₦airaland Forum

The wife of Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang says she was sexually assaulted by an obstetrician while she was pregnant with the couple’s first child.

Evelyn Yang said in an interview televised Thursday by CNN that the assault happened in 2012 and that she was initially afraid to tell anyone. She and 31 other women are now suing the doctor and the hospital system, saying they conspired and enabled the crimes.

Yang said she was encouraged to speak out after seeing the positive reception she and her husband had been getting on the campaign trail by being open about their son’s autism.

“Something about being on the trail and meeting people and seeing the difference that we’ve been making already has moved me to share my own story about it, about sexual assault,” she told CNN.

Yang said she first began seeing Dr. Robert Hadden in New York in early 2012. As the months went on, Yang said, Hadden began asking her inappropriate questions about her sexual activity and spent more time conducting examinations.

When she was seven months pregnant, Yang said, she believed her appointment was done and she was getting ready to leave when the doctor told her abruptly that he thought she might need a cesarean section. She said Hadden pulled her to him and undressed her, then used his fingers to examine her internally.

“I knew it was wrong. I knew I was being assaulted,” she said.

But Yang said she “just kind of froze” and didn’t react. “I remember trying to fix my eyes on a spot on the wall and just trying to avoid seeing his face as he was assaulting me, just waiting for it to be over,” she told CNN.

After the doctor left the room, she left the practice and didn’t return.

Hadden’s lawyer has denied Yang’s allegations in legal filings. His attorney declined a request to be interviewed by CNN.

Yang said she initially didn’t tell anyone what had happened to her. She said she blamed herself, thinking she must have done something to “invite this kind of behavior.”

Months later, after the couple’s son was born, Yang got a letter in the mail saying Hadden had left the practice. Curious, she looked him up online and saw that another woman had made a police report accusing him of assaulting her.

She said she realized then that she wasn’t to blame for his actions. “This was a serial predator, and he just picked me as his prey,” she told CNN. She said only then was she able to reveal the abuse to her husband.

In a statement Thursday, Andrew Yang said he was “proud” of his wife and no one deserves to be treated as she was.

“When victims of abuse come forward, they deserve our belief, support, and protection,” Yang said. “I hope that Evelyn’s story gives strength to those who have suffered and sends a clear message that our institutions must do more to protect and respond to women.”

He later tweeted, “I love my wife very very much.”

Evelyn Yang said several women came forward with similar stories about Hadden, and she learned the Manhattan district attorney’s office had an open case against him.

In 2016, she said, the DA’s office agreed to a deal with Hadden in which he pleaded guilty to one count of forcible touching and one count of third-degree sexual assault. He also lost his medical license and had to register as the lowest level of sex offender.

Yang said she felt betrayed by the plea deal, which allowed the doctor to avoid jail. The counts he pleaded to didn’t involve her case, she said.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement to CNN, “Because a conviction is never a guaranteed outcome in a criminal trial, our primary concern was holding him accountable and making sure he could never do this again — which is why we insisted on a felony conviction and permanent surrender of his medical license.”

Yang and 31 other women are now suing Columbia University, where Hadden worked, along with its affiliates and the doctor itself, saying they “actively concealed, conspired, and enabled” Hadden’s crimes, according to CNN.

The lawsuit claims that medical assistants who worked with the doctor knew of the abuse but didn’t intervene because of a power imbalance and lack of training, CNN said.

Hadden has denied the additional allegations in court papers, CNN reported. Columbia University and the hospital system are fighting the lawsuit on procedural grounds, according to CNN.

A university spokeswoman told CNN in response to a detailed list of questions that the accusations are “abhorrent” and they “deeply apologize to those whose trust was violated.”

-AP
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/entertainment/how-doctor-sexually-assaulted-andrew-yangs-wife/

You may think that using artificial sweeteners, such as NutraSweet (aspartame) and Splenda (sucralose) is healthier than eating sugar, but emerging evidence suggests these chemicals may be worse for you in terms of metabolism, gut bacteria, and appetite, says Dr. Chauncey Crandall.

For instance, studies found that people who drink artificially sweetened diet soda gained weight and suffered a greater risk of metabolic syndrome, which can be a precursor to diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

But only seven of the studies were randomized controlled trials (the gold standard in clinical research). Those involved 1,003 people followed for six months on average.

The trials did not show a constant effect on weight loss, but the longer ones found that use of artificial sweeteners led to higher risks of weight gain and obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues.

Millions of people use artificial sweeteners every day, under the impression that they are reducing their health risks. The possibility that they may actually be increasing their risks is worrisome.

Instead of sweeteners, eat sweet foods that don’t require sugar or artificial sweeteners, like berries and whole fresh fruits, or even dried fruits — but only in modest amounts, as these foods do metabolize as sugar.

If you want to sweeten foods like oatmeal or Greek yogurt, use a tiny bit of maple syrup or honey instead.

-Medix Health

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/beware-of-artificial-sweeteners/

By Emeka Nze

Employees of Chevron Nigeria Limited have called off the industrial action embarked upon since mid December 2019 over enhanced remuneration package.

The workers embarked upon the strike after negotiation broke down between the union and management over demand for increased percentage in annual emoluments, including payment of “hand shake” allowance.

“Hand shake” allowance is added to every annual negotiated package to mark the conclusion of each exercise. But Chevron management refused to approve of it this year, leading to disagreement between the workers and the management.

After the intervention of the National Petroleum Investment and Management Services (NAPIMS), a division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the three weeks old strike has been finally called off.

Both the Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Chevron Branch, Jonathan Omare and Sola Adebawo, manager, Media, Chevron confirmed that the disputes have been resolved and the strike called off.

With this resolution, Nigeria has been saved from a possible loss of 350,000 barrels a day, which Chevron currently produces from about 30 fields.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/chevron-workers-call-off-three-weeks-old-strike/

Iran’s statement on Saturday that a Ukrainian passenger plane was downed by a missile fired unintentionally followed growing pressure from abroad but also at home, and for some Iranians, the authorities’ expressions of condolence were not enough.

For days, Iran had denied Western accusations it was responsible for Wednesday’s crash soon after take-off from Tehran, in which all 176 people aboard were killed. Authorities said on Saturday that air defenses had been fired in error while on high alert following Iranian missile strikes on U.S. targets in Iraq.

Expressions of condolence over the incident from Supreme Leader and President Hassan Rouhani failed to calm angry Iranians, who used social media to express their outrage against the establishment for concealing the truth.

“It is a national tragedy. The way it was handled and it was announced by the authorities was even more tragic,” said Ali Ansari, a moderate cleric, according to Iran’s semi-official ILNA news agency.

Many Iranians asked why authorities did not close down Tehran’s airport and the country’s airspace at a time when they would have been on alert for retaliation after the missile strikes.

There were no fatalities in those strikes, launched to avenge the Jan. 3 U.S. killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad.

“They were so careful not to kill any American in their revenge for Soleimani. But they did not close the airport? This shows how much this regime cares for Iranians,” said Mira Sedaghati in Tehran by telephone.

An Iranian military statement carried by state media said the Ukrainian plane, which was headed for Kiev, was mistaken for a “hostile target” after it turned toward a sensitive military base of the elite Revolutionary Guards near Tehran, adding that it was a “human error and unintentional”.

“Unintentionally? What does it mean? They concealed this huge tragic news for days just to mourn for Soleimani. Shame on you,” said Reza Ghadyani, in Tabriz city.

The country held three days of funeral processions for Soleimani, who was head of the Revolutionary Guards’ overseas Quds Force and a national hero. Hundreds of thousands of people participated across the country.

Some Iranians called for resignation of officials, dismissing their apologies.

“You took your revenge from Iranians,” tweeted Ahmad Batebi on his @radiojibi Twitter account, in response to Rouhani’s tweet saying that “The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake”.

“Only resignation,” tweeted Sadeq on his @sadeq1367 account.

In a Twitter message on Saturday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif cast some of the blame for the plane disaster on what he called U.S. adventurism.

“It’s the end line Mr. Minister! You ruined everything!,” responded Bita Razaqi on @bitarazaqi.
- Reuters
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/politics/iranians-angry-at-authorities-for-hiding-truth-on-plane-crash/

The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives will send formal impeachment charges against President Donald Trump to the Senate as early as next week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday, setting the stage for his long-awaited trial.

U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks ahead of a House vote on a War Powers Resolution amid the stalemate surrounding the impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump, as she holds her weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 9, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House, has been engaged in a three-week cat-and-mouse game with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell over the rules for Trump’s trial in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Democrats have demanded it include new witness testimony and evidence about the Republican president’s pressuring of Ukraine to probe former Vice President Joe Biden, one of the Democrats running for the right to face Trump in the November election.

McConnell effectively slammed the door shut on that idea this week when he said had enough Republican votes to start the trial without a commitment to hear from additional witnesses, including former Trump national security adviser John Bolton.

During last month’s impeachment debate, the House adopted a rule that allows Democrats to bring up a resolution naming House managers quickly and vote on it after only 10 minutes of debate. That means the House could vote as soon as Tuesday.

Pelosi also accused McConnell of intending to “stonewall” a fair trial by backing legislation to dismiss the abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges against Trump without a proper hearing of the evidence.

“A dismissal is a cover-up and deprives the American people of the truth,” Pelosi said, adding that she would consult with other House Democrats on how to proceed on Tuesday.

The House impeached Trump on Dec. 18 after an investigation sparked by a whistleblower’s complaint about Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. A trial cannot begin until the charges, known formally as articles of impeachment, are transmitted to the Senate.

Trump says he did nothing wrong and has dismissed his impeachment as a partisan bid to undo his 2016 election win.

The trial is expected to lead to Trump’s acquittal before the 2020 presidential election campaign heats up, as no Republicans have voiced support for ousting him from office. A two-thirds majority of the Senate is needed to vote to do that.

FOCUS ON MODERATES

Republicans in Congress have lambasted Pelosi’s approach since the impeachment vote, pointing out that House Democrats claimed it was urgently important to impeach Trump before the December holiday break only to pivot to a delaying strategy.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley accused Pelosi of throwing Congress into “unnecessary chaos,” saying the wait in submitting the impeachment charges would postpone ratification of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

“About time,” McConnell responded when asked about Pelosi’s letter on Friday. McConnell, who has vowed to coordinate the trial with the White House, has said that Pelosi is not within her rights to dictate to the Senate how to conduct the trial.

A McConnell aide declined to say when a resolution spelling out the trial plan might be unveiled.

Democrats are now focusing their attention on winning over Republican Senators Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski as potential allies during the trial, with the hope that capturing them could spur other Republicans to abandon Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that Democrats would force votes during the trial to have the new witnesses, including Bolton, testify and for new evidence to be submitted.

Bolton, who was fired by Trump in September, said on Monday he was willing to testify, although the White House could object.

