WordPress

Author: Ummul Idris

  • Ramaphosa takes oath of office for 2nd term as South African president

    Ramaphosa takes oath of office for 2nd term as South African president
    Oath
    Johannesburg, June 19, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Cyril Ramaphosa, leader of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), took oath as the nation’s president for the next five years on Wednesday at Pretoria, the administrative capital.
    Ramaphosa, 71, was re-elected as South African president by the National Assembly on June 14 with 283 votes against the other nominee, Julius Malema from the Economic Freedom Fighters, who received 44 votes.
    Under the South African Constitution, once elected as president by the National Assembly, the president-elect must assume office within five days.
    In the general elections on May 29, the ANC secured 159 out of the 400 seats in the National Assembly.
    This is the first time the ANC is falling below the 50 per cent needed to maintain its 30-year-old outright majority in the lower house of parliament. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/SH
    =======
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Sadiya Hamza

  • 41 Jordanian pilgrims to be buried in Saudi Arabia – Ministry

    41 Jordanian pilgrims to be buried in Saudi Arabia – Ministry
    Pilgrims
    Amman, June 19, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said 41 burial permits have been issued for Jordanian pilgrims to be buried in Mecca as they died from extreme heat during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
    The ministry said it has located 84 out of the total 106 Jordanian pilgrims registered missing in Saudi Arabia, according to Sufian Qudah, the ministry’s spokesperson.
    The Saudi authorities have been providing necessary medical care for the 84 pilgrims, some of whom were in critical condition, Qudah said.
    He added that the Jordanian diplomatic mission in Mecca continued to provide consular services to the pilgrims and monitor their situations in coordination with relevant Saudi authorities.
    The spokesperson added that search operations are ongoing for the remaining 22 missing Jordanian pilgrims.
    The official called on all Jordanians performing Hajj rituals to contact the ministry if assistance is needed, including reporting missing persons or transporting bodies in case of death. (Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/AMM
    =========
    Edited by Ummul Idris and Abiemwense Moru

  • UN says Israel violates use of precision bombs in Gaza war

    UN says Israel violates use of precision bombs in Gaza war
    Bombs
    Geneva, June 19, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Israel has not been paying sufficient attention to the protection of civilians when using precision-guided bombs during the Gaza war, the UN Human Rights Office said on Wednesday.
    “The requirement to select means and methods of warfare that avoid or at the very least minimise to every extent civilian harm appears to have been consistently violated in Israel’s bombing campaign.”
    Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in Geneva that his office has investigated six Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip between October 9 and December 2.
    It assumes that bombs of the types GBU-31, GBU-32 and GBU-39 were used, which can penetrate concrete and destroy several floors of a building.
    They were used to attack residential buildings, a school, a refugee camp and a market, the office said.
    At least 218 people had been killed.
    In an attack presumably with nine GBU-31 bombs on December 2, the destruction affected an area with a diameter of 130 metres, the UN agency said.
    It noted that it had destroyed 15 residential buildings and damaged 14 others.
    The section of international humanitarian law governing combat situations states that civilian facilities must be spared as much as possible during attacks.
    If the presence of combatants is suspected, attacking forces must weigh up whether the damage caused does not outweigh the desired gains.
    The presence of one or more terrorists or those involved in the massacres in Israel on October 7 in a building does not make an entire neighbourhood a legitimate target for an attack, the agency stated. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/IS
    ======
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Ismail Abdulaziz

  • Russian court sentences U.S. soldier to jail

    Russian court sentences U.S. soldier to jail
    Jail
    Moscow, June 19, 2024 (dpa/NAN) A U.S. soldier detained in Russia in early May has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison by a court in Vladivostok for theft and death threats.
    According to local media reports on Wednesday, the court found that the man had stolen 10,000 rubles (120 U.S. dollars) from his girlfriend and threatened her.
    The defence had demanded an acquittal.
    The court’s sentence fell short of the four years and eight months in prison sought by the prosecution.
    The U.S. soldier had been detained in Pacific port city of Vladivostok.
    According to the U.S. Army, the soldier had completed his service in South Korea on April 10.
    Instead of returning to the mainland United States, he travelled to Vladivostok via China “for personal reasons.”
    The soldier had not sought official permission for his trip from the Department of Defense, the U.S. authorities said.
    He had joined the army in 2008 and had served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
    Local media reported that the man had wanted to visit a woman in Russia with whom he allegedly had a romantic relationship.
    During an argument, he reportedly grabbed his girlfriend by the throat, which she perceived as life-threatening.
    He also stole money from her, the report said.
    The detention of U.S. citizens in Russia often leads to complicated negotiations between Moscow and Washington over a release or exchange.
    According to the Kremlin, negotiations are ongoing regarding the detained Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich.
    His trial is set to begin on June 26 behind closed doors.
    Since late 2018, former U.S. soldier Paul Whelan has also been held in Russian custody after being convicted of espionage. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/SH
    =======
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Sadiya Hamza

