MINIMUM WAGE: Almost 37,000 Scotland workers are paid less than the statutory

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Watchdogs have called for a minimum wage "legal reality" as figures show 37,000 people in Scotland were paid less than the statutory rate last year.

(BBC) Data from Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) also revealed that employers across the UK owed about £6,500 on average in unpaid arrears to workers.

The analysis is of the Scottish working-age population as a percentage of the total UK working age-population.

CAS chiefs say the figures are "unacceptable".

The analysis suggests 36,876 workers were potentially paid less than the minimum wage in Scotland last year.

A UK government spokesman said: "The government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the national minimum wage receives it.

"All businesses, irrespective of size or business sector are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff. HMRC won't hesitate to take action to ensure that workers receive what they are legally entitled to.

"In 2018/19, HMRC completed over 3,000 investigations, identifying over £24.4m for more than 220,000 workers.

"Consequences for not complying with paying national minimum wage can include fines of 200% of the arrears, and, for the worst offences, criminal prosecution."

'Wake-up call'

CAS social justice spokeswoman Mhoraig Green said it was "just the tip of the iceberg".

She added: "Many more in the informal economy won't be identified in these numbers.

"This should act as a wake-up call to our new government to ensure that 2020 is the year the minimum wage must become a legal reality.

"The current minimum wage rates are not sufficient to enable many people to live above poverty levels, even when they are paid in full."

Advice around employment is the third biggest issue for advice in the Citizens Advice network in Scotland.

Staff issued 43,000 pieces of work-related advice in 2018/19, with 12,000 thousand pieces of advice on pay and entitlements.

'It is the law'

Earlier this year, the charity ran an awareness campaign to boost young people's knowledge about their rights at work.

It is backing a new body to have the powers to investigate national minimum wage breaches along with allowing workers to confidentially report matters involving maternity, holiday, sickness, pay, dismissal, redundancy and other rights.

Ms Green said CAS regularly sees people who are paid illegally-low rates by employers or who have been refused holiday pay, which every worker is entitled to.

She added: "The figures we publish today are simply unacceptable. Employers need to understand that paying the statutory minimum wage rate for their workers is not optional. It is the law."

Scotland's minister for business, fair work and skills, Jamie Hepburn, said the UK government should do more to ensure employers "comply with their obligations".

He said: "The Scottish government supports the payment of the real living wage of £9.30 per hour as a minimum rate for all workers over the age of 18.

"Meanwhile, we will continue to encourage every organisation, regardless of size, sector or location to ensure all staff receive a fair day's pay for a fair day's work as part of our progressive Scottish Fair Work approach."

UNICEF: The world has failed Children in Conflict in 2019

2019: Final year of a deadly decade for children

Grave violations against children are continuing on a shocking scale.

By UNICEF

Killing. Maiming. Abduction. Sexual violence. Recruitment into armed groups. As children across the world enter a new decade, they are leaving behind one that cost millions of them their childhoods, their dreams, even their lives.

Since the start of the decade, the United Nations has verified more than 170,000 grave violations against children in conflict. That’s the equivalent of more than 45 violations every single day.

“Conflicts around the world are lasting longer, causing more bloodshed and claiming more young lives."

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore

Armed conflicts are devastating for everyone, but they are particularly brutal for children. From Afghanistan, to Syria, to Yemen and elsewhere, the past 12 months looked little different than the year before for millions of children forced to suffer through the devastating impact of violence:

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January

UNICEF/UN0277722/Souleiman

A man carries a small child near Baghoz village in Hajin district, eastern Syria.

Violence, displacement and harsh conditions in northern and eastern Syria killed at least 32 children in the first month of the year. After more than eight years of conflict, the situation in Syria remains one of the gravest crises of our time – and children are paying the heaviest price.

 

February

UNICEF/UN0311485/Tremeau

Health workers visit a woman and her daughter in the quarantine area of an Ebola treatment centre in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

February saw violent attacks against Ebola treatment centres in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, further complicating efforts to fight the disease. .