Other witnesses during the House impeachment investigation testified that Bolton strongly objected to an effort by Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to pressure Ukraine’s government outside of regular diplomatic channels, with one saying Bolton referred to the arrangement as a “drug deal.”

Congressional investigators believe Bolton objected to Trump’s decision to delay $390 million in military aid to Ukraine and could elaborate on that, a Senate aide told Reuters this week.

-Reuters

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/trump-impeachment-process-begins-in-senate/

Oil slipped further towards $65 a barrel on Friday as tensions in the Middle East over Iran eased for now and investors focused on rising U.S. inventories and other signs of ample supply.

Iran responded to a U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general on Jan. 3 with a missile attack on Iraqi air bases hosting U.S. forces that left no casualties. But a Revolutionary Guards commander said Iran would take “harsher revenge” soon.

“Hostilities may have ended for the time being, but the longer-term risks of conflict have by no means vanished,” said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

“Set against this backdrop, the threat of supply disruptions in the Middle East is very much alive.”

Brent crude LCOc1, the global benchmark, was down 27 cents at $65.10 by 1415 GMT, and was heading for its first weekly decline in six weeks, down over 4%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 slipped 33 cents to $59.23.

Also adding pressure, U.S. government data on Friday showed job growth slowed more than expected in December. Brent is now below where it was before the U.S. drone strike killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3.

“There has been some de-escalation, but the return of risk is still there,” said Olivier Jakob, oil analyst at Petromatrix.

“The closing hours of Friday are traditionally filled by short-covering due to the impossibility to react during the weekend.”

Still, there has been no disruption to Middle East production as a result of the flare-up in tensions and other indications this week suggest supply is ample.

Crude inventories in the United States rose last week by 1.2 million barrels, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. [EIA/S]

That compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 3.6 million-barrel drop.

“There’s too much supply out there,” a Japan-based based oil executive told Reuters.

In a bid to tackle any build-up of excess supply, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus allies including Russia are embarking on a further cut in production as of Jan. 1 this year.

Industry surveys, including from Reuters, showed that OPEC output declined in December ahead of the new pact. Still, production remains higher than the forecast demand for early 2020, according to some analysts. [OPEC/O]

“The oversupply on the oil market is sizeable,” said Carsten Fritsch, analyst at Commerzbank.

-Reuters
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/crude-oil-price-drops-to-65-as-us-iran-tension-eases/

Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Moqtada al-Sadr
Influential Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Wednesday the crisis Iraq was experiencing is over following de-escalation rhetoric from both Iran and the U.S. and called on militia groups not to carry out attacks.

A new strong Iraqi government able to protect the nation’s sovereignty and independence should be formed in the next 15 days and usher in an early election, the populist cleric said in a statement, adding that Iraqis should still seek to expel foreign troops, however.

“I call on the Iraqi factions to be deliberate, patient, and not to start military actions, and to shut down the extremist voices of some rogue elements until all political, parliamentary and international methods have been exhausted,” he said.

-Reuters
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/us-iran-crisis-over-says-iraq/

An Indian court has set an execution date for four men convicted of the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a student in the capital, Delhi.

Their 23-year-old victim died from her injuries 13 days after she was raped and assaulted on a moving bus.

Lawyers for the men, who are due to be hanged on 22 January, plan to launch last-ditch legal challenges.

The men cannot be executed until the Supreme Court rejects their final challenge, and the Indian president also rejects their mercy petitions. They are yet to file either.

At Tuesday’s hearing, the public prosecutor urged the court to go ahead and issue a death warrant – he argued that not filing the appeals was a delaying tactic.

The victim’s mother – who has previously questioned why the process has taken so long – welcomed the news on Tuesday.

“I am very happy that the court has issued death warrants for all the four convicts today,” she told the BBC. “We have fought the legal battle with a lot of patience for the last more than seven years.

“I finally get justice.”

The incident – which happened on the night of 16 December 2012 – sparked massive protests, global outrage and led to India passing new anti-rape laws.

The victim was dubbed Nirbhaya – the fearless one – by the press, as she could not be named under Indian law.

-BBC

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/four-men-to-die-by-hanging-in-india-over-rape/

By Gbenga Adedayo

The Parish Priest of Catholic Church of Divine Mercy, Lekki 1, Lagos, Reverend Monsignor Paschal Nwaezeapu has advised Nigerians to take charge of their spiritual lives in 2020 through commitment to the word of God to enable them achieve their goals.

He made this remark in his homily he delivered on Sunday, January 5, 2020 entitled, “2020 – My Year of Extraordinary Journey With/To Jesus”.

In the sermon, Nwaezeapu asked the audience: In 2020, do you want to be at the level of “Average” or “Exceptional” in terms of our spiritual lives? As we strive to excel in all areas of our lives (health, finances, career, etc), do we also consider excelling in our spiritual lives?

Quoting Mark 8:36-37,What good is it to anyone to gain the whole world and lose his own self. And what can he offer to buy his own life back? He added that in Matt: 4:4, Jesus answered, “Man cannot live on bread alone, but on every word that God speaks”.

According to the Catholic Priest, no matter where we stand, there is still a step to take towards God. He used the three wise men as models for our spiritual journey in 2020.

Why?

Because God has already called them “wise” men. It implies that if we follow their footsteps, we will be seen as wise in the eyes of God.

What did they do?

1. God revealed a star to them. For some of us God has been calling and revealing himself to us in various ways, but somehow we cannot discern it because we are not open to him. The three wise men discerned God in what they saw and responded swiftly. Some of us actually hear God calling us but our problem is procrastination from one year to the other. The God we serve wants us to respond Now, not later!

2. The wise men encountered obstacles. They were exposed to attacks by brigands.cf Matt:3. They were prepared to carry on at all cost.

3. The wise men made huge sacrifices. They had to step out of their comfort zones. They were kings, comfortable men. They had loved ones, which they left behind to search for Jesus. Are there sacrifices we can/should make this year to make it a year of extraordinary journey with Christ?.

4. They took their time to choose their gifts for the king. Gifts that will be acceptable to him.

5. 3 and 4 above shows their perception of Jesus. What is your own perception of Jesus? What is my perception of Jesus? Is he primary in my life? Is he the center of my life? Is he one to take the remnant? Remnant of my time, my resources, etc?

6. They persevered to the end. They were not deterred by challenges along the way.

7. They prostrated and worshipped the king.

Key Lessons

1. Worship means total trust in him. Can we make a decision to look for Jesus in all the places where he reveals himself to us in 2020?

2. Wise men are those who seek for God despite all the activities that compete with their time and resources. Can we make God the beginning in our scheme of things?

3. We must not allow fear or the love of comfort to prevent us from embarking on this journey.

4. Temptation and distractions will come. Our focus should be on the end result. No retreat, no surrender!

5. This year, we can seek Jesus in various programmers in church – Alfa Course, Life in the Spirit Seminar, Bible class, active participation in pious societies, etc.

6. The Wise men offered Jesus acceptable worship. This year can we strive to offer acceptable worship? Ie worshiping him with our whole heart and mind.

7. They were generous in their offering to Jesus. Can we be generous in giving? The solution to all our problems is in giving. Our problem is in receiving; accumulating for ourselves often lead to greed, covetousness and the likes.

8. The wise men followed the star faithfully to Jesus. Let us follow Jesus to God.

9. The wise men left everything to follow Jesus. c/f Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know what plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans of peace and not for disaster, plans to give you hop in future….

Take note of verse 13 & 14 – When you seek me, you will find me; and when you search for me with all you heart, I will let you find me declares the Lord……

Can we commit to searching for him in 2020 with all our hearts, like the three Wise men?

10. Let us make a decision and tell God how and where we will search for him in an extraordinary way in 2020. Let us come up with individual practical plans that will guide our journey.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/exclusive/how-to-navigate-2020-by-monsignor-paschal-nwaezeapu/

Reynhard Sinaga, a British, has been found guilty of luring 48 men from outside Manchester clubs to his flat, where he drugged and assaulted them – filming the attacks. An “evil serial sexual predator” convicted of 159 sex offences, including 136 rapes, will “never be safe to be released”, a judge has said.

Police say they have evidence Sinaga, 36, who is being named for the first time, targeted at least 190 victims.

The judge ruled his life sentence must include a minimum of 30 years in jail.

Reporting restrictions were also lifted at a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court on Monday, meaning Sinaga could be identified for the first time.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Sinaga was “the most prolific rapist in British legal history”.

The post-graduate student was already serving life, with a minimum term of 20 years, for the offences he was convicted of in two earlier trials, which took place in summer 2018 and last spring.

Across four separate trials, the Indonesian national was found guilty of 136 counts of rape, eight counts of attempted rape, 14 counts of sexual assault, and one count of assault by penetration, against a total of 48 victims.



The sexual predator who waited outside nightclubs
At the hearing, Judge Suzanne Goddard QC said Sinaga “preyed upon young men” who wanted “nothing more than a good night out with their friends”.

“In my judgment you are a highly dangerous, cunning and deceitful individual who will never be safe to be released,” she said – adding that the decision to release prisoners is made by the Parole Board.

Sinaga would wait for men leaving nightclubs and bars before leading them to his flat in Montana House, Princess Street, often with the offer of somewhere to have a drink or call a taxi.

He drugged his victims before assaulting them while they were unconscious. When the victims woke up many of them had no memory of what had happened.

The student, who denied the charges, had claimed all the sexual activity was consensual and that each man had agreed to being filmed while pretending to be asleep – a defence described by the judge as “ludicrous”.

At an earlier sentencing, the judge said she was sure that Sinaga had used a form of date rape drug such as GHB.

In victim impact statements read out in court, one victim said Sinaga had “destroyed a part of my life”, while another said: “I hope he never comes out of prison and he rots in hell.”

“I have periods where I can’t get up and face the day,” another added.

Several victims said the ordeal had had a serious impact on their mental health, with some developing suicidal thoughts.

‘Staggering tally’

Judge Goddard said the “scale and enormity” of Sinaga’s offending meant it was “accurate” for one of his victims to have described him as a monster.

She added that Sinaga had shown “not a jot of remorse” and at times appeared to be “actually enjoying the trial process”.

Following the sentencing, Ian Rushton, from the CPS, said Sinaga was “the most prolific rapist in British legal history” and possibly “in the world”.

“His extreme sense of sexual entitlement almost defies belief and he would no doubt still be adding to his staggering tally had he not been caught,” he said.

He added that he thought Sinaga took “a particular pleasure in preying on heterosexual men”.

Sinaga, who was studying for a PHD at the University of Leeds, carried out his attacks over several years.

The rapist was caught in June 2017 when one victim, who regained consciousness while being assaulted, fought Sinaga off and called the police.

When officers seized Sinaga’s phone they found he had filmed each of his attacks – amounting to hundreds of hours of footage.

The discovery led to the launch of the largest rape inquiry in British history.

Assistant Chief Constable Mabbs Hussain said the true extent of Sinaga’s offending would probably never be known.

