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Good Morning. This week, a man held 150 lit candles in his mouth for 30 seconds to break a Guinness World Record.
Once a man overcome hunger, pursuing his hobby becomes a piece of cake.
Mexico. A huge blaze has engulfed a train line and homes in Aguascalientes, central Mexico, after a fuel truck crash. Dramatic video of the fire went viral on social media. One video showed a cargo train hurtling through flames. More than 1,500 people were evacuated. Some homes and cars were gutted by fire. There are no reports of deaths, but several people were taken to hospital.
Italy. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine, according to leaked audio. Berlusconi said he had "reconnected" with President Putin and that he believed Ukraine had forced Russia to invade by violating the 2014-2015 Minsk agreements.
Ukraine. Nearly 30% of power stations have been destroyed by Russian airstrikes over the past week, causing blackouts and damaging water supplies for thousands of Ukrainians across the country. Russia has broadened the use of Iranian-made kamikaze drones in Ukraine since Oct. 10 in retaliation for the explosion of a lone bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean Peninsula.
1966 Aberfan disaster
On the morning of October 21, 1966, a landslide of coal waste crashes into a small Welsh mining village, killing 116 children and 28 adults. The accident left just five survivors and wiped out half the town’s youth. The Aberfan disaster became one of the UK’s worst coal mining accidents.
NIGERIA
Polaris SOLD
The Story
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) have announced the sale of Polaris Bank.
What's the sale worth?
The announcement followed the completion of a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) for the acquisition of 100% of Polaris Bank's equity by Strategic Capital Investment Limited (‘SCIL’). The CBN's Director of Corporate Communications, Osita Nwanisobi, in a statement on behalf of the CBN and AMCON, disclosed that SCIL had paid an upfront consideration of N50b to acquire 100% of Polaris Bank's equity and also accepted the terms of the agreement which include the full repayment of the sum of N1.305t, being the consideration bonds injected.
What motivated the sale?
The CBN had, in an intervention in 2018, revoked the license of the then Skye Bank Plc and established Polaris Bank to take over its assets and some of its liabilities. Polaris has been operating as a bridge bank since then. Consideration bonds with a face value of N898b (future value of N1.305t) and a 25-year repayment period were put into the bridge bank as part of the CBN intervention. The CBN highlighted that the measures were implemented to stop the bank's impending collapse, enable its stabilization and recovery, safeguard depositors' funds, avoid job losses, and maintain systemic financial stability.
According to the statement, parties who formally expressed interest in acquiring the bank, after the CBN intervention in 2018, were invited to submit financial and technical proposals. "Invitations to submit proposals were sent to 25 pre-qualified interested parties, out of which three (3) parties eventually submitted final purchase proposals following technical evaluation", the statement read. The sale was approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday. SOURCE
EUROPE
End of the Truss
The Story
In our last story on British Prime Minister Liz Truss' stormy early days in office, we wondered how long before she gets to still waters. She has found the still waters, but outside No. 10 Downing street.
How do you mean?
The embattled PM succumbed to the raging storm that has made her time in office far from pleasant, as she announced her resignation on Thursday, after only 45 days as Britain's leader. In her statement, Truss said she recognized that, "given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty The King to notify him that I am resigning as Leader of the Conservative Party". Truss noted her achievements, despite the turbulence that cut short her reign. "We delivered on energy bills and on cutting national insurance. We have continued to stand with Ukraine and to protect our own security", she said in a tweet.
Who is replacing her?
She will remain in office until her successor as Tori leader and PM is confirmed on 28 October. Candidates interested in being Prime Minister must secure at least 100 nominations from Tory MPs to be considered for the job. Nominations for the next Conservative Party leader have begun and will close at 2pm on Monday. Surprisingly, Truss'predecessor, Boris Johnson is considering running again to be PM, and rightwing Conservative MPs and party donors are already indicating support for his bid.
Can he run?
Yes, he can. The former PM, who resigned in July after a series of scandals led to questions over his reputation, was due to return from the Caribbean, where he has been vacationing with his family. One of his allies, according to the Guardian, said that Johnson believed staging a comeback was in the "national interest". Another person said the Tory heavyweight felt his leadership was unfairly “cut off before its time” and that he still had a lot to accomplish at No 10. It remains to be seen whether or not Johnson would be able to secure the 100 MP nominations required to reach the ballot.
The runner-up to Truss in the last Tori election, Rishi Sunak, is tipped as favourite to replace her. With candidates needing 100 nominations, there might be a maximum of three contenders. There's even a likelihood of there being only two or even one candidate. However, there will be two votes if there are three candidates. The contender with the lowest number of supporters will be eliminated first. A second, "indicative" vote will follow. Party members will then be able to determine which of the final two candidates is the MPs' favourite. SOURCE
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MIDDLE EAST
Talents for Hire
The Story
According to a Washington Post investigation, over 500 retired U.S. military personnel have found contracting positions with foreign governments known for their human rights abuses and political repression.
