Tanzanian-born novelist, Abdulrazak Gurnah, on Thursday won the Nobel Literature Prize for his writings on post-colonialism and the trauma of the refugee experience.
Gurnah, who grew up on the island of Zanzibar but arrived in England as a refugee at the end of the 1960s, is the fifth African to win the Nobel Literature Prize.
The Swedish Academy said Gurnah was honoured “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.”
“His novels recoil from stereotypical descriptions and open our gaze to a culturally diversified East Africa unfamiliar to many in other parts of the world,” the Nobel Foundation added.
Gurnah told the Nobel Prize website he was stunned to get the call from the Swedish Academy.
“I thought it was a prank,” he said. “These things are usually floated for weeks beforehand… so it was not something that was in my mind,” he said.
He has published 10 novels and a number of short stories.
The head of the Academy’s Nobel committee, Anders Olsson, said Gurnah’s reflections on the plight of refugees were particularly topical.
“His writings are extremely interesting right now for many, many people in Europe and around the world,” Olsson told reporters.
His itinerant characters “find themselves in a hiatus between cultures and continents, between a life that was and a life emerging; it is an insecure state that can never be resolved,” the Academy said.
The theme of the refugee’s disruption runs throughout his work, with a focus on identity and self-image, also apparent in the 1996 novel “Admiring Silence” and “By the Sea” from 2001.
After his win, Gurnah urged Europe to see African refugees as assets, saying that “many of these people who come, come out of need, and also because quite frankly they have something to give.”
“They don’t come empty-handed. A lot of talented, energetic people who have something to give,” Gurnah told the Nobel Foundation in an interview.
Publisher ‘Never Expected It’
The announcement also caught Gurnah’s Swedish publisher off guard.
“I may have heard someone suggest once that his books were of Nobel calibre. But I never expected him to get it,” Henrik Celander told Swedish news agency TT.
Born in 1948, Gurnah fled Zanzibar in 1968 following the revolution there which led to oppression and the persecution of citizens of Arab origin.
He began writing as a 21-year-old in England. Although Swahili was his first language, English became his literary tool.
Gurnah is best known for his 1994 breakthrough novel “Paradise”, set in colonial East Africa during World War I, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction.
The novel has obvious references to English author Joseph Conrad’s famed 1902 novel “Heart of Darkness” in its portrayal of the innocent young hero Yusuf’s journey to Central Africa and the Congo Basin.
Gurnah has until his recent retirement been Professor of English and Postcolonial Literatures at the University of Kent in Canterbury, focusing principally on writers such as Wole Soyinka, Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Salman Rushdie.
The Nobel Prize comes with a medal and a prize sum of 10 million Swedish kronor (about $1.1 million).
Last year, the award went to US poet Louise Gluck.
Western Dominance
Ahead of Thursday’s announcement, Nobel watchers had suggested the Swedish Academy could choose to give the nod to a writer from Asia or Africa, following a pledge to make the prize more diverse.
It has crowned mainly Westerners in its 120-year existence.
The Academy has long insisted its laureates were chosen on literary merit alone, and that it did not take nationality into account.
But after a #MeToo scandal that rocked the Academy — prompting it to postpone the 2018 prize for a year — the body said it would adjust its criteria towards more geographic and gender diversity.
“Previously, we had a more Eurocentric perspective of literature, and now we are looking all over the world,” Nobel committee head Olsson said in 2019.
But at the end of the day, “literary merit” is still “the absolute and the only criterion” for the Academy, Olsson reiterated in an interview with The New Republic published this week.
The Nobel season continues Friday in Oslo with the Peace Prize, followed Monday by the Economics Prize.
At the Joint Session of the National Assembly, Abuja
Thursday, October 7, 2021
PROTOCOLS
1. It is my great pleasure to be here once again to present the 2022 Federal Budget Proposals to this distinguished Joint Session of the National Assembly.
2. Distinguished and Honourable leaders, and members of the National Assembly, let me start by commending you for the expeditious consideration and passage of the Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2021. This further underscores your commitment to our collective efforts to contain the COVID-19 Pandemic and address the various security challenges facing our country.
3. I will also take this opportunity to thank you for the quick consideration and approval of the 2022-2024 Medium-term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper. Our hope is that National Assembly will continue to partner with the Executive by ensuring that deliberations on the 2022 Budget are completed before the end of this year so that the Appropriation Act can come into effect by the first of January 2022.
4. The 2022 Budget will be the last full year budget to be implemented by this administration. We designed it to build on the achievements of previous budgets and to deliver on our goals and aspirations as will be reflected in our soon-to-be launched National Development Plan of 2021 to 2025.
5. Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members, in normal times, I make use of this opportunity to provide an overview of global and domestic developments in the current year, a summary of our achievements, and our plans for the next fiscal year.
6. However, these are exceptional times. The grim realities of COVID-19 and its lethal variants are still upon us. From President to Pauper, the virus does not discriminate.
7. This is why our country still maintains its COVID -19 guidelines and protocols in place to protect its citizens and stop the spread of this disease.
8. Over the past few days, we have consulted with the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 and the leadership of the National Assembly on how best to present the 2022 budget proposal keeping in mind the deep-rooted traditions in place and the guidelines for safe mass gatherings.
9. We ultimately decided that the most responsible and respectful approach was to hold a shorter than usual gathering while allowing the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to provide fuller details of our proposals in a smaller event.
10. I am sure many of you will be relieved as my last budget speech in October 2020 lasted over fifty minutes.
11. Still, over the next few minutes, I will provide key highlights of our 2021 performance as well as our proposals for 2022.
PERFORMANCE OF THE 2021 BUDGET
12. The 2021 ‘Budget of Economic Recovery and Resilience’ is based on a benchmark oil price of 40 US Dollars per barrel, oil production of 1.6m b/d, and exchange rate of 379 Naira to US Dollar. Furthermore, a Supplementary budget of 982.73 billion Naira was recently enacted to address exigent issues in the Security and Health sectors.
13. Based on the 2021 Fiscal Framework, total revenue of 8.12 trillion Naira was projected to fund aggregate federal expenditure of 14.57 trillion Naira (inclusive of the supplementary budget). The projected fiscal deficit of 6.45 trillion Naira, or 4.52 percent of GDP, is expected to be financed mainly by domestic and external borrowings.
14. By July 2021, Nigeria’s daily oil production averaged one 1.70million barrels (inclusive of condensates) and the market price of Bonny Light crude averaged 68.53 US Dollars per barrel.
15. Accordingly, actual revenues were 34 percent below target as of July 2021, mainly due to the underperformance of oil and gas revenue sources. Federal Government’s retained revenues (excluding Government Owned Enterprises) amounted to 2.61 trillion Naira against the proportionate target of 3.95 trillion Naira for the period.
16. The Federal Government’s share of Oil revenue totalled 570.23 billion Naira as of July 2021, which was 51 percent below target, while non-oil tax revenues totalled 964.13 billion Naira. The poor performance of oil revenue relative to the budget was largely due to the shortfall in production as well as significant cost recovery by NNPC to cover the shortfall between its cost of importing petrol and the pump price.
17. The National Assembly will recall that in March 2020 the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency announced that the price of petrol would henceforth be determined by market forces.
18. However, as the combination of rising crude oil prices and exchange rate combined to push the price above the hitherto regulated price of 145 Naira per litre, opposition against the policy of price deregulation hardened on the part of Labour Unions in particular.
19. Government had to suspend further upward price adjustments while engaging Labour on the subject. This petrol subsidy significantly eroded revenues that should have been available to fund the budget.
20. On a positive note, we surpassed the non-oil taxes target by eleven (11) percent in aggregate. The sustained improvement in non-oil taxes indicates that some of our revenue reforms are yielding positive results. We expect further improvement in revenue collections later in the year as more corporate entities file their tax returns and we accelerate the implementation of our revenue reforms.
Improving Revenue Generation and Administration
21. We have stepped up implementation of the strengthened framework for performance management of government owned enterprises (GOEs), with a view to improve their operational efficiencies, revenue generation and accountability. The 50% cost-to-income ratio imposed on the GOEs in the Finance Act 2020 has contributed significantly to rationalizing wasteful expenditures by several GOEs and enhanced the level of operating surpluses to be transferred to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). I solicit the cooperation of the National Assembly in enforcing the cost-to-income ratio and other prudential guidelines during your consideration of the budget proposals of the GOEs, which I am also laying before you today.
22. On the expenditure side, as at end of July 2021, a total of six point seven-nine (6.79) trillion Naira had been spent as against the pro-rated expenditure of seven point nine-one (7.91) trillion Naira. Accordingly, a deficit of four point one-seven (4.17) trillion Naira was recorded as at end of July 2021. The deficit was financed through domestic borrowing.
23. Despite our revenue challenges, we have consistently met our debt service commitments. We are also up to date on the payment of staff salaries, statutory transfers, and overhead costs. As at (4th of October 2021, a total of 1.732 trillion Naira had been released for capital expenditure.
