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Happy Friday! Something really spooky is going on in Mexico. A 7.4 magnitude earthquake rattled Mexico City on Monday, which was the exact same date—September 19—as two other deadly earthquakes that hit Mexico, one in 1985 and the other in 2017. What are the odds of that? One physicist said the probability of three earthquakes happening on the same date was 0.00000024%.
Someone said it must be the days their village people have their meetings. Dark!
Japan. For the first time since 1998, the government intervened in foreign exchange markets to shore up the Yen. The move followed the Bank of Japan's decision to keep interest rates low, as the Yen has dropped by nearly 20% versus the U.S. dollar so far this year.
Uganda. Seven cases of Ebola have been confirmed, as authorities try to track down 43 contacts of known Ebola patients – two days after the East African country announced an outbreak of the contagious disease. Uganda last reported an outbreak of the Ebola Sudan strain in 2012.
Britain. Queen Elizabeth II has no shortage of accolades, but she just earned one more: her funeral is believed to be the most-watched event in history. Some estimates put the total audience at over 4 billion (½ the planet’s population). The previous record? Princess Diana’s funeral, with an estimated 2.5 billion viewers.
Australia. Sensitive information about almost 10 million telecoms subscribers may have been compromised by a substantial hack of the country’s second-largest provider. The data accessed included customers’ names, dates of birth, phone numbers and email addresses, as well as some driver’s licence and passport numbers.
1987 Akwa Ibom and Katsina States Created
Nigeria’s military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, announced the creation of ‘Katsina and Akwa Ibom as the 20th and 21st states of the Federation with immediate effect’. Katsina was created from Kano state, while Akwa Ibom came from Cross-Rivers State. This announcement gave partial satisfaction to the longstanding pressures for the reform of the 19-state structure inaugurated in April 1976 to replace the 12-state framework that had been hastily established on the eve of the Nigerian civil war in 1967.
NIGERIA
No Pay-Per-View
The Story
Broadcast Stakeholders in Nigeria have rejected calls for a switch from the current monthly payment plans to Pay-per-view (PPV) for Pay TV.
What's their reason?
During a public hearing on "Pay-TV Hikes And Demand for Pay-per-view subscription model”, which was organised by the Senate Adhoc Committee chaired by the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Sabi Abdullahi, Multichoice and other stakeholders rejected the proposals, arguing that the Pay-per-view subscription model would be difficult to implement and that the model is not in the interest of consumers.
What's the difficulty in implementation?
The broadcasters argued about the current difficult economic environment businesses are operating under, insisting that Pay TV operators, like other businesses, should have control over price. Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe argued that the proposed PPV model will be of no benefit to both consumers and the industry players, and reiterated the need to allow the forces of demand and supply to influence price in the broadcast industry.
Conceptualization of terms
Ugbe explained that the proponents of the Pay-per-view subscription model appear to be mixing it up with the Pay-as-you-go model. "A pay per view PPV is Not the same, and is Very different from Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG), Ugbe said. "The PPV model allows a subscriber to watch some special one-off events, usually of the high-ticket variety in sports and entertainment, by paying for such events in addition to having an active subscription", he said, adding that on the other hand, "Pay-As-You-Go, accommodates a metered mode of service, where consumers are billed only for the service they consume and not for a fixed period". Source
ASIA
SheRan to Death
The Story
When Mahsa Amini was arrested last week, authorities in Iran had no idea of the turmoil that was soon to rock the country.
What the turmoil?
The 22-year-old was detained by Iranian morality police last week, allegedly for failing to wear a headscarf (hijab) as required by law. Three days later, she passed away in a hospital. Authorities claim she died from a heart attack, but that has been disputed by her family. According to her relatives and witnesses, the police beat Amini in a van, causing her to eventually go into a coma. Since then, protests against the Iranian government have drawn thousands of people from all around the nation, and it's been deadly.
Deadly! Have there been more deaths?
According to human rights organizations, at least five persons have died, and hundreds more reportedly injured. Three deaths were confirmed by Iranian authorities, as official resistance seems to be emboldening the protesters. In perhaps the greatest defiance to the authorities in years, the demonstrators are daring the law as video footage shows some people burning their hijabs and cutting their hair in public. "Life, liberty, and women" is being chanted by some protesters, with others chanting "Death to the tyrant". It remains to be seen how long before either side yields.
Any word from the government?
The government has maintained a hard line against the protests, with the governor of Tehran accusing the demonstrators of being an organized group set on committing “sedition.” Some protestors have attacked law enforcement with rocks or set police cars on fire. In return, Police have been seen slamming demonstrators to the ground with batons, water cannons, and tear gas as tensions rise. Additionally, some users have reported restriction on access to Instagram and WhatsApp.
In response to U.S Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's "call on the Iranian government to end its systemic persecution of women and to allow peaceful protest", Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian accused the U.S. of “shedding crocodile tears". But try as they may, Iranian authorities are finding a significant number of irritated youths, who are increasingly online, a hard nut to crack. Source
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EUROPE
Drafting At Straws
The Story
Russian President Vladimir Putin fully committed to his new role as world enemy number one Wednesday, ordering the mobilization of Russian reservists and bringing the threat of the nuclear option to the table in the same speech.
What changed?
