Hundreds of thousands of Spain’s health workers protested in Madrid on Sunday over what they say is the destruction of the public health system by the conservative regional government.
The Madrid government has been the target of criticism in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, over poor staffing in hospitals and primary healthcare centres. Protesters say it is dismantling public health services and favouring private health providers.
“They have cut our wages instead of raising them. We are overwhelmed with work and do not have any support. We are in danger of extinction,” Lilian Ramis, 61, a matron at the El Molar health centre in Madrid, told Newsmen.
Demonstrators filled the Plaza Cibeles area in the city centre, chanting and waving flags. One demonstrator sported a huge model of Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the right-wing leader of the Madrid regional government, with a Pinocchio-like nose attached.
Regional governments in Spain are responsible for a large part of the health budget as part of the country’s devolved political system.
A regional government spokesman put the number of people who marched through the streets of central Madrid at 250,000 while organisers put it at closer to 1 million.
Madrid Protest
Ayuso denies the accusation that her administration is dismantling public health services in favour of the private sector.
“We all believe in public health,” she wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
Thousands of health workers also demonstrated in Santiago de Compostela, in northwestern Spain on Sunday, calling for the preservation of the public health system. Police said 20,000 took to the streets.
In November, tens of thousands of people marched through Madrid in support of health workers calling for better working conditions.
1258 Baghdad, then a city of 1 million, falls to the Mongols as the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed, tens of thousands slaughtered, ending the Islamic Golden Age
1601 1st British East India Company voyage departs from London, lead by John Lancaster
1689 Parliament of England adopts the Bill of Rights which establishes the rights of parliament and places limits on the crown
1942 Hitler’s Operation Sealion, the invasion of England, is cancelled
1945 Allied planes begin bombing Dresden, Germany; a firestorm results and over 22,000 die
1945 USSR captures Budapest, after a 49-day battle with Nazi Germany in which 159,000 die
1960 France becomes the 4th nuclear nation by exploding the 70 kilo-ton “Gerboise Bleue” atomic bomb in the French Algerian Sahara desert
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1972 “Cabaret”, directed by Bob Fosse, based on John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical of the same name, starring Liza Minnelli and Michael York, released
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1996 Rapper Tupac Shakur releases his 4th studio album ‘All Eyez on Me’
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1920 Baseball Hall of Famer “Rube” Foster and 7 other team owners create the first Negro National League (NNL) at a meeting in a Kansas City YMCA
1866 Jesse James holds up his first bank, stealing $15,000 from the Clay County Savings Association in Liberty, Missouri
1982 Pink Floyd’s album “Dark Side of the Moon” marks 402 weeks in the album charts
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1575 Henry III of France marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont.
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The Lagos State government has ordered the temporary closure of Chrisland School, Opebi, Ikeja, following the reported death of a student of the school, Whytney Adeyemi Adeniran.
The state government in a release signed by the State Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo, said the closure was ordered pending the outcome of a full investigation into the unfortunate incident.
The commissioner, on behalf of the State Ministry of Education, commiserated with Mr. and Mrs. Adeniran, parents of Whytney, and prayed for the repose of her soul.
“We also note the impact of this unfortunate event on family, friends and acquaintance of Whytney and call for calm as we assure that no effort will be spared in investigating the incident,” the Commissioner stated.
Eye care specialists have urged Nigerians, especially those with a family history of glaucoma to go for periodic eye checks to prevent sudden and irreversible blindness from the eye condition.
The ophthalmologists say while there is no known cause of glaucoma often referred to as sudden blindness, those with a family history of the eye condition and persons living with certain non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes mellitus are more at risk of it and should therefore embrace regular eye checks.
Speaking with Newsmen, the experts, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Federal Medical Centre Abuja, Dr. Sewuese Bitto, and an Ophthalmologist at Cataract, and Glaucoma Services Unit, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Dr. Osamudiamen Cyril Obasuyi said that the public needed to have a better understanding of glaucoma to prevent sudden blindness.
