G NEWS SPLASH: BIDEN CRAVED TO UPGRADE US MINIMUIM WAGE

When President Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion stimulus proposal earlier this month, few were surprised by the plan’s hefty price tag or sweeping scope. More striking was Biden’s inclusion of a measure to more than double the federal minimum wage to $15. The move, backed by leading Democrats including left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders, establishes the fight for higher wages as a top priority for the new administration, potentially leading to one of Washington’s boldest adjustments in US social and labor policy in decades. The fate of the initiative — which so far lacks support from Republicans — will help determine whether Biden delivers on a core pocketbook issue as US income inequality widens during the Covid-19 pandemic.Sanders, a former presidential candidate, called the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour a “starvation wage” as he unveiled the proposal for an increase in Congress. The senator said he hopes Republicans “will understand the severity of the crisis,” but added that Democrats should be prepared to enact the policy on a narrow party-line vote. Such an increase would boost wages for more than 32 million US workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive think tank. The Sanders bill proposes “a significant increase in the minimum wage,” Ben Zipperer, an economist at the institute, told AFP. “Unfortunately, we have quite a big hole to dig out of in terms of providing what low-income workers need.”The bill would put the United States on par with a growing number of states and cities that have already enacted the hike at the urging of the “Fight for $15” movement launched by fast-food workers in the early 2010s.“The bump up made it a little bit easier,” said Maggie Breshears, who works at grocery store and retailer Fred Meyer in Seattle and has gone from making about $10 per hour in 2013 to $17.59 after Seattle lifted its minimum wage in 2014. The US minimum wage was first enacted in 1938 as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal reforms. The measure has been periodically increased since then, most recently in 2007, when Congress lifted it gradually from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour, which would equal a $15,000 annual salary.Barack Obama was unable to win a boost during his eight-year presidency from 2009 to 2017. In 2019, the House of Representatives approved an increase, but the bill died in the Republican-led Senate. Supporters of an increase draw hope from rising public support apparent in 2020, when Florida voters backed a hike to $15 per hour at the same time the state voted for Republican President Donald Trump, who ended up losing re-election.In Arkansas, another Republican state, 68 percent of voters in 2018 backed gradually increasing the wage to $11 an hour.“If we had left it to the legislature, it would have stayed at $6.25,” where it was before the most recent federal increase, said Kristin Foster, an Arkansas political consultant who directed the 2018 campaign. “The only way it was able to pass was through the ballot.” Several large companies, including Amazon, Target and Starbucks, have set $15 as their minimum wage for US workers.Others that once fought the measure have given ground. These include McDonald’s, which said the discussion on the minimum wage represents an “important one that McDonald’s looks to advance, not impede.” Supporters of the wage increase welcome large companies’ endorsements, but say it is too soon to know whether they will shift the politics of the issue. The Business Roundtable, which represents the biggest US companies, said the Sanders bill was a starting point.“We agree that the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 is too low, and we are in favor of an increase at the federal level,” said a spokeswoman.But the Sanders bill drew criticism from other groups, including those representing small businesses and restaurants, which say they have suffered more than large firms during Covid-19. Howard Wright, the chief executive of Seattle Hospitality Group and the co-author of Seattle’s 2014 wage hike, said companies should be able to raise the wage as long as it is done gradually.“What we are averse to is surprise and having things we can’t control,” said Wright, who favors correlating the wage level to the local cost of living, given the diversity of the US. In response to written questions on whether to index local costs, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen emphasized the need for a “nationwide” wage hike “phased in over time.” Holly Sklar, the founder of activist network Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, rejected indexing the wage to regional costs. “The minimum wage is supposed to be something that helps everyone rise,” she said. “Any state can go higher.”

G SPORTS: BARCELONA'S CLAIM OVER MESSI'S CONTRACT HAD CAUSED THEM A LAW-SUITE

Barcelona will take legal action against the Spanish newspaper El Mundo after it published details on Sunday of Lionel Messi’s current contract, which it says is worth up to 555 million euros ($674 million) over four years. Barca responded by also insisting they were not responsible for the leak, although the club did not deny the details of the report.El Mundo say the deal signed by Messi in 2017 is the “largest in the history of sport” and called it the “colossal contract that ruins Barcelona”. The 33-year-old could end up collecting a maximum of 555,237,619 euros before it expires on June 30 this year, if all conditions were met. With six months left of the deal to run, “the player has already earned 511,290,052 euros, almost 92 per cent of the possible total”, the report claims. The leak comes as Barcelona are wrestling with a dire financial situation, worsened by the pandemic, and with Messi’s future still up in the air, given the striker can leave the club for free this summer. “In view of the information published today in the newspaper El Mundo, in relation to the professional contract signed between FC Barcelona and the player Lionel Messi, the club regrets its publication given that it is a private document governed by the principle of confidentiality between the parties,” said Barcelona in a statement. – ‘Absolute support’ -“FC Barcelona categorically denies any responsibility for the publication of this document, and will take appropriate legal action against the newspaper El Mundo, for any damage that may be caused as a result of this publication. “FC Barcelona expresses its absolute support for Lionel Messi, especially in the face of any attempt to discredit his image, and to damage his relationship with the club where he has worked to become the best player in the world and in football history.” According to the report, Messi earned 115 million euros just for signing the contract in 2017 and among his potential bonuses is a 3,548,644-euro reward for winning the Champions League and 2,365,766 euros for winning La Liga, El Mundo claims. His club contract dwarfs those of the other top earners in global sport. Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, last year signed the biggest contract in North American sport, worth a minimum of 450 million dollars, but it is 10 years long. Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract with Juventus is worth a reported 30 million euros a year, but bonuses may have taken it up to 70 million euros last season. Ronaldo also earns more from endorsements than Messi. Messi is set to decide in the coming months whether he wants to stay at Barcelona or leave the club he joined as a 13-year-old and where he has become arguably the greatest player of all time. Frustrated with Barca’s decline in recent years, the Argentinian also feels unfairly blamed for worsening performances on the pitch. Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are the favourites to sign Messi if he chooses to leave.