24. I am pleased to inform you that we expect to fund MDAs’ capital budget fully by the end of the fiscal year 2021.
25. Capital releases thus far have been prioritised in favour of critical ongoing infrastructural projects in the power, roads, rail, agriculture, health and education sectors.
26. We have made progress on the railway projects connecting different parts of the country. I am glad to report that the Lagos-Ibadan Line is now completed and operational. The Abuja-Kaduna Line is running efficiently. The Itakpe-Ajaokuta rail Line was finally completed and commissioned over thirty (30) years after its initiation.
27. Arrangements are underway to complete the Ibadan-Kano Line. Also, work will soon commence on the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Line and Calabar-Lagos Coastal Line, which will connect the Southern and Eastern States to themselves and to the North.
28. Progress is also being made on several power generation, transmission, and distribution projects, as well as off-grid solutions, all aimed towards achieving the national goal of optimizing power supply by 2025.
29. I am again happy to report that we continue to make visible progress in our strategic road construction projects like the Lagos – Ibadan expressway, Apapa – Oworonsoki expressway, Abuja – Kano expressway, East-West Road and the second Niger bridge. We hope to commission most of these projects before the end of our tenure in 2023.
30. The Pandemic revealed the urgent need to strengthen our health system. Towards this end, we constructed 52 Molecular labs, 520 bed intensive care units, 52 Isolation centres and provision of Personal Protective equipment across 52 Federal Medical Centres and Teaching Hospitals.
31. We continue to push our expenditure rationalization initiatives which we commenced in 2016. For example, on personnel costs, the number of MDAs captured on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System increased from 459 in 2017 to 711 to date.
32. The recent passage of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, and consequent incorporation of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation should also result in rationalisation of expenditure, as well as increased investments and improved output in the oil and gas industry.
33. Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members, you will agree with me that a lot has been accomplished over the last year but there is still much to be done. I will now proceed with a review of the 2022 Budget proposal.
THEME AND PRIORITIES OF THE 2022 BUDGET
34. The allocations to MDAs were guided by the strategic objectives of the National Development Plan of 2021 to 2025, which are:
a. Diversifying the economy, with robust MSME growth;
b. Investing in critical infrastructure;
c. Strengthening security and ensuring good governance;
d. Enabling a vibrant, educated and healthy populace;
e. Reducing poverty; and
f. Minimizing regional, economic and social disparities.
35. The 2022 Appropriation therefore is a Budget of Economic Growth and Sustainability.
36. Defence and internal security will continue to be our top priority. We remain firmly committed to the security of life, property and investment nationwide. We will continue to ensure that our gallant men and women in the armed forces, police and paramilitary units are properly equipped, remunerated and well-motivated.
37. The 2022 budget is also the first in our history, where MDAs were clearly advised on gender responsive budgeting. These are part of critical steps in our efforts to distribute resources fairly and reach vulnerable groups of our society.
PARAMETERS AND FISCAL ASSUMPTIONS
38. Distinguished Members of the National Assembly, the 2022 to 2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper sets out the parameters for the 2022 Budget as follows:
a. Conservative oil price benchmark of 57 US Dollars per barrel;
b. Daily oil production estimate of 1.88 million barrels (inclusive of Condensates of 300,000 to 400,000 barrels per day);
c. Exchange rate of four 410.15 per US Dollar; and
d. Projected GDP growth rate of 4.2 percent and 13 percent inflation rate.
2022 REVENUE ESTIMATES
39. Based on these fiscal assumptions and parameters, total federally-collectible revenue is estimated at 17.70 trillion Naira in 2022.
40. Total federally distributable revenue is estimated at 12.72 trillion Naira in 2022 while total revenue available to fund the 2022 Federal Budget is estimated at 10.13 trillion Naira. This includes Grants and Aid of 63.38 billion Naira, as well as the revenues of 63 Government-Owned Enterprises.
41. Oil revenue is projected at 3.16 trillion, Non-oil taxes are estimated at 2.13 trillion Naira and FGN Independent revenues are projected to be 1.82 trillion Naira.
PLANNED 2022 EXPENDITURE
42. A total expenditure of sixteen point three-nine (16.39) trillion Naira is proposed for the Federal Government in 2022. The proposed expenditure comprises:
a. Statutory Transfers of 768.28 billion Naira;
b. Non-debt Recurrent Costs of 6.83 trillion;
c. Personnel Costs of 4.11 trillion Naira;
d. Pensions, Gratuities and Retirees’ Benefits 577.0 billion Naira;
e. Overheads of 792.39 billion Naira;
f. Capital Expenditure of 5.35 trillion Naira, including the capital component of Statutory Transfers;
g. Debt Service of 3.61 trillion Naira; and
h. Sinking Fund of 292.71 billion Naira to retire certain maturing bonds.
