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Good morning. A racing pigeon (Joe) that disappeared from the US in October has resurfaced in Australia -- and now Australian authorities say they need to kill it. The exhausted pigeon made the 12,800-km journey across the Pacific.
But Australia has extremely strict quarantine rules for animals and officials say it has to be put down, though no one has been able to catch him yet.
In the meantime, Joe’s become a minor celebrity in Australian media.
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P.S. Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here.
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☕️QUICK BITES
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| Whatsapp. Facebook and WhatsApp have delayed the rollout of new privacy policies after a large number of users complained. The date has been pushed back approximately three months, with new terms now scheduled to take effect on May 15th. |
| Estonia. The government collapsed over a property-development corruption scandal involving now-former Prime Minister Jüri Ratas’s left-leaning Centre Party. Opposition leader Kaja Kallas’s liberal Reform Party will now try to form a new coalition with the Centre Party. |
| Nigeria. The House of Representatives has faulted the Federal Government for giving schools the go-ahead to resume on Monday despite the increasing cases of COVID-19. It demanded postponement of resumption for three months, where necessary safety measures weren’t put in place and compliance with protocols low. |
| Netherlands. The Dutch government, a centrist coalition between conservative, liberal and social-democrat parties, is close to collapse. The cause this time is a scandal over child benefits payments, in which the Dutch tax office mistakenly pursued thousands of families for the repayment of “fraudulent” claims, causing financial ruin for many. |
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#ONTHISDAY
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1948 1st courses begin at University of Ibadan Nigeria
1778 Captain James Cook stumbles over Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands).
1993 Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observed in all 50 states of the USA for 1st time.
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POLITICS
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National Assembly Proposes ₦10Bn As Presidential Candidate’s Election Spending
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Image Source: Premium Times
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The Story
The Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission and Electoral Matters has proposed an extension to the tenure of Local Government Chairmen in the Federal Capital Territory.
What motivated this?
This and other proposals are contained in recommended amendments to the Electoral Act, which the committee is prepared to submit before Senators and House of Reps members for consideration and approval later this month. When contacted, the Chairman, Senate Committee on the INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya, confirmed the proposals.
What are the other proposals?
As part of a raft of new proposals to the country’s election regulations, the committee proposed that the chairmen's tenure be extended from three to four years. Also proposed is an upward review of the amount to be spent by candidates seeking elective public office to N10 billion. The panel recommended that other elected officials of the six area councils which make up the FCT should equally benefit from the proposed amendment.
Why is the proposed increase in election funding?
According to Gaya, they looked at the current situation and came to a conclusion that someone contesting election as President of Nigeria should spend more than N5 billion. “We have recommended N10 billion for the presidential candidate while the amount that could be spent by those contesting elections as governors and legislators have also been reviewed upward", he said.
Gaya added that on personal donations to election candidates, it has been recommended that an individual could donate up to N10 million for a candidate in the presidential or governorship election, as he argued that the current N1 million benchmark is no longer realistic. SOURCE
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AFRICA
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Museveni declared winner of disputed Uganda presidential election
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Image Source: VOANews
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The Story
Yoweri Museveni, the incumbent president, has been declared winner of Uganda's presidential election that was held last week.
By what margin?
He was declared winner by Uganda's electoral commission in a televised news conference on Saturday. According to the commission, Museveni secured 5.85 million votes(58.64% of the total votes cast), while his main challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi (widely known as Bobi Wine), received 3.48 million votes(34.83%).
How was the announcement received by Ugandans?
The election, which had a voter turnout of 52%, has attracted attention from within and outside Uganda, especially given the fact that longtime president Museveni was contesting again, for his sixth term. Museveni's supporters in his home district were seen jubilating following the announcement, while soldiers in the capital helped marshal motorcycle drivers for a parade – handing them yellow vests and Museveni posters.
Have the other candidates conceded?
The main opposition candidate, Bobi Wine, has rejected the results, alleging fraud. While Museveni suggested that the election was the most 'cheating-free' in the country's history, Bobi Wine countered on Friday, saying he had video proof of voting fraud and would share the videos as soon as internet connections were restored. He accused Museveni of fabricating the results and called the poll “the most fraudulent election in the history of Uganda”.
What's the position of observers?
