African Envoys in Nigeria Celebrate 53rd Africa Day
* Utilize strength as the largest regional grouping in the world.* Commit to the universal ratification and domestication of the Maputo Protocol for women’s rights and empowerment of women by the end of this year.* Insist on real partnership with the United Nations and a radical reform of the UN Security Council to give (African nations) greater representation and stronger voice in the organ.The African Ambassadors Group in the Federal Republic of Nigeria concluded the observance of the 53rd Africa Day Celebrations with an elaborate program held at the Sheraton Hilton Hotel in Abuja on May 25.The evening’s colorful program was characterized by brief speeches, cultural and musical performances, poetry, a buffet dinner of cuisine of various African dishes and the Second Annual Africa Day Raffle Draw.Other members of the Diplomatic Corps from non-African missions, representatives from the Federal Government and various regional and multilateral organizations graced the well-attended event.During the program, the Acting Dean of the African Ambassadors Group, the Ambassador of Cameroon, Salaheddine Abbas Ibrahim, spoke of the importance of Africa Day.Ambassador Ibrahim, in summary, explained the formation in 1963 of the Organization of Africa Union (OAU) and its evolution in 2002 into what is now the African Union (AU).Earlier in the day, a public lecture was held in the auditorium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari, former Foreign Minister of Nigeria, delivered the lecture centered on the AU’s 2016 theme “African Year of Human Rights with a Special Focus on the Rights of Women.”He urged all African Union member states to commit to the universal ratification and domestication of the Maputo Protocol by the end of this year, if women must form an integral part of all development efforts on the continent. “The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in collaboration with African Union, its Commission and its human rights mechanisms should support this endeavor,” he urged. Ambassador Gambari spoke of Africa’s need to utilize its strength as the largest regional grouping in the world.“If you don’t have ambition for yourself, no one else would,” he told the African heads of mission.Concluding, he added: “First, women rights and empowerment of women should be regarded as inseparable from broader human rights for all peoples. Second, states, civil society and youths and the general population in Africa need to be sensitized on human rights issues for a better understanding of international human rights mechanisms. “Third, increased awareness, promotion and protection of the rights of women should be regarded as non-negotiable. Fourth, there is a need to change the old narrative about Africa in order to catch up with the reality of new and huge opportunities in Africa for investments and partnership for mutual benefits to the Africans and the rest of the world. “Fifth, as Africans build on the progress made in resolving their political and security crises, and promote socioeconomic challenges facing them, they should also strengthen their continental organization and insist on real partnership with the United Nations and a radical reform of the UN Security Council to give them greater representation and stronger voice in the organ that has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.”Ambassador Gambari then responded to questions from some of the attending African heads of mission at the event including the High Commissioner of Ghana, William Azumah Awinador-Kanyirige and the Ambassador of Senegal, Baboucar Sambe, among others.The High Commissioner of Namibia to Nigeria, Dr. Peingeonjabi T. Shipoh, on behalf of the group, thanked Ambassador Gambari for his lecture.The Liberian ambassador to Nigeria, Professor Al-Hassan Conteh, served as the Master of Ceremonies for both afternoon and evening events.In a related development, the African Ambassadors Group over the weekend paid a humanitarian visit to the New Kuchingoro Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) Camp in Galadimawa, near Games Village in Abuja. The African heads of mission identified with the almost 1,500 IDP’s with the donation of an assortment of food items and medicines valued at millions of naira.The commemoration of Africa Day focuses on the objective of the AU, which is to promote “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.” On May 25 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the 32 African states that had achieved independence at that time agreed to establish the OAU. A further 21 members joined gradually, reaching a total of 53 by the time of the AU’s creation in 2002. On 9 July 2011, South Sudan became the 54th AU member. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