Fiscal Balance
43. We expect the total fiscal operations of the Federal Government to result in a deficit of 6.26 trillion Naira. This represents 3.39 percent of estimated GDP, slightly above the 3 percent threshold set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007. Countries around the world have to of necessity over-shoot their fiscal thresholds for the economies to survive and thrive
44. We need to exceed this threshold considering our collective desire to continue tackling the existential security challenges facing our country.
45. We plan to finance the deficit mainly by new borrowings totalling 5.01 trillion Naira, 90.73 billion Naira from Privatization Proceeds and 1.16 trillion Naira drawdowns on loans secured for specific development projects.
46. Some have expressed concern over our resort to borrowing to finance our fiscal gaps. They are right to be concerned. However, we believe that the debt level of the Federal Government is still within sustainable limits. Borrowings are to specific strategic projects and can be verified publicly.
47. As you are aware, we have witnessed two economic recessions within the period of this Administration. In both cases, we had to spend our way out of recession, which necessitated a resort to growing the public debt. It is unlikely that our recovery from each of the two recessions would have grown as fast without the sustained government expenditure funded by debt.
48. Our target over the medium term is to grow our Revenue-to-GDP ratio from about 8 percent currently to 15 percent by 2025. At that level of revenues, the Debt-Service-to-Revenue ratio will cease to be worrying. Put simply, we do not have a debt sustainability problem, but a revenue challenge which we are determined to tackle to ensure our debts remain sustainable.
49. Very importantly, we have endeavoured to use the loans to finance critical development projects and programmes aimed at improving our economic environment and ensuring effective delivery of public services to our people. We focused on;
a. the completion of major road and rail projects;
b. the effective implementation of Power sector projects;
c. the provision of potable water;
d. construction of irrigation infrastructure and dams across the country; and
e. critical health projects such as the strengthening of national emergency medical services and ambulance system, procurement of vaccines, polio eradication and upgrading Primary Health Care Centres across the six geopolitical zones.
Innovations in Infrastructure Financing
50. In 2022, Government will further strengthen the frameworks for concessions and public private partnerships (PPPs). Capital projects that are good candidates for PPP by their nature will be developed for private sector participation.
51. We will also explore available opportunities in the existing ecosystem of green finance including the implementation of our Sovereign Green Bond Programme and leveraging debt-for-climate swap mechanisms.
Enhancing Revenue Mobilisation
52. Our strategies to improve revenue mobilisation will be sustained in 2022 with the goal of achieving the following objectives:
a. Enhance tax and excise revenues through policy reforms and tax administration measures;
b. Review the policy effectiveness of tax waivers and concessions;
c. Boost customs revenue through the e-Customs and Single Window initiatives; and
d. Safeguard revenues from the oil and gas sector.
53. Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members, I commend you for the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021. It is my hope that the implementation of the law will boost confidence in our economy and attract substantial investments in the sector.
Finance Bill 2022
54. In line with our plan to accompany annual budgets with Finance Bills, partly to support the realization of fiscal projections, current tax and fiscal laws are being reviewed to produce a draft Finance Bill 2022.
55. It is our intention that once ongoing consultations are completed, the Finance Bill would be submitted to the National Assembly to be considered alongside the 2022 Appropriation Bill.
CONCLUSION
56. Mr. Senate President, Mr. Speaker, Distinguished and Honourable Members of the National Assembly, this speech would be incomplete without commending the immense, patriotic, and collaborative support of the National Assembly in the effort to deliver socio-economic development and democracy dividends for our people.
57. I wish to assure you of the strong commitment of the Executive to strengthen the relationship with the National Assembly.
58. Nigeria is currently emerging from a very difficult economic challenge. We must continue to cooperate and ensure that our actions are aimed at accelerating the pace of economic recovery so that we can achieve economic prosperity and deliver on our promises to the Nigerian people.
59. The fiscal year 2022 is very crucial in our efforts to ensure that critical projects are completed, put to use and improve the general living conditions of our people.
60. It is with great pleasure therefore, that I lay before this distinguished Joint Session of the National Assembly, the 2022 Budget Proposals of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
61. I thank you most sincerely for your attention.
62. May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Over 500 Nigerians have lost their jobs and are stranded four months after the United Arab Emirates stopped granting or renewing Direct Employment Visa for Nigerians in the Western Asian country.
