TRACING THE UKRAINE – RUSSIA QUAGMIRE AND THE WAY OUT

Godknows Igali, PhD

After weeks of high-level diplomacy, looming thunder clouds and intense global hysteria, Russian troops have since entered deep into Ukraine, an independent, sovereign state.

TRUMP'S AMERICA, STILL AMERICA, THEIR AMERICA

By Ikeddy Isiguzo

America, as most of us call the United States of America, USA, is a big country with confusions that match its size. The latest is the presidency of Donald Trump, whose face knots delightfully when he issues another threat - it could be to the unborn.

TRUMP, AGAIN...

By Azu Ishiekwene

On the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th President of the U.S., on January 19, 2017, I wrote an article I could easily write now. It was entitled “A Memory of America on Obama’s Last Day.” With minor edits, it’s worth repeating as Trump happens again as the 47th President of the U.S.

TWITTER IS PAYING HACKERS TO UNCOVER ISSUES WITH ITS AUTOMATIC IMAGE CROPPING FEATURE

• Twitter hopes to find and patch ways in which its algorithm can be exploited

By Chinua Okafor @The_RoboRai

A contest is being held by Twitter to see if hackers and researchers can find flaws in its image cropping algorithms, and prizes are to be given out to winning teams (see Engadget). Teams will have access to Twitter's image cropping code and model, which will allow them to find out if the algorithm is harmful (for instance, if it removes the image's subject).

UK NAMES 42 YEAR-OLD RISHI SUNAK AS NEW PRIME MINISTER

• * Promises To Fix British Economy, Deliver Britain, Unite Party

Just seven short weeks ago, it looked as if it might be all over for Rishi Sunak. The former Chancellor of the Exchequer – the UK’s title for its chief finance minister – made a high-stakes gamble. He launched an attack that helped to end Boris Johnson’s premiership, put himself forward as his replacement, but ultimately lost to Liz Truss. Admitting defeat, he retreated to the parliamentary back benches.

UK PRIME MINISTER, BORIS JOHNSON, RESIGNS TODAY AMIDST PRESSURE

• * As Former Minister Pushes For An Interim Leader
• Embattled Premier Described As "Always Unfit For Office"

By Bertrand Finecountry (Foreign Affairs Editor)

Head of the British Government, Boris Johnson, has agreed to resign his job today as Prime Minister, bowing to pressure to quit amidst flurry of allegations against him which has led to the resignation of most key government officials.

UK TO PARTNER NASARAWA GOVT ON AGRICULTURE AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

By David Wuya, (Nassarawa State Correspondent)

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, on Wednesday, expressed the British Government's readiness to partner Nasarawa State Government on Agriculture and Infrastructure development to improve the economic growth of the State.

Ukraine: IS THIRD WORLD WAR LOADING (1)

By Bolanle Bolawole

First, let us consider the cause or causes of the first two world wars that our world has witnessed. The immediate cause of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary but historians are agreed that there are at least five remote causes of the war.

Ukraine: IS THIRD WORLD WAR LOADING? (2)

By Bolanle Bolawole

As we said here last week, both the 1st and 2nd world wars had remote and immediate causes, and the epicentre of the wars was Europe before other parts of the world gradually got sucked into the vortex. The causes of the wars were European in nature - so also the dramatis personae.

UN DONATES OVER 18,000 PPEs, LIFE SAVING COMMODITIES TO BORNO GOVT

By Uchenna Okolie (Borno State Correspondent)

The United Nations Population Fund ( UNFPA ) has donated 18,646 personal protective pieces of equipment ( PPEs ) and life-saving commodities to the Borno state government as part of safety measures against the COVID-19 pandemic to the various health sectors in the state.

UN MISSION VISITS BORNO STATE AHEAD OF 5TH LAKE CHAD BASIN GOV'S FORUM

By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-chief)

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mr. Leonardo Santos Simão, the SRSG for the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), Mr. Abdou Abarry, and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mr. Mohamed M. Fall, visited Bama a day before the kick-off of the fifth Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum for Regional Cooperation on Stabilization, Peacebuilding, and Sustainable Development in Maiduguri.

UNDERSEA CABLE CUTS, DISRUPTS DATA, VOICE SERVICES ALONG AFRICAN WEST COAST

By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief) @CelestineOkaf11

A combination of cable cuts, resulting in equipment faults on the major undersea cables along the West African Coast, have negatively impacted data and fixed telecom services in several countries of West Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cote de Ivoire, among others.

UNGA 2023 Summit: TINUBU DEPARTS FOR NEW YORK TODAY

Nigeria's President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will, today (Sunday) depart Abuja for New York, where he will participate in the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which will be his first as Nigerian leader.

UNGA 78: NIGERIA TO CHAMPION GLOBAL TAX RESOLUTION

• * As Permanent Rep Urges Nigeria's Delegation To Work For Common Vision.

By Cecilia Ologunagba (Agency Reporter)

Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations (UN), Ambassador Tijiani Muhammad-Bande, said Nigeria will continue to champion global tax cooperation discourse at the ongoing 78th session of UN General Assembly (UNGA).

UNGA 78: TINUBU, OTHERS TO MARK HALFTIME OF SDGs IN NEW YORK

By Cecilia Ologunagba (Agency Reporter)

President Bola Tinubu will, on Monday, join world leaders to participate in the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (UN 2023 Summit on SDGs) as UN marks the halftime of the SDGs

UNUSUAL REASONS AFRICA WANTED TRUMP TO WIN

By Azu Ishiekwene

I understand wealthy US citizens and conservatives of the evangelical hue rooting for Donald Trump. The rich believe he would loosen regulations and protect them and their businesses from excessive taxation. Conservative evangelicals believe he is the bulwark against wokeism, especially the ultra-liberal variety. And white folks want their country back.