G NEWS SPLASH: NIGERIA RANKED AMONGST CORRUPT COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD

• As Nigeria drops to lowest point on corruption index since 2013 • Buhari deserves credit for diminishing corruption, says Presidency • ‘War against corruption requires participation of all citizens’ Transparency International (TI) has, again, passed a damning verdict on Nigeria’s anti-corruption war, ranking the country 149th on its yearly Corruption Perception Index (CPI) after it picked 25 points, the worst since 2013. With the rating, Nigeria dropped three points from its last (2019) ranking when it sat 146th on the table. The 2020’s index was co-led by New Zealand and Denmark after they polled 88 points individually. They were followed by Finland, Switzerland and Singapore (a country that emerged from a stinky official corruption history under the late Lee Kuan Yew) in that order.In the latest assessment, Nigeria picked the same point with Cameroon, Mozambique, Madagascar and Tajikistan for the 149th position out of 179 countries surveyed. Nigeria ranks ahead of Somalia, which sits at the bottom, South Sudan, Sudan, Congo, Chad, Burundi, Guinea Bissau and a few other African countries. It, however, falls short of its peers such as Angola, Egypt, Algeria, Kenya and many others. Stakeholders have described the latest rating as an open testimony of President Muhammadu Buhari’s inability to tame corruption in fulfillment of his electioneering promises ab out six year ago. The Centre for Democracy and Development, Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Budgit Nigeria and other stakeholders are worried that the government’s inability to stem the tide is pushing the country to the extreme. They have also noted that corruption has continued to manifest in the handling of COVID-19 relief disbursement, appointments and promotions in public offices, growing bribery and extortion in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), lack of commitment to framework that would enable anti-graft agencies to succeed, poor justice system and lack of commitment to implementing reports on cases of corruption by public officials. President of the CITN, Dame Gladys Olajumoke Simplice, told The Guardian that rising cases of official corruption “makes the jobs of professionals very difficult” and the investment market unattractive to foreigners. She said “it is most unfortunate and sad” that the government appears helpless. “There is no sanction for wrong doing. If people know that if they steal N1 billion they will be able to bribe their ways through with N500 million and get away with the balance, they will continue to steal. This is taxpayers’ money. How do you then encourage the people to pay their taxes?” she asked. Also speaking, a former Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Monday Ubani, described the TI ranking as a true reflection of the government’s handling of pending corruption cases. He recalled that the government has failed to take a firm and fair position on the case involving the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu. Stressing that it makes no difference if the country agrees with the rating or not, Ubani said: “TI assessed all the previous administrations. When the All Progressives Congress (APC) was in opposition, it agreed with the rating. So, they must agree with it this time.” The Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, referencing data from the World Bank, said impacts of the prevailing challenges could force Nigeria into a decade of economic backwardness and where it was in the 1980s. Rafsanjani, who said the government has been tackling civil society organisations instead of addressing the deteriorating corruption in the country, stressed that growing cases of kidnapping, standing at 2,860 between 2019 and 2020, 27.1 per cent unemployment rate and other issues are direct consequences of corruption. A Senior Officer with CDD, Austin Aigbe, noted that there is a lack of transparency in the emergency response of government on the COVID-19, adding that the processes were fraught with “incessant flouting of procurement guidelines, hoarding of relief materials and diversion of items for personal use.” He also raised alarm over growing nepotism in public service appointments and promotions, pointing to the controversies that followed the decision of the National Judicial Council (NJC) when eight of 33 judges recommended for appointment were children and relatives of current and retired justices of the Supreme or Appeal courts as a classic case of high-level corruption. Commercialisation of employment into public offices, extortion and other issues were also, according to him, reasons Nigeria’s corruption perception is deteriorating. Manager, Open Government and Institutional Partnership, BudgIT Nigeria, Tolulope Agunloye, lamented the inability of the administration to stop corruption in the security sector.He decried the bribery and extortion in the Police, citing the recent protest against police brutality as direct implications of decades of corruption in the force. A public policy expert and Principal Partner at Nextier, Patrick Okigbo, said the country is not yet ready to fight corruption. “When we are ready to fight corruption, many of the pragmatic ideas to adopt are well documented,” Okigbo told The Guardian. A development economist, Dr. Chiwuike Uba, described the cost of rising corruption is “immeasurable”. “It has economic, social, financial, and even cultural and spiritual implications,” he said. Uba, who is also the Board Chairman of Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation (ACUF), continued: “The financial costs include the direct stealing of money that would have been deployed to the provision of public goods and services – quality and accessible healthcare, good education, human capital development, good roads, and other facilities.

G GLOBAL INFO:THE WAY YOUR BRAIN FUNCTIONS MAKE YOU DIFFER FROM OTHERS

Humans have evolved a unique form of intelligence, with cognitive complexity unseen in other species. This has been the secret behind our agricultural, scientific and technological progress. It has let us dominate a planet and understand vast amounts about the universe. But it has also brought us to the brink of catastrophe: climate change looms and a mass extinction is already under way, yet there is little sign of a concerted effort to change our ways. Our troubles could be compounded by the fact that human genetic diversity is abysmally low. “One small group of chimpanzees has more genetic diversity than the entire human species,” says Michael Graziano of Princeton University. It’s not unthinkable that a global disaster could wipe us out. For this, we have an awkward double-act to blame. Metzinger argues that we have reached this point because our intellectual prowess must still work alongside hardwired primitive traits. “It is cognitive complexity, but without compassion and flexibility in our motivational structure,” says Metzinger. In other words, we are still motivated by some rather basic instincts, such as greed and jealousy, and not by a desire for global solidarity, empathy or rationality. And it’s unclear whether we will evolve the necessary social skills in time.

G GLOBAL INFO:THE HISTORY OF EUROPE

In the Iberian Peninsula the impetus of the counteroffensive against the Moors carried the Portuguese to probe the West African coastline and the Spanish to attempt the expulsion of Islam from the western Mediterranean. In the last years of the 15th century, Portuguese navigators established the sea route to India and within a decade had secured control of the trade routes in the Indian Ocean and its approaches. Mercantile interests, crusading and missionary zeal, and scientific curiosity were intermingled as the motives for this epic achievement. Similar hopes inspired Spanish exploitation of the discovery by Christopher Columbus of the Caribbean outposts of the American continent in 1492. The Treaties of Tordesillas and Saragossa in 1494 and 1529 defined the limits of westward Spanish exploration and the eastern ventures of Portugal. The two states acting as the vanguard of the expansion of Europe had thus divided the newly discovered sea lanes of the world between them. By the time of the Treaty of Saragossa, when Portugal secured the exclusion of Spain from the East Indies, Spain had begun the conquest of Central and South America. In 1519, the year in which Ferdinand Magellan embarked on the westward circumnavigation of the globe, Hernán Cortés launched his expedition against Mexico. The seizure of Peru by Francisco Pizarro and the enforcement of Portuguese claims to Brazil completed the major steps in the Iberian occupation of the continent. By the middle of the century, the age of the conquistadores was replaced by an era of colonization, based both on the procurement of precious metal by Indian labour and on pastoral and plantation economies using imported African slaves. The influx of bullion into Europe became significant in the late 1520s, and from about 1550 it began to produce a profound effect upon the economy of the Old World.

