Poland’s Judicial Reform ‘Not Compatible’ With EU Law

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July 15, 2021

The EU’s Court of Justice on Thursday ruled that a central part of Poland’s judicial reforms was “not compatible” with the law, escalating a standoff that could trigger financial penalties.

The court said in its ruling on a contested reform concerning disciplinary cases involving judges in Poland said that the country has failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law.

It said that where the court finds that there has been a failure to fulfil obligations, the member state concerned must take the measures necessary to rectify the situation.

Warsaw and Brussels have been at loggerheads for years over reforms pushed through by the Polish government, which is led by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.

The Polish law on reforming the judiciary, which came into force in February last year, prevents judges from referring questions of law to the European Court of Justice.

It set up a “disciplinary chamber” to oversee Polish judges, with the power to lift their immunity to expose them to criminal proceedings or cut their salaries.

The EU court ruling comes a day after the same court ordered Poland to cease all activities of the “disciplinary chamber”.If Poland fails to comply, it could face financial penalties.

Government spokesman Piotr Muller told public broadcaster TVP1 on Thursday that with its rulings, the European court was “attempting to acquire the competences of the member states” on judicial matters.

The government argues the reforms are necessary to tackle corruption and end Communist-era legacies in the judiciary.

U.S To Evacuate At-Risk Afghan Interpreters Late July

By

Zoe Maven

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July 15, 2021

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Thousands of interpreters who aided US and NATO forces in Afghanistan will be evacuated beginning in late July, as Taliban insurgents captured a strategic crossing on the Pakistan border from government forces.

In what the White House dubbs Operation Allies Refuge, the interpreters and their families are likely to be taken first to US overseas military bases or possibly third countries before resettlement in the United States or elsewhere.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the goal is to get those already being processed under the State Department’s Special Immigrant Visas program, only a portion of the 18,000, out by the August 31 deadline for the US withdrawal.

Many fear retaliation by the Taliban, who are seeking to regain control of the government in Kabul after the departure of US troops before the end of August.

There are an estimated 18,000 people — interpreters, translators, and others who worked with US forces — who would qualify for evacuation. With their families, it could potentially take the total number of evacuees to 80,000 or more.

At the Pentagon, spokesman John Kirby said they were working intensely on where the translators would be sent, but he would not identify any possibilities.

The news came as the US military pushed forward with the final tasks of withdrawing from the country, and as the Islamist insurgents captured Spin Boldak, the border crossing on the main highway between Kandahar and Quetta, Pakistan, and continuing onward to Karachi.

Afghanistan’s interior ministry denied the insurgents had taken the area.

Afghanistan – Taliban Offers Ceasefire For Return Of Prisoners

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Zoe Maven

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July 15, 2021

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The Taliban have proposed a three-month ceasefire in Afghanistan in return for the release of 7,000 captured fighters.

Nader Nadery, an Afghan government negotiator, described the proposal as a “big demand”. But the government has so far not said how it will react.

Clashes between the government and the Taliban have intensified since US troops began to withdraw from the country.

The Taliban recently claimed their fighters had retaken 85% of territory in Afghanistan – a figure impossible to independently verify and disputed by the government.

Other estimates say the Taliban controls more than a third of Afghanistan’s 400 districts.

Last year 5,000 Taliban prisoners were released and it is believed that many of them returned to the battlefield, worsening violence in the country, says BBC correspondent Lyse Doucet.

On Thursday, Afghan forces said they had recaptured a border crossing with Pakistan that had been taken by the Taliban. The insurgents deny having lost control of the border post.

Afghan forces have been struggling to halt the Taliban’s advance through the country, which has sped up since a 2020 deal struck with former US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Under the terms of that deal, the US and its Nato allies agreed to withdraw all troops in return for a commitment by the militants not to allow any extremist group to operate in the areas they control.

Many fear Afghan security forces will collapse completely under the onslaught, with former US President George W Bush warning that the consequences of the US withdrawal were likely to be “unbelievably bad”.

