₦airaland Forum

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Beatrice Chebet of Kenya set a world record in the 10,000 meters at the Prefontaine Classic meet on Saturday, finishing in 28 minutes, 54.14 seconds.

Chebet bested the previous record of 29.01.03 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey at FBK Stadium in the Netherlands on June 8, 2021.

Chebet finished ahead of Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who finished in 29:05.92 in cloudy and cool temperatures at Eugene’s Hayward Field.

Chebet started to pull away with three laps to go, then poured herself into the final lap.

“My body was responding good and I felt strong,” she said. “I felt like I was very comfortable.”

It was her first 10,000 race since 2020 in Nairobi.

Chebet, 24, won the silver medal at the 5,000 meters at the world championships at Hayward Field in 2022. She won the bronze in the event at the worlds last year in Budapest.

The finish qualified her for her first Olympics this summer in Paris. She said Saturday she hopes to double in the 5,000 and 10,000.

“But my target is to run 5,000 first, then 10,000 comes second,” she said. “Because this is my first 10,000 outside the country to run, and I’m so happy to run 28, a world record.”

The Prefontaine Classic is the lone American stop on the international Diamond League series.

https://apnews.com/article/beatrice-chebet-kenya-world-record-7fd0d865f16689882834c8d36562eb2d

Apus:
Oyinbo too get wahala.

What is the point domesticating wild reptiles?

Gator "wings."

MrBrownJay1:
IMHO very easy job and not dangerous at all... he only walks into the pit where there is the baby crocodile (which are harmless) but he stays well outside of the pit with the ADULT CROCODILES (which are deadly)

They can climb.

May 23 (Reuters) - An Exxon Mobil-led oil consortium may need to decide by October whether it will go ahead and develop a large natural gas find off the coast of Guyana, the country's vice president said on Thursday.

The government has been pressing for a bonanza from mostly untapped gas reserves found by the Exxon-led (XOM.N), opens new tab group. The consortium, which includes Hess Corp (HES.N), opens new tab and CNOOC Ltd (0883.HK), opens new tab, is required under its production agreement to return to the government by October about 20% of its massive Stabroek block if that area remains undeveloped.

Exxon has said it hopes to complete an appraisal of the gas findings by early next year and is considering how to best commercialize the natural gas. An October deadline for relinquishing untapped gas areas may require it to make a decision sooner.

That 20% of the undeveloped Stabroek area might include the group's Haimara discovery, where it mostly found natural gas, Guyana Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said on Thursday during a media briefing in Georgetown.

"We have had some discussions with Exxon and told them that if they are not going to work on it, they have to relinquish. They did some studies and said they might be able to move forward with the project," Jagdeo said.

Exxon is in discussions with Guyana over what areas will be relinquished and has not concluded whether the gassy areas are among them, a company spokesperson said. The consortium’s exploration agreement runs through 2027, the spokesperson added.

Haimara, the group's 12th finding of oil and gas in the country, was announced in 2019. Exxon has said the Haimara-1 well found approximately 207 feet (63 meters) of a high-quality, gas-condensate bearing sandstone reservoir.

There could be up to 16 trillion cubic feet of associated gas in Exxon's areas, Jagdeo said, citing Exxon accounts.

He had said in February that Guyana wanted another international developer to participate in developing the gas project. Guyana is moving ahead to select a company that could develop the project, which it estimates will require between $10 billion and $15 billion in investment.

"We tested the market. We went out for expressions of interest and had some really good, strong firms with good credentials saying, 'We believe there is a viable project and we want to work on it,'" he added, without identifying the firms.

