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Piers Morgan Irreplaceable on Good Morning Britain- ITV Boss

By
Koko Lawrence
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Piers Morgan can’t be replaced by a single person on Good Morning Britain, one of ITV’s top bosses has claimed.

The broadcaster’s director of television, Kevin Lygo, indicated the breakfast show will continue with its current presenting line-up, following Piers’ high-profile departure last month.

The presenter left GMB on March 9, following controversial comments he made about Meghan Markle live on air after her US TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The TV boss has lifted the lid on how ITV plans to plug the gaping hole Piers has left and kept viewers hooked for the future.

They have begun rotating fan favourite presenters including Ben Shephard, Susanna Reid, Charlotte Hawkins, and Kate Garraway in a bid to keep fans at home happy.

In his words:

Piers is a special thing. You can’t replace somebody like him. There is nobody like Piers, for good or bad. We have a roster of presenters, including Ben Shephard, Susanna Reid, Charlotte Hawkins, and Kate Garraway. They’re all stepping up and doing a few more days than they would have done… We’ll mix and match until we feel what the right thing is to do. There isn’t a single person who can replace him.

There was no bad blood between the pair as Kevin admitted himself he hates falling out with people.

The ITV boss stated he was surprised the presenter had stayed for so long at Good Morning Britain and jested they had a “good run”.

Piers quit in a controversial storm of headlines and amid snowballing Ofcom complaints about his rant about Meghan.

The Duchess of Sussex herself lodged a complaint about the comment Piers didn’t believe a word she said in her Oprah chat.

Piers gave his side of the story, confessing he even had a troubled night of sleep before making the decision to leave.

The presenter admitted he refused to apologise for his controversial comments about Meghan.

Dutch PM Rutte Narrowly Wins No-Confidence Vote

By
Zoe Maven
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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday narrowly won a no-confidence vote over claims that he lied about coalition talks.

He was supported by the two main parties that formed part of his previous coalition, the centre-left D66 and centre-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), while all opposition parties voted against him.

Speaking to parliament after the no-confidence vote Rutte said he would continue as prime minister and would work extremely hard to regain trust

Rutte, though surviving one of the biggest political fights of his decade, will however remain under pressure after every party except his own supported a separate motion in parliament condemning his behaviour.

Rutte, whose VVD party won the most seats in elections last month based on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, was accused of covering up efforts to rein in an outspoken MP during coalition negotiations.

Rutte has survived a series of scandals and no-confidence votes in the past, earning him the nickname in the Netherlands of the “Teflon Premier”, after the non-stick frying pan coating.

He is one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders after German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Hungarian premier Viktor Orban, and will become the Netherlands’ longest-serving PM if he is still in power at the end of 2022.

UN Urges Somali Leaders To Break Impasse Delaying Elections

By
Zoe Maven
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The U.N. Security Council has called on Somalia’s leaders to meet as soon as possible to break the stalemate delaying elections that had been scheduled for Feb. 8.

In a press statement after a closed briefing by U.N. special envoy James Swan, the council said that inclusive elections should take place “as soon as possible” in the interest of all Somalis.

This was the second appeal this month by the U.N. Security Council which is calling for the parties to resolve outstanding issues on the basis of an agreement reached last Sept. 17.

Pressure has mounted on Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed since the February elections failed to take place because of the lack of agreement on how the vote should be carried out.

The president has blamed unnamed foreign interventions but Critics have accused Mohamed, who is seeking a second four-year term, of delaying the election to extend his current mandate.

Issues of contention in the election process include the formation of the Electoral management commission, selection of commission members for the breakaway region of Somaliland, and the crisis in the Somalia-Kenya border region of Gedo.

On March 12, the council urged the federal government and regional states to organize free, fair, credible and inclusive elections in accordance with the September agreement without delay.

Angry Protest In Tunisia Over Garbage Shipment From Italy

By
Zoe Maven
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Civil society activists from the port city of Sousse have rallied in front of the Italian Embassy in Tunis to protest and demand the repatriation to Italy of 282 containers of Italian waste still blocked at the port of Sousse.

This came after 600 containers of hazardous and toxic waste destined for Tunisia have been blocked by the Italian customs authorities.

The activists protested by carrying garbage bags loaded with bouquets of flowers and chanted slogans such as Tunisia is not the trash of Italy and that the case represents a “crime against the Tunisian people

Majdi ben Ghazala, a member of the Sousse municipal council called on Tunisian authorities to show more determination and to have the waste returned.

The activists also criticized the negligence of the authorities in both countries and the corruption that is rampant in this area.

The scandal led to the prosecution of the port’s head of customs and the resignation of the country’s environment minister while eight people have been arrested and jailed over the matter.

During the summer of 2020, customs had discovered these household waste whose export is prohibited under Tunisian law – presented administratively by the importing company as ‘harmless’ plastic waste.

