Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tiger is Still America's Favorite Sports Star, but Shares Title with Kobe Bryant
Tiger is Still America's Favorite Sports Star, but Shares Title with Kobe Bryant
Serena and Venus Williams retain their titles of America's Favorite Female Sports Star
New York, N.Y. — July 20, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Despite his public image taking major hits this year, there is one bright spot for Tiger Woods. While he is no longer alone on top of the list, he is at least tied for first place as America’s Favorite Sports Star. Since 2006, this was a title he held solo, but this year, besides another NBA championship, Kobe Bryant can also share in being called America’s Favorite Sports Star, a jump up from the 4th position he was in last year.
Rounding out the top five are New York Yankee Derek Jeter at number 3, up from 5th place; Minnesota Viking Brett Favre at number 4, a leap from his 9th place position last year; and this season’s losing Super Bowl quarterback, Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts at number 5, up from 7th place last year.
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,227 adults surveyed online between June 14 and 21, 2010 by Harris Interactive.
Looking at the rest of the top ten, LeBron James left Cleveland for Miami and dropped three spots to number 6 on this year’s list while another NBA superstar—but one who no longer plays—Michael Jordan, drops from the 2nd spot on the list to number 7 this year. New England Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady, returns to the list after a one year absence at number 8 and the winning quarterback from this year’s Super Bowl, Drew Brees, debuts at number 9. Finally, a NASCAR superstar, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is at number 10, down from number 8 last year.
Two stars dropped off the top ten this year: another NASCAR legend, Jeff Gordon dropped from number 6 and baseball great, Albert Pujols dropped from number 10 last year.
Different groups have their different favorites. For men, Tiger is still number one, but for women it’s Kobe Bryant. There are also generational differences. Both Echo Boomers (those 18-33) and Baby Boomers (those 46-64) have Kobe Bryant as their number one while Gen Xers (those 34-45) say it is Brett Favre and Matures (those 65 and older) stick with Tiger.
Favorite Female Sports Star
Just like last year, Serena and Venus Williams are number one and number two on the Favorite Female Sports Star list, followed by race car driver Danica Patrick. Perhaps thanks to the World Cup excitement, Mia Hamm moves up from number 5 to number 4 this year, followed by tennis star Maria Sharapova who moves to number 5 from a tie in 6th last year. Next in the top ten is another tennis star, Anna Kournikova at number 6, up from 9th last year. Four newcomers or returning female stars round out the top ten: gold medal volleyball player Misty May, and gold medal winning gymnast and Dancing with the Stars champion, Shawn Johnson, are tied for number 7; at number 9 is women’s basketball star Lisa Leslie; and tied for the 10th spot on the list are two former tennis greats, Billie Jean King and Martina Navratalova.
The four female sports stars who dropped off the list are basketball star, Candace Parker, who was number 4 last year; golfer, Annika Sorenstam, who was tied for number 6; former tennis star, Chris Everett who was number 8, and skater Michelle Kwan, who was number 10.
So what?
Sometimes a sports star is more noted for things they do outside of their sport. Tiger Woods was in the news more for his marital woes and infidelities and his losing tournaments this year, yet he is still at the top of the list, albeit in a tie. Shawn Johnson was in the 2008 Olympics, but appearing on Dancing with the Stars helped bring her top-of-mind and spur her onto the list of favorite female stars this year. Regardless, the list of one golfer, three basketball stars, one baseball player, four quarterbacks, and one race car driver truly represents some of the greatest in their respective sports.
Read more
Monday, July 19, 2010
Nigeria Today: Kidnapped Journalists Released, Religious Violence Continues in Jos
Nigerian police arrest four over kidnap of journalists- AFP
LAGOS — Nigerian police have arrested four suspects in connection with the kidnapping of four journalists freed after being held for a week in the country's ...Nigerian Police Arrest Four Suspects in Kidnapping
Nigeria: Seven Killed in Fresh Jos AttackAllAfrica.com - Gonji Palang
... bows and arrows as well as amulets with which they unleashed terror on the unsuspecting residents The pastor of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), ...
Muslim attack on Christian village in Nigeria kills 8: army - AFP
Nigerian machete-wielding attackers kill 8 people - BBC News
Priest's family killed in Nigerian violence - ABC Online
Sudanese security service carries out brutal campaign against opponents
19 Jul 2010 14:38 Africa/Lagos
Sudanese security service carries out brutal campaign against opponents
KARTHUM, July 19, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- “I was planning to kill myself that night… Every hour I was at risk. I knew it was a matter of time until they [the security service] reached me”*
The Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) is carrying out a brutal campaign of arbitrary detentions, torture, and mental and physical intimidation against opponents and critics of the government, Amnesty International has said in a new report launched today.
Agents of Fear documents the institutionalized human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detentions, ill-treatment, unlawful killings and enforced disappearances that have been perpetrated for years by the NISS in Sudan.
“The NISS rules Sudan by fear. The extensive, multi-pronged assault on the Sudanese people by the security services has left the critics of the government in constant fear of arrest, harassment or worse” said Erwin van der Borght, Africa programme director.
“The Sudanese authorities are brutally silencing political opposition and human rights defenders in Sudan through violence and intimidation. NISS agents benefit from total impunity for the human rights violations they continue to commit.”
During the first half of 2010 Amnesty International documented the arrest of at least 34 individuals by the NISS, including journalists, human rights activists and students.
Arrests have peaked at times of political tensions, such as following a major attack by a Darfur armed group on Khartoum in May 2008, before and after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against President Al Bashir in July 2008, and following the elections in April 2010.
NISS agents have systematically used intimidation and various forms of ill-treatment, including torture, against supporters of the political opposition, students, human rights defenders, civil society activists, staff of national and international NGOs, and anyone seen as posing a threat to the government.
The report documents a variety of torture methods used by the NISS: beating detainees while held upside down against a wall, electric shocks, whipping, sleep deprivation, kicking and stamping on detainees and beating them with water pipes.
Ahmed Ali Mohamed Osman, a doctor also known as Ahmed Sardop, was arrested by the NISS on 20 March 2009 in Khartoum after he wrote a web article critical of the government's decision to expel humanitarian organizations from Sudan and rapes in the Darfur region.