The cabinet must approve the company selected and once approved, that firm would be cleared to initiate talks with Exxon over a project to monetize the gas reserves.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/guyana-says-it-could-reallocate-gas-areas-if-exxon-does-not-move-project-forward-2024-05-24/

1. Be prepared to do a lot of research.
2. Ignore agents promising you all kinds of nonsense.
3. Think about why you want to do it and if that's what you really want. Would you be better served by starting a business? Are you looking for what you see as an easy solution? Do you really want to sell everything you have and start over? Are things as bad as you think? Etc. Because you don't want to end up back home worse off.
4. Think about your experience, education, and training. You don't want to put yourself in a situation where it's much harder to establish yourself because you're unprepared. Consider more training.
5. Going abroad isn't cheap, so consider how much you have saved to do it, how much you can quickly get, and how much you can save. Get an estimate of that. Maybe look at what you can get together in a year or two.
6. Consider nearby countries because it's an overall cheaper and easier process. For example, some people are happy with running a business in Senegal or Cote D'Ivoire.
7. Research US, Canada, and western European countries. These are the most solid options. Other places are high risk. Look at the visa options and see what requirements you meet, and if you have the funds.

Kenya's highways authority and US infrastructure investment manager Everstrong Capital have signed a $3.6 billion agreement to build a 440 km highway between the capital and port city Mombasa, the company said on Thursday.

A bigger highway between Mombasa and Nairobi has been on the wish list of successive governments aiming to ease congestion on the busy road to and from the port.

"The project anticipates attracting investments totalling $3.6 billion, sourced from international investors, development agencies, pension funds and an exceptionally large number of Kenyan private investors," Everstrong said in its statement.

The deal coincides with Kenyan President William Ruto's visit to the United States, the first such state visit by a leader from Sub-Saharan Africa since 2008.

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business/kenya-us-investment-manager-sign-3-6bn-highway-deal-4633140

I hope no one takes this scammer seriously.

There's nothing in east and south Asia waiting for you except racism and poverty.

West Asia is a toilet, but if (and only if) you can somehow secure a job working for one of the US military contractors on a base, I suppose that's worth it. And that's only because (assuming everything is absolutely legit) you have the protection and oversight of US military. In addition to that, you make high pay because you're in the middle of nowhere.

On Thursday, May 9th, the US Embassy in Guyana reported that two U.S. Navy aircraft, F/A-18F Super Hornets, embarked on USS George Washington, conducted a coordinated and approved flyover over Georgetown and its surrounding areas.

“The exercise builds upon our routine security cooperation and expanding bilateral defense partnership with Guyana.” the Embassy said in a release.

Furthermore, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington and Carrier Strike Group Ten are in the region as part of a two-month transit to the Pacific.

In a statement, the Guyanese government confirmed the flyover, stating, “The Government of Guyana approved the flyover of two F/A-18F Super Hornets of the United States Navy in Georgetown (…) on May 9, 2024.” It was further explained that the exercise is part of the defense cooperation agreement between Guyana and the United States, aimed at enhancing security within the ongoing cooperation program between the two countries.

The flyover of the US aircraft comes amidst the ongoing territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela over the Essequibo region, which led both countries to present their arguments before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in April.

General Vladimir Padrino López, Defense Minister of the Nicolás Maduro regime, strongly denounced Thursday’s military exercise, stating, “The Bolivarian National Armed Forces vehemently reject these repeated provocations by the Southern Command, sponsored by the government of Guyana, which has assumed the role of a new American colony. Our Comprehensive Aerospace Defense System remains activated against any attempt to violate Venezuelan geographical space, including our Essequibo Territory. Alerts!” This sentiment was echoed by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, who asserted that the flyover threatened the “peace zone” agreed upon between Maduro and President Irfaan Ali.

In February of this year, the US government announced an increase in its urgent military aid to Guyana, as Venezuela threatens to seize a large part of the country’s territory claimed as its own. In this context, Washington pledged to assist Guyana in acquiring new aircraft, helicopters, a fleet of military drones, and, for the first time, radar technology.

https://defence-blog.com/us-fighter-jets-over-guyana-send-clear-message-to-venezuela/

Google said on Thursday it will build a fiber optic cable to connect Africa and Australia. Named Umoja (a Swahili word meaning “unity”), one end of the cable will start in Kenya and pass through Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa (with access points for the countries) before crossing the Indian Ocean to the land down under.