Ebola is terrifying for adults – but even more so for children. Not only can they be infected themselves, but children exposed to Ebola witness death and suffering first hand. They lose parents, caretakers and loved ones, or may have to spend weeks in isolation if they have had contact with someone infected with the virus.

 

March

UNICEF/UN0296566/Keïta

A woman walks with her daughter through what is left of the village of Ogossagou-Peulh in Mali following an attack in March.

The humanitarian crisis in central Mali continued to worsen in 2019. An attack by an armed group in March on the tiny village of Ogossagou, in the Mopti region of central Mali, claimed the lives of more than 150 people, and was unprecedented in terms of the number of children killed.

Meanwhile, the use of improvised explosive devices, the proliferation of small weapons, and banditry, combined with increasing attacks against civilians and grave violations of children's rights, have led to a growing number of internal displacements. 

 

April

UNICEF/UNI220712/Romenzi

Children sit in front of a damaged house inside the old city of Sana'a, Yemen.

Fourteen children were killed and 16 critically injured in a blast in Sana’a, Yemen’s largest city, in early April. The incident occurred near two schools, just before lunch time, when students were in class. A blast shattered the windows and unleashed shrapnel and glass into the classrooms.

Yemen is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world and the situation has been devastating for children. Years of conflict, underdevelopment and poverty have deprived millions of children in Yemen the right to an education, leaving them vulnerable – and robbing them of a chance for a brighter future.

 

May

 UNICEF/UNI229181/Keder

A girl stands in the doorway of a building in Al-Hasakeh, northeast Syria.

In May, UNICEF called on governments to repatriate children who are their nationals or born to their nationals and who were stranded in camps and detention centres in northeast Syria.

In Iraq, Syria and elsewhere, thousands of children of foreign fighters are languishing in camps, detention centres or orphanages. These children are among the world’s most vulnerable, living in appalling conditions and facing constant threats to their well-being.

Also in May, there were reports of children killed and injured in an escalation of violence in Rakhine State in Myanmar.

 

June

UNICEF/Kokic

A girl puts her hand up to a screen door in her house in Borno State in Nigeria.

UNICEF condemned the use of children as human bombs and in any combat or non-combat roles in the conflict in northeast Nigeria, after reports that three children were used to detonate explosives that killed 30 people and injured dozens more at a community football viewing centre in Konduga, Borno State.

Since 2012, non-state armed groups in northeast Nigeria have recruited and used children as combatants and non-combatants, raped and forced girls to marry, and committed other grave violations against children. Some of the girls become pregnant in captivity and give birth without any medical care or attention.

 

July

UNICEF/UNI229590/Bouvet

A boy walks outside an orphanage in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The month began with a deadly blast that injured scores of children in a rush hour attack in the Afghan capital Kabul.

Later that month, 32 children were released from armed opposition groups in northern South Sudan, although thousands of children are still estimated to be used by armed forces and armed groups in the country. Even when children manage to escape their captors or are released, they still have to contend with finding food and shelter – and their loved ones.

 

August

UNICEF/UN0310819/Al Ahmad

A family transports some belongings in the back of a truck in Syria.

Dozens of people were reportedly killed during a single mid-August weekend in northwestern Syria. After more than eight years of conflict, grave violations of children's rights and violations of international humanitarian law continue. Children are being killed and injured by the persistent use of explosive weapons in civilian areas, the destruction of health and educational facilities and the recruitment of children.

 

September

UNICEF/UN0318222/Alahmadi

A man stands outside his home with four of his children in Yemen.

Around two million children are out of school in Yemen, including almost half a million who dropped out since the conflict escalated in March 2015, UNICEF noted as the new school year began in September.

 

October

UNICEF/UNI214253/Souleiman

A girl stares out from behind a metal window grille as displaced families arrive in Tal Tamer, in northeast Syria.