It was gathered that while many of the affected persons had returned to Nigeria, hundreds of them are still in UAE in the hope that Abu Dhabi would reverse the decision.
The UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Fahad AI Taffaq, had said there was no official communication on the issuance of work permits for Nigerians living and working in his country.
Taffaq, who stated this when he received the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, at the Embassy in Abuja, in August, noted that he read about the ban in the social media, stressing that “UAE has no restrictions against any nationality.”
But giving an update on the situation in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Wednesday, a UAE resident, Mr Chukwudi Kalu, said he has presented the list of over 500 Nigerians who lost their jobs due to their inability to renew their work visas to the Nigerian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.
Kalu explained that the Federal Government through the embassy and the NIDCOM had held talks with the Emirati government.
He stated, “It is a diplomatic issue between the two countries and there are still ongoing discussions between Nigeria and UAE. It has been very difficult for Nigerians out here. Over 500 Nigerians are affected.”
He added, “Most of those who lost their jobs have gone back home (Nigeria) while some are still here trying to see when this issue would be discussed. Nigerians are losing their jobs in high numbers, that’s the fact.
“I have a Nigerian graduate who was earning N40,000 back home and he came here to UAE and was being paid almost N500,000 every month. Now, his visa would expire by November, he couldn’t renew. He kept calling me every time for an update.”
A Dubai-based activist, Oluwatosin Fadoju observed that the UAE was using the policy as a punishment against Nigeria, stressing that the FG was not doing enough to resolve the issue.
He stated, “A lot of people are on the streets. People are getting jobs but they cannot work because is there is no work permit. We have not seen any action from Nigeria. We want the Nigerian government to step in.
In her response, the spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Esther Sunsuwa, said, “We have no information yet, but we are going to get in touch with our two offices in the UAE: Abu Dhabi; and Dubai; to verify the story. If true, adequate diplomatic steps will be taken to overcome the challenge.”
At least 20 people have been killed and more than 200 wounded after an earthquake strikes Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, local officials say, with rescue teams attempting to clear debris and gain access to the area.
The 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck as most residents of the Harnai district, about 100km (60 miles) east of the provincial capital Quetta, were asleep at just past 3am local time (22:00 GMT) on Thursday, according to United States Geological Survey data.
The tremor took place at a depth of about 20 kilometres (12 miles).
The provincial disaster management authority said at least 200 people were injured.
“Rescue officials have reached the scene and are working,” Osama bin Ijaz, a provincial disaster management official, told Al Jazeera.
A survey of the damage to the houses and other buildings in Harnai was ongoing, he said.
Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has “ordered immediate assistance on an emergency basis” to residents of the area following the earthquake.
Provincial minister Zia Langove told Al Jazeera by telephone that rescue efforts had been hampered due to landslides caused by the earthquake having blocked roads in the area.
“There has been quite a lot of landsliding, and teams are currently working to clear the roads to the area,” Langove said. Rescue officials will be able to conduct a more accurate assessment of the damage once they have access to the area, he added.
Residents of Quetta gathered outside their houses after an earthquake shook southern Pakistan early Thursday. The epicentre was about 100km east of the city [Arshad Butt/AP Photo]
Pakistan’s military said some rescuers had reached earthquake-hit areas of Harnai and nine of the critically injured had been airlifted to Quetta.
Necessary items for food and shelter, as well as army doctors and paramedics were helping civilian officials provide care to those affected by the disaster, the military said in a statement, adding that an urban search and rescue team was being flown from Rawalpindi to speed up and assist in rescue activities
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but least populated and least developed province, consistently ranking at the bottom of national human development indicator rankings.
Most homes in the Harnai area, where the earthquake occurred, are made of mud and stone, and are more susceptible to damage from earthquakes in comparison with concrete or brick structures.
A resident removes debris of his mud house that collapsed following the earthquake in the district of Harnai [Banaras Khan/AFP]
Many of the victims died when roofs and walls collapsed, Suhail Anwar Hashmi, a senior provincial government official, told the AFP news agency.
A woman and six children were among the dead, he said.
Sanaullah, a survivor of the earthquake, said his mother was admitted to Quetta’s Civil Hospital, where some of the injured were being treated.
“The earthquake came at 3:00 in the morning, and we ran from our home. The roof of the house fell, and because of that our mother was injured. She has received head injuries,” he told Al Jazeera.
“There are a lot of people there who don’t have their own cars, and they are stuck there… There is a lack of health facilities there, and because of that, serious patients are facing a lot of difficulties,” he said.