Google says the project is designed to “increase digital connectivity, accelerate economic growth, and deepen resilience across Africa.” In addition to the cable itself, the company says it will work with the Kenyan government to boost cybersecurity, data-driven innovation, digital upskilling and responsibly and safely deploying AI.

Umoja will join Equiano, Google’s private undersea cable running between Portugal and South Africa (with pitstops in other nations).

Google says the new route is critical to strengthen network resilience in the region, which has a history of “high-impact outages.” In other words, more network redundancy makes outages less catastrophic to the area’s broadband infrastructure.

“The new intercontinental fiber optic route will significantly enhance our global and regional digital infrastructure,” Kenyan President William Ruto wrote about the initiative in a Google blog post. “This initiative is crucial in ensuring the redundancy and resilience of our region’s connectivity to the rest of the world, especially in light of recent disruptions caused by cuts to sub-sea cables. By strengthening our digital backbone, we are not only improving reliability but also paving the way for increased digital inclusion, innovation, and economic opportunities for our people and businesses.”

https://www.engadget.com/google-plans-to-run-a-fiber-optic-cable-from-kenya-to-australia-191744476.html

After Morocco staged what was arguably the best-organised Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in 2022, this year’s edition, set to be played in the same country, was expected to be a significant step in raising the profile of the women’s game in the continent. If, that is, it goes ahead.

With the credible performances of South Africa, Nigeria and Morocco at last year’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand – all three teams reaching the last 16 – this year’s tournament is expected to be the most keenly contested since its inception in 1998.

Defending champions South Africa, Nigeria (the record nine-time winners), Morocco, Zambia, Ghana, Tunisia, Mali, Algeria, Senegal, DR Congo, Botswana and Tanzania are the 12 qualified teams.

“With the biggest players in the women’s football transfer market coming from Africa [Racheal Kundananji and Barbra Banda from Zambia, and Asisat Oshoala from Nigeria], this is the must-watch Wafcon,” says Kenyan football writer Julia Wanjeri. “Women’s football is drawing monumental audiences across the globe, including Africa. This is the Wafcon to maximise interest.”

However, despite all the heightened expectations, this year’s edition is in serious danger of being cancelled for the second time in four years – the first being in 2020, as a result of the Covid pandemic – because the competition has no fixed date in this year’s international match calendar.

A football association president of one of the 12 participating nations, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Guardian that the speculation coming from the hosts – recently given the right to host the U-17 Women’s World Cup for five successive years, from 2025-29 – and the Confederation of African Football (Caf) is that it will be shelved.

“When the Wafcon has no date in the match calendar, I do not see how a tournament is possible,” the FA president said. “The international match calendar is planned way in advance. You cannot fix a tournament into the year just like that. Our players feature for clubs across the world. They won’t agree to release players for a tournament that has not been planned for. It is unacceptable that Caf did not deal with this issue for nearly two years.”

Patrice Motsepe, Caf’s president, was unable to tell this reporter, on the eve of the kick-off of this year’s men’s Africa Cup of Nations, staged in Ivory Coast, when the the women’s tournament will take place. Nor was the South African able to explain why its scheduling has been unresolved for two years since the tournament was awarded to Morocco in August 2022.

Meanwhile, Caf said in a statement to the Guardian, it is trying to find a “winnable solution” to the problem.

“The Women’s Afcon was scheduled for June – but we have [the 2024 Paris] Olympics,” said spokesperson Luxolo September. “Secondly, the January 2024 window for women’s competitions wasn’t possible for Caf, for obvious reasons. Caf is currently engaging all involved stakeholders to find a winnable solution for this.”

Caf’s explanation , however, cuts no ice with many in the women’s football community, including Wanjeri. “That we are knee-deep into a Wafcon year with no dates is preposterous. It would be such a wasted opportunity if the continent, with some of the world’s best players, does not press play when the world is all eyes and ears.”

