Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics NBS report shows, the average airfare paid by passengers on specified routes for a single journey has increased year-on-year by 52.44 percent.
Part of the report reads “The average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes on single journey, increased by 18.57% on a month-on-month basis from N46,810.62 in March 2022 to N55,501.49 in April 2022. On a year-on-year basis, this rose by 52.44% from N36,409.46 in April 2021.”
The NBS said in its “Transport Fare Watch (April 2022),” that airfares recorded an 18.57% increase on a month-on-month basis.
On state profile analysis, Taraba recorded the highest air transport charges (for specified routes single journey) in April 2022 with N65,000.00, followed by Kogi with N64,258.91, while Kano recorded the least with N50,000.00.
Analysis by zone also showed that the North-Central recorded the highest airfare in April, 2022 with N57,552.54, followed by the North-East with N56,800.16, while the South-East had the least with N53,402.58.
The significant hike in airfares, according to reports, are attributed to challenges like, energy price hikes and lack of access to foreign exchange.
Earlier, domestic airline operators threatened to ground their operations due to a substantial increase in the price of Jet A1, also called aviation fuel.
FILE PHOTO: Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan holds a news conference during the NATO summit at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 14, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Pool/File Photo
As controversies continue to trail NATO’s expansion campaign, Turkey’s President highlighted the activities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party as part of his country’s objections to Sweden and Finland joining NATO and said both nations doing so would carry security risks for Turkey.
The group known as PKK has waged a 38-year insurgency against Turkey that has led to tens of thousands of deaths. It is designated a terrorist entity by the United States and the European Union, including Sweden and Finland.
However, the West’s attitude to the PKK’s Syrian wing, the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, has caused acrimony between Ankara and other NATO members. The YPG forms the backbone of the forces involved in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State group.
“Turkey maintains that the admission of Sweden and Finland entails risks for its own security and the organization’s future,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote in an article published by The Economist late Monday.
Referring to the central tenet of NATO’s mutual defense policy, he added: “We have every right to expect those countries, which will expect NATO’s second-largest army to come to their defence under Article 5, to prevent the recruitment, fundraising and propaganda activities of the PKK.”
All NATO members must approve the two Nordic nations’ bids to join the alliance, which were propelled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Turkey has said it won’t allow their accession unless steps are taken, but NATO leaders are looking to the NATO summit in Spain in late June as the chance for the historic expansion.
Erdogan reiterated calls for Finland and Sweden to extradite people Ankara suspects of terrorist activity and to support “the anti-terror operations of NATO members.”
He also said arms embargoes were “incompatible with the spirit of military partnership.”
Sweden and Finland were among countries to impose defense export restrictions on Turkey following its 2019 incursion into northeast Syria that aimed to drive back the YPG. In recent days, Erdogan has promised a further cross-border operation against the group.
China fell short on a bold plan to have 10 Pacific nations endorse a sweeping new agreement covering everything from security to fisheries as some in the region expressed deep concerns.
But there have been plenty of smaller options for China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi as he continues an island-hopping tour of the region.
Wang was in Fiji to co-host a key meeting with the foreign ministers from the 10 island nations.
At an unusual news conference afterward, Wang and Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama spoke for about 30 minutes and then abruptly left the stage as reporters tried to shout out questions. That left many details of what transpired at the meeting undisclosed.
But it was clear the nations hadn’t endorsed China’s plan.
“As always, we put consensus first among our countries throughout any discussion on new regional agreements,” Bainimarama said.
While there have been growing international concerns about Beijing’s military and financial ambitions in the region, many Fijians see a benefit in foreign investment wherever it comes from, so long as it uplifts the people.
Georgina Matilda said that working for Chinese infrastructure company China Railway meant that she could put food on the table for her children.
Another Fijian, Miliane Rokolita, said China’s increased presence had benefited people.
“They bring us bigger houses. They bring money in Fiji. They’re good people,” Rokolita said.
