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Good Morning. Science proves what all dog owners already know: Dogs can detect when humans experience acute stress with above 90% accuracy. The ability is attributed to changes in odors from breath and sweat.
Human's best friend doing what they do best!
Russia. About 200,000 Russians have fled to neighboring Georgia, Kazakhstan and Finland — most often by car, bicycle or on foot — since President Vladimir Putin announced a mobilization of reservists to fight in the war in Ukraine. Rumors persisted that Moscow may soon shut the borders to all men of fighting age.
United States. The White House says its student loan forgiveness plan (wiping out either $10k or $20k for qualified borrowers) will cost $240 billion, but the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says it'll be a lot higher: $400 billion. Generally, Republicans say the plan is unfair and recklessly expensive; Democrats say it's a needed investment in the middle class.
United States. Hurricane Ian has devastated southwestern Florida, leaving ~2.7 million people without power. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that the state had "never seen a storm surge of this magnitude," calling it a "500-year flooding event." A meteorology professor estimates that the hurricane will cause $100B in damage, in addition to "several hundred fatalities."
Automobile. Volkswagen-owned sports carmaker Porsche began publicly trading yesterday in what is Germany's second-largest initial public offering, behind Deutsche Telekom’s $13B IPO in 1996. The IPO is also the third biggest in Europe, valuing Porsche at about $73B. Porsche expects to raise more than $9B. Volkswagen bought Porsche in 2012 after a takeover struggle between the two automakers.
1997 Australia's Mandatory Gun Buyback
After a gunman walked into a cafe and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle, killing 35 people and wounding another 28, Australia's prime minister John Howard introduced a mandatory gun buyback: More than 640,000 firearms compulsorily were acquired, including many newly illegal semi-automatic rifles and shotguns. Australia has not had a mass shooting case since then.
NIGERIA
Gap Opens Again
The Story
As campaigns towards the 2023 general elections officially begin, the house of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is far from being in harmony.
What's happening there?
An official of the party has said that the letter said to have been written by the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, reflects the true position of the National Working Committee (NWC) despite their denial. There had been confusion in the party over a protest letter supposedly written by the chairman to its presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressing displeasure over the composition of its Presidential Campaign Council.
Did the Chairman acknowledge writing the letter?
No, he did not. Hours after the letter was leaked, the party's spokesman, Felix Morka, issued a statement on Thursday saying that the letter did not originate from the chairman. Reacting to the controversy, party leaders, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, and who are privy to happenings within the party, have said that the letter reflects the current position of the NWC. "That letter is the position of the NWC. Whatever is happening now is an attempt at a recant", one of the leaders said.
Has Tinubu responded to the development?
There's been no response from the presidential candidate. One of his aides, who pleaded anonymity, was reported to have told Vanguard newspaper that his principal would not react to the letter as published in the media. “No letter was sent to Asiwaju. So, how do we react to a leaked letter that was never sent?” the aide said. Dismissing the letter, Morka said "the National Chairman and presidential candidate maintain cordial and effective communication channels, and enjoy full liberty of open and frank conversations on matters of interest to the Party and our campaign". Source
EUROPE
De-Royalled
The Story
Four grandchildren of Denmark's monarch were on Wednesday stripped of their prince and princess, as well as "His/Her Highness" titles.
Did they commit any wrong?
No, they did not. The royal palace announced that the decision was made by the monarch, Queen Margrethe II. The four are children of Prince Joachim, the Queen's second son, and will - from January 1, 2023 - be addressed as His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat. Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg - Prince Joachim's ex-wife and mother to two of the said grandchildren - reacted to the news the same day, expressing "confusion, sadness, and shock".
Is there a tussle on the line to the throne?
Not at all. All four grandchildren - Nikolai (23), Felix (20), Henrik (13), and Athena (10) - maintain their places in the order of succession. They are currently 7th through 10th in the line to the throne. The children of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Frederik, were exempted from the decision, and retain their order on the line to the throne. Unlike their cousins, Prince Christian (16), Princess Isabella (15), and 11-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine will continue to be part of the royal house.
What's the reason for this?
While noting that the decision is in line with similar adjustments in other royal houses in recent years, the Danish palace said its objective is to allow the stripped grandchildren more freedom in charting the course of their lives. "With her decision, Her Majesty The Queen wishes to create the framework for the four grandchildren to be able to shape their own lives to a much greater extent without being limited by the special considerations and duties that a formal affiliation with the Royal House of Denmark as an institution involves," the palace said in the statement. Source
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EUROPE
A Rising Tide Floods All Sinking Cities
The Story
Venice is home to roughly 120 islands, 177 canals, 391 bridges, and over 600,000 people. Sadly, all that might be lost in a few decades.
Lost! How?
Unfortunately for all of the above, the floating city is at risk, with some predictions stating that the city might sink under the ocean as early as 2100. But Venice is not alone, as other coastal cities face similar problems. The city has suffered two major flooding events in recent memory. In 1966, water levels rose 194cm (6.4ft) above sea level, causing serious infrastructural damage to an estimated three-quarters of the city’s businesses. A slightly smaller flood also occurred in 2019, with tides 187cm (6.1ft) above sea level flooding 80% of the city and causing an estimated €1b worth of damage.
