GRAPHITTI
NEWS collates national and international highlights from late-breaking news,
upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:
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| Comptroller General of Immigration Service (CGIS), David Shikfu Paradang |
1. AGE FALSIFICATION AND BOGUS CERTIFICATE SCANDAL
ROCKS IMMIGRATION SERVICE
An intensive lobbying is presently going on in the
Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), a paramilitary agency of the Ministry of
Interior, to persuade the authorities to turn a blind eye to the report of two committees,
which recently verified the certificates of the NIS staff.
The NIS and Ministry of Interior had not long ago set
up different panels to investigate charges of certificate and age falsification
levied against some senior officers.
Comptroller General of Immigration Service (CGIS),
David Shikfu Paradang, had carried out the exercise in line with the tasks
handed over to him during his swearing-in by President Goodluck Jonathan on
June 12, 2013.
Jonathan had directed Paradang to flush out bad eggs,
“viruses and all forms of bad characters in the service”.
Paradang was said to have begun the in-house cleaning
exercise after the President’s charge to flush out majority of the officers
said to have altered their dates of birth to beat early retirement.
In fact, about 60 per cent of the staff of the NIS was
discovered to be working with fake certificates.
Not only this, many of them were also found to have
falsified their ages.
While the certificate verification committee set up by
the CGIS was in session, many of the staff were said to have avoided the
exercise by refusing to submit the format required of them because of the legal
implication of swearing on oath, as they possess fake certificates.
2. ANAMBRA TO SHUT DOWN GSM OPERATIONS
Anambra Governor Willie Obiano is set to shut down GSM
operations in the state any time as a result of new levies on telecoms
services.
Obiano, in a bid to raise the state’s internally
generated revenue (IGR), imposed a N750,000 levy per telecoms base station in
the state.
New base stations are to be levied N700,000 each
before operation,
while a fine of N1 million will be levied on every defaulting base station.
The combined revenue from
the levy on the four major service providers from the one-off levy is estimated
at N1.5billion.
The levy is called
“Telecommunications Mast Installation/Approval Permit” and is to be applied
retroactively to existing base stations.
The operators, who have
not complied with the new directive, currently pay other levies, including
planning permit fees, tenement rate and advertisement signage fees to the
Anambra government.
Telecoms companies have
been complaining about multiple taxes and excessive levies across the 36 states
of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
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British police officers stand guard outside the
Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Sept. 1, 2014. Britain's Prime Minister
David Cameron is expected on Monday to expand powers to combat terrorism in
hopes of preventing attacks by Islamist militants returning from terror
training in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
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3. UK:
PASSPORTS COULD BE SEIZED TO FIGHT TERRORISM
Prime
Minister David Cameron on Monday proposed new laws that would give police the
power to seize the passports of Britons suspected of having traveled abroad to
fight with terrorist groups.
Speaking to Parliament,
Cameron said his government is also working on plans to block such suspected
British jihadi fighters from re-entering the U.K. The power to monitor such
suspects who are already in Britain would also be strengthened.
The plans to widen
Britain's anti-terror laws, which are likely to be approved by parliament, are
aimed at preventing attacks by Islamist militants returning from terror
training in trouble spots in the Middle East.
Like other Western
countries such as the U.S., France and Germany, Britain is worried that
citizens who travel abroad to join terror groups could threaten their home
country when they return.
Intelligence and security
services suspect that around 500 Britons have gone to fight in Syria and
potentially Iraq. Cameron has described the extremism posed by the Islamic
State group as the biggest security threat of modern times — surpassing that of
al-Qaida — and said it poses a direct threat to Europe.
Britain's Home Secretary
already has the authority to withhold passports in some cases, but Cameron said
more is needed to ensure police at border crossings could act in time when they
spot a suspect.
4.
TOP GEAR SET TO CROSS THE CHANNEL
Hit
BBC series Top Gear is to be launched in France - a country which banned two of
the UK presenters of the show from its roads last year.