Dr. Bitto said that glaucoma puts enormous pressure on the eyes. She said, “There is no specified cause of glaucoma. However, there are some factors that we refer to as risk factors because they are linked to an increased chance of getting glaucoma when they are present.
“Race is one such factor as being black compared to being white puts one at an increased risk of having glaucoma. Being above the age of 40 years also increases one’s chance of having glaucoma. Elevated pressure in the eye is another risk factor. The higher the eye pressure, the higher the chance of ending up with glaucoma.
“However, the presence of a first-degree relative who has glaucoma, especially a direct family relative heightens the chance of getting glaucoma.” She stressed those who have such relations should embrace regular eye checks.
Regular eye examinations, she added will help ensure the early detection of glaucoma and its proper management to avert the irreversible blindness that it often causes.
Such early eye checks, she said, can help persons to be aware that they even have a thin cornea (the glassy structure in front of the brown part of the eyes in black people), adding that thin corneas make people underestimate the actual eye pressure which may be much higher and increase the risk of glaucoma.
Other non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes mellitus are also risk factors for glaucoma, she said.
She, however, stressed that glaucoma is more common in adults and affects children less.
“Glaucoma is less common in children compared to adults. However, few cases occur in children. A baby can be born with glaucoma in which case, we call it congenital glaucoma. When it occurs between one and three years, we call it infantile glaucoma and when it occurs in children aged above three years to adults less than 40 it’s termed juvenile glaucoma.
Glaucoma
“Congenital glaucoma occurs primarily without any other disease in the eye and mainly occurs sporadically. However, risk factors still include a positive family history or a baby being a product of consanguinity (The characteristic of having a kinship with another person),” she said.
The eye care expert, however, stressed that there is no cure for glaucoma diagnosed in a child or an adult.
“The most important take-home message is for our people to engage in periodic eye checks, preferably, once a year is great. This is because glaucoma often has no symptoms until it has stolen one’s vision, causing irreversible blindness,” she said.
Also speaking with our correspondent, Dr. Obasuyi reiterated Dr. Bitto’s position that glaucoma has no known cause and that those with a family history of the condition should be more alert to detecting it early through regular eye checks.
He said, “Glaucoma is a disease affecting the optic nerve which is the nerve responsible for carrying visual signals to the brain.
“Glaucoma causes characteristic changes in the visual fields by making people unable to see their sides clearly without turning their heads.
“There is no known cause of Glaucoma. But there are risk factors: These include a family history of glaucoma, diabetes, hypertension, and migraine, amongst others”.
He also affirmed that glaucoma is not common in children.
“Thankfully, the prevalence in children is rare. It is about one in 10,000 people,” he said.
He equally stressed that the eye condition has no cure but can be properly managed, especially when detected early.
“A ‘cure’ for glaucoma is not the right word, but it can be treated if it is caught early. When it is detected early, there’s hope for reversing the damage,” he said.
According to a study published online by Mayo Clinic – a medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research, glaucoma is a major cause of blindness.
The study which focussed on identifying reasons for variations in eye pressure response to glaucoma drugs between individuals also added that current trial-and-error approaches to glaucoma management are inefficient, adding that the long-term goal of clinical studies on glaucoma should be how to improve treatment outcomes by identifying biomarkers and environmental factors that profile a patient at risk for glaucoma by age-of-onset, rate of disease progression, “poor response” to treatment, and large intraocular pressure (IOP) fluctuation.
Enyimba head coach Finidi George on Saturday expressed delight at improved officiating in the Nigeria Premier Football League on away grounds.
The 1994 AFCON winner stated this during a post-match press briefing at the Pantami stadium, shortly after his side defeated hosts Gombe United 2-1.
Gombe United, who held leaders Bendel Insurance goalless in Benin City in their last outing, opened score through Yusuf Taiye in the 12th minute, but the visitors bounced back with goals from Elijah Akanni and Obioma in the 35th and 53rd minutes to claim the hard-fought win.
“The league is getting better, so far. I see teams go away and win and that is what we expect of the league,” Finidi said.
“We can’t stress on everything, but I think one of the major reasons why teams found it difficult winning away matches was officiating, but I think it has been corrected majorly this season.”
