United Nations, United States ring alarm on West Darfur violence

The United States and United Nations have said the situation in Sudan's region of West Darfur could herald a repeat of past mass atrocities there as fighting in Sudan reached its third month.

The war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broke out on April 15 but quickly spread westward, hitting cities in the Kordofan and Darfur regions.

Activists said El Geneina, on the border with Chad, has been particularly badly hit. Fighting has killed 1,100 people and sent more 270,000 refugees across the border to Chad. Homes and hospitals have been destroyed.

The United States blamed the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias fo the violence. But army aircraft and drone attacks had impeded humanitarian efforts, it said.

The situation there was "an ominous reminder of the horrific events that led the United States to determine in 2004 that genocide had been committed in Darfur," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

In the early 2000s, Sudan's army relied on Arab militias to put down a rebellion by armed Darfuri groups. Those militias, known as the Janjaweed, formed the origin of the Rapid Support Forces, which evolved into a force that was legalized in 2017.

Then-president Omar al-Bashir and aides are wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and crimes against humanity after 300,000 people were killed and millions displaced.

"Darfur is rapidly spiraling into a humanitarian calamity. The world cannot allow this to happen. Not again," U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement on Thursday.

A letter from several U.S. and Sudanese activist and civil society groups called on RSF commanders to be held accountable for failing to rein in their soldiers and for the army to be held accountable for not protecting civilians.

The U.S. statement said army aircraft and drone attacks had impeded humanitarian efforts.

The U.N. refugee agency said it had heard reports of "shocking incidents of sexual violence," including by fighters entering civilian homes and stopping them at checkpoints as they tried to flee conflict zones.

Human trafficking, particularly in East Sudan, was on the rise, it said.

Reuters

• There are lots of English language words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. 
• A baseball bat and the nocturnal animal bat are good examples of a "homonym."
• An airy wind and "to wind down" are homographs, too.

It's no secret that the English language can be tricky. For anyone learning the language, it's difficult to grasp all the drastic differences a single word can have. 

People most get tripped up on words that are too similar. When words are spelled the same and sound the same but have different meanings, then they are called homonyms. When they are just spelled the same but sound different and have different meanings, then they are homographs. 

Here are some of the most popular homonyms and homographs in the English language. 

Bat

When used as a noun, a bat could be a winged, nocturnal animal or a piece of sporting equipment used in baseball. It can also be used as a verb when a player goes up to bat during a baseball game. 

Compact

When used as an adjective, "compact" means small, but when used as a verb, it means to make something smaller. It can also be used as a noun when talking about a small case for makeup.

Desert

As a noun, "desert" is a dry, barren area of land where little rain occurs. When used as a verb, the word means to abandon a person or cause. 

Fair

The word "fair" has a few meanings when used as different parts of speech. When used as an adjective, it can describe someone as agreeable, but it can also describe someone who has light skin or hair. As a noun, a "fair" is typically a local event that celebrates a certain person, place, or historical moment. 

Lie

"Lie" could mean to lay down and to tell something untruthful when used as an adjective. If used as a noun, it is a false statement. 

Lead

The word "lead" could be the verb that means to guide someone or something, while the noun version of the word pertains to the metal. 

Minute

The word "minute" can be a measure of time or a measurement of how small something is. 

Refuse

To decline or accept something is the verb form of "refuse," while garbage is the noun form. 

Project

The word "project" has several meanings as a verb. It could mean to plan, to throw, or to cast an image on a surface. As a noun, it is a task or piece of work. 

Second

Like the word "minute," "second" is another measurement of time, while it can also denote the placement of something after the first. 

Fine

The word "fine" has several meanings, including two different adjectives. First, it can be used to describe something as high quality and second, it can describe something especially thin. As a noun, "fine" means a payment for a violation. 

Entrance

When pronounced slightly differently, the word "entrance" has multiple meanings. As a noun, an entrance is a point of access and entry. It could also be used to describe a dramatic arrival, like a bride at her wedding. However, as a verb, to entrance means to bewitch and delight. 

Clip

The verb form of "clip" can actually get quite confusing. The word can actually mean to cut something apart or to attach together. The word even has a noun form, which is an object that helps attach two things. 

Overlook

To overlook means to fail to notice something, but when the word is used as a noun, it is a place where you can look down and see from a higher vantage point. 

Consult

"Consult" is another one of those tricky words that have two different meanings and they are opposites of each other. "To consult" can mean to seek advice or to give professional advice.

