Electricity Workers Call Off Strike

Workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) called off their day-old strike (today) Thursday after reaching agreement with the government over unpaid benefits.
Nigeria was plunged into a nationwide blackout Wednesday morning when PHCN workers downed tools to press for the payment of benefits agreed upon in 2003.
Government officials disclosed they have reached an agreement with the workers to begin payment Wednesday.
Power is irregular and sometimes non-existent in many parts of Nigeria due to the inefficiencies of the PHCN, which is owned by the government.
Several steps have already been taken by the government to privatize the company, but there has been no impact on the country's power supply.

EarthTimes

Iran's Karar Long-Range UAV Bomber Unveiled

Iran has officially showcased new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle technology to the world with the unveiling on 22 August of its long-range Karar UAV bomber design.

The Karar (translated: Assailant) is said to be capable of striking targets up to 1,000 kilometres away and has been described by Iran’s President Ahmadinejad as a “...messenger of salvation and dignity for humanity.”
The comment came during a televised unveiling ceremony for the new drone, alongside further description provided by media officials who stated it could “...carry and fire four stealth cruise missiles... and, depending on the mission...two bombs of 250 pounds each or a precision missile of 500 pounds.”

Iranian Karar UAV

Supplementing its weapons-carrying ability, the Iranian Karar UAV has a reputed top speed in the region of 900kmh. Rocket-derived power is used to launch the aircraft into the air and a parachute system aids its subsequent recovery. In this way, the Karar apparently resembles older US drone technology such as the Northrop BQM-74 Chukar range of UAVs, of which over 1,600 models have been built.

Karar’s world debut coincided with Iran’s yearly Defence Industry Day celebrations and swiftly followed a missile test-launch carried out on 20 August. This involved the surface-to-surface Qiam (“Rising”) missile.

In recent days, Iran has also accepted delivery of several locally-manufactured stealth submarines and, in days to come, further new military announcements are expected.

Long-Range UAV

Karar represents Iran’s initial entry into long-range, weapons-carrying UAV technologies.

“The main message of the Karar bomber is to prevent any kind of aggression and conflict” [against Iran], Ahmadinejad added, possibly in reference to the ongoing nuclear weapons situation between it and the Western World.

Neither the US nor Israel have categorically said that they wouldn’t use military force to counter the potential threat of Iranian nuclear devices. On 21 August, Iran’s initial nuclear power facility began processing nuclear fuel for the first time. No UN sanctions have been placed on the site, the aim of which is to produce 1,000MW of electricity.

 Culled from :Armed Forces International Technology Analyst

FG RENEWS SUPPORT FOR ANTI-GRAFT WAR ...As Waziri Tasks Officers On Integrity

The FederalGovernment has expressed un-wavering support for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC),in its avowed commitment to rid the nation of all shades of corrupt practices.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adoke, SAN, conveyed this support at the graduation of the EFCC’s Cadet Course 5 and Intermediate Cadet Course 2 held at the Training and Research Institute of the Commission.
Adoke says that the graduation ceremony provided another opportunity to “re-affim government’s resolve to fight the scourge of corruption and economic crimes in the country as the War Against Corruption remains top on the agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan”. He commended the EFCC for its running successes in the anti-graft war.
“The fact remains that the EFCC has been able to produce fine and dedicated officers who have done the nation proud in many respects”, he said.
The Cadet graduation ceremony is one of the crowning laurels of the EFCC.
At the 2010 graduation, a batch of 199 fresh officers were added to the existing crop of Operatives of the Commission .
So far, 540 Operatives have been trained at the EFCC’s Training and Research Institute.
Another batch of 200 0peratives will soon graduate from the Executive Conversion Course called Course 4. With this string of achievements, the EFCC needs only two more courses to achieve full autonomy in operational matters.
The EFCC Chairman, Mrs Farida Waziri, says the occasion marked another milestone in the eventful history of the Commission “because it represents the steady progression towards the eventual autonomy of the Commission”.
She charged the graduating Cadets to strive towards diligence, industry and integrity saying any Officer found wanting would be dismissed and prosecuted.
“The EFCC is an institution founded on integrity. Such integrity must first and foremost be displayed in your personal conduct and character. Officers who live below board will be fished out, dismissed and prosecuted”, she warned.
Waziri also tasked the graduands to justify the huge expectations of Nigerians from them. She admonished them to be agents of light at all times. “ You are not enlisted to cause more darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through the darkness to a safe and sane future”, she said.
Waziri assured that the training ambitions of the EFCC are huge. “It is our dream to transform the Training and Research Institute into an international and regional anti-corruption academy,” she said.
The Director, TRI, Dr. David Tukura, said that the graduating Cadets were drawn from various backgrounds and are trained in consonance with their diversified skills. He explained that the training offered the Cadets was thorough, deep and incisive. He also assured that they were trained to be patriotic, selfless and honest.
“Apart from equipping them with the skills of a sleuth in the service of Nigeria , we have ingrained in them love for the nation. For these young men and women, the battle cry is “ Nigeria first or nothing else!”, he stressed.
All the graduands were trained in field; general; financial; legal and operations studies. Ahmed Hayatudeen emerged Overall Best Performing Cadet Officer while Lawal Hariratu Harilu turned out as Overall Best Performing Intermediate Cadet.
The Cadets will undergo another twelve months of mentoring in EFCC Offices nationwide before being commissioned as Officers of the Commission.

