No Budget in free India has been awaited with as much hope and anxiety as the one Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present on 10 July. Narendra Modi and the BJP were not elected on a Hindutva agenda. The 75 percent increase in its share of the vote — from 18 percent of the votes polled in 2009 to 31 percent this year — came because people across the country believed him when he said that he would do for India what he has done for Gujarat. And they placed their faith in him because the Congress had destroyed their future. This is the faith that Modi cannot afford to betray.
I have grown tired of repeating, ad nauseam, the warning signals emanating from the economy that the UPA government chose to ignore, and the financial media to underplay. But the reminder is necessary because in the lead up to the Budget, the government is again being inundated with advice from the very people who paved the way to industry's collapse and the UPA's rout.
These advisers, many of them self-appointed, told the Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi that fighting inflation had always to take priority over stimulating growth. Growth benefited only new job seekers but inflation antagonised everyone. Narasimha Rao's government, they pointed out, was voted out in 1996 because it had allowed inflation to enter double digits in 1995. If her government did not maintain stable prices, it too would suffer the same fate.
The UPA heeded this advice. It went on an interest rate hike spree in 2007 and 2008, and may well have persisted had the global recession in 2008 not brought all commodity prices down by 60 to 70 percent. This stopped Indian inflation dead in its tracks and was the first, unmistakable, sign that India was no longer a closed economy in which inflation was caused solely by excess government spending or a bad harvest, but was now vulnerable to commodity price changes across the globe over which it had no control.
But this lesson was lost upon the UPA's advisers and policy makers, so when inflation again went into double digits in March 2010 on the back of surging international commodity prices caused by a huge investment spree in China, they once again opted for a succession of interest rate hikes to curb demand in the Indian market. These had absolutely no effect on the rate of inflation (measured by the cost of living) but pushed up lending rates to between 12 and 16 percent.
The effect on the economy was catastrophic: the construction industry went into a coma; the purchase of consumer durables dropped sharply; and the automobile industry, which had led the surge in growth since the 1980s, went into an absolute recession from which it has still not emerged. Overall industrial growth fell from a hectic 13.5 percent between July 2009 and June 2011, to minus 1.9 percent between April and December last year. Since October 2011, industry has been dead in the water, with its average growth close to zero. Not surprisingly, therefore, employment growth has also stalled. Close to 40 million young people have entered the labour market in the past four years, only to find that they have no future.
Tens of thousands of small- and medium- sized enterprises have quietly folded, pulled down their shutters and declared themselves bankrupt. Since the private banks regularly cherry-pick the most promising investments, the bulk of the increase in non-performing assets has been in the public sector banks. Today, it is these that the advisers are suggesting be 'refinanced', i.e., sold.
Even 'blue chip' companies are in mortal peril. Encouraged to borrow abroad by the skyrocketing interest rates in India and all-time low interest rates abroad, they have been caught flat-footed by the 40 percent fall in the value of the rupee since September 2011 and are finding it hard to service their debt. As for the 200 or so companies that had issued convertible debentures abroad in the palmy days of hectic growth, the collapse of share prices has forced them to postpone the conversion again and again.
Despite the mounting evidence of failure, for four years a government packed with economists from Cambridge, Oxford and Chicago, continued to pursue policies that it could see were not having the slightest effect on prices, but only killing industry. And still they persevered, until the people had to kick them out in a quiet frenzy of revolt.
But the UPA's erstwhile advisers have learned nothing and forgotten nothing. Today, the very same people are giving the Modi government the very same advice that brought the UPA to disaster. In its transition notes for the new government, the PMO emphasised the need to bring inflation under control first. Crisil, India's premier rating agency, also urged the new government to put price stability before growth and warned it against expecting an industrial revival in less than three years. The Economist patronisingly advised Modi to re-finance and reform (which means sell off) the public sector banks and keep Raghuram Rajan as RBI governor because inflation was partly the reason why the UPA lost the elections and 'Rajan is doing a good job'.
Rajan himself did not think he was trespassing on New Delhi's prerogatives when, asked about the possible impact of a poor monsoon and the turmoil in the Middle East, he stated that an interest rate cut was unlikely to take place in the next few quarters.
One can only hope that Modi is listening to industrialists more than economists, but if he is tempted to do the latter, he needs to ask them how he will fulfill the promises he has made to the people. He has promised India good roads, high speed trains, modern ports and an end to endemic power shortages — in short, a world-class infrastructure. All these will require heavy capital investment, and have long gestation periods. Who, he should ask himself, will take these up if he has to pay interest rates of 11-12 percent a year?
He has promised to revive industrial growth, but between a quarter and a half of industrial output consists now of consumer durables and construction materials for homes, offices and factories, purchased through instalment payment plans. How many people will be prepared to take loans at such high rates of interest?
The Indian economy does need a host of deep-seated reforms to sustain rapid growth, that range from reducing the fiscal deficit to ending the license-permit raj and obtaining land for development projects without having to fight the poor. But economic growth has to be revived first in order to be sustained. And this cannot be done without first lowering interest rates drastically.
Modi faces this task with one inestimable advantage that the UPA did not have. He belongs to a political party that has already pulled India out of recession once in 2002. There are people in his party who remember how it was done. Bimal Jalan, the RBI governor at the time, who orchestrated a halving of interest rates between 2000 and 2002, is a member of his party. One can only hope that Modi and Jaitley will draw upon their experience as they frame their policies for the future.
How can the Indian economy return to its high growth rate of 2003-11?
Lower the repo rate from 8 to 5 percent. Lower the cash reserve ratio to 3.5 and later 3 percent.
First, it will bring the reverse repo rate — the rate at which banks lend their surplus money to the Reserve Bank — down from 7 to 4 percent. This unappetising return on what is now considered a risk-free way of parking some of their deposits, will force commercial banks to lower their lending rates to the commercial sector. To do this, they will have to lower the interest rates they offer to their depositors.
Second, lower interest rates on bank deposits will start a shift of personal savings from banks, and from the bond market, to the share market. That will push up share prices, and set off a virtuous cycle. Rising share prices will pull more and more Indian and foreign capital into the share market. The rise will, therefore, continue until a new equilibrium level is reached. Higher share prices and lower interest rates will lower the cost of investment and set off an investment boom. At that point, the recovery of the economy will become automatic. Judging from past experience, economic recovery will take not much more than a year to set in.
Third, lower interest rates will revive demand for consumer durables, which make up 25 percent or more of industrial production. They will, therefore, revive industrial growth. Lower interest rates will also revive the demand for housing and office space. This will revive the construction industry — the largest employer in the country.
Will lowering interest rates and increasing money supply not cause inflation to rise further?
No. According to the strict Milton Friedman model, an increase in money supply raises prices directly only when industrial capacity is being fully utilised, and when there is close to full employment in the economy. This is not the case in India. As the RBI's last Macro- Economic and Monetary Developments Report conceded, there is a 40 percent excess capacity in industry today. There is also no shortage of labour because 35-40 million young people have joined the work force in the past five years and are still looking for jobs. So industrial production can, and will, rise without any impact on prices.
In India, the inflation we are suffering from is being caused by shortages in supply, not an excess of demand. These shortages are both global and domestic. Global shortages are reflected in rising commodity prices, notably of oil. These have been the main propellants of inflation in the past five to seven years.
We also have local shortages that are driving up the cost of living, i.e., the retail price index. These are, however, largely of our own making and can easily be rectified. Cereal prices have remained high because of excessive procurement. There is at present a 50 million tonne excess of foodgrain stocks with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) over the country's buffer stocking requirements, throughout the year. Some of this, particularly the wheat, is slowly rotting. Cereal prices can be brought down and stabilised at a lower level if the FCI indulges in open market operations — releases a basic amount, say one million tonnes, into the market every month during the intra-harvest periods, plus or minus the amount needed to keep prices stable. And it can lower and stabilise vegetable, particularly onion, prices by first sequestrating the amount needed to meet domestic demand and allowing only the export of the surplus. For 10 years, the UPA government has done the opposite. Onion prices, in particular, are so high and so unstable because it gave systematic priority to fruit and vegetable exports over domestic consumption. This may be okay for Alphonso mangoes, but it is a crime when it is done to onions, which are the most important source of iron and other nutrients for the poor. Sharad Pawar, who was the UPA's agriculture minister, is one of the largest onion exporters in the country!
But wouldn't a rise in the demand for manufactured products increase imports? Can India's foreign exchange balance take the strain?
Past experience has shown that there is a bulge in imports, but it is usually followed by a rise in exports about 3 to 6 months later. India is well placed to absorb the bulge. After it took steps to curb gold imports last June, its balance of payments deficit on the current account in the next half year has fallen to just over 1 percent of GDP, from 4.7 percent of GDP in the previous fiscal year (2012-13). The reduction in the balance of payments deficit, together with the fresh inflow of foreign capital into the share market, will comfortably absorb any increase in the trade deficit. However, to ensure that exports rise, it is essential to not allow the exchange rate to appreciate below 60 to the dollar. The balance of the foreign exchange inflow must be impounded and added to the reserves. The new government's goal should be to raise the reserves to $1000 billion in two years. We have been stuck at $300 billion for five years, and this is no longer a safe margin.