Row

As a noun, a "row" means a fight or disagreement. It could also refer to how something is organized into a line. As a verb, "to row" means to propel a boat forward. 

Discount

As a noun, "discount" is a reduction in price and can also be used as a synonym to "on sale." But when used as a verb, the word means to underestimate someone or something and give them no value.  

Wind

"Wind" can be a gush of air.

A subtle difference in pronunciation completely changes the word "wind." It can refer to a flow of air or it can mean to turn. 

Contract

When used as a noun, "contract" is a written or verbal agreement, but when used as a verb, it means to acquire or to get. 

Object

As a noun, an "object" is anything that you can see or touch. It could also be a synonym to a "goal." When used as a verb, it means to express your disapproval — typically used in courtrooms. 

Business Insider

Beneath your feet in the depths of our planet, there’s an unbelievably vast ecosystem teeming with life. In recent years, a massive international team of scientists revealed how billions upon billions of microorganisms live miles beneath Earth’s subsurface.

Presenting their work at the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting in 2018, the researchers calculated the size of this mysterious treasure trove of life for the first time – and it was way bigger than they expected.

They reported that approximately 70 percent of the total number of microbes on the planet live underground. In total, these microbes represent around 15 to 23 billion tonnes of carbon – hundreds of times greater than the carbon mass of all humans on the surface.

Scientists have barely scratched the surface when it comes to describing these microorganisms. However, first glances suggest that the genetic diversity of life below the surface might be comparable to, or perhaps even exceed, life above the surface. This is why nicknamed the ecosystem the "subterranean Galapagos.”

However, don’t expect any giant tortoises down there. Bacteria and their evolutionary cousins – archaea – seem to dominate beneath the surface, although the researchers also noted a fair number of eukarya down there too. For example, researchers described an unidentified nematode over 1.4 kilometers (0.8 miles) deep in a South African gold mine. 

"Ten years ago, we had sampled only a few sites – the kinds of places we'd expect to find life," Karen Lloyd, study author and Associate Professor of microbiology at the University of Tennessee, said in a statement in 2018.

“Now, thanks to ultra-deep sampling, we know we can find them pretty much everywhere, albeit the sampling has obviously reached only an infinitesimally tiny part of the deep biosphere," added Professor Lloyd.

To reach the findings, the team brought together dozens of studies that looked at samples brought up from drilling between 2.5 and 5 kilometers (1.55 to 3.1 miles) into the Earth’s crust, both in the seafloor and the inland continents. Also, to their surprise, they discovered that the subsurface deep biosphere is almost twice the volume of all oceans.

Subjected to intense heat, crushing pressures, no light, and scarcely any nutrients, this is hardly where you would expect to find a diverse bank of life. Nevertheless, the researchers said that this ecosystem could answer many questions about the limits of life on Earth – and beyond.

"Our studies of deep biosphere microbes have produced much new knowledge, but also a realization and far greater appreciation of how much we have yet to learn about subsurface life," added Rick Colwell, microbial ecologist at Oregon State University.

"For example, scientists do not yet know all the ways in which deep subsurface life affects surface life and vice versa. And, for now, we can only marvel at the nature of the metabolisms that allow life to survive under the extremely impoverished and forbidding conditions for life in deep Earth."

IFL Science

A bronze sword more than 3,000 years old, which is so well-preserved that it “almost still shines”, has been unearthed in southern Germany, officials say.

The Bavarian state office for the preservation of historical monuments (BLfD) said the sword, which is believed to date back to the end of the 14th century BC — the middle of the bronze age — was found during excavations last week in Nördlingen, between Nuremberg and Stuttgart.

The sword has an octagonal hilt and comes from a grave in which three people – a man, a woman and a boy – were buried in quick succession with bronze objects, the BLfD said this week. It was not yet clear whether the three were related to each other and, if so, how.

Mathias Pfeil, the head of the BLfD, said: “The sword and the burial still need to be examined so that our archeologists can categorise this find more precisely. But we can already say that the state of preservation is extraordinary. A find like this is very rare.”

It is unusual to find swords from the period, but they have emerged from burial mounds that were opened in the 19th century or as individual finds, the BLfD said.

The Nigerian naira traded as high as 790 to the dollar at the investors and exporters (I&E) window on Thursday — about 24 hours after the float of the local currency.

However, the naira appreciated after hitting a record low at the FMDQ trading platform to close at 702 to the dollar.

