China has formally revised its laws to allow couples to have up to three children, to boost the birth rate.
The regulation was one of several passed on Friday at a meeting of the country’s top lawmakers, the National People’s Congress (NPC).
Details on a controversial anti-sanctions law for Hong Kong, which many businesses feared would put them in a difficult position, were also expected.
But Hong Kong media reported on Friday that the decision had been delayed.
The head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has blamed the Ethiopian government for the shortage of humanitarian aid in the country’s northern region of Tigray.Samantha Power says food aid in the region will run out this week for the first time since fighting broke out in November last year.
Aid trucks have been unable to leave the town of Semera in the neighbouring Afar region, currently the only accessible land route into Tigray.
The UN has separately told the BBC more than 100 aid trucks are stuck on this route. The breakdown of a scanner at a checkpoint along halted the movement of trucks for around five days from 13 August. The UN says the scanner has been repaired but insecurity is now holding back the trucks.
The Presidency has constituted a presidential delegation ahead of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Kano for the marriage of his son, Yusuf Buhari, to Zahra Bayero, on Friday.
Zahra is the daughter of Nasiru Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi in Kano State.
A statement by Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, on Thursday in Abuja, said Buhari had already dispatched a high level delegation to be led by his Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari.
The presidential aide revealed that the delegation included the Ministers of Defence, Bashir Magashi; Agriculture, Sabo Nanono; Aviation, Hadi Sirika and Water Resources, Suleiman Hussein Adamu as well as the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu.
Already, some dignitaries have arrived the ancient city of Kano to witness the wedding.
A woman has been found clinging to an upturned inflatable dinghy about 138 miles (220km) off the Canary Islands – the only survivor of a migrant tragedy feared to have claimed 52 lives.
She was spotted in a poor state by a passing merchant ship and emergency services flew her to safety.
Two bodies were found by the coastguard and the woman told officials that more than 50 other people were on board.
More than 8,000 migrants have reached Spain’s Canary Islands this year.
Many of them set off from a stretch of coastline between Tarfaya in Morocco and Laayoune in Western Sahara, a disputed territory claimed by Morocco.
The route has become increasingly popular as migrant passages to Europe through the Mediterranean have become harder to take. However, human rights group Walking Borders has described it as the world’s most dangerous migration route.
The woman rescued on Thursday was taken to hospital suffering from severe dehydration.
UN migration officials estimate more than 350 people have died this year trying to reach Spain’s Canary Islands, but Walking Borders believes it could be higher than 2,000.
The minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, has sought the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari to meet the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association, Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Association of Medical Doctors in the Academics and the striking National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), among other concerned parties, in a bid to resolve the lingering labour conflicts in the nation’s health sector.
The minister, who disclosed this on Thursday, shortly after meeting with the president, said the meeting is scheduled to hold 2 p.m. on Friday.
Similar meetings in the past ended in stalemates after the doctors accused the government of insincerity.
However, the new move is coming after failed attempts to seek a court order to compel the striking members of NARD back to work after all entreaties failed.
The labour ministry, on behalf of the federal government, had earlier approached the National Industrial Court at the Federal Capital Territory to seek an order declaring the strike illegal. But following the failure of the parties involved in the matter to appear before the court, hearing on the matter was adjourned till September 15.
However, in another surprising move, a non-governmental organisation, Rights for All International, also approached the same court with an ex parte application to restrain the striking doctors from continuing the industrial action.
However, the presiding judge in the matter John Targema reported rejected the application on Thursday, saying issuing “a restraining order” against the doctors to stop the strike without hearing them would be in breach of their right to fair hearing.
Addressing the media at the state house on Thursday, the minister said his meeting with President Buhari was to brief the latter on the efforts made so far to address the lingering crisis.
He said; “The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), came over on the prompting of the Medical Elders’ Council Forum; that is, experienced senior doctors, former government officials who are doctors, and we started dialogue two days ago.“So, we are continuing the dialogue tomorrow (Friday). At least, they are expected to bring to the discussion, the sub associations of NMA, including the resident doctors, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, who also threatened strike over some more issues… So, we have agreed to meet tomorrow at 2 p.m.”
Ngige said the president also directed him to liaise with his chief of staff, Ibrahim Gambari, so that other relevant government officials can be part of the meeting.
“So I have just finished briefing the president on the situation as we presently have it on ground. And he has given his blessing for us to proceed. He also gave me permission to liaise with the Chief of Staff so that some government agencies; Federal Ministry of Health, Budget Office of the Federation, Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Accountant General, National Salaries Wages and Incomes Commission, Office of Head of Service, and all the government agencies involved or that have anything to do with some of the complaints of these three groups of medical doctors should come on board tomorrow so that we can sort the issues out. That is what I came for primarily,” the minister said.
Ngige, however, said the new efforts would not stop the government from implementing the ‘no work, no pay rule,” saying it is about law and not sentiments.
He said; “I invoked Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act, 2004 on withdrawal of wages during strike periods, which, in common parlance here, is called the principle of no work no pay. It is not the law of Ngige, or the law of Buhari.
He said the rule is not new to the country, saying such was applied against members of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) when they went on strike.
Development partners on Adolescent and health development has applauded the government of Nigeria for its readiness to partner with international organizations and other development partners in ensuring the prioritization of the health and development of Adolescents and Young people.
The appraisal was made at the 1st African Regional & 2nd Nigeria Adolescent Health and Youth Conference, held in Abuja.
The conference presented a platform for young people and policy makers to jointly assess the progress made with fulfilling promises related to adolescents and young people’s health and wellbeing.
