The recent state visit to Nigeria by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, sent me careering down to my kidhood days in faraway Kumasi, Ghana. My first experience with India was through their movies. Indian movies dominated the cinema space in the sprawling Ashanti City run by the Lebanese who built structures where movies were shown. Indian and American cowboy movies competed for my attention. For those who loved romantic songs, gyration and good-looking actors and actresses, Indian movies were unmissable. But cowboy movies were a different kettle of fish. No songs; no dancing. Only shooting and exchange of blows. When I wanted to feed my eyes with beauty, I turned to Indian films. Whereas, cowboy movies were laced with actions... never a dull moment from start to finish. At times, I found Indian songs rather soporific. This is not to say that Indian movies were not laced with actions. Their swordsmanship often fascinated me. Abu Raja was an accomplished swordsman and I never missed any of his movies. His fighting skills and the smiles on his face were uncommon. But the combative nature of Indian actors was nothing compared to the cowboy versions. There was this exceptionally pretty Indian actress named Shekira or something like that I fell madly in love with. A close buddy of mine who also had an eye for beauty also rooted for her. We dragged the matter for long until one evening when we decided to settle it boy to boy... once and for all. In the corridor of our compound, a fight broke out between us. As a more experienced movie goer, I swiftly went for his jugular, while grinding my teeth. His eyes popped out as I tightened my grip on his neck, expecting him to surrender Shekira to me. He did not. Instead, he used his number six by jabbing my mid-section with his tiny fingers to tickle me. I responded with an involuntary giggle as my hands flew off his neck. Freed from my killer grip, he took off like a cheetah and I went after him so fast you would think my feet were not touching the ground. He thought he had escaped as he disappeared into their apartment after shutting the door behind him. He was shocked to find me in the parlour as if I was there before him. I wrestled him to the ground, punctuating every punch with an order for him to surrender Shekira. Then, suddenly, I began to float in the midair. At first, I thought I was going on rapture! Not exactly. The boy’s dad had emerged from the inner room, grabbed me by the waistline with one hand and hurled me into the compound head first. I landed on the concrete floor with a thud. A motley crowd of tenants immediately gathered. When we were asked to explain what caused our beef, we simply panted away. How could we tell them we were fighting over an Indian lady who did not even know we ever existed. My best friend distanced himself from me for weeks. But one day, I approached him for reconciliation. He was shocked. After the fight, I read about Delilah’s betrayal of Samson, the strongman in the Bible. I told my friend he could have Shekira to himself and wished him the best of luck. I did not give him my reason. And it took me several years to come out of the Delilah Syndrome, having pigeonholed every woman as a potential betrayer and wicked. Looking back now, I shudder at the thought of being tried and convicted for friendtricide had my buddy answered his final summons as a result of the vicious choke hold. And come to think of it, in my innocence, if I had Shekira at that time, would l know what to do with her the way I would have done today? The answer is blowing in the wind. Sorry for the digression. Now, back to the topic of the day. Nigeria and India have a lot in common. They were both colonised by Britain... lndia gained its political freedom in 1947. Thirteen years later, Nigeria also became an independent nation. India is the most populous nation in the Asian axis housing about 1.4bn souls. Nigeria is home to more than 200 million folks, making it the most populous nation in Africa. The Indians have been around long before our independence. The colonial masters used them to build our railways. Today, the system is working seamlessly in India, boasting of a track length of 132,310 kilometres. About 96.59 per cent of broad gauge is electrified. The system has 1.2m employees on its payroll, making it the second largest employer of labour in that country. Our own railway system collapsed some decades ago. No thanks to operators of high-capacity transportation business. Efficient rail system was a threat