The RBI governor has repeatedly justified raising and keeping interest rates high on the grounds that although the wholesale price index inflation has come down, retail price inflation remains around 10 percent. Shouldn't the government bring this down first?
The retail price (cost of living) index is a very bad index to peg interest rates to. This is because it can be pushed up or down by a host of developments over which governments, and Central Banks, have no control. Among these are international oil prices, international raw materials prices, a monsoon failure, freak localised rains (like the ones in Nasik district in November 2010, which destroyed 40 percent of the onion crop), a war somewhere in the world, an earthquake, a drought in Australia that destroys the rice crop, and so on. If you raise interest rates every time something like this happens, you bring an element of unpredictability into your equities market that makes the risk of investing in it unacceptably high. Every increase in interest rates brings share prices down because it shifts some money out of the share market into either the bond market or bank deposits. So share prices fall. If you cannot ever predict how share prices will behave, then you will avoid investing in them. That is what happened from August 2011 onwards, when the RBI turned a deaf ear to industry's frantic appeals for a cut in interest rates.


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text:
Meet the developer: Craig Hockenberry
Get to know the influential creator of Twitterrific.
It took a while for Craig Hockenberry, principal at The Iconfactory, to realize his true calling. Although he began coding when he was 16, in 1976 (the same year the Apple I was released) his career took a detour into corporate management.
"We originally made Twitterrific because all the folks at the Iconfactory wanted an easier way to follow what our friends and colleagues were doing," said Hockenberry. "xScope is another product in the same vein—we built it because we needed it. We're our own best customers."
*Twitterrific*'s multipane view color-codes tweets by category.
To say Hockenberry has been ahead of the curve over the course of his storied career is an understatement. Twitterrific, released over a decade ago, was the very first Twitter client for Mac. Hockenberry even helped coin the term "tweet."
And you know the signature blue bird everyone associates with the social network? Hockenberry created the first one: an icon he named Ollie. (Twitter later followed suit with its own variation.)
While the apps Hockenberry has worked on are designed for a diverse range of customers, the philosophy behind them has remained the same.
"When we create a new app, we're always thinking, 'What problem does this solve for the customer?'" he says. For Hockenberry, functionality and design are equally important. "Functionality overcomes the problem, and design makes it approachable."
*xScope*'s overlay tools give you a sense of how graphics will appear to those with red-green color blindness and other visual impairments.
Ask anyone in the community for a shortlist of the best developers and Hockenberry's name inevitably comes up — no doubt because he's been such an active and generous member. Iconfactory.com gives away about 2 terabytes of icons and wallpapers each month. Hockenberry also blogs about development at furbo.org, where he's always willing to share his know-how.
"It's something I learned from my dad — you need to help others in your community," he says. "When I find something cool or have a unique insight, I love to share it with other developers."
Thankfully, he has no intention of slowing down.
"My grandfather always said, 'You're only as old as you act.' If that's the case, I'm still my younger self!"
Originally published on the Mac App Store.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Tag: Electricity tariff
Reps Panel Directs NERC To Suspend Increase In Electricity Tariff
The House of Representatives Committee on Power has asked the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to suspend the planned increase in electricity tariff.
The committee Chairman, Aliyu Magaji, gave the directive during a meeting with the Minister of Power and the NERC on the rationale behind the increase when the house had already passed a bill which criminalises estimated billing.
NERC had earlier announced that the increase would take effect from the 1st of April.
Meanwhile, the House committee also condemned President Muhammadu Buhari's directive to transfer the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company Limited from the Ministry of Power to the Ministry of Finance.
Details later…
Posted on January 14, 2020 Author Rejoice EwodageCategories LocalTags Electricity tariff, House of Reps, NERCLeave a comment on Reps Panel Directs NERC To Suspend Increase In Electricity Tariff
Electricity Tariff Should Be Increased After Criminalising Estimated Billing, Says Gbajabiamila
A file photo of Mr Femi Gbajabiamila.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has rejected the proposed increment of electricity tariff in the country.
His reaction came one week after Channels Television reported that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved the immediate review of electricity tariffs across the country.
In a series of tweets on Friday, Gbajabiamila believes the right time to increase electricity rates is when the proposed amendment to the act criminalising estimated billing is signed into law.
He promised to meet with the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, as well as other stakeholders to ensure the proposed increase was made on a practical basis.
Nigerian Govt Increases Electricity Tariffs
Nigerians To Start Paying Increased Electricity Tariffs From April, Says NERC
The Speaker said, "There is no guarantee that after any electricity tariff hike the DISCOs will not continue with the nefarious practice of bills estimation or provide uninterrupted power supply.
"I believe the National Assembly should ensure that any increase in electricity tariff if at all, should be cost-reflective and not just a whimsical increase with no empirical basis."
"Also, any such increase should only be made after the proposed amendment to the law criminalising estimated billing is signed into law.
"I intend to meet and discuss this sequence and other conditions with the Attorney General of the Federation and other relevant authorities," he added.
In a series of documents dated December 31, 2019, NERC had announced the plan to increase electricity tariff effective January 1, 2020.
A review of the new amount to be paid by various categories of electricity consumers shows an increase that ranges from 59.7 per cent to 77.6 per cent.
Consumers classified as residential (R1) were, however, excluded from the review as the N4 per kWh they pay was left unchanged.
The development affected customers captured in the 11 Distribution Companies (DISCOs) spread across the country such as Abuja DISCO, Benin DISCO, Enugu DISCO, and Eko DISCO.
Others are Ibadan DISCO, Ikeja DISCO, Jos DISCO, Kaduna DISCO, Kano DISCO, Port Harcourt DISCO, and Yola DISCO.
The decision, however, sparked an outcry in the country, forcing the electricity regulatory body to shift the implementation of the review until April.
NERC Chairman, Professor James Momoh, told reporters on Monday that the commission would engage the public on the planned review in the next three months, before deciding on any implementation.
He also said NERC would begin the regulation of estimated billing by electricity distribution companies who fail to provide meters for their customers.
Posted on January 10, 2020 January 10, 2020 Author Akinola AjibolaCategories Business, HeadlinesTags Electricity, Electricity tariff, Femi Gbajabiamila, TariffLeave a comment on Electricity Tariff Should Be Increased After Criminalising Estimated Billing, Says Gbajabiamila
PDP Rejects Hike In Electricity Tariffs, Asks FG To Rescind 'Obnoxious Policy'
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday announced its rejection of the increase in electricity tariff by the Federal Government.
The main opposition party in a Tweet on its official handle called on the Federal Government to rescind the policy which it described as obnoxious and injurious to the wellbeing of Nigerians.
READ ALSO: Nigerian Govt Increases Electricity Tariffs
"The PDP rejects, in its entirety, the over 200 percent increase in electricity tariff announced by the APC-led administration, describing it as draconian and completely against the interest and wellbeing of Nigerians.
"The party charges the Federal Government to immediately rescind the obnoxious and provocative policy and consult further with Nigerians before any such tariff hike," PDP statement on its official handle read in part.
The PDP also described the increase in electricity tariff as a furtherance of the fleecing of Nigerians, 'who are already overburdened and groaning under the weight of high costs, economic repression and heavy taxes.'
The party said further that, "It is lamentable that Nigerians, who are already suffering the devastating negative impact of the recent increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 5 percent to 7.5 by the APC administration, are now being further suppressed with increased electricity tariff.
"Our party holds that the increase in electricity tariff, under the prevailing harsh economic conditions, is injurious to the wellbeing of Nigerians as it will further stress the productive sector and lead to an upsurge in the cost of regular and essential goods and… services, including food, medicine, housing, education, and other critical needs."
The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Saturday, approved the immediate review of electricity tariffs across the country.
NERC announced this in a series of documents obtained by Channels Television.
Posted on January 5, 2020 Author Ronke IdowuCategories PoliticsTags Electricity tariff, FG, PDPLeave a comment on PDP Rejects Hike In Electricity Tariffs, Asks FG To Rescind 'Obnoxious Policy'
DISCOs Call On FG To Avert Electricity Tariff Increase
Electricity distribution companies in Nigeria have called on the federal government to intervene in the power sector in order to avert an increase of over 200% in electricity tariff.
According to the operators, the intervention which is needed to address over 800 billion Naira revenue shortfall can come like subsidies to consumers or provision of special access to foreign exchange for the operating companies.
The average energy rate across the country is 22 Naira 8 kobo per kilowatt, but distributors say this may increase to between 70 Naira and 105 Naira per kilowatt if the revenue shortfall persists.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, Azu Obiaya, reportedly said the debts owed to power distribution companies by private electricity consumers, businesses and government authorities have climbed to about N568 billion.
