Flowerbud News

Author: Lara Olaniyi

  • China accuses Apple of aiding Hong Kong protests through toxic apps

    Apple is the latest in a series of foreign companies and organisations to have come under fire in China for their alleged support of Hong Kong protesters.

    Chinese state-run newspaper People’s Daily on Wednesday accused the US tech giant of helping Hong Kong protesters engage in more violence through a transport app.

    “This mobile app claims to provide transportation information for the convenience of the public, but is actually used to identify the whereabouts of the police, allowing the rioters in Hong Kong to go on violent acts.

    “Apple’s approval for the app obviously helps rioters. What was its true intention?’’ the paper said.

    The publication also complained about the presence in the Apple Music store of a song advocating for Hong Kong’s independence from China.

    “Nobody wants to drag Apple into the lingering unrest in Hong Kong.

    “But people have reason to assume that Apple is mixing business with politics, and even illegal acts.

    “Apple has to think about the consequences of its unwise and reckless decision,’’ the paper added.

    Meanwhile, US lawmakers have criticised organisations including the NBA and video game developer Blizzard Entertainment for seemingly caving in to Beijing in exchange for market access.

    Highlighting the ripple effects abroad of China’s clampdown on freedom of expression.

    The State broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday suspended its broadcasts of NBA pre-season China games after the basketball league’s head defended the right of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey to speak out in support of the protesters.

    Morey found himself in the middle of a controversy on Friday after he tweeted a since-deleted message to Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong.

    On Tuesday, Chinese active wear company Anta, which has endorsement deals with stars including Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, announced it would halt contract renewal negotiations with the NBA.

  • DEPOWA takes empowerment to less privileged in Ekiti

    The Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA) has launched an empowerment programme for unemployed women, youth and widows in Ekiti.

    The Acting Director of Defence Information, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The President of DEPOWA, Mr Omobolanle Olonisakin, while inaugurating the empowerment programme in Ado-Ekiti, said the organisation was committed to addressing the plights of the less privileged in the society.

    Olonisakin said that the skills acquisition training being organised for indigenes in Ekiti and the neighbouring states would provide jobs for the unemployed populace and ultimately promote socio-economic development of the state.

    She said that the programme was DEPOWA’s ‘little way towards effecting positive change’, urging the trainees to take every aspect of the training seriously.

    According to her, the knowledge gained will enable them become economically independent as well as catapult them into gainful employment.

    “DEPOWA is committed to providing necessary succour to our teaming populace, especially the less privileged in our society by responsively complementing the welfare programmes of the Armed Forces and Police for barracks and surrounding communities.”

    Olonisakin disclosed that the DEPOWA’s empowerment programmes in Ekiti and Ibadan in 2018 was largely successful, adding that most of the beneficiaries were now small scale business entrepreneurs and employers of labour.

    She revealed that some of the previous beneficiaries were part of the resource persons in the DEPOWA training team who are currently imparting acquisition skills to the new set of trainees.

    “The beneficiaries are being trained in cosmetic production, tile installation, beads stringing, bag making, facial make-up and gele (head gear) tying.

    “Others are barbing, grinding machine operation, as well as fabric tie and dye.

    “The two weeks vocational training is being conducted without any cost on the beneficiaries and at the end of the training, DEPOWA will issue free starter packs to successful graduands to enable them set up their enterprises,” she said.

  • UN in financial crisis – Guterres

    Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General says the organisation is facing a severe paucity of funds, the worst in nearly 10 years.

    Guterres told Member States on Tuesday that the organisation “runs the risk of depleting its liquidity reserves by the end of the month and defaulting on payments to staff and vendors.”

    He said only 70 per cent of the total budget assessment for 2019, amounting to 1.99 billion dollars, had been paid as at the end of September, leaving a balance of 1.3 billion dollars.

    The current figure, according to him, is eight per cent lower than the 78 per cent payment recorded in the same period in 2018.

    “Unless more Governments pay their annual dues, our work and our reforms are at risk”, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric quoted him as telling the budget-setting Fifth Committee of the General Assembly.

    Dujarric told UN correspondents in New York that although 129 out of the 193 Member States had now paid their regular annual dues, others needed to pay “urgently and in full”.

    “This is the only way to avoid a default that could risk disrupting operations globally.

    “The Secretary-General further asked governments to address the underlying reasons for the crisis and agree on measures to put the United Nations on a sound financial footing,’’ he added.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the United States is missing on the list of Member States that have paid their regular budget assessments as published on the UN website.

    Earlier in the year, President Donald Trump reportedly said the U.S. was bearing an “unfair burden” of the cost of the UN, and called on the organisation to reform its operations.

