Parents Unaware Children’s Excessive Screen Time Causes Blindness

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July 25, 2022

Only half of the parents recognise that screen time is linked to their child’s eye health, according to a national poll by the University of Michigan Health. The poll surveyed 2,002 parents of children between the ages of three and 18 across America in April.

“Many parents may not be aware of both the short and long-term health issues linked to excessive screen time, including its effect on children’s eyes,” said poll co-director Sarah Clark, MPH.

“Our findings suggest that some parents have inaccurate perceptions of activities that affect their child’s eye health and vision and how to minimise the risk.”

The rate of nearsightedness in children rapidly increased in the last 30 years, most likely due to easily accessible technology among children., according to Study Finds.

“Some parents may still follow advice from past generations on protecting kids’ eyes,” Clark said. “Reading in poor light or sitting close to the TV can cause eye fatigue or strain, but they will not do any permanent damage or cause long-term eye problems.”

Among the parents surveyed, fewer than a third said their children wear glasses that block blue light — which impacts the brain’s “internal clock” and makes falling asleep more challenging.

Researchers recommend that everyone, including children, should shut down their screens at least an hour before bedtime.

“Children should get vision tests at least every two years to make sure eyes are developing properly,” Clark concludes. “It’s important to identify and treat vision problems as early as possible, because undiagnosed issues can lead to serious eye conditions in the future, including permanent vision loss.”

Stakeholders Release Report On Gender-Based Violence In Nigeria

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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July 25, 2022

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A non-governmental organization, Women Initiative for Leadership Strategy and Innovation in Africa (Women Africa) has released a report on the state of gender-based violence response in Nigeria.

The report which is developed with support from the European Union and United Nations Spotlight Initiative Programme through UNESCO is a mapping of critical response mechanisms across the 36 states and FCT in Nigeria.

It provides comprehensive information on the current state of gender-based violence response in Nigeria with regards to available laws and policies, support system and structures, law enforcement, justice institutions, reporting channels and available coordination mechanisms.

The Executive Director, Chinwe Onyeukwu who made this known in Abuja, said “following the rise in fatal cases of sexual and domestic violence against women and girls recorded in Nigeria across the country during the four-month Covid-19 lockdown,

“The Federal Government of Nigeria, and the State Governors, under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), declared a State of Emergency on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in June 2020.

“It also made commitments towards putting in place gender-based protection laws – including adopting the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP Act) and the Child Rights Act into state laws by states that have not done so to increase protection for women and children, ensuring speedy investigation and prosecution of perpetrators, and creating sex offenders register in each state to name and shame violators.

Since then, few studies have been carried out to map and assess the level of implementation of these commitments and the milestones achieved by various states in the country on gender-based violence protections and child rights interventions.

Although the number of states that have adopted the VAPP Laws, Child Rights Laws, and Disability Rights Laws across the states have increased, however, there is still limited information available regarding the existence and level of implementation of these laws”.

She stated that it was on this premise that informed the need for the research; to identify the available mechanisms and provide comprehensive information on GBV and Child Rights Protection in the country.

Over 50 stakeholders from relevant government agencies, civil society organizations and development partners under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative Programme were in attendance at the one-day meeting. Participants at the meeting contributed to the validation of findings from the report.

In her remarks, the representative from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Yewande Gbola-Awopetu, Head SGBV Response Unit, said: “We are all experts working in the field with hands on deck to ensure justice and proper services are delivered to victims of GBV and as mentioned also, the work will be in vain of we do not know the state of response we cannot access the congress of our effort.”

Acting Director, Women Development, Ministry of Women Affairs, Ilyasu Zubair, said: “the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs is and has always been working with partners especially on issues of Gender Based Violence particularly United Nation Agencies, Civil societies and other spirited individuals in the NGO.

Ms. Hadiza Dorayi, National Coordinator, Spotlight Initiative and Gender Advisor to the United Nations Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator, lauded the commitment and dedication of the stakeholders for contributing to the success of the report.

Some of the key findings from the report include: 32 states including the FCT have passed the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015 into law and gazetted in 15 states (including the FCT).

States that are yet to pass the VAPP Act include Borno, Gombe, Kano, Katsina and Zamfara.

The VAPP Act is an innovative piece of legislation that provides for a robust response, care, and support services to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

There are now 32 Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) across 19 states including the FCT in Nigeria, where victims and survivors of sexual assault can receive medical assistance, counseling, and justice support services in a confidential space.

The Child Rights Act 2003 has been signed into law in 29 states (including the FCT) out of 36.

Drone Saves 14-Year-Old, From Drowning In Valencia

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faith Jegede

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July 25, 2022

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A pioneering drone lifeguard has saved a 14-year-old boy from drowning in the sea in Valencia in Spain.