  • UNICEF seeks more investments in education for African children

    UNICEF seeks more investments in education for African children

    Education

    Nairobi, June 14, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said massive investments in basic education for African children are required to help the continent realise its long-term transformation agenda.

    Etleza Kadili, UNICEF regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital ahead of the Day of the African Child that will be marked Sunday.

    It said education financing on the continent remains dismal.

    It added that less than one in five countries have dedicated 20 per cent of their public budgets to enhancing foundational skills for their children.

    “To ensure prosperity in Africa we urgently need to see a continental revolution where commitments are turned into concrete action so children can attain the foundational skills necessary for them to progress to higher forms of education.”

    The theme of the 2024 Day of the African Child, which is observed annually on June 16, will be “Education for all children in Africa: the time is now,” underscoring the urgency to realise universal childhood literacy in the continent.

    UNICEF said in spite of its role in building human capital to propel Africa’s growth, education financing in the continent has slackened, preventing millions of children from acquiring the basic literacy and skills that they require to thrive.

    In spite of significant efforts by African governments over the last decade to boost primary and secondary school enrolment, schools continue to lack basic amenities, are overcrowded, and have insufficient teachers, according to UNICEF.

    The UN agency noted that four out of every five African children aged 10 years are unable to read and understand a simple written text, highlighting the dismal learning outcomes on the continent.

    UNICEF estimates that about 183 billion U.S. dollars are required annually to support children’s education in Africa and achieve the Sustainable Development Goal on education.

    However, available resources currently stand at 106 billion U.S. dollars, leaving a financing gap of over 40 per cent.

    The agency further noted that African governments spend around two per cent of their education budgets on pre-primary education, while 20 per cent is allocated to tertiary learning. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    UMD/AMM

    =========

    Edited by Ummul Idris and Abiemwense Moru

     

     

     

  • Putin demands Ukrainian troop withdrawal in exchange for peace

    Putin demands Ukrainian troop withdrawal in exchange for peace
    Troops
    Moscow, June 14, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territories annexed by his country is a prerequisite for any settlement of the ongoing war.
    Putin said this during a visit to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow ahead of the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland at the weekend.
    If Ukraine also renounces membership of NATO, Russia would be prepared to cease fire and enter negotiations immediately.
    His speech was clearly aimed at the current G7 summit in Italy and the Ukraine event opening on Saturday in the Swiss mountain hotel resort of Bürgenstock.
    The affiliation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson to Russia is no longer in question, Putin said.
    Ukraine should withdraw its army from the parts of these regions that it still controls, he added.
    The Kremlin leader said he was stating Russia’s minimum demands in order not to freeze the conflict but to resolve it once and for all.
    At the same time, Putin repeated the demands he made when he ordered the invasion of the neighbouring country in February 2022: The creation of a neutral, non-aligned and nuclear-free Ukraine.
    The country should also be disarmed and “denazified,” said Putin, using a term widely interpreted in the West as meaning the instalment of a Russia-approved leadership in Kiev.
    Russia currently occupies around a fifth of Ukraine’s territory, including the Crimean peninsula, which it illegally annexed in 2014.
    Ukraine has so far adhered to its stated goal of retaking the occupied territory, including Crimea.
    President Volodymyr Zelensky is also calling for the prosecution of Russian war crimes and Russian reparations for the destruction caused. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/EAL
    ======
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Ekemini Ladejobi

