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Agency Set To Commemorate 2022 AIDS Day

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In preparation to mark this year’s World Aids Day (WAD), the National Agency for the Control of Aids, (NACA) has re-emphasised that unequal access to HIV Prevention and treatment services perpetuate HIV among vulnerable population groups.

The Director General of the agency Dr Gambo Aliyu made this known to a journalist in Abuja, the nation’s capital saying this year’s World AIDS Day seeks to promote equal access across populations that are marginalized among vulnerable and key affected populations groups by removing economic, social, cultural and legal barriers to HIV prevention services across population groups that are vulnerable to HIV.

Speaking on behalf of the Federal Ministry of health, the National Coordinator of the National AIDS, and STIs Control Programme (NASCP), Dr Akudo Ikpazu said that Nigeria is moving closer to its targets and is certainly proud of the achievements working together with its partners.

She asked stakeholders to work together to address the inequalities which was a barrier to ending the epidemic.

The Country Director and Representative of, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Dr Leo Zekeng said this year’s World Aids Day is to promote equal access across population groups that are marginalized and vulnerable key affected population groups by removing economic socio-cultural, legal barriers, HIV prevention services as well as treatment across the groups.

“Our treatment sites have increased from just 251 in 2007 to over 2,262 in 2020, new HIV infection is gradually in declination from 103,000 in 2019now to  just a little over 92,020 21. There has also been significant growth in key population treatment centers from just 10 sites in 2017”, he said.

This year’s global theme for World AIDS Day is “Equalise” and the National theme is “Equalise to END AIDS: Equal Access to Treatment and Prevention Services.

Indigenous Designers Challenge Plagiarism On Mexico City Runway

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Draped in colorful haute couture pieces, indigenous artisans and designers packed a fashion event in Mexico City as they try to carve out a stable future with their industry threatened by plagiarism, instability and lack of funds.

In original, one fashion Week Promoted by the Government and dedicated to traditional textiles, artists exhibited their designs and faced the challenges of the industry under the motto: “No to haggling, no to plagiarism and no to cultural appropriation.”

World renowned brands like Ralph Lauren or the Chinese fashion company Shein have faced accusations of plagiarism of indigenous Mexican designs in recent months, threatening the country’s ancestral textile tradition.

“Beyond a competition is for people to see that this is not a massive process,” he told reporters. “What we do takes time and that time must be valued both economically and in value product“.

“It is a job that is inherited,” he added. “Not only is it something that helps us maintain our day-to-day lives, but it represents our town, our community, our space, our way of seeing life.” Cruz noted that Original sought to prevent plagiarism by raising awareness of the quality and detail found in artisanal fashion.

But the financial difficulties and the problems to be able to compete with the fashion industry on a large scale have caused the children of artisans, who historically would have been apprentices in the trade, more stable jobs.

The Peruvian artisan Rosa Choque is the only one in the South American country who makes designs based on her Chiribaya ancestors, some are up to 500 years old, but she does not have a successor.

His two daughters moved away and found other jobs, as craft work did not sell well enough and was often not appreciated. Even Clash has a second job.

Instead, the craftswoman Mexican Rosa González works hand in hand with her son: “He is the one who gives the ideas, I give them shape and put them together,” she said, pointing out that they find inspiration in the flora of their region.

Traditionally his family used to do canvas prints artisans but decided to make clothes because it was easier to sell.

“All people can wear a dress haute couture for their gala parties, for their graduations and we have even done it for the brides”, said González.

But a lack of funding has been stifling innovation and preventing designers from investing in ways to production more efficient.

Imitation of indigenous designs has provoked the anger of the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador: “They plagiarize the designs of artisans and indigenous people from Hidalgo, ChiapasGuerrero (…) and they don’t even give them credit,” he said at a press conference last week.

Brands can use prehispanic designs or current native peoples, he said, but stressed the need for “their intellectual work and creativity to be recognized (…) and for there to be no plagiarism.”

