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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian Senate on Thursday began considering a ban on children younger than 16 years old from social media after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported the age restriction. The world-first bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts is likely to be passed by the Senate on Thursday, the Parliament’s final session for the year and potentially the last before elections, which are due within months. The major parties’ support for the ban all but guarantees the legislation will become law. But many child welfare and mental health advocates are concerned about unintended consequences. Unaligned Sen. Jacqui Lambie complained about the limited amount of time the government gave the Senate to debate the age restriction, which she described as “undercooked.” “I thought this was a good idea. A lot of people out there thought it was a good idea until we looked at the detail and, let's be honest, there's no detail,” Lambie told the Senate. The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly carried the bill 102 votes to 13. Once the legislation becomes law, the platforms would have one year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced. The platforms complained that the law would be unworkable, and urged the Senate to delay the vote until at least June next year when a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies made its report on how young children could be excluded. Critics argue the government is attempting to convince parents it is protecting their children ahead of general elections due by May. The government hopes that voters will reward it for responding to parents' concerns about their children's addiction to social media. Some argue the legislation could cause more harm than it prevents. Criticisms include that the legislation was rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, is ineffective, poses privacy risks for all users, and undermines parental authority to make decisions for their children. Opponents of the bill also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of the positive aspects of social media, drive them to the dark web, discourage children too young for social media to report harm and reduce incentives for platforms to improve online safety.
Significant milestones in life and career of Jimmy CarterA first treatment has been found for chronic asthma in 50 years and could be “game changing” in preventing deadly attacks. Scientists have discovered benralizumab could tackle suffocating attacks for people with both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A breakthrough Lancet study shows an injection during a flare up was more effective than current standard care of steroid tablets, showing it cut the need for further treatment by 30%. Lead investigator Professor Mona Bafadhel, of King's College London, said: "This could be a game-changer for people with asthma and COPD. Treatment for asthma and COPD exacerbations have not changed in 50 years, despite causing 3.8 million deaths worldwide a year combined. Benralizumab is a safe and effective drug already used to manage severe asthma. We've used the drug in a different way to show that it's more effective than steroid tablets, which is the only treatment currently available." About 5.5 million Brits have asthma while an estimated three million people have COPD, a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties, but two thirds of these are undiagnosed. Benralizumab is a monoclonal antibody, which are proteins made in a lab that bind to specific targets in the body. It targets specific white blood cells, called eosinophils, to reduce lung inflammation. It is currently used by the NHS as a repeat treatment for severe asthma at a low dose, but a new trial at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust found a higher single dose is very effective if injected at the time of a flare-up. Researchers said benralizumab could also potentially be administered safely at home or in a GP practice, as well as in A&E. First author Dr Sanjay Ramakrishnan, of the University of Western Australia , said: "Our study shows massive promise for asthma and COPD treatment. COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide but treatment for the condition is stuck in the 20th century. We need to provide these patients with life-saving options before their time runs out." The drug could be lifesaving intervention for the 50% of asthma attacks and 30% of COPD attacks which are “eosinophilic exacerbations” - meaning they involve a type of white blood cell. Eosinophils protect the body from allergens, parasites, foreign bacteria and they release enzymes during infections, allergic reactions and asthma attacks. The clinical trial recruited 158 people who needed medical attention in A&E for their asthma or COPD attack. Patients were given a quick blood test to see what type of attack they were having, with those suffering one involving eosinophils being suitable for treatment. Participants were randomly split into three groups. One received the benralizumab injection and dummy tablets, another received standard prednisolone steroids and a dummy injection, and the third group received both the benralizumab injection and steroids. After 28 days, respiratory symptoms of cough, wheeze, breathlessness and sputum were found to be better in people on benralizumab. And after 90 days, there were four times fewer people in the benralizumab group who failed treatment compared with those receiving steroids. Treatment with the benralizumab injection also took longer to fail, meaning fewer visits to a GP or hospital for patients. People also reported a better quality of life on the new regime. Researchers said steroids can have severe side-effects such as increasing the risk of diabetes and osteoporosis and that switching to benralizumab could provide huge benefits. Dr Samantha Walker, director at charity Asthma and Lung UK, said: "It's appalling that this is the first new treatment for those suffering from asthma and COPD attacks in 50 years, indicating how desperately underfunded lung health research is." AstraZeneca provided the drug for the study and funded the research, but had no input into trial design, delivery, analysis or interpretation. The findings are published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal.How co-writing a book threatened the Carters’ marriage