EagleNewsNigeriana

EagleNewsNigeriana

ABUJA AIRPORT,NOW IATA Stb Compliant--MAEVIS

MAEVIS Nigeria Limited, in-conjuction with key industry partners especially the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria9FAAN), British Airways, RESA, IER and other stakeholders, have completed a key milestone in making Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport (NAIA) the second IATA StB compliant airport in Nigeria. The Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos(MMIA) became compliant in August 2008. 

British Airways (BA) – a One World Alliance partner airline , and MAEVIS launch partner airline commenced the use of full 2D Bar Coded Boarding Pass (BCBP) Departure Control Systems (DCS) operations on a fully IATA compliant CUTE systems for all Abuja international passengers on her Abuja - London and points beyond international flights from  August 16, 2010.

This development makes Nigeria’s Abuja airport fully compliant ahead of the IATA/ACI deadline of December 2010.

According to the Managing Director of Maevis, Mr Tunde Fagbemi, this achievement ‘ is also a true testimony of the resilience of the FAAN/Maevis team (a true Nigerian spirit), the extensive Infrastructure, Superstructure and Systems deployment at these Airports and the many tests, customisation and certification by British Airways, Lufthansa, Delta Airlines, Air Nigeria  and our numerous IATA/ACI certified deployment partners and personnel.’

He added,’ now that we are fully certified and gone live, we are confident that in the coming days other Airlines and their passengers using NAIA will gradually cut over to the new world class systems and Brand new Check-in-Desks and ultra modern check-in platform /systems  provided by MAEVIS on a PPP – BOOT basis.

As noted by IATA, these systems would further simplify the check-in and boarding process for all passengers who use NAIA and help to make Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) drive for excellence in customer service and make international standards and other Technology friendly expectations at our airports a reality’.

The full implementation of the 2D bar-coded boarding passes enables:*Fast and convenient check-in and boarding.*Boarding with home printed 2D bar coded boarding passes*Issuance of Mobile phone 2D bar coded boarding passes *Several other passenger facilitation delights for airport customers and Aviation Stakeholders.

Maevis is a world-class Airports Infrastructure, Airports Operations Automation Systems provider Integrated ICT business solutions expert and Out Sourced Service provider.

Maevis is FAAN’s partner under a PPP agreement, the team is committed to the renewal, revamping and upgrading of FAAN Airports Operations Management Systems (AOMS) and the renewal of certain defined infrastructure, superstructure and systems at Airports and Terminals located at four International Airports in Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Abuja.

The current deployment at NAIA includes the Building of a Brand new World Class level 4 Data Centre, laying of a brand new ICT backbone for the aviation industry, the re-cabling of the Fiber Optic cable at the airports & the installation of modern servers, a brand new Communications network linking all Airlines and their host Airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano & Port Harcourt, deployment of a full suite AOMS Systems, a Full IATA compliant 2D BCBP compliant CUTE /DCS System, the renewal/revamping of the Check in counters, check-in area, replacement of all current Servers, PCs, Printers etc at these airports with 2D barcode-compatible machines, and the introduction of 2D barcode readers at boarding gates in line with ICAO, ACI & IATA standards.