to their emerging enterprises. So, they connived to run it aground so their business could thrive. All the infrastructure and massive assets of the Nigeria Railway Corporation have been vandalised across the length and breadth of the country. And our roads have been bearing the brunt, pounded by heavy duty vehicles doing what the rail transportation was meant to do. Efforts by successive administrations to revive the system are like attempting to empty the Atlantic Ocean with a teaspoon! Bandits and criminal elements have not helped matters as evidenced by the attacks on passenger trains. They roll away rail tracks when they are not raiding the trains to harvest kidnap materials. India, Nigeria’s senior brother, is also an industrialised nation. It is the world’s 6th largest manufacturer, contributing 2.6 per cent of manufacturing output. In Nigeria, our manufacturing sector has been run aground. As recently as the early 80s, Nigeria’s manufacturing sector was a pride of the nation. Many firms have either shut down or relocated to neighbouring countries where their economic climate is salubrious. The driving force, so to speak, was the poor electricity supply, the critical oxygen that powers the economy. It is such a huge shame that despite billions of cash in hard currencies sunk into the power sector by the successive administration over the years, Nigeria can hardly feed its electricity consumers with more than 3,000MW at a go. Whereas, that is the quantum of power that Heathrow International Airport alone consumes. Even at that, the national grid has become obsolete to cope. Today, manufacturing locations across the country have become industrial cemeteries or taken over and converted to churches where millions of jobless Nigerians go to pray for jobs and miracles. Sad! India also occupies the 4th position as the largest car producer and 3rd in heavy duty manufacturer. Its total vehicle production stood at 28.43 million units as at 2004. Its biggest auto export markets include Latin America, Southeast Asia, Middle East and Africa. Among made-in India cars are Kia Smet, Nexon, Brezza, Volkswagen Vitrus, Honda City, Skoda Kushaq, Hyundai, Scorpio, Jeep Compass and MG Hector. In Nigeria, we used to have Styre Motors, Leyland, Volkswagen, Anamco and Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria (PAN). While the first three have vanished, PAN is gasping for oxygen. The government could not protect it from the asphyxiation by imported cars and SUVs. India relies majorly on coal for its electricity generation. Coal accounts for 49.3% or 205.235MW... just as we have abundance of coal in Enugu but long abandoned. Gas provides 24.824MW and hydro supplies 46,850MW. Other sources include solar, wind, biomass, natural gas and electricity. India is also an oil producing country. Its output stands at 728,000 per day but imports 82 % of its oil need. India oil reserves stand at 5 billion barrels compared to Nigeria’s 37.5 billion, making it the 10th largest in the world and second in Africa. Nigeria also has 209trn cubit feet of proven natural gas, making it the 8th largest gas reserve holder in the world and the largest on the continent. Nigeria caught the vision to become an industrial giant on the continent and went on to establish the Ajaokuta Steel Complex during the Shagari era. Today, that bedrock of our industrustrialisation is now a monument of shame. Shagari’s was sacked in 1983 and that sounded the death knell of the complex. All the steel rolling mills set up to feed from the complex became orphans destined to die sooner or later. Efforts to breathe life into the Ajaokuta complex by successive governments have remained a political reverie because the equipment has either become obsolete or in a state of desuetude. India is fortunate to have good leaders. It has also enjoyed political stability after the assassination of one of its iconic leaders, Indira Ghandi, in 1984. Nigeria is not that fortunate. Until 1999, Nigeria had not enjoyed any stability. There were frequent regime changes that became the bane of our development. What is more, our democracy has attracted all manner of criminalities such as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, among other allied crimes. Modi’s visit and the progress his country has made 77 years after independence is food for thought for our leaders. India was ahead of us by just 13 years at independence but in terms of technological development and in other spheres of human endeavours, it is 130 years ahead of us today.
