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Ghana MPs propose tough anti-gay law

Henry Williams
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Ghana MPs propose tough anti-gay law

A group of Ghanaian MPs has drawn up a draft bill which, among other things, proposes a 10-year jail

term for people who promote LGBT+ activities through mainstream or social media. The bill has been submitted to Ghana’s speaker of parliament for review. Also under the draft measure, titled the Promotion of Proper Human Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021,

individuals who engage in non-heterosexual sex could face a fine or a prison

term of up to three years. The bill’s lead

sponsor, opposition MP Sam Nartey George, told correspondents that the lawmakers believed this was not a human rights issue.Some Ghanaians have

expressed concern about its potential to violate the rights of members of the

LGBT+ community and activists.The bill is likely to be passed, although there could be some ammendments.Top government officials, including the speaker of parliament, have already indicated a desire to enact anti-homosexuality laws.Ghana’s criminal code outlaws what it describes as “unnatural” carnal

knowledge but does not explicitly mention LGBT people.

Sierra Leone parliament abolishes death penalty

Henry Williams
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Sierra Leone parliament abolishes death penalty

MPs in Sierra Leone have unanimously agreed to get rid of the death penalty, the BBC’s Umaru Fofana reports.

The sentence will be replaced by life imprisonment, according to the AFP news agency.

In May, the country’s deputy justice minister announced the commitment to get rid of capital punishment.

Rights group Amnesty International said that last year 39 death sentences were handed down.

But no-one has been executed in Sierra Leone since 1998.

Death sentences have often been commuted, but by the end of last year 94 people were still on death row, Amnesty said.

Once the measure is approved by President Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone will become the 23rd African country to have abolished the death penalty, the New York Times reports.

FG begins payment of benefits to deceased doctors, health workers

Cleopatra Okohai
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FG begins payment of benefits to deceased doctors, health workers

The Federal Government says it has commenced the payment of death benefits to deceased doctors and other health workers under the Group Life Insurance.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, said this at the end of a meeting between federal government representatives and the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Thursday in Abuja.

Ngige described the meeting as fruitful and tendered evidence by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation to show that insurance companies have started paying up.

According to him, the evidence corroborated what the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi Esan, told the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

“Over a billion naira is on for payment as death benefits. Evidence has been tendered about those who have received the cheques.

“And so, we are happy that something has been done in that direction in health institutions.

“This is apart from what happens in other government establishments covered by this life insurance,” he said.

On the Residency Training Fund which is supposed to be in 2021 budget, Ngige said that the Budget Office of the federation tendered evidence to show that the N4.3 billion due to them was captured under the personnel costs in service wide votes.

The minister also noted that work was in progress for those who are migrating from GFMIS platform to IPPIS, adding that the budget and IPPIS offices were given about 30 days to conclude all the outstanding issues.

Read Also: Monkeypox: Fatality higher among young people

Ngige however disclosed that a committee has been constituted to look into the issue of tertiary institutions that are not adhering to the abolition of bench fees.

According to him, bench fees are fees paid by residents to institutions where they have gone to acquire trainings that are not available in their original training institutions.

”The resident doctors have claimed that some training hospitals like Lagos University Teaching Hospital and University College Hospital, Ibadan, are not adhering to that agreement and a special committee has been set up under the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Health to look into it.

”The Chairman of Committee of CMDs, Prof. Jef Momoh, who is the CMD of National Hospital, Abuja, will assist the permanent secretary and we hope that the matter will be sorted out in two weeks.

“With all these and others like consequential minimum wage salary adjustment arrears being taken care of, we hope that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of NARD which is billed to meet sometime next week will be happy and then encourage their officers to dialogue.

”We don’t need strike anymore and they (resident doctors) agreed with me that we don’t need strike. So, it is work in progress. We thank them for the understanding they showed,” Ngige said.

Meanwhile, the NARD 1st Vice National President, Dr Arome Adejo, has commended the minister for his intervention, which has led to industrial harmony in the health sector, describing him as a lovely father, gentleman and elder.

“If more Nigerians were like Ngige, this country will be a better place. He has appealed to us and explained some things to us and we are reporting back to our NEC.

”That is our role. As officials of the association, we don’t take decisions. We listen and take back to the NEC and we do so with all sense of commitment, patriotism and love to our fellow Nigerians,” Adejo said.

The News Agency of Nogeria (NAN) reports that those present at the meeting were the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Enahire; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Malam Abdulaziz Abdulahi; and his Labour and Employment
counterpart, Mr Peter Tarfa.

Other representatives were from the Budget Office, IPPIS, NARD National President and Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi.