An escalation of violence in northeast Syria in early October killed five children and displaced tens of thousands more.

The hostilities damaged or caused the closure of critical basic services including schools, and health and water facilities. Many of those displaced, especially children, are also in desperate need of psychological support after witnessing shelling, fighting and explosions in their home communities.

 

November

UNICEF/UN0329160/Bindra

A young boy stands in front of class at a UNICEF-supported government primary school, in Douala, Cameroon.

Three years of violence and instability in the northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon have left more than 855,000 children out of school, UNICEF warned in November.

The humanitarian crisis in the country has expanded from four regions in 2017 to eight in 2019. Villages, schools and health facilities are under attack, leaving thousands of children in the area living in fear.

 

December

UNICEF/UN0300571/Filippov

Students attend class at Marinka #2 school in Marinka, eastern Ukraine.

In eastern Ukraine, where nearly half a million children are affected by the conflict, 36 attacks on schools were reported this year. In early December, five children were killed when gunmen opened fire inside a place of worship in Burkina Faso.

 

UNICEF/UNI229583/Bouvet

A boy stands inside the dormitory of an orphanage in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

In mid-December, UNICEF announced in a Child Alert that an average of nine children were killed or maimed every day in Afghanistan in the first nine months of 2019.

“Even by Afghanistan’s grim standards, 2019 has been particularly deadly for children,” said Henrietta Fore.

PAY RISE: 24 States Will Raise Minimum Wage in 2020

On New Year's Day, 20 states and 26 cities and counties, mostly in California, will raise the minimum wages. Four more states and 23 more cities and counties will join later in the year. (Source: Gray News)

(CNN) - In the new year, the minimum wage is set to go up across nearly half of all states and 48 cities and counties in the United States.

On New Year's Day, 20 states and 26 cities and counties, mostly in California, will raise the minimum wages. Four more states and 23 more cities and counties will join later in the year, according to the advocacy group National Employment Law Project.

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The minimum wage will reach or surpass $15 an hour in 32 total jurisdictions throughout the year.

“These increases will put much-needed money into the hands of the lowest-paid workers, many of whom struggle with high and ever-increasing costs of living,” wrote researcher and policy analyst Yannet Lathrop in a blog post for NELP.

Raising the minimum wage has been a hotly contested issue.

Earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Raise the Wage Act to increase the national standard minimum wage to $15 an hour from the current $7.25 an hour. The bill, however, failed in the Senate.

Opponents of raising the minimum wage say the result could be fewer jobs. Some have backed a $12 an hour minimum wage instead to lessen the impact on the job market.

Copyright 2019 CNN. All rights reserved

PETER ESELE ON BURNA BOY LAGOS CONCERT: What is the former TUC President Saying?

It is rear in this part of the world to see or hear a very informed trade unionist, Labour leader and politician making elaborate comments about the Nigerian entertainment industry

A former Trade Union Congress of Nigeria President, Peter Esele is one who long ago has chosen to catch his fun irrespective of whatever 'serious' welfare issues on his table, and has always remained proud of it

The article below captures his love for the Nigerian Music Art and how he believes key players, especially concert/Shows  Organisers can give fans/audience better value for their money/tickets.

READ ARTICLE BELOW...

Lagos concerts: Accidents waiting to happen 

Two shows were top on our Yuletide list and Burna Boy’s Christmas day performance was not originally part of it. However, my wife and daughters were keen. Majority rules in our house and I caved in. I made arrangements for six tickets, including one for my driver, who was just as ardent about the show. 

In the past, I normally would purchase table tickets for astronomical sums as my humble way of going the extra mile to support our own but for some reason this time, I simply opted for alternative tickets much lower in price compared to table seating. My intuition was rewarded when on arrival, it turned out that tickets had been oversold. There were no seats for a significant number of people. Worse, the available seats were not numbered. A free for all show down was inevitable and the scene descended into chaos. In fact, getting into the venue in the first place- Eko hotel convention centre was the first sign of trouble.  

