Nigerian Beauty Queen Abducted, Raped and Killed

 Unknown assailants suspected have abducted, raped and killed a student of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State, identified as Happiness Okwa.

It was gathered that the ND II student of Mass Communication, won the Miss MAPOLY beauty contest on August 3, 2022.

The victim was said to have been kidnapped on her way to Ipara, in Ode Remo, on Tuesday evening, August 9, by some gunmen who allegedly raped her before killing her.

The MAPOLY Students Union President, Sodiq Ajani, confirmed the incident in Abeokuta on Saturday, August 13.

Ajani in a statement jointly signed with the Public Relations Officer, Joy Okolie, said the deceased was kidnapped three days ago while going to visit a movie location.

“Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Students Union (MAPSU) announces the untimely death of Miss Happiness Odeh, a Mass Communication student of MAPOLY.

“According to reports, she was abducted along Iperu road to her destination. The deceased left Abeokuta three days ago to visit a movie location at Ipara, Ode-Remo, with the consent of her parents.

“Contrary to the rumours flying around, her death is not related to her status as the new Miss MAPOLY. She won the award on the 3rd of August and the movie location she attended has nothing to do with the beauty pageantry on campus.

“We commiserate with her family, friends and colleagues. May Almighty God grant us all the fortitude to bear this painful loss. Continue to rest in the bosom of the Lord,” the statement read.

The SUG President further explained that the murderers took away the victim’s phone.

According to him, the police have commenced investigations, making efforts to get the assailants arrested.

Ajani disclosed that the body of the slain student had been deposited at the morgue of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.

Source: LIB

…………………………………………………………

Agric Contributes $476m To Non-Traditional Exports

 The agricultural sector of the economy contributed $476 million to total non-traditional export (NTE) earnings last year.

This represents 14.29 per cent of the NTE earnings in the year under review, statistics released by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has revealed.

The amount also represents an increase of 9.93 per cent over the $433.02 million earned in 2020.

Of the top 10 agricultural products, cashew nut was the top earner, having contributed about 60.38 per cent of the figure recorded from the sector.

This represents an increase of 14.35 per cent over what it contributed in 2020.

Flowers was the lowest earner among the top 10 earners, contributing about one per cent.

However, its contribution marked a growth of 8.10 per cent over its 2020 contribution to the total earnings.

Agric products

A breakdown shows that banana did $35.57 million to the sector’s contribution to NTEs, representing 12.76 per cent, while fresh or chilled tunas contributed $20.6m, which was 24.81 per cent.

Mangoes contributed $19.57m which is 5.05 per cent of total earnings while yams added $11.5 representing 14.44 per cent. Medicinal plants and parts contributed a total of $9.7m, which is 26.59 per cent.

While pineapples contributed $9.5m, representing 29.04 per cent. Other products that recorded an increase in performance are shea nut (karite nuts) — $20.1m, 46.43 per cent, and soya beans added $18.6m which was 45.93 per cent of the total earnings.

Growing agric exports

Under the new National Export Development Strategy (NEDS) there are some strategic interventions for agro and non-agro raw materials production.

For instance, a strategy document has been developed to grow yam exports from $11,490,801 in 2021 to about $108 million by 2029.

The NEDS which is expected to give a significant boost to Ghana’s export volumes seeks to grow NTEs from the current value of $3.3 billion to $25.3 billion in 2029.

An amount of $60 million will be invested annually under the NEDS to diversify and grow the country’s exports.

Among the specific interventions in the strategy document relating to the yam export industry are to develop land use policy to secure dedicated areas for yam cultivation for export; develop improved varieties for consumption and industry; strengthen links between research and development institutions and the yam industry; promote introduction of mechanised yam cultivation among other things.

The strategy rests on three pillars; to expand and diversify the supply base for value added industrial export products and services; to improve the business, regulatory environment for export; and to build and expand the required human capital for industrial export development and marketing.

Horticultural products, of which yam is inclusive, are among the integrated list of 17 priority products that will be developed based on some specific criteria aimed at transforming the economy from a raw material base to an industrialised one.

Others on the list are processed cocoa, cashew, oil seeds, fish and fishery products, textiles and garments and natural rubber sheets.

The rest are articles of plastic and other petrochemical products, services, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel products, automobiles and vehicles, industrial salt, machinery and components, industrial starch and sugar.

GEPA, the report said is spearheading the implementation of the NEDS using a private-sector-driven approach.

Source: graphiconline.com

………………………………………………………

Tunisian Government, Unions Agree To Talks On IMF Reform Programme

 Tunisia’s government and both its main labour and commerce unions agreed on Friday to start talks on Monday over economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue programme.

State news agency TAP reported that Prime Minister Najla Bouden, UGTT labour union chief Noureddine Taboubi and UTICA commerce union chief Samir Majoul had agreed a “social contract” to tackle national challenges, citing a government statement.

The UGTT reposted the statement on its Facebook page.