G NEWS SPLASH:SOUTH-WEST GOVERNORS CONCLUDE TO GET RID OF HERDSMEN

Rising from a meeting with South-West governors in Akure, yesterday, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) agreed to work with governments in the region and security agencies to curb insecurity. The meeting followed the tension generated by a seven-day eviction notice issued by Ondo State Government to unauthorised herdsmen to quit the state’s forest reserves, which expired on Sunday. South-West governors in attendance were Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun State) and Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State.Other dignitaries included security chiefs in the South-West region led by the AIG Zone 11, Olufemi Agunbiade, former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore; MACBAN state and national officers and others. They met to find lasting solutions to incessant killings, kidnapping, and clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the region. Governors of Jigawa State, Muhammad Abubakar and his Kebbi State counterpart, Abubakar Bagudu were also present at the meeting while the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun were absent.In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the governors and MACBAN agreed that the order of the Ondo State Governor was misconstrued and misrepresented and that he only ordered those occupying the forest reserves in Ondo State illegally to quit. It added: “Criminals should be apprehended and punished, no matter their origin, class or status. Security agencies have been trying to stem the tide of criminality in the country but must step up their efforts in the fight. “There is the need to build partnership for peace and security with MACBAN and jointly wage war against criminality. No one had sent anyone away from any state or region but all hands must be on deck to fight criminality.”The governors and other stakeholders affirmed that MACBAN should embrace and be committed to modern breeding process by creating grazing reserves, practising ranching to prevent cattle roaming about. According to them, there is need to set up a standing committee in each state where there is none comprising farmers, MACBAN and the government representatives to ensure synergy and result. NORTHERN Elders Forum (NEF) has, in its reaction, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to meet with state governors to douse tension in the country. Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, made the appeal in a statement made available to journalists yesterday in Abuja. The forum noted that events in South-West were assuming national dimensions and needed national solutions.The elders appealed to Nigerians to exercise great restraint in their comments and actions in these trying times and urged leaders at all levels to contribute to solutions to developing threats. CHIEF Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), whose farmland was attacked a number of times by herdsmen, decried sentiments attached to the issue of herdsmen/farmers’ rift across the nation by the Federal Government. “The Federal Government reacts to cattle issues as if the cattle belong to the FG. Cattle belong to the Fulani and the Federal Government is not Fulani. They should be reminded that it is Federal Government of Nigeria not of Fulani of about 10 million people. “So, the cattle belong to private individuals not to the government, what’s their interest? When cattle and the Fulani went to my farm to destroy it, why didn’t they show concern? It is absolute nonsense.” Falae, who was kidnapped by Fulani herdsmen on his 77th birthday in September 2015, said the FG should assist the herdsmen to set up ranches in the north, “where cattle is indigenous. Let them run as private business without harassing anybody and anybody harassing them.” He said: “The time has come for Nigeria to do what the rest of the world has done, which is to move away from this ancient free grazing of cattle and move into modern cattle ranching which is what the whole world is now doing.”

G NEWS SPLASH:COURT DROPPED CASE ON FOUR #ENDOFSARS PROTESTERS IN NIGERIA

A court in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Monday, discharged four out of six protesters arrested in November for demonstrating outside the National Assembly. Last year, Africa’s most populous country was swept by weeks of widespread protests sparked by anger over brutality from the police’s loathed Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The government disbanded the unit and pledged reforms but still struggled to contain the largest challenge to Nigeria’s governing elite in decades. The six defendants were arrested on November 8, 2020, and charged with unlawful assembly.Defence lawyer Henry Akwaji requested the case be dismissed because the prosecution team was absent from court on Monday. The court agreed and dismissed the case due to a lack of diligent prosecution.Defendants, Olutosin Adeniji, Abdusalam Zubarur, Paul Akinwumi, and Devour Chomo are discharged and the complaint against them dismissed,” magistrate Musa Eneye ruled. The remaining two, Yasidu Bashiru and Kabiru Garzali, were absent from court due to illness. The case against them was adjourned until March 24.

G NEWS SPLASH: YORUBA ELDERS CONDEMNED THE BURNING OF SARKIN FULANI'S RESIDENCE

Elders in the South West under the aegis of Coalition of Oduduwa Elders have condemned Friday’s attack on Sarkin Fulani in Oyo State, Alhaji Salihu AbdulKadir and his family, where houses and 11 cars were burnt and livestock killed. The elders, who stated their opposition to the action, attributed it to some criminals, led by a secessionist, Sunday Adeyemo also known as Sunday Igboho, and said the development was inimical to the country’s unity, which they stand for.Expressing shock that such ugly development could happen in Yoruba land, which they noted had been at the forefront of a united Nigeria, the elders tasked security agencies to immediately swing into action to arrest the culprits, so they can face the wrath of the country’s law. In the statement signed in Abuja, yesterday, by the National Coordinator, Dr. Tunde Aremu, and National Secretary, Barr. (Mrs.) Folake Ajasin, respectively, the elders said the action did not represent the Yoruba people. The statement partly read: “We received with utmost shock and disbelief the burning down of the residence of Sarkin Fulani, Oyo State, his livestock and 11 cars, by some suspected criminals in Yoruba land, allegedly instigated by one Sunday Adeyemo, otherwise known as Igboho. This action is unacceptable to us. It is criminal, barbaric, and uncivilized, and we call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Sunday Igboho and all the perpetrators of this dastardly and unwarranted act.“While we acknowledge the criminal activities of some suspected Fulani herdsmen in the state, we must state that the attack of the Sarkin Fulani Oyo is madness taken too far. “The Sarkin Fulani has lived in Oyo State for a very long time and has been known to be very peaceful. He has spoken publicly and privately against the criminal activities of some of their deviant youths and tasked security agencies to go after them. The Sarkin Fulani Oyo deserves commendation for his actions against the few criminals masquerading as herdsmen in Oyo and not this kind of evil and injustice meted on him by some criminals in our region… “We call on our Fulani and Northern brothers not to see this as an act of Yoruba people, but a clear act of criminality perpetrated by some misguided youths that will be brought to book in no time…”

G SPORT: ABRAHAM'S HAT-TRICK UPGRADED CHELSEA TO FA CUP

Tammy Abraham eased the pressure on under-fire Frank Lampard as the Chelsea striker’s hat-trick sealed a 3-1 win against Luton in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday. In just his second season in charge at Chelsea, Lampard is fighting to avoid the sack after a wretched run in the Premier League. An embarrassing FA Cup exit against Championship opposition would have pushed Lampard closer to the axe, but Abraham’s clinical display gave his manager some much-needed breathing space.Abraham scored twice in the first half before Jordan Clark got one back for Luton after yet another blunder from Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. Luton gave Lampard some nervous moments after that, before Abraham finally sent Chelsea through to a last 16 tie at second tier Barnsley. Lampard will know that Chelsea, who were FA Cup runners-up last season, are still a long way from the finished article. One of his biggest headaches has been the poor form of Timo Werner and there was more bad news for the Germany striker as he missed a late penalty.After notoriously demanding Blues owner Roman Abramovich bankrolled a £200 million spending spree in the close-season, Lampard was expected to mount a title challenge. But a dismal run of five defeats in their last eight Premier League games has left Chelsea languishing in ninth place. Amid talk that Lampard will be sacked if Chelsea don’t finish in the top four or fall completely out of contention, former Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel and ex-Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri have been linked with his job. Clever Abraham Lampard insisted this week that he is a “fighter” capable of dragging Chelsea back into contention for the Champions League places.But as snow blanketed west London, leaving the Stamford Bridge pitch with a white dusting at kick-off, the potentially treacherous conditions must have alarmed Lampard, who made seven changes from the midweek defeat at Leicester Standing huddled in a thick winter coat and hat on the touchline, Lampard’s fears were initially assuaged as Chelsea made the perfect start. Abraham was denied by Luton keeper Simon Sluga and Kurt Zouma ahead over before Chelsea scored in the 11th minute. A quick throw caught Luton napping, with Nathan Jones’ side complaining that two balls were briefly on the pitch at the same time.Chelsea took advantage of Luton’s loss of concentration and Werner’s deflected cross reached Abraham, who slotted a composed low finish into the far corner from 10 yards.Abraham’s movement was too clever for Luton and the striker netted again six minutes later. Reece James hooked a cross into the Luton area and Abraham got in front of his marker to power an unstoppable header over Sluga for his 10th goal of the season. Luton were gifted a lifeline in the 30th minute when James Bree crossed towards Clark and his scuffed shot crept past Kepa’s woeful attempted save.

