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Good Morning. Maybe not so good morning because these are challenging times for our nation. Described as Nigerian worst flooding in a decade, the floods across the country may worsen food insecurity.
As we search for solutions, our hearts and prayers are with the families affected.
Sport. A Chess.com investigation concluded that 19-year-old American grandmaster Hans Niemann likely cheated “in more than 100 online games.” The investigation was sparked by his surprise victory over best-in-the-world Magnus Carlsen last month.
Russia. A major explosion damaged the Kerch Strait bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula today. The bridge, the longest in Europe, was built after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and is used to transport military equipment from Crimea to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
United States. Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's son, could be indicted for tax crimes and for making false statements in an application to buy a gun. Federal authorities have been investigating Hunter Biden since 2018. He was discharged from the Navy in 2014 after testing positive for cocaine and he has acknowledged his struggles with addiction.
1957 U.S President Apologizes to African Diplomat
In the conclusion to an extremely embarrassing situation, President Dwight D. Eisenhower offers his apologies to Ghanian Finance Minister, Komla Agbeli Gbedemah, who had been refused service at a restaurant in Dover, Delaware. It was one of the first of many such incidents in which African diplomats were confronted with racial segregation in the United States.
NIGERIA
Rescue Deal
The Story
The Federal Government has released Guidelines on Labour and Administration Issues in Contract Staffing/Outsourcing Non-Permanent Workers in Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institutions in Nigeria.
What's in the guideline?
After a decade of discussions and negotiations among stakeholders, the employment guidelines, which were signed into law on September 8, 2022 by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, provide in clear terms industrial relations principles and key terms and conditions of employment to be observed by stakeholders in the Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institutions in respect of non-permanent workers. According to stakeholders, "the guidelines will bring fresh breath of life to many in the sector, improve industrial relations, reduce incidence of fraud and increase productivity".
What are the new terms?
Some of the stakeholders who contributed to developing the guidelines said the guidelines contain improved terms of engagement for the contract/non-permanent staff in the industry including; entry requirement and minimum pay for non-permanent employees; career path and development; the right to unionise and to collective bargaining; trade dispute resolution procedures; disciplinary procedure; compliance with standards and labour requirement; and exit procedure and benefits for the workers.
Agencies that contributed to the development of the guidelines include the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), and the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE). Source
ASIA
Kwon The Run
The Story
In a legendary fall from grace, Terraform Labs founder and cryptocurrency developer Do Kwon is facing the prospect of having his South Korean passport canceled if he does not turn in the document by October 19.
What's his offence?
Interpol has also issued a “Red Notice" - reserved for fugitives who are wanted for prosecution or to serve out a sentence - for the disgraced developer. Kwon’s company, Terraform Labs is largely regarded as the reason for the massive cryptocurrency crash earlier this year which resulted in losses worth billions of dollars.
What's the company's role in the crash?
After the company’s controversial cryptocurrencies, terraUSD and luna, crashed in May, roughly $60b worth of value was wiped from crypto markets, sending shockwaves throughout the global marketplace. South Korean officials have accused Kwon and five others of violating capital markets law and fraud, and are actively looking to arrest the former crypto-kingpin.
Is he on the run?
Kwon insists that he is not on the run from the law, though South Korean officials have stated they are in hot pursuit. Supporting Kwon’s claims that he is doing just fine, there has been no warrant issued for his arrest. Korean prosecutors have, however, asked two crypto exchanges to freeze over $60b in bitcoin tied to the crypto-fugitive, with local media reporting that a further $39.9m of Kwon’s digital assets were also frozen, though he disputes the second claim. Maybe if he had those funds in a real wallet he’d be fine. Source
NORTH AMERICA
Warning of Armageddon
The Story
On Thursday night the president of the United States warned that the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” was the highest it’s been since the Cuban missile crisis 60 years ago. Presidents don’t exactly throw the A-word around every day, so we should probably talk about this a bit more.
The path to nuclear
According to Biden and foreign policy experts, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been making increasingly rash decisions after suffering mounting battlefield losses to Ukrainian forces (decisions like conscripting 300,000 reservists and illegally annexing four Ukrainian territories). And a growing number of Russians, including one inside Putin’s inner circle, are criticizing his management of the war.