The Country Director of Pathfinder International Dr. Amina Dorayi said that the conference is aimed at discussing, learning and strategizing on the means to improve on the health needs of adolescents in Nigeria.
“This charts a way to optimize future investments in the development of adolescents and young people.” Dr. Dorayi said
The Country Director of Pathfinder International also emphasized on the role of partners in advancing adolescent health agenda in Nigeria with the theme fulfilling the promise.
She said that Pathfinder International will continue to support the government to identify the needs of adolescents especially in areas of concern, which are mostly addressed through policies, plans and guidelines by the government and that the organization have supported the government to develop policies.
The Country Director also highlighted some of the National Policy the Health and Development of Adolescents and Young People in Nigeria which the organization supported the review and validation alongside other partners at the sub-national levels, for in Ogun State Adolescent Strategic plan and framework and also set up Adolescent Technical Working Groups in Gombe and Nasarawa States.
She added that Pathfinder International is working with young people to ensure they are taking control of their health and leading the process of decision making as it affects their health and development.
Several communities in the United Kingdom are providing aid to arriving refugees and children from Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country.
Sally Depee, the founder of Little Cherubs, a children’s clothes bank, told news sources that a social worker asked her to provide clothes for 64 Afghan children between the ages of 1 and 13 who would be staying at a hotel in Congleton, Cheshire, England.
After putting out an appeal on social media on Tuesday, Depee received 200 donations of clothes as of Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ve got prams, we’ve got coats, pyjamas, we’ve had financial contributions from local businesses which have been in touch,” Depee noted. “People who have seen it on social media have asked if they can send money, so we are going to buy new underwear for the children.”
“We’ve got two huge vans, and we are going to take them on Sunday to the hotel in Congleton,” she added.
Depee, who founded Little Cherub in February to provide clothing and shoes for children during the pandemic, said that she felt a strong moral responsibility to help the Afghan children.
“These are children who have never known anything other than war. They are somebody’s daughter, they are somebody’s son,” she said. “Let’s help these people and try and give them some dignity and make that transition from being airlifted from their home with only the clothes on their back. If we can do a small gesture by providing them with some clothing and toiletries and toys, why not do it,” she added.
The Cheshire East Council has agreed to temporarily accommodate several individuals and families working as “locally employed staff” in support of British forces in Afghanistan. Additionally, longer-term accommodations will be provided for five families.
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) last month sided with NASA over its decision to pick a single lunar lander provider, rejecting Blue Origin’s protest.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has halted its work on a $2.9 billion lunar lander contract awarded to Elon Musk’s SpaceX after rival billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin sued the US government.
Blue Origin had filed a lawsuit claiming that it was “an attempt to remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in NASA’s Human Landing System.”
A judge has set the hearing on the case on October 14 as per the US Court of Federal Claims.
NASA said in a statement it paused work with SpaceX on the human landing system through November 1.
“In exchange for this temporary stay of work, all parties agreed to an expedited litigation schedule that concludes on Nov. 1,” the US space agency said.
“NASA officials are continuing to work with the Department of Justice to review the details of the case and look forward to a timely resolution of this matter.”
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) last month sided with NASA over its decision to pick a single lunar lander provider, rejecting Blue Origin’s protest.
SpaceX, headed by Tesla Inc’s CEO Musk, this week intervened in the lawsuit to ensure that the court “has a complete and accurate picture of the facts and circumstances surrounding this protest, including the substantial harm that SpaceX will suffer if the court grants the relief sought” by Blue Origin.
Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Amazon.com Inc’s founder Bezos, has said it remains convinced there were “fundamental issues” with NASA’s decision and that the GAO was not able to address them “due to their limited jurisdiction.”
NASA had sought proposals for a spacecraft that would carry astronauts to the lunar surface under its Artemis program to return humans to the moon for the first time since 1972.
The space agency said on Thursday it “is committed to Artemis and to maintaining the nation’s global leadership in space exploration.
With our partners, we will go to the moon and stay to enable science investigations, develop new technology, and create high-paying jobs for the greater good and in preparation to send astronauts to Mars.”
In April, NASA awarded SpaceX a contract to build such a spacecraft as early as 2024.
T-Mobile US Inc said on Friday hackers had accessed personal data of another 5.3 million wireless customers, widening the extent of a breach that has affected millions of current, former and prospective customers.
The data includes address, date of birth and phone numbers of customers, the company said, adding that it had no indication that the accessed data contained financial information such as credit card or other payment data.
“Our investigation is ongoing and will continue for some time, but at this point, we are confident that we have closed off the access,” the company said in a regulatory filing.
The third-largest U.S. wireless carrier said earlier this week that personal data of more than 40 million former and prospective customers was stolen along with data from 7.8 million existing T-Mobile wireless customers.
However, T-Mobile on Friday revealed it had identified 667,000 more accounts of former customers, whose names, phone numbers, addresses and dates of birth were accessed by hackers.
T-Mobile also said that the breached data of the additional 5.3 million postpaid users did not include any data on social security numbers or driver’s license.
The company’s update comes after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Wednesday it would investigate the data breach.
The company reiterated that it has no indication that the data contained customer financial information, credit card information, debit or other payment information.
The Federal Government has admonished fifth columnists and naysayers to stop spewing negative and false narratives around Boko Haram members who are surrendering in droves in the North-East.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed gave the admonition in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Washington.
NAN reports that that no fewer than 1,000 Boko Haram fighters and their families have handed themselves over to army units in recent weeks in the southern Borno towns of Konduga, Bama, and Mafa
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