The retired Super Eagles winger added, “It was a difficult game, both teams played well and we took our chances and we are happy we have the three points, we hope the officiating continues this way
“We may go to Aba with the same team (Gombe United) beating us. Everything is open. It will help to determine winners of the league.”
Manchester City shrugged off the uncertainty caused by a series of Premier League charges to close to within three points of Arsenal at the top of the table with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
A cloud is hanging over the English champions after the Premier League hit the club with more than 100 charges alleging breaches of financial rules dating as far back as 2009.
If found guilty, City could face a severe points deduction or even relegation from the top flight.
But City boss Pep Guardiola came out swinging in defence of the club’s hierarchy as he pointed the finger at jealous Premier League rivals for the accusations and his players followed him with a show of defiance on the field.
Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez all struck before half-time at the Etihad to edge ominously into Arsenal’s rear-view mirror ahead of a clash between the two on Wednesday.
Arsenal still have a game in hand, but City will now move to the top of the table should they win at the Emirates in midweek.
The Gunners’ 1-1 draw at home to Brentford on Saturday opened the door for City and unlike last weekend, when the defending champions missed the chance to pounce with defeat away to Tottenham, this time they made no mistake.
Guardiola also learned his lesson from an experimental line-up at Spurs.
Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Kevin De Bruyne and Gundogan were restored to the starting line-up and City looked much more like their old selves.
The City support made their feelings known before kick-off as the Premier League anthem was booed and a banner raised saluting the lawyer the club have hired to defend the charges.
Just four minutes in they had something to cheer as Rodri rose highest to power home a header from Mahrez’s corner.
Jack Grealish was in the mood to do some damage against his former club and only a brilliant finger-tip save from Emiliano Martinez denied the England international from finding the top corner.
– Haaland injury concern –
Much was made of City’s reluctance to hit Erling Haaland early in a feeble surrender to Spurs last weekend and the Norwegian was a far more persistent threat in behind the Villa defence.
Haaland created the second as his pace beat Martinez to De Bruyne’s ball over the top and he picked out Gundogan at the far post for a simple finish.
Grealish then lured Jacob Ramsey into a clumsy challenge to win a penalty, which Mahrez slotted home as Haaland surprisingly stepped aside.
That decision was perhaps explained by Haaland’s withdrawal at half-time as he appeared to be nursing a thigh issue, which will be a concern for Guardiola.
So too will be his side’s defensive record as another clean sheet was spoiled when Douglas Luiz robbed Bernardo Silva and freed Ollie Watkins to fire into the far corner on the hour mark.
Villa substitute Jhon Duran then smashed against the bar in stoppage time, but a second-half rally was too little, too late for Unai Emery’s men.
The capability of Morocco at hosting sporting events has been given a thumb up by FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino.
The hosting by Morocco was given at short notice, as the award was made in Doha on 14 December 2022, less than two months to the event.
The Club World Cup is typically played annually in December, but the 2022 tournament could not take place during this period due to the 2022FIFA World Cup that took place in Qatar in November and December.
That not withstanding, the President of FIFA Gianni Infantino said that Morocco has mobilized all the necessary means and resources to ensure the successful hosting.
“After the success of the World Cup in Qatar, this Club World Cup takes on a very unique and particular significance in the world, ” Infantino remarked.
He noted that Morocco made substantial efforts to guarantee the quality of the tournament, a reflection of the “trust” FIFA has given Morocco to organize the sporting event.
“If we did not have full trust [in Morocco], we would not be here today to organize the Club World Cup,” he emphasized.
Infantino said that he is looking forward to visiting Morocco again in the future, highlighting the country’s love and passion for football.
“It is a beautiful country … it is a country of football,” emphasized Infantino, celebrating the “huge success” of the Moroccan national football team during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Never before the FIFA Club World Cup started in 2000 had a final match produced an avalanche of goals as it happened in Rabat Sarturday night as Real Madrid extend the number of victories in the competition to five.
And symbolically, they had five goals to tell the story of their fifth victory in an eight goal thriller in which Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal fought gamely but lost 5-3.
