Clean Monday

The Niger State Governor, Rt Hon. Mohammed Umar Bago, has said that all is set for the flag-off of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, aimed at creating agricultural hubs and increasing food production in the state. The airport city free zone programme, which would be the biggest in Africa, would focus on the processing of fresh farm produce such as vegetables, fruits, and dairy products and move them from the state to other states and outside the country through the zone’s ecosystem. The Governor disclosed this on Friday at the International Airport Minna while conducting the National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ ), Comrade Chris Isiguzo, around the newly acquired agricultural equipment by Niger Foods at the…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The total solar eclipse is quickly approaching. While you prepare to hit the road towards the path of total darkness or anticipate hours of traffic coming out of your watch party, you’ll need something to listen to. And we’ve got your back. Across 20 tracks, here’s a comprehensive playlist of total solar eclipse (and total solar eclipse-adjacent) songs to listen to while preparing to take in the wonders of the universe on Monday. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify. × Already a Subscriber? Sign in You are logged in Switch accounts A classic eclipse song: “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW There is no more appropriate song…

LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices fell on Tuesday, with an uncertain outlook for global demand knocking value off crude futures contracts, despite some risk premium from the Israel-Hamas conflict. Brent futures dipped 80 cents or 0.96% to $82.76 a barrel by 1255 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for April delivery fell 92 cents, or 1.17%, to $77.54 a barrel, after earlier paring $1. The March WTI contract lost 51 cents or 064% to $78.68 a barrel ahead of its expiry during the session. There was no settlement for WTI on Monday due to a U.S. public holiday. Crude markets were “marginally lower” in “quiet trading over the Presidents’ Day holiday in the U.S. and as demand concerns offset ongoing…

LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices fell on Tuesday, with an uncertain outlook for global demand knocking value off crude futures contracts, despite some risk premium from the Israel-Hamas conflict. Brent futures dipped 22 cents or 0.26% to $83.34 a barrel by 1450 GMT. The six-month spread for Brent on Tuesday was also at its highest since October, in a sign of a tighter market. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for April delivery fell 26 cents, or 0.33%, to $78.20 a barrel, after earlier paring $1. The March WTI contract gained 36 cents or 0.45% to $79.55 a barrel ahead of its expiry during the session. There was no settlement for WTI on Monday due to a U.S. public holiday. Crude…

LONDON — Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday but remained near three-week highs on heightened Middle East tensions and as China showed some signs of economic recovery. Brent futures dipped 29 cents or 0.35 percent to $83.27 a barrel by 0912 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for April delivery fell 38 cents, or 0.38 percent, to $78.08 a barrel. The March WTI contract rose 8 cents or 0.1 percent to $79.27 a barrel ahead of its expiry during the session. There was no settlement for WTI on Monday due to a U.S. public holiday. Crude markets were “marginally lower” in “quiet trading over the Presidents’ Day holiday in the U.S. and as demand concerns offset ongoing Middle Eastern…

Hyderabad: Ahead of Shab e Barat, which falls on Monday, February 26, the cleanup of graveyards has commenced in Hyderabad. On this occasion, several Muslims traditionally visit graveyards to pay homage to the departed souls. The chief executive officer of the Waqf board has directed the ‘Khabrastaan committees’ across Hyderabad and Secunderabad to undertake the cleaning of graveyards on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat. Painting of graves and boundary walls is also being witnessed at the graveyard. Earlier, the Telangana government declared a holiday for Shab-e-Barat, observed on the 15th of Shaban, the eighth month in the Islamic Calendar. Although the state government announced a holiday for Shab-e-Barat on February 26 in its calendar, it is listed under optional holidays, not…

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 4th Feb, 2024) The people of Pakistan inside the country and across the world is observing Kashmir Solidarity Day tomorrow (Monday) to express solidarity with Kashmiris in their struggle for the right to self-determination. Since 1990, the Nation of Pakistan observes February 5th as Kashmir Solidarity Day. He said that the nation pays tributes to unparallel commitment with Kashmiris for the attainment of their legitimate right of self-determination. The entire Pakistani nation stands with Kashmiris and it is the firm belief of the nation that the Kashmiris will succeed in their struggle to secure freedom from oppression and illegal occupation. Pakistan remains the big freedom supporter of Kashmir since the conflict had begun.…

