CLIMATE CHANGE ALREADY COSTING U.S BILLIONS IN
LOSSES
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non-partisan federal watchdog says climate
change is already costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars each year, with
those costs expected to rise as devastating storms, floods, wildfires and
droughts become more frequent in the coming decades.
A Government
Accountability Office report released Monday said the federal government has
spent more than $350 billion over the last decade on disaster assistance
programs and losses from flood and crop insurance.
That tally does
not include the massive toll from this year’s wildfires and three major
hurricanes, expected to be among the most costly in the nation’s history.
The report
predicts these costs will only grow in the future, potentially reaching a
budget busting $35 billion a year by 2050. The report says the federal
government doesn’t effectively plan for these recurring costs, classifying the
financial exposure from climate-related costs as “high risk.”
“The federal
government has not undertaken strategic government-wide planning to manage
climate risks by using information on the potential economic effects of climate
change to identify significant risks and craft appropriate federal responses,”
the study said.
“By using such
information, the federal government could take the initial step in establishing
government-wide priorities to manage such risks.”
GAO undertook
the study following a request from Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and
Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources.
“This
nonpartisan GAO report Senator Cantwell and I requested contains astonishing
numbers about the consequences of climate change for our economy and for the
federal budget in particular,” said Collins.
“In Maine, our
economy is inextricably linked to the environment. We are experiencing a real
change in the sea life, which has serious implications for the livelihoods of
many people across our state, including those who work in our iconic lobster
industry.”
The report’s
authors reviewed 30 government and academic studies examining the national and
regional impacts of climate change.
They also
interviewed 28 experts familiar with the strengths and limitations of the
studies, which rely on future projections of climate impacts to estimate likely
costs.
AP
NEWS
TRUMP PREFER WEALTHY AMERICANS TO POOR IN HIS CABINET
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onald Trump has said
he doesn’t want “a poor person” to hold economic roles in his administration as
he used an Iowa rally to defend his decision to appoint the wealthy to his cabinet.
The US president told
a crowd on Wednesday night: “Somebody said why did you appoint a rich person to
be in charge of the economy? No it’s true. And Wilbur’s [commerce secretary
Wilbur Ross] a very rich person in charge of commerce. I said: ‘Because that’s
the kind of thinking we want.’”
The president
explained that Ross and his economic adviser Gary Cohn “had to give up a lot to
take these jobs” and that Cohn in particular, a former president of Goldman
Sachs, “went from massive pay days to peanuts”.
Trump added: “And I
love all people, rich or poor, but in those particular positions I just don’t
want a poor person. Does that make sense?”
He made the comments
as he toured the state with agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue and Ross partly
to celebrate a Republican congressional victory in Georgia being
seen as an early referendum on his presidency.
Trump touched down
Wednesday evening in Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
and headed to a local community college and then to a campaign rally where he
reveled in Karen Handel’s victory.
“We’re 5-0 in
special elections,” said Trump in front of a boisterous crowd that packed a
downtown arena. “The truth is, people love us ... they haven’t figured it out
yet.”
He also applauded
Republican Ralph Norman, who notched a slimmer-than-expected win in a special
election to fill the South Carolina congressional seat vacated by Mick
Mulvaney, and mocked Handel’s challenger, Jon Ossoff, saying the Democrats
“spent $30m on this kid who forgot to live in the district”.
GUARDIAN UK
FOUR
KILLED AS WILD ELEPHANT GOES ON RAMPAGE IN INDIA
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fficials
say four people including a teenager and two women were killed when a wild
elephant ran amok in southern India early Friday.
District
official S. Madhuranthangi said that the elephant strayed into a residential
area on the outskirts of the Coimbatore city from a nearby forest and carried
out three attacks, sending residents into a state of panic.
Madhuranthangi
said: “the elephant first entered a house and attacked a family that was
asleep. It lifted a twelve-year girl with its trunk and flung her to the
ground, causing her to die on the spot.
“It trampled
two women and a 70-year-old man to death in separate attacks later.”
She said Five
more people injured in the attacks were admitted to hospitals in Coimbatore,
where the condition of two wounded was said to be serious.