Israeli Prime Minister-Designate Signs First Coalition Deal

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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signs the United Nations guest book during a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015 at U.N. Headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party signed its first coalition deal with Itamar Ben-Gvir’s far-right Jewish Power party, Likud said in a statement on Friday.

The agreement, which does not account for a full and final new government in Israel, gives Ben-Gvir the police ministry and a seat in the security cabinet.

“We took a big step tonight toward a full coalition agreement, toward forming a fully, fully right-wing government,” Ben-Gvir said in the statement.

Netanyahu’s Likud and its religious and far-right allies marked a clear victory in Israel’s Nov. 1 election, ending nearly four years of political instability. His efforts to quickly form a government have hit roadblocks, however, as negotiations with coalition partners drag on.

The incoming government looks to be the most right-wing in Israel’s history, forcing Netanyahu into a diplomatic balancing act between his coalition and Western allies.

A settler living in the West Bank, which Israel occupied in a 1967 Middle East war, Ben-Gvir is opposed to Palestinian statehood.

The Colosseum: Archaeologists Find Snacks Of Olives, Fruit, Nuts, Bears And Big Cats

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Spectators at Rome’s ancient gladiator arena, the Colosseum, may have enjoyed snacks of olives, fruit and nuts, archaeologists have found.

Food fragments of figs, grapes, cherries, blackberries, walnuts and more have been unearthed at the site.

Archaeologists also found the bones of bears and big cats that were probably used in the arena’s hunting games.

The discoveries were made by archaeologists examining the 2,000-year-old landmark’s sewers.

Relics like these provide a snapshot into the “experience and habits of those who came to this place during the long days dedicated to the performances”, said Alfonsina Russo, Director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park.

Researchers say bones from bears and lions were probably left by animals that were forced to fight each other and gladiators for entertainment. Smaller animal bones belonging to dogs were also found.

The study began in January 2021 and involved the clearance of around 70m (230ft) of drains and sewers under the Colosseum, which remains one of Italy’s most visited landmarks.

Specialist architects and archaeologists used wire-guided robots to navigate the arena’s complex drainage system – aiding their understanding of daily life in Rome as well as ancient hydraulic structures, researchers said.

The Colosseum was the biggest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire, falling into disuse around 523 AD. It was famous for hosting gladiatorial fights and other public spectacles in front of crowds of tens of thousands.

Gold Coin Proves 3rd Century Roman Emperor Was Real

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An ancient gold coin proves that a third century Roman emperor written out of history as a fictional character really did exist, scientists say.

The coin bearing the name of Sponsian and his portrait was found more than 300 years ago in Transylvania, once a far-flung outpost of the Roman empire.

Believed to be a fake, it had been locked away in a museum cupboard.

Now scientists say scratch marks visible under a microscope prove that it was in circulation 2,000 years ago.

Prof Paul Pearson University College London, who led the research, told said he was astonished by the discovery.

The coin at the centre of the story was among a small hoard discovered in 1713.

It was thought to have been a genuine Roman coin until the mid-19th century, when experts suspected that they might have been produced by forgers of the time, because of their crude design.

The final blow came in 1863 when Henry Cohen, the leading coin expert of the time at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, considered the problem for his great catalogue of Roman coins.

He said that they were not only ‘modern’ fakes, but poorly made and “ridiculously imagined”. Other specialists agreed and to this day Sponsian has been dismissed in scholarly catalogues.

But Prof Pearson suspected otherwise when he saw photographs of the coin while researching for a book about the history of the Roman empire. He could make out scratches on its surface that he thought might have been produced by the coin being in circulation.

He contacted the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University where the coin had been kept locked away in a cupboard along with three others from the original hoard, and asked if he could work with the researchers there.

They examined all four coins under a powerful microscope and confirmed in the journal, PLOS 1, that there really were scratches, and the patterns were consistent with them being jingled around in purses.

A chemical analysis also showed that the coins had been buried in soil for hundreds of years, according to Jesper Ericsson, who is the museum’s curator of coins and worked with Prof Pearson on the project.

Ghana To Use Gold To Pay For Oil Imports

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Ghana plans to buy oil products with gold rather than US dollar reserves in a measure aimed at stemming the weakening of its currency, the cedi, and to address the increasing living costs.

