U.S. Court takes decision in Atiku’s case after Chicago State University confirmed female Bola Tinubu transcript

CC™ Politico

By Chukwuani Victoria

The judge of United States District Court for the Northern District, Jeffrey Gilbert presiding over a subpoena application for Nigerian’s president, Bola Tinubu’s records has reserved judgement after learning that the politician’s college transcript, which he used to gain admission into Chicago State University (CSU) in 1977, indicated it belonged to a female.

The judge, according to the People Gazette had earlier scheduled September 12, to rule on the matter, but said he needed additional time to digest his decision after learning that there was a transcript bearing Bola A. Tinubu released by CSU under a separate court subpoena that carried the owner’s gender as female.

Trying to demonstrate the frivolity of the case, Tinubu’s lawyer, Christopher Carmichael, raised the female issue, dismissing it as a fishing expedition based entirely on a conspiracy theory being peddled in Nigeria by Tinubu’s political detractors.

‘It is like Donald Trump coming up in 2010 to claim that Barack Obama was not born in the United States,” Carmichael said.

But lawyer to plaintiff Atiku Abubakar, Alexandre de Gramont quickly informed the court that the possibility of Bola Tinubu, who attended CSU in the same 1970s, being a woman was first revealed in records produced by the school itself.

The school had, in mid-2022, submitted Tinubu’s records in its possession while complying with a state court subpoena.

The records, handed over to Nigerian civil rights lawyer Mike Enahoro-Ebah, showed that Bola A. Tinubu was admitted into CSU in 1977 based on a transcript from Southwest College Chicago that was marked as belonging to a female.

Judge Gilbert became confused after CSU lawyer Michael Hayes confirmed that the school had indeed turned in records to Enahoro-Ebah in 2022, but insisted that the Nigerian president, Tinubu was the one who attended and graduated from the school.

Hayes, however, said he could not explain the contradictions, and the school’s administrators would not be able to state under oath that the certificate Tinubu has been parading was genuine or otherwise.

“Is the diploma authentic or is it a forgery? My client can’t answer yes to either of those questions,” Hayes said of Tinubu’s certificate that he submitted to be Nigeria’s president.

Consequently, a confused Judge Gilbert said he would need additional time to process the confusion, especially given Hayes’ confirmation of the records released last year by CSU.

“I will have to take this matter under advisement,” the judge said, adding that his court would communicate a new judgement or hearing date with counsel to all parties.

The judge said additional documents or clarification about already submitted documents may be required from the parties.

NAIJA NEWS

China's Fujian aircraft carrier, which will house fifth-generation J-35 fighters, will pose a major threat to Taiwan

CC™ Military News

By Maksim Panasovskyi

A few days ago, a photo of China's Fujian aircraft carrier appeared on Chinese social media. Taiwan's Ministry of Defence is wary of the promising ship of China's People's Liberation Army.

Here's What We Know

Taiwan's defence ministry believes the Fujian will pose a major threat to the country in the event of a military conflict. China is expected to begin testing the aircraft carrier's electromagnetic catapults soon.

The Fujian will be one of the largest aircraft carriers in the world. It will be only a few metres shorter than the USS Gerald R. Ford. The future ship will be China's first aircraft carrier with electromagnetic catapults. The People's Liberation Army now operates the Shandong and Liaoning with outdated springboards.

The deck of the Fujian aircraft carrier will carry J-35 and J-15T fighter jets. The former will be the Chinese analogue of the US F-35C Lightning II aircraft. The J-15T, on the other hand, is a deck modernisation of the fourth-generation J-15 fighter. It is expected to be the one that will participate in the electromagnetic catapult test.

The Fujian will have a displacement of 80,000 tonnes, an increase of 20,000 tonnes compared to the Shandong and Liaoning. China's third aircraft carrier will join the fleet in two years.

SOURCE: SCMP

How Alabama is defying the supreme court to discriminate against Black voters

CC™ Politico

By Sam Levine & Andrew Witherspoon

“In June, the US supreme court upheld a decision ordering Alabama to redraw its congressional map – but state Republicans ignored the mandate”

Just a few months ago, the US supreme court issued one of its most surprising rulings in recent memory.

In a 5-4 decision in Allen v Milligan, the court said Alabama’s congressional mapviolated the 1965 Voting Rights Act because it diluted the influence of Black voters, who make up about a quarter of the state’s population, but comprise a majority in just one of Alabama’s congressional districts. The justices upheld a lower court’s decision ordering Alabama to redraw its map “to include two districts in which Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it”.