Hundreds
gathered in the area as wildlife and police teams attempted to tranquilise the
animal to arrange for its return to the forest.
“The elephant
has gone astray and has been wreaking havoc in the region. … It attacked a
government food rations store earlier on Thursday.
“We have warned
residents not to venture out from their homes, but there is a lot of commotion
around,” the official said.
Attacks by wild
elephants are common in India and government reports say more than 300 people
are killed each year by elephants.
Park
deforestation, poaching and encroachment by villagers are boxing in the
country’s estimated 27,000 to 31,000 wild elephants and causing them to stray
from their habitat and reserves.
SRI
LANKAN GOVERNMENT URGED TO PROBE ANTI-MUSLIM HATE CRIMES
S
ri Lanka-based Western diplomats have urged the
Colombo government to investigate anti-Muslim hate crimes after a series
of attacks targeted mosques and Muslim-owned businesses on the
Buddhist-majority island.
Tung-Lai
Margue, the European Union delegation chief, in a statement demanded the
government to ensure perpetrators were prosecuted swiftly.
"It is
important that the government and the police ensure that there is no impunity
for hate crimes," Margue said.
Margue made the
remarks after he visited the Dewatagaha mosque on Thursday in Sri Lanka's
capital to express solidarity with Muslims in the wake of the attacks.
He was
accompanied by top diplomats from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway,
South Africa and Switzerland.
Sri Lankan law
enforcement agencies have yet to make any arrests in connection with a series
of arson attacks which targeted mosques, shops and a cemetery in recent weeks.
The attacks
have been blamed on a hardline Buddhist leader who is now on the run.
Rights groups
have accused Sri Lankan security forces of failing to stop a series of hate
crimes and not prosecuting a controversial Buddhist monk who went into hiding
last week.
Activists have
warned that police inaction could spur communal unrest similar to anti-Muslim
riots in 2014 that left four dead.
The riots in
mid-2014 were widely seen as the catalyst that led to then president Mahinda
Rajapakse's downfall in January 2015.
President Maithripala
Sirisena had vowed to investigate anti-Muslim hate crimes after assuming
power in 2015.
Muslims make up
10 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million population. They have, however, emerged as
kingmakers in a country where the majority Sinhala-Buddhist community is split
down the middle between two national parties.
Muslims have
called on the government to protect them from hate attacks by Buddhists.
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US WOMEN RALLY AGAINST TRUMP ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
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omen have protested in the United States against President
Donald Trump on International Women's Day, with many Americans skipping work or
boycotting stores.
The protest on
Wednesday, dubbed "A Day Without a Woman," was modeled in part after
pro-immigrant demonstrations against Trump’s immigration policies on February
16.
American women took
advantage of the momentum of the Women's March on Washington on January 21, the
day after Trump's inauguration.
The protest was the
latest in a series of anti-Trump rallies since his presidential election on
November 8.
Protests were held in
numerous American cities, including Washington, New York City and Los Angeles.
Thousands of women
attended the rallies in New York City. At least 13 protesters were arrested for
"disorderly conduct" after sitting in the street near the Trump Hotel
in midtown Manhattan.
Nearly 1,000 women
converged outside Los Angeles City Hall, many of them critical of Trump’s
effort to repeal former president Barack Obama’s healthcare law.
About 1,500 people gathered in San Francisco,
most dressed in symbolic red that has become one of the themes of the rally.
Not all American
women, however, support the call for a women's strike, with some critics
describing the movement's aims as vague and disrupting the work day.
Trump, who was
accused of misogyny during his election campaign, took to his Twitter account
on Wednesday to cite the "critical role" of women around the world.
During his campaign,
Trump faced severe backlash over a leaked 2005 videotape that showed him using
obscene language about women.
NORTH KOREA, MALAYSIA BAN EACH OTHER’S CITIZENS FROM LEAVING
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orth Korea has barred Malaysian citizens from
leaving the country, prompting Kuala Lumpur to quickly respond with a similar
ban amid rising diplomatic tensions between the two sides over the
assassination of the North Korean leader’s half-brother in Malaysia.
All
Malaysian nationals in North Korea “will be temporarily prohibited from leaving
the country until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved,”
the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced in a Tuesday
report, citing the Foreign Ministry.