PORTSMOUTH — Jones Avenue residents criticized the city’s response to multiple concerns they’ve raised about the MAC Metals scrap yard business in their neighborhood. Residents who spoke in person and via Zoom video conference during Monday night’s City Council meeting, seemed most upset about a recent comment made by Deputy City Attorney Trevor McCourt. McCourt stated in a memo to City Manager Karen Conard the noise level tests conducted at the MAC Metals scrap metal yard off Jones Avenue “are in line with many properties in the neighborhood, including the South Street Cemetery.” Jones Avenue residents have complained to city officials about what they see as noise, traffic and safety concerns since Bob MacDonald bought MAC Metals, which was formerly…

OTTAWA COUNTY, MI — Shoppers searching for savings fueled Michigan overstock chain, B2 Outlets, in the last decade. But bargain hunters were killing profit margins and overhead costs dealt a final blow this year leading to all 30 locations closing. The store in Hudsonville, where the retailer is based, is the last remaining store open. It plans to close the doors for good by the end of the month. The overstock and bargain bin store took off as inflation was running hot and stimulus checks were burning a hole in customer’s pockets. The outlet store bought truckloads of merchandise from 200 vendors, mostly from big box stores and e-commerce brands. Inventory ranged from returns and damaged boxes to brand new…

KUTZTOWN, Pa. (AP) – The spotlight will be on Gobbler’s Knob in western Pennsylvania early Friday morning, when handlers of a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil will announce whether he saw his own shadow and predicts there’ll be six more weeks of winter – or didn’t, which signals an early spring. Thousands are expected to attend the annual event that exploded in popularity after the 1993 Bill Murray movie, “Groundhog Day.” It’s part of a tradition rooted in European agricultural life, marking the midpoint between the shortest day of the year on the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s also a time of year that figures in the Celtic calendar and the Christian holiday of Candlemas. And in eastern and…

BERLIN, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Germany has been hit by a series of strikes since the start of 2024 as unions press for higher wages and improved working conditions to make up for high inflation and staff shortages in Europe’s largest economy. The industrial action has mainly targeted the transportation sector, affecting millions of travellers and commuters and inflicting economic pain. Below is a list of the industrial actions being prepared or held within the sector and their impact: LUFTHANSA: Various unions are currently negotiating higher wages with different Lufthansa branches. In talks over contracts for ground staff, the Verdi union on Monday announced strikes for Wednesday. Verdi is demanding a wage increase of 12.5% for 25,000 workers, or at…

BERLIN, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Germany has been hit by a series of strikes since the start of 2024 as unions press for higher wages and improved working conditions to make up for high inflation and staff shortages in Europe’s largest economy. The industrial action has mainly targeted the transportation sector, affecting millions of travellers and commuters and inflicting economic pain. Below is a list of the industrial actions being prepared or held within the sector and their impact: LUFTHANSA: Various unions are currently negotiating higher wages with different Lufthansa branches. In talks over contracts for ground staff, the Verdi union on Monday announced strikes for Wednesday. Verdi is demanding a wage increase of 12.5% for 25,000 workers, or at…

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Many nicknames have been bestowed upon Cleveland over the years — “The 216,” “CLE,” “The Land,” “Forest City,” “Believeland” and even “Rock and Roll Capital of the World.” One nickname that our beloved metropolis earned over the years was “The Sixth City,” a moniker that expressed Cleveland’s status as the sixth largest in the country as of the 1910 Census — overtaking Baltimore, by the way. Cleveland has been a pioneer ever since those “Sixth City” days. Four years after that Census report, the city lit up the streets with the first-ever electric traffic signal at East 105th and Euclid Avenue. Dig a little further, you’ll find that the Greater Cleveland region has been responsible for the…