“They leaned me over a chair and held me by my arms and feet while others hit me on the back, legs and arms with something similar to an electrical cable”, he told Amnesty International.
“They kicked me in the testicles repeatedly while they talked about the report on rape in Darfur.”
Ahmed Sardop filed a complaint with the police and was examined by a doctor who confirmed his allegations of torture.
A few days later, he started receiving telephone death threats: “We will soon find you and we will kill you.” He now lives in exile.
Families are often threatened and harassed by NISS agents to put further emotional pressure on the victim.
Women have also been harassed and intimidated by law enforcement agents and the NISS, and sexually assaulted while in their custody.
Since the presidential and parliamentary elections in April 2010, the NISS has renewed its clampdown on freedom of expression.
NISS agents have resumed the pre-print censorship of the Sudanese press with daily visits to newspapers offices and printing houses.
Opposition newspapers have been closed, forced to stop printing, or have stopped printing themselves in protest against censorship. Some journalists have been arbitrarily arrested and detained.
Abuzar Al Amin, the editor-in-chief of Rai Al Shaab, a newspaper affiliated to the Popular Congress Party, was arrested at his home on 15 May 2010.
He was taken into NISS detention where he was interrogated about his writings and journalistic work, and tortured. He was beaten and kicked, and electric shocks were administered to his body.
NISS agents continue to benefit from extensive powers of arrest and detention and have immunity for all the violations they commit, under the 2010 National Security Act.
“The National Security Act must be reformed so that agents are no longer provided with extensive powers of arrest and detention. All immunities should be removed,” said Erwin van der Borght.
“Allegations of human rights violations must be promptly and effectively investigated and those responsible prosecuted for the crimes they commit. Victims must be given reparations”.
“Without these changes, Sudan's NISS agents will continue to be agents of fear”.
Source: Amnesty International
Sudanese security service carries out brutal campaign against opponents
KARTHUM, July 19, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- “I was planning to kill myself that night… Every hour I was at risk. I knew it was a matter of time until they [the security service] reached me”*
The Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) is carrying out a brutal campaign of arbitrary detentions, torture, and mental and physical intimidation against opponents and critics of the government, Amnesty International has said in a new report launched today.
Agents of Fear documents the institutionalized human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detentions, ill-treatment, unlawful killings and enforced disappearances that have been perpetrated for years by the NISS in Sudan.
“The NISS rules Sudan by fear. The extensive, multi-pronged assault on the Sudanese people by the security services has left the critics of the government in constant fear of arrest, harassment or worse” said Erwin van der Borght, Africa programme director.
“The Sudanese authorities are brutally silencing political opposition and human rights defenders in Sudan through violence and intimidation. NISS agents benefit from total impunity for the human rights violations they continue to commit.”
During the first half of 2010 Amnesty International documented the arrest of at least 34 individuals by the NISS, including journalists, human rights activists and students.
Arrests have peaked at times of political tensions, such as following a major attack by a Darfur armed group on Khartoum in May 2008, before and after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against President Al Bashir in July 2008, and following the elections in April 2010.
NISS agents have systematically used intimidation and various forms of ill-treatment, including torture, against supporters of the political opposition, students, human rights defenders, civil society activists, staff of national and international NGOs, and anyone seen as posing a threat to the government.
The report documents a variety of torture methods used by the NISS: beating detainees while held upside down against a wall, electric shocks, whipping, sleep deprivation, kicking and stamping on detainees and beating them with water pipes.
Ahmed Ali Mohamed Osman, a doctor also known as Ahmed Sardop, was arrested by the NISS on 20 March 2009 in Khartoum after he wrote a web article critical of the government's decision to expel humanitarian organizations from Sudan and rapes in the Darfur region.
“They leaned me over a chair and held me by my arms and feet while others hit me on the back, legs and arms with something similar to an electrical cable”, he told Amnesty International.
“They kicked me in the testicles repeatedly while they talked about the report on rape in Darfur.”
Ahmed Sardop filed a complaint with the police and was examined by a doctor who confirmed his allegations of torture.
A few days later, he started receiving telephone death threats: “We will soon find you and we will kill you.” He now lives in exile.
Families are often threatened and harassed by NISS agents to put further emotional pressure on the victim.
Women have also been harassed and intimidated by law enforcement agents and the NISS, and sexually assaulted while in their custody.
Since the presidential and parliamentary elections in April 2010, the NISS has renewed its clampdown on freedom of expression.
NISS agents have resumed the pre-print censorship of the Sudanese press with daily visits to newspapers offices and printing houses.
Opposition newspapers have been closed, forced to stop printing, or have stopped printing themselves in protest against censorship. Some journalists have been arbitrarily arrested and detained.
Abuzar Al Amin, the editor-in-chief of Rai Al Shaab, a newspaper affiliated to the Popular Congress Party, was arrested at his home on 15 May 2010.
He was taken into NISS detention where he was interrogated about his writings and journalistic work, and tortured. He was beaten and kicked, and electric shocks were administered to his body.
NISS agents continue to benefit from extensive powers of arrest and detention and have immunity for all the violations they commit, under the 2010 National Security Act.
“The National Security Act must be reformed so that agents are no longer provided with extensive powers of arrest and detention. All immunities should be removed,” said Erwin van der Borght.
“Allegations of human rights violations must be promptly and effectively investigated and those responsible prosecuted for the crimes they commit. Victims must be given reparations”.
“Without these changes, Sudan's NISS agents will continue to be agents of fear”.
Source: Amnesty International
Saturday, July 17, 2010
President Jonathan Must Address Nigeria’s Extremely Bad Health Care
Inside a Nigerian hospital. Photo Credit: News.myjoyonline.comA Cry Out to President Jonathan to Take Speedy Action on Nigeria’s Extremely Bad Health Care
Mr. President, you are fully aware of the deeply held culture of indifference that filters through our public institutions and especially, our hospitals.
The psychological and cultural realities of the Nigerian institutions are not strange to you and should not therefore, be much of a surprise to you.
As you know, Nigeria’s institutions are degenerating and wallowing in corruption, while religious and ethnic strife are a threat to good administrative governance and public sanity.