He added that those debts are affecting the operations of the distribution companies and many are no longer able meet targets and service consumers.
Reports say a proposal for the increment of electricity tariff has been sent to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
An electricity tariff approved by the NERC took effect in February, 2016.
The commission also removed fixed electricity charges ordering that Discos should only bill consumers for what they consume.
NERC said "although, the new tariff regimes comes with an increase in energy charges, all electricity consumers (residential as well as commercial) will no longer pay fixed charges, so their total bills will depend on the electricity they actually consume and may be reduced when they conserve electricity."
Posted on October 24, 2016 October 24, 2016 Author David AjikobiCategories LocalTags Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, Bad debt, distribution companies, electricity consumers, electricity distribution, Electricity tariff, fixed charges, foreign exchange, Nigeria, Nigeria electricity, Nigeria power, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, revenue shortfallLeave a comment on DISCOs Call On FG To Avert Electricity Tariff Increase
Electricity: Residents Accuse BEDC Of Illegal Activities
Some residents of Edo State have protested the alleged illegal activities by the management of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC).
The youths under the aegis of Network of Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria, commenced a three-day peaceful protest in Benin City, the Edo State's capital in south-south Nigeria.
In his address at the Edo State House of Assembly complex on Wednesday, the representative of the group, Abraham Oviawe, listed some of their grievances.
Their complaints, according to Oviawe include unlawful electricity tariff, outrageous estimated billing, and irregular power supply.
Reacting to the demonstration, the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Honourable Elizabeth Ativie, summoned the management of the BEDC to appear be the House.
Posted on May 11, 2016 Author Akinola AjibolaCategories LocalTags Abraham Oviawe, BEDC, Benin City, Benin electricity distribution company, Edo State, Edo State House of Assembly, Edo State House of Assembly complex, Edo State's capital, Electricity, Electricity tariff, Honourable Elizabeth Ativie, irregular power supply, Network of Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria, Nigeria, outrageous estimated billing, South-South nigeria, Speaker of the Edo State House of AssemblyLeave a comment on Electricity: Residents Accuse BEDC Of Illegal Activities
Electricity Tariff Suit: Court To Rule May 31
The Federal High Court Sitting in Lagos has fixed May 31 to rule on the preliminary objections filed by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Attorney General of the Federation.
They are all listed as defendants in a suit filed by some aggrieved residents of Itire, Ijesa and Ikate communities in Surulere area of Lagos State.
The resident staged a peaceful protest in court on Monday to condemn the high electricity tariffs which they say does not match supply.
Justice Saliu Saidu has listened to the objections of the defendants who have challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit.
Counsel to the plaintiffs, however, said that the Federal Government needs to review the privatization process.
Posted on March 14, 2016 Author K AkintoyeCategories LocalTags 9ja News, Breaking news, channels television, channels tv news, channelstv, channelstv.com, Discos, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Electricity tariff, Electricity Tariff suit, Ijesa, Ikate, Itire, Justice Saliu Saidu, Naija gist, NERC, Nigeria, Nigerian News, Peaceful protest, PM News, premiumtimesng.com, punchng.com, saharareporters.com, Surulere, The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, top stories, Vanguard newspaperLeave a comment on Electricity Tariff Suit: Court To Rule May 31
Court Re-affirms Existing Order Against Electricity Tariff Increase
A Federal High Court in Lagos has re-affirmed the existing order restraining the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) from implementing any upward review of electricity tariff.
While delivering a ruling on Monday on the objections of the NERC to a contempt charge against them, Justice Mohammed Idris asked the NERC to abide by the court order pending the hearing and final determination of a suit filed by a lawyer and rights activist, Toluwani Adebiyi, over the issue.
The plaintiff, Mr Adebiyi had sought to commit the NERC Chairman and the CEOs of the Distribution Companies (Discos) to prison for announcing the implementation of the new electricity tariff despite a subsisting court order barring same.
In his ruling, Justice Idris said: "Let me warn that when the disciplinary jurisdiction of this court is properly invoked, anyone who is found to have ignored the order of the court will be dealt with severely. The order of this court that parties in this suit should maintain the status quo remains valid and binding until it is set aside by a court of competent jurisdiction".
"The issue of disobedience to court's order is one that affects the integrity of the court. There is a need for the court to assert its authority and deal with any issue that is capable of bringing it to disrepute. Those who intend to take the judicial system for a ride should think twice and those who have done so should retrace their steps, the long arm of the law will catch up with them no matter how long it takes," he further stressed.
Justice Idris had earlier in his ruling set aside the Form 49 and the motion for committal to prison filed against the defendants by the plaintiff.
The judge held that the issuance of form 49 on the defendants by the plaintiff without prior and proper service of form 48 was premature.
"In the circumstance, I hold that the defendant's objection has merit. The court has set aside the contempt application due to fundamental and procedural irregularities," the judge said.
The court has since adjourned till March 15 for hearing of all pending applications.
Adebiyi's Substantive Suit
Mr Adebiyi, in the substantive suit, is seeking an order restraining NERC from implementing any upward review of electricity tariff without a meaningful and significant improvement in power supply at least for 18 hours in a day in most communities in Nigeria.
He also wants an order restraining NERC from foisting compulsory service charge on pre-paid meters not until "the meters are designed to read charges per second of consumption and not a flat rate of service not rendered or power not used".
He also wants the service charge on pre-paid meters not to be enforced until there is visible efficient and reliable power supply like those of foreign countries where the idea of service charge was borrowed.
Adebiyi is further asking for an order of court mandating the NERC to do the needful and generate more power to meet the electricity use of Nigerians, adding that the needful should include and not limited to a multiple long-term financing approach, sourced from the banks, capital market, insurance and other sectors of finance to power the sector.
Finally, the lawyer is asking the court to mandate the NERC to make available to all Nigerians within a reasonable time of maximum of two years, prepaid meters as a way to stop the throat-cutting indiscriminate estimated bill and which must be devoid of the arbitrary service charge, but only chargeable on power consumed.
In an affidavit in support of the suit personally deposed to by the applicant, the lawyer lamented that despite the motto and mission of NERC which were expressly stated as "keeping the light on and to meet the needs of Nigeria for safe, adequate, reliable and affordable electricity," most communities in Nigeria do not get more than 30 minutes if electricity supply, while the remaining 23 hours and 30 minutes were always without light and in total darkness.
"Nigeria poor masses are paying an estimated and indiscriminate residential bills ranging from 5, 000 Naira to 18, 000 Naira, spending an average of 15, 000 Naira to 20, 000 Naira for fuel to maintain generating set.
"Businesses have collapsed, industries have closed down, and residents cannot sleep comfortably at night due to inefficiency of our power industry".
"Companies and commercial Houses are groaning under throat-cutting power bill which they are paying for, yet not getting the benefit for such payment," Adebiyi stated.
He stressed that the proposed increase in electricity tariff was coming amidst the tangled web of poor power supply with no reasonable proof of improvement.
"The situation is self-evident, it readily speaks for itself because everyone is suffering from poor power outrage.
"Bringing further increase amidst this tangled web of hardship and without any improvement in power supply, will be highly unjustifiable and will be an economic burden on Nigeria populace. It is totally absurd and not for the good of the people, and therefore must be stopped," Adebiyi submitted.
Posted on February 29, 2016 February 29, 2016 Author Williams OsewezinaCategories LocalTags Electricity tariff, Justice Mohammed Idris, NERC, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Toluwani AdebiyiLeave a comment on Court Re-affirms Existing Order Against Electricity Tariff Increase
Electricity Tariff: Court Warns FG, DISCOs Not To Disobey Subsisting Orders
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has warned the Federal Government and the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) not to disobey subsisting court orders on electricity tariff.
The court also warned the government not to act in a way that showed disdain for the court in a constitutional democracy.
Presiding Justice, Mohammed Idris, gave the warning while ruling in a suit filed by a lawyer and rights activist, Toluwani Adebiyi, over the recent hike in electricity tariff on Monday.
Justice Idris fixed Friday, February 19 to hear an application by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) seeking a stay of proceedings in the suit.
The judge fixed the date after listening to the arguments of lawyers representing parties in the matter over the order in which pending applications should be taken by the court.
Mr Adebiyi filed a suit seeking a perpetual injunction restraining NERC from implementing any upward review of electricity tariff without significant improvement in power supply for at least 18 hours a day in May 2015.
He also wants an order restraining NERC from foisting compulsory service charges on pre-paid meters until "the meters were designed to read charges per second of consumption and not a flat rate of service not rendered or power not used."
Multiple Long-term Financing Approach
Mr Adebiyi wants the service charge on pre-paid meters not to be enforced until there is visible efficient and reliable power supply like those of foreign countries where the idea of service charge was borrowed.