The labour union, which represents a vast syndicate of workers, has been a staunch critic of IMF economic reforms proposed by the government, including subsidy cuts, a public sector wage freeze and the restructuring of state-owned companies. It previously said, such reforms would increase the suffering of Tunisians and lead to an imminent social implosion.

Tunisia is seeking $4 billion in IMF support amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, though diplomat sources told Reuters any IMF programme approved would be unlikely to reach that level.

The IMF wants the UGTT, a powerful union that has a million members and has previously paralysed parts of the economy in protest, to formally agree to government reforms.

Efforts to secure the IMF bailout have been complicated by Tunisia’s political upheavals since President Kais Saied seized most powers a year ago, shutting down parliament and moving to rule by decree.

Last month, he pushed through a new constitution formalising many of the expanded powers he has assumed in a referendum. Official figures showed that 31% of Tunisians took part, but opposition groups have rejected the figure, calling it inflated.

Source: Reuters

………………………………………………………

Erik ten Hag Now Open To Letting Cristiano Ronaldo Leave Man United

 Erik ten Hag has reportedly had a change of heart regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Manchester United and is now open to letting the wantaway forward to leave.

The 37-year-old’s future at Old Trafford has been up in the air ever since he declared his intention to quit the club earlier in the summer following their failure to qualify for the Champions League.

Ten Hag – who became the club’s first manager in 101 years to lose his first two games following their 4-0 hammering at Brentford on Saturday – has remained adamant throughout the transfer window that Ronaldo remains part of his plans for this season.

But The Athletic claim the 52-year-old has now changed his mind and is open to letting Ronaldo leave, citing his difficult reintegration back into the squad after he missed most of pre-season due to family reasons.

The report claims that since returning to the fold, there have been days where Ronaldo sits by himself during lunch at the canteen at their Carrington training ground.

Read Full Story …. Dailymail.co.uk >>> :   

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

………………………………………………………

Vladimir Putin And Kim Jong Un Exchange Pledging Letters

 Russian President Vladimir Putin told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un the two countries will “expand the comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations with common efforts,” Pyongyang’s state media reported on Monday, August 15.

In a letter to Kim for Korea’s liberation day, Putin said closer ties would be in both countries’ interests, and would help strengthen the security and stability of the Korean peninsula and the Northeastern Asian region, North Korea’s KCNA news agency said.

Kim also sent a letter to Putin saying Russian-North Korean friendship had been forged in World War II with victory over Japan, which had occupied the Korean peninsula.

The “strategic and tactical cooperation, support and solidarity” between the two countries has since reached a new level is their common efforts to frustrate threats and provocations from hostile military forces,” Kim said in the letter.

KCNA did not identify the hostile forces, but it has typically used that term to refer to the United States and its allies. Kim said cooperation between Russia and North Korea would grow based on an agreement signed in 2019 when he met with Putin.

North Korea in July recognised two Russian-backed breakaway “people’s republics” in eastern Ukraine as independent states, and officials raised the prospect of North Korean workers being sent to the areas to help in construction and labour.

Ukraine, which is fighting against Russia’s invasion immediately severed relations with Pyongyang over the move.

……………………………………………………………

Elections 2022: João Lourenço calls for directed self-construction

 Maçâmedes – MPLA candidate for President of the Republic João Lourenço Sunday appealed to the business community, cooperatives and citizens to stick directed self-construction to reduce the housing shortage.

The MPLA leader was speaking at a rally in Moçâmedes, Namibe province, as part of the campaign for the general elections on 24 August.

He said that, despite the fact that two satellite cities were built in Namibe, the concern with housing remains. Hence the need to focus on guided self-construction supported by the State, with the offer of infra-structured land.

João Lourenço considers the general commitment to be essential to meet the housing demand that could grow in the next ten years.

Egypt To Ration Electricity To Boost Gas Exports

 Egypt’s cabinet has approved a plan to ration electricity to save natural gas that it will instead divert to the export market to generate foreign currency, it said on Thursday.

Egypt has suffered from an acute foreign currency shortage since Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine, which pushed up global commodity prices, led to the collapse of tourism from the two countries and drove up the cost of borrowing.

Under the draft plan, shops and malls will have to limit their use of strong lights and keep their air conditioning at no cooler than 25 degrees Celsius.

Ministries and government facilities will have to turn off lighting at the end of working hours, the statement added. Street lighting will also be reduced.

The government last month postponed a planned increase in electricity prices by six months. The higher prices would have been intensely unpopular among a population that over the last few years has endured a series of harsh austerity measures.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the government hoped to reduce the amount of gas used to generate electricity by 15%. He said domestic power plants bought their natural gas at one-tenth the price that it could fetch on international markets.

Europe has been seeking alternative sources of gas to cut its reliance on Russian gas as the war in Ukraine escalates.

Rapid growth in Egypt’s natural gas supplies, boosted by the discovery of the Mediterranean’s largest field, turned it from a net importer to an exporter in late 2018.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue
Egypt exported 9.45 million cubic meters of liquid natural gas in the first seven months of 2022, up 44% from a year earlier, according to Refinitiv data.

…………………………………………………………