Vinicius Junior scored twice .The Brazilian winger, who has faced appalling racist abuse in Spain this season, let his football do the talking in Rabat.
Federico Valverde also hit a double and there was a welcome goal for Karim Benzema on his return from a minor injury, with Madrid never seriously troubled by the champions of Saudi Arabia.
Al Hilal beat Flamengo in the semi-finals, but taking down the UEFA Champions League holders was a step too far, although they rattled Madrid at times.
Vinicius put Madrid ahead in the 13th minute when Benzema played him through to the left of goal. The Brazilian’s right-footed strike was not the most convincing of finishes but sneaked through the defences of goalkeeper Abdullah Al Muaiouf.
Argentinian Luciano Vietto almost levelled barely a minute later when his low strike from 20 yards went inches wide of the left post. Yet Madrid moved 2-0 up in the 18th minute after a soft goal for Al Hilal to concede.
Luka Modric’s whipped cross from the right was too hot for Al Muaiouf, with the ball bouncing out to Valverde whose 15-yard skidding volley went through defender Ali Al Bulayhi and the goalkeeper. Al Muaiouf did better moments later when repelling a strike by Benzema.
Any thought Los Blancos might be on easy street evaporated when Moussa Marega dashed through to fire past Andriy Lunin in the 26th minute, with Benzema missing a good chance late in the half to restore the two-goal cushion.
Benzema made no such mistake in the 54th minute, meeting a cross from Vinicius on the left with a powerful close-range finish. The ball from Vinicius, struck with the outside of his right boot, was read perfectly by Benzema whose sharp movement left three markers standing.
Dani Carvajal and Valverde combined expertly down the Madrid right in the 58th minute, working a path into the Al Hilal penalty area, with Valverde clipping in his second goal of the game.
Five minutes later, Antonio Rudiger was caught asleep on the job as Vietto sprinted behind him before chipping past Lunin to cut Madrid’s lead to 4-2, but Vinicius soon restored the three-goal cushion with a sweeping finish into the right corner.
Kelechi Iheanacho claimed the Man of the Match award for the second consecutive game following Leicester City’s 4-1 drubbing of Tottenham Hotspur at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
Iheanacho picked up the award after Leicester City’s 4-2 victory at Aston Villa last week.
The 26-year-old scored once and provided two assists in that game.
Against Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur, Iheanacho was influential again hitting the target once with one assist.
The Nigeria international scored 51% of the votes, with James Maddison and Harvey Barnes coming second and third respectively.
Iheanacho has scored three goals and recorded four assists in 16 league appearances for the Foxes this season.
Nathan Tella is playing the best football of his life with an impressed Burnley boss Vincent Kompany going on to praise the Southampton loanee for giving the English Championship leaders “a bit extra”.
Tella, who has pledged his international future to the Super Eagles, netted a hat-trick in a 3-0 Derby win over Preston North End Saturday for his 14th goal in all competitions this season.
Burnley consolidated top place with their 10th straight win.
Kompany had a lot to say about “raw diamond” Tella.
“He has been doing really well but I would put his effort before anything,” he saluted.
“It is really important to point that out. He has goalscoring ability but I have seen many players with goalscoring ability who aren’t putting in the work for the team and that is just not good enough these days for me. He is able to combine both and that is what has given us a little bit extra.
“I think they key for him is to keep doing what has brought him this far. Don’t change your habits, because if there was something that needed changing we would have told him, and don’t look too much at records or anything. He is doing what he has to do to get goals and he has to believe he can get more if he stays on track.”
The Burnley manager added: “I still call him a ‘raw diamond’, you can see that he’s still progressing.
“For somebody that hasn’t played regular football that’s something that can go on for a while. We just monitor talented players, we monitor his habits, he’s showing an ability to play on the inside and outside, they’re really interesting tools he’s got now.
“When he scores goals I’m happy for him, but I’m happier about his contribution to the team in general.
“If you look at our first phase out of possession, he’s massive in that, if you look at the threat he can have in the first phase when we have the ball, to execute this idea you need that threat. He has all the tools and he helps us in so many ways other than goalscoring.”
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