G NEWS SPORT:DELTA STATE POLICE APPREHENDED A MAN FOR KILLING HIS GIRL FRIEND

The Police in Oghara Divisional Headquarters, Ethiope-West Local Government Area of Delta State have arrested a man simply identified as Happy for allegedly killing and burying his girlfriend at the Unoghovo bush in Oghara. The suspect, who took the police to the spot where he buried his lover, is yet to give reasons why he killed her. DAILY POST reports that the police are not taking the matter lightly following the increasing activities of suspected ritualists who also pose as internet fraudsters in the community. It was learnt that the deceased, Orhie Everusi was declared missing five days ago. She was last seen when she left the house to see a friend. Family members and friends searched but couldn’t find her as her mobile phone was switched off.However, they suspected she may have gone to visit the suspect, who was later arrested after much interrogation. When contacted for comments, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya confirmed the report in a telephone chat with DAILY POST correspondent in Warri saying, “Yes! It is true.”

G BUSINESS NEWS:TELECOMMUNICATIONS STEP 3G,4G TOWERS TO 53,460

Telecom operators in the country have grown the third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) base transceiver stations, BTS, to 53,460 in just five years. This was announced by the Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Professor Umar Danbatta, while welcoming the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Engr. Festus Daudu, on Tuesday. Danbatta, while briefing Daudu on the functions and regulatory activities of the Commission, said the 3G and 4G BTS deployment in the country increased from 30,000 to 53,460 while Fibre Optic Transmission cables expanded from 47,000km to 54,725km in the last five years, resulting in improved broadband/telecoms service delivery to Nigerians. Danbatta briefed Daudu on NCC’s enabling laws, mandates, structure, implementation approach of mandates and methodology. He also touched on focus and targets, scorecards, a new Strategic Management Vision, SVP, which the commission will soon unveil. According to Danbatta, through the effective regulatory regime of his administration, the Commission has helped telecoms operators increase deployment of infrastructure, which in turn helped to improve broadband penetration and other related service delivery in the telecoms industry. He said: “The BTS, fibre optic cables and other related infrastructure are central to the provision of improved service experience for Nigerians by their respective telecoms service providers.” He added that the Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) licensed recently by the commission were also expected to add 38,296km to optic fibre cables when they commence operations full. Danbatta said by November 2020, active telephony subscribers stood at 208 million with teledensity standing at 108.92 percent, broadband penetration grew to 45.07 percent while active Internet subscriptions hit 154.9 million, among others. READ ALSO: FG orders probe of payment for Digital Identity Number In recognition of the tremendous economic growth opportunities afforded by the deployment of broadband and its associated technologies, Danbatta said the Commission has positioned itself in government’s drive for a digital Nigeria. He noted that digital drive comprises the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (2020-2025), the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020-2030) and the Strategic Management Plan (2020- 2024) of the Commission. “The Commission will continue to put in its best in the discharge of its mandates, especially in facilitating the deployment of broadband, which is central to diversifying the Nigerian economy and national development. “Also, it is our belief that the communications industry, under the leadership of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, will experience more quantum leaps and retain its current leadership role in the telecommunications space,” he said.

G GLOBAL INFO: 11THINGS ABOUT BIDEN ONE SHOULD BE AWARE OF

Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th US president on Wednesday, delivering a calming call to heal a nation riven by festering divisions that had grown deeper under four years of Donald Trump. Biden took the presidential oath standing on the steps of the US Capitol, the building complex that had been attacked two weeks earlier by a pro-Trump mob seeking to overturn his victory. This was moments after Kamala Harris had taken the oath to officially become America’s first female vice president.Below are 11 things you may probably not know about the US president from Delaware, a state where over 50% of all NYSE-listed business and 60% of the Fortune 500 are domiciled. 1. He won the Senate election to represent Delaware in 1972. Biden was just 29 years old when he defeated the incumbent Republican Senator, Cale Boggs, making him the fifth-youngest person ever elected to the United States Senate. He met the constitutional age requirement of 30 by the time he was sworn in. His campaign had almost no money, and he was given no chance of winning. 2, Few weeks after the election, in December 1972, Joe Biden’s wife, Neilia, and their one-year-old daughter, Amy, were killed in a road accident. His sons, Beau and Hunter, also suffered injuries in the crash. 3. Biden took the oath of office at his sons’ hospital bedsides, after losing his wife and daughter in the car accident. 4. His younger sister, Valerie, has managed all of his campaigns 5. Biden co-sponsored the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 with Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. The law, which was incorporated into the larger crime bill, provided $1.6 billion to investigate and prosecute violent crimes against women, imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allowed victims to sue their attackers in civil court even if prosecutors didn’t proceed criminally. ALSO READ: 21 quotes from Professor Soyinka on President Buhari 6. Biden grew up with a stutter and would recite Yeats and Emerson to work on his public speaking. 7. He ran unsuccessfully for the US Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and again in 2008. 8. Biden is the second Catholic president in US history. John F Kennedy was the first. 9. Biden is the oldest US sitting president and the first president from his home state, Delaware 10. Joe Biden loves ice cream, and his favourite flavour is chocolate chip. 11. On his visit to a small village of Yanzikou north in Beijing, China, in 2001, Biden purchased ice creams for the villagers.