Any efforts to avert the potential sinking?
Venice is uniquely positioned as a rich but small destination city that may be able to act as a testing ground for futuristic anti-flooding technologies. Currently, Venice employs multiple technologies to protect it from the seas, with its main defense being the Mose project, a series of mobile gates which can be raised and lowered to protect against flooding. While it has helped in its own way, it is not a measure that the authorities are very comfortable with.
Why not?
The project has cost the city over €8b, and might cause long-term damage to the lagoon Venice sits in. Possible future projects to protect the city include a Dutch-style series of dams and barriers, as well as the banning of normal boats in favor of hydrofoil boats to reduce wake-related damage. One wrench in the works for the city’s future plans? It’s also sinking as sea levels rise, dropping 15 cm (5.9 in) into the mud over the last century. Source
SPORTS KNOWLEDGE
Coach Manuel Pellegrini
Having won the domestic league in Ecuador (with LDU Quito) and Argentina (with San Lorenzo and River Plate), Manuel Pellegrini moved to Europe in 2004.
The first club he managed in Europe was Spanish side Villarreal. Under Pellegrini, Villarreal finished third in La Liga in 2004-05, finished second in 2007-08 and reached the UCL semi-final in 2005-06.
In June 2009, he became the first Real Madrid manager in Florentino Perez's second stint as President. He signed Kaka from AC Milan, Cristiano Ronaldo from Man United, Karim Benzema from Lyon and Xabi Alonso from Liverpool.
Despite achieving 96 points in La Liga, which was a club record at the time, Real Madrid finished runner-up to Barcelona who had 99 points. Pellegrini was dismissed after that season.
Next, Pellegrini joined Malaga and after his first full season at the club, led them to a fourth place finish in La Liga. Málaga entered the Champions League qualifiers for the first time in the club's history. The club reached the UCL quarter-finals that season (2012-13).
After three seasons at the club, Pellegrini moved to England where he joined Manchester City. At City, he signed Kevin de Bruyne from Wolfsburg, Fernandinho from Shakhtar Donetsk, Raheem Sterling from Liverpool, amongst others.
He won the Premier League with City in his first season at the club (2013-14), becoming the first non-European to do so. In that title-winning season, Man City scored 151 goals in all competitions, setting a new record in England.
In 2015-16, Pellegrini led Man City to their first ever UCL semi-finals where they were defeated by Real Madrid. That was his last season at the club.
Next he moved to Chinese side Hebei China Fortune and later to West Ham. Under Pellegrini at West Ham, the club broke its transfer record twice- signing Felipe Anderson from Lazio in 2018 and Sebastien Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019.
Pellegrini was dismissed as West Ham manager in December 2019 and by July 2020, he was appointed manager of Real Betis- and is still at the club till date.
Source: Wikipedia
Independence Day: FG declares Monday public holiday
Tinubu absent as Obi, Atiku sign peace accord for 2023 elections
Dollar hits N735 as political campaign begins
Mikel Obi retires from football at 35
Insecurity: Anambra Govt. suspends tricycle, shuttle bus unions
Kogi flood submerges 600 hectares of rice farmland
NECO withholds Niger result over N500m debt
PDP NWC members return over N90m amid bribery allegation
Kenyan President Ruto Unveils Cabinet Two Weeks After Swearing In
Russia set to annex four Ukraine regions with Kremlin ceremony
Lula’s lead over Bolsonaro widens days before Brazil election
Trump Volunteers to Lead Negotiations With Putin
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Graduate Trainee Recruitment at Plantation Industries Limited
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This year's best drone photos. The Guardian
Premier League: the highest paid footballers. Planet Football
’Why Am I Not Rich & Famous?’ Darius Foroux
What are Bear and Bull Markets? Freshly Pressed
FULL LIST: 9 professors, 3 EFCC prosecutors among 62 lawyers for SAN rank. The Cable
TELECOMS
Explainer: Why Does Your Call Fail?
Today's Guest Writer is one of those who hold your call network in their hands. When you meet Promise Beshel, hold him to explain why you call your friend but a distinct accent from another part of the country responds 'Salam!' In a previous article, he explains what Call Setup Success Rate is, and today's article is a follow up on that, He writes:
So you are in the middle of that hot gist or right in the magic moment of that epic negotiation and boom, the line drops! You check your mobile station (also called mobile device or handheld or handset or a mobile phone; else could be a Personal Digital Assistant–say, a tablet) and your battery is at full bar and your network bars at their prime, smiling right back at your awestruck face. You obviously did not hit the End Call button and your ear did not end the call either, at least you are sure because you have your AirPods on.
A dropped call is a call that abruptly terminates after the call connection has been successfully established. This can happen just before the called party (in this case Rashidat) picks up, or after the called party picks up. Call drops can be caused by a variety of reasons and we would just highlight some of them:
BESHEL'S CORNER
TRIVIA
Fashion Quiz
Some days are for the glitz and the glam! How much do you know about fashion- from the old to the new, from common culture to pop culture?
- The name for which popular type of pants originated in Genoa, Italy?
- Someone said, “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” Who did?
- Know the difference between A-line and a ball gown?
LIKE HOW'S THIS FAIR?
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Written by Seun, Mercy, Kingsley, and Tosin.
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