French Defence Minister In Mali Over Airstrike Controversy

By
Zoe Maven
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French Defence Minister Florence Parly has met with Malian transitional President Bah N’Daw at the presidency in Bamako in further efforts to exonerate France from claims that an airstrike in January killed 19 civilians in northern Mali.

Parly whose Counterparts from Estonia, Kalle Laanet, and the Czech Republic, Lubomir Metnar, are part of the delegation, said all the fundamental principles aimed at preserving civilians were been applied.

She stated that French armed forces targeted a terrorist group that had been formally identified as such and insisted that there were no women or children among the victims.

However, an investigation by the United Nations mission in Mali (MINUSMA), showed the French air force struck near the remote village of Bounti on January 3 ,where a wedding party of about 100 people had in fact been taking place.

Although France also denied the wedding presence, saying that the strike was intended to neutralize terrorist elements only, accounts from local residents corroborate the report’s findings.

The report also questioned whether the French military had enough time to do its due diligence and ensure that its strike would not harm civilians.

But the French defence ministry stood by its denial, and also stating that it had numerous reservations about the methodology used to arrive at the report’s conclusion.

Mali has been struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that first broke out in the north of the country in 2012 before spreading to the centre and neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Dr. Philip Mpango Named Tanzania’s Vice President

By
Zoe Maven
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Dr. Philip Isdor Mpango has been sworn in as Tanzania’s Vice President in a ceremony which took place in the State House, Chamwino, Dodoma and in the presence of the newly appointed President Samia Suluhu.

Mpango became the Vice President after the position was left vacant when President Suluhu took over as president following the death of the former President Dr. John Pombe Magufuli.

Philip Isdor Mpango is among the few ministers reappointed by the late President Magufuli during his second term and 363 Legislators had voted to endorse him after being nominated by President Samia Suluhu.

Speaking at the Ceremony, President Suluhu urged the new Vice President Mpango to prioritize resolving challenges facing the union on financial matters.

Mpango previously served as the Acting Commissioner General of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), the Executive Secretary in the President’s Office (Planning Commission). He also served as the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Finance & Economic Affairs, and the Personal Assistant to the late President Magufuli in economic affairs

UK Regulator Says Thirty Blood Clot Cases Found After Astrazeneca Vaccine Use

By
Zoe Maven
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British regulators say they have identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events after the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which is 25 more cases than the agency previously reported.

On March 18, the UK medicines regulator said there were five cases of a rare brain blood clot among eleven million administered shots.

However On Thursday, it put the count at twenty-two reports of an extremely rare brain clotting ailment, and eight reports of other clotting events associated with low blood platelets out of a total of 18.1 million doses given.

The health officials said they, however, still believed the benefits of the vaccine in the prevention of COVID-19 far outweigh any possible risk of blood clots.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said it had received no such reports of clotting events following use of the vaccine made by BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc.

In the meantime, some countries are restricting use of the AstraZeneca vaccine while others have resumed inoculations, as investigations into reports of rare, and sometimes severe, blood clots continue.

Train Derails In Taiwan, Dozens Of People Feared Dead

By
Zoe Maven
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A packed train in eastern Taiwan on Friday derailed inside a tunnel with dozens of people believed to have been killed.

According to the Central Emergency Operation Center, the eight-car train, carrying some 350 passengers was making its way from Taipei to the southeastern city of Taitung.

They said the accident occurred on Taiwan’s eastern railway line around 9.30am local time near the coastal city of Hualien.

They added that rescuers were trying to get to four carriages inside the tunnel that were badly damaged and difficult to access.

In their latest rescue operation update, police said 36 passengers were classified as showing no signs of life. They added that 72 people were still trapped inside train carriages while 61 passengers had been sent to hospital.

In addition, the Taiwan Railways Administration issued a separate statement stating that several of the passengers were without signs of life, as was confirmed by the local fire department.

The accident occurred at the start of the busy annual Tomb Sweeping festival, which is a long holiday weekend when Taiwan’s roads and railways are usually packed.

Search and Rescue Efforts Ongoing For Missing Nigerian Air Force Alpha-Jet

By
Angel Gimalo
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Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha-Jet has gone missing after it lost ‘radar contact’ while on a mission, in Borno State, the North-Eastern part of the country.

This was announced in a statement made available by the NAF’s Director of Public Relations, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet.

Details of the whereabouts of the aircraft or likely cause of contact loss are still sketchy but will be relayed to the general public as soon as they become clear.

Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts are ongoing.

Food Importation Gulps N1.89tn Annually In Nigeria

By
Angel Gimalo
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Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono has disclosed that food importation gulps about N1.89tn annually in Nigeria.

The Minister also said Nigeria spends about N568.5bn on the importation of milk and dairy products annually.

Currently, the Nigerian dairy industry was largely subsistence and consisted of local milk production, importation, processing, marketing and consumption, according to the Minister.

    He emphasised that the consumption of aggregated and bulked milk was less than 20 percent of the local potential.

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