He further asked for an order of court mandating the NERC to do the needful and generate more power to meet the electricity use of Nigerians, emphasising that the needful should include and not limited to a multiple long-term financing approach, sourced from the banks, capital market, insurance and other sectors of finance to power the sector.
Throat-cutting Bill
The lawyer also asked the court to mandate the NERC to make available to all Nigerians within a reasonable time of maximum of two years, prepaid meters as a way to stop the throat-cutting indiscriminate estimated bill which must be devoid of the arbitrary service charge, but only chargeable on power consumed.
In an affidavit in support of the suit personally deposed to by the applicant, the lawyer lamented that despite the motto and mission of NERC which were expressly stated as "keeping the lights on and to meet the needs of Nigeria for safe, adequate, reliable and affordable electricity," most communities in Nigeria do not get more than 30 minutes of electricity supply, while the remaining 23 hours and 30 minutes were always without light and in total darkness.
"Nigeria's poor masses are paying an estimated and indiscriminate residential bill ranging from 5, 000 Naira to 18, 000 Naira, spending an average of 15, 000 Naira to 20, 000 Naira for fuel to maintain generating set.
"Businesses had collapsed, industries had closed down, and residents cannot sleep comfortably at night due to inefficiency of our power industry.
Poor Power Supply
He stressed that the proposed increase in electricity tariff came amidst the tangled web of poor power supply with no reasonable proof of improvement.
"The situation is self evident, it readily speaks for itself because everyone is suffering from poor power outrage.
"Bringing further increase amidst this tangled web of hardship and without any improvement in power supply will be highly unjustifiable and will be an economic burden on Nigeria populace. It is totally absurd and not for the good of the people and therefore must be stopped," Adebiyi submitted.
Justice Idris had made an order directing parties to maintain status quo and for NERC to suspend all actions relating to any increment in electricity tariff pending the hearing and final determination of the suit.
But while the suit was pending, NERC in conjunction with the Electricity Distribution Companies commenced the implementation of the new electricity tariff on February 1.
Protests by labour unions had since trailed the new power tariff.
At the proceedings, the plaintiff drew the court's attention to an application seeking to commit the NERC's Chairman and the CEOs of the Distribution Companies (Discos) to prison for allegedly flouting the order.
But NERC's lawyer, Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN), said he had filed an appeal against the order by Justice Idris.
He also said he had a pending application for a stay of the proceedings pending the determination of the appeal.
Mr Idigbe mentioned that the plaintiff had not effected service of the contempt proceedings on the alleged contemnors.
The two lawyers were divided on which application should be heard first.
Mr Adebiyi said the contempt charge should be heard first since NERC had undermined the court's authority, but Mr Idigbe said the application for stay of proceedings should take precedence since an appeal had been lodged.
In a short ruling on the issue, Justice Idris, held that it was in the interest of justice to first hear the defendant's application for a stay of proceedings pending the determination of their appeal against the court's order.
The plaintiff then asked for a short adjournment to enable him file his response to the application.
Justice Idris subsequently adjourned till Friday for the hearing of the application for a stay of proceedings.
Posted on February 15, 2016 Author Adeyiga AbisoyeCategories LocalTags 9ja News, Africa News, Boko Haram, Breaking news, channels television, Channels TV, channels tv news, channelstv.com, Discos, distribution companies, Electricity tariff, Federal High Court, local news, Mohammed Idris, Naija gist, NERC, Nigerian News, Nollywood, online news, Online tv, PM News, premiumtimesng.com, punchng.com, saharareporters.com, Toluwani Adebiyi, top stories, Vanguard newspaperLeave a comment on Electricity Tariff: Court Warns FG, DISCOs Not To Disobey Subsisting Orders
45% Increase In Electricity Tariffs Will Violate UN Ruling – SERAP
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has advised the Minister of Power, Mr Babatunde Fashola, to "ensure that regulatory authorities are not allowed to get away with 45% increase in electricity tariffs by promoting compliance with the November 2013 ruling on the matter by two UN special rapporteurs".
This followed a nationwide protest on Monday by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress against the increase in electricity tariffs, demanding an immediate reversal of the hike.
In a statement on Tuesday, signed by SERAP Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organisation said, "Nigeria is an important member of the UN and have voluntarily accepted its charter and treaties. Therefore, any effort to increase electricity tarrifs should be guided by the recommendations by the UN and dialogue with organised labour and other stakeholders."
The organisation noted that "The United Nations published the Joint Letter of Concern sent to the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan in which they expressed concerns that "access to electricity (and regularity of supply) is a significant problem in Nigeria," and raised eight questions for the government to answer within 60 days."
The letter with reference No NGA 5/2013 and dated 26 November 2013, and signed by two special rapporteurs expressed concerns that "at the end of 2012, Nigeria with a population of about 160 million people only generated about 4,000 megawatts of electricity, which is ten times less than some other countries in the region with less population."
The UN special rapporteurs argued that "all beneficiaries of the right to adequate housing should have sustainable access to energy for cooking, heating and lighting. The failure of States to provide basic services such as electricity is a violation of the right to health."
The rapporteurs' Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Ms. Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona and Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Ms. Raquel Rolnik, sent the letter following a petition lodged in 2015 by a coalition of human rights activists, labour, journalists and lawyers led by SERAP. The petition alleged that increase in electricity tarrifs would "have detrimental impact on the human rights of those living in poverty in the country."
Consequently, the special rapporteurs wanted answers to the following questions:
1. Are the facts alleged by SERAP and others accurate?
2. What kind of impact assessments were conducted to gauge the potential impact of the electricity tariff increases on the human rights of people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria? If so, provide details
3. Did public consultations take place, including with potentially affected persons and especially people living in extreme poverty? If yes, please give details of the dates, participants and outcomes of the consultations.
4. Was accessible and culturally adequate information about the measure actively disseminated through all available channels prior to consultation?
5. What measures have been put in place to ensure that the human rights of people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria will not be undermined by the increase in electricity tariffs? In particular, what measures are in place to ensure that they can enjoy their right to adequate housing, including sustainable access to energy for cooking, heating and lighting, which is a component of this right?
6. Are there any accessible independent review or complaint mechanisms in place, such as administrative mechanisms through the NERC Power Consumer Assemblies (PCA), available for individuals to challenge the classification of customers and/or the corresponding tariffs? If such mechanisms exist, please give details.
7. What mechanisms exist to ensure transparency, accountability and regular monitoring over the use of tariff revenue within the government? What mechanisms are available to address allegations of corruption, or other complaints? What mechanisms are in place to monitor and regulate service provision by private actors, as required under the State's duty to protect?
8. Please describe any existing policies or measures aimed to promote affordability of electricity provision for people living in extreme poverty. Are any subsidies already available and implemented? What is being done to mitigate the hardship imposed by increased tariffs, especially for persons living in poverty?
The special rapporteurs also wanted answers to the alleged "mismanagement throughout the privatization process, and around 3.5 billion USD that has been mismanaged annually over the last ten years, and a total of 16 billion USD released to improve electricity supply in the country that has not been properly accounted for. The Business Units which have taken over from the PHCN participate in large-scale corruption such as graft from exorbitant consumer bills, rejection of payment to independent third parties such as banks to keep management of funds secret, unprecedented disconnection of consumers' power lines, general bribery and fraud amongst staff, adding up to over NGN 1 billion extra charged to consumers annually."
According to them, "The increases in electricity tariffs, problems with measuring electricity usage, lack of improvement in the quality of the service and lack of transparency in the use of funds, reportedly disproportionately impact on those with little disposable income, as well as exacerbate the scarcity of energy supply for those who already cannot afford electricity even if connected to the grid."
They pointed to Nigeria's international obligations "under various international human rights instruments and in particular: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR, acceded to by Nigeria in 1993), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, ratified by Nigeria in 1993), the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW, ratified by Nigeria in 1985) and the African (Banjul) Charter on Human Rights and People's rights (ratified by Nigeria in 1983)."
"The human rights framework does not dictate a particular form of service delivery and leaves it to States to determine the best ways to implement their human rights obligations. However, the State cannot exempt itself from its human rights obligations when involving non-State actors in service provision. On the contrary, when non-State actors are involved in service provision, there is a shift to an even stronger focus on the obligation of the State to protect," the special rapporteurs added.
They further argued that, "As part of its obligation to protect, the State must safeguard all persons within their jurisdiction from infringements of their rights by third parties. Involving non-State actors in service provision requires, inter alia, clearly defining the scope of functions delegated to them, overseeing their activities through setting regulatory standards, and monitoring compliance."
"Given the fact that in Nigeria, electricity provision has been outsourced to the private sector, the obligation remains for the Nigerian government to ensure that private sector actions do not result in violations of the right to an adequate standard of living," the special rapporteurs argued.