As Blake Lively sues 'It Ends With Us' co-star Justin Baldoni, collaborators take her sideIzzy Morelli put Gray-New Gloucester ahead for good with two free throws in the fourth quarter and finished with a game-high 12 points as the Patriots edged Edward Little, 31-28, in a girls basketball game Friday in Gray. Gray-New Gloucester (6-2) also got nine points from Ella Kenney. Elizabeth Galway scored 10 points and Alexis Creaser had eight for Edward Little (3-3). GREELY 41, LEWISTON 32: Molly Partridge scored 11 points, Hannah Hussey added nine, and the Rangers (3-3) extended their winning streak to three games by turning back the Blue Devils (0-6) in Lewiston. Lewiston’s Ella Beaudoin was the game’s high scorer with 12 points. Bailey Tardif-Mockler finished with nine points and Bailey Toderico had eight for the Blue Devils. LEAVITT 42, CAPE ELIZABETH 32: Jordyn Boulay scored 16 points for the Hornets (4-1) in a win over the Capers (0-6) in Turner. Gabrielle Smith added 10 points. Lila Rosu-Myles paced Cape Elizabeth with 16 points. BOYS BASKETBALL OXFORD HILLS 51, BRUNSWICK 46: Brady Delamater (15 points), Brayden Murch (14) and Cam Pulkkinen (11) all reached double figures as the Vikings (4-3) edged the Dragons (4-2) in Paris. Oxford Hills took control by outscoring Brunswick 18-8 in the second quarter to build a 29-19 lead. Trevor Gerrish led Brunswick with 12 points. Logan Gray added 10. OAK HILL 65, WATERVILLE 37: Braden Dubuc and Eli Desmond each scored 16 points, leading Oak Hill to a win over Waterville in Wales. Desmond got all but two of his points in the second half. Oak Hill (2-4) held the Purple Panthers (2-6) to three points in the second quarter as it turned a 15-15 tie into a 29-18 lead, then continued to pull away from there. Braden New also reached double figures with 10 points. Derek Couture scored 21 points for Waterville. FOREST HILLS 82, RANGELEY 46: Jaxson Desjardins scored 23 points and four assists as the Tigers won in Jackman. Blaine Nadeau also had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Forest Hills (5-3). Anthony Whittier led the Lakers (1-5) with 25 points. We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors. « PreviousThanksgiving Weekend Sports Guide: Your roadmap to NFL matchups, other games, times, odds
I remember where I was when I first heard the term. It was early 1998 and I was in a McDonald's drive-thru. My friend was explaining to me why he and his family had decided to move to rural Arkansas next year. "Y2K," I said. "What's that?" Y2K. The "millenium bug" arriving in the year 2000. The new millennium. Some of you might well remember this time. For those under about age 30, let me catch you up. Many of the computers used in government and business in the late 20th century, including ones that powered the early internet, supposedly had something of a ticking time bomb inside of them. "It's very hard to tell how bad the situation will be. I'm sure things will break. It's very hard to dispel a nightmare scenario," Nathan Myhrvold, Microsoft's chief technology officer, was cited as saying in a January 1999 Forum column. "The dark-side scenario of airplanes falling out of the sky and bank computers crashing is possible. But it's fundamentally very, very hard to know whether the impact will be big or little." The problem was the two-digit-year date field (think "93" as in "1/1/93"). Theoretically, the arrival of the new millennium — the year 2000 — would reset all these computer clocks to "00" as in "1/1/00," wrecking anything that counted on dates to function properly. Theoretically, anyway. The list of public fears was a long one, illustrating how central computer technology had become in our lives, and mirroring larger uncertainty about the new millennium. And while company officials and local, state and federal officials sought to reassure the public, ongoing reporting indicated nobody was quite sure nothing would fail. So the fears remained up until the last minute. "Up against the deadline for fixing an unprecedented technological blunder, the world exhibited some jitters Thursday over the prospect of failures in the computers on which we depend," wrote the Associated Press, as printed by The Forum on New Year's Eve, 1999. "There was testing galore and a few confessions of Y2K-unreadiness." Some religious figures took the moment to insist the coming apocalypse was God's judgment on a wayward culture. "(God) may be preparing to confound our language, to jam our communications, scatter our efforts and judge us for our sin and rebellion against his lordship," evangelical Christian leader Jerry Falwell said in August 1998. "We are hearing from many sources that Jan. 1, 2000, will be a fateful day in the history of the world." As if to embody the looming fears, WWE wrestler Chris Jericho gave himself the moniker Y2J (for Jericho), playing off the Y2K term. His entrance to arenas was marked by a countdown video that, when it