AP Business SummaryBrief at 12:30 p.m. EST
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he will implement the “toughest” anti-U.S. policy, less than a month before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president, the country's state media reported Sunday (December 29, 2024). Trump's return to the White House raises prospects for high-profile diplomacy with North Korea. During his first term, Mr. Trump met Mr. Kim three times for talks on the North's nuclear programme. Many experts however say a quick resumption of Kim-Trump summitry is unlikely as Mr. Trump would first focus on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. North Korea's support for Russia's war against Ukraine also poses a challenge to efforts to revive diplomacy, experts say. During a five-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party that ended Friday (December 27, 2024), Mr. Kim called the U.S. “the most reactionary state that regards anti-communism as its invariable state policy.” Mr. Kim said that the U.S.-South Korea-Japan security partnership is expanding into “a nuclear military bloc for aggression." “This reality clearly shows to which direction we should advance and what we should do and how,” Kim said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency . It said Mr. Kim's speech “clarified the strategy for the toughest anti-U.S. counteraction to be launched aggressively” by North Korea for its long-term national interests and security. KCNA didn't elaborate on the anti-U.S. strategy. But it said Mr. Kim set forth tasks to bolster military capability through defence technology advancements and stressed the need to improve the mental toughness of North Korean soldiers. The previous meetings between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim had not only put an end to their exchanges of fiery rhetoric and threats of destruction, but they developed personal connections. Mr. Trump once famously said he and Mr. Kim “fell in love.” But their talks eventually collapsed in 2019, as they wrangled over U.S.-led sanctions on the North. North Korea has since sharply increased the pace of its weapons testing activities to build more reliable nuclear missiles targeting the U.S. and its allies. The U.S. and South Korea have responded by expanding their military bilateral drills and also trilateral ones involving Japan, drawing strong rebukes from the North, which views such U.S.-led exercises as invasion rehearsals. Further complicating efforts to get North Korea to rid itself of nuclear weapons is its deepening military cooperation with Russia. According to U.S., Ukrainian and South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops and conventional weapons systems to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. There are concerns that Russia could give North Korea advanced weapons technology in return, including help to build more powerful nuclear missiles. Russia and China, locked in separate disputes with the U.S., have repeatedly blocked U.S.-led pushes to levy more U.N. sanctions on North Korea despite its repeated missile tests in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Last month, Mr. Kim said that his past negotiations with the United States only confirmed Washington's “unchangeable” hostility toward his country and described his nuclear buildup as the only way to counter external threats. Published - December 29, 2024 11:23 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit North Korea / USA
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Dublin, Dec 1 (AP) A marathon vote-counting exercise was underway Saturday in Ireland's national election after an exit poll suggested that the contest is a close-fought race among the country's three largest political parties. Election officials opened ballot boxes at count centres across the country, kicking off what could be several days of tallying the results. If the exit poll is borne out, that could be followed by days or weeks of negotiations to form a coalition government. Also Read | Bangladesh: ISKCON Claims Arrest of 2 More Monks, Ranganath Das Brahmachari and Chinmoy Krishna Das' Assistant Adipurush Shyamdas Without Warrant Amid Row. The exit poll suggested voters' support is split widely among the three big parties — Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, and Sinn Fein — as well as several smaller parties and an assortment of independents ranging from the left to the far right. The poll said that centre-right party Fine Gael was the first choice of 21 per cent of voters, and another centre-right party, Fianna Fail, of 19.5 per cent. The two parties governed in coalition before the election. Left-of-centre opposition party Sinn Fein was at 21.1 per cent in the poll. Also Read | Gautam Adani Breaks Silence on US Fraud Charges, Says 'Every Attack Makes Us Stronger, Every Obstacle Becomes Stepping Stone for More Resilient Adani Group'. Pollster Ipsos B&A asked 5,018 voters across the country how they had cast their ballots. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points. The figures only give an indication and don't reveal which parties will form the next government. Ireland uses a complex system of proportional representation in which each of the country's 43 constituencies elects several lawmakers and voters rank candidates in order of preference. As a result, it can take some time for full results to be known. The cost of living — especially Ireland's acute housing crisis — was a dominant topic in the three-week campaign, alongside immigration, which has become an emotive and challenging issue in a country of 5.4 million people long defined by emigration. The result will show whether Ireland bucks the global trend of incumbents being ousted by disgruntled voters after years of pandemic, international instability and cost-of-living pressures. The outgoing government was led by the two parties that have dominated Irish politics for the past century: Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. They have similar policies, but are longtime rivals with origins on opposing sides of Ireland's 1920s civil