Reports from observers were largely negative, as various observer missions were said to have been denied accreditation. Tibor Nagy, the top US diplomat for Africa, tweeted the vote was “fundamentally flawed”, citing the denial of accreditation to election observers and “violence and harassment of opposition figures”. In a similar report, the European Union said its offer to deploy electoral experts “was not taken up”.
The 76 year old Museveni campaigned for a sixth term, arguing his long experience in office makes him a good leader while promising to keep delivering stability and progress. In a speech on state television after the announcement of results, he thanked his supporters and said that now, “the only thing to avoid is violence”. SOURCE
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CRIME
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Europol Invasion Lights Up The Dark Web
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Image Source: Threat Post
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The Story
A Europol-coordinated international operation has reportedly taken down DarkMarket, the world’s largest dark web marketplace.
How did they do it?
DarkMarket was uncovered as part of a larger investigation into the web-hosting company Cyberbunker, which in the past had housed servers for both The Pirate Bay and WikiLeaks. (Cyberbunker is actually located in a former NATO bunker.) Another dark marketplace, Wall Street Market, met a similar fate in 2020 during a different European investigation.
What did they find?
German law enforcement arrested the Australian man believed to have operated the illegal site and seized 20 servers that hosted it. Before its closure DarkMarket had nearly 500,000 users and facilitated over 320,000 transactions, trading everything from drugs and counterfeit money to stolen credit card details and malware.
How much are the transactions worth?
It’s estimated the site traded the equivalent of €140 million (over $170 million) in a mix of bitcoin and monero. European authorities plan to use seized DarkMarket servers from Ukraine and Moldova to investigate the buyers and sellers who used the site for criminal transactions. SOURCE
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INTERNATIONAL
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Knock, Knock, WHO knocks on China's door
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Image Source: AP News
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The Story World Health Organization experts are in China to do some digging.
What about?
The origins of COVID-19. It's been more than a year since the virus that brought the world to a standstill was first reported in Wuhan, central China. Ideally, when there's an outbreak like this, independent epidemiologists can swoop in ASAP to figure out what went wrong. The goal: to come up with recs to make sure it doesn't happen again. But this time is different.
What do you mean?
China has resisted an international probe. It doesn't exactly love being known as the place the virus was first identified. Instead, the government has peddled theories that the virus came from outside the country. Meanwhile, President Trump has pushed a theory that the virus was released from a Wuhan lab. Experts believe the virus likely originated in bats and passed through another animal before jumping to humans. And they think it happened in a Wuhan wet market, where live animals are sold. But the Chinese government has made it hard for independent scientists to verify that.
How so?
Last year, China said 'nope' to Australia's request to let outside experts in to investigate. After 110 countries chimed in to say 'no really we want an investigation,' China finally agreed. In July, they let in just two WHO experts...but they were reportedly barred from entering Wuhan. China was supposed to let in a team of experts earlier this month...but at the last minute, it denied them visas. Now, 13 WHO investigators have been allowed in – still less than the full team the WHO expected. After two weeks in quarantine, they'll be able to do their research.
And what does that entail?
Looking at evidence and samples. Also, interviewing people from the wet market, hospitals, and research facilities. But Beijing has insisted their work be overseen by Chinese scientists. And it's hard to say how much access the international experts will have. Some fear that China's actions are undermining what should have been an entirely independent investigation. But scientists are still hopeful that even if they can't ID patient zero, they'll make headway in understanding how the virus first spread. The process could take months or longer.
Investigation to prevent re-occurence
Since its origins, COVID-19 has spread to every single continent, killing hundreds of thousands of people, isolating millions more, and shutting down entire industries. With the rollout of vaccines, there's hope we will one day emerge from this. But in order to ensure this never happens again, we need to know what went wrong. SOURCE
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WHAT ELSE IS FRESH...
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Odds clearly favour Fayemi to succeed Buhari—South-West APC spokesman.
AMCON to float international airline with Arik, Aero planes.
Death by prescription: How doctors’ sloppy handwriting causes avoidable drug dispensing errors.
Gunmen kill two female Supreme Court judges.
Envoys’ list: Buhari posts ex-ministers to UK, Spain, Emenike to US.
Nigerian footballer Asisat Oshoala announces ‘mother’s death’.