got to zero, included shutting off the venue lights, leaving people in noisy darkness before Jericho was revealed. As the year 2000 approached, the fears began to grow into something of a hysteria for some people, sparking drastic decisions, like my friend's family's decision to move to the woods. Others took money out of the bank. Some stocked up on supplies and guns and ammunition to survive the coming failure of civilization. The growing fears were in odd juxtaposition to the more joyful expressions by some about the year 2000. Big millennium parties were planned. Monopoly put out a millennium edition with fancy holographic cards. The boy band Backstreet Boys released their "Millennium" album, still iconic among my generation (OK, fine — I'm listening to it right now). Many people dismissed the fears and planned to go about their lives, expecting the furor was overblown. I moved from North Dakota to South Dakota in 1999, and as the new millennium approached, I was about 55% convinced Y2K was going to cause big problems. I remember counting down the last days of the 1900s and thinking everything was possibly about to change. It didn't, of course. While there were some hiccups among some computer systems, much of the billions of dollars in preparation worked. A concerted global effort to stave off disaster was effective. The apocalypse never arrived, civilization continued. In fact, my daughter was born later that year — one of many "millennium" babies who are now 24 years old. So what happened to my friend who moved to Arkansas? I don't know. I'd like to think he and his family went on to live their best life in a cabin in the Ozarks, ready for the end of the world that never arrived. Have a moment or person in history that you think is especially interesting? Contact me at jfugleberg@forumcomm.com and tell me why you think it would be a great subject for this column.
Parachinar's Enduring Struggle: A Call For Peace, Justice, And AccountabilitySteve Bannon held his microphone out to the crowd. “Should (Mike) Johnson be speaker of the House?” he asked. “Nooo,” came the reply, as Bannon, the longtime ally of Republican President-elect Donald Trump, spoke at a Dec. 19 “AmericaFest” rally of Turning Point USA, a right-wing advocacy organization. Bannon, who said at the event that Johnson “has got to go,” spoke in Phoenix as the U.S. House debated an end-of-session spending package. Congress ultimately passed a Johnson-endorsed, stopgap funding bill signed by Democratic President Joe Biden on Dec. 21 to avert a government shutdown ahead of the holidays. But Bannon’s remarks foretold likely challenges to Johnson. As the opening of the new Congress approaches on Friday, Johnson’s leadership is being questioned by, among others, Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, who heads the House Freedom Caucus, and Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, who previously led the hard-line conservative group. Neither will commit to backing the Louisiana Republican. The speaker will help determine whether Trump can succeed on an agenda that includes policy shifts on taxes, voting and border policy. Underlying the GOP’s turmoil is how closely it should work with Democrats, if at all, particularly on spending issues. “The political class is infected with a malignant cancer. That cancer is bipartisanship, right?” Bannon told the crowd. Johnson, he said, “doesn’t have what we call the right stuff, right? That combination of guts and moxie and savvy and toughness.” Bannon, who previously served four months in prison for defying a congressional subpoena, is awaiting trial in a case alleging he was part of a scheme to dupe donors who contributed to help build a wall on the Mexican border. Other Republicans have also questioned Johnson’s leadership. Sen. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican, recently floated a proposal to elect billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump adviser and ally, as speaker. The speaker is not required to be an elected House member. The election will occur after the new Congress assumes office on Jan. 3. “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk,” Paul posted on X. “Think about it ... nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds).” As Congress raced to avoid a shutdown before Christmas, Musk was instrumental in sinking an earlier spending proposal by House Republicans — Democrats also backed it — to head off a government shutdown. The package contained about $100 billion in disaster aid, including a federal commitment long sought by Maryland lawmakers to pay the full cost of replacing the Francis Scott Key Bridge following its March collapse. Musk, citing a pay increase for Congress among other objections, attacked the bill on X, his social media platform, calling it “dead.” Johnson, who has supported Trump, then pitched the alternative that was ultimately approved. He needed a deal acceptable not only to most Republicans but also to Democrats, whose votes were required because the GOP majority was so slim. The final package included the Key Bridge funding commitment but neither the pay raise nor a Trump proposal to suspend the debt ceiling — the amount the government can borrow. The party was similarly divided in 2023 when its far-right voting bloc expressed dissatisfaction with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, saying he had not forcefully resisted the Democratic agenda. Johnson, who replaced McCarthy, said at the time that he would emphasize bringing up individual spending bills instead of putting funding measures into a large package as executive branch spending authority is about to run out. — Jeff Barker / Baltimore Sun