At Least 20 Dead And Dozens Missing In German Floods

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Zoe Maven

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July 15, 2021

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Police Authorities in Germany say at least 20 people have died and many more are missing following severe floods in western Germany.

Malu Dreyer, chief of the Rhineland-Palatinate state, described the flooding as a catastrophe which follows record rainfall in parts of Western Europe that has caused major rivers to burst their banks

The worst of the flooding has been in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, where buildings and cars have been washed away.

Two people have also died in neighbouring Belgium, while the Netherlands has also been badly hit.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is in the US ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden, said she was “shocked by the disaster”.

Up to 70 people are believed to be missing in the Ahrweiler district of Rhineland-Palatinate, after the Ahr river, which flows into the Rhine, burst its banks.

Police helicopters and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to some areas to help stranded residents. Earlier, police said dozens of people were waiting on rooftops to be rescued.

Schools have been closed around the west of the country, while transport links have been severely disrupted.

According to German broadcaster SWR, about 25 houses are in danger of collapsing in the district of Schuld bei Adenau in the mountainous Eifel region, where a state of emergency has been declared,.

It said some houses had been completely cut-off and could no longer be reached by boat.

Amnesty Slams Libya, Europe Over Abuse Of Migrants

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Zoe Maven

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July 15, 2021

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Amnesty International has condemned the atrocious violations being committed against migrants returned to Libya with the cooperation of European states after trying to cross the Mediterranean.

The rights group said on Thursday that new evidence had emerged of disturbing violations, including sexual violence, against men, women and children” intercepted at sea and forcibly returned to detention centres in the North African country.

Amnesty, in a 50-page report, condemned “the ongoing complicity of European states” for cooperating with the authorities in war-torn Libya.

It said at the end of 2020, Libya’s Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration had “legitimised” abuses by taking over two detention centres run by armed groups from where hundreds of refugees and migrants had forcibly disappeared.

Amnesty cited survivor testimony from one facility of guards subjecting women to sexual violence “in exchange for their release or for essentials such as clean water”, or their freedom.

The findings come from interviews with 53 refugees and migrants, aged between 14 and 50, from countries such as Nigeria, Somalia and Syria, who were mostly still in Libya and had been able to flee camps or had access to telephones.

Pope Francis and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have called for the closure of these facilities.

Amnesty also examined documents, photos, and videos from Libyan authorities and the UN.

The rights group urged Europe to “suspend cooperation on migration and border control with Libya”.

VVF: UNFPA treats 38 patients in Adamawa

By

Cleopatra Okohai

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July 15, 2021

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No less than 38 women have been treated of Vesicovaginal Fistula in Adamawa State by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in partnership with the Fistula Foundation Nigeria.

The Director of the FFN, Musa Isa, said the surgery was conducted at the Specialist Hospital, Yola recently.

According to him, the disease is an abnormal opening between the bladder and the vagina that results in continuous and unremitting urinary incontinence.

“Women and girls with this ailment are often abandoned by their spouses and isolated due to offensive odour and associated shame of urine leakage. This has been of concern to UNFPA which provided funding for FFN, in carrying out corrective surgery for the patients,” he said.

A surgeon, Dr. Sa’ad Idris, advised VVF patients to adhere strictly to medical advice to improve their health status.

He urged husbands to support their wives during pregnancy and childbirth to avoid complications.

The beneficiaries commended the foundation and the UNFPA for the free exercise and called on other stakeholders to emulate them.

UN warns about possible resurgence of polio, other diseases

By

Cleopatra Okohai

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July 15, 2021

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The UN warned Thursday that a “perfect storm” was brewing, with a raging pandemic disrupting access to routine vaccinations, leaving millions of children at risk from measles and other deadly diseases.

A full 23 million children missed out on basic childhood vaccines last year, as routine health services were hit worldwide by restrictions aimed at controlling Covid-19 and many parents shunned the clinics that were open for fear of exposure to the virus.