  • Putin denounces G7 deal on frozen Russian assets

    Putin denounces G7 deal on frozen Russian assets
    Assets
    Moscow, June 14, 2024 (dpa/NAN)  Russian President Vladimir Putin has on Friday blasted an agreement by G7 leaders to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine as “theft” and promised retaliation.
    He said Western powers were still trying to “create at least some legal basis” for the decision taken on Thursday.
    “But in spite all the fuss theft will remain theft. It will not go unpunished,” he said in a speech at the Foreign Ministry in Moscow.
    The G7 summit began on Thursday in southern Italy with a deal to lend Ukraine 50 billion U.S. dollars using the interest generated from frozen Russian state assets.
    The money is to be made available to Ukraine by the end of the year.
    The U.S. government says around 280 billion U.S. dollars of Russian central bank money has been immobilised in Western countries due to sanctions imposed since the full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine more than two years ago.
    The bulk of the money is within the European Union.
    Kiev is set to use the money to strengthen its defence, pay for the reconstruction of infrastructure and fund the state budget.
    But before it can be disbursed teams from the G7 countries Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States must clarify the outstanding technical and legal details.  (dpa/NAN) (www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/EAL
    ======
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Ekemini Ladejobi

  • Saudi, Chinese firms conduct air taxi trial

    Saudi, Chinese firms conduct air taxi trial
    Taxi
    Riyadh, June 14, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN)  Saudi and Chinese companies have carried out a successful test trial of the first unmanned air taxi in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
    The demonstration was carried out by the Front End Limited Company, a Saudi firm specialising in integrating advanced technology across various sectors, in partnership with EHang, a Chinese autonomous aerial vehicle technology platform company.
    The trial aims to enhance travel speed, efficiency, and sustainability during Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims.
    Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia, said the trial marks a major advancement in integrating Advanced Air Mobility solutions into Saudi Arabia’s aviation landscape. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/EAL
    ======
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Ekemini Ladejobi

  • India to re-conduct medical entrance exam over scam

    India to re-conduct medical entrance exam over scam
    Exam
    New Delhi, June 13, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN)  The Supreme Court of India on Thursday directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to re-conduct the medical entrance examination (undergraduate) for as many as 1,563 students on doubts about a “scam.”
    The re-examination would be conducted on June 23, and the result would be declared within a week.
    Over 2.3 million students had appeared for the medical entrance examination (undergraduate), or the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG), held on May 5.
    The direction came after a petition was filed before the apex court alleging irregularities in the way “grace marks” were given to a section of students.
    NEET-UG result was declared on June 4.
    A total of 67 students had scored 100 per cent marks, out of whom as many as seven students had attempted the test at the same examination-center in the northern state of Haryana.
    Students raised doubts immediately after the result was announced, particularly when it was discovered that some students had scored 719 and 718 marks out of 720.
    According to the protesting students, such scores were not practically possible, as four marks are given for every correct answer and one mark is deducted for every wrong answer.
    Protests by students were witnessed across the country after the result.
    Following the protests, the NTA had stated that “grace marks” were given to some students whose time was wasted because of some technical errors while distributing the question paper.
    The country’s Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday denied the possibility of paper-leak.
     “There is no evidence of a paper leak in NEET-UG. The allegations of corruption in NTA are not found, it is a very credible body,” he said.
    On the other hand, the main opposition party the Indian National Congress demanded a probe in the matter.
    INC President Mallikarjun Kharge posted on X that “Grace-marks was not the only problem in NEET exam. There was rigging, question paper was leaked, corruption took place.”
    Alleging a “nexus” between the examination centers and coaching centers, he said, “The Congress party demands a Supreme Court-led independent probe in the NEET scam, and those guilty should be punished.” (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/EAL
    =======
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Ekemini Ladejobi

  • 330,000 tonnes solid waste pose health risks to Gaza – UN agency

    330,000 tonnes of solid waste pose health risks to Gaza – UN agency
    Waste
    Gaza, June 13, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) More than 330,000 tonnes of solid waste are piling up in and out of populated areas of the Gaza Strip, a UN relief agency said on  Thursday.
    Unimpeded humanitarian access and ceasefire are “crucial to restore humane living conditions,” the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on the social media platform X.
    It added that agency teams, through mental health services, have continued to provide psychological interventions to children in shelter centres through specialised activities such as psychological relief, relaxation and stimulation sessions, and purposeful games.
    Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a large-scale war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has claimed the lives of more than 37,000 Palestinians and led to massive destruction of homes and infrastructure.
    It came after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, which claimed the lives of more than 1,200 Israelis and took more than 250 hostages, according to the Israeli authorities. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/YEE
    ========
    (Edited by Ummul Idris/Emmanuel Yashim)