Other signatories to the petition sent to the special rapporteurs in September 2013 are: the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE); Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ); Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC); Women Empowerment and Legal Aid Initiative (WELA); Partnership for Justice (PJ); Education Rights Campaign (ERC); Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos State Council; Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos; Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja branch; National Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), and Joint Action Front (JAF).
Posted on February 9, 2016 February 9, 2016 Author K AkintoyeCategories LocalTags Adetokunbo Mumuni, Electricity tariff, labour unions in Nigeria, NERC, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Nigeria electricity supply, Nigeria Labour Congress, SERAP, Trade Union Congress, UN Special RapporteursLeave a comment on 45% Increase In Electricity Tariffs Will Violate UN Ruling – SERAP
PICTURES: Wave Of Protest Across Nigeria Against Electricity Tariff Hike
There was a wave of protest across Nigeria on Monday, as the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), civil society allies and electricity consumers demonstrated against the 45% increase in electricity tariff.
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria kicked against what they call unwarranted hike in electricity tariff.
This is what the protest looked like in Abuja the Federal Capital Territory
In Borno State, Labour Unions ejected workers from their offices
In Kaduna, Union members blocked the main gate leading to the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company
Unions were out as early as 6AM in Kwara State. They met at the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company in Ilorin
Similar scenes were replicated in the Southeast region of the country
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria kick against what they call unwarranted hike in electricity tariff.
The labour unions say they will continue to protest until power supply is adequate enough to justify the increased tariff
They say the protests will continue until the Nigerian Government rescinds its decision
"From 14 Naira per unit to 28 or 26 Naira. This increase is outrageous," The leader of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Aliyu Wabba, said.
Posted on February 8, 2016 February 8, 2016 Author K AkintoyeCategories LocalTags Electricity tariff, labour unions in Nigeria, NERC, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Nigeria electricity supply, Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union CongressLeave a comment on PICTURES: Wave Of Protest Across Nigeria Against Electricity Tariff Hike
Labour Unions In Nationwide Protest Over Electricity Tariff Hikes
A wave of protest is underway across Nigeria, as the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), civil society allies and electricity consumers demonstrate against the 45 per cent increase in electricity tariff.
Addressing the unions and allies before the match began, the leader of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Aliyu Wabba, said the increase was outrageous and should not stand.
"From 14 Naira per unit to 28 or 26 Naira. This increase is outrageous. When it subsists this time around, be sure that it will continue and the exploiters will continue to exploit us.
"This is the message that we are taking to all these agencies.
"We are also going to the National Assembly because they are the true representatives of the people. They feel our pulse and they represent our various constituencies and therefore they must stop all these by making laws that will actually protect the people.
"Law should be made to protect the people and not encourage exploitation," he told the gathering.
Multiplier Wffect
The NLC leader also pointed out that the increase was the fifth in a roll since 2012.
The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Aliyu Wabba, requests that Nigerians should get pre-paid meter free of charge
Mr Wabba believes the increase will have a multiplier effect on the Nigerian economy, with manufacturing companies having to pay more for power.
"The increase is going to affect manufacturers, Medium and Small Scale Enterprises and even consumers. Every consumer must be provided with meter because people should be able to pay for what they consume and not to pay for darkness," he stressed.
The labour leader also accused electricity companies of deliberately refusing to provide meters for consumers and using estimated billing system to exploit Nigerians.
"This should stop," he insisted.
The increase in electricity tariff was announced by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and it kicked off on February 1.
Organised labour said that the protest had become necessary after all efforts to make NERC shelve the idea of electricity tariff increase failed.
According to labour, the due process in the extant laws for such increment was not followed in consonance with section 76 of the Power Sector Reform Act, 2005.
Organised labour also believes that there has been no significant improvement in service delivery.
"The fact is that most consumers are not metered in accordance with the signed privatisation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of November 1, 2013, which stipulates that within 18 months gestation period, all consumers must be metered," the organised labour said.
A statement by the labour unions said that the Abuja rally would start at Labour House, Central Business District at 8:00a.m local time, before moving to the NERC head office at Adamawa Plaza, Plot 1099, First Avenue, Off Shehu Shagari Way, Central Business District.
Members of organised labour in most states in Nigeria have also joined the protest, insisting that an earlier agreement should be upheld.
As early as 8:00:am, members of the NLC and the TUC in the state gathered at the office of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) along Royce Rad in Owerri, the capital of Imo state, to protest the electricity tariff hike.
While barricading the main entrance to the EEDC office, the State Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpu, said that less than 20 per cent of families in the state had pre-paid meter.
In Osun State, although the turnout was not so impressive, the labour unions, joined by students union in the state at about 10:00am besieged the business hub of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company in Osogbo, the state's capital.
The State Chairmen of NLC and TUC Comrade Jacob Adekomi and Akinyemi Olatunji, while addressing the protesters warned that, failure to see reasons with the Nigerian masses, would result in continuous picketing.
They also advised the distribution company to honour the agreement of providing metres to every Nigerian, in order for them to pay for what they use.
In Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, the NLC locked out workers of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company in line with the directive of the national body.
The State Chairman of the NLC Comrade John Ushie, said despite the epileptic power supply in the state and country, the DISCOs had continued to bill the consumers on estimation, forcing them to pay for what they could not account for.
In Kogi State the NLC and the TUC were at the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company in Lokoja to protest against the high electricity tariff.
They held placards with different inscriptions and chanted their solidarity song.
At the head office of the DISCO in Lokoja, the Chairman of the NLC in Kogi State, Comrade Onuh Edoka, urged the Federal Government to go by the previous agreement of metering all houses before increment.
Posted on February 8, 2016 February 8, 2016 Author Williams OsewezinaCategories HeadlinesTags Electricity tariff, labour unions in Nigeria, NERC, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Nigeria electricity supply, Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union CongressLeave a comment on Labour Unions In Nationwide Protest Over Electricity Tariff Hikes
Payment Of Electricity Bills Will Sustain Supply – DISCO
An Electricity Distribution Company (DISCO) in Lagos State has stressed that except consumers pay for energy they consume, it would be extremely difficult to sustain supply of electricity.
Addressing reporters on Monday, the Chief Executive of Egbin Power Plant, Kolawole Adeshina, said it would be difficult for distribution companies to survive if consumers without prepaid meter were asked not to pay their bills.
Checkmate Energy Theft
Mr Adeshina assured consumers of a massive roll out of repaid meter numbering over 300,000, which he said would help the distribution companies (DISCO) checkmate energy theft.
"We have signed a metering contract of 106 million dollars. For a company that has not been paid and you are signing a metering contract, invariably, you expect to be paid.
"You are now saying that if those metres are not in place, which can't be in place in one day, that payments will not be made. It cannot work and our system will fail," the Egbin Power Plant Chief Executive stated.
He, however, told reporters that he was against inefficient and estimated billing of electricity consumers, a development that had led to some consumer's refusal to pay their bills.
"I do not want and I don't subscribe to people inefficiently being billed.
"No! You should not be billed beyond the power you have consumed because it is equally not right," he stressed.
Posted on November 2, 2015 November 2, 2015 Author Williams OsewezinaCategories LocalTags Chief Executive of Egbin Power Plant, electricity supply in Nigeria, Electricity tariff, Kolawole Adeshina, power challenges, power plants in Nigeria, Power supply, pre-paid meter distribution, prepaid meterLeave a comment on Payment Of Electricity Bills Will Sustain Supply – DISCO


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What Harmed U.S. Diplomats In Cuba? The Mystery Continues
Colorado Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, left, and Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake confer as the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere examines attacks on American diplomats in Havana, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday.
The great mystery behind what hurt two dozen U.S. diplomatic personnel in Cuba remains unsolved, according to a Senate hearing on Tuesday. But an FBI investigation is casting doubt on a once-popular theory: that embassy staff were the victims of "sonic attacks."
According to a report seen by the Associated Press, an FBI investigation has turned up no evidence that sound waves harmed American diplomats in Havana.
The report has not been released publicly. On Saturday, Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake confirmed to AP that the FBI had told him about the lack of evidence supporting a sonic attack theory.
Many questions surrounding the incidents remain unanswered, more than two years since symptoms were first spotted.
From December 2016 to January 2017, U.S. personnel in Cuba sought medical treatment for various symptoms, including headaches, ear pain, dizziness and hearing problems, according to Dr. Charles Rosenfarb, the State Department's medical director.
"They associated the onset of these symptoms to their exposures with unusual sounds or auditory sensations. Various descriptions were given: 'a high-pitched beam of sound'; an 'incapacitating sound'; a 'baffling sensation' akin to driving with the windows partially open in a car; or just an intense pressure in one ear," Rosenfarb told the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere on Tuesday.
As news of those symptoms emerged last year, hypotheses swirled. They ranged from the use of an electromagnetic weapon to a sonic device targeting personnel with sound waves that were either super-loud or inaudible.