By the time the African giant came on stage at past midnight with a performance for the ages, the only way to catch a glimpse of him was to stand on chairs. Decorum be damned, I hopped on mine like everyone else. It was an electric performance. Burna Boy dazzled with a stage command fit for a Grammy performance! The skirmishes of getting in, finding a seat and standing on chairs were momentarily forgotten as the crowd danced and sang along. His rendition of Fela Anikulapo Kuti”s protest song on social inequality and injustice was particularly stirring. His act fulfilled all the things I look out for in any outing I decide to attend – a masterful fusion of entertainment and enlightenment. He delivered! 

In the heat of the performance a scuffle broke out in the high end section of the hall reserved for the million Naira paying audience with tables. Punches flew and landed on bodies. My initial presentiments about safety and security in these shows returned and I instinctively turned to ensure my wife and teenage daughters beside me were alright. A sane man, thinking on his feet hastily tried to clear the bottles on the tables as an enraged heavy chested bully reached for one. It was all downhill from there.

I could not help but sympathise with those who went out of their way to support the outing by paying for tables that ranged from N2m to N5m as their view became obstructed with fist fights. Nor was it hard to miss the distraction the ensuing fiasco wrought upon the performer we all came to see as his gyrations faltered and his troubled eyes wandered across the hall. So much so that his mother, who was present in the room had to discreetly make her way to the back of the hall to have some words with security. 

Here is my message, Dear Lagos concert organisers, please take your audience as seriously as we take you! Our artists have placed us on the global map. They have done so much for Nigeria’s image, as I have noted in a previous article. We see them, we hear them and we reciprocate by coming out to celebrate and support them. We should be treated with as much respect by the organisers. As the saying goes, the devil is in the details, including something as basic as signs pointing to the restrooms so that people do not have to wander around the premises trying to figure out where to relieve themselves. 

Lagos is fast becoming a Mecca for home and international artists to perform. It is incumbent on organisers, sponsors and hotels were these event are being hosted to emulate their European and American counterparts. It is one thing to admire international concerts or invite foreign artists to Nigeria but, it is a whole different ball game to follow through with that level of planning an organisation. They must go hand in hand. If we must copy, then we must copy well, while adding our own unique flavour to the mix. And our flavour should not be the negative. I have attended a concert in America, in a hall that sits over 15,000 people and we were all out of the premises in a jiffy after the performance. Meanwhile, at the Burna Boy concert, it took ages for the audience to leave the hall which seats about 6,000 people and almost an hour to drive out of Eko hotel because there were no wardens to direct traffic. Show over, everyone was left to their devices. 

The Nigerian audience who are using their hard earned money to support Art should be respected. I cannot emphasise reciprocity enough. High tables, low tables, VIP, standing sections, whatever level of fees, anyone that commits to a ticket deserves better and should not be relegated to contending with shoddy logistics. We must take each other seriously. Every one matters!  

The venue should be easily accessible. Seats must be made available for any amount paid. Tickets should have seats numbers. The restroom should easily accessible. The access walk must be cleared of any obstacles. It is also very important that safety protocols are announced intermittently in the course of the event. Emergency incidents must be factored in. Presently, the various protocols for such an exercise insufficient. Placing a turnstile in the entrance can also impede evacuation in the event of a fire or other emergencies. This isn’t peculiar to Eko convention centre, it is common trend in many indoor and outdoor event centres that hosts crowds.  

This write up is call to action. Concerts and event organisers as well as government  regulators should pay close attention to even the tiniest detail. Accidents do not send or announce themselves beforehand with a letter of intent. We might get away with it for a zillion years but when it does happen, I can assure you from experience that the outcome will be fatal. If in doubt, ask Boeing.

Nevertheless, thumbs up to Burna Boy for a jaw dropping performance. He gave his audience a very merry Christmas! 

Comrade Peter Esele , former President of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.

