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Good Morning. More than 70 companies in Britain are undergoing a 6-month experiment of a 4-day workweek with employees getting a paid day off each week. So far, the companies have reported that there is no loss of productivity and even significant improvement in some quarters.
35 of the 41 companies that responded to a survey said they were “extremely likely” to consider continuing the four-day workweek after the experiment ends in November.
Thinking of Nigerian employers right now.
Russia. Edward Snowden, the former US intelligence contractor who leaked files exposing the NSA’s surveillance operations, has been granted Russian citizenship. Snowden was first granted asylum in Russia in 2013, when he blew the whistle, and received permanent residency in 2020.
Qatar. Hundreds of civilians – including diplomats called back from abroad – will be conscripted to work at security checkpoints during the 2022 World Cup. There will be more than 1.2 million foreign visitors during the monthlong tournament that starts Nov. 20. Qatar already has a security agreement with Turkey, which will send 3,000 riot police to Qatar during the tournament.
Ukraine. Russia has been accused of intentionally causing leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines which transport natural gas to Europe "to destabilize Europe's economy and cause pre-winter panic". Footage shows major leaks appearing in the Baltic Sea where the pipelines run. A Swedish seismologist said there is "no doubt" that there were underwater explosions near the pipelines before the leaks occurred.
2012 Nigeria Feuds with Saudi Arabia
Nigeria suspended pilgrimage flights to Saudi Arabia after about 500 Nigerian women were deported for not travelling with male escort.
NIGERIA
Guilty As Alleged
The Story
The panel set up to investigate violations committed by members of the disbanded Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) submitted its report yesterday in Abuja.
What's in the report?
The Independent Investigation Panel's report on alleged Human Rights Violations committed by the Anti-robbery unit of the Nigerian Police Force found no fewer than 72 members of the unit guilty of various infractions. The panel disclosed this in its final report submitted to the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja on Tuesday.
What happens after the indictments?
The Panel recommended the payment of N438.88m to the victims of various infractions by the unruly officers of the police force. This is the latest on the protest by Nigerian Youths against all forms of brutality and abuse by members of the Nigerian police force, which culminated in the deadly shootings that occured on October 20, 2020 at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos.
The infractions by the police officers, for which the compensation was awarded, include; extrajudicial killings; enforced disappearance; unlawful arrest and detention; torture, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment; threat to life; confiscation/seizure of property; and abuse of office. About 100 victims were listed for compensation. Source
NORTH AMERICA
Suspicious Spy-Only Sickness
The Story
“Havana syndrome” is a phenomenon first suffered by CIA officers and U.S. diplomats in Havana, Cuba in 2016.
What kind of ailment is it?
Symptoms of Havana syndrome include dizziness, vertigo, and extreme fatigue, which often begin after hearing strange chirping sounds. Many sufferers are affiliated with the U.S. government, from intelligence officers to diplomats, leading some within the intelligence community to believe it to be the work of a shadowy enemy looking to take down high-value U.S. targets. In a sick twist of fate, one victim appears to be Dr. Paul Andrews, a CIA doctor who traveled to Cuba in order to study the syndrome.
What about him?
Andrews retold his first-hand experience with Havana syndrome in a CNN interview on Sunday. After heading to bed in his Havana hotel, he awoke the next morning to pain in his right ear, nausea, a headache - and a clicking sound. He experienced nausea and disorientation throughout the day preventing him from carrying out even basic tasks. Five years later, he still suffers balance and vision problems. Over the past few years, roughly 1,100 U.S. diplomats and spies have reported symptoms.
Has it been established to be an attack targeted at U.S. officials?
While many government officials and many media outlets (and former U.S. President Trump) were quick to attribute the symptoms to a hostile government like Russia or China, no single cause of Havana syndrome has yet to be discovered. According to a comprehensive CIA study, the vast majority of incidents could be “explained by environmental causes, undiagnosed medical conditions or stress.” The agency also found zero evidence of a foreign government orchestrating microwave attacks on U.S. operatives.
Either way, the government has found room in the budget to protect its employees – the HAVANA Act, signed into law in 2021, compensates current and former U.S. officials suffering from unexplained brain injuries with payments up to $189,000. If you have a history of migraines, now’s the time to apply for a job at the CIA! Source
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OCEANIA
No Man Is An Island, But No Island Is Permanent
The Story
Earlier this month, a new island was born in the Pacific.
Was there a boundary adjustment?
No, its mother was an underwater volcano near the island of Tonga, which slowly oozed lava until its baby began to peek out from beneath the waves. The island quickly grew from just one acre of solid ground to eight acres in just a few weeks. The volcano that birthed the island is part of the Home Reef seamount and started putting out lava on September 10, says NASA’s Earth Observatory.
What's its size now?
