state.
Any casualties?
Yes, from the statement by the Director General of Cross River Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Janet Ekpeyong, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) about the disease. The outbreak of the disease is reported to have killed at least 20 residents of the community, with 30 others hospitalized. “The government finds this incident quite unfortunate and sympathise with affected families", Ekpeyong said, as she confirmed the outbreak.
When did it start?
The outbreak of the disease first came to light through a report by NAN which said that 20 people in the community had died of cholera between Thursday and Saturday. In addition to expressing sorrow over the deaths, Ekpeyong stated on Sunday that preventive steps have been taken to stop the disease from spreading further in the affected villages in the Abi Local Government Area of the state. She said that the state government has sent out a response team that includes representatives of the World Health Organization, the Nigerian Red Cross, and the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene program.
Ekpeyong, who said samples have been taken for screening, noted that efforts are ongoing to create awareness about the disease among the residents. “We are applying every possible means to halt transmission as we have gone across the community sensitising the people on the possible ways of managing the disease", she said. Consisting of 10 villages, the community is reported to have been grappling with the challenges of potable water and poor health facilities. SOURCE
AFRICA
Too Close For Comfort
The Story
All is not well between Burkina Faso and Ghana, two West African neighbours.
What's the problem?
This follows the national security concerns expressed by Ghana, which claimed that Burkina Faso had invited Russian mercenaries into the country. The diplomatic row was triggered when Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo made the comments on Wednesday. Russia's presence in the region has grown steadily in recent times, due in part to France's reduction of its troops that have been engaged in anti-jihadist efforts in the West African region. Ouagadougo said it has made its protest to Accra over the comments.
Was it a false alarm?
Though it expressed displeasure with the comments, no clear denial has been made by Ouagadougo. Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been engaged in a struggle with jihadists, and to aide it in the war against the jihadists , Ouagadougo has grown closer to Moscow. In reaction to Ghana's claim, Burkina Faso's Deputy Minister for Regional Cooperation, Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré said, "Faced with such a situation, the logical thing to do was to urgently summon the Ghanaian ambassador in Ouagadougou, but also our ambassador in Accra for consultation". "In any case, a verbal note of protest was sent to the Republic of Ghana via its national representation in Burkina Faso", Traoré added. SOURCE
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ASIA
A Shot Across Japan's Bow
The Story
In a highlight of the growing tension in East Asia, North Korea test-fired a pair of ballistic missiles with a potential range of striking Japan on Sunday.
Is there a problem between them?
It is believed to be North Korea's reaction to Japan’s adoption of a new security strategy. The Japanese government enacted a new national security strategy on Friday, which would enable Tokyo to launch preemptive attacks and double its military budget to put itself on a more offensive footing against challenges from China and North Korea. That represented a significant departure from its wartime principle of strictly self-defense.
How did Japan react?
Toshiro Ino, the Vice Minister of defense for Japan, chastised North Korea for endangering the security of his country, the region, and the world. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command also denounced North Korea, saying the launches highlight the destabilizing effects of North Korea’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. It reiterated America's commitment to the defense of Japan and South Korea.
The launches took place two days after North Korea said it had performed a crucial test required to build a more mobile and potent intercontinental ballistic missile intended to hit the U.S. mainland. In addition to North Korea and Russia, China is identified in Japan's new security strategy as "the biggest strategic challenge" to Japan's attempts to maintain peace, safety, and stability. SOURCE
POLITICAL COMMENTARY
Nigeria's Descendants Of Esau
The story of Esau and Jacob is well known by many and it is instructive in analyzing Nigeria and her people. Isaac and Rebecca gave birth to identical twins, Jacob and Esau.
The Bible says that there was a struggle between them while they were still inside of Rebecca, a preamble to their unfriendly relationship after birth. Esau became the legal heir to the family birthright since he was born first, a birthright that included, among other things, being the heir to the Covenant between God and Abraham - their grandfather. His mother's favorite, Jacob was described as a plain man who lived in tents (Genesis 25:27), in contrast to Esau who was a skilled hunter and his father's favorite.
CONVERSATIONS
Question to Reveal A Person?
Quora Question: What seemingly strange question will reveal a lot about a person?
Ann Shaffer: On a date, a guy who owned his own business told me that when he interviewed potential employees he always asks, “What was your favorite boss like?”
So he asked me what I would say, and I replied, saucily, “Fair, intelligent and very sexy.” He laughed and said he liked my answer.
Then he told me the answer supposedly says what the person values and what they wanted to emulate.
At the office, I tried it when interviewing my prospective employees. It did seem very telling.
One girl told me that her favorite boss was “easygoing and always let us go home early.”
She didn’t get the job.
Currency hawkers, partygoers, VIPs mop up new notes
Politicians, others behind attacks on INEC offices – IGP
Governors reject naira withdrawal limit, offer to meet Buhari
Audiomack names Asake 2022 ‘Artiste of the year’
Alleged organ harvest: EFCC behind my travails – Ekweremadu
Brain drain looms as UK invites Nigerian teachers for jobs
Tinubu calls Messi ‘Emi lo kan of Doha’ after Argentina’s World Cup victory
‘If I have heart attack’ | ‘best ever’ — Serena Williams, Usain Bolt speak on World Cup final
Fans hail Mbappe’s dazzling World Cup final performance
Messi says he will not retire from Argentinian national team
FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY
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Argentina vs France: World Cup 2022 final – as it happened. Al Jazeera
The Sheikh Who Defied the Judge. Medium
The greatest engineering innovations of 2022. PopSci
Fifteen striking findings from the past year. Pew
BIOGRAPHY
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden (21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in tone, form, and content.
Some of his best known poems are about love, such as "Funeral Blues"; on political and social themes, such as "September 1, 1939" and "The Shield of Achilles"; on cultural and psychological themes, such as The Age of Anxiety; and on religious themes such as "For the Time Being" and "Horae Canonicae".
He came to wide public attention with his first book Poems at the age of twenty-three in 1930; it was followed in 1932 by The Orators. Three plays written in collaboration with Christopher Isherwood between 1935 and 1938 built his reputation as a left-wing political writer.
Auden moved to the United States partly to escape this reputation, and his work in the 1940s, including the long poems "For the Time Being" and "The Sea and the Mirror", focused on religious themes. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his 1947 long poem The Age of Anxiety, the title of which became a popular phrase describing the modern era.
From 1956 to 1961 he was Professor of Poetry at Oxford; his lectures were popular with students and faculty, and served as the basis for his 1962 prose collection The Dyer's Hand. After his death, his poems became known to a much wider public than during his lifetime through films, broadcasts, and popular media.
TRIVIA
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