OTTAWA — The federal government has introduced a stand-alone bill to implement the proposed GST holiday, hours after the NDP threatened to not pass the legislation if it was linked to a $250 rebate for working Canadians. The bill would give people a two-month GST exemption on items like premade food at grocery stores, children's clothes, toys, some alcoholic beverages and other holiday season staples. The Liberals had planned to also include legislation that would offer $250 benefit cheques for people who earned a working income up to $150,000 last year. Earlier today, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party would only support legislation to implement the GST break. He said the rebate plan needs to be fixed to include fully retired seniors and people who rely on disability benefits. The bill to implement the GST break is now expected to come to a vote on Thursday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2024. David Baxter, The Canadian PressAminu Abdullahi, the Commissioner, Higher Education, Sokoto State, who is also the Iyan Sokoto, is a highly respected titleholder of the Sultanate. Before his appointment by Governor Ahmad Aliyu, he was for nine years the Accountant General of the State. He was also at various times the Permanent Secretary in the Ministries of Environment and Animal Health. In this interview, he explains why revitalizing the education sector is one of the governor’s Nine-Point Smart Agenda Honourable Commissioner, let’s talk about the Nine -Point Smart Agenda of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto. Exactly what does the governor want to achieve with his investment in education? Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto is absolutely clear about what he wants to achieve in education, which is development of human capital that’s important to the development of the state. The governor is driving the economic development of the state, so it’s important that we have indigenes that are skilled to work in the industries he is attracting. We recently graduated 80 medical doctors and being our citizens, they can operate better in our environment because they understand the language and culture of the people. He sees education as both a social and economic investment. An educated person would easily understand the need to pay his/her tax and to be law abiding. I would give you the example of an educated woman – she is a nurse, and the first teacher of her children, so if she is educated that would certainly impact on their healthcare and education because she would be able to give them proper care and teach them alphabets before they start school. Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto means business with his well thought out Nine-Point Smart Agenda. In housing he has delivered. He was recently crowned the Urban and Housing-Friendly Governor of the Year 2024 in recognition of his achievements in the sector. It’s not a joke to deliver 1,000 housing units within two years. In the area of legal reforms, he has equally done well. During our last State Executive Council meeting the Secretary to the State Government announced the execution of over 180 projects that have been completed in the last one and half years. The governor is a serious-minded person...he won’t fail himself, his father Senator Aliyu Magatarda Wamakko or the people who have stood solidly behind him. Are your institutions of higher learning running entrepreneurship courses or are their curriculum still geared towards the continued production of public servants? The National Policy on Education introduced entrepreneurship into the curriculum of higher institutions. In 2000 the Federal Government and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) partnered to incorporate Entrepreneurship Education (EEd) into Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) curricula. The main goals of entrepreneurship education in Nigeria include, preparing the students to be self-reliant and self-employed, creating employment opportunities, helping students to transition from a traditional economy to a modern industrial economy, training students to be creative and innovative in identifying business opportunities and to establish careers in small and medium-sized businesses. In Sokoto State our tertiary institutions have embraced the entrepreneurial message. I understand that even at the Secondary School Level the students are being thought Entrepreneurship. This is the way to go because the government has a limited capacity to create jobs. How has your assignment as the Commissioner Higher Education Sokoto State been? Without thinking twice about it I would say that it has been a wonderful experience unpretending over this critical sector. I am indeed very grateful that I am contributing my quota to ensuring that Sokoto State children receive qualitative education. And when you work with a governor that’s wholeheartedly committed to the development of education and that’s supportive, that definitely makes your assignment less stressful. Before we go far into the interview, I think it’s important that I explain the difference between the Ministries of Higher Education, Science and Technology and Basic Education, which in a sense shows the importance the governor attaches to the educational sector. The first reason for the creation of the three separate ministries is because the governor wants an effective supervision of the educational sector which by the way is huge. So, in Sokoto State like some other states has three ministries – Basic and Secondary, Science and Technology and Higher Education. Though we might be three ministries, we collaborate because we are dealing with essentially the same raw