war. After the 2020 election ended in a virtual dead heat, they formed a coalition. Before polling day, analysts said the most likely outcome was another Fine Gael-Fianna Fail coalition. That remains a likely option. The front-runners to be the next taoiseach, or prime minister, are current Taoiseach Simon Harris of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail leader Micheál Martin — despite their parties' relatively lackluster showing. Harris, Martin and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald all won-re-election to their parliamentary seats in results announced Saturday. Fine Gael candidate Paschal Donohoe, a minister in the outgoing government, said the main theme of the election was “one of the centre holding.” “The big picture is, at a time in which incumbent governments all over Europe are struggling to get re-elected, the two larger parties within this government, in particular Fine Gael, are going to deliver a very strong performance,” he said at the count centre in Dublin. The two parties would need the support of smaller groups or independents to achieve a majority in the 174-seat Dail, the lower house of Parliament. The Green Party, which held 12 seats in the last parliament and propped up the governing coalition, acknowledged that it was headed for a disappointing result. Among a large crop of independent candidates was reputed organised crime boss Gerry “the Monk” Hutch, who has seen a groundswell of support since he was bailed on money-laundering charges in Spain this month in order to run for election. Early results suggested he stood a good chance of winning a seat in Dublin. Sinn Fein achieved a stunning breakthrough in the 2020 election, topping the popular vote, but was shut out of government because Fianna Fail and Fine Gael refused to work with it, citing its leftist policies and historic ties with the Irish Republican Army during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland. Though Sinn Fein, which aims to reunite Ireland with the independent Republic of Ireland, could become the largest party in the Dail, it may struggle to get enough coalition partners to form a government. During the election campaign, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail maintained they wouldn't go into government with it. A Sinn Fein-led government would shake up Irish politics — and the future of the United Kingdom. The party is already the largest in Northern Ireland, and a Sinn Fein government in the republic would push for a referendum on Irish reunification in the next few years. Party leader McDonald said that Sinn Fein had “broken the political mold” in Ireland. “Two-party politics is now gone. It's consigned to the dustbin of history, and that in itself is very significant," she said as she awaited results at a count centre in Dublin. “The question now arises for us, what do we do with that?” (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)Significant milestones in life and career of Jimmy CarterThe World’s Best Places To Move (Or Retire), Ranked In A New Report
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:18 p.m. ESTLICENSED fund manager Datuk Dr Nazri Khan (DDNK) makes history as the first Malaysian to be crowned the 2024 World Trader Champion at the World Cup Trading Championship three quarters in a row. Nazri achieved this recognition with an impressive record return of 302.5% in the first quarter, 179.6% in the second quarter, and 357.2% in the third quarter at the championship. The executive chairman of DDNK Holdings Sdn Bhd said that through this achievement, he has not only enhanced Malaysia’s image internationally but also showcased the country’s true potential in producing high-quality individuals capable of achieving success on the global stage. He added that this success proves that the economic approach based on Malaysia Madani is capable of bringing Malaysia’s name to the international stage. Nazri addressed past accusations of being a scammer, revealing he and his team were called over 10 times by authorities to cooperate. “One reason I wanted to win was due to my frustration with scammers and disappointment over false accusations, despite reports lodged against those misusing my seminar name. “This recognition is an inspiration for traders and investors in Malaysia, and I have demonstrated that even when facing highly competitive global competition, locals have the potential to achieve outstanding success through hard work and perseverance,” he said, after receiving the award for Most World Cup Trading Championship Won in A Year by Malaysia Book of Records at Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur. Following this success, DDNK also announced his latest seminar, the Menang Saham 2.0 (MS 2.0) which will officially launch on Dec 21. “Menang Saham 2.0 will introduce investors and traders to the world’s giant stocks, guiding Malaysians from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah and Sarawak with new market knowledge. “It is different from the first series as Menang Saham 2.0 will feature simpler technological tools that even beginners can easily adapt to. “This programme is specially designed to help both new and experienced investors and traders,” he said. Throughout his involvement in the stock investment world, he said that he has educated nearly 300,000 stock market participants, including those who joined the Menang Saham programme. “Menang Saham 2.0 is not just a comeback, it’s a movement to empower every Malaysian, from beginners to experienced traders, to succeed in the global market using the techniques that have made me a world champion. “Now is the time to make trading accessible to all,” he said. Alongside the award recipient ceremony, DDNK also released a new book titled Autopilot Investor. Also present during the award giving ceremony were International Federation of Technical Analysts (IFTA) president Wieland Arlt, Malaysian Association of Technical Analysts (MATA) deputy chairman Anisah Ozleen Othman, DDNK Academy senior vice-president Datuk Jerry Rizal and The Malaysia Book of Records head of research Siti Norhanim.