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If dead men tell no tales, living ones certainly do. Most of us have trouble reading one another’s minds when staring face to face, but some paleoanthropologists, with nothing but skeletons and a few stone tools and burial sites to look at, have no hesitation in reading the Neandertal mind. Bruce Bower writes in Science News1 about a new controversial tale by Thomas Wynn and Frederick Coolidge from the University of Colorado. Their only critics are other paleoanthropologists, because the Neandertals are no longer present to say what really happened. To begin with, they lay to rest any claims the Neandertals were dumb brutes. “Forget the stereotype of these extinct human predecessors, Wynn and Coolidge assert; for tens of thousands of years, Neandertals were as smart as the ancient humans that lived alongside them.”The “expert Neandertal mind” fostered impressive toolmaking and social skills that made survival possible for at least 100,000 years in some of the harshest environments ever inhabited by members of the human evolutionary family, Wynn and Coolidge concluded in the April Journal of Human Evolution. Beginning approximately 140,000 years ago, Neandertal groups mastered the art of living in relatively small regions of Europe and western Asia, each no more than perhaps 30 to 40 miles wide, the researchers say. In such familiar habitats, Neandertals operated at least as well as, and often better than, Homo sapiens that had migrated from Africa into the same territory. (Emphasis added in all quotes.)The new twist on the story is that the true Homo sapiens got a lucky mutation that rearranged their gray matter and gave rise to the List of Things To Do Today:Around 50,000 years ago, however, the evolutionary tide turned in a subtle, but ultimately crucial, direction. Members of H. sapiens experienced a slight boost in the amount of information that they could hold in mind at any one time, probably because of a genetic mutation that triggered a modest brain reorganization, Wynn and Coolidge propose. The capacity to remember and mentally manipulate a few more bits of related knowledge led to a series of breakthroughs: innovations in toolmaking, long-range planning for seasonal hunting expeditions, storytelling, and symbolic expression through artwork and personal ornaments.This even gave them the ability to tell jokes and express racism, according to the new theory. The poor Neandertals, stuck with real-life expert knowledge in survival, just couldn’t keep up. Bowers does present some alternative views. One view says it was not genetics, but a change in social skills and information sharing that gave modern humans the edge. Others are less tolerant of Wynn and Coolidge’s hypothesis:Researchers who regard Neandertals as having been no more different from Stone Age H. sapiens than today’s Eskimos are from African herders take a skeptical view of Wynn and Coolidge’s paper. “We’re a long way from knowing whether there were significant interactions between Neandertals and Homo sapiens,” remarks Fred H. Smith of Loyola University in Chicago. “Attempts to reconstruct the cognitive abilities of those groups are speculative.” No one can say for sure which group was most responsible for cultural advances in Stone Age Europe, Smith says.For support, Smith points to the recent reinterpretation of finds at Vogelherd Cave (see 07/08/2004 headline). A German anthropologist agrees that “The identity of ancestral groups that achieved late-Stone Age cultural advances throughout Europe is currently up for grabs.” Another researcher says that cultural advances throughout Europe were gradual among all the groups, “rather than bursting onto the scene solely among late-Stone Age humans, as presumed by Wynn and Coolidge.” Bowers gives them the last response: “The two Colorado researchers remain unfazed by such skepticism. Amid the din of scientific debate, they continue to ponder ways to peer further into the minds of our ancestors.”1Bruce Bower, “In the Neandertal Mind,” Science News Week of Sept. 18, 2004; Vol. 166, No. 12, p. 183.This is all going to sound so silly some day, if not evil, much the way we view the phrenological and racist views of Haeckel and the social Darwinists. Why does Bruce Bower give these guys two pages of good press in Science News? Thank goodness for a few halfway clear heads like Smith. Are we supposed to be impressed that Wynn and Coolidge “remain unfazed” by their critics? These mythmakers need a change of faze. Their “speculative” silly tale would make a reasonable person blush. Notice again that everything you were taught about Neandertals is wrong. No longer is there any clear identity between them and their supposed superior out-of-Africa brethren, any more than there is between Eskimo hunters and lazy professors wasting government grant money. Since the story is “up for grabs,” Bowers should publish our alternative view: Darwinites evolved from ancient Homo sapiens when a mutation turned them into storytellers. This is at least as sensible as any other fable going around in the halls of anthropological academia. We think it makes much better sense, too: instead of doing real work like respectable Neandertals, the pre-Darwinites just sat around the campfire telling racist jokes and inventing tales about how superior they were to their skilled, smart, fit, hard-working brethren who had no time for such nonsense.(Visited 38 times, 1 visits today)FacebookTwitterPinterestSave分享0