It was widely seen as a major win for the Voting Rights Act, a statute that the US supreme court has significantly hollowed out over the last decade. It was a victory that was supposed to give the Black belt, a historically Black region in the state that is among the poorest in the US, better representation in Washington.

The statute, a landmark of the civil rights movement, has been critical in increasing Black representation at all levels of government across the US.

But when Alabama’s Republican-controlled legislature convened just a few weeks later, they ignored the mandate. Their new map still included just one majority Black district. It increased the percentage of Black voters in a second district to be around 41% Black, but continued to crack the Black belt, a historically Black region that stretches across the middle of Alabama, into multiple districts. Now, it is asking a federal court to approve that map and, if they don’t, the case will probably return to the supreme court.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni condemns foreign (Arab) invaders for the spread of radicalized Islam in Africa

CC™ VideoSpective

North Korea unveils Hero Kim Gun-ok nuclear submarine with a vertical launch system for 10 nuclear-tipped missiles

CC™ Global News

By Maksim Panasovskyi 

North Korea launched the Hero Kim Gun-ok nuclear submarine. Kim Jong Un attended the ceremony.

What We Know

The new North Korean submarine is not an original design. In fact, behind Hero Kim Gun-ok is a Soviet Romeo-class submarine. But it has undergone radical modernisation and changed beyond recognition. Her ship number is 841.

Hero Kim Gun-ok is equipped with a vertical launch system. It contains two rows of five cells. It is believed that the missiles will carry nuclear warheads. The conversion of the Soviet submarine into what was unveiled as the Hero Kim Gun-ok took about 10 years.

Details on armament are not yet available. Military experts speculate that the Hero Kim Gun-ok will be able to launch both ballistic and cruise missiles. At the same time, Kim Jong-un has explicitly hinted at nuclear capabilities, saying that the DPRK navy is entering a new era and improving nuclear strike capabilities against capitalist countries.

The DPRK has ballistic missiles of the Pukguksong family in service, which are designed to be launched specifically from submarines. They have a length of 9.7-10.6 metres and a diameter of 1.5-1.8 metres. The DPRK also possesses Hwasal-2 cruise missiles, which resemble the American Tomahawk.

Judging by the photos, the vertical launch system has cells of different dimeters (four large and six smaller). This implies a mixed load. For example, the Hero Kim Gun-ok can be armed with four Pukguksong ballistic missiles and six smaller missiles.

Source: Naval News

China sneezes and Apple catches a cold as tech giant loses $200 billion in one day…..

CC™ Business 

Apple has lost around $200 billion in market capitalization over several days as tensions between the U.S. and China rise, with several media outlets reporting this week that the iPhone maker is being singled out by Beijing.

Apple shares fell 3% Thursday and are down more than 5% for the week on reports of an iPhone ban for Chinese state employees that is being dictated by Beijing. 

The ban was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which cited unnamed sources saying China is ordering officials at central government agencies not to use iPhones or other foreign branded phones. The Financial Times cited six unnamed sources at government institutions and state-owned companies, including a nuclear technology company and a hospital, saying they’ve been told to stop using Apple phones. The ban widens earlier restrictions on using iPhones for work, the outlets said.

“Beijing is looking to reduce its dependence on U.S. technology, but this (ban) acts as a significant headwind to Apple as China is its largest international market and accounts for about 20% of its revenues,” said Victoria Scholar, head of investment at interactive investor, a U.K. investment platform.

Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment. 

When asked about the ban at a daily briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning didn’t comment directly, saying only that “products and services from any country are welcome to enter the Chinese market as long as they comply with Chinese laws and regulations.”

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been rising and early last month, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to impose blocks and regulations on U.S. high-tech investment in China, reflecting the intensifying competition between the world’s two largest economies.

White House officials said Biden, who departed Thursday evening for New Delhi, will use the annual G20 summit as an opportunity for the U.S. to highlight a proposition for developing and middle-income countries that would increase the lending power of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund by some $200 billion.

Biden seeks to drive home that the United States and its like-minded allies are better economic and security partners than China. 

The reported ban on the iPhone comes at a bad time for Apple, which is gearing up for its latest product launch next Tuesday Sept. 12, when it’s expected to unveil its latest smartphone, the iPhone 15. 

A teaser of the livestream for the event, dubbed “Wonderlust,” has been posted on YouTube, revealing no details. Reports are swirling that big changes are in store for the iPhone, including a switch from Apple’s Lightning connector to the USB-C plug that rivals are starting to adopt, partly in response to a European Union mandate. 