The
latest row between Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur – which have maintained strong
relations for years – came following the killing of Kim Jong-nam last month by
two women using VX nerve agent at an airport in the Malaysian capital.
Malaysia
has not directly put the blame on North Korea for the assassination, but there
is suspicion that Pyongyang had been behind the killing, an accusation strongly
rejected by the North.
The
Malaysian investigation into Kim’s death has also angered Pyongyang, which says
the process is aimed at tarnishing its image. The diplomatic row has seen both
sides declare each other’s ambassadors as “persona non grata,” ordering them to
leave.
Malaysian
authorities have sought a number of North Korean citizens for questioning on
the case, but they only detained one, whom they released and later deported for
lack of evidence.
According
to the KCNA report, the North Korean Foreign Ministry further expressed hope
that the Malaysian government would resolve the matter in a “fair and timely
manner based on goodwill.”
It went
on to say that Malaysian diplomats and nationals in the North would be allowed
to “conduct business and live normally” while the travel ban is in place.
Reacting
to the ban, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak issued a
statement and slammed Pyongyang’s “abhorrent act.”
“This abhorrent act,
effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all
international law and diplomatic norms,” the statement said.
Malaysia
had already stopped visa-free travel for North Korean nationals following Kim’s
assassination.
In a
tit-for-tat move, Najib said he has also instructed the police “to prevent all
North Korean citizens in Malaysia from leaving the country until we are assured
of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea.”
The
Malaysian ban seems to be focused on Pyongyang’s embassy in Kuala Lumpur, where
police say two of the North Korean suspects sought for Kim’s murder are holed
up.
“How much
longer do they want to hide in the embassy...it is a matter of time before they
come out,” police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said.
XENOPHOBIA: PASTOR STABBED,
NIGERIAN ARRESTED FOR DEFENDING SELF – ENVOY
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igeria`s Consul General in South Africa, Amb. Uche
Ajulu-Okeke while visiting Nigerian victims of Xenophobia, has described the
recent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other foreigners in that
country as unfortunate, saying while a pastor was stabbed, another Nigerian was
arrested by the South African police for defending himself. Ajulu-Okeke, who
visited affected homes and businesses, told our correspondent on telephone from
Johannesburg, South Africa, that Nigerians suffered heavy losses.
“ We visited seven locations in Pretoria West. At the first
location, a garage, 29 cars, 80 Nigerian passports, welding and painting
appliances and a restaurant were burnt while cash totalling R140, 000(N3.360m)
were removed,” she said. The envoy said 12 of the damaged cars belonged to
South Africans while the rest were being repaired for sale.
“ The garage employed 26 Nigerians and six South Africans
and was doing very well,” she said. Ajulu-Okeke also said a Nigerian, whose
home was attacked, threw his three children all aged below five years over the
fence to save them. “ In the process, one of the kids hit the skull on the
floor and is now hospitalised.
“Also, the man disarmed an attacker with a machete but was
arrested by the South African police for trying to defend himself,” she stated.
According to her, the assailants also attacked a church and
stabbed a Nigerian pastor.
The pastor, he said, was also receiving treatment in an
hospital. Ajulu-Okeke said she received information that South Africans were
planning to carry-out new attacks on Friday and had sent such messages to
foreigners. She said the information had been reported to the police.
“ I have made a contingency arrangement for Nigerian women
and children to be evacuated to the High Commission in Pretoria and the
Consulate in Johannesburg. She said three Nigerians arrested during the attacks
had been released following her intervention.
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Ban's second five-year term expired at the turn of the new year, and the reins of the U.N. were officially handed over to former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres, who was elected as Ban's successor in October.
Ban first took office as the U.N. chief on Jan. 1, 2007, and was unanimously re-elected to a second term in 2011.
While in office, Ban visited every corner of the globe, traveling to 154 of the 193 U.N. member states. The other 39 countries are those that are difficult to access, such as tiny island nations and North Korea, U.N. officials said.
Considering multiple visits to the same countries, Ban visited foreign countries a total of 559 times. The total travel distance covered in those trips amounts to 4.8 million kilometers, the equivalent of circling the globe 100 times, according to U.N. officials.
