Headline

Peaceful Protest Rocks Bauchi Community Ahead Memorial Anniversary

Published

4 years ago

December 29, 2021

Our Correspondent, Bauchi

Just two days to the scheduled late Baba Peter Gonto’s 21st memorial anniversary, hundreds of youths have staged a peaceful protest in Tafawa Balewa town of Bauchi State, alleging security threat to lives and property in the area.

Addressing the press on Wednesday, the National youth leader of Zaar Youth Development Association (ZAYODA), Comrade Galla Daniel, alleged that the organisers of the event deliberately excluded some prominent sons and daughters of Zaar land which according to him, is already breeding hatred and disunity in the area.

He explained that going by reactions from different qarters in the social media about the scheduled anniversary, there is a possibility of breach of peace if the event is allowed to hold.

“We reiterate with a loud voice that we reject in totality the event as we foresee a great crisis and disunity in the land from the programme based on the desperation of the organizers,” he said.

The youth, while stating that the organizers of the event be held responsible for any breach of peace in the area for anything that may occur in the course of holding the event, said that the organizers should be made to sign an undertaking with the security agencies as it used to, during Zaar annual festival.

According to the ZAYODA, no one is opposed to holding such a historic event for the late sage considering his immense role in the unity of the Zaar people during his lifetime.

He recalled in their last statement on the 25th December, 2021, that ZAYODA as a body had an emergency meeting on the 10th of December 2021 to discuss the proposed Late Baba Peter Gonto’s 21st memorial programme.

He revealed that at the emergency meeting, agreement was reached that since the event had not been organized by either Zaar Development Association or council of Gung Zaar select, it is an indication that the youth body has no role to play because it’s purely a family business.

“We made reference to a clean and unbiased memorial programme held by the children of late Ayuba Sarki at Zainab Sumi center, Tafawa Balewa town.

“But to our greatest dismay, we saw an invitation card circulating in the name of the family of Baba Peter Gonto in conjunction with our mother body ZDA national.

“One will be right to say that this event is aimed at creating problems and more disunity among ourselves and if not properly handled, it will create chaos and insecurity,” he said.

Also speaking, women leader of the Zaar community, Mama Rahatu vowed that as women in the area, they will not allow such exclusion to happen.

“They didn’t include those that are supposed to be in the forefront of honouring this man, Baba Peter Gonto, therefore, we reject any arrangements towards this planned ceremony.

“This is because we need peace in our community, we don’t want division and any attempt to cause confusion and disunity among us, all zayoda women in Tafawa Balewa will not accept it”. She fumed.

Headline

Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Is Dead

Published

1 hour ago

September 23, 2025

Editor

The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdulaziz, has died at the age of 82.

According to a statement from the Royal Court, the revered cleric passed away on Tuesday morning.

Born in Mecca in November 1943, Sheikh Abdulaziz rose to become one of the most influential religious authorities in the Kingdom.

He served as head of the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta, as well as the Supreme Council of the Muslim World League.

Headline

Antitrust Trial: US Asks Court To Break Up Google’s Ad Business

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2025

Editor

Google faces a fresh federal court test on Monday as US government lawyers ask a judge to order the breakup of the search engine giant’s ad technology business.

The lawsuit is Google’s second such test this year, following a similar government demand to split up its empire that was shot down by a judge earlier this month.

Monday’s case focuses specifically on Google’s ad tech “stack” — the tools that website publishers use to sell ads and that advertisers use to buy them.

In a landmark decision earlier this year, Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema agreed with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that Google maintained an illegal grip on this market.

Monday’s trial is set to determine what penalties and changes Google must implement to undo its monopoly.

According to filings, the US government will argue that Google should spin off its ad publisher and exchange operations. The DOJ will also ask that after the divestitures are complete, Google be banned from operating an ad exchange for 10 years.

Google will argue that the divestiture demands go far beyond the court’s findings, are technically unfeasible, and would be harmful to the market and smaller businesses.

“We’ve said from the start that DOJ’s case misunderstands how digital advertising works and ignores how the landscape has dramatically evolved, with increasing competition and new entrants,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs.

In a similar case in Europe, the European Commission, the EU’s antitrust enforcer, earlier this month fined Google 2.95 billion euros ($3.47 billion) over its control of the ad tech market.

Brussels ordered behavioral changes, drawing criticism that it was going easy on Google as it had previously indicated that a divestiture may be necessary.

This remedy phase of the US trial follows a first trial that found Google operated an illegal monopoly. It is expected to last about a week, with the court set to meet again for closing arguments a few weeks later.

The trial begins in the same month that a separate judge rejected a government demand that Google divest its Chrome browser, in an opinion that was largely seen as a victory for the tech giant.

That was part of a different case, also brought by the US Department of Justice, in which the tech giant was found responsible for operating an illegal monopoly, this time in the online search space.

Instead of a major breakup of its business, Google was required to share data with rivals as part of its remedies.

The US government had pushed for Chrome’s divestment, arguing the browser serves as a crucial gateway to the internet that brings in a third of all Google web searches.

Shares in Google-parent Alphabet have skyrocketed by more than 20 percent since that decision.

Judge Brinkema has said in pre-trial hearings that she will closely examine the outcome of the search trial when assessing her path forward in her own case.

These cases are part of a broader bipartisan government campaign against the world’s largest technology companies. The US currently has five pending antitrust cases against such companies.

AFP

Headline

Google Faces Court Battle Over Breakup Of Ad Tech Business

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2025

Editor

Google faces a fresh federal court test on Monday as US government lawyers ask a judge to order the breakup of the search engine giant’s ad technology business.

The lawsuit is Google’s second such test this year after the California-based tech juggernaut saw a similar government demand to split up its empire shot down by a judge earlier this month.

Monday’s case focuses specifically on Google’s ad tech “stack” — the tools that website publishers use to sell ads and that advertisers use to buy them.

In a landmark decision earlier this year, Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema agreed with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that Google maintained an illegal grip on this market.
Monday’s trial is set to determine what penalties and changes Google must implement to undo its monopoly.

Google will argue that the divestiture demands go far beyond the court’s findings, are technically unfeasible, and would be harmful to the market and smaller businesses.

In a similar case in Europe, the European Commission, the EU’s antitrust enforcer, earlier this month fined Google 2.95 billion euros ($3.47 billion) over its control of the ad tech market.
Brussels ordered behavioral changes, drawing criticism that it was going easy on Google as it had previously indicated that a divestiture may be necessary.

The trial begins in the same month that a separate judge rejected a government demand that Google divest its Chrome browser, in an opinion that was largely seen as a victory for the tech giant.

That was part of a different case, also brought by the US Department of Justice, in which the tech giant was found responsible for operating an illegal monopoly, this time in the online search space.
Instead of a major breakup of its business, Google was required to share data with rivals as part of its remedies.

The US government had pushed for Chrome’s divestment, arguing the browser serves as a crucial gateway to the internet that brings in a third of all Google web searches.
Shares in Google-parent Alphabet have skyrocketed by more than 20 percent since that decision.

Judge Brinkema has said in pre-trial hearings that she will closely examine the outcome of the search trial when assessing her path forward in her own case.

These cases are part of a broader bipartisan government campaign against the world’s largest technology companies. The US currently has five pending antitrust cases against such companies.