GRAPHITTI
NEWS collates national and international highlights from late-breaking news,
up-coming events and the stories that will be talked about Wednesday:
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Managing
Director, AMCON, Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi
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1.
AMCON SHORTLISTS SEVEN POTENTIAL BUYERS FOR MAINSTREET BANK
The
advisers of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria have reduced the 23
investors lining up to buy Mainstreet Bank to just seven, with the bad assets
manager hoping to name the successful buyer on October 31.
The
successful buyer of Enterprise Bank, one of the three nationalized banks
created after the 2009 banking crisis from the defunct Afribank, Bank PHB and
Spring Bank, will also emerge next week after a year-long rigorous sale
process.
The
three nationalized banks created from the failed banks are Enterprise Bank,
Mainstreet Bank and Keystone Bank.
The
Managing Director, AMCON, Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi, told our correspondent during
an exclusive interview in Lagos on Tuesday, “The process always starts with a
lot of prospective buyers and AMCON-appointed advisers always do some
interactions with them and we narrow it down based on a number of objective
criteria.
2.
JAMB BEGINS SALE OF 2015 UTME FORMS SEPT 15
The
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the commencement
of the sale of 2015 application forms from 15th September and it is expected to
usher in the implementation of full-blown Computer Based Test (CBT) in the 2015
Universal Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
A
press release signed by the registrar of JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde said
candidates are expected to start purchasing their forms from Monday, September
15 to Thursday, January 15, 2015.
Professor
Ojerinde, who assured candidates that the board has fine-tuned arrangements
with computer based test (CBT) centres to register prospective UTME candidates,
prayed for a registration error and stress free exercise for candidates.
The
JAMB boss recalled the discovery by the board of cases of impersonation and
other malpractices usually recorded during the registration process by cyber
cafes and assured that the agency has decided to regulate the registration
centres to ensure that the system is malpractice free.
Candidates
are to obtain their application forms at designated banks after which they are
to proceed to any approved CBT centres and register for the examination at a
regulated fee. There are about 300 centres all over the country and staff of
the centres have been trained for this purpose.
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| New Apple iPhone |
3.
APPLE ARE ENGAGING IN MODERN-DAY 'SLAVERY' SAY EXPERTS, AS HOOKED USERS CLAMOUR
FOR £789 IPHONE 6 PLUS 'BECAUSE OF NECESSITY, NOT DESIRE'
An
expert claims Apple’s strategy of rolling out handsets that are slightly better
than the last, is a type of ‘modern day slavery,’ designed to keep iPhone users
hooked - despite the increasing handset costs. Prices for the iPhone 6 handset
start at £539 in the UK, and US$199 on a two-year contract in the US. The
comments come as a US network operator announced an ‘iPhone for Life’ plan that
will offer customers a guaranteed iPhone upgrade every two years - and could be
a much more cost-effective option.
James
Hart, Strategy Director at global media agency Carat, claims Apple’s strategy
of rolling out handsets that are slightly better than the last, is a type of
‘modern day slavery,’ designed to keep iPhone users hooked - despite the
increasing handset costs. He claims their desire for devices now comes out of
'habit and necessity'
Mr
Hart told MailOnline: ‘The issue Apple is facing is one of loyalty, where its
use of technology and innovation is increasingly creating a reliance on its
ecosystem, rather than a genuine desire of its customers to create, connect and
consume its products like it used to.
‘The
reason for this? A conscious decision by the brand to move into incremental
forms of innovation, rather than the disruptive ones it’s famous for.
Mr
Hart continued that Apple has reached a 'loyalty ceiling' with its customers,
and 'the "consumer love" is beginning to be replaced by a modern form
of "slavery" where habit and necessity could start replacing devotion
and self-motivation.’
4.
ZIMBABWE SAYS PAYS US$180 MLN TO SERVICE CHINESE LOANS
Zimbabwe
has spent US$180 million in unbudgeted expenditure to service outstanding loans
from China in an effort to improve relations and encourage new financial
support, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said on Wednesday.
"In
the first six months of this year we have had to cough up US$180 million, which
was not in the budget, just to make ourselves look good," Chinamasa told
business leaders in Harare.
Chinamasa
last month accompanied President Robert Mugabe on a state visit to China where
the veteran leader sought support to help a struggling economy.
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President
Robert Mugabe
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5.
WITH EXPANDED MISSION AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE, US ROLE IN MIDEAST WARS WILL SPAN
A GENERATION
Thirteen
years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, this was supposed to be a season of
relief, with Iraq managing on its own and most U.S. troops finally ending their
combat duty in Afghanistan. Instead, Americans are bracing for another upsurge
of military engagement in a region where one war blurs into another. Across the
world, a generation has now grown up amid this continuous conflict, and there's
no end in sight.