29 May 2014 Newly appointed Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramathlodi has set up a task team to look into ways of resolving the long-running strike in South Africa’s platinum mining sector. The protracted wage dispute, which has lasted for over four months, has slowed productivity and put a serious dent in the country’s economic growth rate. The minister, who was sworn into office on Monday, has hit the ground running and was scheduled to meet with mining bosses on Thursday morning. In a radio interview on Wednesday, Ramatlhodi said he had met with three unions involved in the mining strike – the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), the United Association of South Africa (Uasa) and Solidarity – on Tuesday in a bid to begin a process of mediating the strike, which has now lasted over four months. The minister said the president of Amcu, Joseph Mathunjwa, had given him the assurance that while his members were still on strike, they were doing “everything possible” to reach an agreement with the mining houses. “I have tasked my deputy [Minister Godfrey Oliphant] … to put together an inter-ministerial team, a technical team so that it gives me the capability to begin the process of mediating with the parties,” the minister said. “So that team will be inaugurated [on Thursday] at my office.” Ramatlhodi said the technical team would include officials from the Departments of Mineral Resources, Labour and the Treasury, and would meet at an undisclosed location on Thursday with representatives from the mining companies and Amcu. “The mandate of the technical team is to broaden the approach and explore all possibilities for a resolution to the problem. They will interrogate all the information (including the figures) provided by both parties, and report back by the end of the day on what is possible.” Ramatlhodi said that, while his job was to facilitate talks instead of negotiating with the parties, he decided it was time that the government got involved after the latest mediation talks, facilitated by a labour court judge, appeared to fall through. “All parties are hurting. The workers are hurting. We have no option but to find an amicable solution,” the minister said. Labour Court Judge Hilary Rabkin-Naicker last week persuaded labour and the mining companies to enter into mediation headed by herself. She had been scheduled to hear an urgent application by Amcu to interdict the platinum companies from SMS-ing employees directly regarding their wage offers, but instead held a meeting with both parties behind closed doors. On Tuesday, Statistics SA reported that South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) had contracted 0.6 percent quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of the year – its first contraction since the second quarter of 2009, when the world’s economy dipped as a result of a global recession. Statistician-General Pali Lehohla said mining (-1.3%) and manufacturing (-0.7%) were the main contributors to the contraction. “The economy is almost knocking on the door of recession, and we should not allow that to happen to ourselves,” Lehohla said. “The damage takes many years to repair. So ending the strike will contribute a hundred-fold to the economy.” Source: SAnews.gov.za
Share Facebook Twitter Google + LinkedIn Pinterest As the development of shale energy continues, pipelines and related infrastructure are spreading across farmland. New gathering lines now extend out to wells that have come on-line in recent years. In addition, intrastate and interstate transmission pipelines are being built so that more natural gas can move from settings where it is extracted to distribution networks serving homes, businesses, and other end-users.Though much of this infrastructure is constructed to the satisfaction of rural landowners, complete with restoration of pastures and crop fields, complaints are registered from time to time. In some cases, dissatisfaction can be traced to landowners’ attempts to negotiate with pipeline companies on their own, without legal counsel. Based on observations in Guernsey County and the surrounding region, there are items one can do to avoid needless conflict.It is important that the landowner understand the total number of pipelines, depth of pipeline burial, appurtenances, future uses which the pipeline company desires for the right-of-way area, and what uses the company may want to grant to other utilities. Before signing any sort of an agreement with a pipeline company, a landowner should insist on pinpointing the pipeline and temporary work area. A good option is to ask the company for a plat showing the area’s location and dimensions. Beginning and ending dates for construction and installation can and should be negotiated and written into the agreement. Also to be spelled out are entry and exit points for the landowner’s fields, types of gates to be utilized, as well as who is responsible for maintaining gates and fences.Unless agricultural operations are suspended entirely during pipeline installation, a specific place for farm equipment to cross through the construction area needs to be identified. It is also possible that springs, ponds, and streams may be affected, in which case an appropriate remedy must be identified. As with other points of agreement with the pipeline company, anything not put in writing will be