It marks the highest number in over a decade and 3.7 million more than in 2019, according to data published Thursday by the World Health Organization and the UN’s children’s agency UNICEF.

And the sharp decline in routine vaccinations comes as many countries have begun loosening restrictions even as the pandemic is far from over.

This has the potential of not only driving up COVID-19 transmission, but also of allowing otherwise vaccine-preventable diseases to begin spreading.

That is because the restrictions in many countries have until now also provided a buffer protecting unvaccinated children against exposure to childhood diseases.

“In 2021, we have potentially a perfect storm about to happen,” Kate O’Brien, head of the WHO’s vaccines and immunisation department, told reporters.

She warned there was now “an accumulation of children who are not immune because they haven’t received vaccines, and more and more transmission because of too early release of public health and social measures.

“This is the sort of perfect storm we’re ringing the alarm bell about right now,” O’Brien said, stressing WHO’s “high concern about these very outbreak prone diseases”.

“We need to act now in order to protect these children.”

The data published Thursday revealed that rising numbers of children across all regions missed first vital vaccine doses last year while millions more missed later vaccines.

Compared with 2019, 3.5 million more children missed their first doses of the three-dose diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DTP) while three million more children missed their first measles dose, the data showed.

Even more concerning perhaps, as many as 17 million children, mainly living in conflict-affected communities or in under-serviced remote areas or in informal slum settings, likely did not receive a single vaccine in 2020.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and related disruptions cost us valuable ground we cannot afford to lose,” UNICEF chief Henrietta Fore said in the statement, cautioning that “the consequences will be paid in the lives and wellbeing of the most vulnerable”.

She said even before Covid, “there were worrying signs that we were beginning to lose ground in the fight to immunise children against preventable child illness”.

“The pandemic has made a bad situation worse.”

Global coverage for all three DTP doses had for instance stalled at 86 percent over recent years, but then slumped to 83 percent in 2020, meaning 22.7 million children missed out.

As for measles, which is highly contagious and requires vaccination uptake of at least 95 percent to avoid spread, the first-dose vaccination rate slipped from 86 to 84 percent last year, while only 71 percent received a second dose.

The situation meanwhile varies greatly, with the data showing a particularly sharp drop in vaccination rates in Southeast Asia.

In India, which has been ravaged by a devastating second Covid wave, the number of children who missed their first DTP dose more than doubled to over three million last year from 1.4 million in 2019.

Coverage for all three DTP doses in the country meanwhile fell from 91 to 85 percent, the data showed.

Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines also saw the number of unprotected children rise significantly.

In the Americas, meanwhile, the UN agencies warned that “a troubling picture is also emerging”, although not necessarily due to the pandemic.

They warned that funding shortages, vaccine misinformation and other factors were continuing to push down the rate of children who have received all three DTP shots, which fell from 91 percent in 2016 to just 82 percent last year.

Mexico was among the countries where the number of children missing their first DTP dose is rising the fastest, swelling from 348,000 in 2019 to 454,000 in 2020, according to the data.

The UN has warned against sacrificing routine childhood vaccines in the rush to roll out Covid jabs.

“Even as countries clamour to get their hands on Covid-19 vaccines, we have gone backwards on other vaccinations, leaving children at risk from devastating but preventable diseases like measles, polio or meningitis,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned in the statement.

“Multiple disease outbreaks would be catastrophic for communities and health systems already battling Covid-19, making it more urgent than ever to invest in childhood vaccination and ensure every child is reached.”

