World News

The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) yesterday said that about $50 million is required by West African countries to tackle Coronavirus.

It said that amount will be used to create an ecosystem and put in place, critical personal protection equipment, laboratory supplies,communication and coordination strategies towards Coronavirus response.

The Director General of WAHO, Prof. Stanley Okolo who spoke at a press briefing by WAHO yesterday in Abuja, said that only about 18 countries in Africa including Nigeria have the laboratory capacity to test for the virus.

Okolo said that ministers of health of ECOWAS had at the emergency meeting on February 14, 2020 agreed to come up with a regional plan and strategy for coronavirus.

He said the meeting agreed that all the member states will support the plan to the best of their capacity.

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunmibe Mamora said that the federal government is monitoring the health of Nigerian citizens in China through the Nigerian Ambassador and will not hesitate to evacuate them if the need arises.

He said, “We are in touch with our Ambassador in China and the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria is also in touch with the ministry, and we are getting information on the condition of Nigerians in Wuhan and we are monitoring the health of our citizens. If and when the need arises to evacuate them, we will do so but we don’t want a situation we create panic.

This is not time for fear; this is not time for stimatisation; it is time for science. Chinese government is testing everyone that is trying to leave China to ensure that they don’t go and spread the virus”.

Mamora who noted that Nigeria has a plan as part as its preparedness, said there may be need for Nigeria to assist some of her sister countries in ECOWAS.

He observed that though there are insinuations that Coronavirus may not survive in a very hot environment, government will not relax but rather will intensify its preparedness and response efforts to ensure that Nigerians are safe.

Source: allafrica.com

India’s top court ruled on Monday that women could serve as army commanders, dismissing the government’s stance that male soldiers were not ready to accept orders from female officers as “disturbing”.

The Supreme Court also ordered the government to extend permanent service – which has only been applicable to men so far – to all women officers, signalling a move towards gender parity in the traditionally male bastion.

With this women will get the same opportunities and benefits as their male colleagues, including ranks, promotions and pensions and be allowed to serve longer tenures.

Currently, women are inducted through a short-service commission that lets them work for up to 14 years and only allowed permanent commission in the army’s legal and educational wings.

“To cast aspersion on their abilities on the ground of gender is an affront not only to their dignity as women but to the dignity of the members of the Indian Army,” judges said in their ruling.

Government opposed move

Last week the government opposed women being appointed to top roles such as colonels and brigadiers, saying most soldiers were men from rural backgrounds who were not “mentally schooled to accept women officers in command”.

The government also argued that men and women officers were physically different and could not be treated equally.

The top court rebuked the government, describing its views as “disturbing” and urged “the need for change in mindsets to bring about true equality in the army”.

It, however, did not rule on deploying women in combat roles, saying a competent authority needed to decide.

India, with one of the largest armies in the world, has long resisted including women in combat roles, citing concerns over women’s vulnerability if captured and over their physical and mental ability to cope with front-line deployments.

India’s air force and navy offer a permanent commission to women as well as select combat roles.

Most countries employ women in various roles in their armed forces but only a handful, including Australia, Germany, Israel and the United States, allow them to take on combat roles.

India began recruiting women to non-medical positions in the armed forces in 1992, yet they make up about 4 percent of the army’s more than one million personnel, according to latest data.

Aishwarya Bhati, a lawyer who represented female officers at court, lauded Monday’s judgement as one that would remove discrimination and boost women’s role in the army.

“They (judges) have completely negated all the farcical stands raised by the army to deny women equal opportunities,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“These battles are watershed moments not just for women in the Indian army, but for women across the world.”

Source: Aljazeera

Armed robbers in Hong Kong made off with hundreds of toilet rolls worth more than HKD1,000 ($130; £98).

Toilet rolls are currently in short supply in Hong Kong due to shortages caused by panic-buying during the coronavirus outbreak.

Knife wielding men robbed a delivery man outside a supermarket in the Mong Kok district, police said.

Police have arrested two men and recovered some of the stolen loo rolls, local media reports said.

The armed robbery took place in Mong Kok, a district of Hong Kong with a history of “triad” crime gangs, early on Monday.

According to local reports, the robbers had threatened a delivery worker who had unloaded rolls of toilet paper outside Wellcome Supermarket.

An Apple Daily report said that 600 toilet paper rolls, valued at around HKD1,695 ($218; £167), had been stolen.

Stores across the city have seen supplies massively depleted with long queues when new stock arrives.

Despite government assurances that supplies remain unaffected by the virus outbreak, residents have been stocking up on toilet paper.