According to its operators, The drone service, which has been rolled out across Spanish beaches, dropped a life vest into the sea that was able to keep the teenager afloat just as he started to sink, The vest kept the boy afloat until a physical lifeguard team arrived moments later.

After being rescued, the unidentified 14-year-old was sent to a local hospital after ambulance personnel provided him with oxygen and was sent home 24 hours later.

Valencia-based General Drones started supporting Spanish lifeguard staff in 2017 in the town of Sagunto just north of Valencia and now has more than 30 pilots and their drones working with the lifeguards at 22 beaches across Spain.

Saudi Arabia To Construct $1 Trillion Mirrored Skyscraper In Neom

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 25, 2022

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Saudi Arabia is embarking on an ambitious plan to build the world’s largest structure in the northwest of the kingdom.

This comes after viewing hundreds of pages of confidential planning documents that revealed for the first time the lay-out for the plan.

The structure, known as the Mirror Line, will be comprised of two glass reflective buildings measuring up to 488 metres (1,600 feet) high, running parallel for 120 kilometres (75 miles) across coastal, mountain and desert terrain.

The two buildings will be connected via walkways, and a high-speed train will run underneath them. The structure is expected to cost a whopping $1 trillion upon completion, and is projected to house five million people who will be able to travel end-to-end within a 20-minute stretch.

The documents seen are from 2021, and include concept designs such as integrated vertical farming, a marina for yachts, and a sports stadium built up to 305 metres (1,000 feet) above ground.

The structure is the epicentre of Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman’s zero-carbon smart city project called Neom, which will cost another $500bn to build and is the size of the US state of Massachusetts.

Neom is owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign-wealth fund and is part of a framework called Saudi Vision 2030, a plan that seeks to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy and reduce its dependence on oil.

While the deadline to build Neom is 2030, the WSJ reported that an initial impact assessment of the Mirror Line produced in January 2021 said the development would have to be constructed in stages, and could take 50 years to complete.

The Mirror Line’s initial design is by the US-based Morphosis Architects, founded by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Thom Mayne, and involves at least nine other design and engineering consultants.

Fisheries Products: South Korea’s Exports Hit Fresh High In 2022 First Half

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Angel Gimalo

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July 25, 2022

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South Korea’s exports of fisheries products hit a fresh high in the first half of this year, thanks to strong demand in Asia and the Middle East.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation, or A-T, outbound shipments of fisheries goods from January to June rose to over 1-point-7 billion U.S. dollars.

To achieve a record high for the year as a whole, A-T says it will ramp up marketing efforts in markets such as China, Japan and Southeast Asia, where demand for Korean seafood is particularly high.

It also plans to inject around 1 million dollars to help boost exports of eight key products, such as dried seaweed and abalone.

GoHealth Gombe Enrols 40,000 Vulnerable People

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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July 25, 2022

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The Gombe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, GoHealth, has begun the enrolment of over 40 thousand poor and vulnerable people in the state.

GoHealth says the programme is being implemented under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund with the aim of attaining the Universal Health Coverage.

It says part of the criteria for the enrolment is Provision of the National Identity Number so as to track subscribers who would be enrolled within the 10 day period allotted for the enrolment.

GoHealth said the second phase would enrol additional 15 thousand beneficiaries and the re-validation of the existing 25 thousand poor and vulnerable.

The Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Tanimu Umar said, “The process will cover the entire 114 wards of 11 LGAs in the state where the poorest of the poor and vulnerable will be enrolled. The categories include, children under five, widows, pregnant women, aged 65 years and above, IDPs and people with special needs.

After the inspection of the ongoing enrolment, one at the Pantami, Gida Magani Primary Health Care Centres, two of the officials, Ahmed Bello and Hauwa Danjuma, both said the process had been smooth. They said aside from the failure of some of the beneficiaries who did not have National Identification Number, some were not qualified based on the specified guidelines.

According to Bello, “We are enrolling beneficiaries for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund. We are five in number enrolling beneficiaries here in Pantami PHC. Some of the clients came without the NIN, and some others were not eligible. It took some minutes to explain to them. We intend to enrol beneficiaries within this area through the sensitisation of traditional and religious leaders.”

Exploring Tiwai Island, A Wildlife Sanctuary And Tourist Area Located In Sierra Leone

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 25, 2022

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Tiwai Island, which is also known as the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, is an island which serves as a wildlife sanctuary and tourist area, located on the Moa River in the Southern Province of the West African Republic of Sierra Leone.

As one of the largest islands in the country, it was established as a wildlife sanctuary on 1 January 1987, and at the moment it is run by a NGO named Environmental Foundation for Africa.