Ban has fulfilled a total of 34,564 appointments, with 17,066 of them meetings with heads of countries, international organizations and others, followed by 11,676 speeches at various events, 2,078 interviews and press conferences, and 3,614 phone calls.
That represents about 10 events and appointments a day. When the U.N. General Assembly was under way, Ban had to attend as many as 31 meetings and events a day.
The last event he attended as U.N. chief was the annual Times Square ball drop on New Year's Eve. Ban and his wife pushed the crystal button to begin the 60-second countdown to 2017, along with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Ban plans to return to South Korea in the middle of this month.
Last week, Ban effectively declared his presidential aspirations, saying in a farewell press conference with Korean reporters that he is ready to give his all if it contributes to the development of the country.
Opinion polls have long shown Ban is one of the favorites in next year's presidential election. The election, which was originally scheduled for December, could take place much earlier if the Constitutional Court upholds the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye
GHANA FLOOD: TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR IS NOT SLOWING DOWN
ad news coming out of
Ghana this morning as the torrential downpour that started last week is not
slowing down.
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No fewer than 10 in
the last 24 hours.
Eight of those reported fatalities are children in the four days of floods that have swamped the capital, Accra, and much of the central region.
And
there is anger across Accra where residents complain that the dredging of
drainage systems, is affecting smaller drains, that have to be de-silted
manually by residents.
The downpour came, a year after over 150 people were killed in Accra, following an explosion at a petrol station, where people were se eking shelter during heavy rains.
POST OFFICE WORKERS TO STAGE FIVE DAYS OF STRIKES NEXT WEEK
Post Office workers
in United Kingdom are to stage five days
of strikes in the run-up to Christmas, the Communications Workers Union has
announced, raising the prospect of disruption for people looking to send gifts
and cards.
The union said a
long-running dispute over jobs, pensions and branch closures was behind the
walkout, which will include Christmas Eve. The strike, which is due to begin on
19 December, follows industrial action in October and September.
The union sought to
place the blame for the strikes on the “intransigence” of the Post Office. But
the company said its understanding was that talks were due to resume this week
and said it was “extremely disappointed” by the decision to walk out.
40
FEARED DEAD IN WAREHOUSE FIRE
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ire crews in California worked into the night Saturday
sifting through the remains of a warehouse gutted by a blaze during a rave
party, with officials saying they fear the death toll could reach 40.
Relatives of dozens of people missing in the Friday
night blaze in Oakland near San Francisco continued their anxious wait for
news. Nine people are confirmed dead so far.
The rickety two-story warehouse was used by artists as
a living and work space but had no license for this, officials said, nor for
the electronic dance party under way when the blaze broke out. The cause was
not yet known.
Firefighters said the building seemed to have no
sprinklers or smoke detectors.
Orange flames shot through the roof as the fire burned
for hours and thick smoke billowed into the sky. The roof collapsed onto the
second floor, which officials said was connected to the ground floor only by a
makeshift system of wooden pallets.
Firefighters had to pull out of the building to shore
it up when part of the fragile structure and some of the walls began to move.
Sergeant Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s
department told an evening news conference that about two dozen people who were
reported missing had been located.
But at least two dozen more remain missing, he said.
“We don’t know how far into the process we are,
because we don’t absolutely have a number of people that we know are deceased
inside of there,” he said.
An official at his office, who declined to be named,
said early Sunday the death toll could rise to 40 or even higher.
Most of those who perished in the blaze that started
about 11:30 pm Friday (0730 GMT Saturday) were thought to have died on the
upper floor of the two-story warehouse known as Oakland Ghost Ship, said
Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed.
“It must have been a very fast-moving fire,” she said.
The electronic dance music party was attended by an
estimated 50 to 100 people.
‘Expecting the worst’
The sheriff’s office station in Oakland became a
center for relatives of the missing. The Salvation Army dropped off 50 meals
for them, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Daniel Vega told the newspaper he is looking for his
brother Alex and his girlfriend, who had said they were going to a rave in
Oakland.
“If he is dead, if he is in the rubble, fine, I’ll get
over it. But I just want to find him,” Vega told the Chronicle.