materials or if you like we are in a sense like the three arms of government – the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary- though distinct, we must work harmoniously to deliver development to the people. So, the ministry of Higher Education is solely concerned with tertiary education – the institutions of higher learning that offer different courses to students after their secondary level of education. We have Diploma, Certificate and Degree Awarding institutions under the ministry numbering about 10. But at the recent State Executive Council meeting the Council in its wisdom took the decision to return the School of Nursing to the Ministry of Health and the School of Legal Studies to the Ministry of Justice, for more effective supervision. The fact is that these five tertiary institutions were transferred to their mother ministries in line with the laws establishing them. We equally have 20 privately-owned tertiary institutions in Sokoto State that are also under our supervision only that the government doesn’t fund them. What was the status of the sector when you took over? Like every other sector when this administration assumed office things were at different levels of decay and the educational sector wasn’t spared which is most unfortunate. The handover note that officials of the ministry put together for me was depressing because the situation in all our institutions was alarming; the morale of the workers was expectedly low because their courses were not accredited and they were not paid their teaching incentives. For instance, the state university was without power for more than three years. Most of the lecture theatres were in a state of dilapidation. On assumption of office Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto instantly instructed the Kaduna Power Company to restore power immediately to the university and the other institutions after reaching an agreement with them on payment of the backlog. That singular act elicited wild jubilation and confirmed that a Daniel has indeed come to judgement. I am ashamed to talk about what Sokoto State suffered in the hands of Aminu Tambuwal, a man who at one time was the number four citizen and who could have been President in line with the constitutional succession process. On his own he even attempted to be President of our dear country twice. Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto has shown by words and actions that his commitment to the development of education is not political, that he in fact means his campaign promise to revamp the educational sector. He has paid all outstanding salaries, including the teaching allowances and rehabilitated dilapidated infrastructures in our higher institutions. If you visit them, you will find an environment that is conducive for learning... we can’t be blaming the students for poor performance when we haven’t provided them with the necessary tools and environment to study. We have equally gotten most courses being run by institutions accredited within one year. How on earth can any institution worth its salt run unaccredited courses? It certainly amounted to a sheer waste of everybody’s time, especially that of the students. Thankfully the examination bodies have shown an understanding which has gone a long way in resolving the issues. The governor has approved the payment of accreditation fees to the various bodies like the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). He has in all sincerity restored the hope of these students that was dashed by the past administration. As a mark of his commitment there is no memo from this ministry seeking his intervention on any urgent matter that hasn’t received his prompt response. He understands the importance of education and is determined to change the narrative. But is the creation of three separate ministries not a confirmation that the sector ... has serious challenges and that the burden of running the tertiary institutions for instance is already enough of a problem for you? It’s important that I make the point that the governor is well guided in his decision to create the three ministries. It’s backed by the decision of the National Council of Education which is the highest policy making body on education in Nigeria on the separation of the ministries for effective supervision. It is a national policy. The governor could have chosen to ignore it, but being a firm believer in the rule of law and convinced that it is the right decision he decided to go along with it wholeheartedly because it serves his purpose of the sector being vigorously supervised. And then you’ve also talked about rehabilitation ...give me an idea of the total amount spent so far on the accreditation exercise? We have spent good money on the rehabilitation of dilapidated structures in our institutions, ...to date about N3 billion. I want to take you back to the accreditation issue. Can you give me an idea of the total cost of what was spent? For accreditation the cost is huge. For some courses we paid N35 million and for others N70 million. ...it depended on the course. Thankfully accreditation is once in five years. So, we have some breathing space. So far, virtually all our institutions have had their courses accredited and the cost is running into millions of Naira. Some few months back we paid the NUC about N100 million for courses being run at the State University and they were very impressed with our governor for his efforts in running a university that is truly a center of learning and research. In fact, they followed up with a letter of appreciation to the governor. The governor on his part is extremely happy because he is seeing light at the end of the tunnel. I can tell