Today In History – July 15

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 15, 2021

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971 According to legend English saint Swithun is reburied inside Winchester Cathedral (against his wishes), whereby a terrible storm proceeds to rain for 40 days and nights

1099 City of Jerusalem is captured and plundered by Christian forces during the First Crusade

1205 Pope Innocent III states Jews are doomed to perpetual servitudea and subjugation due to crucifixion of Jesus

1381 John Ball, a leader in the Peasants’ Revolt, is hung, drawn and quartered in the presence of Richard II of England

1410 Battle of Grunwald (First Battle of Tannenburg, Battle of Žalgiris), one of Medieval Europe’s largest battles during Poland-Lithuanian Teutonic War. Polish King Władysław Jagiełło and Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas defeat Teutonic Ulrich von Jungingen

1799 The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign

1955 18 Nobel laureates sign the Mainau Declaration against nuclear weapons, later co-signed by 34 more laureates

Today in Film & TV

1988 “Die Hard” directed by John McTiernan and starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman is released in the US

Today in Music

1972 “Honky Chateau” becomes Elton John’s first No. 1 album in the US, includes hit “Rocket Man”

Today in Sport

1978 British Open Men’s Golf, St Andrews: Jack Nicklaus completes 3rd career grand slam; wins by 2 strokes from Ben Crenshaw & Ray Floyd

Today in History – July 14

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 14, 2021

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1789 Bastille Day – the French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris (now celebrated as France’s national day)

1798 US Sedition Act prohibits “false, scandalous & malicious” writing against government

1850 1st public demonstration of ice made by refrigeration by Florida physician John Gorrie

1933 All non-Nazi parties are banned in Germany

1941 6,000 Lithuanian Jews are exterminated at Viszalsyan Camp
1992 386BSD is released by Lynne Jolitz and William Jolitz, starting the open-source operating system revolution. Linus Torvalds release “Linux” soon afterwards

Today in Film & TV
1969 “Easy Rider”, directed by Dennis Hopper, starring himself, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson, is released

Today in Music
1795 The French National Convention decrees “La Marseillaise” by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle France’s national anthem

Today in Sport
1964 51st Tour de France: Jacques Anquetil of France wins 4th consecutive Tour and is first to claim 5 titles

NASS to Amend National Health Act, Considers Funding For Gunshot Victims

By

Olasunbo Okoromi

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July 14, 2021

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The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila said the house is working toward amending the National Health Act to address gaps in accessing healthcare, including funding for gunshot victims.

Gbajabiamila, who was represented by Hon. Tanko Sununu, the Chairman of, House Committee on Health, said this at the opening of the 44th/45th Annual General and Scientific Meeting of the West African College of Physicians, Nigeria Chapter in Abuja.

The amended act, provisions were made for healthcare service providers to claim funds used to treat gunshot victims during emergencies.

He said the consideration was important as increasing cases of no payment; no service for victims of gunshot wounds posed a serious concern.

According to him, Nigeria’s health indices remain poor and the national assembly will play its role through legislation to help address the causes of poor health delivery system in the country, one of which is accessibility.

The house of representatives is waiting for concurrence from the executive arm of government on the issue of emergency treatment for gunshot victims.

“In the next days to come, we will consider the amendment of the National Health Act which provides the basic framework upon which healthcare in the country is developed.

“In the amended Health Act, we tried to proffer solutions where practitioners can claim the bills for services rendered to a gunshot victim. This will allow victims to access emergency healthcare promptly.”

The speaker, who noted that the country was currently facing three major crises of COVID-19, insecurity and dwindling resources, added that the crises had significantly impacted health indices.

“NASS is working toward addressing the challenges by providing effective legislation, oversight, and representation.

“The national assembly passed the bill already and we are hoping that the executive arm assent to the bill so that every Nigerian will have a basic minimum package that he or she can use to sustain health.

“We are also considering the Infectious Diseases Control Bill which tries to provide for emergency preparedness in the country.”

The Basic Healthcare Provision Fund will not only come with a minimum package but will also improve the health sector’s readiness to address emergencies.

The speaker, while commending the WACP, assured that the NASS would consider all recommendations made by it after its AGSM and utilise it to influence legislative activities.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olurunnimbe Mamora, listed the causes of Nigeria’s poor health indices to include inadequate human resources, poor data management and limited funding to scale up coverage of evidence-based interventions.