ATLANTA (AP) — Communities across the nation celebrated the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday with acts of service, prayer services and parades. But with the November presidential election as a backdrop, some events took on an overtly political turn. Watch Harris’ remarks in the player above. Speaking at the MLK Day at the Dome rally at the South Carolina Statehouse, Vice President Kamala Harris said young people two or three generations removed from King have seen their freedoms shrink — from laws restricting voting to bans on abortions and the ever-present threat of gun violence, especially in schools. “They even try to erase, overlook and rewrite the ugly parts of our past. For example, the Civil War —…

NORTH KINGSTOWN — The fish at the Lafayette Trout Hatchery don’t know it’s Christmas. And if the young fry get hungry, they’ll start to eat each other. So at 7:30 a.m., Kenneth “KC” Fernstrom, a senior biologist with the Department of Environmental Management, will report to work. For the next four hours, he’ll clean tanks and remove debris from the chilly outdoor raceways while pausing every 30 to 45 minutes to hand-feed 80,000 tiny hatchlings. When he’s convinced that their bellies are full, he’ll head home to his family – but not before he’s turned out the lights so that the juvenile fish can’t see each other in the dark. Fernstrom is one of the government employees who keep things…

Washington, Jan 13 (AP) As communities nationwide prepare this weekend to celebrate the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with events ranging from parades to prayer services, some will take a cue from the slain civil rights icon’s history of protest to demonstrate against the war in Gaza and draw attention to a looming U.S. presidential election. The Monday holiday also marks 100 days since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and resulted in about 240 taken hostage. Since then, more than 100 Israelis remain kidnapped and more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, as global health organizations have warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis there.…

TOKYO (AP) – Tokyo´s Haneda airport is almost back to its normal operation Monday as it reopened the runway a week after a fatal collision between a Japan Airlines airliner and a coast guard aircraft seen to have been caused by human error. The collision occurred Tuesday evening when JAL Flight 516 carrying 379 passengers and flight crew landed right behind the coast guard aircraft preparing for a take off on the same runway, both engulfed in flames. All occupants of the JAL´s Airbus A350-900 airliner safely evacuated in 18 minutes. The captain of the coast guard´s much smaller Bombardier Dash-8 escaped with burns but his five crew members died. At the coast guard Haneda base, colleagues of the five…

TOKYO (AP) — Flights resumed Monday on a repaired runway at Tokyo’s Haneda airport a week after a collision between a Japan Airlines plane and a coast guard aircraft believed to have been caused by human error. The coastal runway is one of four at Haneda and its reopening means the airport is near returning to normal operations. The collision occurred Tuesday evening when JAL Flight 516 carrying 379 passengers and crew landed right behind the coast guard aircraft preparing to take off on the same seaside runway, engulfing both aircraft in flames. All occupants of the JAL’s Airbus A350-900 airliner safely evacuated in 18 minutes. The captain of the coast guard’s much smaller Bombardier Dash-8 escaped with burns but…

New Delhi: India confirmed the presence of new JN.1 COVID sub-variant in a patient from Kerala on December 16. JN.1 variant, which is closely linked to the BA.2.86 variant, has been detected in 38 countries including India. India has also seen a spike in the overall COVID numbers from 4,50,01,536 on November 18, 2023 to 4,50,05,076 on December 18, 2023. The country has recorded 260 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, taking the tally of the active cases to 1,828, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday (December 18). Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the virus is evolving and changing and urged the member states to continue with strong surveillance and sequence…

NEW YORK/LONDON/RALEIGH, N.C., Nov 24 (Reuters) – Shoppers took to stores across the world on a Black Friday that appeared to be subdued compared to prior years, looking for discounted electronics, clothing and household goods in the kickoff to the holiday shopping season crucial to big retailers. Brokerage TD Cowen lowered its U.S. holiday spending estimate to 2% to 3% growth, from 4% to 5%, as it forecast flat Black Friday traffic. With many consumers squeezed by persistent inflation and high interest rates, U.S. holiday spending is expected to rise at the slowest pace in five years. Most major retailers slashed their seasonal hiring. A record 130.7 million people are expected to shop in stores and online in the U.S.…