However, as the President of a country that is a part of the global economy, both you, other open-mind Nigerians, and our global partners should be in shock at life expectancy and the standard of health care in Nigeria.
Take a look at the ongoing horror-filled news from hospitals like the General Hospital in Agenebode, Edo State where patients undergo surgeries with flashlights, as in the most recent case where the Chief Physician, Dr. Monday Obawonyi, in near darkness and with no air conditioning, performed a surgical operation on one Mrs. Mary Alugbe.
There is the case of dead babies from the premier Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) being packed into bags, moved through the streets of Lagos on the way to be dumped in bushes.
It seems that there is no end to this national nightmare, to the extent that some in the Nigerian leadership who are quite familiar with the reality of life amongst the people, are beginning to believe that societal upheaval may be the quickest way out of this national distress, in order for constructive and drastic changes to occur.
Voices of Warning
An Economist, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria in a recent lecture at the Faculty of Social Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, seemed to predict that should the current economic woes continue, the people could seek self-help through violence, and bring the needed change that some in leadership have always resisted.
In addition, with an air of frustration, a nationally revered Constitutional Law scholar, Prof Ben Nwabueze at a recent Book launch, in Victoria Island, Lagos, posited adequate transformational change only taking place through Bloody Revolution.
His Co-member at the Presidential Advisory Council, retired Lt. T.Y Dajuma stated that at this time there is no leader to help transform the nation and fears that revolution as the only path for change would be too costly in terms of money and the lives of the Nigerian sons.
Even the current Federal Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Nduese Essien in a recent speech at a London business summit celebrating Nigeria’s 50th birthday sees the nation as being in a state of deep structural degeneration and seemingly hopeless.
A Way Forward
However, there is a much more forthright path in which the President can immediately take the country to put to rest these predictions of disappointment and doom.
Mr. President, declare a national state of emergency across some public institutions in light of the fact that no matter how much money is poured into a system, most of it gets converted to personal use.
As such, few projects are completed in Nigeria, and fewer come out right. In the process, the consumers of the intended public services suffer.
Mr.President, the blunder is not with the buildings; it is with those who occupy these buildings and handle the customers who seek help from these institutions.
In fact,the fault lies mainly in the heads and minds of some of the workers, officials, supervisors, clinicians, consultants, contractors, and managers of these institutions.
Sir, you must familiar with as one who has held public service for years and are familiar with how you break away from other powerful Nigerians who are entrenched in the system. This is an issue for you to grapple with, and it will not be easy. You will need help.
Help in the Diaspora?
It is time to summon the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Foreign Embassies in Nigeria and the Nigerian High commissions and Consulates in countries like United States of America to help in the mass recruitment of Nigerians in the Diaspora.
Bringing them in with their experiences will be less costly than the status quo and what might eventually result from its continuation and eventual public frustration.
Personnel blending or displacement will certainly be more tolerable to those likely to be displaced compared to the apparent appraoch being called for by the likes of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and Prof. Ben Nwabueze,
I would suggest that you cannot ignore these nonviolent recommended paths to institutional-personnel renewal as you work on creating on a healthier institutional environment.
Sir, in order to have an idea of the type of sound governance that many Diasporan Nigerians could bring in, you only have to spend some time browsing internet News Papers and Outlets in the likes of Thewillnigeria.com, Nigerianinquirer.com, Saharareporters.com, Xclusivenigeria.com, UkpakaReports.com, Huhuonline.com, Pointblanknews.com, TheNigeriaVoice.com, NigeriansReport.com, and others.
Within these news outlets are essays, comments, and inventions from Diasporan Nigerians who dearly love home. Many of them have mostly spent credible periods in foreign public-oriented careers and professions, while some are consequences of the Brain Drain-from the public and health care sectors, in Nigeria, especially.
The Shambolic Healthcare Sector
With the idiocy over the zoning issue, there are now grounds to believe that uncertainty could lie ahead as the electorate look towards the forth coming national election.
Mr. President, while focusing on the public institutions, the health care sector in particular can no longer be left in the hands of predatory commercialists, politicians and administrators.
It remains shocking how the nation has failed those dead children, having been loaded into street bags in the hands of a so-called contractor while the hospital medical executives, administrators and management seemingly look away and stand in a state of ignorance or denial.
If one of the best teaching hospitals—Lagos Teaching University Hospital (LUTH) could showcase such unethical/possibly illegal actions, what about all other much less noticeable medical centers across the nation?.
If the parents of these seventy-plus dead children are reportedly abandoning them within a short period of two to three months, where are the police reports on parental abandonment?
Could some these deaths be suspicious, or unexpected as they relate to possible child abuse and parental neglect? In that case, where are the documented calls from hospital staff and follow up police investigations? Are some of these deaths due to signs of physical trauma, medical accidents or criminal acts, and where are the autopsy reports from the pathologists?
Could some these deaths could have being prevented with the active presence of ethically minded workers/contractors and sustainable resources? How many child deaths happens due to intentional or gross neglect in order to enable staff to illegally supplement their salaries with bribes from morbid contractors?
How many corpses are dumped in residential and industrial bushes as corpses are turned away on contractors who cannot further pay inflated fees and bribes to cemetery care takers having bribed hospital workers and officials’ in order to remain in the job?
How many street and unlicensed contractors are allowed to manage the disposal of decomposing bodies in the midst of possible health hazards to the living and public environs?
Where are the Federal and State Ministries of Health in terms of procedures and practices for monitoring the handling of unclaimed bodies at different morbidity units in various hospitals?
Do public health officials have the educational and training fliers to guide parents and hospital officials on child related issues? Do these various local governments and large teaching and Specialist hospitals have Children fatality Review Board to assist in examining child fatalities?
Mr. President, surgical operations are always high risk in Nigeria, whether due to blackouts or inadequate supplies. Added to unreliable electric power and few medical supplies, there are few monitoring devices, no functioning oxygen plants, no adequate trauma care centers, no active stationary phones, no refrigerators to store medicines and food, and no workable toilets
Patients lay down on inadequate mattresses with no pillows. They overflow into corridors due to too much heat; X-Ray machines are AWOL; there is lack of running water, few good roads, no enforceable traffic regulations or dependable emergency transportation to hospitals.
