The Taliban has promised new homes for the victims of the devastating earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan over the weekend. Baradar said that all government officials have been instructed to distribute the donations collected in the country to survivors in need, the statement added. On Saturday, several earthquakes hit Afghanistan’s western province of Herat, completely flattening at least 20 villages. The 6.3-magnitude tremors killed around 2,400 people and wounded thousands of others, according to the latest figures by the Taliban-run government. A resident of the region remained in a state of deep shock, spending most of their time outside in fear of aftershocks.

Mobile Internet subscriptions fell to 158.48 million, despite a noticeable rise in Internet usage to 655,879.86 terabytes in August 2023. In the month under review, MTN Nigeria lost 0.063 per cent of its mobile Internet subscriptions to fall to 68.03 million subscriptions. Globacom fell by 0.064 per cent to 43.97 million while Airtel fell by 0.071 per cent to 42.96 million. The Nigerian National Broadband Plan (2020 – 2025) had set a 50 per cent broadband penetration target for 2023. Broadband refers to high-speed Internet connection, and broadband penetration is measured by the number of broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

The idea that machines can possess human-like intelligence and potentially surpass human capabilities raises questions about the future of human intelligence. This personalised approach helps students learn at their own pace and focus on areas where they need more support. Developing strong critical thinking skills will enable students to assess the reliability and validity of AI-generated data and recommendations. By developing critical thinking, information literacy, problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability skills, students can harness the potential of AI to its fullest. Educational institutions also have a crucial role to play in preparing students for an AI-driven future.

Flights between Lagos and Tel Aviv Airport in Israel have continued without disruption despite the recent conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terror group, Hamas. If this happens, traffic will reduce and airlines will reduce frequencies.”She explained that Nigerians hardly travelled to Israel with European airlines because of transit visa requirements. Transit visa requirements could complicate travel for Nigerian passengers. However, flights to Israel’s second international airport in Eilat, a Red Sea tourist destination, continued as scheduled. Israeli flag carrier El Al announced that it would maintain its Tel Aviv flights, albeit with some cancellations by foreign partner airlines.

Tropical Storm Max has hit Mexico's southern Pacific coast, as the country braces for a second punch from Tropical Storm LidiaMEXICO CITY -- Tropical Storm Max made landfall in Mexico’s southern Pacific coast Monday, as the country braces for a second punch from Tropical Storm Lidia, expected to hit Tuesday as a hurricane in a different part of the country. Max was located about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of the resort town of Zihuatanejo with winds of about 60 mph (95 kph) and was moving inland at about 7 mph (11 kph). Mexico's Civil Defense office said Max was causing “torrential” rain in the states of Guerrero and Michoacan. On Tuesday, Lidia was located about 375 miles (605 kilometers) southwest of the Islas Marias and was moving east-northeast at 8 mph (13 kph). Its winds increased to about 70 mph (110 kph), but the storm could have winds as high as 100 mph (160 kph) when it makes landfall in Nayarit state around Tuesday.

Another 4.9 magnitude earthquake jolted western Afghanistan on Monday as the government’s death toll from Saturday’s quake reached more than 2,000. The new tremors were confirmed by the U.S. Geological Survey and residents in the area. The 6.3 magnitude quake at the weekend completely destroyed at least 13 villages in Herat province’s Zindah Jan district. Local residents from other areas as well as rescue teams were still trying to remove bodies from under the rubble. The majority of Nigerians have become familiar with recurring challenges that successive governments have not been able to address for over six decades of independence..…

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has given his approval for the clearance of a 28-year backlog of gratuity owed to pensioners under the Edo State Local Government Staff Pension Board. Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe! The announcement was made by Mrs. Osas-Ehigie Sandra, the Head of Local Government Administration (HOLGA) and Permanent Secretary of the Local Government Staff Pension Board. A screening process has been scheduled for pensioners who were on the payroll between 1979 and 2008. All eligible pensioners are required to present themselves at the Local Government Staff Pension Board Premises in King Square, Benin City, with their pension identity card, biometrics slip, and pay advice between Monday, October 16th, and Friday, October 20th, 2023, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm daily.

So when the Jets lost him on the first series of the season, it was a punch to the gut. 4 The Jets appear to have gotten past the gut punch of losing Aaron Rodgers. Robert Sabo for the NY Post4 Zach Wilson celebrates the Jets’ win over the Broncos on Oct. 8, 2023. There are still plenty of things the Jets need to figure out. The Jets need Hall to carry the load for them to be successful.

