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No Examination Scheduled For July 9 — NECO

By
Rhoda Onuzulike
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The National Examinations Council (NECO) says it  has not scheduled any examination for July 9, contrary to insinuations in some quarters that it scheduled examination date on Eid-el-Kabir (Sallah) day.

The council stated this in a statement by the Head Information and Public Relations Division, Azeez Sani and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday.

He said that the council was conscious of the importance of religious festivals and had as such, always made adequate provision for such in fixing examination dates.
“The council has given a whole examination free week, beginning from July 8, to July 13, in the ongoing Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for school-based candidates.


“The council has given a whole examination free week, beginning from July 8, to July 13, in the ongoing Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for school-based candidates.

It will be recalled that the 2022 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for School based Candidates began on June 27, and will end on Aug.12.

Tunisia Constitution Head Faults President’s Draft

By
Zoe Maven
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The man who oversaw the drawing up of Tunisia’s proposed new constitution has damned the final document published by the president as dangerous.

Sadok Belaid, a former constitutional law professor, is quoted by local media as saying that some chapters could pave the way for a dictatorial regime.

He had been entrusted by President Kais Saied with reshaping Tunisia’s constitution but said what is being put to a referendum in four weeks’ time does not resemble the first draft proposed by his committee.

In a letter published by the majority state-owned Assabah newspaper, he said the published draft “involved risks of serious pitfalls, in particular the erasure and distortion of Tunisian identity”.

He also criticised the president’s restructuring of the judiciary, saying the new system, in which the president would appoint judges to a supreme judicial body, would reduce its independence.

The document has also been attacked by the powerful UGTT trade union as a potential threat to democracy.

The proposed constitution will be put to a referendum on 25 July.

ECOWAS leaders lift Mali sanctions, agree on Burkina transition

By
Zoe Maven
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West African leaders on Sunday lifted sanctions on Mali’s military regime, accepting a March 2024 return to civilian rule and agreed to allow Burkina Faso two years for its transition back to democracy.

Heads of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met in Ghana’s capital Accra to assess efforts to secure guarantees for restoring civilian rule in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso.

Mali underwent coups in August 2020 and May 2021, followed by Guinea in September 2021 and Burkina Faso this January. Fearing contagion in a region known for military takeovers, ECOWAS imposed tough trade and economic sanctions against Mali, but lesser punishments against Guinea and Burkina.

The decision also demands no military junta member run as a candidate in Mali’s future presidential election, according to one ECOWAS delegate. ECOWAS in January had imposed a trade and financial embargo on Mali after its military government unveiled a scheme to rule for five years.

The sanctions have badly hit the poor, landlocked Sahel state, whose economy is already under severe strain from a decade-long jihadist insurgency.

After months of talks, Malian authorities on Wednesday approved a plan to hold presidential elections in February 2024. The vote will be preceded by a referendum on a revised constitution in March 2023 and legislative elections in late 2023.

The ECOWAS mediator in Mali, former Nigerian leader Goodluck Jonathan, visited the country last week. A member of his entourage had told AFP Mali had made “enormous progress”.

Trial Of Chinese-Canadian Tycoon Xiao Jianhua Begins

By
Zoe Maven
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Canadian-Chinese tycoon Xiao Jianhua on Monday stood trial, after the businessman disappeared from a Hong Kong hotel in 2017, according to Ottawa’s embassy in Beijing said in a statement.

Xiao, who is a Canadian citizen, disappeared from Hong Kong’s Four Seasons hotel in January 2017, with local media reporting that he was snatched by mainland Chinese agents.

One of China’s richest people at the time of his alleged abduction, Xiao reportedly had close connections to the upper echelons of the ruling Communist Party.

Hong Kong police said at the time that he had crossed the border into mainland China. His company Tomorrow Group also later said that he was in the mainland.

But Chinese authorities have been silent about the case, which is reportedly linked to an anti-corruption drive championed by President Xi Jinping since he came into power.

Xiao’s alleged abduction came at a time when mainland Chinese agents were not permitted to operate in Hong Kong, and it sparked fear in the city about residents being forcibly disappeared.

These fears were at the heart of massive pro-democracy protests that shook Hong Kong in 2019, prompted by a government bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China’s opaque, Communist Party-controlled judicial system.

Xiao’s disappearance also followed the alleged kidnapping into mainland custody of five people working for a bookstore which published salacious titles about China’s leaders.

Kenya To Build Safe Houses In S’Arabia For Domestic Workers

By
Zoe Maven
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The Kenyan government said it will work on setting up safe houses to host domestic workers in Saudi Arabia amid increased reports of physical and mental abuse – and even deaths – before they can be repatriated back to the east African country.

Authorities in Kenya have reportedly expressed their intention to build safe houses solely for abused domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, where cases of abuses against domestic workers are often reported.

The Kenyan government said it wants to “safeguard” workers who have been subjected to mental and physical abuse in the Gulf kingdom. Reports have also suggested that some of the abuse has resulted in a number of domestic workers’ deaths.