“We suspect he’s offended over a period of 10 years,” he said. “The information and evidence we are going from is largely from trophies that he’s collected from the victims of his crimes.”

Investigators traced dozens of victims from the videos using clues found in Sinaga’s Manchester flat, such as stolen phones, ID cards and watches.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said in response to Sinaga’s “truly sickening crimes” she had asked an independent council to prioritise a review into whether controls for drugs like GHB were “tough enough”.

GHB (gammahydroxybutyrate) is a class C drug. Anyone found in possession of it can be imprisoned for up to two years.

Sinaga’s trials took place across 18 months at Manchester Crown Court, resulting in unanimous guilty verdicts on all charges.

Detectives say they have been unable to identify 70 victims and are now appealing for anyone who believes they may have been abused by Sinaga to come forward.

Sinaga’s convictions relate to crimes he committed from January 2015 to June 2017, but police believe he began offending years earlier.

-BBC

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/u-ks-most-dangerous-serial-rapist-jailed-for-life/

In the light of recent controversy generated by the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries, Dr. Daniel Olukoya that Christmas was unbiblical and a date originally set aside by worshippers of the sun, Rev. Fr. Anthony Akinwale, Vice-Chancellor, Dominican University, Ibadan has further explained the essence of Christianity, attributing the controversy to ignorance and lack of exposure to Patrology and rigourous theological formation.

Fr. Anthony Akinwale affirmed that “Sola scriptura—the Bible alone”, was one of the principles of the Reformation according to Martin Luther. Presupposed in that principle is that all there is to be taught and known about Christianity, all there is to be believed, and all that is to be practiced by Christians are contained in the Bible. In other words, the Bible is self-sufficient.

There is no doubt that the Bible teaches us a lot about Christianity. But the Bible does not teach us everything about Christianity. The Bible contains the word of God. But the word of God is not contained by the Bible because, as we learn from the Prologue of John’s Gospel, the word is God himself. God cannot be contained by, that is, limited to a book. Not even the Bible. For this reason, no one can understand Christianity by reading the Bible alone. Whoever wishes to understand Christianity would need to study history of early Christianity. Negligence or ignorance of history is a problem created by the Reformation principle of sola Scriptura. This ignorance combines with Biblical positivism and finds an expression in the gratuitous declaration by Pastor Olukoya of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles that the celebration of Christmas is a pagan practice.

History teaches us that the celebration of Christmas began during the fourth century. The earliest available documented reference to Christmas was by the Chronographer of 354 who noted December 25 as “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun” (Natalis Invicti). At the beginning of his list of martyrs’ anniversaries, a list drawn up in 336, he noted: “December 25: Christ was born in Bethlehem”.

If the list was compiled in 336, the first celebration of Christmas at Rome could be dated the beginning of the 330s. Until then, early Christians observed one feast, and that was the Day of Christ the Lord, the day we call Sunday today. It was a weekly (Sunday) and annual (Easter) celebration of the Passover of the Lord, of his death and resurrection. The celebration on December 25 of his coming in the flesh was initiated to respond to the influence of paganism on early Christians in Rome.

In order to draw Christians away from the pagan feast of the Sun celebrated on December 25, the Church in Rome chose the same December 25, the pagan feast of the Sun, as the day to celebrate the coming of the Son of God. It was to shift attention from paying homage to pagan divinities to paying homage to the Son of God. Pastor Olukoya therefore misrepresents history by confusing the celebration of the birth of the Son of God with the pagan celebration of the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. It is pathetic that a Christian pastor would so misrepresent the history of Christianity. For if a pastor misrepresents Christianity who then will tell its story?

In order to emphasise the contrast between the Christian celebration of the birth of the Son of God and the pagan celebration of the birthday of the Sun, Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, said in a Christmas sermon he delivered in 412: “This is the birthday of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is the anniversary of the day on which Truth sprang out of the earth, and the Day of Day was born to bring light to our day. It is a day we ought to celebrate; let us rejoice and take delight in it” (Sermon 184).

In another Christmas sermon, delivered between 412 and 416, the Bishop of Hippo spoke in the same vein: “When we speak of Christmas, we mean the day on which the Wisdom of God manifested Itself as a speechless babe and the Word of God was heard in the voice of humankind when it cannot yet utter words….

“With due solemnity, therefore, do we celebrate the anniversary of the day on which were fulfilled the words of the prophecy: ‘Truth is sprung out of the earth, and justice has looked down from heaven.’ The Truth which abides in the bosom of the Father, is sprung out of the earth to dwell also in the bosom of a mother. The Truth which contains the world, is sprung out of the earth to be borne in the hands of a woman. The Truth which is the food of incorruption for the angels, is sprung out of the earth to receive milk from the breasts of a woman. The Truth which the heavens cannot contain, is sprung out of the earth to be placed in a manger!

“Let us joyfully celebrate the coming of our salvation and redemption. Let us celebrate the hallowed day in which the great Eternal Day came from the great Eternal Day into this, our so short and temporal day.”

The reader would have noticed Augustine’s frequent reference to Jesus as the Day. I have taken the trouble to quote these words because they show that, for the Bishop of Hippo, and for his contemporaries, what is celebrated on December 25 is the birth of the Eternal Day, not the birth of a Sun that rises and sets. The Eternal Day, the Day of Day, is the Son of God. Not the Sun.

Pastor Olukoya is right to say the word Christmas does not feature in the Bible. However, there are times when the truth is spoken in a way that misleads, and Pastor Olukoya’s declaration is one of such instances. For while it is true that the word “Christmas” is not found in the Bible, it is totally untrue to say the celebration is pagan. What the Pastor has failed to do is to differentiate between what is signified and the name that is used to signify it.

Christmas signifies the incarnation, the coming of the Word of God in the flesh. The incarnation is attested to at the very beginning of the Gospel according to John. This doctrine is central to Christianity. It is about the presence of God among us. It was proclaimed at the Council of Nicaea in 325 when the Council declared that the Son of God is of the same nature as the Father and is God. Christmas is the feast of the incarnation, of the manifestation of God among us in the flesh. Contrary to the charge of paganism levelled by the Pastor, Christmas originated as replacement of a pagan feast.

This controversy points to the sorry state of Christianity in Nigeria.

Here is a country where you can become a pastor without undergoing any theological formation. A rigourous theological formation would involve taking a course, a Level 100 course for that matter, on the history and doctrine of early Christianity. An organized study of patristic texts is absent from virtually all departments of religious studies in our universities. Patrology as a course is not listed in the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard for teaching Christian Religious Studies in Nigerian universities.

Many preachers today do not even know that patristic texts exist. Yet, not to study them is to shut oneself out of the two millennia of Christian tradition.

Preachers with no knowledge of Biblical languages, and no knowledge of the historical contexts of Biblical texts, casually and habitually misrepresent the word of God before a gullible and uncritical audience, an audience traumatized by Nigeria’s numerous social, political and economic challenges, an audience that would enter into any kind of place called Church. The greatest danger facing Christianity is that the Gospel is seriously undermined by many a Christian preacher. Here in Nigeria, we are yet to fully appreciate the damage that such preachers have inflicted and continue to inflict on the Nigerian psyche.

A pastor is a doctor of souls. No one would want to allow an untrained person masquerading as physician to treat his body. But, sadly, what we witness in contemporary Nigerian religiosity is a case of submitting our souls to untrained preachers, a high rate of pastoral malpractice.

Whereas there is abundant evidence to show that December 25 was adopted and adapted to become a Christian feast, there is no evidence to show that, it was a pagan feast for those early Christians who first celebrated the birth of Christ on December 25. Pastor Olukoya’s denunciation of Christmas amounts to saying it is a pagan feast because it looks like a pagan feast. But it is not in the nature of wise judgments to be based on appearance. Wise judgements are based on evidence.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/real-meaning-of-christmas-by-rev-fr-anthony-akinwale/

Dozens of U.S. citizens working for foreign oil companies in the southern Iraqi oil city of Basra were leaving the country on Friday, the Oil Ministry said, after a U.S. air strike killed a top Iranian commander in Iraq.

The U.S. embassy in Baghdad urged all its citizens to leave Iraq immediately, hours after the U.S. killed Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Iraqi officials said the evacuation would not affect operations, production or exports.

Company sources told Reuters earlier the workers were expected to fly out of the country.

Oil production in Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, was about 4.62 million barrels per day (bpd), according to a Reuters survey of OPEC output.

A spokesman for BP (BP.L), which operates the giant Rumaila oil field near Basra, declined to comment. Rumaila produced around 1.5 million bpd as recently as April.

Italian energy group Eni (ENI.MI) said Iraq’s Zubair oil field, which produced around 34,000 bpd net to Eni last year – a fraction of the field’s overall output – was “proceeding regularly”. Eni said the group was closely monitoring the situation in Iraq.

Genel (GENL.L), an oil producer in the autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq, said its operations were continuing normally. It did not comment on any staff movements.

Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP.L), which also operates in Kurdistan, said “while these events are taking place in the south of Iraq, Gulf Keystone is closely monitoring the situation and operations at (the) Shaikan (field) are carrying on as per usual”.

-Reuters
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/american-oil-workers-moving-out-of-iraq-in-droves-after-air-strike/

Nigeria and other OPEC members are likely to gain from projected steady increase in crude oil prices resulting from drop in US shale production.

There is likely to be slower U.S. oil growth this year and the prospect of a plateau for the world’s top oil producer have signaled a new and unfamiliar era of self-restraint for the go-go shale industry.

Spending cuts and production declines common to shale wells mean U.S. output growth is expected to brake from 2019’s pace that pushed domestic production past 13 million barrels per day (bpd). Some analyst forecasts for next year call for growth to slow, potentially to a rate of just 100,000 new bpd.

Over the latest decade, the shale revolution turned the United States into the world’s largest crude producer and a force in energy exports. Yet the revolution did not translate to higher stock prices. The S&P 500 Energy sector only gained 6% for the decade, far less than the 180% return for the broader stock market.

The decade-long oil expansion failed to boost profits, which has discouraged investors. The shale industry was squeezed by an OPEC price war that began in 2014, sending U.S. crude prices below $30 per barrel at one point.

Production temporarily slowed, but accelerated into the end of the decade as companies cut costs and grew more efficient. Now, with investor returns flagging, the industry no longer believes in drilling its way to success even at higher prices.

“The drumbeat has been loud and uniform from investors,” said Parsley Energy (PE.N) Chief Executive Officer Matt Gallagher. The shale producer’s spending next year will drop about 15% and will not rise even if oil prices do, instead using higher returns to pay down debt, he said.

“We had to be a competitive and profitable business, not just recover resource at all cost,” said Gallagher of the industry’s shift in thinking. Parsley started paying a quarterly dividend for the first time in September.

Analysts currently expect U.S. crude oil to average around $58 per barrel in 2020, which would represent a modest pullback from current levels.

Yet even if oil prices were to remain above $60 a barrel next year, analysts say it will not spur another production spurt because of the pressure for returns. Despite U.S. and international crude prices gaining 26% and 26%, respectively, the S&P 500 Energy Index [.SPNY] rose less than 8% in 2019.