G POLITICS: BIDEN PROMISED TO BE A PRESIDENT TO ALL

• Pledges to unite the country • Trump promises “to be back in some form’ in farewell speech • Nigerian-Americans, Owolewa, Agbaje emerge U.S. lawmakers • Buhari congratulates Biden, seeks partnership against terrorism In a brief and glorious moment, Joe Biden yesterday took the oath of office as the 46th President of the United States of America and pledged to work for all Americans, including those who did not support his campaign.The President took his oath of office using the 127 years old family Bible with his w ife, Jill, at his side. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Justice John Roberts swore him in. “My whole soul is in this. We have much to repair, much to restore, and much to heal. Unity wins out over division throughout U.S. history,” he said, adding that the will of the people had been heard.He described the historic moment as “America’s day’. The new President stressed the need for unity and vowed to defeat what he described as internal terrorism. In a veiled reference to the crisis that trailed his electoral victory, he called for peace and advised that politics must not be violent.He described the historic moment as “America’s day’. The new President stressed the need for unity and vowed to defeat what he described as internal terrorism. In a veiled reference to the crisis that trailed his electoral victory, he called for peace and advised that politics must not be violent.Biden also observed some seconds of prayers for the repose of the soul of over 400, 000 Americans who have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and for their families. His said: “Today, we celebrate the triumph, not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We have learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. “I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did. For all those who supported our campaign, I’m humbled by the faith you placed in us. To all those who did not support us, let me say this. Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart! If you still disagree, so be it. That’s democracy. That’s America. The right to dissent peaceably within the guardrails of our republic is perhaps this nation’s greatest strength. Yet hear me clearly. Disagreement must not lead to disunity. And I pledge this to you. I will be a president for all Americans. All Americans.And I promise you, I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.” Congratulatory messages came in from all around the world. Former president, Barack Obama tweeted a message of support “Congratulations to my friend, President Joe Biden! This is your time.”G

G GLOBAL INFO: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AFRICAN HISTORIES

The history of Africa begins with the emergence of hominids, archaic humans and—at least 200,000 years ago—anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens), in East Africa, and continues unbroken into the present as a patchwork of diverse and politically developing nation states.[1] The earliest known recorded history arose in Ancient Egypt, and later in Nubia, the Sahel, the Maghreb and the Horn of Africa. Following the desertification of the Sahara, North African history became entwined with the Middle East and Southern Europe while the Bantu expansion swept from modern day Cameroon (Central Africa) across much of the sub-Saharan continent in waves between around 1000 BC and 1 AD, creating a linguistic commonality across much of the central and Southern continent.[2] During the Middle Ages, Islam spread west from Arabia to Egypt, crossing the Maghreb and the Sahel. Some notable pre-colonial states and societies in Africa include the Ajuran Empire, D'mt, Adal Sultanate, Alodia, Warsangali Sultanate, Kingdom of Nri, Nok culture, Mali Empire, Bono State, Songhai Empire, Benin Empire, Oyo Empire, Kingdom of Lunda (Punu-yaka), Ashanti Empire, Ghana Empire, Mossi Kingdoms, Mutapa Empire, Kingdom of Mapungubwe, Kingdom of Sine, Kingdom of Sennar, Kingdom of Saloum, Kingdom of Baol, Kingdom of Cayor, Kingdom of Zimbabwe, Kingdom of Kongo, Empire of Kaabu, Kingdom of Ile Ife, Ancient Carthage, Numidia, Mauretania, and the Aksumite Empire. At its peak, prior to European colonialism, it is estimated that Africa had up to 10,000 different states and autonomous groups with distinct languages and customs.[3][4] From the late 15th century, Europeans joined the slave trade. One could say the Portuguese led in partnership with other Europeans.[citation needed][weasel words] That includes the triangular trade, with the Portuguese initially acquiring slaves through trade and later by force as part of the Atlantic slave trade. They transported enslaved West, Central, and Southern Africans overseas.[5] Subsequently, European colonization of Africa developed rapidly from around 10% (1870) to over 90% (1914) in the Scramble for Africa (1881–1914). However following struggles for independence in many parts of the continent, as well as a weakened Europe after the Second World War (1939–1945), decolonization took place across the continent, culminating in the 1960 Year of Africa.[6] Disciplines such as recording of oral history, historical linguistics, archaeology and genetics have been vital in rediscovering the great African civilizations of antiquity.

G GLOBAL INFO:TWITTER SHIFTED AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL ACCOUNT TO BIDEN

As US President Joe Biden took office on Wednesday, Twitter handed him the reins of an official @POTUS account as part of the transfer of power. The one-to-many messaging service gave Biden's team control of all the official White House accounts and activated a new @SecondGentleman handle for the husband of the country's first female vice president Kamala Harris.Accounts for the White House, President, Vice President, First Lady, and White House Press Secretary "have now inherited their new institutional usernames," according to Twitter. Tweets posted at the accounts prior to Biden being sworn in as the 46th US president will be archived, and the accounts will not automatically retain followers who signed on during the Trump administration.Outgoing president Donald Trump was an obsessive Twitter user from his personal account -- which was banned by the platform over his incitements to violence -- while also using the official accounts associated with the presidency."There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face," Biden said in a tweet at @POTUS."That's why today, I am heading to the Oval Office to get right to work delivering bold action and immediate relief for American families."A message tweeted from the @VP account, Harris tweeted "Ready to serve" from her @VP account. In his @SecondGentleman profile, Douglas Emhoff described himself as a proud husband. Biden's team also inherited the official @WhiteHouse, @PressSec, and @FLOTUS accounts. After the unprecedented violence in the seat of Congress, Trump was banned for inciting the rioters -- on platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Google-owned YouTube, and Snapchat.

G BUSINESS INFO: MICROSOFT TEAM UP WITH GM FOR A NEW ELECTRIC CAR

General Motors announced an alliance Tuesday with Microsoft on its Cruise autonomous driving venture, combining forces to challenge Tesla and others in an electric car market expected to rev with Joe Biden’s environment-friendly administration in the White House. The companies have established “a long-term strategic relationship,” and Microsoft will join GM, Honda and institutional investors in a new $2 billion equity investment round, GM and its Cruise subsidiary said in a press release. “This is a major shot across the bow from Microsoft to Tesla and Waymo and other EV (electric vehicle) autonomous players that Redmond is on its way,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.“There is an arms race in the EV world and this is the latest collaborative deal with many more on there way, speaking to this trillion dollar market over the next decade.” Ives and others think Apple is poised to begin putting its technology to work in self-driving, electric cars although the iPhone maker has remained mum on the subject. Microsoft Azure is a powerhouse in the cloud computing market, so synching GM electric vehicles with Azure computing and artificial intelligence capabilities promises a boon for the car maker, Ives reasoned. Microsoft also will provide hardware and software engineering support to GM as part of the alliance, which values Cruise at some $30 billion.“Our mission to bring safer, better, and more affordable transportation to everyone isn’t just a tech race — it’s also a trust race,” Cruise chief executive Dan Ammann said.“Microsoft, as the gold standard in the trustworthy democratization of technology, will be a force multiplier for us as we commercialize our fleet of self-driving, all-electric, shared vehicles.”Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the venture will help GM and Cruise to “scale and make autonomous transportation mainstream.”Last week, GM announced plans to build a fleet of new electric vans. Windscreen-free future? The partnership comes on the heels of a series of GM announcements to reposition the Detroit giant to compete with Tesla and other newer players. “It makes a lot of sense,” said Edmunds executive director of insights Jessica Caldwell. “Microsoft and General Motors, both massive, historical American companies, tackling a problem that companies around the world are working on.” Companies such as GM are still trying to figure out what the self-driving car of the future looks like, Caldwell added.Perhaps seats will face each other as in train cars, or there will be no need for front windows or driver seats. Electric vehicle maker Rivian separately said it raised $2.65 billion in a new funding round valuing the Amazon-backed US company at $26.7 billion. Investors included Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund and Fidelity Management and Research, according to Rivian.Amazon is set to launch its own electric delivery vans ordered from the startup. Waymo, the autonomous car unit of Google-parent Alphabet, late last year opened its robo-taxi project to the general public in the US city of Phoenix, becoming the first widely available driverless ride service. Early last year, Waymo raised $2.25 billion in its first external funding round to accelerate its deployment of autonomous cars and trucks.

