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  • 1st batch of 561 Borno pilgrims transported to Saudi Arabia

    The first batch of 561 intending pilgrims from Borno have on Sunday been transported to Saudi Arabia for the 2018 Hajj.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the pilgrims were transported by Max Air in the early hours of the day from the Maiduguri International Airport.

    The state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Usman Durkwa, who inaugurated the exercise, admonished the pilgrims to be good ambassadors of the country while in the holy land.

    Durkwa also called on them to be law abiding, dedicate themselves to spiritual supplications and pray for peace and stability in the country.

    Dr Mustapha Ali, the Executive Secretary, Borno State Pilgrims Welfare Board, told NAN that the board had registered 1, 563 pilgrims in the state.

    Ali disclosed that the exercise would be in three batches and was expected to be completed soon.

    He explained that the first batch comprised over 500 pilgrims while the second batch of 545 pilgrims would also be transported to Saudi Arabia soon.

    According to him, the State Government has secured decent accommodation for the pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah, adding that effective transport arrangements for the pilgrims in the Holy land had been made by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

    Ali said that the board had also sensitised the pilgrims to the rites to be performed during the Hajj as well as rules and regulations governing pilgrims’ stay in the Saudi Kingdom.

    He said the board had deployed its personnel to guide and attend to the needs of the pilgrims with a view to ensuring their welfare. (NAN)

  • WOTCLEF advocates more sensitisation in rural areas to fight human trafficking

    By Mustapha Sumaila

    An NGO, Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF), has called for more sensitisation in the rural areas to completely wage war against human trafficking in the country.

    The Executive Director of WOTCLEF, Mrs Imabong Ladipo-Sanusi, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja.

    Ladipo-Sanusi said that if the war against human trafficking must be won, hence there was need to intensify campaigns in the rural areas where the act was also being perpetuated.

    She said that those in the vanguards to fight human trafficking, must be all over places until the menace was completely wiped out.

    According to her, rural areas are also being sensitised by other sister NGOs in the different geo-political zones through traditional and religious institutions.

    The executive director noted that WOTCLEF, through its NYSC partnership with the Youth Corps, had taken the fight to the rural areas.

    She said that efforts needed to be increased for aggressive campaign to combat human trafficking.

    Ladipo-Sanusi said that activities of human traffickers would affect the future of the young generation if not well tackled.

    She said that victims were exploited for various purposes including, but not limited to labour, domestic, hazardous, organ harvest, sexual exploitation, debts bondage, and sales of children or baby factories.

    “Having lost their civic, social, legal and economic rights, it is obvious that rehabilitation and safe reintegration of victims remain key.

    “How painful, bleak and traumatic it is when victims are children, you will not understand until you ask what will become of the future of little Miss X, who was taken away from her mother at a tender age.

    “Used for domestic labour under a slave-like condition by the woman of the house, while the man of the house manipulates her as his sex toy,” she said.

    Ladipo-Sanusi narrated and quoted the ordeals of one of the victims, “each time I am doing the chores in the house, he picks me up and violates me sexually.”

    The director said that the little girl victim was only rescued at the age of eight after a traumatic six years experience.

    “Today, she is nine and cannot just wave off the ordeal as she sometimes longs to see her mother whom the female trafficker claims is nowhere to be found`,” she said.

    Ladipo-Sanusi said that there were lots of children and adult victims of human trafficking in their shelters with different traumatic experiences.

    She added that the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic In Persons (NAPTIP) and all relevant NGOs must work together to eliminate human trafficking. (NAN)

    Edited by Fatima Sule/Olagoke Olatoye

  • Chinese researchers identify 21 key proteins associated with lung cancer

    (Xinhua/NAN)Chinese researchers have identified 21 key proteins that can inhibit or
    encourage the growth of lung cancer cells, according to a recent study published in the international
    journal Cancer Letters.

    Using genome-wide screening techniques, researchers from the Institute of Zoology under the Chinese
    Academy of Sciences tested 1,530 Transcription Factors (TFs), which are key proteins bound to DNA
    sequences that control the gene expression and decode information in the human genome.

    They found that 11 TFs were tumor suppressors preventing the growth of lung cancer cells, while
    another 10 had the potential to cause lung cancer.

    Further study showed that IRX5, one of the 10 dangerous TFs, was often discovered at high levels
    in lung cancer patients with tobacco smoke as the main cause.

    In experiments done on mice, researchers stopped lung cancer cells from growing by inhibiting IRX5.

    Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality
    worldwide.

    In China, 730,000 new cases and 610,000 deaths from lung cancer are reported every year.

    Only 18 per cent of lung cancer patients can live more than five years from the time of
    diagnosis.(Xinhua/NAN)

  • Congo uses experimental Ebola treatment on patients

    (Reuters/NAN) Democratic Republic of Congo has started using the experimental mAb114 Ebola treatment on patients in the east of the country, the health ministry said on Tuesday, the first time it has been deployed against an active outbreak.

    The outbreak in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province has now spread to neighbouring Ituri province, where a person who was a confirmed case died after returning home from the flare-up’s epicentre in the North Kivu town of Mangina, the ministry said in a statement.