Aren't they allowed to work after retirement?
While the U.S. allows former military members to work for foreign governments with approval from the military and the State Department, the government has fought to keep the hirings and salaries secret. The Post sued multiple military branches and the State Department under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in order to obtain the hidden information.
Did the jobs compromise the U.S. in any way?
Most of the positions were civilian contractor jobs in Persian Gulf petrostates, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. 15 retired U.S. generals and admirals have worked for the Defense Ministry of Saudi Arabia, a country that has allegedly killed an American journalist and remains in the spotlight for possible links to 9/11. Since the death of reporter Jamal Khashoggi, a retired four-star Air Force general and a former commanding general of U.S. troops in Afghanistan have gone to work for the kingdom.
What's the objective of these countries' interest in U.S. personnel?
The Post believes that the monarchy has used the former military leaders for their expertise and political clout to develop deeper ties to the U.S. We know that oil money talks, but how loud? According to documents, U.S. military “talent” total salaries are in the six to seven figure range, far more than the top salaries in the actual U.S. military. There, four-star generals (the top of the pay scale) earn just $203,698 a year. In Qatar, a firm owned by six ex-Pentagon officials scored a $23.6m defense contract.
In Azerbaijan, one ex-U.S. Air Force general charged a rate of $5,000 a day. During court battles for the information, the military moved to redact pay information, stating that its release would subject ex-service members to “embarrassment and harassment”, and “unfairly harm their public reputation.” Many of the American personnel reportedly benefited from relationships forged during times of conflict by eventually working for Middle Eastern nations where they had previously served. Some were even reported to have negotiated jobs with foreign governments while still in the U.S. military. SOURCE
INVENTION KNOWLEDGE
Aussie's Pride in Wi-Fi
QUORA QUESTION: What has Australia contributed to the world?
Angie:
Wi-Fi.
I highly doubt the world would be the same if it weren’t for Wi-Fi.
John O’Sullivan, an Aussie physicist, just woke up one day and decided, “Hey, wouldn’t it be pretty cool if there was wireless internet?”
(Well, not really. He was initially inspired by Stephen Hawking’s theory about the correlation between evaporating black holes and radio waves. One thing led to another, and then there was Wi-Fi, but that is besides the point.)
After a couple of beers and tinkering, he, along with a couple of his mates, invented one of the best inventions known to mankind; Wi-Fi.
After patenting his idea, he celebrated the traditional Australian way of having a nice Bunnings snag and watching the footy.
Wi-Fi is an invention that us Australians are incredibly proud of.
#EndSARS: States fail to compensate victims
Ondo students, workers to wear native dress Fridays
Second Niger Bridge completed, for inauguration Dec
Ogun workers quit Chinese factory, protest colleagues’ death
China opens police station in Nigeria
Nigerian students, dependants contribute £1.9bn to UK
Ekiti Speaker dies of cardiac arrest, gov mourns
Pressure pushes naira to N751 per dollar at parallel market
Gambia govt understudies Lagos e-procurement system
White House says Iran helping Russia ‘on the ground’ in Crimea
Indonesia bans all syrup, liquid medicines after 99 child deaths
AWARD OPPORTUNITY
Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting
The award is open to any Nigerian professional reporter or team of reporters (fulltime or freelancers), 18-years and above, who have published stories either online, in print, or through electronic media, primarily targeted at and received by a Nigerian audience.
The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) rewards, promotes and encourages best practices in journalism works from the print, radio, television, photo, online, editorial cartoon broad categories as well as from other special categories which focus on themes ranging from regulatory failures, corruption in the public and corporate spheres, and human rights abuses in the country.
Application Deadline: 24 October 2022. APPLY HERE
Who will become the UK’s new prime minister? Al Jazeera
4 traits Tim Cook seeks out for Apple employees. Fortune
15 of the most expensive shoes in the world. The Richest
The Illegal Budget. Medium
Nigeria: In Search of Heroes. Freshly Pressed
FOOTBALL KNOWLEDGE
The Rainbow Flick
The Rainbow Flick is a football trick that involves using your foot to scoot the ball up your leg, then kicking it with your opposite heel so that it arcs neatly over your head.
Alexandre de Carvalho Kaneko is credited with the invention of this skill, having first performed it for Santos against Botafogo in 1968.
But in more recent times, it was made popular by the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha and Neymar.
TRIVIA
How many 'comma' mistakes can you spot?
Truth is, commas are tough, and the sentences below all contain an error pertaining to a comma. Can you, perspicacious readers, spot the mistake?
- Scientists worry that rats with a little bit of human brain could potentially possess bits of human traits like suffering and worrying about their follower count.
- Swift said the album reflects, “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.”
- When the jeans were up for auction Haupert made a deal to cover 90% of the bid.
- Now, Toronto residents over the age of 19 can order from three local dispensaries through Uber’s app.
NOSTALGIA
READ PAST PUBLICATIONS
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Written by Seun, Mercy, Kingsley, and Tosin.
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