EDUCATION: A Woman Who Ran Away From 'Arranged Marriage' Goes To College in US

According to VOA Learning English Online Publicaton, A Woman Who Fled Arranged Marriage Gets College Education in US

The road to higher education can be a long one. But few people have traveled as far as Dilafruz “Dilia” Samadova has.

When Samadova was 21, she fled an arranged marriage in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan.

Samadova was able to escape the marriage with help from friends as well as the United States embassy. Her marriage ended in divorce. She secured an American work visa while seeking asylum.

A group of Catholics in the American state of Ohio have helped Samadova rebuild her life. She began attending Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio.

Samadova, who is now 30 years old, recently completed a bachelor’s degree program in early childhood education.

“The people I’ve met here, the people who’ve helped me, have become my family,” she told the Canton Repository.

Along with school, Samadova works two jobs. For one of her jobs, she works as a teaching assistant at Our Lady of Peace Catholic School in Canton, Ohio. She is also preparing for graduate school at Walsh University.

Teaching assistant Dilia Samadova warms up Mrs. Zenobi's kindergarten class for a math lesson with a count to 100 at Our Lady of Peace School, Dec.11, 2019. (CantonRep.com / Ray Stewart)

Samadova grew up in a Muslim household with strong rules. But she joined the Catholic religion after moving to Ohio in 2011. Her religion is among the reasons she says she could never return to her home country.

“It’s a very patriarchal country,” she said of Tajikistan. “My mother, my four sisters, all live the same way, with no rights. … My father didn’t allow us to go to (college). But I always wanted to go to school.”

Samadova said the marriage, which was arranged when she was 15, pushed her to flee.

“I tried to live like my mom told me, but it got abusive, physically and emotionally,” she said. “I tried … suicide. After that ... I was scared to go back home … I guess God guided me ... I don’t know how I did everything.”

Samadova’s native language is Farsi. She did not speak English when she arrived to the United States. Her first stop, New York City, brought culture shock.

“I remember crying constantly, but people were so good,” she said. “I had a dictionary, trying to communicate.”

When she first arrived in Ohio, Samadova worked as a hotel housekeeper. “The only English I knew was ‘pillowcase, blanket … boss,'” she said. “I learned by myself. I bought an iPhone and listened to TV.”

She soon took a second job, cleaning a house for an Italian immigrant named Mamie Kolar.

“She’d … tell me about Jesus,” Samadova said. “I didn’t know anything about him. In Tajikistan …you’re a Muslim or you’re not. She was very loving.”

Samadova started joining Kolar at Catholic religious services. She studied the religion for two years before deciding to become a Catholic. Kolar died in 2013, but her son and daughter-in-law continued to help Samadova.

They urged her to attend Terra State Community College in the Ohio town of Fremont. She completed a two-year study program in early childhood education and saved enough money to buy her first car.

Teaching assistant Dilia Samadova teaches a math lesson in Mrs. Zenobi's kindergarten class at Our Lady of Peace School, Dec.11, 2019. (CantonRep.com / Ray Stewart)

Samadova said she had hopes of attending Bowling Green State University. But, she did not meet the requirements to receive financial aid.

At a religious service in Port Clinton, someone shared Samadova’s story. Jerry Pellegrino, owner of Pellegrino’s Music Center in Jackson Township, was in attendance. Pellegrino gave the priest his phone number with an offer to help Samadova attend Walsh University, with support from the Pellegrino Family Endowed Scholarship.

The Pellegrinos have long been supporters of Walsh. They were very involved in bringing Mother Teresa to the school in 1982.

Samadova found the offer to help her hard to believe.

“He offered to pay for my school. Who does that?” she said. “I called the priest and asked him, ‘Is this guy real?'”

But her friends kept urging her to contact Pellegrino. So, she did. She arrived at Walsh on a Sunday in 2017 and was in class that Monday.