Since the deployment last Friday, passengers have been able to print their own 2D bar-coded boarding passes at home or at the office and proceed directly to baggage drop off or through security at NAIA en-route to their boarding gates and destinations of choice.

Fagbemi noted that the company had made provisions for all local airlines and any other operators on all its new check-in counters and boarding gate stations to issue and read 2D BCBPs even if their Departure Control Systems (DCSs) have not been upgraded to handle them or if they do not currently have their own CRS and Departure Control System.

The unique approach that Maevis has taken with this technology implementation at NAIA,according to him was fashioned after its earlier deployment in August 2008 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) which has been described by many industry stakeholders as impressive. Not only are the day-to-day needs of the Airlines supported with shared workstations, Maevis is investing for the future of the Airlines, FAAN and indeed assisting the entire aviation industry in Nigeria to fully implement the IATA Simplifying the Business objectives with the aim of creating:*more opportunities for airports*more convenience for passengers and lower costs for the industry.

The technology reduces costs and improves customer service for both airlines and airports by introducing faster and easier check-in. This system offers the passenger more self-service options during their journey through the airport. This also translates into paper documents being converted into electronic messages both for passengers and air cargo, saving time and increasing accuracy.  This new system deployed at NAIA will result in less time spent at check-in, giving longer commercial dwell time to travelers and offering passengers a more pleasant travelling experience.

CHANCHANGI AIRLINE'S B737-300 BELLY-LAND AT KADUNA AIRPORT

FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2010

CHANCHANGI AIRLINE'S B737-300 BELLY-LAND AT KADUNA AIRPORT

*All Passengers Safely Evacuated


Posted By Lateef Lawal


Chanchangi Airlines Boeing 737-300 carrying 35 passengers belly-landed at the Kaduna Airport late Friday night while on final descent at about 21.30
The lane operating flight NCA334(Lagos-Abuja-Kaduna) was on its final approach into the Kaduna Airport runway when it ran into turbulent weather accompanied by thunderstorm.
The situation forced the aircraft to land several meters short of the runway approach damaging the antenna of the Instrument Landing System(ILS)and many runway lights.The plane's front landing gear and one of its rear tyres burst in the process while a substantial part of its under-belly was also damaged.
There was no casualty, however some passengers sustained bruises.
Officials of the Fire and Safety Department of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN)it was learnt assisted in the rescue of the passengers and flight crew including the evacuation of all their belongings which were later handed over to them at the end of the evacuation process.
Officials of the Accident Investigation Bureau(AIB) have already moved to the accident site to begin investigations into the cause(s) of the accident.
Sources close to the Managing Director of the airline, Trevor Washington said the airline has temporarily suspended operations until the return of its two aircraft that went for checks in Europe.Already, one f the plane, it was gathered had already completed its C-Check awaiting to be ferried back to Lagos.
Commenting on the accident, the Assistant Secretary General of the Airline Operators of Nigeria(AON), Mohammed Tukur described the incident as unfortunate because with the safety standard already set by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA), Chanchangi and other members of AON have maintained high safety standard and would continue to do that.He however said it was pleasing to note that there was no casualty recorded.Tukur, however called on the NCAA to check on the landing facilities provided at Kaduna Airport and or the procedure put in place for safe landing and take off during bad weather recalling that the airport was not long ago down graded by the regulatory agency. 