According to the Tonga Geological Services, the newborn island reached a size of 8.6 acres stretching up to 50 feet above sea level by September 19. Unfortunately, the island isn’t unique – the Home Reef region of volcanoes has acted up in 1852, 1857, 1984, and 2006, producing islands in each year. And like its predecessors, the new Island is not expected to be around for long.
How do you mean?
The islands produced by volcanic activity like this are generally short-lived, falling back under the ocean within years. The newborn has some hope, though – one distant ancestor created by the nearby Late'iki Volcano lasted for 25 years, a long life for a tiny rock in the world’s biggest ocean. Source
KNOWLEDGE
QUORA QUESTION: What shocking thing happened in history or politics that really turned your stomach?
Jean-Marie Valheur
The 1994 Tian Mingjian incident has always been shocking to me. Tian Mingjian was an officer in the Chinese army. He seemed to be doing quite alright in his personal life — Mingjian had a wife, a daughter, a nice career. Life was good. Problem was, the young officer and his wife wanted to expand their family. This was not allowed due to the one child policy.
So when they did try for another baby, the young couple went out of their way to keep the pregnancy a secret. This failed when a fellow officer found out their secret and… snitched on them to the authorities. By this time Tian’s wife was already seven months pregnant. A “birth control officer” at the base forced her to undergo an abortion even in this late stage. The woman died during the procedure, as did the nearly formed fetus.
Butchered by the state. Tian Mingjian just… snapped. Drove to the base, killed the officer who had betrayed his wife, and three others. Wounded ten more soldiers before leaving the base and started shooting police officers and even civilians.
Tian Mingjian killed up to 29 people that day and wounded some 200 others according to ‘official figures’. His rampage did not come to an end until a police sniper took the heartbroken officer out with a bullet to the head. I cannot support the bloodbath… but it never would have happened if his wife and child had not been killed by the state.
Nigeria records third Super Eagles defeat under Peseiro in Algeria
Peter Obi: Igbo should be president — Olu Falae
$350k fraud: US court sentences ex-aide of Ogun governor to five years
Bauchi: Male students protest separation from female mates
Afenifere justifies Obi’s endorsement, Tinubu’s team fumes
Togolese storm ECOWAS office, protest president’s 17-year reign
People fleeing Russia call-up form Mongolian border queues
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman named PM
China’s Xi makes first public appearance after ‘coup’ rumours
Russians flock to Georgia, again, as Putin escalates war
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Post-Graduate Foreign Scholarships Programme
As part of our Human Resource Development Initiatives, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is embarking on Foreign Post Graduate Scholarship Programme to equip Niger Deltans with relevant training and skills for effective participation in the local content programme of the current administration as well as compete globally in various professional disciplines.
The scheme is for suitably qualified applicants, with relevant Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees from recognized Universities in the professional disciplines.
Application Deadline: October 30th, 2022. APPLY HERE
Why is the British pound tanking as the US dollar soars? Al Jazeera
The greatest love songs in music history. Insider
The 101 Best Insults From “Game of Thrones,” Ranked. Inside Hook
Ranking Stephen King’s books. Esquire
The Incredible Benefits of Gaming. Freshly Pressed
SATIRE
Governments and Breakfast: A Short Timeline
Today's Guest Writer is fully deserving of his place in the Hall of Fame of Writers. Raheem Omeiza was a finalist for the 2022 Afritondo Short Story Prize and the 2022 Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize. His works are published and forthcoming in Afritondo, Litro Magazine, Lolwe, and elsewhere. He writes:
I went to a friend's house recently and he made me toast with corned beef for breakfast.
I hadn't had corned beef in years. In fact, the last time I had corned beef was in 2006 when Olusegun Obasanjo was still the President of Nigeria. When I still had parents and they could afford a breakfast spread—platters of eggs, corned beef, sardines, toast, butter (real butter not margarine), sausages—the whole spread.
Governments changed and our breakfast changed with them. Sausages were the first to go because everyone knew sausages were overkill. Round and oblong meat is vulgar and honestly, quite common. Sardines followed quickly because who can stand the strong smell of fish? Not my family. Powdered milk replaced evaporated milk because liquid milk spoils quickly once opened and God forbid we waste food. Powdered milk disappeared soon after because it wasn't genuine cow milk. It was a formula filled with dangerous carcinogenic chemicals. Corned beef bowed out last...
TRIVIA
Personal Finance Quiz 1
Test your literacy in personal finance with these multiple-choice questions!
#1. When deciding which of the two items to purchase, one should always -
#2. Which of the following has historically had the highest rate of return over long periods of time?
#3. Which of the following would be expected to hold its value best during a time of inflation?
#4. Which of the following would hurt your credit score?
#5. Which of the following is the primary function of insurance?
INTERNET GIGGLES
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