With a total area of 12 square km (1,200 hectares), it is one really interesting place to the people who have particularly interest in wildlife and biodiversity, which makes it an enormously popular spot for researchers and nature lovers.

This unique island which has a lush rain-forest, it also has a high concentration of endemic species, which was in the past recognized only as a special biosphere for wildlife conservation, where ecological research began on Tiwai in the early 1980s.

Until the late 19th century, the island officially belonged to the Barri people when the Queen Nyarroh who was at the time Barri Chief, gave half of the island to the Koya Chief, who had territory on the opposite side of the island, making them shared owners up until 1970s.

The island started with development, but something like bigger awareness about the conservation of the nature and the habitat, but also were included some community conservation program, ecological research, wildlife management, tourism and forestry management.

Everything ceased with the Civil War from Sierra Leone in 1991, which was very difficult to get to the island, which made the financial support for Tiwai to stop, but as soon as the war in 2002 was finished, the main NGO dedicated for the island began rebuilding both tourism and researcher facilities on the island.

Creating bigger awareness, since 1 June 2012, Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary is on the Tentative List of UNESCO with hope it will make the UNESCO World Heritage List.

With a population of pygmy hippopotamus, over 135 different species of birds and with about 11 different species of primates, it definitely represents something unique, and something extra worthy of continuing preservation.

Yosemite National Park: Firefighters Contain Spread

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 25, 2022

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Firefighters significantly slowed the spread of a huge wildfire burning in forest near Yosemite National Park, where thousands of residents of mountain communities were still under evacuation orders Monday and smoke was spreading for hundreds of miles around.

Crews “made good headway” against the Oak Fire, according to a Sunday night incident report by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. “Fire activity was not as extreme as it has been in previous days.”

More than 2,500 firefighters with aircraft support battled the blaze that erupted Friday southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County.

Officials described “explosive fire behavior” Saturday as flames made runs through bone-dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades.

By Monday morning, the blaze had consumed more than 26 square miles (67 square kilometers) of forest land, with 10% containment, Cal Fire said. The cause was under investigation.

Lagos Govt. Targets 250,000 Residents To Reduce Hearing, Visual Impairments

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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July 25, 2022

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The Lagos State Government says it is targeting 250,000 beneficiaries in the 4th edition of the BOSKOH HMI Medical Outreach to reduce visual and hearing impairment cases.

Gov Babajide Sanwo-Olu stated this at the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu/Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat Health Mission International Medical Outreach tagged “JigiBola Relaunch,” at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos.

According to him, no fewer than 250,000 Lagos residents in eight local government areas community sites, eight market sites and eight Police Barracks are to benefit from the 2022 edition of the programme.

Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, said there was a need to ensure optimal healthcare that cuts across the age divide in society.

Sanwo-Olu assured that his administration had made enough provisions to carry out free sight and hearing aid screening on residents across the state, to ensure residents did not lose their vision and hearing organs when it could be prevented.

He said that through the BOSKOH HMI, his administration had continued to lead the frontiers in delivering good healthcare.

The governor, therefore, reassured of his administration’s commitment to improving the well-being and welfare of the people through the BOSKOH HMI.

Dr. Sanwo-Olu stated that a large number of cases of visual impairment could have been prevented if they were detected early and treated effectively.

In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer, BOSKOH HMI, Mrs. Nike Osa, said that the initiative had recorded significant milestones since its inception in 2019.

Osa said it had continued to render free medical and humanitarian services to citizens in the state.

She noted that its focus was to ensure that people who were unable to afford medical care got free treatment through its immediate intervention.

Osa disclosed that the free medical services and screening would be extended to Police Barracks and markets in the state starting from now till the end of August.

Boeing Workers To Strike After Rejecting Deal

By

Elizabeth Williams

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July 25, 2022

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FILE PHOTO: A Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner taxis past the Final Assembly Building at Boeing South Carolina in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States, March 31, 2017. REUTERS/Randall Hill/File Photo

Roughly 2,500 Boeing workers are expected to go on strike next month at three plants in the St. Louis area after they voted Sunday to reject a contract offer from the plane maker.

The strike is planned to begin Aug. 1 at Boeing manufacturing facilities in St. Charles County, St. Louis County and Mascoutah, Illinois, after the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837 union voted down the contract, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“We cannot accept a contract that is not fair and equitable, as this company continues to make billions of dollars each year off the backs of our hardworking members,” the union said.

Boing said in a statement that the Arlington, Virginia-based company is disappointed in the vote, but it will now use its “contingency plan to support continuity of operations in the event of a strike.”

A Boeing spokesman said the company’s contract offer included competitive raises and a generous retirement plan that included Boeing matching employee contributions to their retirement plan up to 10% of their pay.