"The
Cold War took 45 years," said Elliott Abrams, a longtime diplomat who was
top Middle East adviser to President George W. Bush. "It's certainly
plausible that this could be the same. ... It's harder to see how this
ends."
For
now, President Barack Obama seems to have bipartisan support as he prepares to
outline his plans Wednesday for expanded operations against militants of the
so-called Islamic State who have overrun large swaths of Iraq. His
administration has cautioned that the effort could take several years.
Short-term,
Obama has public opinion with him; a new Washington Post-ABC News poll found 71
percent of Americans supporting airstrikes against the Islamic State fighters,
compared to 45 percent in June. Longer-term, a Pew Research Center-USA Today
poll last month suggested that most Americans view the world as becoming more
dangerous and expect militant forms of Islam to grow in influence rather than
subside.
Since
the autumn of 2001, America, with its allies, has been at war against factions
of Islamic militants and terrorists, including the Taliban and al-Qaida, as
well as offshoots in Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere.
6.
STUDENT WHO BROUGHT EBOLA TO SENEGAL HAS RECOVERED
A
Senegalese doctor says the student who brought Ebola to the West African
country has recovered.
The
young man from Guinea arrived in Senegal in August and sought medical care, but
concealed that he had had contact with Ebola victims.
Authorities
say no other cases have appeared in Senegal, though several dozen people are
being monitored.
Dr.
Moussa Seydi told Senegalese radio Wednesday that the man has tested negative
twice for Ebola. But Seydi, who works at the hospital where the student was
being treated, said the young man is still suffering psychologically after
losing several relatives to the disease.
The
current Ebola outbreak that began in Guinea has also spread to Sierra Leone,
Liberia and Nigeria, and so far is believed to have killed more than 2,200
people.
7.
NEW CURRENCY FOR A NEW COUNTRY? SCOTLAND FACES RANGE OF OPTIONS, RISKS IF IT
BREAKS FROM UK
In
for a penny, in for a pound.
There'll
be no going back if Scotland votes for independence from the United Kingdom on
Sept. 18.
Opinion
polls showing that may happen have prompted investors to sell off the British
pound. If a knockout blow is dealt to Scotland's 307-year union with England,
that selling could accelerate as the U.K. plunges into a constitutional crisis.
The
fate of the pound, which is also known as sterling and is one of the most
tangible links of the union, will be front and center in any separation
proceedings, as it has been during the campaign.
The
nationalists, led by Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond, hope Scotland will
still use the pound through a currency union with what's left of Britain —
Wales, Northern Ireland and England. The main British political parties,
notably the Conservatives and Labour, say that's not going to happen.
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Match-fixing
very rife. (Photo source: soccerlens.com)
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8.
UP TO 80 COUNTRIES A YEAR HIT BY MATCH-FIXING - INTERPOL
Between
60 and 80 countries have reported allegations of match-fixing for each of the
last three years, the head of the Interpol-FIFA initiative set up to fight the
crime said on Wednesday.
John
Abbott, who is also leading Interpol's and FIFA's fight against irregular
betting, told delegates at the Soccerex Global Convention that far tougher
legislation is needed worldwide to fight the crime.
"It
is a global problem and it is showing no signs of abating.
"Match-fixing
itself is not new, a Liverpool-Manchester United game was fixed in the early
years of the 20th century, but the really big change is that professional
criminals have got involved for fraud purposes.
"We
have evidence of organized crime groups in China, Russia, the Balkans, the
United States and Italy making substantial money.
Abbott
claimed billions of dollars were involved, adding: "Sports governing
bodies and football associations need to get real about prevention.
"Many
sports, of course, are affected by match-fixing, but football, the global game,
is top of the league and cricket is second.
"The
extent of the problem is that each year for the last three years between 60 and
80 countries have reported allegations of match-fixing.
"We
need better legislation throughout the world, but I don't think we will ever
have one global law covering match-fixing but all the authorities need to work
closer with each other to stop it happening."
9.
ATTACKERS OF RWANDAN EXILE JAILED FOR EIGHT YEARS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Four
men convicted of trying to kill an exiled critic of Rwandan President Paul
Kagame in South Africa were each jailed for eight years on Monday, though the
magistrate said they were not the main culprits.
Former
Rwandan army chief General Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa survived being shot in the
stomach as he was being driven into his Johannesburg home in 2010, the same
year he fled Rwanda after falling out with former ally Kagame.
Rwanda
has regularly denied any involvement. But after armed men broke into Nyamwasa's
home this year, South African Justice Minister Jeff Radebe warned Kigali that
"our country will not be used as a springboard to do illegal
activities".
The
two Rwandans and two Tanzanians found guilty of shooting Nyamwasa smiled in
apparent relief after the eight-year sentence, less than the minimum 15 years
prosecutors had asked for.