G GLOBAL INFO:35 NEW DISCOVERED ANIMALS AND INSECTS IN THE WORLD

35 remarkable new animal and insect species that will freak you out (pictures) Day-Glo-colored fish, cute-looking carnivores -- these are just some recently discovered creatures. Pleasant dreams! Spiked crustacean The Epimeria loerzae is one of 28 new species of crustaceans discovered in the Antarctica, per a 2017 report. Like the pictured specimen, many of the new species are colorful -- and spiky. Hitchhiking beetle Look closely. There are two insects in this picture, one on top of another. The red legs and red body belong to that of an ant; the darker upper body belongs to that of the Nymphister kronaueri, a new beetle species discovered in a Costa Rican rainforest, and reported on in 2017. The beetles score piggyback rides by clamping onto ants via their mandibles. That's not a bird Madagascar's pelican spiders feature the "illusion of a 'neck' and 'beak,'" as Smithsonian.com puts it. The Eriauchenius milajaneae, one of 18 new pelican spider species identified by researchers who published their findings in 2018, may be the most pelican-y of all. Itty-bitty frog Meet the Robinmoore's Night Frog, one of seven new night-frog species discovered in an Indian mountain range, and unveiled by a University of Delhi researcher in 2017. A venomous snake you can feel sorry for 5 of 35 Lauren Dibben via University of Queensland A venomous snake you can feel sorry for As a rule, venomous bandy-bandy snakes are burrowers. But this new species, Vermicella parscauda, discovered by University of Queensland-led biologists in Australia, was found hanging out on a concrete block, the university reported in 2018. It's described as in danger of extinction due to local mining. Deep blue 6 of 35 Newcastle University, UK/HADES Project Deep blue These fish belong to a species so new they don't yet have proper names; they're merely known as the blue Atacama Snailfish. The species was discovered by scientists trolling the depths of the Pacific's Atacama Trench. So. Much. Color. 7 of 35 Luiz Rocha © California Academy of Sciences So. Much. Color. Called "one of the most beautiful fishes I've ever seen" by a California Academy of Sciences researcher, this new, Day-Glo-colored fish was named Tosanoides aphrodite after the Greek goddess of beauty. It was found off the coast of Brazil, per the 2018 announcement. A see-through Kermit 8 of 35 Brian Kubicki/Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center A see-through Kermit Uncharted territory may be dwindling on our planet, but biologists discover hundreds of new species every year. Here are our recent favorites...including a wasp that will absolutely terrify you. This new species of glass frog, dubbed Hyalinobatrachium dianae, was recently found by researchers at the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center. Looks cute, right? Well, flip it over. It's completely see-through under there. You can see its organs and blood vessels and everything. So cute it's scary 9 of 35 MBARI So cute it's scary The 7-inch-long flapjack octopus has been on researchers' radar since 1990, but many details about how it lives are still a mystery, and it has yet to be officially named. This little guy was photographed by aquarists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute at about 1,080 feet below the ocean's surface. Small shrimp, huge "appendage" 10 of 35 James Darwin Thomas, Ph.D., Nova Southeastern University Small shrimp, huge "appendage" This newly discovered Leucothoe eltoni shrimp is named after Sir Elton John. "I have listened to his music in my lab during my entire scientific career," James Darwin Thomas, a professor at Nova Southeastern University, said in a statement released by publisher Pensoft. "So, when this unusual crustacean with a greatly enlarged appendage appeared under my microscope after a day of collecting, an image of the shoes Elton John wore as the Pinball Wizard came to mind." Hair down there 11 of 35 Cheng Li, Imaging Biodiversity Expedition, and Tibet Forestry Hair down there This white-cheeked macaque was discovered in April 2015 by researchers at Dali University's Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research. The feature that gave it away: a distinctive-looking penis and unusually hairy scrotum. The beast may be new to science, but according to researchers, it's already threatened by illegal hunting in Tibet. Elusive bird 12 of 35 Pamela Rasmussen/Michigan State University Elusive bird Meet the new Sichuan bush warbler. Discovered in part by Pamela Rasmussen, an integrative biologist at Michigan State University, the bird has a shy disposition and a distinctive song. See-through "shrimp" 13 of 35 SINC See-through "shrimp" This ghostly, shrimp-like creature was discovered by a team from the University of Seville in Spain in 2013. The new species, which are actually members of another crustacean group called amphipods, live in caves off the coast of Catalina Island, near Los Angeles. Fairy-like moth 14 of 35 CSIRO Fairy-like moth The enigma moth, announced just this year by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia, has been described as a "living dinosaur," part of a group of moths with ancient roots. Their adult lives are lived in a single day, in which they emerge from their cocoons, mate, reproduce and die. Toothy frogs 15 of 35 Jim McGuire/University of California Berkeley Toothy frogs Meet Limnonectes larvaepartus. Discovered in late 2014 by scientists at the University of California at Berkeley, the frog has fangs, sort of -- two projections on its lower jaw that are used for fighting. But it gets better. This species also gives birth to live tadpoles, which may be guarded early in life by protective frog fathers. Fanged frogs give live birth 16 of 35 Jim McGuire/University of California Berkeley Fanged frogs give live birth Here's a closeup of the newly unveiled Limnonectes larvaepartus tadpole, a rare example of live young borne of a frog species. Red dragons 17 of 35 Western Australia Museum