“Our view is that (rapid growth) is kind of over,” said Raoul LeBlanc, an energy analyst with consultancy IHS Markit. Because oil output from shale drops off quickly, wells require constant, costly drilling to keep production levels steady.

In Texas, home of the Permian Basin shale field, the finishing touches to coax a well to produce, called completions, fell 16% though November, according to the state’s energy regulator. Hiring in the Permian also dropped sharply in late 2019, according to career website LinkedIn.

As shale’s outlook cools, the only oil producers maintaining annual Permian growth rates near 40% are giants Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) and Chevron Corp (CVX.N) and some private operators, said Artem Abramov, head of shale research at consultancy Rystad Energy.

Morgan Stanley noted in early December that publicly traded shale companies’ output growth was just 460,000 bpd for the 12 months ending in September, compared with 1.3 million bpd for the 12 months before that.

Financing for new production has been sharply limited. Private equity firms that funded explorers and profited by selling to rivals now must nurture these operations for the long haul, said Adam Waterous, chief executive of private equity firm Waterous Energy Fund.

“In 50 years of investment in oil and gas investment that has never been seen before,” Waterous said at a December investment conference in Houston. The change has investors in a state that resembles the five stages of grief, he joked.

With additional reports from Reuters.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/nigeria-to-benefit-from-oil-price-increase-as-output-from-us-shale-drops/

Iran or its proxy forces may be planning further strikes on American interests in the Middle East, and the U.S. is prepared to take preemptive military action if it gets sufficient warning, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday.

“The game has changed,” Esper said, citing a series of violent attacks on U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq in recent months by Iran-supported militia groups. “We’re prepared to do what is necessary to defend our personnel and our interests and our partners in the region.”

On Tuesday, after a crowd of Iran-backed militiamen and their supporters stormed the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, the Pentagon sent a Marine quick-reaction force to the embassy, and later it dispatched several hundred Army paratroopers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The paratroopers are in Kuwait as what Esper called “defensive support.”

Without providing details, Esper told reporters at the Pentagon that the U.S. has “indications” that more Iranian provocations may be in the offing. If that happens, he said, the U.S. will take action — preemptively, if it has enough advance warning.

Speaking alongside Esper, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that if any group makes another attempt to overrun the embassy it will run into a “buzzsaw.”

-AP
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/tension-mounts-as-iran-plans-more-attacks-on-us-interests/

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq and other staff were evacuated from their embassy in Baghdad for their safety on Tuesday, Iraqi officials said, as thousands of protesters and militia fighters thronged the gates in fury at U.S. air strikes in Iraq.

On Sunday, U.S. planes had attacked bases belonging to an Iranian-backed militia, a move that risks drawing Iraq further into a proxy conflict between Washington and Tehran at a time when mass protests are challenging Iraq’s political system.

The attack on the Kataib Hezbollah militia was in response to the killing of a U.S. civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base.

Two militiamen wounded by stun grenades outside U.S. embassy in Baghdad: witness

Trump says Iran “orchestrating” attack on U.S. embassy in Iraq

The two Iraqi foreign ministry officials did not say when the U.S. ambassador or other staff had left but added that a few embassy protection staff remained.

Outside the embassy, protesters threw stones at the gate while others chanted, “No, no, America! … No, no, Trump!” Iraqi special forces were deployed around the main gate to prevent them entering the embassy. U.S.-trained and -equipped Iraqi Counter Terrorism forces were later dispatched to reinforce these units.

A few hours into the protest, tear gas was fired in an attempt to disperse the crowd and some of the militias encouraged protesters through loudspeakers to leave.

“We have delivered our message, please leave the area to avoid bloodshed,” said one announcement.

‘CLOSED IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE’

Iraqis have been taking to the streets in their thousands almost daily to condemn, among other things, militias such as Kataib Hezbollah and their Iranian patrons that support Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government.

But on Tuesday, it was these militias who were spraying “Closed in the name of the people” on the gates of the U.S. Embassy and smashing the surveillance cameras around the building with bricks and stones. Some set up tents in preparation for a sit-in.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio tweeted that Iran was responsible for the disorder.

Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, and many other senior militia leaders were among the protesters.

“Americans are unwanted in Iraq. They are a source of evil and we want them to leave,” Khazali told Reuters. Khazali is one of the most feared and respected Shi’ite militia leaders in Iraq, and one of Iran’s most important allies.

Kataib Hezbollah is one of the smallest but most potent of the Iranian-backed militias. Its flags were hung on the fence surrounding the embassy.

Militia commander Jamal Jaafar Ibrahimi, also known as Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, and Badr Organisation leader Hadi al-Amiri were also at the protest.

Abdul Mahdi has condemned the air strikes, which killed at least 25 fighters and wounded 55.

-Reuters
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/america-moves-embassy-staff-to-safety-in-baghdad-over-violent-protests-in-iraq/

China on Monday jailed the leader of an unofficial Protestant church for nine years for “incitement to subvert state power”.

Pastor Wang Yi, whose Early Rain Covenant Church was the target of a government crackdown last year, was also found guilty of “illegal business operation” by a court in Chengdu, southwest China, according to an announcement on an official court website.

Wang was detained in December 2018 in a raid by authorities in which dozens of members of his “underground church” disappeared.

China’s officially atheist government is wary of any organised movements outside its own control, including religious ones.

Protestants in the country are split between unofficial “house” or “underground” churches like the Early Rain Covenant Church, and state-sanctioned ones where Communist Party songs also feature in the order of service.

Catholics are similarly divided between unofficial churches led by bishops recognised by the Vatican and those who follow official prelates.

Wang was convicted in an open trial by a court in Chengdu, where his Early Rain Covenant Church had been based, the city’s official court website said.

The charge of inciting subversion has often been used against dissidents as a way to silence criticism of the government and the Communist Party.

Shortly before being detained, Wang wrote a post on his church’s Facebook page criticising the Chinese government for repressing Christians, saying “the Party can flourish for a while, but it cannot last forever.”

“The Party can kill my body, but it cannot kill my soul,” Wang wrote.

– ‘Chilling effect’ –

Patrick Poon, a Hong Kong-based researcher with Amnesty International, said Wang’s sentence would “have a chilling effect on other house churches in China.”

“The message is very clear — you will be the next Wang Yi if you don’t register and follow the Communist Party’s line on religion,” Poon told AFP.

Wang’s church was among a number of prominent “underground” churches shut down by the government in 2018 as part of a crackdown on religion, especially on followers of Islam and Christianity.

Beijing-based Zion Church, one of China’s largest “underground” Protestant churches, was banned by city authorities in September 2018 for operating without a licence after dozens of officials stormed its premises.

Earlier that year, unauthorised versions of the Bible were pulled from Chinese online retailers.

In November, politburo standing committee member Wang Yang said at a forum that Beijing should even alter religious scripture to fix “contents not in line with the progress of the times.”

Reinterpreting religious doctrines would show “religious circles’ responsibility for their own beliefs” and was in line with the “Sinicisation and modernisation of religions,” Wang said.

He said Beijing should “effectively resist the erosion by extremist thoughts and heresies” by making its own re-evaluation of religious texts.

China has faced international condemnation for rounding up an estimated one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic minorities in internment camps in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

An AFP investigation found in October that China’s efforts to erase minorities’ religious identity in Xinjiang have included the destruction of burial grounds where generations of Uighur families were laid to rest.

Beijing has sought to portray its crackdown in Xinjiang as a programme to combat extremism and terrorism.

-AFP
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/pentecostal-pastor-jailed-9-years-for-inciting-subversion-in-china/

A Sudanese court on Monday sentenced 27 members of the country’s security forces to death by hanging for torturing and killing a detained protester during the uprising against longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir earlier this year.

The verdict, which can be appealed, was the first connected to the killing of more than 200 pro-democracy protesters since the demonstrations began last December.

“We are now sure our revolution is continuing on the right path,” said protester Amna Mohammed. She was among a cheering crowd of hundreds that gathered to welcome the verdict’s announcement outside the court in Omdurman, the capital Khartoum’s twin city.

The death of protester Ahmed al-Khair, a school teacher, while in detention in February was a key point — and a symbol — in the uprising that convulsed the large African country. That led, in April, to the toppling of al-Bashir, and ultimately to the creation of a joint military-civilian Sovereign Council that has committed to rebuilding the country and promises elections in three years.

The anniversary of the uprising this month drew teeming crowds to the streets in several cities and towns across the country, with people singing, dancing and carrying flags. A train packed with exuberant demonstrators, clapping and chanting, arrived in the northern city of Atbara, the birthplace of the uprising, from the capital city.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, an umbrella group of unions that led the protests against al-Bashir, welcomed Monday’s verdict. The group vowed to continue pursuing and bringing to justice security officials accused of torture.

Mohammed al-Feki Soliman, a member of the Sovereign Council, said the trial “renews the Sudanese people’s trust in their judicial institutions.”

Al-Khair was detained on Jan. 31 in his hometown of Kassala and was reported dead two days later. His body was taken to a local hospital where his family said it was covered in bruises. At the time, police denied any police wrongdoing and blamed his death on an “illness,” without providing any details.

Judge al-Sadik al-Amin al-Fek, however, said on Monday that the teacher was beaten and tortured while in detention. “His death was an inevitable consequence of the beating and torture,” he said.

The court also sentenced three other members of the security forces to three years each in prison, and acquitted seven suspects in the case. All the sentenced were policemen who were working in the jail where al-Khair was held or intelligence agents in the region.

Following a tradition based on Islamic law, or Sharia, the court gave al-Khair’s family the opportunity to “forgive” the suspects, which could have led to their pardon, but the offer was declined.

Taj al-Ser Ali al-Hebr, the country’s top prosecutor, welcomed the verdict as a “victory.” He called on the government to join the U.N. Convention Against Torture.

Earlier this month, a court in Khartoum convicted al-Bashir, who was jailed by the military after he was removed from power, of money laundering and corruption, and sentenced him to two years in a minimum security lockup. The image of the former dictator in a defendant’s cage on live TV sent a strong message for all of Sudan.

However, the deposed ruler is under indictment by the International Criminal Court on far more serious charges of war crimes and genocide linked to his brutal suppression of the insurgency in the western province of Darfur in the early 2000s. The military has refused to extradite him to stand trial in The Hague. Al-Bashir is now awaiting a separate trial, on charges of involvement in the killing of protesters in the months prior to his ouster.

Amnesty International and other rights groups have called on the new government to hold security forces accountable for killing scores of people in their efforts to stifle protests against military rule, especially those behind a deadly crackdown on a huge sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum last June.

The government recently appointed independent judges to oversee investigations into the killings of protesters, a major achievement for the pro-democracy movement.

Sudan is under heavy international and regional pressure to reform. With the economy on the brink, the new government has made it a mission to get Sudan removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism so that it can attract badly needed foreign aid.