COURT GIVES SOKAN CONDITION FOR OVERSEAS TRIP

Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, August 5, 2010, ruled that the former Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Prof. Bridget Omotunde Sokan will need to produce a surety who will stand to face trial should she fail to return from an overseas trip which she has requested the court to grant her.  Professor Sokan and three directors are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 64 count charge, bordering on fraudulent inducement, criminal conspiracy and subversion of due processes in the award of contracts. Justice Bello had on July 22nd, 2010, dismissed an application brought before him by the accused persons praying the court to quash the charges leveled against them. The other accused persons are: Molkat Manasseh Mutfwang, Michael Mtonga Aule and Dr Andrew Ekpunobi. Two other firms: Intermarkets USA ; Intermarkets Nigeria Limited and Alexander John Cozman, a foreign contractor are also standing trial with them. Sokan and his co-accused had sought to quash all the charges preferred against them on the ground that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit instituted by the EFCC. They also claimed that the proof of evidence did not establish a prima facie case against them. The Judge, in his ruling had said that as far as the proof of evidence before him was concerned “there is sufficient evidence for the accused persons to face trial” He therefore,adjourned the case to November 29th and 30th, 2010 for continuation of trial. But Prof Sokan came back to the court via a motion on notice dated July 28, 2010, seeking an order of the court for the temporary release of her international passport in the court registry. She told the Court that her daughter is due to be delivered of a baby on August 18, at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk , Virginia . She further said that she desires to be present when she would be delivered of her baby. Prosecution Counsel, Wahab Shittu, however, submitted that while Sections 35{1} and 36{5} of the 1999 Constitution guarantee an accused the right to liberty and a presumption of innocence, “it is not the intendment of the Constitution that such rights be manipulated to frustrate a lawful trial. The mere subjection to trial and the imposition of reasonable bail conditions do not in themselves amount to a denial of the right to liberty or a violation of the right to the presumption of innocence. We submit that it is within the Court’s inherent jurisdiction, powers and discretion to grant the reliefs sought by the 7th accused Applicant but such exercise of powers or discretion must be so exercised judicially and judiciously”. Justice Adamu Bello in his ruling said in granting Prof. Sokan her request, she would need to produce a surety who will stand to face trial from prison should she fail to return from the overseas trip which she has requested the court to grant her. Prof Sokan and others were first arraigned on May 19, 2009, on a 26 count charge. Due to the  fresh evidence available to the prosecution, the 26 charges were further amended to 64 count charges. The substantive case comes up on November 29th and 30th, 2010, for continuation of trial.

S.E.C FIRES DANGOTE, OKEREKE-ONYUIKE FROM N.S.E

The Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Dr. Ndi Okereke-Onyuike and other council members have been sacked from their positions by the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) with immediate effect. Before now, both the president of the NSE, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Okereke-Onyuike, who was scheduled to retire later this year, was the Director General of the NSE while Dangote, who was elected President of NSE and other council members earlier had their election nullified by a Lagos High Court.
The Stock Exchange has been plagued by confidence crisis following Dangote’s petition a few days ago that the Exchange is broke with Okereke-Onyuike refuting the claim. The back and forth on the issue sent the fragile market south with more than N100 billion naira in losses in just two days of trading.
SEC in statement signed by its Assistant Director/Head Media, Mr Lanre Oloyi said it wielded the big stick following allegations of financial mismanagement, current litigations, lack of effective governance and inadequate oversight functions of the Exchange amongst other reasons.
"In following the developments, the Commission has at all times carefully deliberated on the implications and ramifications of a direct intervention in the affairs of the Exchange.
"In this deliberation, the Commission weighed the consequences on the market of a direct intervention set against the broader goal of safeguarding the interest of the public and protecting the investor," SEC said.
"The Current Director-General of the Exchange, Professor Ndi Okereke-Onyuike, is removed from the office of Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the NSE.
"Council member elected as President of the Exchange (Aliko Dangote) in defiance of the court order cease acting as the President pending the outcome of the ongoing litigation.
"Council members elected in defiance of the court order cease acting as members of the council pending the outcome of the ongoing litigation."
It said a new Interim administration would be announced before trading opens on Thursday.
"Given the gravity of the allegations around financial mismanagement of the Exchange, the commission has also directed the conduct of an independent investigation into the allegations.
"These actions by the Commission reinforce the integrity of our markets and demonstrate commitment to accountability, particularly given the importance of ensuring adequate oversight at all times and demonstrating that when there are shortcomings, as the apex regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission will step in decisively to address these issues in the public interest and to protect the investors," the statement added.