Mr. President, public trust is weakening, in these crucial times and in the face of blatant extortion of public funds by a tiny fraction of the society.
Taking Bold Action
With all the recovered monies by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EECC), some of the confiscated monies could be directed to procure high-powered generators, functioning morgues, effective X-Ray machines, create workable cemeteries. Funds could be directed towards the mass return of Diasporan Professional who will only come if there perceive strategic insights into, and commitment towards solving these issues.
As the 2011 national election draws near, will the public hospitals and other medical institutions be ready for cases of trauma and other emergency related crises?
You must take action to convince Nigeria’s citizens that their health needs will be met in the short term, even if some form of national health care emergency has to be declared. Time is running out and many would say: “hurry up, Mr. President”.
~ By John Oshodi
John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D, DABPS, FACFE, is a Clinical/Forensic Psychologist, and the Interim Associate Dean of Behavioral Science, Broward College, Coconut Creek, Florida. Joshodi@broward
Friday, July 16, 2010
Global Fund and Drug Manufacturers Cooperate to end deaths from Malaria
15 Jul 2010 19:30 Africa/Lagos
Agreements reduce prices of malaria medicines by up to 80 % / Global Fund and drug manufacturers cooperate to end deaths from malaria
KAMPALA, July 15, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Global Fund and six manufacturers of quality-assured malaria drugs have finalized agreements to place affordable life-saving malaria drugs within reach of millions of people in need, especially children. This public- private collaboration, a part of the Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm) Phase 1, will benefit 8 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
Under the agreements, private importers will now pay up to 80% less than they did in 2008-2009 for the most effective malaria drugs (artemisinin-based combination therapies – ACTs), bringing the factory gate prices down to the same level as for public sector buyers. The AMFm will then subsidize purchases made by first-line buyers, all of whom have signed an undertaking to pass the benefit of low prices down the supply chain, thereby enabling the roughly 60% of malaria patients who obtain treatment in private shops to obtain the most effective treatments at affordable prices. Currently ACTs make up only 5% of treatments provided through the private sector. Orders of ACTs at these more affordable prices have already begun.
“These agreements bring us closer to the day when all who need malaria medicines will get them at affordable prices,” says Global Fund Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine, "Thanks to the cooperation of partners, manufacturers of quality-assured malaria medicines and leadership by countries, we will make malaria deaths history.”
The six manufacturers that have signed Master Supply Agreements with the Global Fund under the AMFm are: Ajanta Pharma, Cipla, Guilin, Ipca, Novartis and Sanofi-aventis. All six pharmaceutical companies meet the Global Fund's quality criteria for supplying ACTs to first-line buyers under the AMFm. Other manufacturers may participate in the AMFm, provided that they meet the quality criteria.
The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) negotiated the agreements, which provide the terms and conditions under which the manufacturers would sell eligible ACTs to first-line buyers, and under which the Global Fund would make co-payment to those companies for qualifying purchases by wholesalers.
“No mother should have to worry whether or not she can access the malaria medicines that will save the life of her sick child. I am pleased my Health Access Initiative, building off of our experience lowering the costs of lifesaving malaria and HIV/AIDS medicines, could negotiate the agreements that enable AMFm to ensure effective, affordable ACTs are in the reach of the mothers and children that need them most,” says former US President Bill Clinton.
The conclusion of the manufacturer agreements is one of the first significant achievements of the AMFm. In a departure from prior practices, manufacturers will sell ACTs to first-line buyers from the private sector at the same reduced prices as they sell to those in the public sector, even before the AMFm makes a co-payment.
The manufacturers have also agreed to not market any oral artemisinin monotherapy, which are undesirable because they increase the risk of widespread resistance to the artemisinin in ACTs.
The Global Fund received pro bono legal support during the negotiations with manufacturers from Freshfields Bruckhouse Deringer LLP. The Global Fund warmly thanks Freshfields Bruckhouse Deringer LLP for their valuable contributions to this success.
In developing the logo for all co-paid ACTs under AMFm, the Global Fund received pro bono support from Programme for Accessible health Communication and Education (PACE), Uganda. The Global Fund also thanks PACE for their important contributions to this success.
Malaria and the AMFm
Malaria is a potentially deadly disease that is transmitted through mosquito bites and kills more than 2,000 children every day. Children make up nearly 90 percent of the nearly 900,000 people who die from malaria every year, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia.
The Global Fund is leading an innovation called the AMFm to reduce the price of effective malaria drugs so they can drive older, ineffective drugs out of the market, and help increase access to effective treatment of malaria. The proposition of AMFm is that a factory-gate global subsidy, combined with supporting activities at country level, will increase access to life-saving antimalarial medicines and also delay the onset of resistance to those medicines. Three elements constitute the AMFm: price reductions through negotiations with manufacturers of a class of malaria medicines called Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies or ACTs; a buyer subsidy in the form of a ‘co-payment' at the top of the global supply chain; and supporting activities to promote appropriate use of ACTs.
By working through the public, NGO and private sectors, AMFm will help to expand services beyond the reach of current financing mechanisms that work mostly through the public and NGO sectors.
"The AMFm is about getting better value for money so we get closer to the goal of universal access to malaria treatment. Tackling malaria is a key priority for the UK government and the AMFm aims to deliver real value for money - and will make a huge difference to the lives of some of the poorest people and help to prevent the spread of disease," says Andrew Mitchell, UK International Development Secretary.
UNITAID, the Government of the United Kingdom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are the financiers of a US$216 million AMFm co-payment fund to be used for the global subsidy. In addition, the Global Fund will spend about US$127 million on country-level activities to support the effective implementation of AMFm.
“We are using market dynamics to improve access to life-saving medicines; this is central to the mission of UNITAID and we are pleased to work with the Global Fund to achieve universal access,” says Philippe Douste-Blazy, Chair of the UNITAID Board.
During the last few years new, effective malaria medicines have been made available for free in many public health clinics. When combined with national campaigns to provide mosquito bed-nets for every family living in areas with malaria this has led to a dramatic fall in malaria deaths in several countries in Africa. The combination of bed nets to prevent malaria transmission and drugs that cure malaria quickly has reduced malaria deaths by between 50 percent and 90 percent in areas where both are widely available.