    Five new cases have been confirmed, the ministry said, bringing the total number of cases to around 57.

    The ministry said that 41 people are believed to have died in all from the haemorrhagic fever.

    The mAb114 treatment was developed in the U. S. by the National Institutes of Health using the antibodies of the survivor of an Ebola outbreak in the western Congolese city of Kikwit in 1995.

    It was 100 per cent effective when tested on monkeys.

    The ministry said that several other experimental treatments have arrived in the regional hub of Beni and are awaiting approval from an ethics committee, including Remdesivir, Favipiravir and REGN3450, REGN3471 and REGN3479.

  • N21b, PVCs not found in Lawal Daura’s houses: DSS

    The  Department of State Services (DSS) has debunked the fake news  and videos circulating in the social media about the alleged recovery of N21 billion, PVCs and weapons in the Katsina and Abuja homes of its sacked  Director General, Lawal Daura.

    In a statement today, Tony Opuiyo, spokesman of the secret service said the alleged items  were  non-existent.

    The fake news media industry had alleged that N21 billion in cash, Twenty One Billion Naira (N21bn) cash, 400 assorted and sophisticated small arms and light weapons/rifles and thousands of Permanent Voters Card (PVC) belonging to Niger Republic immigrants were found in Daura’s homes.

    In some fake video also in circulation, some persons believed to be personnel of a security outfit were seen forcing open safes stocked with money. The security operatives were described as executing a recovery operation at the Katsina home of the former DGSS.

    The DSS said categorically that the videos are false and should be disregarded.

    “So far, no such recovery operations have been undertaken by the EFCC or any other security agency at DSS’ office or residences of the former DG”, Opuiyo said..

    “There is no doubt that different interests have continued to give varied accounts of the incident of last week at the National Assembly. 

    “It may, however, be recalled that the Presidency had pledged to carry out a detailed investigation regarding the alleged National Assembly siege.

    “The public is, therefore, advised to exercise restraint in their narration of events and as such, desist from spreading fake news or engaging in activities that may mislead or further cause a breach of the peace as well as preempt the outcome of investigations”, Opuiyo said.

    Lawal Daura was sacked last week Tuesday on the orders of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, following the blockade of the gates of the National Assembly by hooded and armed DSS operatives.

    Osinbajo slammed the action  as a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of law and all accepted notions of law and order. He said the blockade was unauthorised by the executive.

    According to him, the unlawful act which was done without the knowledge of the Presidency is condemnable and completely unacceptable.

    A statement issued by Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Acting President, said that the action of the DSS was  not authorised by the presidency.

    Daura, who was born on 5 August, 1953, was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on 2 July 2015, following the dismissal of his predecessor Ita Ekpeyong.

    He once worked in the service and retired.

    Acting President Osinbajo has appointed Matthew Seiyefa as acting DG of the agency.

  • ICRC partners FG, trains 50 health professionals on surgical skills management

    ICRC partners FG, trains 50 health professionals on surgical skills management

    No fewer than 50 surgeons and health care professionals are undergoing training on surgical skills management, says International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Abuja.

    Eloi Fillion, ICRC Head of Delegation in Nigeria, who disclosed this on Tuesday, said the training was being done in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health.

    Fillion was speaking at the opening of a three-day surgical skills seminar for the management of weapon wounded casualties in Abuja.

    He said the training was aimed at equipping participants with the capacity to handle injuries resulting from weapons such as guns and bomb blasts.

    He said armed conflict and violence in Nigeria had become more complex, with injuries caused by a range of weapons, from machetes, guns to explosive devices.

    He added that since it seemed there were more weapon related causalities recorded in hospitals, hence the demand for a certain level of expertise and skills to save lives.

    According to him, the meeting will be facilitated by two ICRC experts in the area of surgery and trauma management, Dr Khurshid Iqbal from India and Dr Marco Pinna Pintor from Italy.

    “The seminar will incorporate field experiences, surgical and anaesthesia techniques, wound management and patient care in precarious environments with limited resources.

    “The training will also include practical lifesaving techniques to manage mine injuries, abdominal and thoracic injuries as well as fractures sustained from weapons,’’ Fillion said.

    He further stated that between January and June, the ICRC surgical team in the North East had operated no fewer than 3,000 casualties.

    Fillion said ICRC initiated the surgical skills seminar in Nigeria in 2012, and over 400 surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists from countries prone to armed conflict and violence had been trained. (NAN)

  • China’s economy stutters, investment in record low

    China’s  economy is displaying further signs of weakness, with data Tuesday showing investment slumped to a record low in the first seven months of the year and retail sales slowed.

    Beijing faces a delicate balancing act, aiming to shift its growth driver away from investment and exports and towards personal consumption, while at the same time battling a mountain of debt.

    A trade brawl with Washington has added to the difficulties — the yuan and stock markets have tumbled in recent weeks — providing relief to exporters but hurting Chinese consumers.

    US tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods, and retaliatory levies from Beijing, came into force in early July, with more tit-for-tat measures due next week.

    But the extent of the conflict’s impact on China remains unclear, said National Bureau of Statistics spokeswoman Liu Aihua. Trade data last week showed exports holding up in July.

