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WhatsApp: India seeks withdrawal of privacy policy changes

Amaka Nliam
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India’s technology ministry has asked WhatsApp to withdraw changes to its privacy policy the messaging platform announced earlier this month, saying the new terms take away choice from Indian users.

The demand creates a new headache for WhatsApp and its United States’ parent company Facebook, which have placed big bets on the South Asian nation to expand their payments and other businesses.

“The proposed changes raise grave concerns regarding the implications for the choice and autonomy of Indian citizens.

“Therefore, you are called upon to withdraw the proposed changes,”  India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology wrote in an email to WhatsApp boss, Will Cathcart, dated January 18.

WhatsApp said in a statement that it was working to address misinformation and remains available to answer any questions :

“We wish to reinforce that this update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook,” it said.

California-based Facebook invested $5.7bn last year in the digital unit of Indian conglomerate Reliance with a huge part of that aimed at drawing in tens of millions of traditional shop owners to use digital payments via WhatsApp.

With 400 million users in India, WhatsApp has big plans for the country’s growing digital payments space, including selling health insurance via partners.

Those aspirations could take a hit if Indians switch to rival messengers such as Signal and Telegram, downloads of which have surged after WhatsApp said on January 4 it could share limited user data with Facebook and its group firms.

“It is of “great concern” that Indian users have not been given the choice to opt out of this data sharing with Facebook companies and they are being given less choice compared to the app’s European users.

“This differential and discriminatory treatment of Indian and European users is attracting serious criticism and betrays a lack of respect for the rights and interest of Indian citizens who form a substantial portion of WhatsApp’s user base,”  the Technology Ministry letter said.

The ministry asked WhatsApp to respond to 14 questions including the categories of user data it collected, whether it profiled customers based on usage and cross-border data flows.

The company said last week it would delay the new policy launch to May from February, after facing criticism from users in India and elsewhere to the new terms.

WhatsApp has launched a media advertising campaign in India to calm worried users. The update to the privacy policy has also resulted in two legal petitions in Indian courts.

Japanese Trump supporters rally in Tokyo

Bilkisu Halilu Pai
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A small group of Japanese fans of Donald Trump took to the streets of Tokyo on Wednesday, shouting support for the outgoing United States president hours before his successor Joe Biden is sworn into office.

About 120 people joined the march in central Tokyo, with participants waving American and Japanese flags and holding banners claiming Trump was “the true winner” of the Nov. 3 election.

Democrat Biden won the election with 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232.

“We wanted to show that many people in Japan are supporting President Trump,” rally organiser Naota Kobayashi said. “We all chanted together so that our voice can fly over the Pacific Ocean and reach the U.S.”

Some Trump fans in Japan are drawn to his hard-line stance against regional rival China.

Others like Kobayashi are part of conservative Christian sects, while still others are adherents to QAnon – a conspiracy theory that posits that Trump is secretly fighting a global cabal of child-sex predators that includes prominent Democrats, Hollywood elites and “deep state” allies.

Tokyo has seen a series of pro-Trump demonstrations since the election, with participants waving his campaign banners and wearing his signature red caps. Wednesday’s march was smaller than some previous events.

Japan’s former Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, who resigned last August, forged close ties with Trump, playing golf and engaging in frequent phone calls and meetings.

Biden will become the 46th U.S. president at a ceremony in Washington that has been greatly scaled back due to both coronavirus precautions and security concerns following the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Trump.

Nigeria ratifies membership of Genetic Resource, Agriculture countries

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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The Federal Executive Council has ratified Nigeria’s membership in the global treaty on the Genetic Resource for Food and Agriculture.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono disclosed this while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the first cabinet meeting for this year, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said this would enhance the capacity of agricultural scientists and agricultural production in the country.

“This memo which was approved today was a treaty on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. The import of this treaty is for the advancement and enhancement of the agricultural resource base of the member countries.

“Nigeria has signed the treaty for a long time but it is only today that the FEC approved the ratification. We will now become a full fledged member of this treaty and it will enhance training and research of our agricultural scientists and so on and so forth.

“In short, the entire treaty is meant to boost agricultural production in the country as it affects other countries, 167 of them,” he explained.

Nnenna.O

COVID-19: Taskforce threatens to prosecute teachers violating guidelines

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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Task-team on COVID-19 in Abuja Nigeria’s capital has warned teachers in the FCT to fully comply with COVID-19 guidelines or have themselves arrested and prosecuted in the court of law.

Speaking to Journalists after inspection of compliance across schools in the nation’s capital, Head, Media and Enlightenment on COVID-19, Mr. Ikharo Attah bemoaned a situation where teachers in schools visited, heavily violated guidelines, while students fully complied.

According to him, “What we saw was very strong compliance with the students, but very sadly, school workers, teachers, some security men and non-teaching staff believed that the compliance was strictly and only for students. 

“You all saw it. We went to some schools where we see teachers not putting on facemasks, we see workers not putting on facemasks and we see cleaners not putting on facemasks, but the students are almost 100 percent in compliance with facemasks. 