Documents obtained by The Associated Press indicate Wang had hoped to get the 10 nations to endorse a pre-written agreement as part of a joint communique after the meeting.
But Wang was unable to get the consensus he’d sought.
David Panuelo, president of the Federated States of Micronesia, told other Pacific leaders he wouldn’t endorse the plan, warning them in a letter that it would needlessly heighten geopolitical tensions and threaten regional stability.
Panuelo called it “the single most game-changing proposed agreement in the Pacific in any of our lifetimes” and said it “threatens to bring a new Cold War era at best, and a World War at worst.”
During the news conference Monday, Wang listed some areas where the countries had been able to find agreement and said he’d keep working on others.
A Registrar of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Dr. Daniel Adegbulu has advised women against using tissue paper in place of sanitary pads for menstruation, noting that it can cause severe infections.
Adegbulu explained that some tissue papers are made from waste papers which makes them a grave health risk for any woman who may be using them as a substitute for sanitary pads.
The gynaecologist gave this counsel as Nigeria joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 2022 Menstrual Hygiene Day.
The day is to create awareness about menstruation, provide safe and hygienic practices to girls, and eradicate persisting taboos and stigma.
Speaking with Newsmen, the gynaecologist said, “The use of tissue paper as a sanitary pad could lead to severe health complications as infections which pass through the vagina cavity can ascend to other parts of the genital tract.
“Some of these tissue papers are products of waste paper. If tissue paper must be used it should be as a make-shift for 1 to 2 hours before a proper sanitary pad is used and should never be inserted into the vagina.
He also warned against other unhygienic menstrual practices stating that they are also means through which a woman can get infections.
A recent study published by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information has also confirmed that poor menstrual hygiene management may increase a woman’s susceptibility to reproductive tract infections.
According to the research, a limited body of evidence supports the premise that bacterial vaginosis may be more common in women with unhygienic menstrual hygiene management practices.
The research titled, ‘Menstrual Hygiene Practices, WASH Access and the Risk of Urogenital Infection in Women from Odisha, India’, noted that women with bacterial vaginosis may be at higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes like preterm birth, acquisition of sexually transmitted infections and development of pelvic inflammatory disease.
It also stated that urinary tract infections are believed to be among the most common forms of infection in girls and women of menstruating age, adding that this is often caused by unhygienic menstrual practices.
“The exact biological mechanism by which, unhygienic menstrual hygiene management practices affect bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infection is not clear, but one possibility is that menstrual hygiene management creates abnormally moist conditions in the urogenital area that promotes opportunistic infection and imbalance in microbiota.”
Speaking further, Adegbulu urged persons who may not have the finances to buy a sanitary pad to use materials that are hygienic and non-toxic.
sanitary materials
Such materials, he said, should also be changed regularly and not allowed to cause skin irritation or bacterial infection.
He said, “The aim should be to stop the build-up of bacteria and odour.
“This can be achieved by regular changing after use for about three to four hours. The use of pieces of clothes and towels is not unhygienic in itself but can cause infection build-up if not properly used.
“For example, if they are used for more than four hours, not properly washed and dried before being used again, they can cause infection.”
Kish Island is a new upcoming resort island that is part of the Hormozgān Province, located in the Persian Gulf, officially belonging to the Republic of Iran.
This 91.5 square km (35.3 square mi) resort island, due to its free trade zone status, is considered to be a consumer’s paradise that houses numerous malls, shopping centers, tourist attractions , and resort hotels.
Even though Dubai and the whole UAE are just thirty minutes flight from the island, Kish feels like a completely different world, and not just from the UAE but the rest of the world too.
The visitors can enter the island visa-free for up to 14 days, however, the women are intended to wear head scarves/hijabs according to the Iranian stringent dress code.
Yet, when one is going to reach the island, there are many hotels and places that are worth being seen.
For instance is the Greek cargo steamship from 1943, Koula F, located on the south-west coast of the island.