A
version of the programme is to be made locally by BBC Worldwide France for the
broadcaster RMC Decouverte and will begin filming in the next few months for
screening next year.
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A
French version of the Top Gear format is to be produced
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Presenters
Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond were pulled over for speeding while filming
the programme's Perfect Road Trip DVD, prompting a temporary ban and fines.
The
French broadcaster already broadcasts the original UK versions of the
programme, delivering some of its highest ratings.
The
Top Gear format has been sold to countries such as Australia, South Korea and
the US, and a Chinese version will launch later this year.
5.
‘STOCKPILE TOILET PAPER!’ JAPANESE URGED TO BUY MORE TISSUES TO AVOID BEING
WIPED OUT IN A QUAKE
Cautious
Japanese are making sure they won’t be literally caught with their pants down
next time an earthquake rumbles into town. They are being told to stock up on
toilet paper, as well as essentials like food and water.
The
government and toilet paper manufacturers companies are joining forces with the
PR slogan “Let’s stockpile toilet paper!” as part of Disaster Prevention Day in
the earthquake-prone country.
“After
running out of toilet paper, people start using tissue, and that could clog up
precious workable toilets,” said Toshiyuki Hashimoto, an official in charge of
paper products.
Significantly,
41 percent of Japanese toilet paper is produced in the nation’s most
earthquake-prone areas, such as the Shizuoka prefecture in central Japan, where
there is more than an 80 percent chance of a major offshore quake in the next
30 years.
Based
on what happened after the 2011 tsunami, which crippled the Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear power station, killed thousands of people, left tens of thousands
homeless and caused US$36.4 billion worth of damage – a lack of toilet paper
also became a serious issue.
Hoarding
toilet paper also occurred during the oil crisis of 1973, with one 83-year-old
woman breaking her leg in the frenzy of people grabbing as many rolls as
possible.
Toilet
paper was quickly added to the list of items needed in an emergency, along with
food, water, first aid kits and portable toilets under the government’s Basic
Disaster Management Plan.
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“Along
with food, toilet paper was among the first items that disappeared from the
store shelves during the disaster, even outside disaster-hit areas,” said
Hashimoto, the government’s toilet paper tsar.
Japan
takes being prepared for disasters seriously, especially since the devastating
2011 earthquake and tsunami, and hundreds of thousands of people take part in
the annual Sept. 1 Disaster Prevention Day drill.
The
instruction to stock up comes as no surprise because of the strong tradition of
toilet etiquette in Japan.
The Japanese have
Toilegami, which is origami for toilet paper, where some up market Japanese
hotels fold toilet paper like table napkins. The Japanese have also invented
the so-called Enterprise electronic toilet, which has a button called the “sound
princess”, which plays a little tune to conceal the embarrassing noises you
might be making.
6. ‘SLANDEROUS FARCE’: N.
KOREA GOES BALLISTIC OVER UK TV NUCLEAR DRAMA, THREATENS TO CUT DIPLOMATIC TIES
North Korea has slammed a
new British TV drama thriller revolving around its nuclear weapons program,
urging the UK government to scrap the "slanderous farce" if it wants
to maintain diplomatic ties.
A spokesman for the powerful National Defence Commission in
Pyongyang described the upcoming Channel 4 TV series as a "slanderous farce"
and a "conspiratorial charade.”
Opposite Number – a
10-part drama series commissioned by Channel 4 – features a British nuclear
scientist captured in North Korea during a covert mission and forced to assist
the country with its nuclear weapons program.
The series will take
viewers inside the "closed
worlds of North Korea" with "opposing
CIA and MI6 agents secretly deployed on the ground in Pyongyang, as the clock
ticks on a global-scale nuclear crisis," Channel 4 said.
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The KCNA news agency
quoted the Defence Commission’s spokesman as saying: “This mud-slinging is a premeditated
politically-motivated provocation and deliberate hostile act to hurt the
dignity of the supreme leadership and tarnish the sovereign authority of the
DPRK and its international image.”
“Those who are talking
about ‘illegal acquisition of nuclear technology’ are no more than blind fools
and idiots bereft of even elementary ability to discern the truth,” the spokesman said.