A head coach of one of the qualified teams is considering her future and looking for another job with cancellation looming. “If we don’t have a Wafcon to play this year, we may not have any competitive games for up to 12 months. I do not know how, as a coach, I can stay with my present team in such conditions. I don’t want to sit on my hands doing nothing. I need to be active,” she said.

Isha Johansen, the Fifa council member from Sierra Leone who also sits on the Caf executive committee, says the continent’s federation is doing its best to find a solution. “Of what benefit would it be to Caf for our women’s Nations Cup not to be held, especially after such a successful men’s tournament?” she says.

Sources within Caf disagree with Johansen and accuse the continental body’s administrative arm, headed by Véron Mosengo-Omba, its general secretary, of not taking Wafcon seriously. “Twelve national teams are waiting for a decision to be made, so they can make a preparation plan, arrange friendly matches and get sponsors or partners. This would never happen for the Afcon. We have only one national team competition for women and it is treated like this,” one said.

Clearly, these are troubled times for the women’s game in Africa, with uncertainty shrouding its leading competition.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/apr/04/africa-female-players-excelling-no-wafcon-2024-would-be-travesty-moving-the-goalposts

qtguru:
Reminder that men are nicer, romantic and caring than women

Um, what?

Speaking to our Correspondent, a 35-year-old nurse working in a private facility described how unwanted solicitations for sex by her superior officers forced her out of job in two hospitals she worked with.

No fewer than 39 lecturers in the nation’s tertiary institutions have been indicted and dismissed over sexual misconduct in the past five years, analysis of media reports by The PUNCH has revealed.

Sexual harassment has been recurring in Nigerian higher educational institutions with a survey conducted in 2018 by the World Bank Group’s Women revealing that 70 per cent of female graduates from tertiary institutions in the country were sexually harassed in school, with the main perpetrators being classmates and lecturers.

I've heard lots of people play the kora, most using the traditional approach. And that's wonderful. But it's great to hear someone do something a little different.

Ladies and gentlemen, Abou Diarra:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFEhrDChg4w

Also, Zoumana Diarra on the ngoni:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rWHtiYtkWA

Bro

This guy could make a movie about anything, and this is the filth he chooses?

cezarman:
Brazil... Transgender capital of the world.

Nah. That would probably be all of west, south, and southeast Asia. Those people actually think it's normal.

aariwa:
exactly…racists fight dirty and brutally because of that deep ...

It's not hatred. Hatred stems from a wrong motivating it. These people are mentally ill and/or r3t4rded because their feelings have no logical reason. They're like animals with rabies.

I want black people to start using different terms to describe these things. Just that simple choice of language can distort what's really happening, and then that language shapes our views, discussions, and actions.

ExxonMobil and its partners have made an oil discovery at Block 15 offshore Angola, while drilling the exploration well located in the Kizomba B development area.

The discovery was made while drilling the Likembe-01 well in Block 15, operated by ExxonMobil, in partnership with Azule Energy, Equinor and Sonangol.

Drilled between the months of February and April 2024, the well is located at a water depth of 1,200 meters, having crossed reservoirs of Miocene age and reaching a final depth of 3,013 meters, within the perimeter of the Kizomba B development area.

The Likembe-01 exploration well is the first well drilled within the scope of the preliminary agreements of the incremental production project, which aims to provide incentives to investors to produce additional volumes in concessions currently in production, such as fundamental strategy for the sustainable development of the Angolan oil sector, according to the country’s National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG).

Under the supervision of the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas (MIREMPET), ANPG has been working towards obtaining approval by the executive of the incremental production project in line with development objectives sustainability and improvement of operational efficiency in the petroleum sector.

On May 13, ANPG and ExxonMobil have signed a letter of agreement to boost research in the Block 15, which aims to encourage investors to drill more exploration wells, safeguarding cost recovery within the scope of the incremental production project.