    Guterres said on Tuesday that the financial shortage in October could have reached 600 million dollars had the organisation not “contained expenditures globally from the beginning of the year”.

    He said the cost-saving measures enabled the UN to fund the General Assembly debate and the high-level meetings in September.

    “To date, we have averted major disruptions to operations, but these measures are no longer enough.

    “The Secretariat could face a default on salaries and payments for goods and services by the end of November unless more Member States pay their budget dues in full.”

    “The Secretary-General noted that this is a recurrent problem that severely hampers the Secretariat’s ability to fulfill its obligations to the people we serve.

    “We are now driven to prioritise our work on the basis of the availability of cash, thus undermining the implementation of mandates decided by inter-governmental bodies,’’ Dujarric said.

    He said the UN chief expected Member States to resolve the structural issues responsible for the annual financial crisis without further delay.”

    Meanwhile, the Secretary-General has presented a 2.94 billion dollars budget proposal for 2010, same as the 2019 estimates.

    Guterres said the plan represented a “profound reflection on the path ahead and deep commitment to our shared work,” according to the spokesman.

    The UN chief said budget implementation was no longer being driven by planning, but according to “the availability of cash at hand.”

    With hiring and non-salary expenditure limited by liquidity, “this undermines mandate delivery and goes against our efforts to focus less on inputs and more on results,” he added.

  • How STI “Herpes” treats skin cancer

    A new drug that contains the herpes virus could be the key to treating advanced stage skin cancer, research has revealed.

    The drug is a genetically modified strain of the sexually transmitted infection and is injected directly into tumors.

    From there, the virus multiplies inside the cancerous cells and kills them, and teaches the body’s immune system to also attack the cells.

    It helped patients like Bill Tripoli, of Abita Springs, Louisiana, who was diagnosed with melanoma on his left leg in 2014, reported WAFB.

    When he was first diagnosed, he was told he only had a year-and-a-half to live. But, thanks to the new treatment, he is getting closer to being cancer-free.

    Bill Tripoli, of Abita Springs, Louisiana, was diagnosed with melanoma in his left leg in 2014.

    The skin cancer spread to his lymph nodes and he was given a year-and-a-half to live.

    Tripoli was referred to a doctor in Baton Rouge, who wanted to treat him with an immunotherapy drug called talimogene laherparepvec.

    Tripoli told WAFB he first noticed something was wrong when brown and black spots started appearing all over his leg.

    After several doctors’ visits and tests, he was diagnosed with melanoma.

    Melanoma begins in the melanocytes, a type of skin cell that makes melanin and gives skin a tan or brown color.

    The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 96,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in the US in 2019 and that more than 7,200 will die

  • Gov Emmanuel proposes N597bn 2020 Budget

    Governor Udom Emmanuel has presented a budget proposal of N597 billion for the 2020 fiscal year to Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly with emphasis on education, industrialization and poverty reduction.

    The budget which is christened ‘Budget of Industrialisation for poverty alleviation phase 2’, is predicated on the policy thrust to gradually metamorphose Akwa Ibom State from a “Civil Service” State to a largely Private Sector driven State.

    According to the governor, “this will be achieved by opening up the State and making it welcoming for private investments, strengthening existing industries and establishing new ones, as well as improving other IGR processes and drive.

    “It is expected that these, as well as the provision of basic infrastructures, enhancement of security, development of human capital and boosting services in education and healthcare will lead to an overall improvement in the living standard of our people”.

    An analysis of the budget estimate shows that capital expenditure is at the top with N369.6 billion, about 61.8 per cent of the budget; recurrent expenditure is estimated to take N111 billion, 18.6 per cent while while N116,933 (19 per cent) is earmarked for consolidated revenue fund charges.

    The 2020 budget is however significantly lower than that of 2019 which stood at N672,985.

    This shortfall, the governor explained is reflective of anchoring the budget on oil benchmark of $55 per barrel at a production rate of N2.18 million barrels per day, and with an estimated exchange rate of 305/USS.

    Further analysis of sectoral allocations show that priority was given to projects and programmes under the Education and Economic sectors.

    On the priorities the governor noted that “education is the bed rock of all developments. It is a pivot on which every human capital development revolves. This administration places a high premium on education and skills development and acquisition”.

    On Industrialisation, he said “in the next four years, my administration will intensify efforts and focus in providing a high performance in the industrialization goals we had started in my first term in office.

    “We hope to make Akwa Ibom State an industrial hub in our country. In this regard, more energy and vigour will be given to Small and Medium Enterprises to act as drivers of our viable economy. We will make sure that adequate and sufficient modern infrastructural facilities are provided which are quite necessary for effective and efficient industrialization.