Apple also faces a threat from Chinese tech giant Huawei, which recently launched its latest flagship smartphone, the Mate 60 Pro. 

The phone reportedly has enough power and speed to rival the iPhone and has been selling briskly in China. Huawei has been low key about the device, but its capabilities have raised concerns that China has been able to circumvent U.S. curbs on Huawei that stop it from acquiring high tech components like advanced processor chips that had effectively crippled its smartphone business.

AP NEWS

"Arise, O compatriots"..... The best rendition of the famed National Anthem of Nigeria

CC™ Inspirational Video

Thomas Isidore Sankara lives on……

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Cameroon's Paul Biya, a known French asset, shakes up military in wake of revolution sweeping through Africa

CC™ Politico

By Deji Komolafe

The President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, a known asset of France at the helm for over four decades, on Wednesday made major changes to the country’s ministry of defense.

The decision of Biya is coming as coups continue to spread on the African continent.

Some Presidents are taking proactive steps by reshuffling defense portfolios.

Among the posts reshuffled were the delegate to the presidency in charge of defense, air force staff, navy, and the police.

Biya came to power in a coup d'état in 1982. His early years on the saddle were marred by reports of oppression and human rights violations.

Although he subsequently allowed multiparty elections in the country, the 90-year-old has remained president since he rode to power.

Top 5 Inventions By Nigerians

CC™ Kaleidoscope 

By Oghenerume Progress

The people from this great African nation are also known to excel when exposed to the right environment and have made great impact in the world through art and music.

Nigerians have also made great strides in the field of innovation and inventions that have made the world a slightly better place. Here are five top inventions made by Nigerians;

1) Philip Emeagwali - Program for world's fastest computer

Dr-Philip-Emeagwali (Credit: How Africa News)

Born in Nigeria, Philip Emeagwali grew up to become a computer scientist who gained global recognition for his groundbreaking invention. Emeagwali is credited with the invention of the Connection Machine (CM).

This machine uses computational fluid dynamics for oil-reservoir modelling. It utilises 65,000 computer processors linked in parallel to form what is recognised as the fastest computer on Earth - performing 3.1 billion calculations per second, which is faster than the theoretical top speed of the Cray Supercomputer.

2) Seyi Oyesola - Hospital in a box

Seyi Oyesola (Credit: Glazia) Seyi Oyesola is a Nigerian medical doctor who co-invented what is popularly known as “Hospital in a Box” or CompactOR. As the name implies, Hospital in a box is a mini hospital that is a solar-powered life-saving operating room which can be transported to remote areas of Africa and set up within minutes. The renowned medical doctor gained his inspiration from shortage of power in rural places in Africa. 3) Emeka Nelson - Urine-Powered Generator Emeka-Nelson (Credit: The Interview Nigeria) Another Nigerian with a notable invention is Emeka Nelson who invented a urine-powered generator. This device converts urine into hydrogen gas, which is then used to produce electricity. Nelson's invention solves two key problems - waste management and energy scarcity. This innovation showcases Nigeria's commitment to addressing environmental challenges through creative and practical means. 4) Otu Oviemo Ovadje - Emergency Blood Transfusion System Otu Oviemo Ovadje (Credit: Innov8tiv) After years of watching women die from internal bleeding during pregnancy, Otu Oviemo Ovadje, a medical doctor, invented the Emergency AutoTransfusion Device also called the Eatset. This device is used to recover blood from a patient’s internal bleeding organs and then reinfuse the blood back into the patient’s blood system. Dr Ovadje's device works without electricity and forestalls blood loss, especially among pregnant women. 5) Mohammed Bah Abbah - Pot-in-pot Refrigerator Mohammed Bah Abbah Using knowledge from his grandmother, Mohammed Bah Abbah invented the pot-in-pot refrigerator - a refrigerating device that does not use electricity. Also known as zeer, this device allows perishable food to extend their shelf life rate. For example, meat can be stored in this device for up to two weeks instead of a few hours. Aside from these notable Nigerians, others recognized globally for their inventions include; Arthur Zang (Cardiopad), Olu Atanda (self-lubricating layer for a data-storage device and disk), Nkiru Nwankwo (Digital drum), Brino Gilbert (Counter Collision Gadget) and Aloysius Anaebonam who holds 12 US patents for inventing different devices among others. In all these inventions, one notable thing to note is that Nigerian inventors have consistently demonstrated their ability to address pressing global challenges through creative thinking and innovation and this cuts across different fields. PULSE.NG