Norway will close its borders and ports to Russian trucks and ships, joining sanctions imposed by the European Union over the war in Ukraine, the Norwegian foreign ministry said on Friday.
Russian fishing vessels, which often land their catch at ports in northern Norway, will receive exemptions from sanctions.
Norway’s Arctic Svalbard archipelago, which operates under a 1920s treaty allowing expanded foreign access, will also be exempted, the ministry said.
Mikel Arteta is confident that Arsenal’s crop of young stars can cope with the mounting pressure as they seek to seal a place in next season’s Champions League.
Arteta’s side is fourth in the Premier League with five games left as they fight to return to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2016/17.
The Gunners, two points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham, have climbed into the top four thanks to a set of gifted players developed by Arteta including Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah and Nuno Tavares.
Now they must prove they can perform when the pressure mounts, starting on Sunday at London rivals West Ham.
“For most of them it is (their first experience) but it’s been like this for the last two or three months where everyone is talking about it,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.
“They can feel the importance of every match but this is what we want in April and May, for things to play for.”
Arteta has steered Arsenal back towards the top of the table after their worst start to a season for decades.
The Spaniard was facing calls for his sacking back in September, but he has been rewarded for keeping faith with the youngsters, as well as cutting ties with club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who made a January move to Barcelona.
“We have very different players in the squad and we have a very different environment,” Arteta said when asked to explain how he turned the tide.
“I think the unity that exists right now between the team, the staff, our supporters and externally is completely different and is very beneficial for the team.”
Arsenal have enjoyed impressive recent wins over Manchester United and Chelsea to take control of fourth place but with a potentially decisive north London derby looming against Tottenham in May, Arteta knows the top-four battle is likely to go down to the wire.
“There will still be some twists and turns, we all have difficult matches to play,” he said.
“We had two really good results that put us in a really good position. But it is about doing it again at West Ham.”
Stakeholders in the public and private health sectors have advocated availability of maternal health products in the country.
The stakeholders made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at a meeting on leveraging Public-Private Partnerships to Improve Access to Quality Maternal Medicines, organised by the Nigeria Health Watch.
Dr Kayode Afolabi, Director and Head of Reproductive Health Division, Federal Ministry of Health, said the meeting was to deliberate on improved access to quality maternal health products including Oxytocin among others.
Oxytocin is a hormone released by the pituitary gland that causes increased contraction of the uterus during labour and stimulates the ejection of milk into the ducts of the breasts
According to him, there is need to ensure that maternal health products are available in the country, if we must reduce preventable maternal death if really we must meet SDG 3 target 1.
“For us to ensure Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is very essential because about 60 per cent of services in reproductive and maternal health are provided by the private sector.”
He said that the government had been working on this to ensure deeper engagement with the private sector.
On her part, Dr Chioma Ejekam, Consultant, Public Health Physician, said Oxytocin required cold chain supply for it to maintain its effectiveness.
She said it was important for most facilities at the primary care level to have refrigerators or reliable electricity supply for improved services.
Ejekam further said that there was need for urgent actions on the management of cold chain constraints and other steps along the supply chain.
This, she said was in terms of ensuring quality manufacturing, organised procurement and distribution of oxytocin.
Mrs Vivianne Ihekweazu, Managing Director, Nigeria Health Watch, welcoming the stakeholders, said the event became necessary because of the alarming records of reported maternal death due to use of poor-quality oxytocin.
According to her, no woman should die at child birth.
She maintained that public awareness was important to enable Nigerians check the quality of products and the expiring date before purchasing such drugs.
“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) should continue its work as well as the Civil Society Organisations like the Nigeria Health Watch among others,” she stated.
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja that he did not order the Senate to remove the contentious Section 84(12) from the amended Electoral Act 2022.
Section 84(12) reads: “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”
Contrary to claims of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a suit filed against him and 12 others, President Buhari said he only expressed reservations and concerns in respect of the aspect of the Electoral Act.
The President’s position was contained in a counter affidavit filed at the Federal High Court at the instance of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
In the joint counter affidavit by President Buhari and Malami to debunk PDP’s claims in the suit, the AGF explained that the President on February 25, 2022, gave proper, full and unconditional assent to the amended Electoral Act.
President Buhari and Malami averred that the claims of PDP in its suit against them on the Electoral Act are totally false and replete with gross untruths aimed at misleading the court to give judgment against them.
“The first defendant (President Buhari) assented to the Electoral Bill but did not give conditions or directives to the National Assembly in the manner erroneously deposed to by the plaintiff (PDP). At no time did the first defendant give any directive to the management or leadership of the National Assembly as regards the removal of section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act 2022 from the Act.
“On March 8, 2022, first defendant officially wrote the Senate President and House of Representatives Speaker to express his concerns about Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act and formally requested for amendment to be effected on the section so as to eliminate area of infraction with the Constitution. I am aware that the National Assembly neither accepted nor acted on the opinion or suggestion of President Buhari.”
The Justice Minister said only the Court of Appeal can restore Section 84 (12) into the Electoral Act, 2022. The PDP had challenged the legality or otherwise of the National Assembly tinkering with the Electoral Act, after it had been signed into law by President Buhari.
Amid debate about the subject matter, Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia on March 18, ordered the AGF to delete Section 84 (12) of the Act.
Anyadike, in the judgment, held that the section was “unconstitutional, invalid, illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever and ought to be struck down as it cannot stand when it is in violation of the clear provisions of the Constitution.”
Anyadike held that Sections 66(1)(f), 107(1)(f), 137(1)(f), and 182(1)(f) of the 1999 Constitution already stipulated that appointees of government seeking to contest elections were only to resign at least 30 days to the date of the election.
Reacting, the AGF said that both the National Assembly and PDP had since appealed the judgment. He said “it is only the Court of Appeal that can restore the section into the Electoral Act and not any high court.”
The AGF, therefore, prayed the court to dismiss the PDP suit. Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until May 16 for hearing.
A British pharmaceutical company was fined over £1 million on Friday for supplying contaminated feed for premature babies and potentially causing “serious harm”.
Nineteen infants were infected at nine hospitals in England after receiving a contaminated batch of ITH Pharma’s “total parenteral nutrition”.
They had all received the fluid directly into their bloodstream because they were unable to feed on their own.
Three of the babies later died, although Southwark Crown Court in south London was told the deaths were not related to the product or caused by the company.
But judge Deborah Taylor said in one death, of a premature twin boy, the company’s processes risked “serious harm and/or death”.
Read Also: LASG, Firm to unravel source of Contaminated Milk
London’s Metropolitan Police launched an investigation in 2014 after the three babies died and another 20 needed treatment when they contracted sepsis.
The force said ITH Pharma were fined £1.2 million ($1.5 million, 1.4 million euros) after pleading guilty to three offences at an earlier hearing.
The company admitted one charge of failing to make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and two of supplying a medicinal product “not of the nature or quality specified in the prescription”.
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard, who led the investigation, paid tribute to the families of those affected.
London’s Metropolitan Police launched an investigation in 2014 after the three babies died and another 20 needed treatment when they contracted sepsis.
The force said ITH Pharma were fined £1.2 million ($1.5 million, 1.4 million euros) after pleading guilty to three offences at an earlier hearing.
The company admitted one charge of failing to make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and two of supplying a medicinal product “not of the nature or quality specified in the prescription”.
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard, who led the investigation, paid tribute to the families of those affected.
As part of activities to mark this year’s workers day which is globally commemorated, the Nigerian Labour Congress has held a National rally to press home some of the workers demand in Nigeria.
The procession which took place from the Labour House at the central Area, Abuja, down to the Federal Secretariat in company of officials of Federal Road Corps and other security agents to ensure peaceful conduct of the rally.
Speaking at the event, the NLC President Mr Ayuba Waba explained the motive behind the national rally.
“this rally is about raising the consciousness of the working class that May Day is set aside as International Workers day to recognize the contribution of workers to national development , economic stability and the creation of wealth because we said labour create wealth but yet after creating the wealth, what have we achieved and this is something that need to be interrogated at this May Day”
He expressed concern over the series of security challenges bedeviling the country as well as economic instability and something needs to be done to address it.
Mr Waba explained that the best way to reduce this social menace in the society is to provide education for Nigerian youths.
“the best way to address poverty is to give education to the children of the poor”.
The theme of this year’s may is “Labour, politics: the quest for good governance and national development” which captures the mood of the moment of what Nigeria’s challenges is being saddled with.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta announced on Thursday in a meeting with Barcelona mayoress Ada Colau that the club will play at the Montjuic during the 2023-24 season.
Laporta announced that work will begin at the Camp Nou in June and will not finish until the 2025-26 season.
Barcelona are preparing to begin work on remodelling the Camp Nou. Barca president, Joan Laporta, had a meeting this Thursday with Ada Colau, the mayoress of Barcelona, to talk about the Espai Barca project.
After this meeting, both talked to the media to announce the good news. Work will begin in June, with special emphasis on the first and second stadium and the area around the stadium.
Confederation of African Football, CAF has announced the postponement of the draw for the qualifying tournament of Africa Cup of Nations (CHAN) 2023.
CAF announced the postponement in a brief message on its official Twitter handle.
“The TotalEnergies CHAN Algeria 2023 qualification draw initially scheduled for Friday, 29 April 2022 has been postponed”.
It stated that new dates will be communicated in due course.
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to fasten the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to boost its industrialisation goals.
It also called on the FG to tackle Nigeria’s electricity and interest rate issues to take advantage of tariff-free African trade.
This was disclosed by Mr Mansur Ahmed, President of MAN at the 11th Business Luncheon of the Apapa Branch Council of MAN on Thursday in Lagos, themed: “Improving Nigeria’s Manufacturers Competitiveness Within the Context of AFCFTA’s Implementation.”
The Nigerian National Action Committee on the AfCFTA has already said that its strategic objective is to capture 10% of Africa’s imports by 2035, thereby doubling Nigeria’s export in the process.
The defense hq has disclosed that about 517 small arms and light weapons to the coordinator north central zone of the national center for the control of small arms and light weapons
The director defnse media operations Maj Gen Benard made the disclosure at a press briefing of the activities of the Nigerian troops across the various theter of operation in the country.
According to onyuko the weapons were recovered from bandits and other criminal elements by the troops of operation safe haven in jos during one eof its succesful raids to stamp out criminal elemsnts and recovery of illicit weapons.
He further said the continued clamp down on activities of economic saboteurs following the discovery of illegal refinery site and millions of liters of crude oil.
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