The Sudanese government is expected to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. That would require it to cut food and fuel subsidies and further devalue the local currency, said the IMF’s Daniel Kanda after a visit to Khartoum earlier this month.

But the government on Sunday passed the 2020 budget that dropped proposals to slash food and fuel subsidies.

The pro-democracy movement, the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, fears that the austerity measures could led to a spike in the inflation rate which increased to 60% in November. The uprising began last December over soaring inflation and Sudan’s dire economic conditions.

Sudanese Information Minister Faisal Saleh said the government decided to postpone cutting subsidies until an economic conference the country plans to hold in March.

In a separate development, tribal clashes erupted between Arabs and non-Arabs in the West Darfur province, killing “many” people and wounding dozens of others, the FDFC said in a statement.

Adam Regal, an activist in the area, said at least eight people were killed, some of whom were burned to death.

He accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of intervening in the fighting on the side of Arab forces. Phone calls to a spokesman for the RSF seeking comment went unanswered.

Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo commands the paramilitary group. He is also deputy head of the Sovereign Council. Rights groups say his forces burned villages and raped and killed civilians during a series of counterinsurgency campaigns over the last decade.

Local authorities declared a nightly curfew across the province starting Monday till further notice. The government in Khartoum vowed it would also deploy more troops and police forces to help contain the violence.

The clashes overshadowed the peace negotiations between the government and rebels in South Sudan’s capital, Juba. Four Sudanese rebel groups suspended the talks, according to a joint statement from the groups.

-AP
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/27-persons-to-die-in-sudan-for-torturing-a-teacher-to-death/

According to a new study, airplane bathrooms contain a lot of antibiotic-resistant microbes.

There’s no other option to use the bathroom on an airplane when you need to use it, what are you going to do, pee your pants? Maybe it’s better to do it.

According to recent research published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, scientists tested airplane sewage from five different German airports. The sewage tested turned out to contain many different antibiotic-resistant microbes, which is much more than the number of microbes in the sewages of nearby wastewater plants and hospitals, which were also tested.

Microbiologist Stefanie Hess of Technische Universität Dresden in Germany told Science News, “This study clearly shows that the antibiotic-resistance problem is a global problem, and a global effort is necessary to tackle this severe threat for human and animal health.”

Around 90 percent of the 187 E. coli were tested, and according to the study, they were resistant to at least one antibiotic. This is actually a serious problem since infections that can be caused by antibiotic-resistant microbes can be difficult to treat and deadly.

At the same time, the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria was around 45 to 60 percent in the samples from the waste treatment facilities.

According to a research done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2019, more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur every year in the U.S.A. and it causes the death of more than 35,000 people.

Some infections such as strep throat, pneumonia, gonorrhea, and foodborne illnesses can get worse and they can be more difficult to treat due to antibiotic resistance.

Microbes become resistant to antibiotics and treatments because of small changes in their DNA and they can transfer this resistance to the other microbes they encounter.

According to the scientists of the research, airplane sewage should be managed and treated more carefully by public health officials.

– Journal Environmental Science and Technology
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/use-of-airplane-toilets-dangerous-research-says/

China will soon begin operating its “artificial sun” — a device that is meant to replicate nuclear fusion, the same reaction that powers the Sun.

Due to be built by the end of 2019, Chinese researchers now say it will be operational in 2020.

If everything goes according to plan, this could ultimately make nuclear fusion a feasable energy option on Earth.

Why is this significant?

By harnessing the power produced through nuclear fusion we could tap into almost limitless clean energy — something we are in dire need of given our Earth’s environmental concerns.

Researchers around the world have been trying to attain this goal for decades. The main issue has been finding an affordable way to contain piping hot plasma in one space and keeping it stable enough for fusion to occur.

What has China been constructing?

China’s device, called the HL-2M Tokamak, may be the answer to scientists’ nuclear fusion questions. At the very least, it will provide an indication as to how to overcome the plasma issue.

The project has been running since 2006. Duan Xuru, head of the Southwestern Institute of Physics and part of the project, said that the new device will reach temperatures over 200 million degrees Celsius (360 million degrees Fahrenheit).

That’s around 13 times hotter than the core of the Sun.

A fusion physicist who is not involved in this project, James Harrison, told Newsweek “HL-2M will provide researchers with valuable data on the compatibility of high-performance fusion plasmas with approaches to more effectively handle the heat and particles exhausted from the core of the device.”

Harrison continued, “This is one of the biggest issues facing the development of a commercial fusion reactor, and the results from HL-2M, as part of the international fusion research community, will influence the design of these reactors.”

-Interesting Engineering
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/technology/china-develops-artificial-sun-ready-to-emit-light-in-2020/

The last has definitely not been heard of issues flowing from the hosting of Fuji music star, King Wasiu Ayinde Anifowoshe Marshal popularly known as K1, at the 2019 Harvest Programme of the Celestial Church of Christ Genesis Global under the leadership of Senior Sheperd-in-Charge, Prophet Israel Oladele Ogundipe, on 15th December, where the famous singer performed on the altar for over an hour. Because an attempt to sanction the Senior Sheperd-in-Charge better known as Genesis has apparently kick-started what could turn out to be a domino of problems withing the Celestial Church fold in Nigeria.

According to the feelers reaching this writer from reliable sources, the National Headquarters of the Celestial Church in Imeko, a suburb of Ogun State, after the incident of K1’s performance considered as desecration of the altar, attempted to invite Genesis to come and face disciplinary actions on 2 offences. One being the K1 issue, and the other being an offence of bigger magnitude which concerned some actions of Cardinal James Omolaja Odumbaku popularly known as Baba Eto in both Celestial Church and Lagos political circles, who also attended the Genesis programme in contention tagged: Harvest of Massive Mercy.

But how exactly did Baba Eto get involved in an infraction worthy of counting against Genesis? This is how: when K1 was about drop the microphone on the day of the harvest to bring his electrifying performance to a close, Baba Eto made a grand entry into the Church which K1 was not initially aware of. But one of his band men rushed to him on the altar on the stroke of the time he was handing over the microphone, and the message that Baba Eto had just stepped in was apparently whispered into his ear. Hence, instead of going ahead to hand over the microphone, K1 stepped back with it to begin a special rendition in honour of Baba Eto who just came in. But that was not really the second offence.

The real offence was two pronged. One was that as against the doctrine in Celestial Church, Baba Eto wore his cap into the Church. It was said that he should have ordinarily taken the cap off before entering the Church as a norm. And as if that was not enough, Baba Eto allegedly went on to commit more grievous offence in the Church. There are reportedly, 2 special chairs above the altar in all Celestial Churches which are reserved for exclusive beings. One is said to be reserved spiritually for Jesus Christ, so no one sits on it no matter who they are. And the other is said to be reserved for late Samuel Bilewu Joseph Oshoffa, the founder of Celestial Church, and only any of his descendants who has taken over the leadership of Celestial Church who currently is Rev. Pastor Mobiyina Oshoffa, is allowed to sit on it whenever he visits any Celestial Church.

But lo and behold, after K1 had made obeisance to him while still singing his praise, and Genesis had come to prostrate for him before hugging him on the altar, Baba Eto went straight to sit on the chair reserved only for the person leading the Celestial Church worldwide. Abomination! In the doctrine of the Church, that is what it was said to be; abomination. The Headquarters wondered why Genesis did not ask Baba Eto immediately to vacate the seat immediately the anomaly was committed. And Genesis reportedly sent words back to the Headquarters that Baba Eto was too big in the Celestial Church for him to have challenged like that. For, one, he was quoted to have said that Baba Eto too heads a Celestial Church of his and well aware of the sacredness of the chair. So, he must have some reasons best known to him to have sat on it.

And again,Genesis was said to have argued that late Oshoffa’s wife was in the Church as a guest that day too. So, why did she keep quiet instead of raising issues on Baba Eto sitting on the sacred chair. But the Headquarters was said not to be ready to hear any of his excuses sent in words of mouth but for him to show up personally at the Headquarter to answer to the crimes he allegedly engineered against the Celestial Church. But Genesis was said to have responded to them that he would not come because he had not committed any crime whatsoever. So, it was a ding dong affair between Genesis and the Headquarters for days.

Meanwhile, the Church service after the incidents which was held on Sunday, 22nd of December, Genesis reportedly told his congregation that he was withdrawing his Church from the main body of the Celestial Church to stand alone. And he asked those of his members who want to stay with him to stay and those who were willing to go away with the main body to do so by their own volition. And as a result of that said secession, the main body of Celestial Church was said to have instituted a court action against Genesis on the matter. And how that would pan out in the coming days remained to be seen.

But in demonstration of his resolve to secede, members of Genesis were said not to have taken part in general worship by all the Celestial Churches in the country every year which starts few days before Christmas and ends on Christmas day usually referred to as “Imeko”. The battle line has obviously been drawn and the last has apparently not been heard of the matter.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/exclusive/fresh-crisis-tears-celestial-church-apart/

Julius Malema has paid tribute to his wife Mantwa, thanking her for being brave.

The EFF leader posted a message on his social media accounts alongside a picture of the two of them, telling his followers that she was perfect and had “married madness”.

“Today is officially five years and still going strong. The beauty of making your girlfriend a wife – love you, mama of the boys.”

-Sowetan
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/entertainment/julius-malema-pays-tribute-to-wife-says-shes-perfect-and-married-madness/

Julius Malema has paid tribute to his wife Mantwa, thanking her for being brave.

The EFF leader posted a message on his social media accounts alongside a picture of the two of them, telling his followers that she was perfect and had “married madness”.

“Today is officially five years and still going strong. The beauty of making your girlfriend a wife – love you, mama of the boys.”