The ship originally has been built in Scotland, and ran aground in 1966 when the crew abandoned it and set the ship on fire.
Nowadays, what remains from her is just the steel hulk being admired from the people visiting the island.
The ancient underground aqueduct, which is also called ‘Underground City’ is partially open for the tourists and was built some 1,000 years ago for transportation and water supply across the different parts of the island.
Still, the fresh air and the clear waters of the sea are attracting even more people, where one can see the fish swimming in the sea.
The Green Tree Park, the Mysteries of the World Zoo as well as the Ancient Town of Cariz and Harireh are additional attraction for more people.
There are coral reefs for extra pleasure of snorkeling and diving for the tourists and the Kish International Airport is actually the highest point on the island, rising some 35-40 meters (115-131 feet) above the sea level.
Many different sights and landscapes that are waiting to be discovered on this island, which makes it an alluring place for all those willing to roam around the very dry semi equatorial climate and experience what not so many can experience.
South Korea has the most established electric vehicle charging infrastructure per unit in the world, a report by an autonomous intergovernmental organization said Tuesday.
The latest findings released in the Global EV Outlook 2022 by the Paris-based International Energy Agency showed that South Korea had 2.6 EVs per charging point last year.
A charging point refers to the number of sockets that can charge vehicles at the same time.
Among the 20 countries included in the report, South Korea had the best EV per charging point ratio last year as the world average in 2021 was 9.5 EVs per charging point.
Europe showed 15.5 EVs per charging point and China 7.2 EVs per charging point.
South Korea also showed the highest average kW per EV ratio with 6.5kW per EV while the worldwide average stood at 2.4kW per EV.
The Chinese and European markets are pulling the global averages downwards with 3.8 kW per EV and 1.0kW per EV respectively.
But slow chargers with an output of less than 22kW still account for a large portion of the options available in South Korea.
Last year, the country had 105 thousand chargers available among which 86 percent of them were slow chargers and only 14 percent were fast chargers.
Slow charger installations were on the upswing last year as compared to 2020.
In 2021, the number of slow chargers increased by 67 percent on-year while fast chargers increased by 53 percent on-year.
Globally, on the other hand, slow chargers account for 68 percent of EV chargers while fast chargers account for 32 percent.
The auto industry says there must be much more fast chargers available to have more EVs fully charged in a short amount of time as stocks of EVs are augmenting.
In response, Hyundai Motor Group established 20 E-pit fast charging stations with a total of 120 charging points each with up to 350Kw charging capacity last year.
The E-pit chargers can charge an EV twice as fast as other fast chargers.
Hyundai Motor Group also recently announced a partnership with Lotte Group and KB Asset Management to expand ultra-fast charging infrastructure in the country with the addition of 5,000 units by 2025.
Cameroon troops have freed a kidnapped senator from President Paul Biya’s ruling party and several other hostages, in a raid in a breakaway region that also killed a dozen “terrorists,” the army said Tuesday.
Senator Elizabeth Regine Mundi was kidnapped with her driver on April 30 in Bamenda in the Northwest Region, where anglophone separatists have mounted an armed campaign to separate from the majority French-speaking country.
Two wings of the self-described Ambazonian Defence Forces (ADF) had claimed responsibility for the abduction, a senior local official said.
In an army raid on a “terrorist refuge” in Ashong late on Monday “several hostages were freed, including the senator,” army spokesman Cyrille Atonfack Guemo said in a statement.
He did not provide the exact number of people liberated.
“A dozen terrorists were neutralised, several others wounded and fled. Three were captured,” he said.
Mundi, who hails from the Northwest Region, is a member of the politburo of Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (RDPC).
In 2017, separatists seeking self-rule in the Northwest and neighbouring Southwest Region declared an entity called the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.
Clashes between militants and security forces have claimed more than 6,000 lives and displaced around a million people, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG).
The separatists have frequently carried out kidnappings, usually of civil servants, and some have been killed. Church leaders and politicians have also been aducted but mostly are later freed.