A California verdict ordering Tesla to pay a Black former employee $137 million in damages for turning a blind eye to racism the man encountered at the firm’s Silicon Valley auto plant is a resounding message to corporate America in the eyes of his attorney.
“They awarded an amount that could be a wake-up call for American corporations,” civil rights attorney, Larry Organ, told AFP on Tuesday.
“Don’t engage in racist conduct and don’t allow racist conduct to continue.”
Owen Diaz was hired through a staffing agency as an elevator operator at the electric vehicle-maker’s Fremont factory between June 2015 and July 2016, where he was subjected to racist abuse and a hostile work environment, according to the court filing.
In his lawsuit filed in 2017, Diaz said African-American employees at the factory, where his son also worked, were regularly subjected to racist epithets and derogatory imagery.
Instead of a modern workplace, the plaintiffs “encountered a scene straight from the Jim Crow era,” said the suit, originally filed by Diaz, his son Demetric and a third former employee.
“Tesla’s progressive image was a facade papering over its regressive, demeaning treatment of African-American employees,” the court filing said.
Diaz alleged that, despite complaints to supervisors, Tesla took no action over the regular racist abuse.
The jury at the federal court in San Francisco on Monday awarded Diaz $130 million in punitive damages and $6.9 million for emotional distress, Organ confirmed.
“I knew all along Owen was telling the truth, I just had to prove it to eight strangers,” he said, referring to the panel of jurors.
“Normal, everyday folks see through the BS that corporate America spins.”
The lengthy legal battle pitted Organ’s small civil rights law firm of six attorneys against a well-resourced adversary.
‘Making Excuses’
Following the verdict, Tesla released a blog post by human resources Vice President, Valerie Capers Workman, which it said had been distributed to employees.
In her post, Workman downplayed the allegations of racist abuse in the lawsuit but acknowledged that at the time Diaz worked there, Tesla “was not perfect.”
“In addition to Mr. Diaz, three other witnesses (all non-Tesla contract employees) testified at trial that they regularly heard racial slurs (including the n-word) on the Fremont factory floor,” she wrote.
“While they all agreed that the use of the n-word was not appropriate in the workplace, they also agreed that most of the time they thought the language was used in a ‘friendly’ manner and usually by African-American colleagues.”
Workman said Tesla had responded to Diaz’s complaints, firing two contractors and suspending a third.
“Our whole theme was that Tesla was taking zero responsibility,” Organ said.
“I think they are doing the same thing now: making excuses.”
Workman stressed that Tesla had made changes since Diaz worked at the company, adding a diversity team and an employee relations team dedicated to investigating employee complaints.
“While we strongly believe that these facts don’t justify the verdict reached by the jury in San Francisco, we do recognize that in 2015 and 2016 we were not perfect,” Workman said.
“We’re still not perfect. But we have come a long way from 5 years ago. We continue to grow and improve in how we address employee concerns. Occasionally, we’ll get it wrong, and when that happens we should be held accountable.”
Tesla, a global leader in electric cars, has a market capitalization of around $780 billion. Its chief executive, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, is the world’s richest person, currently worth $211 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Iran has “serious concerns” about Israel’s presence in the Caucasus, as tensions mount between Iran and Azerbaijan over Baku’s ties with Israel, a major arms supplier.
Iran’s new Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, who is in Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, said on Wednesday that Iran “certainly will not tolerate geopolitical change and map change in the Caucasus”.
“We have serious concerns about the presence of terrorists and Zionists in this region,” Amirabdollahian told reporters in Moscow.
Tension has been high between Iran and Azerbaijan, which share a 700km (430 mile) border, since mid-September.
Iran’s army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have recently mobilised forces and held military drills close to its northwestern borders with Azerbaijan amid lingering tensions following Azerbaijan’s 44-day war with Armenia last year.
Azerbaijan and Turkey, in response, launched a joint military drill starting on Wednesday.
‘Baseless Accusations’
The day before the drills were launched, Amirabdollahian told his Azerbaijani counterpart that Iran would not tolerate Israel’s presence or activity “next to our borders” and vowed to take any necessary action.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said on Tuesday that Baku “will not leave unanswered” Tehran’s “baseless” accusations of an Israeli military presence on its soil.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the IRGC, said on Tuesday that the representative office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Baku was closed by Azeri officials.
Iranian state-run news outlets later denied the report, saying only a religious gathering centre was closed due to COVID-19 protocols.
Before his meeting with Lavrov, Amirabdollahian said Iran expects Russia “to be sensitive about any potential changes in borders across the region, and be sensitive about the presence of terrorists and the movements of the Zionist regime that threatens regional peace and stability”.