On Wednesday, the Central Bank of Nigeria announced the unification of all exchange rate markets in the country, stating that every rate quoted will be decided by the forces of demand and supply.

Following the instruction of the bank, the naira depreciated to 755 per dollar but later appreciated to close at 664 to the greenback.

The market rate is expected to maintain a “willing buyer, willing seller” arrangement forthwith.

In a circular stating that the I&E foreign exchange (FX) window is now the country’s official exchange rate window, the CBN said the “operational hours of trades shall be from 9am to 4pm, Nigeria time.”

“Re-introduction of the “Willing Buyer, Willing Seller” model at the I&E Window. Operations in this window shall be guided by the extant circular on the establishment of the window, dated 21 April 2017 and referenced FM/DIR/CIR/GEN/08/007. All eligible transactions are permitted to access foreign exchange at this window,” the bank added.

“The operational rate for all government-related transactions shall be the weighted average rate of the preceding day’s executed transactions at the I&E window, calculated to two (2) decimal places.

“Proscription of trading limits on oversold FX positions with permission to hedge short positions with OTC futures. Limits on overbought positions shall be zero.”

The Cable

The consumer price index (CPI), which measures the rate of change in prices of goods and services, rose to 22.41 percent in May 2023, up from 22.22 percent in the previous month.

The country’s May inflation data is contained in the latest CPI report released on Thursday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The latest figure is the fifth consecutive rise in the country’s inflation rate this year, as Nigerians adjust to the effects of the recent petrol subsidy removal.

According to the NBS report, “in May 2023, the headline inflation rate increased to 22.41 percent relative to April 2023 headline
inflation rate which was 22.22 percent”.

“Looking at the movement, the May 2023 inflation rate showed an increase of 0.19 percentage points when compared to April 2023 headline inflation rate,” NBS said.

“Similarly, on a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 4.70 percentage points higher compared to the rate recorded in May 2022, which was (17.71 percent).

“This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in the month of May 2023 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., May 2022).

“Likewise, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in May 2023 was 1.94 percent, which was 0.03 percent higher than the rate recorded in April 2023 (1.91 percent).”

The bureau said in May 2023, the average general price level was 0.03 percent higher relative to April 2023.

ONDO, RIVERS PAID MORE FOR FOOD AS INFLATION SURGES TO 24.82%

According to NBS, the food inflation rate in May 2023 was 24.82 percent on a year-on-year basis. This is 5.33 percent points higher compared to what was recorded in May 2022 (19.50 percent).

The statistics body said the rise in food inflation was caused by increases in prices of oil and fat, yam and other tubers, bread and cereals, fish, potatoes, fruits, meat, vegetable, spirit.

“On a month-on-month basis, the food inflation rate in May 2023, was 2.19 percent, this was 0.06 percent higher compared to the rate recorded in April 2023 (2.13 perecent),” the report said.

“The average annual rate of food inflation for the twelve-months ending May 2023 over the previous twelve-month average was 23.65 percent, which was 4.97 percent points increase from the average annual rate of change recorded in May 2022 (18.68 percent).

“On a year-on-year basis food inflation was highest in Ondo (25.84 percent), Kogi (25.70 percent), Rivers (25.02 percent); while Taraba (19.55 percent), Sokoto (19.56 percent), and Plateau (19.89 percent) recorded the slowest rise in headline inflation.”

The Cable

President Bola Tinubu yesterday inaugurated the National Economic Council (NEC) headed by Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

The inauguration came a week after he directed NEC to meet to come up with interventions to mitigate the effects of the petroleum subsidy.

He charged the council to support his administration in transforming the economic Fortunes of the country.

He said the task of growing the nation’s economy is quite enomous adding that no excuse for failure.

According to him, Nigerians want reforms and they want it quickly, adding, “we even begged and danced for the job.”

Tinubu restated his administration’s commitment to delivering on its promises to Nigerians as contained in his inaugural speech on May 29.

“It is worthy of note that the monthly meeting of NEC, chaired by the Vice President has remained the official economic platform for robust dialogue among the federal government, the 36 state governors, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and other key stakeholders.

“In my inaugural speech of May 29, year 2003, I expressed this administration’s commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians in a manner that’s not just our humanity, encourages compassion towards one another, and duly reward  our collective effort to resolve the social ills that seek to divide us.