However, because most people do not have immediate access to public health facilities they buy their drugs at local market stalls and private pharmacies. The new drugs, known as “artemisinin-based combination therapies” or ACTs, are about 10 - 40 times more expensive when sold over the counter than the old drugs which have lost their effectiveness because the malaria parasite has developed resistance to them. As a result of the high cost, many still buy these cheaper less effective drugs and currently, only one in every five patients treated for malaria has access to ACTs.
The AMFm was developed through Roll-Back Malaria – a broad partnership of public and private institutions, such as the World Bank, UNICEF, the Dutch Government, the Global Fund, WHO, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Clinton Health Access Initiative.
Phase 1 of the AMFm includes nine pilots in eight countries: Cambodia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania (mainland and Zanzibar) and Uganda. After two years, providing it is successful, a decision will be taken on whether to expand it globally.
Source: The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria
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Agreements reduce prices of malaria medicines by up to 80 % / Global Fund and drug manufacturers cooperate to end deaths from malaria
KAMPALA, July 15, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Global Fund and six manufacturers of quality-assured malaria drugs have finalized agreements to place affordable life-saving malaria drugs within reach of millions of people in need, especially children. This public- private collaboration, a part of the Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm) Phase 1, will benefit 8 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
Under the agreements, private importers will now pay up to 80% less than they did in 2008-2009 for the most effective malaria drugs (artemisinin-based combination therapies – ACTs), bringing the factory gate prices down to the same level as for public sector buyers. The AMFm will then subsidize purchases made by first-line buyers, all of whom have signed an undertaking to pass the benefit of low prices down the supply chain, thereby enabling the roughly 60% of malaria patients who obtain treatment in private shops to obtain the most effective treatments at affordable prices. Currently ACTs make up only 5% of treatments provided through the private sector. Orders of ACTs at these more affordable prices have already begun.
“These agreements bring us closer to the day when all who need malaria medicines will get them at affordable prices,” says Global Fund Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine, "Thanks to the cooperation of partners, manufacturers of quality-assured malaria medicines and leadership by countries, we will make malaria deaths history.”
The six manufacturers that have signed Master Supply Agreements with the Global Fund under the AMFm are: Ajanta Pharma, Cipla, Guilin, Ipca, Novartis and Sanofi-aventis. All six pharmaceutical companies meet the Global Fund's quality criteria for supplying ACTs to first-line buyers under the AMFm. Other manufacturers may participate in the AMFm, provided that they meet the quality criteria.
The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) negotiated the agreements, which provide the terms and conditions under which the manufacturers would sell eligible ACTs to first-line buyers, and under which the Global Fund would make co-payment to those companies for qualifying purchases by wholesalers.
“No mother should have to worry whether or not she can access the malaria medicines that will save the life of her sick child. I am pleased my Health Access Initiative, building off of our experience lowering the costs of lifesaving malaria and HIV/AIDS medicines, could negotiate the agreements that enable AMFm to ensure effective, affordable ACTs are in the reach of the mothers and children that need them most,” says former US President Bill Clinton.
The conclusion of the manufacturer agreements is one of the first significant achievements of the AMFm. In a departure from prior practices, manufacturers will sell ACTs to first-line buyers from the private sector at the same reduced prices as they sell to those in the public sector, even before the AMFm makes a co-payment.
The manufacturers have also agreed to not market any oral artemisinin monotherapy, which are undesirable because they increase the risk of widespread resistance to the artemisinin in ACTs.
The Global Fund received pro bono legal support during the negotiations with manufacturers from Freshfields Bruckhouse Deringer LLP. The Global Fund warmly thanks Freshfields Bruckhouse Deringer LLP for their valuable contributions to this success.
In developing the logo for all co-paid ACTs under AMFm, the Global Fund received pro bono support from Programme for Accessible health Communication and Education (PACE), Uganda. The Global Fund also thanks PACE for their important contributions to this success.
Malaria and the AMFm
Malaria is a potentially deadly disease that is transmitted through mosquito bites and kills more than 2,000 children every day. Children make up nearly 90 percent of the nearly 900,000 people who die from malaria every year, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia.
The Global Fund is leading an innovation called the AMFm to reduce the price of effective malaria drugs so they can drive older, ineffective drugs out of the market, and help increase access to effective treatment of malaria. The proposition of AMFm is that a factory-gate global subsidy, combined with supporting activities at country level, will increase access to life-saving antimalarial medicines and also delay the onset of resistance to those medicines. Three elements constitute the AMFm: price reductions through negotiations with manufacturers of a class of malaria medicines called Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies or ACTs; a buyer subsidy in the form of a ‘co-payment' at the top of the global supply chain; and supporting activities to promote appropriate use of ACTs.
By working through the public, NGO and private sectors, AMFm will help to expand services beyond the reach of current financing mechanisms that work mostly through the public and NGO sectors.
"The AMFm is about getting better value for money so we get closer to the goal of universal access to malaria treatment. Tackling malaria is a key priority for the UK government and the AMFm aims to deliver real value for money - and will make a huge difference to the lives of some of the poorest people and help to prevent the spread of disease," says Andrew Mitchell, UK International Development Secretary.
UNITAID, the Government of the United Kingdom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are the financiers of a US$216 million AMFm co-payment fund to be used for the global subsidy. In addition, the Global Fund will spend about US$127 million on country-level activities to support the effective implementation of AMFm.
“We are using market dynamics to improve access to life-saving medicines; this is central to the mission of UNITAID and we are pleased to work with the Global Fund to achieve universal access,” says Philippe Douste-Blazy, Chair of the UNITAID Board.
During the last few years new, effective malaria medicines have been made available for free in many public health clinics. When combined with national campaigns to provide mosquito bed-nets for every family living in areas with malaria this has led to a dramatic fall in malaria deaths in several countries in Africa. The combination of bed nets to prevent malaria transmission and drugs that cure malaria quickly has reduced malaria deaths by between 50 percent and 90 percent in areas where both are widely available.