-Sowetan

As many of us stretch out our working years and delay retirement, there's one investment you should be considering — investing in your health.
"Without health, your life will have little joy," says Dr. Gabe Mirkin, an anti-aging pioneer who says that the secret of youth centers on how you treat your mind and body today. "Don't wait until it's too late to recover your health. Begin now by exercising every day, eating the right foods and avoiding obesity."
Dr. Robert Goldman, M.D. is the co-founder of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and is one of America's biggest advocates for physical fitness. He's listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for many fitness achievements, including 13,500 consecutive sit-ups and 321 consecutive handstand pushups.
"The earlier your start on your anti-aging program, the better," he tells Newsmax.
1. Limit sun exposure. That's the one tip that can help you not only avoid deadly skin cancer but also help preserve the elasticity and health of your skin. While experts recommend 15 minutes of sunshine daily to get your quota of vitamin D, more than that can cause permanent damage. Wear a sunscreen of at least 30 SPF, shade your face, and apply moisturizer daily to prevent wrinkles and leathery akin associated with premature aging.
2. Hydrate. Water is essential to every cell and every organ of your body. Goldman says it is crucial to stay hydrated to keep your body functioning at its maximum. "Drink at least eight glasses daily," he says, adding that drinking pure, distilled water is the best option to avoid toxicity in our water supply.
3. Take supplements. Generic multivitamins just don't always make the grade the expert says. "Ask your health care provider for a physician's grade multivitamin or visit your local health food or vitamin store to get a superior, anti-aging product," Goldman adds. "There's evidence that adding omega-3 fatty acids to your diet either in the form of eating fatty fish or in the form of supplements helps reduce your risk of heart attacks, arthritis, chronic pain — even developing wrinkles!"
4. Exercise. To maintain cardiovascular health and to maintain muscle mass and strength, you need to vary your routine. Goldman recommends doing any form of cardiovascular exercise such as walking, running, swimming, or biking for 30-45 minutes at least three to five times weekly to build endurance. In addition, you need to train with weights, even if you use resistance tubing, three times a week to keep your bones and muscles strong.
5. Stretch. In addition to aerobic exercise and strength training, doing yoga helps keep the spine flexible and helps calm the mind, both key anti-aging strategies. "You are only as young as your spine," says Goldman.
6. Reduce stress. "We are living in a toxic environment with too much sensory input, unclean air, and too many things on our to-do lists," says Goldman. "Stress is an extremely potent aging factor and dangerous to both the mind and body." Goldman recommends getting back to nature often, unplugging from all electronics for one day a week, and taking meditation courses to help cope with stress in a more healthful way.
7. Nutrition is key. Choose organically grown produce whenever possible to reduce ingested pesticides or other pollutants. The best anti-aging program is based on the Mediterranean diet that's centered around fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and olive oil. "Steam foods whenever possible to preserve their nutritional integrity," says Goldman.
8. Have regular sex. Dr. Walter Gaman, co-author of "Age to Perfection: How to Thrive to 100 Healthy, Happy and Wise," says that having sex two to three times a week helps release multiple hormones such as testosterone and estrogen that help you stay younger, longer.
9. Get your beauty sleep. Studies show that getting at least eight hours nightly helps maintain normal weight levels and encourages the production of human growth hormone, our chemical fountain of youth.
10. Develop a spiritual belief system. Dr. Harold Koenig, M.D., director of Duke University's Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, declares that "prayer can prevent people from getting sick, and when they do get sick, prayer can help them get better, faster." In a study published in the U.S. Journal of Gerontology, it was shown that atheists had a "significantly increased risk of dying than the faithful."
11. Stay mentally active and involved. Start now to develop strong ties to family and friends. Studies have shown that people who are socially active tend to live longer than those who are isolated. "Loneliness can lead to depression," says Goldman. "It's important to build a strong support group now so that as you get older, you won't feel lost and alone."
12. Challenge your brain. Dr. Gary Small, author of "The Alzheimer's Prevention Program" and director of the UCLA Longevity Center, says you should exercise your mind in a compassionate fashion. "Make sure you train but don't strain your brain," he says. "Find puzzles and games that are fun and challenging but not too easy or tough. Try to cross train your brain by doing right-brain visual puzzles such as jig saw puzzles one day and then left-brain verbal games like crossword puzzles the next day."
-Newsmax

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/health/12-anti-aging-tips-to-stay-young/

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Shell, Total, and ENI on Friday signed the final investment decision (FID) to give the go-ahead for the construction of Train 7 of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) project.

The FID was initially scheduled to be sealed last week Thursday. But, after two days of meetings meant to smoothen the rough edges and come to the decision, the parties agreed to extend the ceremony.

But, at a small ceremony witnessed by representatives of all the partners in the NLNG office in Abuja, the FID was finally taken on the commencement of the project that will expand the plant’s production capacity by 35 per cent and boost Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global LNG market.

“The FID will allow the expansion to increase the capacity of NLNG’s six-train plant from the extant 22 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 30 MTPA,” the Managing Director/CEO of NLNG, Tony Attah, said at the signing ceremony.

“Train 7 is the crux of a growth agenda, which will ensure the Company’s position as the 5th major supplier of global LNG is maintained, increasing value to its shareholders and other stakeholders, as well as further reducing the gas that would otherwise have been flared, in fulfillment of its vision of ‘being a global company, helping to build a better Nigeria.

“With the award of contracts for the engineering, procurement and construction activities to follow the closure of the bank and Export Credit Agency (ECA) financing, and the finalization of some key supporting commercial agreements is expected in early 2020,” he added.

He said the actualization of the Train 7 Project comes as NLNG celebrates 30 years of its incorporation and 20 years of safe and reliable operations since exporting its first LNG cargo in 1999.

Also, he said the project will help create “over 12, 000 jobs will be created during the peak of construction, trade and commercial activities within the Niger Delta region equally receiving a boost as a result.

“The Project will also support the development of local engineering and fabrication capacity in the country. Other opportunities for local content include procurement, logistics, equipment leasing, insurance, hotels, office supplies, aviation, haulage, and many more,” Mr Attah said

The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mele Kyari, said the taking of the FID marks a great day for Nigeria as all the partners in the project have resolved to proceed with a project that will ultimately deliver at least $20 billion of net revenue per annum for the federation and create at 12,000 direct and 40,000 indirect jobs to Nigerians.

“The significance of the FID is that there is renewed confidence by international investors, particularly the partners in the project, which have been in the country for long, to still agree to bring money back into this economy to move Nigeria and our relationship forward.

“It is a show of confidence in the strength of the Nigerian economy and the capacity of President Muhammadu Buhari to bring value to the country’s economy and create the environment to attract more foreign investment.”

For NNPC, he said it is convinced that doing things right and transparently and with accountability to its shareholders, including over 200 million Nigerians, is the way forward to create value, prosperity and employment for the economy.

He said the FID on NLNG Train 7 has opened a gateway for great things in the economy in the immediate future, adding that with NNPC and its partners they are committed to working together to bring more projects in the upstream sector of the oil and gas sector.

“Despite all the challenges, we are able to come together to make the decision to invest in this project. We are very proud to be Nigerian today. We know that this is delayed. But we are confident that it will work. Mr President’s directive is that we should take it to Train 12.

“We are all committed to doing everything to take the next steps so that we can make further progress to realize Trains 8, 9, 10, 11 up to 12 as soon as possible. There is opportunity for this. There is a will to go ahead with this,” Mr Kyari said.

Representatives of Shell, Henry Bristol; Total (Peter Costella) and ENI (Alessandro Tuiani) all pledged their continued support and partnership to realise the objectives of the project.

NLNG is an incorporated Joint-Venture owned by four Shareholders, namely the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by NNPC (49 per cent), Shell Gas B.V. (25.6 per cent), Total Gaz Electricite Holdings France (15 per cent), and Eni International N.A. N.V. S.àr.l (10.4 per cent).

The construction period after FID will last approximately five years with the first LNG rundown expected in 2024.

Upon completion, the NLNG Train 7 will support Nigeria’s drive to diversify its revenue portfolio and generate more revenue from its proven gas reserves of about 200 Trillion Cubic Feet (Tcf).
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/nlng-nnpc-others-sign-fid-for-nlng-train-7/

A far-right religious group in Brazil has claimed responsibility for a Christmas Eve fire-bombing attack on the offices of a comedy troupe that produced a Netflix special depicting Jesus as gay.

A group identifying itself as “Popular Nationalist Insurgency Command of the Large Brazilian Integralist Family” said in a video circulated on social media late on Christmas Day that it carried out the attack on the headquarters of the Porta dos Fundos comedy group in Rio de Janeiro.

Reuters could not independently verify the accuracy of the video which shows three men in ski masks lighting Molotov cocktails and throwing them at a glass-fronted office that appears to be that of the Porta dos Fundos’ headquarters.

No one was hurt in the incident and a security guard put out the blaze, according to a statement issued by Porta dos Fundos. Police in Rio did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The video also shows three men in black ski masks and dark green jumpsuits reading a statement in front of a flag bearing the Greek letter Sigma, the symbol of Brazil’s integralist movement from the 1930s, inspired by European fascism. There was also an Imperial Flag of Brazil, the national symbol under Brazil’s former monarchy but not used since the 1800s.

The statement, read in a sound-altered voice, criticizes the comedy as “blasphemy” perpetrated by left-wing Marxists seeking to weaken and divide the country, and criticizes Netflix for airing the special.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the video claiming responsibility for the attack.

Around 2 million people signed a petition demanding that Netflix remove the Porta dos Fundos’ comedy Christmas special, which portrays Jesus bringing home a boyfriend to meet the Holy Family. The petition called the show offensive to Christians.

Rio de Janeiro civil police told Reuters they were checking with the local precinct on the matter and would pass on any information as it became available. Calls to the precinct went unanswered.

Brazil’s integralist movement from the 1930s stressed Christianity, traditional family values and authoritarian politics, and sought to suppress differences in society.

Brazil is home to the world’s largest Catholic population. There is also a rapidly growing Evangelical Christian community that supports the right-wing government of President Jair Bolsonaro, who once said he would rather have a dead son than a gay son.

Asked to respond to the video claiming responsibility, Porta dos Fundos repeated a previous statement that it hoped the perpetrators would be caught and punished and that Brazil “will survive this storm of hatred.”

Juliano Medeiros, leader of opposition PSOL party, urged that those responsible be brought to justice.

“If the authorities don’t give a rapid and fierce response against these types of acts, Brazil could spiral into a state of even more violence,” Medeiros said on Twitter.

-Reuters
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/entertainment/brazilian-far-right-group-claims-attack-on-gay-jesus-comedy-troupe/

The British fathe, Gabriel Diya, 52, his son, Praise-Emmanuel, 16, and daughter Comfort, 9, have died at the Club La Costa World complex in Spain on Christmas Eve.

Mr Diya, who was a Christian pastor in south-east London, and his daughter are both understood to be British while his son was travelling on a US passport.

His wife Olubunmi Diya, 49, and younger daughter Favour Diya, 14, were also on the holiday but were unharmed.

It is feared that the family could have fallen victim to a suction problem which made it impossible for the nine-year-old girl’s father and brother to rescue her after she got into difficulties.

Today it was revealed that police divers had found her swimming cap as they investigate the Christmas tragedy.

But the exact circumstances of their deaths remained a mystery this morning as resort chiefs said they had been given permission to reopen the pool and insisted a police investigation had found ‘no concerns’ with it.

Reports say a resort worker who dived into the water to recover the three bodies has said he had also experienced difficulties reaching the surface and exiting the pool.

But late last night resort chiefs said the Civil Guard, the police force leading the investigation into the triple tragedy, had given them permission to reopen the pool.

The pool is one of several on the sprawling holiday complex but was being little used because it was not heated like some others.

Resort operator CLC World Resorts and Hotels put out a statement which said: ‘All at Club La Costa World resort are devastated by the tragedy that unfolded on Christmas Eve where a father and his two children were found unresponsive in a swimming pool and despite the best efforts of our first response team and the emergency services, could not be revived.