The incremental production project is a strategy that aims to maximize the recovery of hydrocarbons in the oil concessions in production, located in the maritime zone of Angola, which involves adding new oil and expanding the economic attractiveness of new projects in mature fields and areas not yet developed.

https://www.oedigital.com/news/513721-exxonmobil-strikes-oil-offshore-angola

In case you missed this post:

Cousin9999:
French is pretty easy. You can reach proficiency quickly. Stick with your classes and you should be fine.

Also, use these (download them):
The Penguin French Phrasebook
by Henri Orteu, Jill Norman, and Silva De Benedictis

Schaum's Outline of French Grammar, Seventh Edition
by Mary E. Coffman Crocker

Also, these videos are good (download them):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc02URV59Pw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWh0OfT_XAA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNOieAxSTVc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HpK8g2Ij3Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfn2LW5sYLc

Côte d’Ivoire’s gold sector has long held promise. Its neighbours Burkina Faso, Mali and Ghana have substantial reserve and geologists have often suggested that similarly rich deposits were plausible in Côte d’Ivoire too.

On 2 May, Canadian-headquartered Montage Gold announced that its Koné project, in the northwestern departments of Kani and Dianra, as the largest gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire and the third largest mine of its kind in West Africa. The mine has reserves of around 5 million ounces and is due to start production in 2027.

“If the estimates are accurate, this would enable the country to increase its yearly national gold production by roughly 20% once the project is underway. This could have significant repercussions on government revenues in the long term”, says Bryon Cabrol, Sub-Saharan African analyst at Dragonfly Intelligence.

The discovery is big news for Côte d’Ivoire, whose economy was for many years dominated by cocoa production.

Read more here: https://african.business/2024/05/resources/cote-divoire-strikes-gold-again-in-timely-boost-for-ouattara

cococandy:
I just eat the sugar snap peas straight off the vine with some peanut butter. So good

I've never heard of that one. I'll have to try it.

She doesn't have to stay there forever, so why even worry about that? How old is she?

Generalmerchant:
I think what you are describing is Travel Nursing.

Travel nurses travel throughout a state and across the country working temporarily in hospitals and medical facilities that have shortages.

What I'm describing is going to tiny places in the middle of nowhere with limited infrastructure and doing nursing work for months or longer.

Travel nurses make good money, but based on everything I've seen, remote nurses make far more and make it in months, not a year.

Delete this scam thread.

I'm not telling you which to go for because it's really personal preference. But here's random info on both.

Baltimore:
- It's a mostly black city, not many whites, hispanics, and asians. That's a great thing.
- It's a small city, not uncomfortably so, but still small.
- Its immigrant population is kinda small.
- Very affordable. And seems like a good area to invest in real estate. It's a desirable enough place with things going on and improving, so buying some super cheap property could really pay off down the line. But I think you would have to know your way around carpentry and etc. or know someone you can trust.
- DMV or really DC/Bmore has their own vibe, culture, music going on. You won't be bored, and you can get a decent meal.
- Bmore people (DMV people in general) seem super proud of their city in a good way. Good energy.
- You're not too far from DC, Philadelphia, and even NYC. Both during and after completing your studies, there's a lot of opportunities there, especially if your PHD is in STEM. However, the green card issue may present challenges. But it should be far easier to access opportunities from that base than from somewhere in the real south.
- Busing and light rail is decent and usable, but coverage isn't amazing.
- When someone says an area is "dangerous," it usually means one of three things:
1.) Some oyinbo is talking nonsense because the area has a large black population.
2.) There are dangerous neighborhoods and/or streets, but if you simply don't go there or avoid them at night, you'll be fine. And if you don't associate with criminals, you won't find yourself in these situations.
3.) If you're walking through a safe area, and turn left, you're in the bad area. If you turn left again, it's safe, but if you walk a few feet forward, you're in danger again. Some consider Baltimore one of these places, others consider it number 2.
- Some people say that you'll be fine in Bmore if you keep your head on swivel and try not to look like an easy target. Now, some people are okay with that lifestyle for one reason or another. But living like that isn't for everyone.
- It's still technically the south. That's not really a good thing. However, people in the DMV are much more educated and progressive than probably anywhere else in the south.