The escalation comes as Russia’s invasion loses gas in Ukraine, facing manpower shortages and territory losses. “Russia will use all the instruments at its disposal to counter a threat against its territorial integrity - this is not a bluff,” stated Putin in a national address. Russia’s mobilization, the country’s first such action since World War 2, would call up 300,000 reservists and specialists for Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine.
Why the threat of nuclear weapons?
In his speech, Putin claimed that NATO powers supported the use of nuclear weapons against his country, and that attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear-power plant were actually carried out by Ukrainian forces. “To those who allow themselves such statements, I would like to remind them, Russia also has many types of weapons of destruction, the components of which in some cases are more modern than those of the countries of NATO,” he said.
What are the chances of him deploying nukes?
As for Putin waving around the nuclear option, experts remain skeptical. “The nuclear threat has been taken seriously from the outset, but you have to combine taking it seriously with not being intimidated by the mere mention of nuclear weapons,” said Matthew Harries, director of proliferation and nuclear policy at the Royal United Services Institute. Others believe Russia might use a smaller nuke on a key battlefield in Ukraine instead of launching a larger intercontinental missile.
In response to the reserve mobilization, Russia’s western neighbors look to be forcing the country to deal with the repercussions of its actions. Both Latvia and Finland have stated that any Russians fleeing the country would not be welcome in either nation. While both independent and state surveys still show that a majority of Russians support the invasion, enthusiasm for the annexation of Ukraine seems to have waned, especially since the annexation of Crimea eight years ago. Source
KNOWLEDGE
Reddit Question: Why can people walk many kilometres without discomfort, but when they stand for more than 15 minutes or so, they get uncomfortable?
freshcoconutty
I work at a vein surgeon's office. I actually asked him this.
Basically, when you are standing, blood flow slows and "pools" in your legs due to gravity. But when you walk, your muscles contract and push the blood in your veins and vessels back up into your upper body.
On the side note, seasoned military personnels are able to stand at ease for long periods of time because they are actually swaying back and forth very slowly in micro-movements to contract their muscles and relieve the tingling and numb sensation you get when you keep standing for long periods of time.
Edit: As others have suggested, not locking your knees is also key
Edit 2: As others have mentioned, micro movements could be flexing your calves, distributing weight back and forth between your heels and toes, wiggling your toes, etc.
Edit 3: If you have persistent leg problems even without prolonged standing and even after conservative measures (compression stockings, exercise, etc.), I would recommend getting a referral to a vein specialist from your PCP (in the US) to get it properly treated. You may just have bad veins.
ASUU appeals ruling, says FG has declared war
‘If Katsina can, Ondo will’ — Akeredolu vows to arm Amotekun against FG’s directive
Wike: I won’t leave PDP — I will stay and fight
Bode George: Jandor breached agreement by selecting Funke Akindele
‘Not all cases should reach supreme court’ — CJN seeks constitution amendment
Lawyer asks court to declare Ekweremadu’s seat vacant
Ibukun Awosika, former FirstBank chairman joins Binance advisory board
‘Red alert’ in China as drought dries up country’s biggest lake
Warwick University professor goes missing during Chile research trip
Church of England bars Desmond Tutu's daughter from leading funeral
FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY
HiiL Justice Entrepreneurship School
The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) in partnership with FATE Foundation has launched the call for application for the Justice Entrepreneurship School (JES) which is a programme targeted at entrepreneurs who are in the incubation stage of business and have innovative ideas about businesses within the justice sector.
The programme will run for 8 weeks with a single touchpoint twice a week (Mondays and Wednesday) between 26 September – 16 November 2022.
Application Deadline: September 30, 2022. APPLY HERE
FEATURE
Career With Jahdiong: The Sign-Language Trained Nurse
Nursing is the backbone of the healthcare industry anywhere in the world. Registered nurses provide critical care to anyone, whenever it is needed. With this, we can say it is one of the most professional, personal, and spiritually rewarding careers there is. Jahdiong Asanga took her love for nursing a step further to the hearing-impaired of Nigeria. In this interview, she speaks glowingly of her amazing career and shared her inspirational journey to where she is right now and what possibilities the future holds in nursing.
What do you do?
I work as a Nurse in a Special Clinic where I employ the use of Nigerian and American Sign Language to care for the hearing impaired. There are over 33,000 deaf people in Akwa Ibom State and over 1 million in Nigeria. Due to the communication barrier, they do not easily have access to health services. And about 80% of these ones cannot afford hearing aids or an interpreter along with the expenses that come with medical treatment.
As a sign language expert, I knew I could fill this gap. Since 2019, I have been working in a clinic that caters specifically to these ones. I also teach sign language to healthcare professionals. The goal is to raise an inclusive workforce and make health care services accessible to the deaf community.
Do you have a budding/great career? Have you a growing business? We invite you to tell our audience about it. Inspire students, upcoming professionals, entrepreneurs, go-getters and those who may be struggling to get on their feet. If you would like to share about it, shoot us a mail at info@freshlypressed.ng or click WhatsApp. We'd love to hear from you.
A guide to running a 15-minute meeting. CNBC
The lady who might have been queen of England. JStor
Why is China so Obsessed With Food Security? SubStack
6 Habits to look for in a great leader. IncAfrica
How to Get Published: A Book’s Journey From ‘Very Messy’ Draft to Best Seller. New York Times
TRIVIA
LEGIT QUESTION
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Written by Seun, Mercy, Kingsley, and Tosin.
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