The incident led to the sharpest rise in tensions between the U.S. and Cuba since President Obama restored diplomatic relations with the island in late 2014.
The Trump administration pulled staff from Havana, expelled Cuban diplomats and issued a Cuba travel warning.
Cuban officials denied any involvement in harming U.S. personnel and have called the sonic attack allegations "science fiction." Canada is the only other country known to have complained that its diplomats were also affected.
Washington says Cuba should be doing more to protect diplomatic personnel.
"Cuba is a security state. The Cuban government in general has a very tight lid on everything and anything that happens in that country," acting Assistant Secretary of State Francisco Palmieri said at Tuesday's hearing.
A total of 24 Americans, including at least one relative of embassy personnel, reported the health problems. "Ten of the 24 patients have returned to either full- or part-time work, while others continue to receive treatment with an anticipation of return to duty," Rosenfarb said.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in an AP interview he will not return U.S. diplomats to Cuba for now, and he is not convinced the alleged attacks are over. The State Department didn't divulge diplomatic staff numbers, but in 2017, Tillerson reportedly ordered more than half its 50 U.S. staff to leave the Havana embassy.
In addition to ongoing federal investigations, Palmieri said the State Department will set up an Accountability Review Board, which, as The Hill explains, is a special panel convened when a diplomat sustains serious injury abroad.
Also testifying before the Senate subcommittee, the State Department's diplomatic security director Todd Brown said investigators are not ruling out various possibilities, including a "viral" attack.
"There's viral, there's ultrasound — there's a range of things that the technical experts are looking at as, could this be a possibility?" Brown said.
Tom Udall, a Democratic senator from New Mexico, pressed him further: "When you say viral, you are talking about someone intentionally implanting a virus?" he asked.
"That would not be ruled out," Brown said, "it could be a possibility."
One potential factor for the health problems the officials said they have ruled out? "Mass hysteria."
U.K. Embarks On A Ban Of Plastic Microbeads In Rinse-Off Products
British manufacturers can no longer make products that use the tiny bits of plastic known as microbeads.
imagehub88/Getty Images/iStockphoto
A ban on the manufacture of microbeads, those tiny bits of plastic used in some exfoliating cosmetic products, took effect Tuesday in the U.K. The move bars manufacturers from putting them in skin lotions, toothpastes or any other items intended to be rinsed off — and it presages a ban on the sale of such products that will take effect there in July.
Politicians and activists hailed the move, which follows a similar U.S. law signed in 2015, as a welcome step toward diminishing the amount of plastic washed into the ocean.
"The world's seas and oceans are some of our most valuable natural assets and I am determined we act now to tackle the plastic that devastates our precious marine life," British Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said in a statement Tuesday.
"Microbeads are entirely unnecessary when there are so many natural alternatives available, and I am delighted that from today cosmetics manufacturers will no longer be able to add this harmful plastic to their rinse-off products."
At the same time, some cautioned that the celebrations ought to be tempered.
"Unfortunately the ban does not cover a long list of products, such as sun-cream, lipstick and paints — and of course microbeads are only one part of the huge plastic pollution problem we currently face," Friends of the Earth's Julian Kirby said, according to the BBC.
"It's piecemeal," Kirby added. "These are welcome small steps, but there's a much bigger picture of plastic pollution from paints, from textiles, to say nothing of bottles and packaging. To tackle it properly, you need a wholesale look at waste provision policy."
Indeed, the United Nations Environmental Programme laid bare the scale of plastic pollution in the ocean last year:
"Each year, more than 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the oceans, wreaking havoc on marine wildlife, fisheries and tourism, and costing at least $8 billion in damage to marine ecosystems. Up to 80 per cent of all litter in our oceans is made of plastic.
"According to some estimates, at the rate we are dumping items such as plastic bottles, bags and cups after a single use, by 2050 oceans will carry more plastic than fish and an estimated 99 per cent of seabirds will have ingested plastic."
What's more, the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association said last month that much of what's intended by the ban has already been achieved by a voluntary plan undertaken by the industry.
Because of that plan, which the group says it has pursued since 2015, "the vast majority of plastic microbeads have been removed from products and UK cosmetic manufacturers are already prepared for the ban."
Still, both politicians and activists embraced the ban — and cast it as prelude to still more measures to combat plastic pollution.
"Microbeads in cosmetics are an avoidable part of the problem, which is why we called for a ban," Mary Creagh, chairwoman of Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee, said in a statement. "This is a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done."
Former White House Social Secretaries On The Value Of 'Treating People Well'
Lea Berman, White House social secretary for President George W. Bush, looks over flower arrangements in the State Dining Room before a state dinner for U.S. governors.
Rich Lipski/Washington Post/Getty Images
Lea Berman and Jeremy Bernard have organized state dinners and congressional picnics, each serving as White House social secretary for different administrations. Bernard worked for President Obama; Berman for President George W. Bush. And they've collaborated on a new book that uses their White House experiences to draw out lessons in how to handle crises, defuse awkward moments and manage expectations. It's called Treating People Well: The Extraordinary Power Of Civility At Work And In Life.
The book is about "the everyday situations we find ourselves in," Berman says. "Sometimes it's an awkward relationship with a co-worker. Sometimes it's just a difficult situation at home. And what we're really saying is by treating people well in a very self-interested way, you will cause them to treat you well in return."
On what a social secretary does
Lea Berman: The White House social secretary is responsible for every event that takes place within the grounds of the White House, with the exception of the Oval Office and the press room. So it's hundreds of events each year, and it's everything from a two-person lunch in the family residence to a state arrival ceremony, which can be [7,000] or 8,000 people.
On feeling impostor syndrome on the job
Jeremy Bernard: That was difficult in the sense that there was that insecurity, but the excitement of being there overran the fear, for lack of a better word. So I think that part of it was — you play the part.
Berman: What we learned very quickly being at the White House is that everyone coming there is intimidated, they're nervous, they're excited. But they also don't really know what to expect, and it became so much easier for our guests if we made the first move. And there were so many times when we would watch people arrive on the state floor, particularly if it was their first time to the White House, and they look around and they realize that they share this common heritage as Americans with all the people who've lived in that house, and it becomes very emotional for them and they get very happy. It's also a little volatile because people are exuberant, but the social secretaries are there to smooth and soothe.
On White House guests who overindulged
Berman: That was, unfortunately — I don't want to say common — but not terribly unusual at holiday parties. … [At the White House], there's one eggnog that is non-alcoholic and then there's the other eggnog that is strong as can be. And [President Obama] … when he made remarks, would say, "Be careful of the eggnog. It'll hit you hard later." And sure enough, there would be someone that it would hit them, and all of a sudden, they start to feel sick, and they don't want to get sick on someone, so the natural reaction was to aim for one of the Christmas trees. So we would talk about which trees were the most likely to get hit. And, you know, the only thing we could do is kind of play with it.
Jeremy Bernard speaks about the Japanese state dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House in 2015, on the eve of the dinner.
On Berman's first advice to Bernard
Berman: I told him not to do any outdoor events without a backup, and he ignored me. … He was lucky — it all worked out.
Bernard: That was the Germany state dinner, my first state dinner … a high stakes one. I was young and foolish. But I remember thinking, "If this goes wrong, I will be the shortest term social secretary ever." And I looked at the gate, and I thought, "That's the gate I'll go running out of." …
My main advice [to my successor] was to keep it low key. It's not about you, and you never want to do anything that will embarrass the president or first lady.
Fatma Tanis and Emily Kopp produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Sydnee Monday adapted it for the Web.
Practices Of Triple A Radio Stations Raise Questions
Created as alternatives to the hit-making monoliths of commercial radio, AAA stations have pushed artists like Lorde into the mainstream. Now, the stations are facing pressure to pick tomorrow's hits.
A commercial radio format that started in the 1990s can still help launch a mainstream success. That format is called AAA – shorthand for adult album alternative. It has helped launch the careers of artists including Norah Jones, Adele and Arcade Fire. We're going to hear now how the format's unique ability to break stars is raising questions about where music discovery ends and promotion begins. Allyson McCabe begins her report with M. Ward, an artist who has benefited from AAA.
ALLYSON MCCABE, BYLINE: M. Ward's music is a mix of several genres, including folk, country, blues and rock.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CHINESE TRANSLATION")
M WARD: (Singing) I sailed a wild, wild sea, climbed up the tall, tall mountain.
MCCABE: Ward says he discovered music through radio.
WARD: I grew up right outside of Los Angeles, and so we got every kind of station that you can imagine, all these different music genres.
MCCABE: Ward says he owes a lot of his success to AAA – a format that harkens back to the radio he grew up with. Trina Tombrink, who is now vice president of promotion and artist development at Sony's RED music division, describes the early days of AAA this way.
TRINA TOMBRINK: A word that comes to mind is crunchy. A lot of people used to say it's the Birkenstock format, the stoner format. It wasn't as hit-oriented back then. You could actually get a record played that wasn't necessarily your traditional radio hit.