EFCC TO PROSECUTE BRIBE GIVERS AND RECEIVERS

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,( EFCC), has warned that it will henceforth drag both bribe givers and receivers to court for prosecution.
The warning was issued on recently, when the Commission paraded two suspects who were accused of impersonating officials of the EFCC to extort money from Nigerians.
Before his arrest, one of the suspects, Salisu Sambo Goni has been parading himself as an EFCC official as well as a Deputy Inspector General of police while his co-accused, Oluwaseun Amosun has been parading himself as an official of the anti-graft agency to harass and extort money from members of the public.
EFCC’s Director of Operations, Mr. Steve Otitoju while briefing the press said that in view of the worrisome dimension the menace has assumed, the chairman of the Commission, Mrs Farida Waziri had already directed that henceforth, operatives would not only arrest and prosecute impersonators but those who part with their money for them under the guise of giving EFCC officials money to stop their probe, will equally be made to face trial since both the giver and the taker of bribes are liable before the law.

“The Commission has to get to this level because information and complaints getting to the leadership of the EFCC daily indicate that these unscrupulous elements assume the identity of notable officials of the agency to harass people across the country, some of who unfortunately, for fear of being probed by the EFCC fall for their bait and part with their money”, Otitoju stressed.

The case of Sambo, according to the DOP, was reported to the Commission on 29th of June 2010, via a written petition by a car dealer, Shehu Ibrahim who had already paid N860,000 to the fraudster before realising that he was a fake EFCC official.
The petitioner claimed that some time on the 23rd of April, 2010, the suspect came to his office with a red 307 Peugeot car and flashed an EFCC identification card claiming to be an operative from the Commission and demanded the sum of N860, 000.00 threatening that he was being investigated by the Commission.
Ibrahim’s claim which was verified by EFCC operatives showed that the sum of N650, 000.00 was deposited into the suspect’s GTB account and another N210, 000.00 given in cash. 

Upon the report of the incident to the Commission, Otitoju said the Chairman promptly directed that a discreet investigation should be conducted on the case. The findings by a team of operatives handling the case led to the arrest of the suspect on 19th July, 2010 at the Bauchi’s branch of GTBank and handed over to the police at GRA command, Bauchi state.
On 20th July 2010, EFCC operatives left for Bauchi to take over the suspect and later executed a search warrant at the residence of the suspect at block 11, Borno House, Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja. During the search, the following items were recovered: 11 deposit slips of various banks; one tenancy agreement bearing Salisu Sambo of state security service, Maiduguri; one transfer letter of Department of State Security Service in favour of Salisu Sambo signed for Director state security service, Bayelsa State; a telegram letter introducing Salisu Sambo of Department State Security Service for auction of Peugeot 206 car signed by B. Mohammed for Director of state security service; auction letter of State Security Service in favour of Salisu Sambo, letter of Borno State Security operatives forum inviting Salisu Sambo of State Security Service to a meeting;  six motor vehicle number plates.
Other items recovered are : a photocopy of NYSC discharge certificate bearing Salisu Sambo; vehicle registration book of Nissan Jeep bearing Ladan Danjuma; 4 files of Nigerian Police Force recruitment; letter of offer of low cost house in favour of Salisu Sambo of Department of State Security Service; identity card of  ministry of works, Gombe state bearing Salisu Sambo; a purchase receipt in the name of Deputy Inspector General of Police Uba Bala Ringim; identity card of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency belonging to one Dominic; a photo calendar of Deputy Inspector General of Police Uba Bala Ringim.

Otitoju also said that only last week a multi millionaire businessman placed a call to him to acknowledge a purported SOS text message from him and promised to respond to his request of financial assistance following the damage to his house by flood. “I was shocked to hear a thing like that as I never made such request and will never make such request. My house was never swept away by flood. I immediately told the big man that my name has been used by fraudsters to extort money from him. This is just one out of several such activities of fraudsters”, he said. While Sambo owned up to the crime but blamed the devil, Amosun said his bank account was only used for the crime as he was not the real perpetrator of the fraud.  Otitoju said the suspects would be charged to court soon.

Gulf executives fear BlackBerry ban

*As Saudi Arabia joins UAE on Blackberry Ban

The United Arab Emirates’ threat to block BlackBerry services has left businesses in the Gulf’s commercial hub baffled and frustrated as they tries to come to terms with the implications for their local operations.