    Speaking of his intentions to boost Agriculture, he stated that ” In 2020, government intends to carry out the following agricultural programmes and projects; Agro Meteorological Project, Commercial Cattle Development Project, Cocoyam/Avocado Pear Production and Bamboo Development Programme.

    “Others are: Integrated Farmers Scheme (IFS), Women Agro-Entrepreneurship Development Programme (WAEDEP), Cassava Development Programme, Animal Feed Safety and Certification Programme, Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), Maize Development Programme, Rice Development Project, Agro-Chemical Supply and others”.

    Gov. Udom hinted that his administration may complete the Ibom Tropicana and Entertainment Galleria left unfinished by his predecessor.

    The governor said the 2020 budget is further anchored on his Eight-Point policy thrust which rests squarely on his initial Five-Point Agenda that shaped his First Term in office.

    He listed the agenda to include: Job Creation, Poverty Alleviation, Wealth Creation, Economic and Political Inclusion, and Infrastructural Consolidation and Expansion for continuous transformation of the State into an industrialized entity.”

    “We are committed to complete all our ongoing projects and other star projects in our completion agenda”, he assured.

    The Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr Aniekan Bassey applauded governor Udom Emmanuel for the purposeful implementation of the 2019 budget and pledged to ensure a speedy consideration and passage of the 2020 appropriation budget.

    He however charged the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDGs) to ensure they provide all the necessary supporting budget data and stick to the time table that will be announced by the house for their appearance.

  • Akabueze, Akpabio, Ndume speak on 2020 budget estimate

    Mr Ben Akabueze, the Director General Budget Office, says the 2020 budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari tagged the “Budget of Growth and Job Creation” clearly defines its objectives.

    Akabueze made this known on the sidelines of the 2020 budget estimate presentation by Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja.

    “The budget presented by Mr President is titled the Budget of Growth and Job Creation; so, at least that clearly defines what the objectives are.

    “The budget is intended to drive growth; it is intended to expand the economy’s capacity to create jobs.

    “As you are aware, the president has committed to a goal of uplifting a hundred million people out of poverty over the next 10 years.

    “And the best way to take people out of poverty is to put them into jobs to be able to earn income.”

    The DG said that creating palliatives, such as Social Investment Programmes, can only serve as interim measure pending when people get jobs.

    Sen. Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, commended the President for the timely presentation of the budget.

    Akpabio said this would enable the country to achieve the January to December budget cycle.

    “The reason the budget is coming (now) is to enable us go back to the budget cycle of January to December which will help us plan and have a better plan for the future of Nigeria

    “This is highly commendable because of the cooperation between the executive and the parliament today; we are quite excited about it.

    “Nigerians should expect better dividends of democracy; the president has promised that this second term he wants to take them to Next Level.”

    Akpabio said availability of funds, commitment and dedication of everyone involved was the surest way for Nigerians to get to the next level.

    Sen. Ali Ndume, however, decried the performance level of 2019 budget, tagging it ‘circumstantially poor’.

    According to Ndume, the poor performance of 2019 budget is no fault of the executive, but a result of the late passage of the 2019 budget.

    “The budget was passed in June and you see it cannot be implemented, but despite that, the president’s commitment is commendable as he has now ordered that N600 billion be released by the end of the month in compliance with the execution of the 2019 budget.

    “I think that will make a lot of difference in critical areas.”

    Sen. Adamu Bulkachuwa said a lot of work had been done underground on the budget and the document presented was a result of what had been agreed upon.

    He said speed, dedication and precision would be employed in the deliberations on the budget to ensure its passage by the legislature, not later than November.

    Bulkachuwa said this would enable the President to accent to it before the end of December, to ensure its implementation from January 2020.

  • Iraqi army withdraws from eastern Baghdad suburb after deadly clashes

    Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi on Monday ordered that army troops be withdrawn from an eastern Baghdad suburb and be replaced with police following deadly clashes.

    The Iraqi military said at least eight people were killed in clashes between Iraqi security forces and protesters in Sadr City on Sunday.

    A security source told dpa that scores of people were wounded in the clashes.

    The Iraqi military said in a statement that an `excessive force beyond the engagement rules’ was used in the clashes and measures to hold officers who committed such mistakes accountable have begun via investigating councils.

    Thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets of several provinces in the oil-rich country to protest corruption, lack of job opportunities and poor services – in particular access to electricity and clean water.

    More than 104 people, mainly demonstrators, have been killed and about 6,107 others injured in the protests.

    On Sunday, Abdel-Mahdi discussed the protests in a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

    The prime minister reviewed the latest developments and the return to normal life after a curfew was lifted and affirmed that security forces have controlled the situation, and stability has been restored.