Kenyan Labour Minister Simon Chelugui said that Sh70 million will be allocated for the project, as Kenyan nationals who experience abuse while serving in Saudi Arabia “need protection until their repatriation can be managed”.

The Kenyan government said it will also adhere to the strict enforcement of worker data registration with all overseas recruitment agencies known to the authorities, before being sent to work overseas.

According to official statements, the number of Kenyans working and living in Saudi Arabia has doubled over the past three years, reaching nearly 100,000 Kenyans, most of whom are domestic workers.

However, due to concerns about workers’ welfare and safety, Kenya’s foreign ministry proposed a temporary ban on domestic workers being recruited and taken to the Saudi kingdom in September last year.

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau said that conditions for domestic workers had drastically deteriorated since 2019, with increased report of worker deaths.

Copenhagen Shooting Suspect Had Mental Health Issues: Police

By
Zoe Maven
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Danish police on Monday said that the suspect in a weekend shooting at a Copenhagen mall that left three dead, including two teenagers, was known to mental health services.

Addressing a Press Conference, Copenhagen police chief Soren Thomassen added that the victims appeared to have been randomly targeted and there was nothing to indicate it was an act of terror.

The police chief could not yet comment on a motive, but said there seemed to have been preparation ahead of the attack and that the 22-year-old suspect was not aided by anyone else.

The three killed have been identified as a Danish teenage girl and boy, both aged 17, and a 47-year-old Russian citizen residing in Denmark.

Another four were injured in the shooting: two Danish women, aged 19 and 40, and two Swedish citizens, a 50-year-old man and a 16-year-old woman.

Police confirmed that the suspected shooter was present at the mall at the time of the shooting and is known to the police “but only peripherally”.

They added that they believe videos of the suspect circulating since Sunday evening on social media to be authentic.

In some of the images, the young man can be seen posing with weapons, mimicking suicide gestures and talking about psychiatric medication “that does not work”.

YouTube and Instagram accounts believed to belong to the suspect were closed overnight.

The shooting occurred Sunday afternoon at the busy Fields shopping mall, located between the city centre and Copenhagen airport.

Ebola outbreak officially over in DR Congo

By
Henry Williams
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The latest Ebola outbreak has been contained within three months thanks to a “swift” and “robust response” in the Democratic Republic of Congo, says the World Health Organization (WHO).

Four people have died since this outbreak – the country’s 14th since 1976 – was declared in April in the western city of Mbandaka.

Three of those who died were considered “confirmed cases” and one was considered a “probable” case, the global health body said.

The WHO will continue to monitor the situation in case of any “flare-ups”, but in a statement it praised the Congolese authorities. The UN organisation worked together with the government to roll out vaccinations, testing, contract tracing, infection prevention and control, as well as community engagement.

“This outbreak response shows that by bolstering preparedness, disease surveillance and swift detection, we can stay a step ahead,” said WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti in a statement on Monday.

Drug-smuggling submarines seized by Spain

By
Henry Williams
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Spanish police say they have seized six underwater drones built to smuggle large amounts of illicit drugs remotely from Morocco.

They said the unmanned submarines – each capable of carrying 200kg (31 stone) – had more than enough range to cover the 15km (9 miles) journey across the Strait of Gibraltar.

They said trafficking gangs were supplying drugs to criminals in France, Denmark, Italy, as well as Spain.

Eight people were arrested in the police operation, in Barcelona, and in the southern provinces of Malaga and Cadiz.

‘Age fraud’ footballers face punishment in Cameroon

By
Henry Williams
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Forty-four footballers are being investigated in Cameroon on suspicion of faking their ages or their identities.

Most of the players hail from amateur clubs and a few are from local leagues, says Cameroon’s football-governing body Fecafoot.

If found guilty they face a six-month suspension from matches, a Fecafoot offiicial told the BBC.

A number of club presidents who are accused of being complicit are also being called to these Fecafoot hearings, which are all being held behind closed doors.

Accusations of age fraud are common in Cameroon. In 2016, 14 Cameroonian players were suspended by the country for a few days before the U17 Africa Cup of Nations.

Their true ages were revealed with the help of MRI scans, that provide detailed images of the inside of the body.

Fed-up teachers strike in Ghana over pay

By
Henry Williams
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Primary and secondary school teachers across Ghana say they’re embarking on a strike because their cost of living allowances aren’t being paid.

They say the allowance, which is 20% of their basic salary, is essential to cushion them from biting economic hardship.

Inflation is at its highest level in 18 years, and the mineral-rich West African country may soon have to borrow more money to pay public sector workers.

A team from the IMF is expected in Ghana this week to begin talks with the government on a bail-out package.

The teaching strike declared on Monday will be observed by non-teaching staff too.

It comes after Ghana’s government failed to meet a 30 June deadline set by union leaders during the course of negotiations.

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