Some of the missing are from overseas, making
identification of the victims — thought to be in their 20s and 30s — more
difficult.
The warehouse had numerous partitions added to the
original building.
Some of the structural changes made it extremely
difficult for people to escape, Reed said.
“There wasn’t a real entry or exit path,” Reed said.
The clutter hampered firefighters’ efforts to put out
the blaze.
“It was filled end-to-end with furniture, whatnot,
collections,” Reed said. “It was like a maze, almost.”
It appeared no smoke detectors were activated in the
building, which also had no sprinkler system, she added.
Friends and families of partygoers took to social
media to search for news about their loved ones, with some posting information
on the event’s Facebook page.
“Please tell me you are safe,” one woman wrote, adding
a friend’s name, while others posted prayers.
‘Felt my skin peeling’
“I literally felt my skin peeling and my lungs being suffocated
by smoke,” Bob Mule, a photographer who lives in the building, told Fox
television affiliate KTVU. “I couldn’t get the fire extinguisher to work.”
Another artist told the station that the fire broke
out in the back of the building where some 18 artists shared space.
The man, who was not identified, said he tried to help
a fellow artist who had broken his ankle to flee the inferno, but was
obstructed by the smoke and flames as well as the mess of objects.
“I hope he is OK,” he told the station, his voice
breaking up.
The fire was described as the deadliest incident in
Oakland since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in northern California, which
killed 63 people.
The deadliest nightclub fire in the United States in
recent decades broke out in 2003, when pyrotechnic effects by the rock band
Great White set off an inferno at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island,
killing about 100 people.
AFP
Waterproof smartphones are becoming more common in
Western markets, but they are hardly the norm. In Japan however, almost all
phones are waterproof, and have been for nearly a decade now. According to
statistics, 90% to 95% of phones in Japan are waterproof, because people need
to be able to use them while they are showering.
Japanese users are apparently so attached to their
phones that they even bring them into the shower. Manufacturers were aware of
this unusual habit early on and realized that in order to succeed in japan,
they had to make their devices water resistant. The world’s first waterproof
mobile phone, the Casio Canu 502S, was release in 2005, and was soon followed
by a series of Fujitsu waterproof handhelds. Before long, every company looking
to enter Japanese market had to make their devices waterproof.
Even companies like LG or Samsung, which don’t
generally make waterproof phones for the global market, had to adapt in order
to become competitive in Japan. “In Japan, being waterproof is far more
important than being able to remove your phone’s battery,” said Ken Hong, LG’s
global communications director. “For a smaller Korean brand like LG, we need to
be able to check all the key boxes to be as attractive as possible to Japanese
consumers.” This is also why LG hasn’t even bothered launching its newest
flagship, the modular G5 phone in the Asian country – it couldn’t make a waterproof
phone with removable parts, so why bother.
“In Japan, you can’t sell a phone if it’s not
waterproof. About 90 to 95 percent of all phones sold now are already
waterproof,” Panasonic executive Taro Itakura said in 2012. “Why?
This is very unique — young Japanese women prefer to use their cellphones even
when taking their showers, cellphones have become ‘must products’.
“The mobile phone is with us 24 hours a day. It
accompanies us to the bathroom, to the shower, or under the rain. So it is a
necessity for the phone to be robust,” Nobuo Ohtani, Fujitsu corporate senior
vice president, told AFP.
So rest easy, as long as you don’t take your mobile
phone in the shower with you, you’re not as addicted to technology as you
thought.
SOYINKA
TO ‘CUT’ U.S. GREEN CARD IF TRUMP WINS
Nobel Laureate Prof.
Wole Soyinka has said he will destroy his green card if Donald Trump emerges as
winner of Tuesday’s United States (U.S.) presidential election.
The green card is a
permanent residence permit for the U.S. – prized by many African immigrants to
the U.S.
His comments emerged
in the video of a conversation with students at Oxford University in the UK.
The famous author
appears to be taking a swipe at Trump over his radical stance on immigration.
American voters go to
the polls on Tuesday and latest polls show the two candidates are neck and
neck.