US PRESIDENT APPOINTS NIGERIAN, JOHN DABIRI, TO AMERICAN ADVISORY COUNCIL ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

By Ikemsinachi Bobo Okafor

President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, has announced the appointment of 41-year old Prof John Oluseun Dabiri, a Nigerian-American aeronautical engineer, as a member of the US president’s council of advisors on science and technology.

Vaccine Misinformation On Facebook Is Subject To Tighter Restrictions

By Chinua Albert Okafor @The_RoboRai

Meta, Facebook's new alias, announced today that it will impose stricter policies against misinformation about vaccines targeted at kids (via Engadget) as the FDA recently approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11.

Walmart Will Have Microsoft's Halo-themed Xbox Series X Available For Preorder Wednesday Night

By Chinua Albert Okafor @TheRoboRai (Click to Subscribe)

In addition to announcing the Halo-themed Xbox Series X at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Microsoft also revealed that Halo Infinite would launch on December 8th, nearly a month after the Xbox Series X launches.

What Apple Announced At Its iPhone 14 Event: The 8 Biggest Changes

• *iPhone 14 Arrives: Every Big Announcement From Apple's Fall 2022 Event · iPhone 14 & 14 Plus (From $799/$899) · iPhone 14 Pro & Pro Max (From $999)

By Chinua Albert Okafor @TheRoboRai

As part of its recent Far Out event, Apple announced its iPhone 14 lineup, three new Apple Watch models, including the long-rumoured Apple Watch Ultra, and the next generation of AirPods Pro.

Here are the biggest highlights from the event::

Apple IPhone 14 Pro Max Image: TechRadar

A NEW "DYNAMIC ISLAND" DESIGN BEATS THE NOTCHLESS DESIGN OF THE IPHONE 14 PRO

In the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, the notch has been replaced with a pill-shaped cutout to house the camera and Face ID system under the display. In this area, notifications will be displayed and moved around. Apple calls it the "Dynamic Island."

There is also a more powerful A16 chip, a brighter display, a longer battery life, and a 48-megapixel rear camera with a quad-pixel sensor in the Pro line. The iPhone Pro and Pro Max will also have always-on displays, which dim your lock screen's wallpaper to continue to show notifications without draining your battery.

In addition to the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 14 Pro Max will cost $1,099 and 999 dollars, respectively. Preorders begin on September 9th, and both devices will be available on September 16th.

Apple iPhone 14 iPhone 14 Plus Image: Apple.com

NEW "PLUS" MODEL FOR THE IPHONE 14

Both the iPhone 13 and 14 come with the A15-series chip and a notch, so there aren't too many noticeable differences. In addition to the Plus model, Apple introduced a new model with a 6.7-inch display and improved battery life.

Both devices feature upgraded 12-megapixel main cameras, as well as an autofocus 12-megapixel selfie camera. Starting at $799 is the iPhone 14, and $899 is the iPhone 14 Plus.

It will be possible to preorder them on September 9th, with the iPhone 14 becoming available on September 16th, and the Plus becoming available on October 7th.

iPhone 14’s new SOS feature. Image: Apple.com

THE IPHONE 14 IS CAPABLE OF SENDING EMERGENCY MESSAGES OVER SATELLITE

Satellite connectivity is being added to the new iPhone 14 and 14 Pro for emergency situations in the US and Canada. As long as the sky is clear, you should be able to point your phone directly at the nearest satellite to send an SOS message to a nearby emergency service if you are in need of help and have no service.

New phones will come with the feature free for two years.

Apple Watch Ultra Image: Apple.com

NEW APPLE WATCH ULTRA

Apple’s brand new Watch Ultra sports an all new tough design that aids extreme sports athletes. With a 49mm titanium case say goodbye to wear and tear. And users can now keep a record of their underwater dices with the new Oceanic Plus App. The Apple Watch Ultra provides up to 36 hours of battery life on just one charge, and Apple plans to introduce a supplementary battery optimisation feature later this year to give an extended boost of up to 60 hours battery life. The Watch Ultra preorder price starts at $799, with shipments starting September 23rd.

NO PHYSICAL SIMS FOR US USERS

Apple also announced that all Iphone 14 units sold in the US will exclusively use eSIM’s instead of a physical SIM. Apple says this is because eSIMs are qa security upgrade and should help users switch network carriers easily.

BOTH WATCHOS 9 AND IOS 16 ARE DROPPING ON SEPTEMBER 12TH

Apple’s news iOS 16 and watchOS 9 will be releasing from September 12th. The new iOS update brings new customisation features to the lock screen including widgets and notifications that pop up from the bottom of the screen, while watchOS 9 boasts new fitness tracking metrics.

Apple Watch SE Image: Apple.com

THE APPLE WATCH SE RETURNS

The next-generation Apple Watch SE as announced by Apple comes with an all new S8 chip that gives up to 20% speed over the 2020 model and also shares some of the same capabilities as the Watch Series 8, like crash detection. It's available for pre-order at $249 with GPS or $299 with cellular before it becomes available on September 16th.

Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation Image: Apple.com

APPLES’S NEW AIRPODS PRO COME WITH UPGRADED NOISE CANCELLATION

The new AirPods Pro comes with the new H2 chip plus spatial audio and according to Apple it has twice the noise-cancelling power of the previous model. In addition to an increased six hours of listening time on a single charge (or 30 hours with the charging case), there are also speakers installed on each earbud and the charging case, so you can locate them using the Find My app.

You can preorder the AirPods Pro for $249 on September 9th, with availability starting September 23rd.