Iran-Russia Relations
Before the talks with Lavrov, Amirabdollahian said Iran was after a “big jump in relations” with Russia as the government of President Ebrahim Raisi sought to quickly expand ties across the region.
Amirabdollahian added that he expects negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal to restart in Austria soon.
“I emphasised that we are now finalising consultations on this matter and will soon restore our negotiations in Vienna,” he said.
Interfax news agency reported quoting Amirabdollahian Tehran had received “signals” that Washington – which abandoned the 2015 nuclear pact under the previous administration – was once again interested in implementing it.
Amirabdollahian has said the new Iranian administration is still reviewing the records of six rounds of talks in Vienna that concluded on July 20.
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 300-Level female student of the Bayero University Kano.
The student, identified as Sakina Bello, was said to have been abducted around the Janbulo and Rijiyar Zaki areas of the Kano metropolis on Tuesday.
The abductors were said to have contacted her relations on Wednesday morning and demanded N100 million ransom.
When contacted, the spokesman for Kano State Police Command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, confirmed the incident.
He said the Police had received a report of a missing person around 3pm on Tuesday and started investigating the matter immediately.
He said that the Command had since swung into action with a view to tracing her whereabouts.
Also commenting on the issue, the BUK spokesman, Lamara Azare, said the university has not been on session since July and will resume on November 1.
“We are not on session. We have no student residing on campus at the moment, and we have not received any incident of abduction of any student,” he said.
The Senate, on Tuesday, confirmed the appointment of the nominees for the Secretary and Board members of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari.
One of them was Yahaya Muhammad, who was said to have started his primary school before he was born.
The Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, however, cleared the nominee and others in the report presented by Senator Suleiman Kwari (Kaduna North).
Earlier, Senator Hassan Hadejia from Jigawa North East, had said that the Curriculum Vitae submitted by Muhammad indicated that he started school before he was born.
Hadejia said, “Let me bring to the notice of the House, certain discrepancies in the report that are contradictory, especially with regard to one of the nominees, Alhaji Yahaya Muhammad, on page 8.
“The nominee, according to the record before us, started his primary school before he was born. There is also an overlap in the sequence of his educational experience because here, he was born on 29th September, 1969 and he started his Central Primary school in 1968.
“He was in Borno Teachers College from 1975 and 1988 while simultaneously he was in the College of Administration Studies from 1980 to 1981.
“If these are typographical errors, Mr (Senate) President, maybe we should have them corrected for the sake of our record.”
The Senate, however, confirmed the appointment of Muhammad.
Also, George Ekungu from Cross River State was confirmed as Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Also confirmed by the red chamber are Luqman Muhammed (Edo); Anumba Adaeze (Enugu); Kola Adesina (Kwara) and Yahaya Muhammad (Yobe) as board members of the EFCC.
Kwari had told the senators that the nominees were thoroughly screened and found worthy of holding the positions.
The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who presided over the plenary, congratulated the nominees.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers his keynote speech at the Manchester Central convention centre on the final day of the annual Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, northwest England, on October 6, 2021. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has rallied his Conservative party faithful on Wednesday, vowing a far-reaching overhaul to wean the UK economy off cheap foreign labour after Brexit.
Shrugging off panic-buying at petrol stations, bare supermarket shelves and retailers’ warnings of a bleak Christmas to come, the Tory leader says the short-term pain is worth it.
“We are dealing with the biggest underlying issues of our economy and society,” he is expected to say in his conference-closing speech, according to excerpts released by the party.
“The problems that no government has had the guts to tackle before.
“Because we are embarking now on the change of direction that has been long overdue in the UK economy,” Johnson will say, vowing no return to the pre-Brexit model of “uncontrolled immigration”.
Instead, British businesses will have to invest in their workers and in technology to push the country “towards a high-wage, high-skill, high-productivity economy”.
But it will take time to transition. In the meantime, the government has grudgingly agreed to a limited number of short-term visas to lure truckers and poultry workers from Eastern Europe.
For opposition parties and poverty campaigners, Johnson’s commitment to “levelling up” unequal growth also jars with the ending on Wednesday of a weekly boost to benefits for the lowest-paid workers.
As the Prime Minister put the finishing touches to his speech, protesters nearby condemned “Tory lies” and loudly played the Soviet/Russian national anthem.
Johnson’s attempt to draw a line between his administration and previous governments which lacked “guts” overlooks the fact that the Conservative party has been in power since 2010.