‘The Guardia Civil have carried out a full investigation which found no concerns relating to the pool in question or procedures in place, which leaves us to believe this was a tragic accident which has left everyone surrounding the incident in shock.

‘Naturally our primary concern remains the care and support of the remaining family members.

‘We would therefore request that their privacy be respected at this traumatic time.’

They also confirmed the Civil Guard had authorised the reopening of the pool, indicating that police feel there is no risk to bathers of a repeat of the Christmas Eve horror.

A police van at the scene after a nine-year-old girl got into difficulties at the swimming pool of the Club La Costa World resort near Fuengirola this afternoon

Civil Guard investigators have yet to make any official comment on the swimming cap find.

According to newspaper Diario Sur, the discovery was made by specialist police divers.

A pool expert quoted by the newspaper described as ‘very remote’ but not impossible a situation in which drains on the pool floor could become dangerous and suck people underwater if skimmers and other cleaners stopped working.

In 2009 British schoolboy Nathan Clark drowned at a Thai water park after apparently being sucked into a pool’s pumping system.

Last summer a 12-year-old Russian girl died after she was reportedly trapped underwater when her arm was sucked into a pool pump at a Turkish resort.

Counsellors are now comforting the widowed mum affected by the latest pool tragedy and her survivor daughter.

Relatives have flown from the UK to be by their side.

Well-placed sources said the teenage son who drowned was travelling on an American passport but described her husband and nine-year-old girl as British passport holders.

An FCO spokesperson said after news of the tragedy emerged: ‘We are offering assistance to a British woman following an incident in Spain.’

-Mailonline

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/entertainment/pastor-and-two-children-drown-in-swimming-pool/

Africa is a “land of opportunity” and could be one of the main beneficiaries if the U.S. and China make more progress on trade talks, said Bank of America strategists including London-based David Hauner.

But investors face plenty of potential risks in 2020. South Africa could lose its last investment-grade rating, Ghana’s government might ramp up spending ahead of elections, Zambia’s debt crisis could spiral out of control and Nigeria may be forced to devalue its currency.

Here’s what to watch for in 10 key markets.

Angola

Africa’s second-biggest oil producer is still reeling from a crash in crude prices five years ago. The economy will contract for a fourth straight year in 2019, the International Monetary Fund said this week. Still, investors have been impressed by the central bank’s reforms, including the devaluation of the kwanza. Its fall of 32% this year against the dollar — only Argentina’s peso has weakened more — has increased inflationary pressure. But it’s also eased a shortage of foreign exchange that was crippling businesses.

Egypt

Egypt remains a favorite among portfolio investors. Carry traders, attracted by yields of around 14% on pound bonds, have flocked to the Arab nation. The currency has rallied 12% this year, its best performance in at least 25 years — and Societe Generale SA forecasts it will gain another 4.5% to 15.35 per dollar in 2020. But the reforms of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi are yet to translate into the foreign direct investment and jobs that Egypt badly needs. Aware of that, investors will watch to see if there’s any repeat of the anti-government protests in September that briefly rocked local markets.

Ethiopia

The Horn-of-Africa nation remains one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. But that masks deep problems: inflation has accelerated to more than 20% and shortages of foreign exchange are acute. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, recently turned to the IMF for a $2.9 billion, three-year loan. Investors welcomed the move, which should speed up plans to open up and modernize the state-controlled economy. The central bank has already started to weaken the overvalued birr, which had been largely pegged to the dollar. “This IMF deal is one of the biggest ideological shifts I’ve seen in Africa this decade,” said Charlie Robertson, Renaissance Capital’s London-based chief economist.

Ghana

West Africa’s second-biggest economy holds general elections in late 2020, with President Nana Akufo-Addo probably seeking a second term. The country has a history of fiscal profligacy in the run-up to polls and investors will watch whether the government is more cautious this time. The cedi has been under pressure and fell to a record low this month. But Renaissance Capital, which recommends that clients buy Ghana’s Eurobonds, says it is now one of Africa’s most undervalued currencies.

Ivory Coast

The Francophone country is set to hold a general election in October. Many analysts hoped it would mark a transition to a younger generation of leaders. But there’s a chance it will be a contest between President Alassane Ouattara, who came to power in 2011, and his long-time rivals Henri Konan Bedie and Laurent Gbagbo. If so, “the country risks slipping back into the political turmoil it seemed to have escaped barely 10 years ago,” said Teneo Intelligence analysts Anne Fruhauf and Malte Liewerscheidt.

Kenya

Kenya’s economy is forecast to grow 5.8% next year, making it one of Africa’s most buoyant nations. Bank of America says the removal of a cap on interest rates in November is a further reason for optimism and should help the government obtain a standby loan from the IMF. Key to the East African country’s longer-term prospects will be whether it can rein in the budget deficit. Forecast to be 6.6% of gross domestic product this year, it’s one of the widest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mozambique

Mozambique completed a debt restructuring in October that had dragged on since it defaulted on $727 million of Eurobonds in early 2017. That should pave the way for the government to raise the funding it needs for its portion of multi-billion-dollar gas projects. Once they’re finished, the impoverished southern African country is set to become a major exporter of liquefied natural gas.

Nigeria

Nigeria’s status as one of the world’s best carry trades will probably last as long as central bank Governor Godwin Emefiele keeps the naira stable. That’s becoming harder, with Nigerian foreign reserves having dropped 14% to $39 billion since July. Emefiele’s signaled he’ll let them fall a lot further before loosening his grip on the currency, which barely budges. Fiscal authorities, meanwhile, will try to boost an economy that’s been growing more slowly than the population for the past five years.

South Africa

Portfolio investors have exited South Africa en masse this year, pulling a net $10 billion from its stock and local-bond markets, according to data from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. They’ve been concerned by the deepening crisis at state-owned power company Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., which can’t service its $30 billion of debts without government support, and the increasing chance that Moody’s Investors Service will cut South Africa’s final investment-grade rating to junk. But if President Cyril Ramaphosa makes headway in reforming Eskom, investors will probably be quick to come back. Bank of America and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. both say its inflation-adjusted bond yields are attractive and the central bank has room to cut interest rates. Portfolio investors pull $10 billion from South Africa this year

Zambia

Zambia’s economy has worsened this year, the latest problems being severe drought and electricity outages. The copper producer’s dollar-bond yields trade at almost 20%, suggesting investors see a high risk of default. The government still has some time on its hands — its next Eurobonds don’t mature until September 2022. But many analysts believe it will struggle to avoid a restructuring unless it quickly gets debt relief on loans from China and a bailout from the IMF. President Edgar Lungu has so far seemed reluctant to accept the conditions that would come with a loan from the Washington-based lender.

-Bloomberg
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/business-news/outlook-of-major-african-economies-in-2020/

The Nigeria Government Wednesday said the government’s decision to keep Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore in detention was because he planned to overthrow President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Some international news outlets have mistakenly been describing his release as that of a journalist,” Buhari’s media aide Garba Shehu said in a statement.

“Sowore called for a revolution to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nigeria.”

Shehu said the Buhari administration has never detained a journalist, seized copies of newspapers or shut down a medium of information since coming to power in 2015.

The presidential spokesman said Sowore’s arrest was right for any government to prevent any cause for the breakdown of law and order in its public.

“No government will allow anybody to openly call for destabilization in the country and do nothing,” Shehu said.

Operatives of the Department of Security Service (DSS) arrested Sowore on Saturday, August 3 after calling for a nationwide protest tagged #RevolutionNow.

Despite his arrest, protests were held in major parts of the country with a focus on governance and government accountability to the people.

But the Nigerian government said Sowore was plotting to overthrow Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and charged him with treasonable felony, money laundering and terrorism.

After disobeying two court orders that granted Sowore bail within the first 124 days he spent in detention, the DSS released him on Thursday, December 5 and rearrested him on Friday, December 6 with no court order to do so.

The Nigerian Government on Tuesday ordered Sowore’s release from detention alongside a former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki, who has been in detention for over four years despite being granted bail by four courts.

“I have directed the State Security Services (DSS) to comply with the order granting bail to the Defendants and effect their release,” Nigeria’s justice minister and attorney general of the federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami said in a statement.

Malami said the decision to release them was in compliance with the bail granted to both Dasuki and Sowore by the courts.

Shehu, however, insists that Sowore’s protest was a veiled plan to create civil unrest across Nigeria.

“He (Sowore) did so (called for revolution) on television, and from a privileged position as the owner of a widely-read digital newspaper (Sahara Reporters) run from the United States of America,” Shehu said.

“He founded an organisation, Revolution Now, to launch, in their own words, “Days of Rage”, with the publicised purpose of fomenting mass civil unrest and the elected administration’s overthrow.”

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/sowore-detained-for-planning-to-overthrow-buhari-not-for-journalism-presidency-insists/

President Muhammadu Buhari has been accused of nepotism by fostering his personal interest over national interest.

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Dioceses, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah who made the allegation yesterday, disclosed at a press conference held at Saint Bakhitha Catholic Secretariat, Sokoto that the President’s style of administration, his behavior and attitudes do not reflect national interest, and was therefore causing tension and anxiety in the country.

Kukah said, “I am not speaking because I am a Christian but because I am a Nigerian,” stressing that “some appointments made by the president are lopsided; even some northern elites are not happy with some of his decisions,” he said.

In his Christmas message from Pope Francis 111, the Bishop urged Nigerians not to lose faith, saying that there is no country in the world, which does not have problem, adding that the most important thing is having capacity in solving those problems.

He added that Nigerians should trust God who has power to turn around all situations no matter how bad it is .

The Bishop commended the media for their efforts in setting agenda and putting those in authorities to their toes.

He further explained that the Nigerian media is facing serious challenges but pointed out that , that should not deter them from performing their duties.

“You know some journalists have been incarcerated; this is a difficult time for our country,” he said.

Kukah appealed to the federal government to respect the freedom of the press as enshrined in the country’s constitution, saying that media is not an enemy of the government.

He stated that the country cannot develop only on the good will of single individual but through collective efforts of all and sundry.

The cleric explained that the war against the insurgency cannot be won with guns and advised the government to dialogue with the aggrieved.

He advised government to seek inputs of media, religious, traditional leaders and other stakeholders prior to making decision capable of impacting on Nigerians.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/news/bishop-kukah-punches-buhari-accuses-him-of-nepotism/

A record number of CEOs and other high-ranking executives have been dethroned in this volatile year.

Nearly 1,500 chief executives vacated their posts in the first 11 months of the year–good for a 12% increase compared to last year’s corresponding period.

Some high-profile cases include Google parent company Alphabet’s Larry Page, Nike’s Mark Parker, Best Buy’s Hubert Joly, EBay’s Davin Wenig, McDonald’s Steve Easterbrook, HBO’s Richard Plepler and Expedia’s Mark Okerstrom.

The oil and gas industry has not been immune to this CEO melee, with scores of executives resigning or being ousted.

Unlike their contemporaries in other industries who have mostly faced the axe due to questionable ethics or for posing a threat to a company’s mission or reputation, ousted oil and gas CEOs have mostly taken the stick due to underperformance.