However, because most people do not have immediate access to public health facilities they buy their drugs at local market stalls and private pharmacies. The new drugs, known as “artemisinin-based combination therapies” or ACTs, are about 10 - 40 times more expensive when sold over the counter than the old drugs which have lost their effectiveness because the malaria parasite has developed resistance to them. As a result of the high cost, many still buy these cheaper less effective drugs and currently, only one in every five patients treated for malaria has access to ACTs.
The AMFm was developed through Roll-Back Malaria – a broad partnership of public and private institutions, such as the World Bank, UNICEF, the Dutch Government, the Global Fund, WHO, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Clinton Health Access Initiative.
Phase 1 of the AMFm includes nine pilots in eight countries: Cambodia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania (mainland and Zanzibar) and Uganda. After two years, providing it is successful, a decision will be taken on whether to expand it globally.
Source: The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria
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Thursday, July 15, 2010
Haiti: 6 months after the Earthquake
A status update six months after the 2010 Haitian Earthquake
The U.S. Department of State invites you to participate in a conference call discussing reconstruction and recovery efforts six months after the earthquake.
Speakers:
• Patrick Gaspard, Director, White House Office of Political Affairs
• Julissa Reynoso, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean and Central American Affairs, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Jerome Oetgen, Public Affairs Counselor, Embassy Port-au-Prince, Haiti
We will stream the discussion live via Blog Talk Radio . Tune in today, July 15th at 1:00pm ET to listen to the discussion.
Note: We will not accept questions from callers on blog talk radio for this conversation on Haiti. However, we hope to host future episodes on Foreign Policy topics that interest you and hope to allow questions via Blog Talk Radio then.
Current State in Uganda
15 Jul 2010 12:35 Africa/Lagos
Current State in Uganda
KAMPALA, July 15, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Ambassador Lanier delivers remarks on the current state in Uganda since the World Cup bombings:
"We don't think there is a permanent danger here. We have not issued a particular travel advisory. We however do warn American citizens to stay away from crowded areas, particularly crowded insecure areas."
"At present we have three FBI people here from the region who are assisting with the investigation. We are likely to get some more. We are expecting that in the next few days or so."
"We believe the Uganda mission is more important than ever now. In fact the entire AMISOM mission, which is of course Uganda and Burundi, is more important because Al-Shabaab has shown a willingness to kill civilians outside of Somalia. This was, I think President Obama characterized it as a deplorable and cowardly act and we certainly agree with that and so we hope to increase our support as needed and as requested by the Ugandans."
Source: US Department of State
Current State in Uganda
KAMPALA, July 15, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Ambassador Lanier delivers remarks on the current state in Uganda since the World Cup bombings:
"We don't think there is a permanent danger here. We have not issued a particular travel advisory. We however do warn American citizens to stay away from crowded areas, particularly crowded insecure areas."
"At present we have three FBI people here from the region who are assisting with the investigation. We are likely to get some more. We are expecting that in the next few days or so."
"We believe the Uganda mission is more important than ever now. In fact the entire AMISOM mission, which is of course Uganda and Burundi, is more important because Al-Shabaab has shown a willingness to kill civilians outside of Somalia. This was, I think President Obama characterized it as a deplorable and cowardly act and we certainly agree with that and so we hope to increase our support as needed and as requested by the Ugandans."
Source: US Department of State
Upstream Powers MTN's FIFA World Cup(TM) Themed Mobile Marketing Campaigns in West Africa
15 Jul 2010 12:11 Africa/Lagos
Upstream Powers MTN's FIFA World Cup(TM) Themed Mobile Marketing Campaigns in West Africa
LONDON, July 15, 2010/PRNewswire/ --
- Campaigns for Mobile Operator Giant and FIFA World Cup Global Sponsor MTN, in Nigeria, Benin and Ghana Generated Unprecedented Conversion Rates and Huge Consumer Excitement Demonstrating Upstream's Expertise in Delivering Regional Campaigns With Localised Customer Insight.
Upstream, one of the world's largest mobile marketing solutions providers, (http://www.upstreamsystems.com) is completing a series of successful localised mobile marketing campaigns across West Africa for MTN, as part of the Group's official FIFA World Cup sponsorship activities.
Upstream worked with MTN to create large-scale Mega Promotions for three of the group's West African markets - Nigeria, Ghana and Benin. The campaigns, which were timed to leverage the build up to the World Cup, were all launched at highly publicised events in April. With World Cup activities ending and the campaigns drawing to a close, results reveal an overwhelming response from users, boosting ARPU and generating a high level of excitement from MTN customers in each country after creating instant big winners.
Though launched simultaneously, the three campaigns were carefully constructed to fit unique consumer behaviour and demographics in each of the three countries. This demonstrates the ability of Upstream's sophisticated mobile marketing communications suite to deliver optimised, relevant, communications that engage and create positive and profitable interactions with every one of MTN's participating customers.
"Mobile operators like MTN do not want a cookie-cutter approach to how they market to their customer base, particularly for significant regional campaigns such as MTN's World Cup promotions, but they also want low risk solutions. For MTN, Upstream produced sophisticated CRM campaigns which have enabled them to deliver strongly branded and aligned competitions that were nimble enough to support their massive Africa-wide World Cup series of activities", said Nikos Moraitakis, VP Business Development at Upstream.
"We were amazed at how effortlessly Upstream grasped the needs and preferences of our subscriber base and formulated a customised promotion strategy. The MTN Benin - Upstream partnership was a great commercial success and we look forward to more profitable projects in the future", said Harriet Muchu, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Benin.
Launched in 1994, MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications provider, with its core operations in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East.
MTN CAMPAIGNS WITH UPSTREAM
MTN Nigeria
MTN 2010 World Cup Naira Splash Competition is a 90 day campaign launched in April, running until after the World Cup. Prizes include N20,000 Every Hour, N2,000,000 Every Day, N20,000,000 Every Month and 120 Tickets to the World Cup.
http://www.mtnonline.com/index.php/participate.html
MTN Benin
MTN 2010 World Cup Competition was a 60 day campaign when it was launched in April, following the success of the campaign it was extended to 90 days. The SMS mega promotion is being executed in local versions of French. Prizes include daily giveaways of Sony flat screen television and Hyundai cars.