Samadova said she would like to work for an organization like the United Nations or Peace Corps in the future. She wants to help girls stay in school.

She said she still has some contact with her four sisters. But communication with her parents is less common. They are still upset and angry about the divorce.

“Nobody ever does that. Nobody does that without permission,” she said. “My sisters are happy for me, though they have the same lifestyle as my parents do now. My mother still wants me to come home. My father has disowned me, which I’m OK with because I understand the culture. I forgive him for that.”

Samadova’s hope is to support other women facing such difficulties.

“I know it’s hard, but if you’re trying, you will get it,” she said. “I could have given up. I came here by myself…I have so many people who helped me; more than my real family.”

I’m Dorothy Gundy.
And I’m Pete Musto.

Charita Goshay reported this story for The Canton Repository. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

Quiz - Woman Who Fled Arranged Marriage Gets College Education in US

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

arranged marriage – n. a marriage in which the husband and wife are chosen for each other by their parents

divorce – n. the ending of a marriage by a legal process

bachelor’s degree – n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after four years of study

graduate – adj. of or relating to a course of studies taken at a college or university after earning a bachelor's degree or other first degree

patriarchal – adj. relating to or characteristic of a system of society or government controlled by men

allow – v. to permit something

constantly – adv. done in a way that is happening all the time or very often over a period of time

pillowcase – n. a removable covering for a bag filled with soft material that is used as a cushion usually for the head of a person who is lying down

blanket – n. a covering made of cloth that is used especially on a bed to keep you warm

lifestyle – n. a particular way of living

FOOTBALL: Reactions As Liverpool Star Sadio Mané is Pictured Using BROKEN Phone

For a player, who according to The Guardian earns £150,000 per week in the Premier League, it is extremely strange to see him carrying around an iPhone with a broken screen guard.

According to a post on NAIJALOADED.COM, That is the story of Liverpool star Sadio Mane who was spotted carrying an iPhone with a broken screen guard before Liverpool walloped Leicester City 4-0 on Boxing day.

Mane’s annual salary of around £7.8million puts him behind Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Roberto Firmino in Liverpool’s list of highest earners.

Salah leads the way in the Reds squad of highest earners with £200,000 per week salary, followed by Firmino and centre-back Virgil van Dijk on £180,000.

But it is Senegalese’s Mane who seems to be getting everyone’s attention this season due to his humility.

‘Naija Football Fan Zone’ Fans seemed extremely shocked to see Mane walk into the King Power Stadium with a broken screen after the photo made its way to Twitter.

FOOTBALL: Former EPL Player, Hulk dumps wife of 12 years for her niece

Former Brazil and Chelsea forward, Hulk attempts to justify his decision and claim it’s fully acceptable in a minute, but just to re-iterate, since splitting up with his wife of 12 years he’s decided to start a relationship with her niece instead.

 It’s actually hard to figure out on what level it could be acceptable. Presumably, it’s perfectly legal, but it doesn’t make it any less weird.

According to a report from The Mirror, and reported by PUNCH online, Brazilian forward Hulk who currently plays for Shanghai SIPG in China, has started dating the niece of his former wife. The report does contain a quote from his representatives to say Hulk and his wife split up a few months ago so it’s fine.

It seems that the player decided to go public in an effort to show “he had nothing to hide” but it looks like everyone was about to find out so he’s tried to maintain some control of the story.

There’s so suggestion over how old the niece is, but Hulk has three children with his ex-wife so it takes on a whole new level of weird.

He was best known for his spells at Porto and Zenit, alongside having the name Hulk, but he will need to do something extra special in the last few years of his career to ensure that this isn’t what we all remember him for.

FOOTBALL: Chelsea Beat Arsenal At Home 1:2 in Dec 29 EPL Fixtures

Chelsea staged a stunning late comeback to snatch victory and wreck Mikel Arteta's return to Emirates Stadium as Arsenal manager.