Energy prices are career killers, and these four high-profile oil and gas CEOs were ousted this year for failing–in one way or another–to adapt and improve shareholder returns.

Below are a few examples of affected CEOs

1 – Pat McDade–Tullow Oil

Tullow Oil Plc shares are mired in the deepest of doldrums, having plummeted 70% after the resignation of CEO Pat McDade.

McDade’s D-Day came knocking about a week ago, after the company published a disastrous production update and scrapped its dividend. The double whammy sent the shares reeling, shaving off £1.05B from the company’s valuation within the first hour of trading and £1.2B over the session.

That marked a real nadir for the shares, their lowest level since the end of 2000 and down more than 90% since 2012 when the company hit a peak valuation of £14.5B.

Tullow pinned the blame for the downsized guidance on lower-than-expected production due to technical problems at its massive Jubilee field in Ghana.

“Whilst financial performance has been solid, production performance has been significantly below expectations from the group’s main producing assets, the TEN and Jubilee fields in Ghana…”

Related: Oil Prices Head Higher Despite OPEC+ Skepticism

Despite suspending the dividend, the company remained upbeat about its financial performance, reiterating its key objectives to ‘‘…restore performance, reduce our cost base and deliver sustainable free cash flow.’’

Dorothy Thompson, the company’s chair, has temporarily been installed as the new executive, but finding that diamond in the rough who can weather some of these tricky offshore venues at a time of low oil prices won’t be easy.

2 – Bob Dudley–BP

In October, long-serving British Petroleum chief executive officer, Bob Dudley, announced that he would step down as CEO in March 2020, with current upstream chief executive, Bernard Looney, taking over. Dudley has been a BP employee for 40 years with 10 of those served as chief executive.

While Dudley is credited with helping the company to re-assert itself as one of the global energy giants, he will also be remembered for overseeing the company during the disastrous Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010, the biggest ever marine oil spill in history.

The latter half of Dudley’s reign also coincided with one of the worst oil downturns in memory, with oil prices plunging from more than $100/ barrel to under $30/barrel in 2016.

Dudley could receive up to £40M in company shares after his exit, bringing his total payout during his tenure as CEO to $116.5M. It could have been considerably more had BP shareholders not voted down a pay pledge by 60% in 2016 at a time when the company was struggling with record losses, a pay freeze for employees, and thousands of job cuts.

3 – Steven Keenan–Apache Corp.

In October, oil and gas industry veteran, Steven Keenan, resigned from his position as senior vice president of worldwide exploration at Apache Corp. Keenan, who was credited with a high-profile shale discovery for Apache, was poached from shale veteran EOG Resources and handpicked to head the company’s unconventional resources technology team.

His resignation sparked fears that it could have been related to Apache’s current offshore project in Suriname despite the company going to lengths to deny the connection.

Apache shares sunk to 18-year lows two weeks ago after the company provided a disappointing update for its first Suriname well. Suriname was supposed to be Apache’s answer to ExxonMobil right across the maritime border in Guyana, where the American giant made 14 discoveries and is starting first production before the end of this year.

Keenan was removed right in the middle of Apache’s first drill hole in Suriname, and without so much as a basic explanation as to why, which made shareholders very uneasy because he was the man behind Apache’s 2016 Alpine High West Texas discovery.

4 – T.M. “Roe” Patterson–Basic Energy Services Inc.

In September, Basic Energy Services Inc. president and CEO T.M. “Roe” Patterson announced that he would be leaving the company to “…pursue other business opportunities”.

While not explicitly saying so, it’s highly tenable that his hand was forced by the turn of events at the company, especially during the company’s second quarter earnings call where he decried a “general lack of urgency” among the 2,000 energy industry clients that his company serves.

Related: The 5 Biggest Threats To Oil & Gas In 2020

Revenue during the quarter declined 25% to $189.9M with first-half revenue coming in $100M lower than the figure for last year’s corresponding period.

Basic Energy Services is a Texas-based oil well servicing contractor primarily in West Texas. The shares have been some of the worst performers in the industry this year, crashing nearly 95% in the year-to-date and prompting a delisting from the New York Stock Exchange after failing to maintain an average global market cap of at least $15M over a consecutive 30 trading-day period. Basic Energy now trades on the OTC Markets under the BASX symbol.

Those are the big four, but let’s not forget the change in regime at the company billed as the world’s most profitable oil outfit in the world: Saudi Aramco.

In September, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia saw to it that Aramco Chairman (and Energy Minister) Khalid al Falish was replaced to make room for someone who was more of an MBS yes-man and who could simultaneously hobnob with potential Western investors. His replacement at Aramco, Yasser al Rumayyan, is a former equities trader, and the idea appeared to be that he would be better at luring in Western money when Aramco went public with a small portion of its shares. That hasn’t happened yet.

-OilPrice

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/oil-gas-power/oil-and-gas-ceos-removed-in-2019/

President Donald Trump blasted a prominent Christian magazine on Friday, a day after it published an editorial arguing that he should be removed from office because of his “blackened moral record.”

Trump tweeted that Christianity Today, an evangelical magazine founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham, “would rather have a Radical Left nonbeliever, who wants to take your religion & your guns, than Donald Trump as your President.”

The magazine “has been doing poorly and hasn’t been involved with the Billy Graham family for many years,” Trump wrote. Some of his strongest evangelical supporters, including Graham’s son, rallied to his side and against the publication. Their pushback underscored Trump’s hold on the evangelical voting bloc that helped propel him into office and suggested the editorial would likely do little to shake that group’s loyalty.

Rev. Franklin Graham, who now leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and prayed at Trump’s inauguration, tweeted Friday that his father would be “disappointed” in the magazine. Graham added that he “felt it necessary” following the editorial to share that his father, who died last year after counseling several past presidents, had voted for Trump.

Christianity Today “represents what I would call the leftist elite within the evangelical community. They certainly don’t represent the Bible-believing segment of the evangelical community,” Graham told The Associated Press in an interview. He wrote on Facebook: “Is President Trump guilty of sin? Of course he is, as were all past presidents and as each one of us are, including myself.”

The magazine’s circulation is estimated at 130,000. In the editorial titled “Trump Should Be Removed from Office,” Editor-in-Chief Mark Galli wrote that Democrats “have had it out for” the president since he took office.

But Galli asserted that the facts “are unambiguous” when it comes to the acts that led to the president’s impeachment by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives this week.

Trump “attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents,” Galli wrote, referring to former Vice President Joe Biden. “That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.”

The schism among Christians about Trump dates back to before his election. Prominent Southern Baptist Russell Moore warned that Trump “incites division” in a 2015 op-ed. The essay cited the Bible in asking fellow Christians to “count the cost of following” him. It later earned a tweeted lashing from then-candidate Trump.

After Trump defended the organizers of a 2017 white nationalist rally that turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia, one member of his evangelical advisory board stepped down, citing “a deepening conflict in values between myself and the administration.”

But no such break has occurred between the president and the core of his evangelical base. Trump is deeply popular among white evangelical Protestants, with roughly 8 in 10 saying they approve of the way he is handling his job, according to a December poll from The AP-NORC Center.

Many prominent evangelicals have only intensified their support for Trump as Democrats moved to impeach him, circling the wagons despite Trump’s personal history, which includes multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, deeply divisive policies and profanity laced comments.

At the heart of that backing is what pro-Trump evangelicals view as the president’s significant record of achievement on their highest priorities, such as his successful installation of more than 150 conservative federal judges and his support for anti-abortion policies.

“No President has done more for the Evangelical community, and it’s not even close,” Trump said in his tweets. He declared that he “won’t be reading ET again!” using the wrong initials to describe the Christian publication.

Johnnie Moore, a member of Trump’s evangelical advisory board, tweeted that during the “hyperventilating” over the “inconsequential” editorial, he was at Vice President Mike Pence’s residence, “where dozens of evangelicals who actually lead MILLIONS were celebrating Christmas undistracted by impeachment & grateful” for the administration’s policies.

Adding that Christianity Today “only represents a certain segment of evangelicals,” Moore tweeted that “this is not a game changing moment or hardly a surprise.”

Another Trump evangelical adviser, Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, tweeted that the magazine is “dying” and “going against 99% of evangelical Republicans who oppose impeachment.”

The editorial did not take a position on whether Trump should be removed by the Senate or by popular vote in the 2020 election, calling it “a matter of prudential judgment.” But Galli wrote that the need for Trump’s removal “is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.”

The editorial came one day after Trump became the third president in American history to be impeached. The House charged him with abuse of power in pressuring Ukraine to announce investigations of Biden, and with obstructing Congress in the ensuing probe.

Asked Friday in an interview with CNN about Trump’s critical tweets, Galli said the president’s characterization of the magazine as far left was “far from accurate.” But Galli, who is set to retire from his post next month, also said he is realistic about the impact of his words.

“I don’t have any imagination that my editorial is going to shift their views on this matter,” Galli said of the president’s supporters. “The fact of the matter is Christianity Today is not read by the people — Christians on the far right, by evangelicals on the far right — so they’re going to be as dismissive of the magazine as President Trump has shown to be.”

-AP
http://www.mediaissuesng.com/politics/trump-attacks-christian-magazine-for-supporting-his-impeachment/

By Emeka Nze

Seplat Petroleum Development Company has resolved all grey areas with Starcrest Nigeria Energy Limited over the acquisition of Eland Oil and Gas Plc, leading to full takeover of 45 percent stake in OML 40 by Seplat effective Monday, December 18, 2019.

Seplat offered cash payment of about GBP382 million, three hundred and eighty-two British pounds for the acquisition.

Sources within Starcrest confirmed to Media Issues that all parties, including Elcrest Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, had amicably resolved the disputed areas, having met the terms of agreement.

Starcrest had maintained that OML 40 was a joint venture owned by it and Elcrest, accusing Seplat of not following due process before publicly announcing the acquisition of Eland which had no holding in the oil block.

It said that Eland was a minority shareholder in Elcrest and had no hydrocarbon entitlement produced from OML 40, except for dividend from Elcrest which was however subject to declaration of dividend by Elcrest.

Starcrest said further that prior to the announcement of the acquisition by Seplat, it was neither consulted, informed or briefed on the offer or terms of acquisition, thus could not carry out due diligence on the offer.

Enraged by this development, Starcrest notified the relevant authorities both in Nigeria and United Kingdom, including the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

NPDC is the operator and holder of 55% stake in OML 40, making it the majority stakeholder.

OML 40 is located in the northwestern Niger Delta near Warri. Production is currently about 10,000 barrels per day. In 2012, Elcrest completed the acquisition of a 45% interest in OML 40 from Shell, Total and Agip Eni. NNPC also transferred its 55% equity in the licence to its E&P subsidiary, NPDC.

http://www.mediaissuesng.com/exclusive/seplat-starcrest-resolve-dispute-over-eland/