Other household products have also seen panic-buying including rice, pasta and cleaning items.

Face masks and hand sanitisers are almost impossible to get as people try to protect themselves from the coronavirus, which has already claimed more than 1,700 lives.

“A delivery man was threatened by three knife-wielding men who took toilet paper worth more than HK$1,000 ($130),” a police spokesman said.

Authorities blame false online rumours for the panic buying and say supplies of food and household goods remain stable.

There has also been some panic-buying of toilet rolls, hand sanitisers and face masks in Singapore, which has 75 confirmed coronavirus cases.

Source: BBC

President Kagame cautioned Government officials against treating their jobs and institutions they run as if they own them.

President Paul Kagame on Sunday cautioned leaders who regularly fail to deliver on their responsibilities that it was fundamental to uphold the right values and character if they are to fulfil their duties.

He was speaking at the opening of the 17th edition of the National Leadership Retreat, also known as Umwiherero, at the Rwanda Defence Force Combat Training Centre in Gabiro, Gatsibo District.

The retreat brought together more than 400 leaders including the First Lady, central and local government, parastatals, private sector and youth representatives from different sectors.

The Head of State rejected the idea that everything the country has failed to achieve is a result of lack of skills or resources.

“The reason for not doing things right is having the wrong values. You have the skills and knowledge and you know what needs to get done but you have the wrong values,” he told the leaders.

The President cautioned the government officials against treating their jobs and institutions they run, as if they own them. He reminded them that they are public servants and should work in the interest of Rwandans. And, if they feel, they can not deliver, they should be honest enough to admit they need to step down.

While the country has made a lot of progress over the last 17 years, Kagame said, there was a lot more that needs to get done to deliver the country’s transformation goals.

While the President strongly criticized leaders for repeated cases of misconduct and negligence, he urged the younger audience against following a similar path.

“It’s never too early to be responsible and mature to understand the strategic objectives of our country,” he added.

Kagame highlighted scenarios where leaders failed to deliver on their responsibilities.

“When we experienced problems with our Ugandan neighbors, some of our people grieved. I learned that citizens had been driven to access basic services like health, education and other services from our neighbor,” he said.

“The situation made us look at things in a different lens. But the truth is, we had not failed to have these services, we had just abandoned our people,” Kagame pointed out.

Economy thriving

Despite the challenges Rwanda has faced, Kagame highlighted that the country’s economy continued to grow.

In the past two years (2018 and 2019), the Head of State indicated that Rwanda achieved strong growth compared to previous years.

Rwanda’s economy grew at 10.9 per cent in the last three quarters of 2019, driven by different sectors, notably services, industry and agriculture.

The President challenged the private sector to even think bigger and do more to grow their businesses.

Kagame insisted that Rwanda is at a critical stage where leaders cannot afford to sit and just watch.

“We shouldn’t stop now,” he said.

The conversations on the first day revolved around what the country needs to achieve Vision 2050 – 30 years from now.

Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente said that it will require making strategic investment, efficient use of public resources, and working together to achieve that vision.

He stated that this year’s retreat will allow leaders to chart a new chapter of growth for the country.

“We see this gathering as a platform to examine ourselves. We also see it as an avenue to question those who didn’t deliver, but also chart a way forward,” he said.

According to the Premier, 43 activities out of 57 that were adopted from last year’s retreat were being implemented.

However, he admitted that the government was lagging behind when it comes to investing in education and correcting mistakes in health sector.

Source: allafrica.com

The United States’ ambassador to Germany said Sunday that President Donald Trump had threatened to cut off intelligence-sharing with countries that dealt with Chinese tech firm Huawei.

Washington has been pressing allies to ban Huawei, one of the world’s largest tech firms, from next-generation 5G mobile data networks, saying it is a security risk.

Ambassador Richard Grenell said Trump “instructed me to make clear that any nation who chooses to use an untrustworthy 5G vendor will jeopardize our ability to share intelligence and information at the highest level.”

Grenell said on Twitter that the president had called him on Sunday from Air Force One, the presidential plane, to convey the message.

Key US allies in Europe, notably Britain and France, have said they will not ban Huawei from building 5G networks but will impose restrictions.

Publicly, the US has been restrained in its response, but Trump was reportedly furious with London.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that Huawei was a “Trojan horse for Chinese intelligence.”

The tech company vehemently denies the US allegations, and Beijing has characterized its treatment as “economic bullying.”

A US indictment on Friday laid more criminal charges against Huawei related to theft of intellectual property, adding to earlier allegations that the company stole trade secrets from American carrier T-Mobile.

Source: France24