MCCABE: Yet AAA helped break artists who went onto the mainstream, from Dave Matthews to The Black Keys to Lorde.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ROYALS")
LORDE: (Singing) And we'll never be royals, royals. It don't run in our blood.
MCCABE: "Royals" was already a hit in Lorde's native New Zealand, but Tombrink used AAA to test market the song in the U.S.
TOMBRINK: There was always the plan that we would cross it to pop. And we also knew that there were at least two other songs on the album that were even more pop friendly.
MCCABE: "Royals" debuted on Billboard's AAA chart within a week of its U.S. release. Less than a month later, the song crossed over to the Hot 100, eventually reaching number one. Radio consultant Paul Marszalek says this kind of leap can make a huge difference in an artist's career.
PAUL MARSZALEK: The entire universe of the AAA audience is in the low millions. You start going to the top 40, and you're now into tens of millions.
MCCABE: And yet because it's positioned as a tastemaker, AAA gets a lot of attention from record labels, says Sony's Tombrink.
TOMBRINK: There's probably more music serviced to AAA than I would think any other format.
MCCABE: There are now more than 100 AAA stations nationwide, evenly split between commercial and noncommercial. Kevin Rutherford, a chart manager at Billboard, keeps an eye on what they're playing and how often. He says he counts all plays equally, no matter the size of the market or the time of day.
KEVIN RUTHERFORD: So even if a song gets played once in Akron, gets played once in Los Angeles, it has the same weight – doesn't matter whether it's 3 a.m. or 3 p.m.
MARSZALEK: It can be a consensus by a lot of stations or it can be a couple of stations playing it really, really heavy. That's where you sort of open the door to potential shenanigans.
MCCABE: Consultant Paul Marszalek says playing a song in the middle of the night to rack up spins that will push it up the chart is rare. But anyone with access to the monitoring data he sees can tell when a song is getting a boost.
MARSZALEK: What you can immediately see here is several stations that are not playing it any time that the sun is up. There is no audience or very little audience, a lot of overnight spins, not a great reputation, and now I know that I've got a record here that's the equivalent of something that fell off the back of a truck.
MCCABE: Noncommercial stations are less likely to do that, says Jim McGuinn, program director at Minnesota Public Radio's KCMP The Current.
JIM MCGUINN: The noncommercial stations are much more freewheeling, much more willing to take chances and play a wider variety of sounds and styles and dig a little deeper into albums and artists.
MCCABE: But they can't afford to ignore the competition. NPR has just launched Slingshot, an effort among 18 noncommercial AAA stations to collectively raise the profile of artists they deem worthy of support. And everyone's looking over their shoulders at which musicians are trending online. Mat Bates, program director at San Francisco's commercial KFOG, says he has to pay attention to what's popular.
MAT BATES: We aim to mirror the interests of our audience rather than dictate to them what they should be interested in.
MCCABE: Radio has always tread the line between new music discovery and label-driven promotion. But there are those who still cling to the idea that AAA should be more than an alternative top 40, like musician M. Ward.
WARD: My vision of music is wrapped up in those memories of you switched the dial and it becomes something else entirely.
MCCABE: For NPR News, I'm Allyson McCabe.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RADIO CAMPAIGN")
WARD: (Singing) And now I'm calling out your name on this radio campaign…
For The Men #MeToo Has Toppled, Redemption Will Take More Than An Apology
Comedian Louis C.K. performs in New York on Nov. 5, 2014. C.K. has admitted to masturbating in front of women without their consent.
Monica Schipper/Getty Images for New York Comedy Festival
Dozens of powerful men, including two at NPR, have lost their jobs and reputations in the cultural reckoning that is the #MeToo movement. Clearly, there's tremendous momentum behind it, but where does it go from here? Do those men have a shot at redemption?
For those who can afford it, redemption can be a legal process. Los Angeles attorney Andrew Brettler represents several men accused of sexual misconduct. He says, these days, such allegations are "just as bad and damaging as a conviction."
Brettler says, in some cases, the best response may be to lay low. "Sometimes the best defense is to not do anything, is to accept the punishment or whatever decision it is that the company made and stay quiet and better yourself as a person. Make whatever apologies need to be made, privately."
Like Brettler, Hanna Stotland spends a lot of time helping people accused of sexual misconduct. She's a college admissions counselor, and many of her clients are men who've either been expelled from or left universities because of sexual misconduct allegations. "A big part of what I do is help them decide what's the right framework for them to talk about it," Stotland says. "This is a narrative of their crisis and recovery."
She explains some of the reasons sexual misconduct allegations can affect a college application: "The first is that they're scary; nobody wants to bring a predator into their community. A second reason is that there's a perception … that this sort of misconduct as compared to any other kind of misconduct … has to do with something fundamentally, unchangeably wrong with you. And whether that's true or not, it's something that everybody who's accused of this particular set of misbehavior has to cope with."
For Stotland's students, it's about finding a university with "sympathetic ears." Sometimes, that takes years, but so far all the students Stotland has worked with have been able to graduate. "It's quite an odyssey," she says, "but if you get everything else right, you can come back from this."
Stotland sees a lot of parallels between her job and what's happening in the public sphere. She believes there are lessons for her students in all the high-profile cases playing out in the media. Take comedian Louis C.K., who admitted to masturbating in front of women without their consent. Stotland says, "The most important, right thing he said was the allegations are true. That is the single most important thing that you can say. If they're true, you need to say that they're true."
But she acknowledges an apology is only the beginning. After all, it was after C.K. confessed that companies severed ties with him.
Toronto-based filmmaker Attiya Khan has spent years helping victims of domestic abuse. She's concerned that when a person is fired for sexual misconduct, they become someone else's problem, rather than being part of a solution. "We're getting rid of somebody, but then where do they go?" she asks.
Khan herself is a survivor of domestic violence. When she was a teenager, she had a physically abusive boyfriend. She says, "I had been coping with the trauma from his abuse for over 20 years, and so I thought that maybe it was possible that he still carried, you know, some of the weight of what he did to me. And I really wanted to hear about that. But I also, more importantly, I really wanted the opportunity to tell him exactly what he did to me in detail."
Khan asked her ex-boyfriend if he'd be willing to sit down with her and a therapist and let her film their conversations. He agreed, and she included those videos in her 2017 film, A Better Man. The film shows Khan sitting next to her abuser, who she refers to only as Steve, and telling her story to a therapist in excruciating detail.
"I remember being dragged to the bed and, you know, hit more," she says in the film.
"How do you mean 'hit'?" the therapist asks.
"Punched … in the face."
To have him listen to me was almost the most important thing for me. And it was part of him being accountable and taking responsibility. It was so satisfying … to have the person who hurt you sit there and listen to you and not blame you for it and admit to what they did …
Attiya Khan
Khan says those conversations were a critical part of her healing process. "To have him listen to me was almost the most important thing for me. And it was part of him being accountable and taking responsibility. It was so satisfying … to have the person who hurt you sit there and listen to you and not blame you for it and admit to what they did, and to remember some of the abuse. Even though Steve didn't remember a lot of it in our first conversations, he started to remember."
It's a process known as restorative justice, when victims and offenders come together, with mediation, to repair the harm that's been done. And writer Stephanie Cassatly thinks about it a lot. In 1980, Cassatly's mother was murdered while she was working as a cashier at a convenience store in New Orleans. Her mother's killer spent the rest of his life at Louisiana's Angola prison. But to Cassatly, sometimes it felt like she was also in prison.
"It was 20 years of me carrying around, you know, just this weight of revenge and accusations," she says. "And, you know, the crime had happened but it was like it kept happening to me over and over and over again. Until I took a much deeper look at what was going on in my life and what I could do to regain power."
Cassatly began to explore the possibility of forgiving her mother's killer. She says, "The thought of forgiveness to me felt like I was sort of giving up a limb, and then maybe I might regret it later, or that I was letting him off the hook."
… you need to make sure that the people who have been harmed want your apology. And you need to ask them, like, 'What else is it that you need from me? How can I help you heal after I've wronged you?' That's the part that's missing.
But as she learned more about restorative justice, her definition of forgiveness changed. She says, "My working definition, basically, for forgiveness is that it no longer wishes ill or seeks revenges on the person who hurt us, and that it basically untethers us from them and enables us to have a different future from the past." (Cassatly wrote a book about her experience called Notice of Release: A Daughter's Journey to Forgive Her Mother's Killer.)
When it comes to the #MeToo movement, Cassatly sees restorative justice as a possible way forward. "I think we're in the bomb-throwing stage of it still," she says. "We're not even sure where this is going, and I think it's going to take some time for us to get any resolution. And so what I'm realizing about a lot of these women is that they have to get their power back."