“Even the ones we saw in Kpaduma, a rural community, where both the students and teachers were not putting on facemasks. 

“So we actually felt so disappointed that teachers and school leaders who ought to be the ones spearheading were the ones defaulting the guidelines. 

“They are not leading by example. If the teachers don’t put on facemasks, the students won’t also put them on. 

“It was so pathetic and sad enough that the teachers did not even have facemasks when we asked them, but the students were bringing out theirs in the rural school. 

“It is quite disheartening, but we warmed them strongly that, today was the day of grace, when we get to those schools next and find them violating the guidelines, we will arrest all of them and charge them to court.”

Ikharo explained that it was strategic to inspect the schools on the third day.

According to him, the schools had expected such inspection on the first day, but coming on the third day made them dropped their guard and were taken by surprise.

From Government Secondary School, Tudun Wada, Wuse Zone 4, through Junior Secondary, Wuse Zone 3 to Government Secondary School, Garki, the sad story of heavy violation of COVID-19 by teachers and other workers was the same.

It was the same with Festival Road Primary School, Garki, even though the Principal, Mr. Shuiabu Mohammed Usman had disclosed that his school has installed five handwashing points and collected more desks to enable physical distancing.

The last point of call, LEA primary school, Kuruduma, was also the last in terms of compliance, as Ikharo declared: “this is the poorest in terms of compliance, no face masks. I am not impressed.”

Nnenna.O

Calabar Free Trade Zone: Government approves electricity facility upgrade

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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The Federal Executive Council has approved the sum of N1.4 billion for the upgrading of electricity facilities at the Calabar Free Trade Zone Area.

Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo disclosed this to State House Correspondents at the end of the first cabinet meeting for the year 2021, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said: “On behalf of one of our parastatals, the Nigeria Exports Processing Zones Authority, we brought a memo for the award of contract for the upgrade of the electricity component in the Calabar Free Trade Zone Area.

“The contracts were initially awarded in 2018 to upgrade the electrical facility in the Area but it was not completed so we brought a memo today and council approved the sum of N1,000,484, 000 for the completion of electrical upgrading at the Calabar Free Trade Zone Area.”

Nnenna.O

Report reveals corruption, anti-business disposition in Nigeria’s regulatory agencies

Amaka Nliam
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Regulatory agencies in Nigeria have been indicted in a report, which reveals that corruption, duplicity of functions, poor service orientation, and several anti-business dispositions persist in their operations.

 

The Cost of Compliance Report, which was presented to the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, PEBEC, at its first virtual meeting of the year, showed that regulatory agencies had not been on the same page with the council’s effort at removing impediments on the paths of businesses.

 

Laolu Akande, Spokesman to Nigeria’s Vice-President, said in a release on on Wednesday that the meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo resolved that chief executive officers and heads of some federal government regulatory agencies be presented with the outcome of the recent report, which exposes major pitfalls in their operations.

 

Osinbajo directed that CEOs and heads of such government regulatory agencies involved should be presented with the outcomes and interaction should take place regarding some of the worrying disclosures in the report of the survey conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, PwC.

“The report revealed human issues that are not unavoidable. Regulatory agencies play important roles in ensuring businesses are able to thrive seamlessly without inhibition.

“Doing otherwise would only jeopardize the government’s efforts in creating conducive business environment. 

“If the environment on account of regulatory authorities is so difficult or expensive, such that people are discouraged or it doesn’t make sense for people to do business, then we are shooting ourselves in the foot in a manner we can only blame ourselves. These are human issues and we must do something very serious about these issues.

“I am in full support of holding our CEOs to account because they, in turn, must hold their staff to account. If there is systemic corruption, bribery and extortion, and nobody is held to account, there is a problem,” the release quoted Osinbajo as having said at the meeting.

According to Prof Osinbajo, the plans of the Federal Government in growing the economy and changing the lives and livelihood of Nigerians for the better is largely dependent on the business environment in which they operate.

He said government plans around sustaining economic growth, improving job creation and opportunities, depend entirely on the environment in which people have to do business.

 

Others present at the PEBEC meeting were the Ministers of Industry Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, who is the Vice Chairman of PEBEC; Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Information, Lai Mohammed; Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; Budget and National Planning (State), Clem Agba; Special Adviser on Ease of Doing Business, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, and Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, representing the National Assembly among other top government officials and representatives from PwC.

 

 

Minister seeks citizens’ support for Armed Forces

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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Nigeria’s Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has urged citizens to embrace the culture of supporting the Armed Forces in fighting criminality in the country.

The Minister disclosed this on Tuesday during the private premiere of the movie ‘Eagle Wings’ in Abuja.

He also urged citizens to continue to imbibe the requisite values and keenly exploit every medium that will help to foster unity in the country.

“The movie vividly portrays how the Nigerian Air Force optimally leverages kinetic as well as non-kinetic air capabilities and humanitarian efforts, with the available resources and manpower, to win hearts and minds in the overall national strategic approach to attaining victory in the war against terrorism and insurgency. 