Red dragons Announced just last month, this vibrant ruby seadragon proves that "we definitely have many more exciting discoveries awaiting us in the oceans," according to co-discoverer Nerida Wilson of the Western Australia Museum. New fish 18 of 35 California Academy of Sciences New fish Here's a newly discovered species of ghost shark, the Chimaera carophila, from New Zealand. The California Academy of Sciences introduced it to the world in December last year. Living branch 19 of 35 Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Living branch That's no stick, but rather a very, very large new species of stick bug, discovered in late 2014 in Vietnam. It's more than a foot long, making it the second-biggest living insect ever found. Fearless ant 20 of 35 California Academy of Sciences Fearless ant All hail the hero ant from Madagascar, discovered last year. When it senses an invading insect, it grabs the intruder and hurls itself off the ant equivalent of a cliff. Once the unwelcome guest is away from the colony entrance, the ant picks itself up and gets back to work. Vicious wasp 21 of 35 Michael Staab/University of Freiburg, Germany Vicious wasp Sure, this bone-house wasp, unveiled in July last year by scientists at the University of Freiburg in Germany, looks like any other stinger. But it's way meaner: it uses ant corpses to build its home, and lays its eggs inside living spiders. Pleasant dreams! I'm hoppin' here 22 of 35 AP Photo/Rutgers University, Jeremy Fineberg I'm hoppin' here Yep, this newly categorized leopard frog, announced in October last year by a graduate student at Rutgers University, is 100 percent New Yorker: it was discovered near the Statue of Liberty. It also has a loud, guttural call. Glowing...thing 23 of 35 California Academy of Sciences Glowing...thing This nudibranch is a new slug species called the Phyllodesmium undulatum. Unveiled in 2014 by the California Academy of Sciences, it's essentially a poison-eating sea slug that glows. Battle-ready spider 24 of 35 California Academy of Sciences Battle-ready spider That tiny dot at the bottom of the web is a newly categorized ray spider, discovered in 2014 by an arachnologist at the California Academy of Sciences. "Ray spiders aren't filter feeders," the Academy's Charles Griswold said. "They tend to stretch their sticky webs into a cone-like shape and hold on tightly while they wait for unsuspecting prey. Once spotted, they shake or let their webs fly out to catch a meal." Smallest sengi 25 of 35 California Academy of Sciences Smallest sengi This relatively tiny species of Namibian elephant shrew, Macroscelides micus, debuted last year as well. Only about a dozen new mammal species are discovered yearly. Massive eel 26 of 35 California Academy of Sciences Massive eel Yes, this Pylorobranchus hearstorum worm eel, which officially debuted in 2014, is the largest of its kind, about 50 inches long from head to tail, making it about twice as long as other known worm eels. But if that isn't mind-blowing enough, consider: the worm eel is actually neither worm nor eel. It's a fish. Bright frog 27 of 35 Alessandro Marco Catenazzi Bright frog The vast majority of Telmatobius frogs, including the newly catalogued yellow Telmatobius ventriflavum, discovered by Alessandro Catenazzi, are considered threatened. The yellow variant was officially recognized as a new species in February. Deadly sponge 28 of 35 MBARI Deadly sponge Announced by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in April 2014, these shrub-like sponges trap small sea creatures and then digest them over several days. Definitely not a teddy bear 29 of 35 Mark Gurney/Smithsonian Definitely not a teddy bear Don't let its cuddly looks fool you: The raccoon-related, Ecuador-dwelling olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina) is a carnivorous mammal -- the first new carnivore species found in the Americas in 35 years, Smithsonian scientists announced in 2013. New croc on the block 30 of 35 Matthew Shirley/Florida International University New croc on the block This is no ordinary croc. According to Florida International University, this is a distinct Central African slender-snouted crocodile, or Mecistops leptorhynchus -- billed as the "first new living crocodile species to be defined and named in nearly 85 years." Smooth frog operator 31 of 35 Cesar Jaramillo/Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Smooth frog operator Poison dart frogs are known for being potentially deadly. At least the bright orange Andinobates geminisae is small: about the size of a fingernail. Uncovered in Panama, it was revealed to the research world in 2014. Mr. Lizard 32 of 35 P.J. Venegas/Copyright Pablo J. Venegas, Omar Torres-Carvajal, Vilma Duran, Kevin de Queiroz Mr. Lizard This new species of wood lizard was discovered in Peru's Cordillera Azul National Park, per a research paper published by ZooKeys in 2015. Females are largely brownish, while males, such as the one pictured, are greenish. New gecko 33 of 35 Grant Connette/Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute New gecko The photogenic Tenasserim Mountain bent-toed gecko is one of two new gecko species found in a deforested part of Myanmar, per a 2017 paper authored by a Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute fellow and other scientists. On the rocks 34 of 35 Grant Connette/Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute On the rocks The Lenya banded bent-toed gecko is the other new gecko species found in the Myanmar study. Like the bent-toed gecko, it's considered endangered by the very deforestation that revealed the species. No slug 35 of 35 Terry Gosliner © California Academy of Sciences No slug This newly identified sea slug, the Hypselodoris iba, hails from the coral reefs of Indonesia. The species is found in both purple, and in white with orange spots. "Sea slugs have an arsenal of strategies for surviving, from mimicry to camouflage to cryptic patterns," zoologist Terry Gosliner said in an October 2018 announcement.