According to the government the country’s foreign reserves stood at around $6.6bn (£5.4bn) at the end of September 2022 down from $9.7bn at the end of last year. This equates to to less than three months of imports cover.

“Using gold would prevent the exchange rate from directly impacting fuel or utility prices as domestic sellers would no longer need foreign exchange to import oil products,” said Mr Bawumia.

“The barter of gold for oil represents a major structural change,” he added.

The proposed policy due to be launched early next year is uncommon, Reuters reports.

While countries sometimes trade oil for other goods or commodities, such deals typically involve an oil-producing nation receiving non-oil goods rather than the opposite.

Despite being an oil producer Ghana relies on imports because its only refinery shut down after an explosion in 2017.

The government of President Nana Akufo-Addo is under intense political pressure and is currently negotiating a relief package with the IMF.

Malawi’s Vice-President Arrested For Corruption

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Malawi's re-instated Vice President, Saulos Chilima, speaks at a press conference at his private residence in Lilongwe on February 5, 2020 following the Lilongwe Constitutional Court's decision on February 3, 2020, to nullify presidential results of the May 21, 2019, Tripartite Elections. (Photo by AMOS GUMULIRA / AFP) (Photo by AMOS GUMULIRA/AFP via Getty Images)

Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima has been arrested on allegations that he accepted money in exchange for awarding government contracts, the country’s anti-corruption agency says.

He is accused of receiving $280,000 (£230,000) from a British businessman “and other items”, a statement says.

Mr Chilima has appeared in court but has not commented on the charges.

He had already been stripped of his powers in June when he was first accused by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

It had named him and another 83 Malawian officials as allegedly having corrupt dealings with the British businessman, named as Zuneth Sattar.

Mr Chilima is now facing six charges relating to corruption. Mr Sattar was arrested in the UK in October last year and is out on bail.

He is accused of using connections with senior Malawi government officials and politicians to fraudulently obtain contracts to supply goods and services.

The contracts related to armoured personnel carriers, food rations and water cannons, the Financial Times reported in May.

Mr Sattar has denied all wrong doing. Mr Chilima came to power in 2020 as the running mate of President Lazarus Chakwera.

He had previously campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, promising to end decades of sleaze in government and ending poverty in one of the world’s poorest countries.

War In Ukraine: Ukrenergo Power Operator Says To Fix Key Infrastructure Remains Priority

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Ukraine has said that as much as 50% of the country’s electricity needs are currently not being met, after massive Russian missile strikes this week.

The Ukrenergo power operator said the priority was to fix key infrastructure but repairs were now taking more time.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said “the most difficult situation” with power as well as water supply was in 15 regions, including the capital Kyiv.

Across Ukraine, winter is setting in, with snow and sub-zero temperatures.

The Ukrainian authorities say they have set up across the country more than 4,000 “points of invincibility” – makeshift heated tents where people can charge their phones and have tea or coffee.

Camilla Gives Late Queen Elizabeth II’s Paddington Bears To Children

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Camilla, the Queen Consort, has said it was a pleasure to rehome Paddington Bears with children at an east London nursery, after thousands were left in tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The toys were left by the public at royal residences after the Queen’s death in September.

Camilla met dozens of children cared for by the Barnardo’s charity at Bow Nursery.

She was joined by Paddington film stars Hugh Bonneville and Madeleine Harris.

The Royal Family has donated more than 1,000 bears to Barnardo’s and each toy was professionally cleaned before being delivered to the charity.

Karen Jankel, the daughter of late author Michael Bond, for whom he wrote the stories, also attended.

Camilla shared marmalade sandwiches seated beside Bonneville, Harris and Jankel, with 40 children sitting cross-legged.

Three-year-old Oscar Isherwood shouted “I don’t like marmalade”, while others clamoured to receive a bear from the Queen Consort.

Camilla told the children to place the tiny boots on their Paddington Bears “otherwise he won’t be able to go outside”.