MTN Ghana
MTN 2010 Win 90 cars in 90 days is a 90 day campaign launched in April running until the end of the World Cup. Prizes include daily giveaways of Hyundai Cars, Sony LCD TVs and MTN airtime vouchers.
http://www.mtn.com.gh/sub.aspx?ID=272&MID=228&ParentID=12&FirstParentID=3 &Level=3&FirstIsClosed5=N&SecondIsClosed50=Y
(Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field. Remove the space if one exists.)
About Upstream
Upstream is a world leader in mobile marketing solutions, reaching over 500 million consumers in more than 40 countries. Using its advanced technology platform to deliver potent interactive communication via mobile channels, Upstream empowers global brands to activate their customers like never before.
Upstream was born out of a desire to revolutionise the way companies market to mobile consumers. By combining technology innovation with years of execution expertise and the analysis of terabytes of consumer data, communications powered by Upstream massively increase conversion rates and generate profitable interactions for companies and their mobile consumers.
This unique ability to extract value from any customer base has made Upstream the preferred mobile marketing partner for blue chip companies including Vodafone, T-Mobile, TIM, Orange, Telefonica, America Movil, Zain, MTN, The Coca-Cola Company, Nestle, Unilever, Shell and BSkyB.
Media contact:
Jacki Vause
Peppercom for Upstream
Jvause@uk.peppercom.com
+44(0)20-7033-2660
Alexandra Chong
Upstream
chong@upstreamsystems.com
+44(0)207-290-1320
Source: Upstream
Media contact: Jacki Vause, Peppercom for Upstream, Jvause@uk.peppercom.com, +44(0)20-7033-2660; Alexandra Chong, Upstream, chong@upstreamsystems.com, +44(0)207-290-1320
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
15 Jul 2010
12:05
Goodrich and Turkish Technic, Inc. Complete Agreement to Form Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Joint Venture
11:15
NBTY Agrees to Be Acquired by the Carlyle Group for $55.00 Per Share in Cash; Transaction Valued at $3.8 Billion; NBTY is a Leading Nutritional Supplement Company
11:00
Siemens Enterprise Communications Names Wolfram Fischer General Manager of EMEA and Asia-Pacific
06:16
Eutelsat and ictQATAR Select Space Systems/Loral to Deliver Their Joint Venture Satellite
03:30
Microsoft Awards Top Performing Partners at Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference
14 Jul 2010
23:10
Marriott International Reports Second Quarter 2010 Results
21:00
ConvergEx's Eze OMS Partners with PAC-Invest to Help Clients Meet ASIC Short Position Reporting Regulations
20:18
UN Secretary-General sees the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a Success
20:10
Food crisis in Niger
20:09
Ruling MMD provincial youth leader in court for assaulting journalists
20:09
Food crisis in Niger / Virtual press briefing of the Director of Western and Central Africa Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
20:09
Newspaper fined for publishing results of opinion polls
19:09
TV station forced to stop televising religious program
18:50
Zambian journalists warned against publishing unverified information
18:44
Nuline Pharmaceuticals Presents a New Algorithm to Treat Tooth Hypersensitivity
18:00
Rockwell First Quarter Fiscal 2011 Conference Call
17:00
Norwood Auctioneer, Will Lilly, Welcomes Auctioneers From Around the World
16:47
South African Tourism Reveals Adventure Ambassador
16:16
FIFA World Cup 2010(TM) Official Song 'Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)' Becomes Global Phenomenon
14 Jul 2010
23:10
Marriott International Reports Second Quarter 2010 Results
21:00
ConvergEx's Eze OMS Partners with PAC-Invest to Help Clients Meet ASIC Short Position Reporting Regulations
20:18
UN Secretary-General sees the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a Success
20:10
Food crisis in Niger
20:09
Ruling MMD provincial youth leader in court for assaulting journalists
20:09
Food crisis in Niger / Virtual press briefing of the Director of Western and Central Africa Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
20:09
Newspaper fined for publishing results of opinion polls
19:09
TV station forced to stop televising religious program
18:50
Zambian journalists warned against publishing unverified information
16:47
South African Tourism Reveals Adventure Ambassador
16:16
FIFA World Cup 2010(TM) Official Song 'Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)' Becomes Global Phenomenon
19:34
U.S. EPA and American Water Launch National 'We're for Water' Campaign in Los Angeles
12:48
Four journalists held hostage in Niger delta region
Upstream Powers MTN's FIFA World Cup(TM) Themed Mobile Marketing Campaigns in West Africa
LONDON, July 15, 2010/PRNewswire/ --
- Campaigns for Mobile Operator Giant and FIFA World Cup Global Sponsor MTN, in Nigeria, Benin and Ghana Generated Unprecedented Conversion Rates and Huge Consumer Excitement Demonstrating Upstream's Expertise in Delivering Regional Campaigns With Localised Customer Insight.
Upstream, one of the world's largest mobile marketing solutions providers, (http://www.upstreamsystems.com) is completing a series of successful localised mobile marketing campaigns across West Africa for MTN, as part of the Group's official FIFA World Cup sponsorship activities.
Upstream worked with MTN to create large-scale Mega Promotions for three of the group's West African markets - Nigeria, Ghana and Benin. The campaigns, which were timed to leverage the build up to the World Cup, were all launched at highly publicised events in April. With World Cup activities ending and the campaigns drawing to a close, results reveal an overwhelming response from users, boosting ARPU and generating a high level of excitement from MTN customers in each country after creating instant big winners.
Though launched simultaneously, the three campaigns were carefully constructed to fit unique consumer behaviour and demographics in each of the three countries. This demonstrates the ability of Upstream's sophisticated mobile marketing communications suite to deliver optimised, relevant, communications that engage and create positive and profitable interactions with every one of MTN's participating customers.
"Mobile operators like MTN do not want a cookie-cutter approach to how they market to their customer base, particularly for significant regional campaigns such as MTN's World Cup promotions, but they also want low risk solutions. For MTN, Upstream produced sophisticated CRM campaigns which have enabled them to deliver strongly branded and aligned competitions that were nimble enough to support their massive Africa-wide World Cup series of activities", said Nikos Moraitakis, VP Business Development at Upstream.