Trump
is famous for his promise to build a wall to keep Mexican immigrants out of the
U.S. if he makes it to the White House.
Under his hardline
proposals, every illegal immigrant currently in the U.S. would be subjected to
deportation if he wins the election.
He said there will be
no pathway to citizenship or even legal status for them unless they leave the
country and get in line with everyone else who wants to enter the U.S., subject
to the normal immigration procedures.
Soyinka said he
feared the Republic candidate would ask all green-card holders to reapply to
come back into the U.S.
“Well, I’m not
waiting for that,” the Nigerian author told his student audience.
“The moment they
announce his (Trump’s) victory, I will cut my green card myself and start
packing up,” he added.
It’s not entirely
unusual for bosses of successful companies to give out bonuses to employees on
major holidays, but how many can claim that they are as generous as Savji
Dholakia, CEO of Hari Krishna Exports, who recently gifted some 1,200
cars and 400 apartments to over 1,600 of his most loyal and hardworking
staffers.
“If we keep our
employees happy, God will keep us happy,” Dholakia says, and while he is
certainly not the only boss to claim that he puts his staff first, the man
actually puts his money where his mouth is. He started a long streak of
generous bonuses 20 years ago, when he gave three of his top employees
their own cars, and he has been upping his game every year since then. In
2014, he distributed Rs 500m (£6m, $7.5m) as performance incentives
and last years he gave away 491 cars and 200 apartments, but this year
seems to be the most special yet. To celebrate his company’s 25th
anniversary, the man known as India’s most generous boss just gave
away over 1,260 cars and 400 apartments to over 1,700 of his most
valuable employees.
“We
have selected 1,716 employees as the best performers this year. We are
arranging houses for those who already have cars, while those who don’t have a
four-wheeler will get one,” Dholakia said. “We have exports worth $700
million across more than 70 countries, but nothing is more valuable than our
employees.”
The
53-year-old diamond merchant was born in a rural family in Saurashtra,
dropped out of school in fourth grade an joined his uncle at a small diamond
trading firm when he was just 13 years old. In 1982, he started his own
business with his uncle’s support, and after his three brothers joined him,
Dholokia managed to turn Hari Krishna Exports into a powerhouse with an
annual turnover of $750 million. Living in a settlement for diamond
polishers for years when he was young, Dholokia rode a moped and dreamed of one
day owning his own house and a nice car. He claims those early days
inspired him to take care of his employees.
Regarding what these generous gifts mean
to his workers, Savji Dholakia said: “I don’t have words to describe
the happiness we see in them, and the happiness we feel.”
MAN BEATEN TO DEATH AFTER URINATING NEAR CHURCH
A man in Southern Germany was beaten to death by four men after he publicly urinated near a church, police said on Thursday.
Police are searching for the four men who hurled insults and attacked the 51-year-old man recently after he was seen urinating close to a church in Freiburg, a city in Germany’s traditionally Catholic south.
According to police, the man told his son about the attack before succumbing to his injuries later that day.
However an autopsy confirmed that he died as a result of the attack.
Report says public urination on Church buildings has become an issue of public concern in Germany, corroding the buildings’ sandstone foundations and leading authorities to institute hefty fines.
NIGERIA’S ECONOMY OVERTAKES SOUTH AFRICA, EGYPT -IMF
A new report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected Nigeria as Africa’s biggest economy, in spite of its current challenges.
Nigeria is placed ahead of South Africa and Egypt which are second and third respectively.
In August, Nigeria was reported to have lost its position as Africa’s biggest economy to South Africa, following the recalculation of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
But the IMF’s World Economic Outlook for October, puts Nigeria’s GDP at 415.08 billion dollars, from 493.83 billion dollars in 2015, while South Africa’s GDP was put at 280.36 billion dollars, from 314.73 billion dollars in 2015.
According to the report, Egypt’s 2016 data is not available, but its 2015 size remained at 330.159 dollars while that of Algeria, one of the largest economies on the continent, is put at 168.318 billion dollars.
The United States, China and Japan maintain their spots as the largest economies in the world, ahead of Germany, United Kingdom and France.
According to a review in September, the current economic recession will outlast 2016, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contraction of 1.7 per cent.