Etisalat and Du, the UAE’s two state-controlled telecoms operators, have sought to reassure subscribers by sending text messages to BlackBerry users and taking out full-page adverts in local newspapers, pledging to come up with substitutes for the popular smartphone, such as free iPhone, Nokia or Samsung devices.

However, it has been questioned whether this would be an adequate solution if the ban is enforced on October 11. Aside from users’ familiarity with the smartphone, the BlackBerry is embedded in the technology infrastructure of many multinational and regional companies.

“Our executives are highly dependent on mobile communications to manage our operations across the region. To suggest we revert to life without the BlackBerry is akin to asking us to drop e-mails altogether, in favour of postal communications,” said the head of a regional private equity firm.

The UAE says BlackBerry has been operating outside its legal framework, an issue that has not been resolved despite three years of negotiations with Research In Motion, the handset’s maker. The UAE regulator said the ban would be in place until an acceptable solution could be developed and applied.

The effect of a suspension would be considerable. Though figures vary, it is generally accepted that there are about 500,000 BlackBerry users in the UAE. Almost half of all such subscriptions in the Gulf state are corporate, according to some analysts’ estimates.

There are almost 700,000 BlackBerry users in Saudi Arabia, which has indicated it will ban BlackBerry’s instant messenger service, about 50,000 in Bahrain, fewer than 200,000 in Kuwait, and fewer than 100,000 in Qatar, according to Simon Simonian, a telecoms analyst at Shuaa Capital in Dubai.

At least one big international bank has been in touch with Etisalat, the UAE’s largest operator, for more information, but was only told that the operator would ensure a “new platform” for businesses would be in place by October.
Bankers still question how that will be done, and what the effect will be for executives who visit the UAE from London or New York, because international BlackBerry roaming services will also be blocked.

“We are a bit dumbfounded ... it’s one thing to ban it in the UAE but what about all the international businessmen coming through?” said one senior banker. “I don’t think anybody knows [what to do] because there’s an assumption that somebody will back off,” he added.

However, Etisalat has already advertised other packages and phones for customers, and Du has assured customers they will not face “any upfront cost” for shifting to a different handset. This may indicate that operators do not expect the dispute to be resolved before the ban comes into effect, Mr Simonian said.

Some analysts have speculated whether the BlackBerry ban could presage moves against other secure networks. Many multinational companies use internal virtual private networks that connect regional offices over secure lines.

“If they want to block BlackBerry today, where will they stop in the future? Will they target internal commercial networks?” said an IT expert. “If they follow through with this, it would send a signal that they don’t enable business, and aren’t open to technology.”


FT.com

The Blackberry Ban in the UAE

The United Arab Emirate(UAE), Sunday took the unusual step of announcing that from October it will suspend the use of Blackberry services. It claims the move is due to security fears, but the ban highlights the tension between digital security and privacy. Walk down the street of any major international business centre and the signs of Blackberry’s popularity are everywhere.
Hurried business executives furiously type on its tiny keyboard while others pass by with the device attached to their belt, and its distinctive “bzzz bzzzzz” vibrating sound seem to permanently hover in the air.
Few of these users rely on Blackberry for entertainment or think it makes a fashion statement, such as Apple’s hugely popular iPhone.
 Instead, Blackberry users regard is as a vital utility device elegantly designed to send and receive secure email and other text messages.
The combination of its simplicity (it is one of the few gadgets with a real keyboard after all) and the security that comes with encrypted communications underlie the foundation of Blackberry’s popularity. Now it appears, that success may also become the company’s biggest liability.

Open vs closed networks

 The United Arab Emirates announced on Sunday that, as of October, use of the Blackberry’s data services in the country will no longer be permitted. Its half a million domestic customers in the UAE will have to find other devices to send and receive messages, while visitors to the Emirates will also be blocked from accessing their messaging services. 

The central issue for the Emirates, and a growing list of other countries, rests in the high level of security encryption that protects the data flowing across Blackberry’s network. 

Unlike other email providers like Yahoo! Mail or Microsoft’s Hotmail, Blackberry does not use the open internet to transmit email or text messages from one point to another. Instead, when a Blackberry user sends a message, the data travels over a closed global network operated by the device’s manufacturer, Research in Motion (RIM).

