nature
FIFA lodges fresh criminal complaints against Sepp Blatter
Getty Images FIFA has lodged a criminal complaint against former president Joseph “Sepp” Blatter over the finances of a museum in Zurich, Switzerland bringing the name of the ex-President into the fray. The football world governing body lodged the complaint on Tuesday. The involvement of Bladder and other former officials in the FIFA museum project is the crux of the latest allegation of financial impropriety against the 84-year-old, who resigned from his post as president in 2015 amid a corruption scandal. The Swiss have always denied any wrongdoing. However, football’s world governing body allege that Blatter’s administration cost them £420m in renovation costs for “a building that the organisation doesn’t own”, while also “locking itself into a long-term rental agreement on unfavourable...
Why coronavirus will not be last pandemic – UN report
United Nations The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the latest crisis facing the world, will not be the last until humans release their grip on nature, says a new UN report published on Tuesday. According to the report titled “The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene,” world leaders need to take bold steps to reduce the immense pressure that is being exerted on the environment and the natural world, or humanity’s progress will stall. “Humans wield more power over the planet than ever before. Redefining issues of our time “In the wake of COVID-19, record-breaking temperatures and spiraling inequality, it is time to use that power to redefine what we mean by progress, where our carbon and consumption footprints are no longer hidden,” said Achim Steiner, the Administrator of ...
Air passengers decry upsurge in fares, seek urgent attention to roads, railway
Nigerians, who travel by air, have decried the “sudden” upsurge in air fares and urged the Federal Government to intervene to avoid poor patronage that could dwindle the fortunes of the aviation industry. Newsmen report that the air fares shot up by about 100 per cent in the last one week, with some airline operators even raising their fares by as much as 120 per cent or more. At Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the fare from Abuja to Lagos, which was N35,300 (Economy Class), rose to between N70,000 and N75,000. Newsmen found that Business Class travellers were charged between N100,000 and N120,000, depending on the airline. Our correspondents, who visited other airports across the country, found that the rise in airfares was the same, a situation that forced some passengers to...
Pope commits Vatican to net zero carbon emissions by 2050
Pope Francis urged countries on Saturday to work towards net zero carbon emissions and committed Vatican City – the world’s smallest state – to reaching the target by 2050. Francis, who has championed environmental causes since his election in 2013, told a U.N. climate summit the 108-acre (44-hectare) city-state surrounded by Rome would be doing its bit to fight climate change. “The current pandemic and climate change, which are not only environmentally relevant, but also ethically, socially, economically and politically, affect, above all, the lives of the poorest and most fragile,” he said in a video message to the summit. “In addition to adopting some measures that cannot be postponed any longer, a strategy is needed to reduce net emissions to zero,” Francis said. He committed the Vatic...
Lekki shootings: Nigerian Army legal team submits report to General Buratai
The legal team set up by the Nigerian Army to represent the service at the ongoing Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the alleged shooting of protesters at the Lekki Tollgate has submitted its report to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai. The team, led by Akinlolu Kehinde, said the Nigerian Army was not under any form of trial over the alleged shooting at the Lekki Tollgate. The team has as members, the Director Legal Services of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General M.U. Wambai, Samuel Agweh, Biola Oyebanji and Colonel Michael Ede. The report was received by the Chief of Policy and Plans (COPP), Lt-Gen Lamidi Adeosun, who represented the COAS. Presenting the five-page report, Kehinde said: “I want it to be clear that at no point in time was the Nigerian Army summon...
Gunmen kidnap Edo councillor
Unknown gunmen in the early hours of Wednesday abducted Israel Inyanabor, a councillor representing Ewohimi Ward One in Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State. Inyanabor’s kidnap happened along Ewatto-Ubiaja-Okhuesan Road near Ena River in Esan South-East LGA of the state. The kidnap of the councillor has reportedly created tension in the community following an earlier abduction of a teacher and his wife, simply identified as Mr and Mrs Aluola, by suspected bandits along the same Ewatto-Ubiaja-Okhuesan Road on Monday. It was learnt that the abductors of the couple are asking for N15 million as ransom from the family before they would be released. A resident of Ewohimi, Festus Ehigiator, disclosed that the scene of the latest kidnap incident was the same spot where the teacher a...