EVs: Automakers Race To Design Batteries To Strengthen Car, Extend Range

Koko Lawrence
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EVs: Automakers Race To Design Batteries To Strengthen Car, Extend Range

Automakers and battery manufacturers are racing to develop new electric-vehicle batteries that can reinforce body structures and open the door to breakthroughs in driving range.

What engineers call structural batteries hold the promise of lighter weight and greater energy efficiency – resulting in driving ranges between charges that are nearly double the 326 miles (525 km) of a Tesla Model Y.

Geely’s Volvo Cars in late June revealed a new structural battery design it is developing with Swedish battery maker Northvolt that Volvo said should deliver 600 miles or more of travel between charges.

Structural battery technology is in its infancy, and manufacturers have not settled on a standard approach.

One concept, called cell-to-pack or CTP, saves weight by eliminating the step of bundling individual battery cells into modules before final assembly into a large battery pack.

A year-old startup called Our Next Energy (ONE), which has operated in stealth mode until now, is working on a dual battery that combines a structural cell-to-pack design with a second, high-energy pack that can recharge the first, potentially doubling vehicle range.

“We want to reinvent the battery completely,” said Mujeeb Ijaz, founder and chief executive of the Novi, Michigan-based company. He added that his company’s dual-pack design is safer and more sustainable because it uses no nickel or cobalt, key ingredients in many current EV batteries.

The latest structural batteries are being developed by automakers from Tesla Inc to General Motors Co and battery makers such as China’s BYD Co Ltd and CATL.

Actress Uche Jombo Cautions People Who Continue To Misspell, Mispronounce Her Name

Koko Lawrence
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Actress Uche Jombo Cautions People Who Continue To Misspell, Mispronounce Her Name

Nollywood actress Uche Jombo seems to have had enough of people, especially business partners, mispronouncing and misspelling her surname.

The movie star in a recent video called out such people and sounded a note of warning to them.

According to her, most people still replace the letter ‘O’ in her surname with the letter ‘U’ thereby changing the name to Jumbo as opposed to Jombo.

Uche noted that she has been in the industry for over two decades and it is enough time for people to have learnt how to pronounce her name and write it correctly.

Lebron James Becomes First Active NBA Player With $1 Billion In Career Earnings

Koko Lawrence
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Lebron James Becomes First Active NBA Player With $1 Billion In Career Earnings

LeBron James has become the first NBA player to make $1 billion while still active in the sport.

The news comes after Space Jam: A New Legacy, which James starred in and produced, enjoyed a whopping $31.6 million in revenue its opening weekend.

According to Sportico, James has earned $330 million in his playing salary alone since being drafted in 2003. The 36-year-old has reportedly made another $700 million off the court through endorsements deals, merchandise, licensing, and his media production company, SpringHill Co.

His current endorsement deals, which include partnerships with AT&T, Beats Electronics, Blaze Pizza, GMC, Nike, PepsiCo, Rimowa, and Walmart garner over $100 million every year.

Sportico compared James’ historic earnings to Michael Jordan’s who, of course, starred in the original 1996 Space Jam film.

While Jordan is now worth around $2 billion, the outlet writes that much of that revenue was made after his legendary NBA career.

One venture that has been particularly lucrative for Jordan during his retirement is Nike’s highly successful Jordan Brand. Sportico writes that Jordan fell just short of earning $1 billion while active, making James the first NBA player to achieve the feat.

With the distinction, James joins the heavy tier of athletes who have made $1 billion while active, including Tiger Woods, Floyd Mayweather, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Roger Federer.

The Los Angeles Lakers star is also the first active player in a U.S. team sport to hit the monetary milestone.

Dispute Over Nigeria’s Benin Bronzes May Jeopardise Return

Koko Lawrence
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Dispute Over Nigeria’s Benin Bronzes May Jeopardise Return

The Nigerian government had demanded a return of the 1,130 Benin Bronzes looted from the country in the 19th century and displayed in German museums.

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, who was a part of the delegation to Berlin over the stolen artefacts, had proposed that they be returned to the Edo State government and displayed in a museum to be built by the government. But Oba of Benin Ewuare II said during a press briefing that the artefacts were stolen from the palace and should be returned to the Benin Kingdom.

The Benin Bronzes are a group of more than a thousand metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin. Most of them were looted by British forces during the Benin Expedition of 1897. Most European former colonial powers have begun a process in recent years of considering the return of looted artifacts to the former colonies, especially in Africa.

Asia Bibi Shares How God Sustained Her while on Death Row

Koko Lawrence
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Asia Bibi Shares How God Sustained Her while on Death Row

A Pakistani Christian who spent almost a decade on death row for accusations of blasphemy spoke to an international gathering on religious freedom this week. Asia Bibi addressed the International Religious Freedom Summit and told them how her ordeal transformed her from an “ordinary Christian” into a bold Christian who passionately stands up for her faith and her suffering brothers and sisters.