    He also asserted that his government has outlined a package of reforms and measures and would continue to provide more to respond to the protesters’ demands.

    Pompeo expressed his trust in the Iraqi security forces and affirmed Washington’s support for Iraq and its government’s efforts to boost security and stability.

  • FG restates committment to strengthen trade relations with Poland

    The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Adeniyi Adebayo has reiterated Federal Government’s committment to strengthen relationship between Nigeria and Poland in terms of trade, commerce and industrialisation.

    Adebayo said this in a statement signed by Mr Julius Jegede, the Special Assistant to the minister on Media in Abuja on Friday.

    The minister spoke when he received Mrs Jonna Tarnawska, Ambassador of Republic of Poland to Nigeria in his office.

    He said that government had put in place measures to ensure that all foreigners, including those from Poland engaged with credible local investors.

    He listed one of such measures to include the Executive Order 001, Ease of Doing Business aimed at removing all incumbrances of business regulation.

    “As a ministry, we are more than willing to assist Polish investors in any way possible with a view to guarantee the credibility of Nigeria businesses.

    “We know our people and we know the credible ones, so we are ready to give assistance in that regard. If there are areas where your firms need introduction to credible people here, we will assist.

    “We will give you the investment brochure of Nigeria through the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) to help further your knowledge of our local business environment,” he said.

    Adebayo further said that Nigeria would initiate economic and technical cooperation with Poland so that in the process, there would be a trade mission and proper economic activities to be carried out between the two countries.

    “I want to specifically allay your fears about Polish businesses coming to Nigeria, this ministry is playing a leading role in ease of doing business and it is backed by the Executive Order, tagged “Executive Order 001” .

    “It means that no incumbrance when it comes to the registration of your businesses. Even at the point of entering into the country, you will have automatic visa on arrival.

    “In fact, the agencies under this ministry were given awards for easing businesses for both foreign and local investors.

    “We have the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). We have the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA) for the Oil and Gas sector, we have an array of them like that.

    “I’m saying this to allay your fears about the type of relationship that could exist between your country’s business and Nigeria,”he said.

    He said from the export angle, there were lots of things the two countries could synergise on, including items branded and certified, meeting all the necessary international standards through the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

    “With all these, the credible platform for all foreigners, including Polish nationals coming to do business in Nigeria is already established,”he said.

    Earlier, the ambassador had expressed willingness to explore further business opportunities in Nigeria, but raised concerns by Polish investors.

    She said the essence of the visit was to reiterate that Poland would like to continue its cooperation with Nigeria.

    “Poland has a long standing relationship with Nigeria. And we will like to further develop on this for the benefits of both nations.

    “Our country is willing to ensure cooperation with Nigeria in many areas such as: maritime, defense, education and economy.

    “I believe we need this relationship now, especially that Poland is opening-up toward West Africa and of course West Africa can not be mentioned without Nigeria.

    “We are looking up to further cooperation too in terms of trade, because many Polish businesses are interested in coming to Nigeria,” she said.

  • Edo 2020: PDP adopts no zone option for governorship election

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo has adopted a no-zoning policy in picking the party’s governorship candidate for the state gubernatorial election in 2020.
    The party also resolved that the position of the state chairman of the party would not be zoned as well.
    This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Chris Nehikhare, the PDP Publicity Secretary in the state in Benin on Monday.
    According to Nehikhare, candidates for both positions can emerge from any part of the state irrespective of their senatorial zones of origin.
    He said that the resolution was reached at a stakeholders meeting hosted by former governor Lucky Igbinedion at the weekend.
    He explained that the party rather than limit itself to zoning formula has resolved the party must seek for the best materials for both positions irrespective of senatorial district.
    Nehikhare said that the resolution was part of the road map to 2020 by the party in the state.
    He said it was also agreed that it was the responsibility of the National Working Committee (NWC) to conduct congresses that would produce new officials at the end of the tenure of the present executive.
    He further said it was also resolved that the chairman at the earliest possible time would liaise with the NWC to know the time table for Edo congresses coming up in 2020.
    He further said that unity, peace and fairness was canvassed by all the leaders at the meeting, adding that with the problems in APC, that marketing and expanding the PDP frontiers had become imperative.
    Nehikhare said that the party leaders unanimously agreed that the stewardship of Chief Dan Orbih and that of his executive had been exemplary and worthy of praise.
    He said some of those who spoke include Chief Tom Ikimi, Chief Lucky Igbinedion and Sen. Victor Oyofo.
    He said the consensus on the overwhelming performance of the chairman led to all the leaders giving the party chairman a standing ovation.