difficult to enforce.The company’s activities may have an impact on farming operations and therefore can be described and limited in the right-of-way grant. For example, if hunting, fishing, loitering, lodging, camping, or similar activities by the company or its contractors or guests ought to be prohibited, the landowner’s attorney should make this restriction clear. Parking of vehicles, trucks or other equipment necessary for construction may also be limited to the period of construction, if likewise described in the agreement. For some farms, preserving esthetics is important. If a landowner does not want the easement area to be used as a storage area or staging area, for example, this should be agreed to in writing. In addition, permanent fencing around pipeline structures may be needed. Identify all fencing issues in the contract, what type, if it is permanent or temporary, and who will maintain it. Some farmers will lose forage production and need additional forage for livestock. Do not forget to include these damages in the contract and beware that damages may extend beyond one year.Agreements with a pipeline company need to clearly define the company’s responsibilities for land restoration. A landowner may want to describe what locations are to be replanted, seeding method to be used, as well as what forage cultivars, seeding rates and even mulch type to be used. It may be helpful to provide a description of what water diversion practices should be employed. Practices such as silt fences and water bars can be an obstacle when a field needs to be mowed or clipped, so the contract must identify when obstacles should be removed and when and whom is to restore the land. The Soil and Water Conservation at the Ohio Department of Agriculture has published a document titled “Pipeline Standard and Construction Specification” that addresses restoration issues in detail. In the process of pipeline installation, large rocks will be unearthed. Some landowners have elected to have boulders placed in a location for their use or sale.When pipelines go through timber, a landowner will need compensation for damages. There are several successful means to handle these losses. Probably the simplest is to agree upon a price per foot of pipeline through the woodlot. Landowners should be paid for the damaged marketable timber and any hardwood of pole size which would have been marketable within the next twenty years. It may also be possible for the landowner to retain possession of this timber and have it placed at a specific location on the farm which should be accessible even after pipeline installation. It may be helpful for landowners to hire a consulting forester when negotiating timber issues. A list of consulting foresters can be provided by the local OSU Extension office or the ODNR Service Forester.It is prudent to soil test the pipeline area after installation, as lime and fertilizer needs will change significantly after soil disturbance. Landowner attorneys will need statements written into the contract which require pipeline installers to follow the fertilizer and seeding recommendations of the landowner.The landowner may want to stipulate in writing that he or she, not the firm building the pipeline, has the final say about the completeness of restoration. The landowner will probably have need for a company contact and telephone number utilized for the sake of regular consultation as reseeding and other kinds of reclamation are happening. Landowners should discuss consequences for non-compliance of the right-of-way contract with their attorney. It is possible for a right-of-way to become infested with weeds or to experience soil erosion. If this outcome occurs, what procedure is to be followed and for how many years after construction do the company’s responsibilities for remediation last? If the landowner negotiates for additional items to be placed on the farm such as drips, valves, and metering equipment, how will these me maintained? All of these measures may require fencing, some kind of reseeding, and long-term plans for weed control. Another issue landowners should seriously consider is contract described limitations on their use of the right-of-way. For example, it may be important to reserve the right to install drainage ditches, tiles, or to put in a road across the easement. In addition, PVC pipe conduit may be needed for water and electric either in support of current farm operations or in anticipation of expanded operations.If the property has been enrolled in a USDA government program it is important to have protection in the agreement for the possibility of recoupment of program payments. Finally, nothing lasts forever. Some landowners may want to describe what triggers the end of an agreement, and what procedures must be followed to clear the farm title of encumbrances. Any language that appears to give rights to the company, “exclusively” needs to be considered carefully by the landowner and their attorney.More information about pipelines may be found at http://serc.osu.edu. Property owners need to keep in mind that the items in an offer for a right-of-way are negotiable, and it is advisable to never attempt to negotiate without the assistance of an attorney.