Florida:
- Despite all the transplants, it's the south. Like, very south. Not a good thing.
- Full of racist Cubans, rednecks, and some central and south Americans. This will negatively impact your career and quality of life.
- The job market isn't that great, especially when you're dealing with a bunch of racists, and a bunch of illegals that will work for crumbs. People are also flocking to the area, so that creates strain.
- At lot of the people piling into Florida are racists attracted to the racist government.
- There are tons of family vacation things there, especially for people with young kids. There's also tons of quiet suburbs and decent schools.
- Florida has a fair reputation for having a lot of criminals and trashy people.
- Florida used to be cheap, but costs are rising. You can still consider it affordable though.
- Florida used to be the go-to for retirees because it was super cheap, and has the beaches and sunshine. But now retired people are having to go back to work because of rising costs.
- It's so humid that you have to run AC all day like you would have to run heat all day in the north.
- There are lots of black Caribbean immigrants, and this is probably the best thing about the area. Lots of beautiful, educated women. And they'd be happy to marry a PHD. Just saying.
- It's the real south, it's sunny and coastal, and it's full of black Caribbean people, so you'll have no problem finding fresh, healthy food, and decent restaurants.
- There's palm trees everywhere and nice beaches. If nothing else, it's pretty and can feel very relaxing. There's also a lot of crisp new construction, so you won't see a bunch of cr4ckhouses like you would in some parts of this country.
- Women go to Miami to have fun and go to large events. So it's another reason you won't have trouble meeting beautiful women. And again, that PHD will help you.
- There are opportunities in Florida, but I don't think the job market has as much for a PHD as the DMV, Philadelphia, and certainly not NYC. I believe a lot of the jobs in Florida are service, tourism, medical, and real estate.
- Florida has a reputation for diploma mills. You would have to be concerned, especially as an immigrant, about people questioning your credentials, and about the quality of education you're receiving.
- Hurricanes are a concern in Florida, and climate change is increasing frequency and severity. But there are plenty of people who live there and throughout the Caribbean who don't really care or worry about them.
- You're going to be driving a lot to do anything. You can't just run to the corner store and buy some bread, milk, and eggs like you can in Bmore.
- Miami has great clubs, parties, and events. All of Florida has plenty of fun stuff. You won't be bored.

The Wagadu Chronicles, which was originally funded via a Kickstarter campaign and funding from the now-shuttered Riot Forge, is shutting down after about six months in Early Access.

Developer Twin Drums’ Allan Cudicio announced the closure on the game's Kickstarter page, citing the current tough environment for games funding for the closure and, ultimately they just don’t have the resources to keep going on the 5e MMORPG, which will shut down on May 18th.

“Over the past few months, Twin Drums has been fighting to stay financially afloat. Despite our best efforts, we've reached the end of the line” the update (h/t MOP) says. When they began their campaign, “the world looked very different—COVID-19 was unheard of, inflation wasn't making headlines, and funding for gaming was on the rise”.

The Wagadu Chronicles released in Early Access back in December. While the design goals and ideas were ambitious, with an intentionally diverse team offering a variety of customization options and inclusion of real African crops and other cultural inspiration, there was still a ways to go, and that chapter seems to be over now.

When it comes to Kickstarter backer rewards, all digital rewards have been sent,, but the team will be unable to deliver on promised printed rewards. “we are unable to provide the printed books and art to those who pledged for them”. Cudicio invites feedback over any of these decisions via the update.

Among the digital Kickstarter rewards that were delivered were a 7th Era D& compatible setting book, a Guide for Afrofantasy, an artbook, and Early Access for the MMO.

https://www.mmorpg.com/news/the-wagadu-chronicles-will-shut-down-after-six-months-in-early-access-some-kickstarter-rewards-unfulfilled-2000131461

This project really should be saved. Hopefully, they find investors and/or people decide to work on the project free.

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