Kwara partners Lagos on agric, unveil 10-year transformation plan.
Sanwo-Olu orders police to impound vehicles with covered number plate.
WhatsApp delays new privacy policy as users flee to rival apps.
Oil giant splits from powerful lobbying group over climate change.
China brings its cruel crackdown on Uighur advocates to the U.S.
South Africa struggles against ‘relentless’ COVID-19 surge.
Laschet becomes leader of Merkel’s CDU party.
Scores Of Current And Former Military Probed In Extremism Cases.
DRC honours Patrice Lumumba 60 years after his assassination.
Australia may not open borders in 2021, even with vaccines.
Biden to reverse Trump’s Muslim ban on inauguration day.
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PICKS OF THE DAY
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Physics explains why time passes faster as you age. QZ
How They Made a Vaccine So Fast. Lifehacker
Why Some People Are Always Running Late. BBC Worklife
The AI Girlfriend Seducing China’s Lonely Men. Sixth Tone
She Was Demoted, Doubted and Rejected. Now, Her Work Is the Basis of the Covid-19 Vaccine. CNN
How Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Sword Metaphor Can Help Leaders Sharpen Their Persuasive Edge. Forbes
The World's Oldest Animal Paintings Are on This Cave Wall. Scientific American
How to Begin Writing Your Lead-Generating Non-Fiction Book. Entrepreneur
Why you’re feeling unmotivated and how to deal with it. Fast Company
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TODAY'S TRIVIA
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African History Quiz
1. Which is the largest city in Africa?
A. Cairo
B. Lagos
C. Accra
2. Which state in Africa is most populous?
A. Egypt
B. Morocco
C. Nigeria
3. The capital of Cameroon is:
A. Freetown
B. Yaounde
C. Zanzibar
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QUESTION & ANSWER
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QUORA QUESTION:
What is something that almost nobody knows about Switzerland?
Ray Lancaster
- The Swiss have a bizarre relationship with the concept of humility. I lost count a long time ago of the number of Swiss colleagues I had who were in jobs they hated but who didn’t dare approach the departments they truly wanted to work for. This would, according to them, have been too arrogant. So they wasted years hoping that someone in that department would ‘notice’ them.
- This is a beautiful, well-kept, well-educated, highly organised country. Crime is lower than elsewhere and the unemployment rate, which the Swiss calculate with a tighter scope than elsewhere, is perceived to be much lower than its neighbours’. That doesn’t stop alcoholism, suicide, drug consumption, over-50s unemployment and CO2 emissions from being significant concerns here too.
- Improvisation isn’t part of the culture. Suddenly saying ‘how about a quick drink?’ at the end of a working day won’t attract many takers. This is because Swiss people are fully booked. I remember asking a colleague in Zurich a few years ago if he’d fancy a drink after work. It was no big deal. Thirty minutes at most. He answered ‘Yes, sure’, took out his phone and suggested a date three weeks into the future. Then came the killer: ‘But I’ll only have time for one round’.
- Maintaining appearances is a big deal in Switzerland. Something that is clean or organised also has to look that way. Take begging, for example. Beyond safety and compassion, appearances need to be included in the reasons why you’ll rarely see people asking for money on the streets of this nation. Yes, Switzerland has its poor, too. I first became personally aware of this when I got into a conversation with a doctor in one of Switzerland’s sparkling ski resorts. He explained that he had to deal with the health consequences of imbalanced eating habits among elderly people struggling to get by on the basic state pension (AVS). Switzerland’s official poverty (“precarity”) rate in 2019 is higher than 8% of the population.
- The Swiss take themselves seriously and humour of any kind isn’t expected in everyday life. This is why the Swiss tend to check after a joke or a quip that you understood they were trying to be funny. The fact that you didn’t smile or laugh anyway is treated as insufficient evidence. More generally, although Switzerland has a few brilliant comedians (e.g. Yann Lambiel, Jean-Louis Droz, Joseph Gorgoni, Emil Steinberger), Swiss humour is mostly a contradiction in terms. SOURCE
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TRIVIA ANSWER
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African History Quiz Answers
1. Which is the largest city in Africa?
A. Cairo
2. Which state in Africa is most populous?
C. Nigeria
3. The capital of Cameroon is:
B. Yaounde
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