you for free that the university surpassed the NUC conditions, and that we didn’t cut corners .... we adhered to their guidelines. Were they satisfied with the activities of Rectors, Provosts when their schools were running unaccredited courses. And did you sack them? According to the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007 which aims at ensuring the prudent management of resources and to promote transparency and accountability, if a public officer steals money he would be charged to court of law and tried. Also, according to that same law if an officer commits an irresponsible act, he or she is liable for persecution. But it wasn’t their fault that the Tambuwal administration refused to accredit the courses their schools were running. They didn’t commit a deliberate and irresponsible act because they kept drawing the attention of government to the problem and there is overwhelming evidence. So, it would have been heartless sacking them for a crime that they didn’t commit. So why didn’t the previous administration pay for the accreditation of these courses? I wish I could provide you with the answer considering the importance of our schools running courses that are accredited. It certainly beats my imagination that they didn’t. I am not saying this to paint the previous administration in a bad light, but just to put the facts before the public and nothing more. The governor has since moved on from what they didn’t do to doing them. Sokoto State is lucky to have a calm and dedicated governor after the disastrous eight years of Tambuwal. Considering the premium placed on education by the governor, how well has he funded education? Does his budgeting allocation to education meet the UNESCO standard of 25 per cent? I want to recall that in November 2023, several countries under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), adopted the recommendation on education for peace and human rights, international understanding, cooperation, fundamental freedoms, global citizenship and sustainable development. Today, UNESCO remains the only global standard-setting instrument that lays out how education can and should be used to bring about lasting peace and sustainable development and in positioning education as a key driver of peace and international understanding. Education in the 2024 budget was allocated the highest percentage and in 2025 it has equally maintained its number one position in terms of budgetary allocation. Sokoto State in the last two years has in fact surpassed the UNESCO budget recommendation. And what does this say about the Governor’s unwavering commitment to education? It, no doubt, clears whatever doubt about his desire to rewrite the ugly story of education in the state. As a professional accountant I prefer to talk more in terms of releases because you can be allocated a fantastic budget without it being cash backed. So, we say thank you to the governor for not only allocating funds to education, but for his express approvals and for cash backing them. Our modest achievements are due to his leadership and support. In the light of the economic situation many states have been forced to increase fees in their institutions. So, should your students expect an increase in fees and wouldn’t it affect enrollment? You know the story of Sokoto State. We remain eternally grateful to our father who by the way was my teacher and leader, Senator Aliyu Magatarda Wamakko, for laying a solid foundation for our educational system using his experience as an educationist. As Governor of Sokoto State, he put in a place several fundamental policies; free and compulsory education, he encouraged girl child education and so many other policies. We certainly won’t be increasing fees rather we would continue to encourage our students with incentives like scholarships to pursue their education to the highest level. The robust policies of our governor have continued to attract more students to enroll into schools in the state and abroad. In fact, enrollment has increased and very interestingly is the fact that students have stopped skipping school. We have achieved all these due to the policy of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto who understands the importance of education and is walking the talk. The previous government had for inexplicable reasons stopped the stipends and other privileges of the students which Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto immediately restored. I am not too sure about other states’ allocation for education meeting the UNESCO standard...but what is the relationship between your state, UNESCO and other development partners? The interesting thing about development partners is that they only come in when they see what you are doing. It’s only when they see your seriousness and enthusiasm that they would partner with you. Our budget outlook which is friendly attracted them. We are actually having a synergy with them, and several other projects with different development partners. UNESCO that you mentioned earlier linked us up with other partners because they are impressed with what we are doing. They are facilitating and augmenting what the government is doing. So, we are happy with the relationship. Are they specific interventions, for instance, for girl-child education? Yes. But that is in Basic and Secondary Education. It would be great if you equally interview the commissioner in charge of the ministry. The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), to what extent has your State University benefited from its funding? The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria in its farsighted wisdom in 2011 to disburse, manage, and monitor education tax to