Bibi’s ordeal began in 2009 when a group of women accused her of making their water supply “impure.” Christians are considered impure, and she was drinking from the same bucket as her co-workers. An argument ensued, and someone reported her to a Muslim cleric, accusing her of insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

Monkeypox: Fatality higher among young people

Cleopatra Okohai
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Monkeypox: Fatality higher among young people

A professor of public health, Tanimola Akande said, the fatality rate of monkeypox is usually higher among the younger population particularly children.

According to Akande, the disease should be prevented by avoiding contact with animals, especially those that are sick or dead. The case fatality ratio of monkeypox varies between 0 and 11 per cent in the general population.

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis, a virus transmitted to humans from animals with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.

The Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the Federal Government was notified of the situation in Texas, through the International Health Regulations, who reported a case of monkeypox disease diagnosed in a patient who had recently visited Nigeria.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had registered 59 suspected cases of Monkeypox with 15 confirmed.

“We have been working closely with state health ministries to strengthen monkeypox disease surveillance and response in the country.

“We work with Enhanced Monkeypox Surveillance Project where we have been training health workers across states to rapidly detect and manage cases.

“Our initial focus is on the states with the highest number of cases – Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Lagos.

Adolescents face lifelong threat to health, well being –Nutrition society

“We will continue working with all states to strengthen monkeypox prevention, detection and control in Nigeria,” Ihekweazu explained.

The viral zoonotic disease can also be transmitted from man to man.

The symptoms of monkeypox are fever, intense headache, rash, muscle pain, lymph node enlargement, and skin manifestations in form of rashes on the face and extremities.

Monkeypox can be prevented by avoiding contact with animals like rats and monkeys. Unprotected contact with wild animals, especially those sick or dead, including their meat, blood, and other parts must be avoided.

Akande added that the focus on COVID-19 cannot be said to be too much because of the pandemic nature and socio-economic and health consequences.

“Nevertheless, other diseases need to be addressed as well. A lot of strategies and resources in the control of COVID-19 are also useful in the control of some other epidemic-prone diseases.

“There is a need for synergy in the control efforts to ensure other diseases are not neglected. COVID-19 has attracted significant funding, the same mechanism can be used to mobilise resources to generally improve the health system in Nigeria,” he said.

5 Cardio Workouts That Are Gentle on the Knees

Olasunbo Okoromi
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5 Cardio Workouts That Are Gentle on the Knees

While building strength and maintaining flexibility can provide support for your joints, engaging in any workout that causes pain in the knees will just keep them inflamed, says ACE-certified trainer Stephanie Thomas, CPT. That doesn’t mean you have to give up cardio forever, though—just opt for one of these five types of exercise, which trainers say are just as effective but gentler on the joints:

 Power walking

Three people walking in a park, getting some exercise

‘Walking is many favorite exercise because it helps improve your aerobic fitness and elevates your heart rate, it is very similar to running but it’s less impact on our joints.” Thomas says. Plus, unlike more structured workouts, walking doesn’t require a ton of preparation or equipment—simply lace up your sneakers and you’re good to go!

Elliptical

Elliptical machines provide similar cardiovascular benefits as running, but they’re less weight-bearing, says NASM-certified trainer Jason Williams, CPT. Since your feet remain on the pedals the whole time (i.e., no lifting and pounding against a hard surface), there’s less chance of injury to the knees. You can also increase the resistance on an elliptical, Williams adds, which can elevate heart rate, calorie-burning, and muscle toning.

Jumping rope

Jumping rope may not be the gentlest cardio exercise, but when compared to running “one could argue that jumping rope is better for your joints because it takes them through a smaller range of motion,” fitness trainer BB Arrington, NASM-CPT, previously told mbg. It also provides the same lung, heart, and calorie-burning benefits of running in a shorter amount of time.

 Swimming

If you have access to a pool, swimming laps is a highly effective and gentle cardio workout. It puts the “least amount of stress on the joints, gets the heart rate up, and applies a little bit of resistance,” Williams says. Because of its moderate intensity and low impact, it’s also been considered one of the best exercises for managing heart disease. Grab your sporty swimsuits and dive right in!

How to stretch for bad knees.

Even when doing lower impact exercises’, stretching is an important part of any fitness routine and can help support strength and mobility in the joints.

“After completing a five-minute warm-up (which can be as simple as taking a walk), I highly recommend spending at least five minutes each day doing basic stretches that target the quads, calves, and hamstrings,” Thomas suggests. “These stretches can help improve flexibility in the knee joint!” If you want more of a flow, these seven yoga poses are safe for people with bad knees. And don’t sleep on the importance of a cool-down!

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