Bonneville, who plays Mr Brown in the film, read Bond’s story Paddington Takes a Bath to the children, echoing the way their bears had all needed a clean before arriving at the nursery.

As she stood to depart, Camilla told the children and their carers: “It has been a pleasure to find a home for these bears – please look after them carefully.”

Camilla had travelled to the nursery in a car filled with some of the Paddingtons, on a journey from Clarence House in Westminster, along the Mall and past London landmarks including Trafalgar Square and Tower Bridge.

UNICEF Completes Girls Education Project 3 In Nigeria

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Stakeholders, UNICEF, Others Task Government As World Marks International Day Of Education

The Girls Education Project phase 3 has ended in Nigeria with a call on government at all levels to adopt models and replicate interventions and employ strategic approaches towards the success of the project.

The Project which initially targeted One million enrolment of girls in it first and second phase has now successfully recorded a total enrollment of 1.5m girls in schools across Niger, Bauchi, Sokoto,Zamfara,Kano and Katsina States.

Speaking at the national closing ceremony of GEP 3 Project in Abuja, UNICEF Country Representative, Cristian Munduate advocated scaling up of the diverse approach in all states of the nation.

According to Munduate, GEP 3 has improved learning outcomes, raised the profile of educated girls, created new positive social norms in many communities and enabled a transformational shift in mindsets about the importance of girls’ education.

She disclosed that the attendance rate of girls in primary schools in the six states improved from 43% to 70%, while gender parity improved from 0.73 to 0.97.

“GEP3 has not only been successful in getting more girls into formal and non-formal schools, but it has also improved learning outcomes. GEP3 has raised the profile of educated girls, created new positive social norms in many communities and enabled a transformational shift in mindsets about the importance of girls’ education.”

“It is critical that we advocate scaling of the approach in all states,” UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.”

Teachers Capacity
According to Saadhna Panday, UNICEF Chief of Education, GEP3 has built the capacity of Head teachers and teachers in the management of schools as well as delivery of effective learning for girls.

Panday disclosed that GEP3’s unconditional cash transfer programme supported over 23,500 girls and reduced the level of poverty in the household thereby enabling families to send girls to school and enhanced the ability of women to generate additional domestic income.

“Community-based structures like Mothers’ Association, School Based Management Committees, and the High-level Women Advocates have been established as enduring platforms for community mobilization, mentorship and policy advocacy on girls’ education.”

Nigerian Government’s Commitment
Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu pledged the country’s commitment to leverage on the success of GEP3 to plan better, budget better, and make better decisions in putting more Girl- Child in schools.

“GEP3 worked to improve the quality of education for all children and helped girls gain better access to education and economic opportunities, breaking the cycle of poverty and disadvantage.”

“In our commitment to drastically reduce the number of Out of School Children, Nigeria appreciates the scaling of evidence-based solution in tackling this menace as provided through the GEP3″ Adamu said.

Commissioner for Education Nigeria state, Hanatu Jubril said the state has set mechanisms in place to facilitate sustainability of the projects.

A beneficiary of the GEP 3 Project ,Mariam Samani, a J.S 3 student of Dan maga secondary school Danbatta ,Kano State, said the project has boost education of girls in her school.

” I learnt alot from the G4G initiatives of the GEP 3 project,I learnt how to take care of myself as a girl and how to speak out when there is violence.”

GEP 3 now encourage more girls to go to school in rural areas,it is reducing the underage marriage because the Mothers Association now speak with mother’s of these girls in rural areas they tell them importance of education.

He For She Advocate
Ayatou Abdullahi, a Junior secondary school of Government secondary school Katsina said GEP 3 project has exposed him to girls education.

Abdullahi said the he for she program of GEP 3 has taught the boys to protect the girls from any harassment in schools and to encourage more girls to be enrolled.

“We go to school together with the girls in our area to protect them from any harassment.”

The Girls Education Project was initiated in 2012 and ended in November 2022. The project was jointly sponsored by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK (FCDO) UNICEF and supported by the government of Nigeria.

The project was funded with the sum of 109million dollars and it went through three phases.