government-owned tertiary institutions. You know that before the establishment of the agency in 2011, government-owned tertiary institutions were poorly funded, so the scheme was designed to improve the crisis in the sector through its interventions especially in the area of facilities where the decay was monumental. In fact, facilities in most schools had almost collapsed, teachers and lecturers’ morale were at their lowest. The enabling environment for conducive teaching and learning was absent. So, the government took this step to arrest the rot. This background is important so we can appreciate the seriousness of the situation and why the agency was set up. TETFund’s interventions are only for the universities. Primary schools have the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) that is saddled with the responsibility of providing greater access to, and ensuring quality of basic education throughout the country. The Universal Basic Education Programme was introduced in 1999 by the Federal Government of Nigeria to also address the rot in the sector. So has the Sokoto State University benefited from its intervention(s)? Each year TETFund intervenes based on specific requests of the concerned institution. They don’t decide for you, because you know what you need most. For example, if we need a Laboratory, we will spell out our specific needs to TETFund and they would react appropriately. So they can’t come and build hostels for us when what we need is a lecture hall or ICT facilities. Our schools have well equipped hostels, we have beds so we don’t need them, so we can’t ask them to buy beds that we have. So, the answer is a big yes. The state university has tremendously benefited from the intervention of the Fund in various areas.Golden Prospect Precious Metal ( LON:GPM – Get Free Report ) shares shot up 0.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as GBX 35.65 ($0.45) and last traded at GBX 35.54 ($0.45). 34,814 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 309,578 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 35.50 ($0.45). Golden Prospect Precious Metal Stock Performance The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 39.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 36.68. The firm has a market cap of £30.39 million and a P/E ratio of -507.71. Golden Prospect Precious Metal Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Golden Prospect Precious Metals Ltd. is a close ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by CQS Asset Management Ltd. It is co-managed by CQS Cayman Limited Partnership. The fund invests in public equity markets. It invests in stock of companies operating in the precious metal sector. Golden Prospect Precious Metals Ltd. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Golden Prospect Precious Metal Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Golden Prospect Precious Metal and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Belfast News Letter, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Northern Irish design agency Brill Design appointed by global hospitality giant for new five-star project. Opening in February, Northern Ireland’s newest five-star hotel, Dunluce Lodge , enlisted Belfast design agency Brill Design to ensure its impeccable interiors champion the region’s talent and natural products. Advertisement Advertisement Directors Michael Quinn and Michael Hughes and their team have worked closely with local suppliers and producers to curate a luxurious and welcoming environment across the property’s 35 luxury suites, restaurant, wine vault, private dining spaces and spa. Founded in 2012, Brill Design was responsible for the IDI Award winning social café within the new Queen’s University Student Centre, in addition to a number of high-profile consumer, corporate and commercial projects in London, India, Japan, Singapore and America. Having started work on Dunluce Lodge in the summer of 2023, Brill Design focused on the hotel’s intimate scale and bringing a wealth of classic detail to the hotel. The design scheme throughout the property instils it with the feel of a manor house that deservedly takes pride of place on the Causeway Coast. Advertisement Advertisement Determined to keep the project authentically Northern Irish, Brill Design enlisted Royal Warrant-holder Ulster Carpets, and the Carrickfergus-based Abbey Upholstery, among others, to furnish the hotel’s interiors spaces. The specialist joinery and fitout of the public spaces was carried out by Ashgrove in Ballymena while the stone was provided by Lamont Stone in Coleraine and Abbey Upholstery are manufacturing all the furniture for the public spaces. Belfast tile suppliers David Scott is supplying the sanitaryware and the majority of tiles across all the bedroom suites and public spaces. The carpets found in the corridors and staircases of Dunluce Lodge are a custom checked design that has been developed specifically by Ulster Carpets to compliment the little shots of accent colour in the space. Advertisement Advertisement Stephen Meldrum , general manager, Dunluce Lodge said: “We are delighted with the work the talented team at Brill Design are doing at Dunluce Lodge. “From the outset, this hotel has been designed with its surrounds in mind, and we have sought to make it as authentically Northern Irish as possible. “The fantastic teams at Ulster Carpets and Abbey Upholstery are producing some of their finest work for the hotel. “At Dunluce Lodge guests will be provided with an unparalleled experience, both inside and out, surrounded by some of the most beautiful interiors and scenery Northern Ireland has to offer.”
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