“I also listed the principles that will guide our administrations and it is as follows: To be impartial, to govern according to the Constitution, and the rule of law;

“To defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality;

“To promote economic growth and development, through job creation, food security, and an end to poverty;

“To prominently feature women and youth in all our activities, and to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture to discourage corruption, while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of various anti-corruption agencies.

“I also highlighted eight priority areas to which this administration would focus, security, economy,  jobs, agriculture and infrastructure.

“We have already taken significant steps by ending the fuel subsidy and unifying the foreign exchange rate. This government will continue to transform our nation’s fortunes and bring about unprecedented development through good governance.

“We are committed to sustainable initiatives and programmes that will stimulate the rejuvenation of the economy without causing inflation. The plans and ideas we have presented underscore our confidence in our ability to meet the challenges of the day and pave the way for a better future.

“The NEC meetings have over the years, been very constructive and productive and key outcomes, resolutions and recommendation are translated into brilliant government policies.

“It is also evident that the task of growing our economy is quite enormous, but you and I asked for it, we campaigned for it, we even dance for it, we begged for it. So, we have no reason to complain.

“We must harness the growth potential of Nigeria and bring about serious development to bring us from a potential nation  to pragmatic economic development in a rapid manner.

“Their expectation is on NEC as a veritable source of articulating policies and programmes that are people oriented. I cannot over emphasize that.

“It is also reassuring to note that the populace, members of this country are behind us, they want reforms and they want it quick to have a meaningful impact on their lives.

“We have enormous challenges facing us, it is you and I, we have all the 36 governors and stakeholders and you have the flexibility of using the local government to rapidly develop the infrastructure within the local government areas.

“Collaboration is not a crime. Please let us do so.”

NEC meets monthly and has the mandate to “advise the President concerning the economic affairs of the Federation, and in particular on measures necessary for the coordination of the economic planning efforts or economic programmes of the various Governments of the Federation.”

Membership of the NEC comprises of the 36 state Governors, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and other co-opted Government officials.

Those in attendance as at the time the meeting commenced were Kwara, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Osun, Ademola Adeleke, Kogi, Yahaya Bello, Ekiti, Biodun Oyebanji, Nasarawa, Abdullahi Sule, Akwa Ibom, Umo Eno and Enugu, Peter Mbah Cross River, Bassey Otu, Plateau, Caleb Muftwang, Kebbi, Nasir Idris, Katsina, Aliyu Radda and Benue Hycinth Alia.

Others are Zamfara, Dauda Lawal, Ogun, Dapo Abiodun, Anambra Charles Soludo, Yobe, Mai Mala Buni, Taraba, Agbu Kefas, Gombe, Delta, Sheriff Oborevwori, Rivers, Siminalayi Fubara, Niger Mohammed Bago and Sokoto, Ahmad Aliyu.

Others are Ebonyi, Francis Nwifuru, Kaduna, Uba Sani, Edo, Godwin Obaseki, Abia, Alex Otti, Bayelsa, Douye Diri, Kano, Abba Yusuf, Bauchi, Bala Mohammed, Oyo, Seyi Makinde and Borno State Deputy Governor, Umar Kadafur and Deputy Governor of Ondo, Lucky Ayedatiwa

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, Acting Governor of Central Bank, Folashodun Shonubi, Permanent Secretaries Budget and National Planning, Federal Capital Territory Administration, and State House.

Sun

PRESS RELEASE

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of the following as Special Advisers:

1). Dele Alake, Special Adviser, Special Duties, Communications and Strategy

2). Yau Darazo, Special Adviser, Political and Intergovernmental Affairs

3). Wale Edun, Special Adviser, Monetary Policies

4). Mrs Olu Verheijen, Special Adviser, Energy

5). Zachaeus Adedeji, Special Adviser, Revenue

6). Nuhu Ribadu, Special Adviser, Security

7). John Ugochukwu Uwajumogu, Special Adviser, Industry, Trade and Investment.

8). Mrs Salma Ibrahim Anas, Special Adviser, Health.

Signed:

Abiodun Oladunjoye, Director Information, State House,

June 15, 2023

On Thursday, the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja admitted over 18,000 polling unit results sheets as exhibits in Peter Obi’s petition challenging President Bola Tinubu’s victory.

A data analyst subpoenaed to testify as Obi’s fourth witness said the about 18,000 result sheets obtained from INEC’s IReV were blurred.

Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 25 February presidential election, is contesting INEC’s declaration of Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the race, on various grounds.