“Eagle Wings has undoubtedly set a new standard for Nollywood, and would also project the image of the Nigerian Air Force far beyond the shores of our great nation, further boosting Nigeria’s international prestige.”

The Minister also applauded the Nigerian Airforce and the producers, especially in utilizing the media space to enlighten citizens and other stakeholders about the valuable contributions of the Air Force to both internal security and off-shore Air Power projections, in support of Nigeria’s national interest.

“In this regard, it is quite noteworthy that the Nigerian Air Force’s positive engagement of the media to promote public enlightenment has received national, continental and global accolades over the past two years”.

Mohammed also applauded the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, for giving the Armed Forces the enabling environment to function while employing all the relevant tools, including a seminal Motion Picture, as Soft Power in the fight against insurgency.

“The unwavering commitment of Mr. President to the goals of the Armed Forces despite the scarce resources and the prevailing global economic and social challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic is inestimable and highly appreciated.

This is one area in which my Ministry has been unrelenting.  Our gallant troops daily make a huge sacrifice, including the supreme sacrifice, so that you and I can sleep with our eyes closed. 

I enjoin us all to make use of this movie as a tool of creating awareness in the public about the critical roles, especially of the Air Force, in national security and nation-building.”

“Eagle Wings” Motion Picture by the Nigerian Air Force Investments Limited, in collaboration with Messrs Papel Image Tech Limited is the first of its kind. It is particularly the first Motion Picture of its kind in West Africa as a whole and in Nigeria in particular.

 

Nnenna.O

President Buhari mourns former Sports Minister, Ka’oje

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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President Muhammadu Buhari has extended heartfelt condolences to the Ka’oje family, the government and the people of Kebbi State on the passing of former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Bala Bawa Ka’oje.

In his condolence message released on Wednesday, President Buhari noted that as a former member of the House of Representatives, community leader and APC stalwart, the late Ka’oje believed deeply in rendering selfless service to the people and he will be greatly missed for his passionate disposition to others.

The President prayed for the eternal repose of the soul of the departed and divine comfort for family, friends and associates.

 

Nnenna.O

Cabinet approves 65 years retirement age for teachers

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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The Nigerian government has approved an increase in the retirement age of teachers in the country.

Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who revealed this to Journalists at the end of the first cabinet meeting for the year presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, disclosed that the new retirement age for teachers is now 65 years or 40 years of service.

He said the Federal Executive Council also approved that bill to be known as ‘Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Bill 2020’ be sent to the National Assembly to give legal backing to the approval.

Hitherto, the retirement age of teachers in the country was 60 years while years of service was pegged at 35.

The Minister said government decided to increase the years as a reward for teachers’ dedication to duty and also to attract more people to the profession.

He said: “This memo that was approved for the Ministry of Education is a giant step towards what we set out to do last year, with the approval of some special packages for teachers by the President. So, at the meeting today, Council approved that a bill which will be called harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Bill 2020 be sent to the National Assembly for enactment into law so that all the promises made by the President and all the approvals he had given to me will now begin to be put into effect because this is the legal backing that is required for it.”

Giving highlights of the proposed bill, the Minister said: “The essence of the bill actually is to give legal backing for the approval of a new retirement age of 65 for teachers and then the service period being extended to 40 years.

“The intention is to attract the best brains to the teaching profession and for that, the President approved the reintroduction of bursary awards, improving teacher quality, funding teaching practice form TETFUND, enhanced entry point for teachers. The President also approved that there should be some special allowances, like rural posting allowance and science teachers’ allowance.”

Adamu stressed that the current administration intends to do for teachers what has never been done for them before and this is the first step towards that.

Nnenna.O

Popular British singer Robbie Williams tests positive for COVID-19

Nnenna Okoronkwo
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Popular British singer, Robbie Williams, is quarantining in the Caribbean after testing positive for COVID-19 while on holiday with his family.

The 46-year-old singer flew to St. Barts with his wife, Ayda Field, and their four children on December 28, 2020, for a new year getaway.

But a COVID-19 diagnosis forced him to self-isolate, extending their stay in their £106,000-a-week villa, thesun.co.uk reports.

A source told reporters: “Robbie’s been fairly sick. He is confined to the villa where he is staying with his family. It’s not exactly the worst place in the world to be quarantined, although he cannot go to the beach. He will have to remain in quarantine for up to 14 days.”

The singer was pictured earlier this month wearing a mask for a boat trip on the island.

Robbie had been in London earlier last month performing on the Strictly final and ITV’s The Jonathan Ross Show.

His US model and actress wife Ayda, 41, also did a Christmas video call to Loose Women. Then, they flew to St. Barts with the children Teddy, Charlton, Colette, and Beau.

Last year, Robbie revealed he was living up a mountain to avoid getting Covid.

He told reporters, “I’m somewhere in Switzerland up a mountain. I’m a bit neurotic and I thought, ‘Where can I place myself where it won’t get me?’ That’s social distancing in the extreme isn’t it?”

Robbie’s representatives declined to comment.

 

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