BBC Reports That, Arteta, taking charge of his first home game since succeeding sacked Unai Emery, looked on course for three important points after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's early header put the Gunners in front.

Chelsea, with manager Frank Lampard making a first-half tactical switch when he introduced Jorginho for the struggling Emerson, were gifted an equaliser seven minutes from time when goalkeeper Bernd Leno hopelessly misjudged Mason Mount's free-kick to leave the substitute with a simple finish.

Arsenal were doubly frustrated because Jorginho was fortunate to escape a second yellow card for a cynical foul on Lucas Torreira - but Arteta's home bow was to get even more painful.

Chelsea struck again with three minutes of normal time left, Tammy Abraham turning Arsenal substitute Shkodran Mustafi far too easily in the area to beat Leno and complete the smash-and-grab raid.

Arsenal, who lost defender Calum Chambers to injury in the first half, will start 2020 11 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and without a Premier League home win since 6 October.

It is the first time they have lost four consecutive home matches in all competitions since December 1959.

• Reaction from Emirates Stadium and Sunday's Premier League games

Arteta learning the hard way

Arteta understandably looked downcast as he and his players took sympathetic applause from their fans after they were left stunned by Chelsea's late surge.

Arsenal, for the first half-hour, dominated a desperately poor Chelsea and there was much to encourage everyone inside a vibrant Emirates Stadium as the new era kicked into life.

The Gunners, however, ran out of steam towards the end of the first half as Chelsea, helped by Lampard removing Emerson and sending on Jorginho, started to dominate and continued to do so after the break.

Arsenal were resilient but were hanging on and ultimately it was a calamitous individual error and familiar defensive fragility that was to prove their undoing.

Leno's rush of blood left Jorginho with the easiest of finishes, although Arsenal certainly had a case to complain about his continued presence on the pitch after escaping that second yellow card.

And then Mustafi, on for the injured Chambers, was badly at fault when he allowed Abraham far too much time to control, turn and score the winner.

Arteta will have seen some good signs but ultimately old faults let Arsenal down. There is going to be no quick fix.

Lampard finds a way as Chelsea win

Chelsea boss Lampard clearly felt he got his team selection wrong by ditching his three-man central defence and introducing Jorginho after 34 minutes - and deserves great credit for seeing it was not working and putting it right.

It did improve Chelsea but in reality they could not get any worse in a feisty London derby which saw nine players booked.

They took complete control of possession and territory after the break, with Lampard's subsequent substitutions also having an impact.

Teenager Tariq Lamptey was a lively presence down Chelsea's right flank on his Premier League debut after replacing Fikayo Tomori while Callum Hudson-Odoi did well when he came on for Matteo Kovacic.

Lampard looked like he was going to be frustrated by Chelsea's lack of end product once more but they were given that late lifeline by Leno's dreadful error as well as the generosity of referee Craig Pawson in allowing Jorginho to stay on.

Abraham completed the comeback for a dramatic win.

There is a rollercoaster nature to this Chelsea side, as proved by their results, a home defeat by Southampton sandwiched in between wins at Tottenham and Arsenal, but they got the job done to cement their place in the Premier League's top four.

Man of the match - Jorginho (Chelsea)

Jorginho (right) might have been fortunate not to be sent off but there is no doubt Chelsea were a better team with the Italy international on the pitch

'It was very cruel' - reaction

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta: "It was very cruel the way we lost it, in the first half we saw a lot of positives and saw what we are trying to implement. But the way we conceded was disappointing.

"It was clear why it was disappointing, I don't need to say any more.

"Our reaction was right, we were doing the right things, it is hard to dominate all periods of the game against this team. We started to defend too deep and our energy levels are in a different place to Chelsea's.

"We need to sustain those periods for longer periods in the game and against top sides. Individual errors cost you games but I can't fault the effort, commitment and for putting in place what we practised."

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard: "We were so awful for 30 minutes; slow, lethargic, nervous. The opposite of against Tottenham. We gave Arsenal everything they wanted. We made the change early, felt it had to be done. Second half we dominated.