Electronic Toll Collection Market to Exhibit a Remarkable CAGR of 8.8% by 2031, Size, Share, Trends, Key Drivers, Demand, Opportunity Analysis and Competitive Outlook 11-26-2024 10:25 PM CET | Advertising, Media Consulting, Marketing Research Press release from: Data Bridge Market Research The Electronic toll collection market size was valued at USD 8.97 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 17.33 billion by 2031, with a CAGR of 8.8% during the forecast period of 2024 to 2031. Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) is a system that allows for automated toll payment without requiring vehicles to stop at toll booths. Utilizing technologies such as transponders, RFID tags, or license plate recognition, ETC enables vehicles to pass through toll plazas while the toll fee is deducted electronically from a pre-funded account or billed later. Browse More About This Research Report @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-electronic-toll-collection-market Some of the major players operating in the Electronic Toll Collection market are Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Austria), TransCore (U.S.), Raytheon Company (U.S.), Conduent Inc. (U.S.), Thales Group (France), Cubic Corporation (U.S.), Vinci SA (France), Siemens AG (Germany), EFKON (Austria), Neology Inc. (U.S.), TOSHIBA CORPORATION (Japan), MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD (Japan), Abertis (Spain), Quarterhill Inc. (Canada), Perceptics LLC (U.S.), Star Systems International (U.S.), Electronic Transaction Consultants Corporation (U.S.), ARH Inc. (Hungary), SICE (Spain), Autostrade per l'Italia (Italy), JENOPTIK AG (Germany), Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co Ltd. (Taiwan), Toll Collect GmbH (Germany), GeoToll (U.S.), Indra Sistemas (Spain), Kistler Group (Switzerland), and American Traffic Solutions (U.S.) Global Electronic Toll Collection Market Scope The market is segmented on the basis of payment method, type, technology, offering, application and parameters of toll amount. The growth amongst these segments will help you analyse meagre growth segments in the industries and provide the users with a valuable market overview and market insights to help them make strategic decisions for identifying core market applications. Payment Method Prepaid Hybrid Postpaid Type Transponder/Tag-Based Others Technology Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)/GPS Video Analytics Cell Phone Tolling Others Offering Hardware Back Office and Other Services Application Highways Urban Areas Parameters of Toll Amount Distance Based Point Based Time Base Perimeter Based Browse Trending Reports: https://dbmrblogs02.blogspot.com/2024/11/epigallocatechin-gallate-market-growth.html https://dbmrblogs02.blogspot.com/2024/11/marfan-syndrome-treatment-market.html https://dbmrblogs02.blogspot.com/2024/11/airplay-wireless-display-market-trends.html https://dbmrblogs02.blogspot.com/2024/11/water-sink-market-insights-and-growth.html About Data Bridge Market Research: An absolute way to predict what the future holds is to understand the current trend! Data Bridge Market Research presented itself as an unconventional and neoteric market research and consulting firm with an unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are committed to uncovering the best market opportunities and nurturing effective information for your business to thrive in the marketplace. Data Bridge strives to provide appropriate solutions to complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process. Data Bridge is a set of pure wisdom and experience that was formulated and framed in 2015 in Pune. Contact Us: - Data Bridge Market Research Email: - sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com This release was published on openPR.