North Korea warned that
Britain should “throw
reactionary movies now being planned or in the process of production into a
dumping ground without delay and punish the chief culprits.” Only
this would “preserve the
hard-won diplomatic relations between the DPRK and Britain.” The UK
has an embassy in Pyongyang.
The statement added that
Pyongyang would not need to steal foreign nuclear technology, as the country’s
atomic capability is already “so
powerful and tremendous that no one can imagine.”
7. ARSENAL IN TALKS FOR
WELBECK
Arsenal FC are in talks
to sign Manchester United and England forward Danny Welbeck, Press Association
Sport understands.
The 23-year-old appears
set to be given the opportunity to leave Old Trafford as manager Louis van Gaal
continues to build a squad he feels can challenge for honours.
Arsenal's north London
rivals Tottenham were also believed to be keen on a move for Welbeck, who has
scored 20 goals in 92 Barclays Premier League appearances, but the
Manchester-born striker is now in talks with Arsenal.
However, it remains to be
seen if a deal can be agreed and whether he would join on a permanent basis or
on a season-long loan.
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Manchester
United Danny striker Welbeck is understood to be in talks over a move to
Arsenal
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Welbeck has appeared as a
substitute in two of United's league games so far this season - draws at both
Sunderland and Burnley - and started in the remarkable 4-0 Capital Cup exit at
the hands of MK Dons.
Having come through the
ranks at Old Trafford, Welbeck has also spent time out on loan at Preston and
with the Black Cats before establishing himself in Sir Alex Ferguson's
first-team squad.
Welbeck has scored eight
goals in 26 England caps and has lifted the Barclays Premier League trophy and
the League Cup during his time with the Red Devils.
Now he could be set to
become Arsenal's fifth summer signing following the arrivals of Alexis Sanchez,
Mathieu Debuchy, David Ospina and Calum Chambers and would add to Arsene
Wenger's options in attack - with Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud both
sidelined with injuries.
8. GHANAIAN STRIKER
KNOCKED DOWN BY TRAIN IN ITALY
AC Milan’s talented
Ghanaian striker Isaac Akuetteh is fighting for his life in an Italian hospital
after being knocked down by a train in the town of Como. The 15-year-old, who
is regarded as one of the brightest talents in the youth football in Italy
today, was hit by a moving train on Sunday afternoon leaving the youngster
fighting for his life.
The accident occurred in
the Italian municipality of Cadorago in the Como province during the Sunday
after shopping hours which attracted a very large crowd.
Akuetteh was rushed to
the hospital where he has been under intensive care, and Ghanaian senior
players at AC Milan Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien are said to have visited
on Sunday night after their match.
AC Milan top officials
and coaches also visited the youngster in hospital before posting a statement
on their website wishing him a speedy recovery.
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Isaac Akuetteh,
first from left, is tipped for greatness
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9. ARAB SATIRE TRIES TO
PUNCTURE MYSTIQUE OF ISLAMIC STATE GROUP AS IT MARCHES ACROSS SYRIA, IRAQ
The bumbling young
militant first drops the rocket launcher on the toes of his boss before taking
aim and firing toward a military checkpoint outside of an Iraqi town — not
realizing he's fired it backward at his leader.
The "Looney
Tunes"-style cartoon targeting the Islamic State group comes after its
militants have swept across large swaths of Syria and Iraq, declaring their own
self-styled caliphate while conducting mass shootings of their prisoners. The
group cheers its advances and beheadings in slickly produced Internet videos.
In response, television
networks across the Middle East have begun airing cartoons and comedy programs
using satire to criticize the group and its claims of representing Islam. And
while not directly confronting the group's battlefield gains, the shows
challenge the legitimacy of its claims and chip away at the fear some have that
the Islamic militants are unstoppable.
"These people are
not a true representation of Islam and so by mocking them, it is a way to show
that we are against them," said Nabil Assaf, one of the producers and
writers of Lebanon's "Ktir Salbe Show," which has challenged the
group. "Of course it's a sensitive issue, but this is one way to reject
extremism and make it so the people are not afraid."