G GLOBAL INFO:BIDEN VOWS TO PROVIDE COVID-19 RELIEF

President-elect Joe Biden introduced a $1.9 trillion spending package Thursday that aims to speed distribution of the coronavirus vaccines and provide economic relief caused by the pandemic. The package proposal includes investing $20 billion in a national vaccination program, $1,400 stimulus checks and expanding unemployment insurance supplements to $400 per week. "During this pandemic, millions of Americans through no fault of their own, have lost the dignity and respect that comes with a job and a paycheck," Biden said during a nearly 25-minute speech Thursday. "There is real pain, overwhelming the real economy." "There's no time to waste. We have to act, and we have to act now," he said. During his speech, Biden noted that this was the first of a two-part plan to in the road to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden said that he would introduce a recovery plan next month during his address to a joint session of Congress.Biden’s proposed relief package comes several weeks after Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package in December, which the president-elect said at the time was a “down payment.” More than 385,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, including more than 4,300 on Tuesday alone. Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan will build off the bipartisan relief legislation passed in December. Wanna talk politics?: Join the USA TODAY politics Facebook group For example, Biden is suggesting $1,400 stimulus checks in addition to the $600 direct payments passed in December. Democrats, as well as President Donald Trump, pushed for $2,000 in the December legislation. About 10 million people have been left unemployed since the pandemic smothered the economy last spring.Biden’s proposed relief package comes several weeks after Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package in December, which the president-elect said at the time was a “down payment.” More than 385,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, including more than 4,300 on Tuesday alone. Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan will build off the bipartisan relief legislation passed in December. Wanna talk politics?: Join the USA TODAY politics Facebook group For example, Biden is suggesting $1,400 stimulus checks in addition to the $600 direct payments passed in December. Democrats, as well as President Donald Trump, pushed for $2,000 in the December legislation. About 10 million people have been left unemployed since the pandemic smothered the economy last spring.Biden’s relief package also lays out his vaccine distribution plan. The national vaccination program, which will be in partnership with states, tribes and territories, will deploy mobile vaccination units to areas that are hard to reach and make the vaccine free to everyone in the United States. The relief plan also calls for $50 million to expand testing for COVID-19, purchase rapid tests, invest in expanding lab capacity and help school and local governments implement testing protocols. Biden said he would introduce his vaccine distribution plan Friday. During his Thursday remarks, Biden criticized the Trump administration's rollout of the vaccine. "The vaccine rollout in the United States has been a dismal failure thus far," he said, adding that he "will have to move heaven and earth to get more people vaccinated." The relief plan also includes: $170 billion to help reopen schools, as well as provide financial relief to students Expand to 14 weeks paid sick and family and medical leave $25 billion in rental assistance and an additional $5 billion to cover home energy and water costs Extending the 15 percent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits increase to September 2021 $15 billion for grants to more than 1 million small businesses A $20 billion investment to Indian Country to support tribal governments' response to the COVID-19 pandemic Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour Biden’s goal is to provide 100 million vaccinations during the first 100 days of his administration starting Jan. 20. But the pace has been slower than that so far, with 22 million doses distributed and 6.7 million administered by Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 150,000 people have received both necessary doses, according to a New York Times survey of 50 states. “My No. 1 priority is getting vaccine in people’s arms,” Biden said Monday as he received his second dose. “It’s going to be hard. It’s not going to be easy. But we can get it done.” The American Hospital Association has urged the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate vaccination efforts among the states and resolve barriers to rapid deployment of doses. Biden may have a difficult time getting his proposal passed through Congress, as Democrats hold a slim majority in the House and Senate. Congress approved $1,200 payments in the CARES Act that was passed in March and $600 payments in the December relief package. Democrats called for the second payment to be larger, but Republicans warned against growing deficit spending. “I’ve been speaking with some of my Republican colleagues about being able to move on a second package sooner than later,” Biden said Monday. Shortly after Biden’s transition team announced details of the proposal, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a joint statement, “We will get right to work to turn President-elect Biden’s vision into legislation that will pass both chambers and be signed into law.” “These proposals by the Biden-Harris administration will be critical to getting our country through this challenging period and towards a period of recovery,” the statement continued. “We echo the president-elect’s call for bipartisan action on his proposal and hope that our Republican colleagues will work with us to quickly enact it.” More than 10 million workers have been left unemployed since the pandemic began last spring, with another 140,000 jobs lost in December. Biden has argued that borrowing with low interest rates is crucial to prevent longer-term harm to the economy. “The bottom line is the job report shows we need to provide more immediate relief for working families and businesses now. Now,” Biden said Friday, while introducing economic nominees. “Not just to help them get to the other side of this painful crisis, but a larger purpose to avoid a broader economic cost that exists out there, that will happen due to long-term unemployment, hunger, homelessness and business failings.” Biden said Thursday that he looks forward to working with both parties in Congress "to move quickly to get the American rescue plan to the American people." "I know what I just described does not come cheaply," he said. "But failure to do so will cost us dearly."

G SPORTS: LUCAS PIAZON IN CHELSEA AGREED ON BRAGA'S DEAL

The 26-year-old signs a four-years contract with Portuguese side Braga; Piazon made just one substitute appearance in the Premier League during his decade-long stint at Chelsea; Brazilian spent time on loan with seven clubs in six different countries over the last nine years.Piazon arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2011, and made a very positive impression in his first season at the club. He went on to play in two League Cup games the following season, before coming off the bench for a sole Premier League appearance, in which he had a late penalty saved during an 8-0 thrashing of Aston Villa. Since then, Piazon has been on loan at seven clubs - in six different countries - in the past nine years. He played for Malaga in Spain, before stints at Vitesse in Holland and German side Eintracht Frankfurt. Piazon then returned to England for loan spells with Reading and Fulham, who he helped earn promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs. He went on to spend time with Chievo in Italy and Rio Ave in Portugal.Piazon will now settle in Portugal, having signed a deal with Braga that runs until at least 2025.

G HEALTH: WHO ORGANIZED AN IMPROMPTU MEETING OVER COVID 19

The World Health Organization’s emergency committee met, two weeks early, on Thursday to discuss the urgent threat from rapidly-spreading new coronavirus variants. Newly identified mutations of the virus, which appear to be significantly more infectious, come as spiking case numbers force many countries to enforce new restrictions. The committee normally gathers every three months but the WHO brought the meeting forward to discuss the mutations. “There are two urgent issues which need particular attention, and for which we seek your advice,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told members, in his opening remarks. “The first is the recent emergence of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus; and the second is the potential use of vaccination and testing certificates for international travel. “One theme ties both issues together: solidarity. We cannot afford to prioritise or punish certain groups or countries.” It is the WHO International Health Regulations emergency committee’s sixth meeting on Covid-19. Following its second meeting on January 30 last year, Tedros declared that the outbreak discovered in China constituted a public health emergency of international concern — the WHO’s highest level of alert. The latest meeting comes as global infections soared past 92 million and deaths approached two million, with governments around the world reimposing painful economic lockdowns and social restrictions. “When you first met almost a year ago, just 557 cases of the disease we now call Covid-19 had been reported to WHO,” Tedros lamented. Vaccines and variants There are concerns that the new variant strains of the virus may render certain vaccines less effective, undermining hopes that immunisation offers the best hope of recovery from the global pandemic. The recently-discovered variants can only be identified by sequencing their genetic code — an analysis that is not possible everywhere. In its weekly epidemiological bulletin, the WHO said the coronavirus mutation first found in Britain had spread to 50 territories, while a similar South African-identified strain has now been found in 20. A third mutation, originating in the Brazilian Amazon and whose discovery Japan announced on Sunday, is currently being analysed and could impact the immune response, according to the WHO.“I’m sure, like me, your main hope and wish for 2021 is that together we can end the pandemic and help to restore a sense of normalcy in all countries,” said Tedros. “The roll-out of vaccines is, of course, giving all of us hope of light at the end of the tunnel.“WHO’s most urgent focus now is ensuring that all countries have access to vaccines on an equitable basis.” The UN health agency’s emergencies director Michael Ryan said Wednesday that about 28 million vaccine doses had been administered so far, in around 46 countries — 38 of which are high income, and just one low-income. The emergency committee of experts is overseen by French doctor Didier Houssin and its recommendations will be published after the meeting, likely on Friday.

G POLITICS: CONGO ANNOUNCED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FOR MARCH 21

The Republic of Congo will hold its presidential election on March 21, public television said Thursday, with President Denis Sassou Nguesso, in power for a total of 36 years, named his party’s candidate. The defence and security forces will vote on March 17, enabling them to be deployed on polling day four days later. It is the first time since the Republic of Congo, also called Congo-Brazzaville, has adopted a two-phase ballot since it introduced multiparty elections in 1992 A low-scale effort to update the national electoral roll vote has been under way since January 7. But it is being boycotted by the opposition, which says a census known as RGPH that began last year should be the basis for voter registration. That scheme has yet to finish and has no set end date. His ruling Congolese Party of Labour (PCT) last week named him their candidate, alongside 17 other groups belonging to the governing parliamentary majority — although Sassou Nguesso has not yet himself said whether he will accept the nomination. Candidate facing him in the polls include 73-year-old Mathias Dzon, a former finance minister, and 60-year-old Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, the runner up in 2016’s fiercely contested presidential vote.