    “The negative impact will be gradual, with the impact on the international economy and the global economy already emerging,” Liu said.

    Output at factories and workshops expanded 6.0 percent year-on-year in July, in line with June’s reading, according to the NBS but short of the 6.3 percent forecast in a Bloomberg News survey.

    Retail sales, a key gauge of domestic consumption, rose 8.8 percent in July, down from nine percent in June, and also missing estimates of 9.1 percent.

    Fixed-asset investment, the lifeblood of China’s economy, expanded just 5.5 percent in January-July, the slowest pace on record.

    “We see further downside risks to economic activity in the coming months given that credit growth is still slowing,” said Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics.

    Last month China’s cabinet indicated it would step up its support for the economy and officials have said approval of infrastructure projects will quicken in the second half of the year.

    But the International Monetary Fund has suggested Beijing should resist another round of aggressive stimulus to boost growth, citing concerns the measures would exacerbate already excessive debt levels.

    Evans-Pritchard forecast Beijing’s moves could take months to kick in.

    China’s economic growth slowed in the second quarter to 6.7 percent, from 6.8 percent in the first quarter.

    “The Chinese economy will get worse before getting better, and it takes several months to turn around,” said Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura investment bank.

    “Beijing will step up credit easing and fiscal measures to deliver a recovery and prevent financial troubles such as a rise of bond defaults,” Lu wrote in the research note.

  • Oil rises on Saudi output cut, Iran sanctions

    Oil rises on Saudi output cut, Iran sanctions

    (Reuters/NAN) Oil prices rose on Tuesday after Saudi Arabia said it cut production in July, adding to concerns over global supply as U.S. sanctions against Iran curb its exports.

    Benchmark Brent crude oil was higher at 73.31 dollars a barrel. U.S. light crude was equally higher at 67.75 dollars.

    “Oil prices are on the rebound as bulls take heart from an unexpected dip in Saudi oil output and the lingering Iranian wildcard,” said Stephen Brennock, analyst at London brokerage PVM Oil Associates.

    Saudi Arabia told Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries that it had reduced crude output by 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 10.29 million bpd in July.

    Such figure suggests that the kingdom, de facto leader of OPEC, is keen to avoid a repeat of a global glut that has depressed prices over the past few years.

    “We do not think that Saudi Arabia is interested in seeing Brent crude below 70 dollars a barrel,” said SEB commodities analyst Bjarne Schieldrop.

    The lower Saudi output coincides with expected export declines from Iran as Washington re-imposes sanctions on Tehran.

    OPEC expects oil supply by countries outside herl to increase by 2.13 million bpd next year to 30,000 bpd, with much of the increase coming from new U.S. shale production.

    Global oil demand is also rising.

    OPEC expects world oil demand to grow by 1.43 million bpd in 2019, down from 1.64 million bpd in 2018.

    Analyst say trade disputes between the United States and China as well as turmoil in emerging markets could curb growth and energy demand.

    China’s economy is showing further signs of cooling as the United States prepares to impose even tougher trade tariffs, with investment in the  slowing and retail sales softening, data showed on Tuesday. (Reuters/NAN)

  • Customers urge NCC to facilitate more friendly telecoms services

    Mobile telecommunication customers in Sokoto state have urged National Communication Commission (NCC) to facilitate more friendly services to them and assist in tracking insecurity in the industry.

    The customers gave the advice in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday at on the sideline of the Consumer Outreach Programme (COP) in Sokoto.

    A customer, Alhaji Maude Danchadi, urged mobile companies to support government efforts on tracking security challenges.

    Danchadi, who is the Director of National Orientation Agency (NOA) in the state, commended NCC for organising such an interactive session between service providers and customers.

    He said the telecoms played great roles in creating awareness and education of people on dangers of social vices as well as encourage patriotism and self reliance through their numerous services.

    Another customer, Malam Sani Dole, who is the leader of Persons Living with Disabilities in the state state, called on mobile telecommunication companies to increase social responsibility packages to the less privileged Nigerians.

    Dole noted that some companies had good gestures for the physically challenged but that some were not up to the expectation of such class of Nigerians.

    He stressed that such efforts would surely argument government efforts in addressing street begging among others.

    According to him, many physically challenged person have talents that when tapped properly, through viable economic ventures, would contribute to national development.

    In his remark at the occasion, Alhaji Isma’il Adedigba, the NCC Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau said NCC organised COP to enhance customers satisfaction.

    “We must accord consumers their basic rights which include right to be heard, educated, choose, redress and right to safety.

    “NCC, the telecom regulatory agency, is poised to empower telecom consumers with adequate information and education through constant engagement at various levels in the country’’ Adedigba said.

    The Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau in NCC, Mrs Felicia Onwuegbuchulam, said the initiative was to bring together telecom consumers, regulators, NCC and service providers to discuss and find proper solutions to consumer related issues.

    Onwuegbuchulam also said that the forum aimed at educating consumers and other stakeholders on contemporary issues generating interests in the industry.

    She said it also served as feedback mechanism for commission in making interventions for the benefit of consumers. (NAN)