Were there words at half-time? "Possibly. From my point of view you can accept a miss-pass but you can't accept lethargy in a London derby. The players were told that and they delivered. The second half was nothing to do with tactics it was all to do with spirit and desire

MUSIC: Tu Baba Concert Get Suprise Wiskid Pertormance

Legendary Nigerian Musician was celebrating twenty years  a 'king's and Global Star  Wizkid surprised fans at the Concert on Saturday as he showed up for “2Baba Live” concert, less than 48 hours after he performed all-night at his sold-out Ecent.

According Online Media PM News, 2Baba Live concert was held at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The list of superstars who were expected includes Tiwa Savage, Davido, Falz, 9ice, Adekunle Gold, Skibii, BigTril, Mayorkun, Rema and Dremo, Kenny Blaq, Jeff Akoh, Sexy Steel, Wale Turner, GreyC, Attitude, Lyta and Classic.

But Wizkid was surprisingly introduced to the stage by 2Baba and was welcomed with great enthusiasm.

The Star Boy, however, dropped a heartwarming message before leaving the stage, he said “Tonight is not about Star Boy, I want you guys to know that this man right here was why I needed to make music, so that is a king. You guys should always show respect and love to the only King, TuFace Idibia 2Baba.”

WOW! NIGERIA NOW HAS MORE 'ACTIVE' MOBILE LINES THAN HUMAN POPULATION IN STATES

Nine out of the 36 states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja now have more phone lines in active use than the total population in each of the states. This is according to the 2019 Third Quarter Telecoms Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Lagos leads the pack with a population of 12,100,616 using 23,565,388 active mobile lines followed by Ogun with a population of 5,024,191 and 10,635,901
active phone lines. There is the FCT with a population of 3,130,694 and 8,114,446 phone line subscriptions and then Oyo with 7,540,300 people and 9,188,863 mobile lines in use.

Others are Edo with 4,109,499 population and 5,951,116 active mobile lines; Delta has 5,460,311 people with 5,930,227 mobile line subscription; and then Niger with 5,343,326 people and 5,633,276 active phone lines. The rest include Kwara with a population of 3,086,249 operating 3,989,916 mobile lines and Nasarawa that has 2,439,113 people with 3,720,406 active phone lines.

The telecoms data which is one of the last report to be released by the NBS in 2019 show that the total number of active voice subscription in the country rose by 2.96 percent from the Second Quarter of 2019 to hit 179,176,930 in the Third Quarter of 2019. The country however recorded 10.58 percent rise Year-on-Year from 162,032,481 active voice subscriptions in the Third Quarter of 2018.

In the state-by-state breadown, Lagos besides leading eight other states which their populations outnumber the phone lines that are in use also has the single highest number of subscribers in terms of active voice per State in Third Quarter of 2019. It is closely followed by Ogun with 10,635,901 subscribers and Kano 10,519,187 subscribers while Bayelsa with 1,305,327 and Ebonyi with 1,630,080 have the least
number of subscribers in the country.

For data services, though Nigeria in the Third Quarter of 2019 recorded just a marginal 0.40 percent growth from the Second Quarter of the year, the total of 123,163,027 active subscribers represent 18.98 percent Year-on-Year from the 103,514,997 subscribers in the Third Quarter of 2018. The ranking of the states is however not any different from the statistics in the active voice service subscription.

The NBS report did not indicate any reason for the figures released but it is not far-fetched that with unreliable services, some subscribers carry multiple lines to be able to have access to their contacts at all times. This is most likely the reason why there would be more active lines especially in commercially viable states in addition to the official lines used in organisations and call or customer service centres.

Analysts however say the prevalence of telecoms services also shows the country’s growing digital economy. They explain that targeting the mobile population through their phones and online is as effective as reaching out to target audience and the publics in a given state and the country at large.

 

@Dimensions_Live
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