While that closed network is reassuring for users who want their privacy protected, it is also a major source of frustration for governments, such as the UAE, who cannot monitor RIM’s network as they can for other devices.

The national security debate

UAE officials contend that the decision to restrict the use of the Blackberry is motivated by the need to protect national security. If the Emirates security services, according to their argument, are unable to monitor encrypted emails and messages sent by terrorists using Blackberries, then that poses a genuine threat to the UAE’s national security.  One example that has been commonly used to highlight this issue was the January 2010 assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai allegedly by Israeli agents.
The fact that the killing occurred in Dubai and without detection by the UAE's security services came as a real shock for the government in Abu Dhabi. In fact, the incident so infuriated UAE officials that it is widely credited with prompting the current drive for increased electronic surveillance and security.   

Although RIM has not offered a detailed response to the UAE decision, there are indications that a compromise may be reached. In India, where the government also had serious security concerns about its inability to monitor Blackberry data, the company will reportedly grant officials access to its servers for the first time anywhere in the world, according to the Indian newspaper The Economic Times.  A similar arrangement may be considered in the UAE and other countries that are contemplating tighter restrictions on the use of the Blackberry’s encrypted messaging service (see box).

Opposition

Not all governments, though, support India and the UAE’s move to tighten information monitoring policies. 

"The UAE has reasons to be concerned about how information can be used by those who wish to attack the UAE or others. But restricting technologies in the 21st century, we think, is a move in the wrong direction," said United States Department of State spokesman PJ Crowley.  

Additionally, international media rights organisations, such as Reporters Without Borders, deplored the UAE’s Blackberry ban asserting that it will limit freedom of expression in the Emirates. 

There are also growing concerns that the UAE ban on Blackberry could negatively impact the country’s tourism industry, especially among the 100,000 visitors who pass through Dubai’s airport each day.

Who’s next?

While many governments are focusing their attention on Blackberry’s encrypted messaging service, it is by no means the only platform that offers secure online communication. Google’s Gmail service now encrypts emails that pass through its servers as well.
Although the encryption used on Gmail is not as extensive as that employed by Blackberry, it does highlight the consumer demand that tech companies are responding to for enhanced internet privacy controls. So far there is no indication that the Emirates has any plans to follow China’s lead in directly confronting Google, but it may be that Blackberry is the UAE’s opening shot in this new digital showdown.


CULLED FROM FRANCE24

FOREIGN NEWS

Obama  Freeze Bonuses, Monetary Rewards
         For Federal Political Appointees

President Obama ordered a freeze yesterday (Tuesday) on all bonuses and other monetary awards to federal political appointees, saying: "Like households and businesses across the country, the federal government is tightening its belt."
Obama is under intense political pressure to close the federal budget deficit, and a presidential memo he issued Tuesday night is the latest in a series of personnel decisions designed to help do so.
Upon taking office, he froze the salaries of his senior staff members. And in his budget proposal, he called for a salary freeze for all senior political appointees across the federal government, a step that would require congressional approval.
Obama does not need legislation to enact the freeze he ordered Tuesday, which suspends "cash awards, quality step increases, bonuses, and similar discretionary payments or salary adjustments" to any federal political appointee.
White House officials estimate that 2,900 employees will be affected by the order, which is projected to save the government $1.9 million a year.
"I appreciate the hard work of our Federal workforce, and understand how important these payments can be to many workers and their families," Obama wrote in the memo. "Yet like households and businesses across the country, we need to make tough choices about how to spend our funds."

washington post

Nigeria Earned N34 Trillion in 10years of Democracy

Nigeria is not poor. It is a very rich oil producing country earning trillions of Naira in revenue from the oil and non-oil sectors of the economy.   
The Economic Confidential, an economic intelligence publication reveals in detailed tables, how over N34 trillions in revenue into the Federation Account was generated between 1999 when President Olusegun Obasanjo was elected President of the country to 2009 before the demise of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

The nation is so wealthy that in its efforts to celebrate  50^th Independence Anniversary a a whopping sum of N17 billion would be spend by government for entertainment and publications.
 