Crystal Palace lining up move for Sunderland whiz Josh Majaby Paul Vegas10 months agoSend to a friendShare the loveCrystal Palace are lining up a move for Sunderland whiz Josh Maja.The Daily Mail says Palace’s sporting director Dougie Freedman will head to the North East to watch the youngster in action against Luton on Saturday as the club look to bolster their front-line.Maja is also a target for Huddersfield, Manchester City and Wolves, but Palace boss Roy Hodgson claimed to be unaware of the player when asked last week.Palace are also extending their search for a new forward into Europe, and are considering a move for Michy Batshuayi, of Chelsea, among others. TagsTransfersAbout the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say
Ekaterinburg (Russia): Asian champion Amit Panghal (52kg) was seeded second and got a bye into the pre-quarterfinals along with three others as Indian boxers aimed for a medal haul of more than a bronze in the men’s World Boxing Championships, starting here on Monday. Amit was joined in the last-16 by Asian silver-winning duo of Kavinder Singh Bisht (57kg and seeded 5th) and Ashish Kumar (75kg and seeded 7th) alongside two-time India Open medallist Sanjeet (91kg) after draws were unveiled on Sunday here. Also Read – Puducherry on top after 8-wkt win over ChandigarhOf these, Ashish (seeded 7th) and Sanjeet are making their debut at the big event, while Panghal and Bisht had finished quarterfinalists in the 2017 Hamburg edition. “We have got a decent draw and it is upto us to make it a good draw,” Indian Boxing’s High-Performance Director Santiago Nieva told PTI after the draw ceremony. India will start their campaign on Tuesday with Brijesh Yadav (81kg) taking on Poland’s Maleusz Goinski in his opening round bout. Also Read – Vijender’s next fight on Nov 22, opponent to be announced laterThe coveted Olympic berths are no longer at stake, but the Indians will not be short of motivation when they step inside the ring to better a record which states four medals from 20 editions. Vijender Singh (2009), Vikas Krishan (2011), Shiva Thapa (2015) and Gaurav Bidhuri (2017) make the exclusive club which has experienced what it feels like to be on the podium at amateur boxing’s marquee event. All these men ended with bronze medals. “It is going to be tough. The aim is to improve on what we have done in the past. That’s what we work for,” Nieva said. It was meant to be an Olympic qualifier and features the revised eight weight categories (52kg, 57kg, 63kg, 69kg, 74kg, 81kg, 91kg, +91kg) earmarked for Tokyo 2020, instead of the traditional 10 divisions. However, the event was stripped of Olympic qualifier status after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) lost patience with the long-standing administrative mess in the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and took control of the entire process, which will now start next year. With that status gone, the tournament has lost a bit of sheen. Nevertheless, it is still likely to feature around 450 boxers from 87 countries in 400 fights spread across 12 days. India’s hopes will be majorly pinned on pint-sized dynamo Panghal. The reticent 23-year-old from Haryana has been on a roll for more than a year. Besides being Asian champion, he is also an Asian Games gold-medallist. The Army-man came quite close to a world medal in his 2017 debut when he exhausted the then defending champion Hasanboy Dusmatov in the quarterfinals but went down 2-3 in the 49kg category. Panghal had his revenge in the Asian Games final where he outpunched Dusmatov for the gold and showed himself to be a serious contender for glory at the Worlds. Then there is Bisht, an Air Force man, whose bloodied face after a brutal quarterfinal in 2017 is a disturbing but unforgettable image. Like Panghal, Bisht too lost 2-3 in a fight that could have given him a sensational medal. He has improved considerably since then. At the Asian Championships this year, he accounted for the reigning world champion Kairat Yeraliyev during his silver medal-winning run. And, he now has some unfinished business to take care of in the World Championship. Veteran Satish Kumar (+91kg) is the only other Indian, apart from these two, who has the experience of competing at the Worlds. The former Asian Games bronze-medallist will try to ensure that ill-health does not ruin his campaign the way it did in 2017. He has American Richard Torrez to contend with in the first round. The rest of the Indian line-up holds promise too. There is Manish Kaushik (63kg), the silver medallist from last year’s Commonwealth Games. The Army-man has been in and out of the team, locked in a tough battle for the spot with Shiva Thapa. A medal here would help him cement the place. He will start against Kyrgyzstan’s Argen Kadyrbek on September 12. Sanjeet, also a Services boxer, is another dark horse. His fearless approach makes him an interesting boxer to watch out for and he could well outsmart a few here. His first opponent is Scotland’s Scott Forest. Ashish, who won a gold at Thailand Open this year, is also slowly rising into prominence in a category which has been owned by Vijender and Vikas in the past. The Team: Amit Panghal (52kg), Kavinder Bisht (57kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Duryodhan Singh Negi (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Brijesh Yadav (81kg), Sanjeet (91kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg).