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U.S. Bars Flight From Landing With Americans From Kabul – Activists

Zoe Maven
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U.S. Bars Flight From Landing With Americans From Kabul – Activists

The Department of Homeland Security has denied U.S. landing rights for a charter plane carrying more than 100 Americans and U.S. green card holders evacuated from Afghanistan.

Bryan Stern, a founder of non-profit group Project Dynamo, said of the department’s Customs and Border Protection agency that they would not allow a charter on an international flight into a U.S. port of entry

Stern spoke to Reuters from aboard a plane his group chartered from Kam Air, a private Afghan airline that he said had been sitting for 14 hours at Abu Dhabi airport after arriving from Kabul with 117 people, including 59 children.

His group is one of several that emerged from ad hoc networks of U.S. military veterans, current and former U.S. officials and others that formed to bolster last month’s U.S. evacuation operation they saw as chaotic and badly organized.

An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were unfamiliar with the matter, but that the U.S. government typically takes time to verify the manifests of charter planes before clearing them to land in the United States.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has said its top priority is repatriating Americans and green card holders unable to leave Afghanistan in the U.S. evacuation operation last month.

A senior State Department official on Monday said the United States was aware of about 100 American citizens and legal permanent residents ready to leave Afghanistan.

Twenty-eight Americans, 83 green card holders and six people with U.S. Special Immigration Visas granted to Afghans who worked for the U.S. government during the 20-year war in Afghanistan were aboard the Kam Air flight, Stern said.

Int’l Community Will Stop Supporting Mali If It hires Mercenaries – France

Zoe Maven
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Int’l Community Will Stop Supporting Mali If It hires Mercenaries – France

France has warned Mali that it would lose the support of the international community if it agreed a deal with Russian mercenaries.

Diplomatic and security sources say Mali’s year-old military junta is close to recruiting the Russian Wagner Group and France has launched a diplomatic drive to thwart it, saying such an arrangement is “incompatible” with a continued French presence.

Relations between France and its former colony have soured over Wagner and since Paris said in June it would reshape its 5,000-strong counter-terrorism mission in the region.

Mali’s prime minister accused Paris of abandoning Bamako in a speech at the United Nations on Saturday.

She said the prime minister’s comments were particularly shocking given the death last week of a 52nd French soldier in the Sahel. He will receive a national tribute on Thursday.

French officials say the junta is turning to Wagner as part of efforts to cling to power beyond transition period which is due to end after the Feb. 27 presidential and legislative elections.

The French army started redeploying troops from its bases in Kidal, Tessalit and Timbuktu in northern Mali at the start of the month, French army sources have said.

France wants to complete the redeployment by January. It is reducing its contingent to 2,500-3,000 from about 5,000 by 2023, moving more assets to Niger, and encouraging other European special forces to work alongside local forces.

Hong Kong Legislature Passes Controversial Anti-Doxxing Privacy Bill

Zoe Maven
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Hong Kong Legislature Passes Controversial Anti-Doxxing Privacy Bill

Hong Kong’s legislature on Wednesday passed a privacy law tackling “doxxing” – the public release of information identifying an individual or organisation – that critics say could be used to protect those in power and target civil society.

Supporters say the legislation was long overdue to counter a problem festering since the city’s 2019 mass pro-democracy protests. Some officers’ home addresses and children’s schools were exposed by anti-government protesters, leading to threats.

But some technology companies are concerned the legislation is so broad and vague that it could hamper operations in Hong Kong. Human rights and pro-democrcay groups fear it could be used to crack down on dissent.

The law empowers The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data to investigate and prosecute doxxing.

Violators include anyone who discloses an individual’s personal data without consent “with an intent to cause specified harm or being reckless” about the harm caused.

“Specified harm” includes harassment, threat, intimidation, bodily harm, psychological harm, causing the victim to be concerned about safety, and others. Violators could face fines of up to $129,000) and five years in prison.

The commissioner can apply for a warrant to enter and search premises and seize materials for investigation, and can access electronic devices without a warrant. It can also issue notices to remove content or block access to that content, anywhere in the world.

Asia Internet Coalition, an advocacy group that includes Google, Facebook and Twitter, said in a June 25 letter to the commissioner that tech companies could stop offering their services in Hong Kong if authorities went ahead with the changes.

British Army Called In To Drive Tankers As Fuel Shortages Continue

Zoe Maven
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British Army Called In To Drive Tankers As Fuel Shortages Continue

British soldiers will start driving tankers to replenish empty pumps, as drivers queued again for fuel after days of shortages, despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying the situation was improving.

The country has been gripped by a rush of panic buying for almost a week that has left pumps dry across major cities, after oil companies warned they did not have enough tanker drivers to move gas and diesel from refineries to filling stations.

The shortage of drivers has come about with Brexit and the subsequent lack of an EU labour pool to draw from.

But around 150 army drivers were placed on standby, with half of them of them able to begin work this week, according to officials.

However, the emergency measures carry the risk of triggering further bouts of the panic buying that ministers said have compounded the crisis. It’s also not clear how much impact they will have.

Johnson has sought to quell concerns, saying supplies were returning to normal while also urging people not to panic buy.

The UK government is poised to temporarily ease visa rules to attract more foreign taxi drivers, reports said Saturday, as it grapples with a growing shortage that has now hit fuel supplies.

Yet ministers have been struggling to show they have a grip on frequent ructions in the supply chain, of which the fuel shortages are just the latest example.

During the pandemic, supermarket shelves have been left bare amid an estimated 100,000 shortfall of truck drivers, and is now raising the spectre of empty shelves and price increases at Christmas.

The gridlock has sparked calls for doctors, nurses and other essential workers to be given priority access to fuel, a move Johnson has resisted.

Industry groups said the worst of the shortages seemed to be in London, the southeast and other English cities. Fights have broken out as drivers jostled.

The Petrol Retailers Association, which represents independent retailers who account for about two-thirds of all the 8,380 U.K. gas stations, said on Tuesday 37 per cent of its members’ stations were out of fuel.

Johnson’s opponents have blamed the Brexit deal he signed with the European Union for cutting the U.K. off from the bloc’s seamless labour market, a narrative the government has rejected.

Ex-Diplomat Kishida Wins Japan Party Vote To Become New PM

Zoe Maven
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Ex-Diplomat Kishida Wins Japan Party Vote To Become New PM

Former Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida won the governing party’s leadership election on Wednesday and is set to become the next prime minister.

In his victory speech, Kishida vowed to tackle “national crises” including COVID-19, the pandemic-battered economy and the declining population and birthrate.

He said he would pursue “important issues related to Japan’s future” through a vision of “a free and open Indo-Pacific” that counters China’s assertiveness in the region.

He faces the tasks of reviving a pandemic-hit economy and ensuring a strong alliance with Washington to counter growing regional security risks.

Kishida replaces outgoing party leader Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is stepping down after serving only one year.

As new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Kishida is certain to be elected the next prime minister on Monday in parliament, where his party and its coalition partner control both houses.

Kishida defeated popular vaccinations minister Taro Kono in a runoff after finishing only one vote ahead of him in the first round, in which none of the four candidates, including two women, was able to win a majority.

In a landslide 257-170 victory in the second round, Kishida received support from party heavyweights who apparently chose stability over change advocated by Kono, who is known as something of a maverick and a reformist.

Kishida is under pressure to change the party’s high-handed reputation, worsened by Suga, who angered the public over his handling of the pandemic and insistence on holding the Summer Olympics in Tokyo despite surging infections.

Zimbabwe Central Bank Freezes 30 Accounts Over Illegal Activities

Zoe Maven
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Zimbabwe Central Bank Freezes 30 Accounts Over Illegal Activities

Zimbabwe’s central bank has frozen the bank accounts of 30 people accused of illegally exchanging foreign currency through mobile phones and social networks.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe said in a statement it had identified 30 people “abusing mobile telecommunication services and other social media platforms” for “illegal foreign exchange transactions and money laundering”.

Their accounts have been frozen and they are now banned from banking for two years. They also face being blocked by telephone operators.

The Zimbabwean government has been trying to promote the local currency since it was temporarily abandoned in 2009 in favor of the US dollar due to hyperinflation.

Faced with a lack of liquidity, the country printed

Zimbabwe is still reeling from decades of mismanagement during the Mugabe era. The southern African country has been in a severe economic crisis for years. Many Zimbabweans have watched helplessly as prices have soared and their savings have gone up in smoke.

Industry and exports have plummeted, while foreign currency is becoming scarce.

Tunisia’s President Appoints First Woman As Head Of Government

Zoe Maven
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Tunisia’s President Appoints First Woman As Head Of Government

Tunisian president Kais Saied has appointed the first woman as head of government.

The President has met Najla Bouden Romdhane this Wednesday and tasked her with forming a new government.

Romdhane, 63, was assigned on Wednesday to form a new government amid growing domestic and international discontent about the president’s power seizure.

Saied said he will work with Romdhane “with a firm will and determination to combat corruption and chaos that pervaded in many state institutions”.

Romdhane is likely to have less direct power than previous prime ministers under the 2014 constitution after Saied last week said that during the emergency period, the government would be responsible to the president.

Born in Tunisia’s central Kairouan province in 1958, Romdhane is a geology professor at the National School of Engineers in the capital Tunis.

Before she was appointed prime minister, she was assigned by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to implement programmes with the World Bank, according to the official Tunisian News Agency.

In 2011, she was appointed director-general in charge of quality at the Ministry of Higher Education.

The little-known engineer does not have any political affiliation, according to Anadolu Agency.

There was no immediate reaction from Tunisia’s powerful General Labour Union or political parties to Romdhane’s appointment.

However, parliament members may challenge the legality of any government appointment without the consent of the now-suspended chamber.

ACPN Chairman Urges Policemen to go for Regular Check-Ups

Olasunbo Okoromi
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ACPN Chairman Urges Policemen to go for Regular Check-Ups

The Chairman of the Lagos branch of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Lawrence Ekhator, has advised policemen to go for regular check-ups.

The chairman gave the advice during a medical outreach by the association to ‘Area F’ Commands of the Nigeria Police Force.

The ACPN chairman said the event was to observe the scientific week of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, as well as the commemoration of World Pharmacists Day 2021.

Ekhator also urged the policemen and the general public to take precautions when necessary and imbibe the culture of health lifestyle.  

On the so called pandemic the Chairman said “We do not want Nigerians to become the statistics that the world will use to make negative reference points.

Lagos State Employs More Health Workers

Olasunbo Okoromi
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Lagos State Employs More Health Workers

Over 400 health workers have been employed and 1500 engaged by the Lagos State Government to fill existing vacancies in State-owned secondary health facilities between the last quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of  2021.

This was stated in a press statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, on Monday.

The government noted that the employment is for the last quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2021.

The Chairman, Lagos State Health Service Commission, Dr. Atinuke Onayiga was quoted to have said that the engagement of the health care workers is part of the current administration’s strategy to improve human resources for health towards the provision of qualitative healthcare delivery in Lagos State.

“The recruitment of the health workers was conducted consequent to the approval of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and in line with the exit replacement and human resource policy of the government.

 “The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu places priority on human resources for health, human capital development, and medical infrastructural development as a means of achieving the Health and Environment mandate of the THEMES agenda.

“The Lagos State Health Service Commission in alignment with the THEMES agenda is doing everything within its capacity to ensure optimal human resource provision to the public health sector.

“This, we will vigorously pursue until we attain an equitable distribution of human resources in our health facilities which will ensure improved access to qualitative and efficient health service delivery. It should reduce waiting time and improve the overall patient experience in our health facilities in line with our mandate”.

“The increased investment in health over the years, especially in human resources, human capacity development, medical infrastructure, and implementation of the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme, the commitment of the Sanwo-Olu led administration to the attainment of universal health coverage has been further affirmed.

“This ultimately, will halt the trend of brain drain of the health professionals and attract medical tourism to Lagos State”, she said.

‘Yahaya The White Lion’: A Biopic On Kogi Governor Set For December Release

Koko Lawrence
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‘Yahaya The White Lion’: A Biopic On Kogi Governor Set For December Release

In many cases, biopics are not helpful as quality life lessons because too much time has passed between the lifetime of the subject and the time the movie is made. For this reason, people simply enjoy biopics as tools of entertainment and as documentation of the history of a different time. This is where Seun Oloketuyi’s latest biopic, ‘Yahaya, the White Lion’ roars differently.

According to Oloketuyi, founder of the annual Best of Nollywood traveling awards, ‘Yahaya the White Lion is a biopic on the life of the ever-smiling, unassuming and modest Governor of Kogi, the Confluence State, Yahaya Adoza Bello.

While principal photography kicked off in the third week of September 2021 in different locations around Kogi State including Lokoja, and Lagos State, the movie is billed for a December release.

The movie stars the iconic Ali Nuhu in the role of Governor Bello, and Roseanne Chikwendu as Rashidat Bello, Kogi State First Lady.

Speaking on why the movie needed to be made, Oloketuyi explained that “so many things have been said about the man, Governor Yahaya Bello, and so much is still unknown about who he really is. This movie is an attempt to bring out the facts on the man, his background, growth, and rise in politics, and his ambition. It is basically to set the record straight about the gentleman.”

Directed by Tunde Laoye, Yahaya the White Lion promises to be both enlightening, engaging, and in-depth analysis into the life of the youthful Yahaya Bello.

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