The candidate, who came third in the polls, accused Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC, of rigging the election in favour of Tinubu.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Thursday, Obi’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, called the petitioner’s first expert witness, Eric Uwadiagwu, who conducted a data analysis concerning the results of the disputed election.

Uwadiagwu, a professor of mathematics at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, appeared in court on subpoena to testify as a petitioner’s witness.

Led by Ikpeazu, Uwadiagwu adopted his witness statement on oath as his evidence-in-chief.

He confirmed carrying out data analysis on the results of the presidential election obtained from the IReV portal.

The portal is an online platform where photographic copies of polling unit results are meant to be promptly uploaded immediately after the public announcement of results at the polling units.

It was an innovation deployed for Nigeria’s general election for the first time in February to boost the transparency of the election process.

Failure of INEC to keep to its promise to promptly upload the results in most of the polling units across the country during the election in February had triggered an outcry from the camp of the opposition candidates.

Obi and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, who is similarly challenging the outcome of the election, said in their separate petitions that INEC’s failure to upload the results as prescribed in the guidelines for the election was enough grounds to cancel the entire election and organise a fresh one.

The reports of Uwadiagwu’s data analysis of the results from Rivers and Benue states were admitted and marked as exhibits.

One of the reports said results from over 18,000 polling stations contained in four boxes were blurred.

Uwadiagwu, Obi’s fourth witness, could not be cross-examined by the respondent’s lawyers due to the late service of his witness statement by Ikpeazu.

INEC’s lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, contested the late service of Uwadiagwu’s witness statement on him.

“We were supposed to be served with the witness’ statement 48 hours ahead of today’s hearing,” Mahmoud said.

Also, Tinubu’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun and APC’s counsel, Lateef Fagbemi, complained of the lateness in serving them with Uwadiagwu’s sworn statement.

They equally registered their opposition to the tendering of Uwadiagwu’s reports of the data analysis.

INEC Chairman’s address at Chatham House admitted in evidence

The court admitted a video clip of INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu addressing the Chatham House in London.

The video was tendered by Lummie Edeveie, a journalist at Arise Television.

Edevie was the fifth witness in Obi’s suit.

In the video played in court, Yakubu addressed the audience at the Chatham House in January 2023 about the electoral umpire’s preparedness for ensuring the electoral integrity of the general election.

Specifically, Yakubu spoke about the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC IReV portal, which he assured would ensure the credibility of the polls.

For want of time, Mahmoud, Olanipekun and Fagbemi could not cross-examine the two witnesses – Uwadiagwu and Edeveie.

The five-member court panel chaired by Haruna Tsammani adjourned further proceedings until Friday for the cross-examination of the two witnesses.

PT

A representative of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, on Thursday, appeared on a subpoena to tender electoral documents in the case filed by Atiku Abubakar to challenge the outcome of the 25 February presidential election.

The witness tendered tons of electoral documents before the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, which is conducting a hearing on the case.

The documents were used in the conduct of the 25 February presidential election.

Atiku, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had, through a subpoena, sought Yakubu’s appearance before the court regarding his petition challenging President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February election.

But at the resumed hearing of the suit on Thursday, Yakubu, delegated Moronkeji Tairu to honour the subpoena on his behalf.

Ms Tairu, a deputy director in charge of certification and complaint at INEC headquarters in Abuja, tendered electoral documents both in soft and hard copies before the court.

Led in evidence by Atiku’s lawyer, Chris Uche, Tairu tendered a series of results from the presidential election for the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Also, she presented a copy of the final declaration of results for the presidential election, which heralded Tinubu’s victory on 1 March.

The witness further tendered certified true copies of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines report of the polls in Rivers and 36 other states, including the FCT.

Tairu equally tendered BVAS machines data report of voters’ accreditation on the day of the presidential election across all the states of the federation.

Finally, she presented Form EC9, which contained Tinubu’s biodata. Six flash drives in a white envelope containing electoral documents from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones were tendered.

But Uche informed the court that the INEC boss representative only tendered four of the eleven documents he requested from the electoral body.

He told the court that Yakubu was yet to present the voter register used in the presidential election.

The lawyer reiterated that Atiku paid N6.7 million as fees to INEC to certify electoral documents.

INEC lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, did not object to the admissibility of the documents.

However, Tinubu’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, and APC’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi, objected to the admissibility of the documents.

They did not cross-examine Tairu but said reasons for their objection would be adduced at the close of arguments in the suit.

The court adjourned further hearing in the suit until Friday.

Tairu brings Atiku’s total number of witnesses to 22.

PT