Unknown treks in Asia: 10 offbeat trails
From remote corners of Bhutan to the lofty heights of Nepal, we profile some of the best unknown treks in Asia When it comes to exploration, ‘too late for the seas, too soon for the stars’ may best describe our current times. Legendary explorers like Drake and Magellan charted the seas long ago while Scott, Shackleton, Amundsen and their like did the same for remote lands. There’s a sense that our planet has been entirely measured and mapped; tamed, some might say. Even Everest – one of the most inhospitable places on Earth – has queues on its slopes. This is why I was thrilled last year to join a trek to K2 base camp including a crossing of Gondogoro La pass. In comparison to my earlier trip to Everest base camp, K2 felt far more remote. It left me craving for a taste of...
OPL245 scandal: Coalition urges World Bank group not to protect oil giants
A World Bank affiliated group may scuttle Nigeria’s bid to successfully prosecute illicit funds associated with the controversial OPL 245, a coalition of international anti-corruption groups has said. The post OPL245 scandal: Coalition urges World Bank group not to protect oil giants appeared first on TODAY. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
Strange illness kills two in Kogi community
Two persons have been confirmed dead at a Fulani and Tiv farm settlement in Odo-Ere, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State as a result of strange illness. Others affected by the strange illness were said to be receiving treatment at some private hospitals and ECWA Hospital Egbe. A Director in the YWLGA, Reuben Oshagbemi, said the incident was first reported at a private clinic, adding that symptoms of the sickness include stooling, diarrhoea and vomiting. He however pointed out that the situation was under control. Oshagbemi explained that the Ministry of Health had been contacted, noting that the “state epidemiologists will determine the nature of the illness.” However, when our correspondent contacted the state Commissioner for Health, Saka Audu, he said his team of medical pers...
Traders burn 10-year-old boy for ‘stealing’ food
A 10-year-old boy, Ifeanyi, was on Saturday thrown into a fire for allegedly stealing a small measure of uncooked rice in a market at Inikiri Benard village, Effium community, in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Newsmen gathered that the lad’s mother was late, while his father was mentally-challenged. A community source said, “The boy was thrown into a fire by two traders who accused him of stealing rice from a shop at the market to cook for himself and his father.” The Chairman of Human Rights Defenders, Ebonyi State chapter, Mr Sam Nweke, condemned the inhuman act meted out to the kid. He said, “HURIDE got a call from one Mr George Etamesor, on the grave abuse of this poor boy. This was because he was caught trying to steal some rice in their village market. They tied h...
What is the greenest country in the world?
The greenest country in the world is Denmark according to the latest data analysis from the 2020 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) The Environmental Performance Index evaluates and ranks 180 countries on 32 performance indicators across 11 categories covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality. The aim is to gauge, at a national scale, how close countries are to meeting the environmental policy goals outlined in the United Nations 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. Now in its 22nd year, the EPI report has become the world’s premier framework for global environmental policy analysis. The report is compiled every two years using the following categories to create an EPI score out of 100 for every nation. Climate Change Air Qualit...
10 things park rangers wish you knew
From grizzly bears to bugbears, five park rangers share the vagaries of their unique job There’s no doubt that nature is flourishing under lockdown. There are heartening stories of the Himalayas emerging from Indian smog, moles in the UK being seen above ground and deer wandering the streets of Japan. Sadly, these phenomena will likely end not too long after lockdown, as humans return to business as usual. In an effort to remind readers – and ourselves – to re-engage with nature as responsibly as possible when we’re allowed to return, we asked five park rangers to share some things they wish we knew. The rangers are based in the US (and remain unnamed for the sake of discretion), but nearly all their points are applicable worldwide. We hate it when you disrespect the park...