In contrast, finance minister Rishi Sunak — seen by many observers as the heir apparent to 10 Downing Street — is stressing continuity with the Tory tradition of fiscal rectitude.
Climate Silence
The government blames the acute labour shortages afflicting the UK economy not on its hardline approach to Brexit but on the coronavirus pandemic.
But the supply crisis risks undermining themes that Johnson is set to emphasise in his conference speech, including levelling up economic growth across the UK and “Global Britain” after the EU divorce.
He is also expected to talk up Britain’s action on climate change and the need for global coordination, ahead of convening the two-week COP26 climate summit in Scotland from October 31.
Touring exhibitors’ stands at the conference on Tuesday, Johnson rode an e-bike, climbed aboard an electric tractor, and played with a puzzle to assemble a zero-carbon energy house.
But at the Tory gathering as a whole, the topic of climate change has been relegated to the backburner.
Sunak said on Monday it would be “immoral” to bequeath pandemic-driven debt to future generations, but made no mention of saving those generations from a burning planet.
The omission was a “damaging sign” ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, commented Rebecca Newsom, head of policy for Greenpeace UK.
“Coughing up more cash for green infrastructure now would save enormous costs later and create millions of new jobs across the UK,” she said.
Neither did Foreign Secretary Liz Truss reference the C-word — climate — in her speech on Sunday, while vowing to support “greener” growth and “clean infrastructure” in developing countries.
The B-Word
In contrast, the B-word — Brexit — has been a recurrent theme for delegates of Johnson’s party, adamant that current problems associated with the EU split will pass.
Brexit minister David Frost admonished the “anti-transport, anti-car” lobby’s “anti-growth ideologies” and “persistent miserabilism”.
Interior Minister Priti Patel used her own conference speech on Tuesday to promise tougher action against climate protesters who have been blockading roads around London.
The Prime Minister mocked the demonstrators as “irresponsible crusties”.
But Johnson’s COP26 president, Alok Sharma, denied the party was soft-pedalling climate change with less than a month to go before he welcomes delegates from around the world to Glasgow.
“Cabinet colleagues actually understand why it’s vitally important to get this right,” the former business minister told a small audience on the margins of the main conference.
President Muhammadu Buhari will, tomorrow, present the 2022 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly.
Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, dropped the hint yesterday when he referred to the Nigerian leader’s submission of the revised 2022-2024 Medium Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) to the Committee on Finance for consideration.
The Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola-led panel was mandated to report back today.
“You will have to report back to us latest tomorrow (Wednesday) to enable us to use it as a predicate for the budget presentation on Thursday,” Omo-Agege said.
Buhari, in a letter to the upper chamber dated October 4, 2021, explained that the revision was necessitated by the need to reflect the new fiscal terms in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, as well as other critical expenditures in the 2022 budget.”
According to him, the underlying drivers of the 2022 fiscal projections such as oil price benchmark, production volume, exchange rate, GDP growth and inflation rate, reflect emergent realities and macroeconomic.
Besides, the President forwarded the revised national economic framework for consideration and approval by the House of Representatives.
He offered some explanation for the decision.
Prior to his return yesterday from the inauguration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia for a second five-year term in office, Buhari pledged Nigeria’s support for South Sudan’s political and economic stability.
He made the pledge during a bilateral meeting with President Salva Kiir of South Sudan.
Buhari also promised to back to all efforts at bringing long-term stability and prosperity to the continent.
“Nigeria will contribute its quota as much as possible to the development of South Sudan. Take us into confidence and ask us what we can do,” he added.
Stressing the need for cooperation among developing countries, the Nigerian leader said with the right investment in education, an improved economy and healthcare, things would surely improve.
On the developments in Guinea and Mali, President Buhari reiterated that African leaders must support efforts at restoring civil rule in both countries.
The President expressed concern that as long as Libya remains unstable, the proliferation of arms and other problems in the Sahel region would continue.
In his remarks, President Kirr, who acknowledged Nigeria’s leadership role in Africa, appreciated the country’s effort in the liberation struggle of South Sudan.
He also commended the First Lady of Nigeria for assisting in the education of many South Sudanese girls.
“In West Africa, ECOWAS intervenes immediately whenever a country has a problem. That should be adopted in East and Central Africa,” he said.
The pair was among the several African leaders that attended the event.
Residents of Quetta gathered outside their houses after an earthquake shook southern Pakistan early Thursday. The epicentre was about 100km east of the city [Arshad Butt/AP Photo]
A resident removes debris of his mud house that collapsed following the earthquake in the district of Harnai [Banaras Khan/AFP]