The country has been ruled with an iron fist for nearly 40 years by 89-year-old Biya, who refused demands for federalism and has cracked down on the rebellion.
Civilians have suffered abuses committed by both sides, according to international NGOs and the United Nations.
The presence of the anglophone regions derives from the colonial era.
The former German possession of Cameroon was partitioned after World War I between Britain and France.
In 1961, part of the British territory, the Southern Cameroons, joined Cameroon after it gained independence from France, becoming the Northwest and Southwest regions.
Anglophones have long chafed about perceived inequality, especially in education and law.
1279 BC Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great becomes Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt (19th Dynasty)
1578 Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich, England, to Frobisher Bay, Canada. Eventually mines fools gold, famously used to pave the streets of London.
1902 Boer War Ends; Treaty of Unity signed, Britain annexes Transvaal
1910 Union of South Africa declares its independence from the United Kingdom ‘
1916 Battle of Jutland: Largest naval battle of World War I between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet which killed 8,645 in an inconclusive battle but strategic British victory. German fleet never puts to sea again in WWI.
1935 7.7 magnitude earthquake destroys Quetta in Balochistan, British India (now Pakistan) killing an estimated 40,000 people
1947 Communists seize power in Hungary
1970 7.75 Ancash earthquake off coast of Peru kills 66-70,000 and sets off world’s deadliest avalanche
Historical Events Today
Today in Film & TV
2014 Psy’s “Gangnam Style” becomes the first video to reach 2 billion views on YouTube
Today in Music
2007 Rihanna releases her breakthrough album “Good Girl Gone Bad”
Today in Sport
1868 Dr James Moore (UK) wins 1st recorded bicycle race, (2k) velocipede race at Parc fde St Cloud, Paris
MORE FACTS
1669 Citing poor eyesight, English civil servant Samuel Pepys records the last event in his famous diary
1976 The Who set the record for the loudest concert of all time, 120 decibels at 50 metres, at The Valley in Charlton, London, England
The World Health Organisation says the number of confirmed monkeypox cases has reached 257, adding that there are also about 120 suspected cases from 23 non-endemic countries.
The WHO disclosed this in its latest update on the health condition.
The global health agency said it received reports of 1,365 cases and 69 deaths, from five African countries where the virus is mostly found.
WHO stated that its report covers the period between May 13 and May 26.
It added that no deaths have been reported in non-endemic countries.
According to the WHO, “Since 2017, the few deaths of persons with monkeypox in West Africa have been associated with young age or an untreated HIV infection.”
Monkeypox
The UN body said presently, the general public health risk is moderate, “considering this is the first time that monkeypox cases and clusters are reported concurrently in widely disparate WHO geographical areas and without known epidemiological links to non-endemic countries in West or Central Africa.”
WHO said, “The public health risk could become high if this virus exploits the opportunity to establish itself as a human pathogen and spreads to groups at higher risk of severe diseases such as young children and immunosuppressed persons.”
The global health agency is urging health care workers to pay close attention to possible symptoms such as rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes, headache, back pain, muscle aches and fatigue, and also, to provide testing to any individual experiencing these symptoms.
“Any patient with suspected monkeypox should be investigated and if confirmed, isolated until their lesions have crusted, the scab has fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed underneath.
“Isolation can occur either in a health care facility or at home, provided the infected individual can be isolated and cared for appropriately.
“All efforts should be made to avoid unnecessary stigmatization of individuals and communities potentially affected by monkeypox,” WHO said.
The WHO also called on all member States, health authorities at all levels, clinicians, health and social sector partners, and academic, research, and commercial partners to respond rapidly in stopping the multi-country outbreak of monkeypox.
“Rapid action must be taken before the virus can be allowed to establish itself as a human pathogen with efficient person-to-person transmission in both endemic and non-endemic contexts.
“Lessons learned from the eradication of smallpox and from the management of other emerging zoonotic diseases must be urgently considered in the light of these rapidly evolving events,” it said.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