In figures obtained from various sources by the Economic Confidential, it discovers that while N7trillion was realised in 2008 alone, the Obasanjo’s administration generated over 26 billion from oil and non-oil revenue.

 

In the ten years of elected government in Nigeria, the sum of N31 trillion was generated from the oil sector while N3 trillion was from the non-oil sector of the economy that accrued to the Federation Account. The table of the revenue which the Economic Confidential provides show that oil sector accounted for 89.28%, while non-oil sector, including and solid minerals generated 10.72% of the gross revenue.

 

In another table also provided by the Economic Confidential on the analysis of Annual Crude Production over budget estimate, Nigeria produced 8.1 billion barrels of crude oil in the 10 years where over 900 million barrels were generated in 2004 and 2005 respectively. The figures indicated that there where shortfall from the estimated budgeted annual crude oil production from the actual production in 8 years which were largely hampered by the activities of Niger Delta militants and oil bunkerers. Only in 2003 and 2004 that the country exceeded the budget estimates by producing 846 million and 910 million barrels against the budgeted 766million and 817 million respectively.

 

Some of the reasons given for improved revenues over the years include increased production quota and high prices of crude oil in the international market.

 

The tables of the figures are indicated below:

 

Gross Revenue from Oil and Non-Oil Sector into the Federation Account June 1999 to May 2009
Year	Gross Oil Revenue (N)	% Effect (Non-Oil Over Oil Sector)	Gross Non-Oil Revenue (N)	% Effect (Oil Over Non-Oil Sector)	Grand Total	% of Grand Total)
June – Dec 1999	507,579,772,082.67	19.36%	98,257,706,137.09	80.64%	605,837,478,219.76	100%
2000	1,571,762,374,759.52	9.32%	146,445,962,140.13	90.68%	1,718,208,336,899.65	100%
2001	1,806,115,211,104.02	12.96%	234,127,046,889.58	87.04%	2,040,242,257,993.60	100%
2002	1,106,677,139,666.14	20.84%	230,609,791,513.10	79.16%	1,337,286,931,179.24	100%
2003	1,835,501,321,945.46	14.81%	271,778,603,403.84	85.19%	2,107,279,925,349.30	100%
2004	3,333,983,562,199.68	10.42%	347,279,952,866.74	89.58%	3,681,263,515,066.42	100%
2005	4,758,525,634,107.97	8.30%	394,918,579,557.89	91.70%	5,153,444,213,665.86	100%
2006	5,222,682,781,104.66	7.95%	415,041,152,410.44	92.05%	5,637,723,933,515.10	100%
2007	4,465,893,909,077.19	13.39%	598,106,377,217.59	86.61%	5,064,000,286,294.78	100%
2008	6,530,626,407,024.95	9.23%	602,579,003,217.40	90.77%	7,133,205,410,242.35	100%
Jan – May 2009	1,249,091,466,409.66	23.57%	294,434,245,024.20	76.43%	1,543,525,711,433.86	100%
Total	31,139,348,113,072.30	10.72%	3,339,144,175,353.80	89.28%	34,478,492,288,426.1	100%
Table and Computation by the Economic Confidential magazine

 

 

 

Analysis of Annual Crude Production over Budget Estimate
Years	Annual Crude Oil Production	Estimated Annual Crude oil production (Budget Projection)	Variance	% Effect (Increase/ Decrease)
2000	797,880,000	803,000,000	-          5,120,000	-0.64%
2001	817,150,000	839,500,000	-        22,350,000	-2.74%
2002	655,060,000	839,500,000	-      184,440,000	-28.16%
2003	846,399,248	766,500,000	79,899,248	9.44%
2004	910,158,489	817,600,000	92,558,489	10.17%
2005	919,050,531	989,150,000	-        70,099,469	-7.63%
2006	869,161,076	912,500,000	-        43,338,924	-4.99%
2007	803,000,708	912,500,000	-      109,499,292	-13.64%
2008	768,745,932	894,250,000	-      125,504,068	-16.33%
2009	785,340,000	836,580,000	-        51,240,000	-6.52%
	8,171,945,984	8,611,080,000	- 439,134,016	-5.37%
Table provided by the Economic Confidential magazine from various sources including CBN, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Annual and NNPC