Good morning. Brazil has mandated Apple to include a power charger in each iPhone sale, claiming that the company provides an incomplete product to consumers without the charger. For selling an incomplete product, Apple was fined $2.38M.
Apple think say den wise?
United Kingdom. Gas and electricity prices will be frozen throughout the country. The two-year price freeze is part of a $173B government intervention intended to curb skyrocketing energy prices. Prime minister Liz Truss unveiled the plan on Thursday, her third day in office.
Science. Scientists at Oxford University have come up with a potentially “world-changing” malaria vaccine that could be rolled out as soon as next year. The team say their vaccine is more effective and scalable than GSK’s, which last year became the first to be approved by the WHO for Africa.
Ireland. Instagram has been ordered to pay a record $402 million in fines for failing to adequately protect children’s data, which included publishing phone numbers and e-mail addresses. it’s the second-largest fine to come out of Europe’s GDPR laws, and the third (and largest) fine levied against Meta by the regulator. Instagram plans to appeal.
1776 Congress renames the nation “United States of America”
The Continental Congress formally declares the name of the new nation to be the “United States” of America. This replaced the term “United Colonies,” which had been in general use.
NIGERIA
The Story
Nigerian oil workers have threatened to withdraw their services if the federal government and other stakeholders do not immediately halt the current massive theft of the country’s crude oil and destruction of oil assets.
Failed Efforts
The workers, under the umbrella body of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), decried how engagements with the leadership of Nigeria security agencies, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders in the industry have yielded no result in curbing the menace. While addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Mr. Festus Osifo, National President of PENGASSAN, called for the imprisonment of security officers assigned to secure the country's sabotaged oil pipelines.
Why?
Disclosing that the oil workers would withdraw their services if there's no positive change after the workers' nationwide rallies slated to begin on Thursday, Osifo accused officers of Nigeria's security agencies of complicity in the menacing crude oil theft that has resulted in the country's loss of desperately needed revenue. According to Osifo, the huge loss from the pipeline vandalism has forced oil companies to resort to regular shut-in, with the oil workers being the first casualties of the decline in production.
How are they casualties?
Osifo said that due to severe under-production brought on by the crude oil theft, oil companies are forced to initiate measures to cut their operating cost, with the result being the oil workers' loss of jobs. "This is a real challenge, a crisis that the government of the day must develop the political will, the muscles to go after the oil thieves", he said. Expressing fears that there will be no solution to the crisis unless culprits are punished accordingly, Osifo said some security officers now pay to be posted to the Niger Delta. “The security men and women have become multi-millionaires overnight, he said, adding that, “the total collusion is there and this collusion must stop". Source
EUROPE
The Story
The United Kingdom was thrown into mourning yesterday following Buckingham Palace's announcement of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-reigning monarch.
Wow! How did she die?
Buckingham palace had earlier announced that the 96-year-old monarch had been placed under medical supervision after doctors expressed concern over her health. Members of the royal family had rushed to Balmoral castle, Scotland, where the Queen lived her last days. Crowned on February 6, 1952, she became the second longest-reigning monarch in the world in June, after French King Louis XIV who served as monarch for more than 72 years and died in 1715.
A Steadying Anchor
The only monarch most Britons have ever known, after seven decades on the throne, the Queen was a steadying anchor for the House of Windsor, through many upheavals. Tribute has poured in from around the world, including from Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was anointed PM by the Queen on Tuesday. In a tribute to his “beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen", the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, wrote, “I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held,” the new King, who will be known as King Charles III, added. Source
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EUROPE
The Story
Despite multiple waves of international sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, the E.U. and U.S. have both increased their imports of Russian industrial metals compared to 2021.
What are the figures?
According to a report by Reuters, E.U. imports of Russian aluminum increased by 13% in the March-June period of this year, while U.S. imports of Russian nickel grew by 70% compared to the same period in 2021. These increases account for $1.98b headed to Russia in exchange for the metals. The news comes as the Russian economy bounces back after being buffeted by sanctions that followed its invasion of Ukraine. The other impact of this is that the Russian ruble stabilized last month, even in the face of broad international sanctions.
Why are they buying from an enemy they're trying to punish?
Well, there aren't enough alternatives to Russia's supply of the metals, especially for the U.S. While international sanctions hit a variety of Russian industries, they did not target the industrial metal sector. Russian companies are the biggest exporters of both metals, leaving businesses with few other options. Also, the next largest exporter of aluminum in the world is China - another adversary - and the U.S. is very hesitant to get anything from there. Source
FEATURE
Meet her...
Jennifer Ajise, an ardent reader of Freshly Pressed, who is a Clinical Research Associate, jumped on this random question session with us.
What’s the single most impactful piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Do not forget who you are, where you are coming from, and where you are going.
What do you think is the silliest song but you like singing it anyway?
Baby Shark doo doo doo doo
How would you explain Tiktok to your great-grandparents?
Granny, TikTok na short film when dey for phone, you fit watch anybody or anything you like. You go see different people dey act, e no dey tay sha, but you go like am.
If you could erase one event from history, which one would you erase?
Biafra War
Let's meet you! If you would like to be featured in Freshly Pressed's Time Out With, shoot us a mail at info@freshlypressed.ng or click WhatsApp. We'd love to hear from you.
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QUORA KNOWLEDGE
QUORA QUESTION: What was the photo that could have fooled many people in the world?
Anderson Dourado:
In Brazil, people saw this scene in the image above and were curious. After all, you don't often see two elderly men walking together on a street, especially at this age and holding hands.
Some people insinuated that they would be a couple, but the daughter of the gentleman in the light blue shirt said that they have been friends for many years, since childhood, and the shortest one is almost blind.
And as they are already elderly and by medical advice they should go for a walk, so the friend drives every day to exercise together.
Friends are not those who are close to you only when you have money or something to offer them.
A true friend is by your side until the last day of your life.
Most challenging moments of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. MSN
The winners of the summer 2022 transfer window. Football365
The most complicated cars ever made. Autocar
How gold polluted Nigeria’s sacred Osun river. Al Jazeera
Booker Prize Shortlist of Fiction 2022. NPR
BESHEL ACROSTIC CORNER
TRIVIA
INTERNET GIGGLES
Written by Seun, Mercy, Kingsley, and Tosin.
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