She and Attiya Khan agree that's going to take a very long time. Khan says, "A lot of men who have harmed women are coming forward very quickly after its becoming public that they've hurt someone, and they're saying sorry. It needs to be more than that, and you need to make sure that the people who have been harmed want your apology. And you need to ask them, like, 'What else is it that you need from me? How can I help you heal after I've wronged you?' That's the part that's missing."
The men called out by the #MeToo movement might not be there yet. After all, it takes courage to be held accountable.
Rose Friedman and Andrew Limbong edited and produced this story for broadcast. Nicole Cohen adapted it for the Web.
Advocates Fear Tax Bill Will Worsen U.S. Affordable Housing Shortage
The U,S, faces a severe shortage of affordable housing, and housing advocates fear the recent tax bill and potential budget cuts will make matters worse.
Shelters Reach Capacity In Cold Weather As Homeless Population Rises
A man rests on top of a subway vent grate as a tourist walks past in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds /AFP/Getty Images
Homeless shelters across the country are being strained by frigid weather and a population of people who are homeless that is up for the first time since 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Despite "code blue" policies that are designed to bring more homeless people inside during freezing temperatures, shelters are reaching capacity and being forced to turn people away, says Nan Roman, president and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
"Thirty-five percent of people who are homeless are not sheltered," she tells Here & Now's Robin Young. "We have about 550,000 homeless people but only about 275,000 emergency beds. So this is something that causes issues when we have these kind of serious cold snaps."
Even if there is an available bed, sometimes people face barriers to entry such as ID-requirements, health issues or if they're under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Roman says.
Others would rather stay on the streets than go to a shelter because they can be dangerous places riddled with drugs, theft and bedbugs. As a result, the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates nearly 700 people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness die from hypothermia each year.
"Shelters really do need to lower their barriers, and we need to support them to do that so that there is a bed that's appropriate for every person," Roman says. "We just cannot be leaving people on the streets when it's cold or when it's not cold."
But that's exactly what happens across the country, and when ordinary citizens or activists try to help by opening their own homes to people who are homeless, like Greg Schiller of Elgin, Ill., they are told by city officials to shut down.
Schiller, who has worked with the suburban Chicago-area homeless community for years, says he started hosting about 10 to 15 people in his basement — setting up cots, sleeping bags and a portable toilet outside — because the main homeless shelter isn't always open.
"We have two main homeless shelters, and then we have a crisis center that's for typically for women and children," he tells Young. "The main shelter — and I believe it's because of their funding and their insurance — they've got some restrictions that will prohibit people from entering," such as residency requirements, intoxication and mental illness.
City officials told Schiller it was unlawful to create a makeshift homeless shelter inside his home, claiming it was a zoning and public safety issue, Schiller says. The two sides are now working together to combat the issue.
"They do realize that there is a gap, and subsequently because of this gap people are being left out on the street, and they want me to work with them for that change," he says.
Despite the current strength of the U.S. economy, homelessness is rising in places with inflated housing prices, especially in big cities on the West Coast, Roman says.
"Homelessness is really driven by the cost of affordable housing primarily, and housing costs are way up relative to incomes for poor people," she says.
Schiller says he will continue working with city officials to help ensure people aren't left out in the cold. He says it's important to be patient with people who are homeless in order to help them recover.
"Meet them where they're at and stay with them," he says. "Develop a relationship with them — a real relationship. Take a vested interest in that individual and walk them, however slowly they need to go, toward recovery."
Steve Bannon Out At Breitbart News
Former White House political strategist Steve K. Bannon has stepped down from Breitbart News Network, where he served as Executive Chairman since 2012.
Making the announcement that had been widely rumored and anticipated since Trump was quoted in a book critical of President Trump, Breitbart CEO Larry Solov said, "Steve is a valued part of our legacy, and we will always be grateful for his contributions, and what he has helped us to accomplish."
"I'm proud of what the Breitbart team has accomplished in so short a period of time in building out a world-class news platform," said Bannon.
This story will be updated.
Legendary Voice Actor Alan Bleviss Dies At 76
Voice artist Alan Bleviss read movie trailers, political ads and product commercials. He was one of the top-notch performers in his field. Bleviss died on Dec. 30, 2017 at age 76.
Trump Calls For 'Bill Of Love' Allowing DACA Recipients To Remain
President Trump says he is prepared to "take the heat" for a compromise immigration deal.
Evan Vucci/AP
President Trump told a bipartisan group of lawmakers that he wants a bill to allow young immigrants who were brought to the country illegally to remain, saying such a measure should be "a bipartisan bill of love," and that "we can do it."
Trump also said he was open to a larger measure overhauling immigration laws, but that it made most sense to first settle the Obama-era Deferred Action On Childhood Arrivals issue, also known as DACA. Authority allowing for the so-called DREAMers covered by the measure to remain in the country expires March 5.
The president met with lawmakers for nearly an hour, and the session was unusual in that a small pool of reporters was allowed to remain for the duration, an apparent effort to rebut one of the premises of the best-selling book Fire and Fury: Inside The Trump White House, which portrays the president as in over his head and possibly mentally unfit for office.
Trump talked about how the current system in Congress doesn't lend itself to getting anything done. The president said there was so much anger and hostility in Congress that lawmakers should consider bringing back earmarks, the pork-barrel spending that GOP leaders outlawed, seen by many as one of the prime components of the "swamp" Trump campaigned against.
As to what sort of immigration legislation he would approve, Trump said he was reliant on lawmakers, and that even if they produced legislation he wasn't "in love with," he'd still support it. He also said he would take the heat for both Republicans and Democrats if they get criticism over a compromise immigration measure, adding that his "whole life has been heat," and that to a certain extent he prefers it that way.
In remarks afterward, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, threw cold water on the idea of a standalone DACA bill, saying Democrats have "little faith" that the measure will win approval unless it is attached to a must-pass bill. Schumer wants DACA legislation attached to a spending bill needed to keep the government open.
The conservative Club for Growth immediately criticized the possibility of again allowing special-interest earmarks.
"If Republicans bring back earmarks, then it virtually guarantees that they will lose the House," said the the group's president, David McIntosh. Earmarks are an issue John McCain campaigned on and against as the Republican nominee in the 2008 presidential election. He largely won the argument in Washington, leading to the practice's retirement.
The president also addressed the issue of a border wall with Mexico, saying the U.S. needs one "in certain areas obviously that aren't protected by nature" and where existing fences are in bad shape and need to be fixed or rebuilt.
But Trump also said, "There are large areas where you don't need a wall."
And on the potential presidential candidacy of Oprah Winfrey, Trump said, "Yeah, I'll beat Oprah. Oprah would be a lot of fun. I know her very well. You know I did one of her last shows."
He added, "I like Oprah; I don't think she's gonna run."
Speaking of one of her last shows, this was Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. on Winfrey's show in 2009:


Open to the public for the first time in a decade, the Murfreesboro Fire Fighters Association plans to hold forum for all city council candidates.
There's a long tradition of firefighter involvement in the political process, Zach Fleenor said.
Fleenor, treasurer of the Murfreesboro Firefighters Association, has been planning a public forum for City Council candidates in the next election.
"We want to foster goodwill, and have intelligent, rational discussion, civil discussion," Fleenor said. "We're of the people, we want to see a higher voter turnout."
The forum is scheduled for June 12 at The Grove in Murfreesboro at 6 p.m. The event is being held in conjunction with Food Truck Tuesday and is open to the public.
Three of the council's six seats are up for grabs in the Aug. 2 election. Candidates are Byron Glenn, Vice Mayor Madelyn Scales Harris, Councilman Rick LaLance, Ronnie Martin, Nancy Rainier, Terry Schneider and Shawn Wright. Mayor Shane McFarland is running unopposed for a second four-year term.
Those elected will serve a four-year term. The Murfreesboro City Council is elected at-large by voters. July 3 is the last day to register to vote.
The MFA has traditionally held similar forums during most election cycles, but this is the first time in the past decade that it will be open to the public.
"We've classically done this at the union offices, for union members," Fleenor said. "This is just an expansion of that."
The MFA works with a PAC to endorse candidates in most elections, typically only after a meeting like the upcoming forum. The group has not made any endorsements in the current election cycle.
"This was suggested by some of our older members, who have been here 30 years or more," he said. "There was a vote made by the membership to expand it into a public forum and it just kind of caught on."
Fleenor said that the tradition of firefighter involvement in the process goes right back to the founding of the country.
"There's a reason there's a tradition of voting places being held in fire stations," he said. "We want greater civic engagement."
Fleenor and the MFA are working out the precise format of the forum, which will include a moderated discussion with the candidates, including time for questions from the public.
Fleenor encouraged all Murfreesboro residents and voters to attend.
The Murfreesboro Firefghters Association's candidate forum will be held at The Grove, 3250 Wilkinson Pike in Murfreesboro, on June 12 beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are not required. Food trucks are expected to be on-site as part of the Food Truck Tuesday event.
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