Magistrate
Stanley Mkhari told the men: "You are not the main culprits in this
matter. It is my view that you are supposed to appear before me with all the
people who made money available and also the people who paid to commit the
offences."
He
said he was taking into account the fact that the four - Amani Uriwane and Sady
Abdou from Rwanda and Hassan Mohammedi Nduli and Hemedi Dendengo Sefu from
Tanzania - had been in custody since the shooting.
"The
effective term of imprisonment is eight years for each accused," he said.
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Flood-affected
people row boats past partially submerged buildings in floodwaters in Srinagar,
India, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014. The death toll from floods in Pakistan and India
reached 400 on Tuesday and have put more than half a million people in peril
and rendered thousands homeless in the two neighboring states. (AP Photo/Dar
Yasin)AP
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10.
OFFICIALS: FLOODS THAT KILLED 457 IN PAKISTAN AND INDIA ENDANGER THOUSANDS MORE
Thousands
of people fled their homes in Pakistan on Wednesday as monsoon flooding that
has already inundated the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir coursed down
onto the plains, causing a major river to breach its banks.
The
flooding began earlier this month in Kashmir, where it has caused landslides
and submerged much of the main city of Srinagar, on the Indian-administered
side. The death toll from the flooding in both countries has climbed to at
least 457.
The
rains have washed away houses, bridges, communication equipment and crops.
Pakistani and Indian troops say they have evacuated nearly 75,000 people. The
floods are the worst to hit Pakistan since 2010, when some 1,700 people died.
Survivors
have waded through waist-deep water to escape the floods, with many carrying
children and household items on their shoulders as others drag their livestock
along behind them. Hundreds of others remain stranded on rooftops, waving for
help to passing helicopters.
Haleema
Bibi, 65, sobbed as she climbed out of a boat in Pakistan's eastern Jhang
province. Her granddaughter was to be married in the coming days but the
floodwaters swept her dowry away. She appealed to the rescuers to go back to
the village, saying her grandson was stranded there.
11.
NEW EU COMMISSION GIVES KEY ECONOMIC POSTS TO FRANCE, BRITAIN
European
Commission President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled the team on Wednesday
that will run key areas of the European Union's policy-making over the next
five years with a focus on economic growth, energy reforms, competition and
trade.
Former
French finance minister Pierre Moscovici takes the key portfolio of economic
and monetary policy, but he will be supervised by former Finnish Prime Minister
Jyrki Katainen and former Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis.
Britain's
Jonathan Hill will take a key portfolio described as Financial Stability,
Financial Services and Capital Markets Union - something the London government,
outside the euro zone, had been pitching hard for. He will be in charge of
relations with, among others, the European Banking Authority.
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European Commission President elect Jean-Claude
Juncker gestures as he addresses the media on the attribution of portfolios to
the Commissioners-designate at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels
on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
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Former
Danish economy minister Margrethe Vestager will be in charge of the powerful
competition portfolio that gives the EU a big say in the expansion or merger
plans of the world's biggest companies, while former Slovenian Prime Minister
Alenka Bratusek will oversee the EU's plan to create an energy union.
Sweden's
Cecilia Malmstrom will have the task of negotiating the world's biggest trade
agreement between the United States and Europe.
Germany's
Guenther Oettinger will have responsibility for the digital economy, a
portfolio including the overhaul of the EU telecoms market.
12.
MAN UTD POST RECORD FIGURES
Manchester
United have reported record revenues of £433.2million for last season but
expect these to drop by more than £40million as a result of failing to qualify
for Europe.
The
annual figures also show that the club made a £23.8million profit and paid out
£5.2million in compensation payments to sacked manager David Moyes and some
members of his coaching team.
The
results also report that United expects "revenue to be £385million to
£395million" for the 2014/15 season, a drop of around 10 per cent.
United's
executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward hailed the growth in revenues and the
potential impact of recent signings including Radamel Falcao and Angel di
Maria.
Woodward
said in a statement: "We are very proud of the results achieved in fiscal
year 2014 as we once again generated record revenues.
"With
Louis van Gaal at the helm as manager, and the recent signing of some of the
world's leading players to further strengthen our squad, we are very excited
about the future and believe it's the start of a new chapter in the club's
history.
"Louis'
footballing philosophy fits very well with Manchester United and he has an
impressive track record of success throughout his career, winning league titles
with every club he has managed."
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Manchester
United have announced a record revenue for the 2013-14 season
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United's
wage bill rose 19 per cent to £214.8million, an increase of £34.3million
"primarily due to the impact of player acquisitions and renegotiated
player contracts", according to the annual report.
The
figures reveal United's sponsorship income increased by 49 per cent last year
with a number of new deals coming on stream.
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