Landing a knockout punch is the ultimate dream for anyone stepping into the boxing ring. Start by relaxing your knees and adopting the classic boxing position, with one foot slightly in front of the other. This stance sets the foundation for generating maximum torque and power from your hips as you twist into the punch. To maximize your potential, prioritize maintaining a relaxed yet controlled state as you throw your punch. Train and refine every aspect of your punch, from footwork and hip movement to the decisive impact of your strike.

Rivian Automotive Inc.’s missteps last week when it followed strong production and delivery numbers with news of a dilutive $1.5 billion convertible debt offering was “another gut punch to investors,” according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. The stock fell 23% on Thursday to suffer its biggest one-day decline since it went public in November 2021. News of the debt came as the company offered a preliminary third-quarter sales estimate of between $1.29 billion and $1.33 billion. The company estimated it had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $9.1 billion as of Sept. 30. Rivian’s stock has gained 2.7% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX has gained 12%.

The Federal Government through the Association of Power Generation Companies has grown the power capacity of the national grid from 13, 000megawatts recorded a few years ago to about 14,000 MW. APGC’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Joy Ogaji, while speaking with The PUNCH on the sideline of the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria’s 2023 annual international strategic conference last week Thursday, said electricity generation capacity to the national grid has increased to almost 14,000MW. “The national grid now has an installed power generation capacity of about 14, 000 megawatts, and this was made possible due to the Zungeru plant that came on stream this year,” she said, adding that it was an opportunity for interested investors to partner with the Gencos. The company had offered a fee of $700m per year for a period of 30 years to operate the plant. Despite the 14,000MW claim by Ojagi, checks by The PUNCH on the records of the Nigerian Electricity System Operator showed that the latest on-grid peak power generation as of Saturday, was 4,803.60 MW.

At certain levels of education, for example, admissions are offered from within and outside states of origin to reflect federal character. Admissions to schools in other states as is the case of the 110 federal government colleges also known as unity schools, are based on quota system. This is same with federal ministers who are meant to be ministers of the whole country and not just of their respective states. Harnessing the gains in our differences to truly live out the professed ‘unity in diversity’ mantra has wide-ranging developmental and progressive benefits for Nigeria, and mutual relationship for all Nigerians. Achieving this goes a long way to forge harmonious entity for a lasting national peace, national love and national unity that transcends religion, state of origin, tribe and ethnicity, to realise Nigeria of our dream.

Experts in marketing and technology have called on marketing practitioners, especially those in the out-of-home advertising, to leverage the opportunities presented by ArtificiaI Intelligence, to upskill. The call was made at the inaugural Location Marketing Awards (LOMA), held in Lagos, recently. The focal point of discussion centered on AI’s significance and its role in elevating professionals within the advertising ecosystem. While acknowledging the evolution of advertising in tandem with AI’s transformative impact on society, the experts underlined the need for marketing professionals to embrace and leverage AI technologies to stay competitive in the rapidly changing landscape. In his remarks, the convener of Location Marketing Awards, Kingsley Onwukaeme, identified harsh economic conditions, low client patronage, unfavourable credit terms, multiple taxation, insecurity, scarce human resources and market proliferation as some of the challenges bedevilling the industry.

A sales strategy that directly links businesses with the people will surely be always relevant, focused and very effective. With people-relationship, products and services will command credibility, immediate adoption and of course, loyalty (short and long terms). The strategy for choosing “where to play, how to play and how to win” must be coherently articulated, doable and translated to actionable steps that deliver sustainable success. Sales and other departments in companies are siloed and “crying” for an urgent need for internal collaboration in order to achieve elusive progress. They can substantially contribute to the design of new products and services as well as forge acceptance and patronage.

Nissan is gearing up to introduce the Magnite AMT to the Indian market, and the good news is that it comes with an attractive starting price. Sources suggest that the Nissan Magnite AMT will be priced approximately Rs 50,000-60,000 higher than its manual counterpart. In comparison, the entry-level Adventure AMT variant of the Punch starts at Rs 7.5 lakh, while the Exter AMT kicks off at Rs 8.09 lakh. Nissan will offer the Magnite AMT in four variants: XE, XM, XV, and XV Premium. With its competitive AMT pricing, Nissan aims to carve out a niche for itself in the automatic sub-compact SUV segment.