What's the probability of Putin resorting to Nukes?
With Putin facing intense pressure to show results, President Biden warned that Russia’s leader is “not joking” about potentially using nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons. Putin hasn’t explicitly said he would resort to such tactics, but in a televised speech last month he did declare that Russia would “use all the means at our disposal” if its territory was threatened and that “this is not a bluff.”
What does Russia have at its disposal?
The Federation of American Scientists estimates that Russia has about 4,500 active nuclear warheads. Most of them are strategic nuclear weapons that cover long distances (think: nuclear holocaust), while the rest are tactical, more-limited weapons that Russia would be likelier to deploy in this war. But the word “limited” when applied to a nuclear warhead still translates to unimaginable destruction—some tactical nukes are more powerful than the atomic bombs the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
What's the West's plan to deter Russia?
Let’s take a deep breath and put down the canned beans. While Biden foresees a possible end to the world, other US defense officials don’t consider this a code-red moment. “We do not presently see indications about the imminent use of nuclear weapons,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said last week. Other analysts have argued that when Putin said, “This is not a bluff,” it actually was a bluff to scare off other countries from helping Ukraine.
Still, Putin’s escalating threats have some analysts claiming that the threat of nuclear war is vastly underappreciated in society, and that Armageddon is not quite as “unthinkable” as you might…think. Source
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POLITICS TODAY
2023: Another Round of Dry Campaigns?
Campaigns for Nigeria's 2023 general elections have officially begun. From now until the elections, politicians and their supporters will seek to sway prospective voters. Depending on which side of the fence the voters are, they will either buy or reject the products being advertised, what will be constant on both sides, however, is the attention prospective voters will pay to the campaigns.
Campaigns are adverts and serve the interests of both the politicians and the electorates. Companies and salesmen do not joke with adverts, as this is how many prospective buyers are attracted to their products. Campaigns are no different, at least in societies where the people recognize the direct link between governance and the general well-being of society.
KNOWLEDGE
r/explaimlikeimfive: Why is 12-hour time even taught? Wouldn’t it just be easier to remember 13:00 instead of 1:00pm?
Lithuim & Wholesome
12 hour time is a very ancient system that traces back to the Mesopotamian empires. They had a cultural fixation on the number 12, used a base-12 numerical system, and divided up most things into 12ths whenever possible - including day and night.
The 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night system spread throughout Europe and the Middle East and has defied multiple attempts to change it over the centuries.
Also for anyone curious why there was such a love of the number 12, it was because that was how they counted on their hand. Look at your hand. Notice how each of your fingers minus your thumb has three easily identifiable parts to it. They used to count by using their thumb to count each part of the finger, much in the same way we count to 10 using our fingers today. So 12 was the max you could count on one hand.
There are also other reasons for 12, it is both an easily divided number, and there are also 12 lunar cycles in a year. I doubt any one reason is why some societies used 12 so much, and suspect it to be a mix of all of them. Also, the "they" in this comment is primarily ancient Babylonians, although they are certainly not the only ancient society to use base 12. Plenty of Ancient Societies had base 10 number systems.
Folasade Ogunsola emerges UNILAG’s first female VC
NAFDAC warns Nigerians over India-made cough syrups
Train Attack: Over N6 billion ransom allegedly paid to terrorists
Tragedy: 76 die as boat capsizes in Anambra
Buhari, Osinbajo to spend N11.92bn on food, foreign trips
London-Lagos flight delayed as ‘Nigerian deportee smears poo on plane’
Prison congestion: Aregbesola seeks release of 30% inmates
NUC ranks Redeemer’s best private varsity in Nigeria
South Africa’s ex-President Jacob Zuma set free as prison term ends
Ronaldo becomes first player to score 700 club career goals
JOB OPPORTUNITY
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SPORTS KNOWLEDGE
An Oliver Kahn Incident
TRIVIA
What's the former name?
Here are 10 popular brands that once had totally different names and had to go back to the drawing board. Can you match these companies to their former names?
- Sky Peer-to-Peer, a video communication app now called..?
- Blue Ribbon Sports is now..?
ARE YOU HAPPY?
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Written by Seun, Mercy, Kingsley, and Tosin.
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