Good morning. What does Europe's energy crisis have to do with showers? Hot water! Speaking of which, the average shower in the Netherlands lasts nine minutes. But to help mitigate Europe’s worsening energy crisis, the government is urging people to take shorter showers, like under 5minutes. Some people already are showering once a week to once a month! Others say no way, "five minutes isn’t enough for a decent shower."
Britain. Unemployment rate fell to the lowest since 1974 to 3.8% as more people dropped out of the workforce, fanning upward pressure on wages. The report also showed wages growing well above the pre-pandemic average and a record level of long-term sickness.
Antigua and Barbuda. Prime Minister Gaston Browne said it will hold a vote on whether to become a republic and remove King Charles III as head of state, joining other former colonies in revisiting their relationship with the British monarchy. He said becoming a republic would “complete the circle of independence.”
United States. About 15,000 nurses in Minnesota walked out on their jobs across several hospitals to protest understaffing and work conditions. It’s reportedly the largest protest in US history involving private sector nurses. They claim some units operate without a lead nurse on duty. And that inexperienced nurses are saddled with tasks more senior figures usually handle.
A Soviet rocket crashes into the moon’s surface, becoming the first man-made object sent from earth to reach the lunar surface. The event gave the Soviets a short-lived advantage in the “space race” and prompted even greater effort by the United States to develop its own space program.
From what we are reading and hearing, the internal wrangling in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is far from being over. If anything, it is rather escalating.
Escalating? That's right. The insistence by Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s national chairman, on maintaining his seat in the midst of the storm, despite Wike and those in his camp saying otherwise, may be prolonging the imbroglio. The resignation last week of Walid Jibrin, chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), did not help matters, either. Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State sneered at Jibrin’s resignation, dubbing same “a distraction".
Is there more to this than they're telling us? Well, that looks like it, at least from a report by Vanguard. The Southwest leaders of the party, including Oyo state's governor Seyi Makinde, former governor of Ekiti state, Ayo Fayose, and states chairmen are said to be demanding for the national chairmanship of the party to be zoned to the region and it is part of their reason for insisting on Ayu’s resignation. The party's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar is expected to be in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, as part of efforts to reconcile various factions, but according to the Vanguard report, the Southwest leaders met yesterday and plan to boycott Atiku's meeting.
When two brothers fight to death..... An African proverb says "when two brothers fight to death, a stranger inherits their property". It is increasingly looking like that might be the fate of the PDP ahead of the 2023 general elections, unless various factions are able to reach a truce soon. There are rumours that governor Wike and others in his camp are already considering working for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, ahead of the election. On the possibility of an eventual truce, a source within the PDP, according to the Vanguard report, said, “it is in Atiku’s hands, the Wike team has laid its card on the table that what is fair and equitable is that once the presidential candidate comes from one zone, it is for the chairmanship to come from another".
The dispute became even more complicated recently, when the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) passed a vote of confidence on Ayu, a move that enraged the Wike camp. Peace has been alien to the party since its presidential primary and the selection of Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as the presidential running mate. Having survived removal, at least for now, the embattled national chairman is traveling out of the country today and is not expected to return until the end of the month. Source
NIGERIA
The Pain of a Child
The Story
Sonia Ekweremadu, daughter of former Deputy-president of the Nigerian Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has made a plea to members of the public to come to her aide over her kidney-related ailment.
Is nobody willing to donate to her from amongst her family members? The 25-year-old said her family members were willing to donate their kidneys, but she's been advised by doctors against receiving a donation from within her family. She explained that a comprehensive medical examination had shown that her case of nephrotic syndrome was a genetic illness, which a donation from any of her family members may not address, as the doctors noted that it would likely reoccur. She made the plea while noting that her father's continued incarceration has added to her pain.
Has he been found to have committed a wrong? The details of the Nigerian senator's travails remain elusive, and his ailing daughter refrained from speaking about the case because it is still in court. Despite being in custody since June 23, when he and his wife were arrested on arrival in London, Ekweremadu's case was recently adjourned till October 31, 2022. “The last three years have been extremely challenging. The charges being faced by my parents in London presently are directly connected to my illness and have complicated matters for me and my family", Sonia lamented.
Sadly, she disclosed that her father's health has also become a concern for the family, as he has also been diagnosed with a kidney-related ailment. “In the time that my father has been incarcerated, he has been diagnosed with acute kidney damage", she said. Source
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AFRICA
The Eye Of The Tigray Wants Peace
The Story
There appears to be an end in sight in the two-year conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region, where the country's forces have been in battle with Tigray's rebels.
What's the new development? The rebel group Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has announced readiness to observe a ceasefire and participate in peace talks with the Ethiopian government. This comes after months of the group's refusal to engage in talks, as it demanded the restoration of major services such as banking and communication to Tigray before any talks can hold, a condition that was rejected by the Ethiopian government.
What changed? The group has reconsidered its stance on the proposed talks led by the African Union (AU). The TPLF rejected mediation attempts by the AU during previous negotiations, but this time, the insurgent group is willing to work with the intergovernmental organization. The news comes after TPLF and Ethiopian forces resumed armed conflicts following a months-long ceasefire earlier this year. “We are ready to abide by an immediate and mutually agreed cessation of hostilities in order to create a conducive atmosphere,” said one TPLF spokesperson.
The process is being supported by the U.N., with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling on “all parties to seize this opportunity for peace and to take steps to end the violence definitively and opt for dialogue.” Source
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Bayern Munich beat FC Barcelona, Liverpool get late win
Ukraine reclaims more territory from Russia in counteroffensive
US considers China sanctions to deter Taiwan action
Australia told more migrants no ‘silver bullet’ for broken system
PERSONAL FINANCE
Play Your Own Game of Investing
Here’s something that’s important but easy to ignore about money: A lot of financial debates are just people with different time horizons talking over each other. This is especially true when the economy is in upheaval, like it is now.
It’s critical to remember…
… what you want might not be what I want. Your job’s different from mine. You have different life experiences, different risk tolerances, work-life balance targets, career incentives, on and on.
So of course we don’t always agree on what’s the best thing to do with our money. There’s no world in which we should.
There are still many harmful attitudes and misunderstandings around mental illness, which may make people ignore their mental health, fuel stigma, and make it harder to reach out for help. Take the following quiz and see if you can separate the myths from the facts -
People with poor mental health are violent. True/False?