The IMF had predicted that Nigeria’s economy would grow away from a recession in 2017.
The country last witnessed a recession, for less than a year, in 1991, and experienced a prolonged one that started in 1982 and lasted until 1984.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has so far disbursed over N700 billion in capital expenditure this year, part of a record N6.06 trillion (30 billion dollars) budget for 2016.
SAUDI DUMPS ISLAMIC CALENDAR TO SAVE FUND
The birthplace of Islam containing Mecca – Islam’s holiest
site – shifted to the western Gregorian calendar on Sunday, bringing the
oil-rich kingdom in line with many of its energy customers.
But the real reason is the need to conserve funds.
Saudi Arabia like other oil exporting countries is facing an
unprecedented cash squeeze, with the government slamming salary cuts all over.
The Islamic lunar calendar is actually 15 days shorter than
the 365-day solar year.
The calculation is that the measure will save the kingdom
money by cutting salary days for many public servants.
The kingdom began the use of Islamic calendar since it was
founded in 1932, Al Arabiya local news reported.
The Saudi workers will now need to work more days to earn
the salaries already sliced by government.
The decision came after the cabinet announced last week the
reduction of salaries of ministers and Shura members (advisors).
It was part of an austerity package, including cancellation
and amendment of civil servants’ allowances and rewards, such as cancelling the
annual bonus. Saudi Arabia has taken a series of steps to deal with the
dropping oil prices in global markets.
PYTHON BITES MAN POSING FOR SELFIE
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The incident took place on Friday after forest department officials removed the python from the premises of a school in northwestern Rajasthan State.
People in the group were posing for pictures with it after successfully capturing it.
Deputy Conservator of Forests, K.G. Shrivastav said the incident was unexpected as all officers were highly trained.
“I wanted the snake to be released in my presence, but the officials released it before I could reach the spot.
“I had no clue that civilians were also present at the spot and something could go wrong as all the officials are highly trained.
The victim, Ashok Vishnoi, accepted that the incident happened due to carelessness on his part.
“The moment I received the news, I reached the location. I did not realise how close I was to the python and it attacked me. This is entirely my fault,” said the victim.
Vishnoi added that the mishap happened in a short span of time in spite that the rescue officials had a strong grip on the reptile.
The snake was later released.
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For example, a growing number of Ukrainian drivers are turning to wood to power their cars to save money on fuel.
With the automobile industry slowly going electric, using wood as fuel hardly seems like the most practical solution.
The technology isn’t exactly new. People have been creating wood-powered cars for decades, and they were actually quite popular during World War I, but in modern times, people have mostly built them as experiments, to prove that it can be done.
Nowadays, more and more drivers in the Ukraine are fitting their old cars with wood burners and boilers to save money.
36-year-old Eugene Chernigov converted his old Opel into a wood-powered vehicle last year.
Rising gas prices made driving to work every day an expensive affair, so he decided it was time for an alternative.
A teacher of physics and mathematics by profession, Chernigov, learned about using wood as fuel from the internet and spent two months reading up on the topic and digging up literature on the subject dating back to 1939.
He says building the alternative fuel system was a simple affair once he got a firm grip on the concept.
Chernigov attached a wood-burning stove and a metal canister to the back of his car, which connect to the engine of the car.
The gas emitted from the wood combustion is stored into the metal canister, filtered, cooled and fed into the engine.
His car consumes around 40 pounds of firewood per 100 kilometers, which costs him only 10 hryvna.
By comparison, a liter of gas has an average cost of 20 hryvna. Depending on the quality of the wood used and how dry it is, the car can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour, which is pretty decent.
Chernigov says that he cBelieve it or not, Chernigov says that his old Opel is now not only cheaper to drive, but also more environment-friendly. Instead of polluting fumes, the exhaust now expels only water vapor and carbon dioxide.an use plastic bottles as fuel, as well, but nothing compares to dried mSergey Iagoon, from the Donbass region, designed his first wood-burning car a few years ago, and says that after his success many others followed in his footsteps.
He first converted an old Lada and then moved on to a Volga. Because he fitted the alternative fuel system in the trunk of the car, Iagoon says he never once had trouble with the police.
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