Satire has long been a
force in Arab culture, beginning first with its ancient poetry. Indirect
criticism once cloaked in self-censorship exploded out into the open during
Arab Spring revolts. Even in the midst of Syria's bloody civil war, the
country's renowned black, satirical humor has continued.
10. WILL TRAFFIC DEATHS
RISE AS US STATES LEGALIZE POT?
As states liberalize
their marijuana laws, public officials and safety advocates worry that more
drivers high on pot will lead to a big increase in traffic deaths. Researchers,
though, are divided on the question.
Studies of marijuana's
effects show that the drug can slow decision-making, decrease peripheral vision
and impede multitasking, all of which are critical driving skills. But unlike
with alcohol, drivers high on pot tend to be aware that they are impaired and
try to compensate by driving slowly, avoiding risky actions such as passing
other cars, and allowing extra room between vehicles.
On the other hand,
combining marijuana with alcohol appears to eliminate the pot smoker's
exaggerated caution and seems to increase driving impairment beyond the effects
of either substance alone.
"We see the
legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington as a wake-up call for all
of us in highway safety," said Jonathan Adkins, executive director of
Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety offices.
"We don't know
enough about the scope of marijuana-impaired driving to call it a big or small
problem. But anytime a driver has their ability impaired, it is a
problem."
Colorado and Washington
are the only states that allow retail sales of marijuana for recreational use.
Efforts to legalize recreational marijuana are underway in Alaska,
Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and the District of Columbia. Twenty-three
states and the nation's capital permit marijuana use for medical purposes.
It is illegal in all
states to drive while impaired by marijuana
11. AMERICAN TOURISTS
DETAINED IN NORTH KOREA EXPECT TRIAL SOON; BAE SAYS HEALTH DETERIORATING
North Korea has given
foreign media access to three detained Americans who said they have been able
to contact their families and — watched by officials as they spoke — called for
Washington to send a representative to negotiate for their freedom.
The three all described
their situations as urgent.
American tourists Jeffrey
Fowle and Mathew Miller, expected to face trial within a month for alleged
anti-state crimes, said they do not know what punishment they could face or
what the specific charges against them are. Kenneth Bae, a tour guide and
missionary serving a 15-year sentence, said his health has deteriorated at the
labor camp where he works eight hours a day.
They spoke with The
Associated Press at a conference center in Pyongyang.
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Roger
Federer bounced back in style after losing the first set (AP)
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12. SLOW-STARTING FEDERER HITS TOP GEAR
Roger Federer recovered
from dropping his first set of the tournament to race into the fourth round of
the US Open.
The second seed made a
slow start in a match interrupted by a thunderstorm but was hugely impressive
thereafter in beating Spaniard Marcel Granollers 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-1.
Federer came into this
tournament in superb form and had not been tested in his opening two matches so
it was a big surprise when he only won one point in the first three games.
At 5-2 to Granollers, the
players were taken off because of the threat of lightning and a few minutes
later a torrential downpour began.
When they returned it was
to the odd scene - certainly for Federer - of a virtually empty Arthur Ashe
Stadium.
Tournament organisers had
decided to start the night session prematurely, much to the annoyance of many
day session ticket-holders, who were unable to watch the conclusion of the
match.
Federer looked like he
had repaired the damage when he retrieved the break but Granollers played a
superb returning game to take the set.
The turning point came
early in the second set when Federer saved a break point with an ace to avoid
trailing 2-0.
Granollers did not win
another game until he was 3-0 down in the third set, Federer dominating from
the back of the court and at the net.
There was nothing the
Spaniard, ranked 42, could do to turn things back in his favour and Federer
clinched victory with his 57th winner after an hour and 58 minutes.
The 33-year-old said:
"I enjoyed it. I thought it was a good match and I'm happy I was able to
come back and turn it around. Marcel started really on fire. The break helped
me and I came out and played some great tennis."
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