"We were amazed at how effortlessly Upstream grasped the needs and preferences of our subscriber base and formulated a customised promotion strategy. The MTN Benin - Upstream partnership was a great commercial success and we look forward to more profitable projects in the future", said Harriet Muchu, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Benin.
Launched in 1994, MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications provider, with its core operations in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East.
MTN CAMPAIGNS WITH UPSTREAM
MTN Nigeria
MTN 2010 World Cup Naira Splash Competition is a 90 day campaign launched in April, running until after the World Cup. Prizes include N20,000 Every Hour, N2,000,000 Every Day, N20,000,000 Every Month and 120 Tickets to the World Cup.
http://www.mtnonline.com/index.php/participate.html
MTN Benin
MTN 2010 World Cup Competition was a 60 day campaign when it was launched in April, following the success of the campaign it was extended to 90 days. The SMS mega promotion is being executed in local versions of French. Prizes include daily giveaways of Sony flat screen television and Hyundai cars.
MTN Ghana
MTN 2010 Win 90 cars in 90 days is a 90 day campaign launched in April running until the end of the World Cup. Prizes include daily giveaways of Hyundai Cars, Sony LCD TVs and MTN airtime vouchers.
http://www.mtn.com.gh/sub.aspx?ID=272&MID=228&ParentID=12&FirstParentID=3 &Level=3&FirstIsClosed5=N&SecondIsClosed50=Y
(Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field. Remove the space if one exists.)
About Upstream
Upstream is a world leader in mobile marketing solutions, reaching over 500 million consumers in more than 40 countries. Using its advanced technology platform to deliver potent interactive communication via mobile channels, Upstream empowers global brands to activate their customers like never before.
Upstream was born out of a desire to revolutionise the way companies market to mobile consumers. By combining technology innovation with years of execution expertise and the analysis of terabytes of consumer data, communications powered by Upstream massively increase conversion rates and generate profitable interactions for companies and their mobile consumers.
This unique ability to extract value from any customer base has made Upstream the preferred mobile marketing partner for blue chip companies including Vodafone, T-Mobile, TIM, Orange, Telefonica, America Movil, Zain, MTN, The Coca-Cola Company, Nestle, Unilever, Shell and BSkyB.
Media contact:
Jacki Vause
Peppercom for Upstream
Jvause@uk.peppercom.com
+44(0)20-7033-2660
Alexandra Chong
Upstream
chong@upstreamsystems.com
+44(0)207-290-1320
Source: Upstream
Media contact: Jacki Vause, Peppercom for Upstream, Jvause@uk.peppercom.com, +44(0)20-7033-2660; Alexandra Chong, Upstream, chong@upstreamsystems.com, +44(0)207-290-1320
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
15 Jul 2010
12:05
Goodrich and Turkish Technic, Inc. Complete Agreement to Form Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Joint Venture
11:15
NBTY Agrees to Be Acquired by the Carlyle Group for $55.00 Per Share in Cash; Transaction Valued at $3.8 Billion; NBTY is a Leading Nutritional Supplement Company
11:00
Siemens Enterprise Communications Names Wolfram Fischer General Manager of EMEA and Asia-Pacific
06:16
Eutelsat and ictQATAR Select Space Systems/Loral to Deliver Their Joint Venture Satellite
03:30
Microsoft Awards Top Performing Partners at Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference
14 Jul 2010
23:10
Marriott International Reports Second Quarter 2010 Results
21:00
ConvergEx's Eze OMS Partners with PAC-Invest to Help Clients Meet ASIC Short Position Reporting Regulations
20:18
UN Secretary-General sees the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a Success
20:10
Food crisis in Niger
20:09
Ruling MMD provincial youth leader in court for assaulting journalists
20:09
Food crisis in Niger / Virtual press briefing of the Director of Western and Central Africa Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
20:09
Newspaper fined for publishing results of opinion polls
19:09
TV station forced to stop televising religious program
18:50
Zambian journalists warned against publishing unverified information
18:44
Nuline Pharmaceuticals Presents a New Algorithm to Treat Tooth Hypersensitivity
18:00
Rockwell First Quarter Fiscal 2011 Conference Call
17:00
Norwood Auctioneer, Will Lilly, Welcomes Auctioneers From Around the World
16:47
South African Tourism Reveals Adventure Ambassador
16:16
FIFA World Cup 2010(TM) Official Song 'Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)' Becomes Global Phenomenon
14 Jul 2010
23:10
Marriott International Reports Second Quarter 2010 Results
21:00
ConvergEx's Eze OMS Partners with PAC-Invest to Help Clients Meet ASIC Short Position Reporting Regulations
20:18
UN Secretary-General sees the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a Success
20:10
Food crisis in Niger
20:09
Ruling MMD provincial youth leader in court for assaulting journalists
20:09
Food crisis in Niger / Virtual press briefing of the Director of Western and Central Africa Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
20:09
Newspaper fined for publishing results of opinion polls
19:09
TV station forced to stop televising religious program
18:50
Zambian journalists warned against publishing unverified information
16:47
South African Tourism Reveals Adventure Ambassador
16:16
FIFA World Cup 2010(TM) Official Song 'Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)' Becomes Global Phenomenon
19:34
U.S. EPA and American Water Launch National 'We're for Water' Campaign in Los Angeles
12:48
Four journalists held hostage in Niger delta region
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Re: The Minimum Wage Of N17, 000 Is Nonsense
Re: The Minimum Wage Of N17, 000 Is Nonsense
Do you know that thousands of secondary school leavers who cannot gain admission into higher institutions need jobs and many of them are paid as little as N5,000 monthly salaries in Lagos and other places? My friend pays his receptionist N8, 000 monthly and thank God her residence is not far from the office.
Majority of the civil servants in Nigeria are going to depend on the minimum wage and those with families will have no choice but to use their children and other dependants to hawk goods on the street.
Monday night on the way home from work at about 10.33 pm, I saw children still hawking at the Maryland bus near Ikeja and I told an elderly woman hawking with them to go home and sleep. She looked at me and continued with her work.
Today I went to the Tejuoso market in Yaba and I saw hundreds of boys and girls selling petty goods and the Igbo boys engaged in their rag trade of second hand clothes and other goods. I was heartbroken, because many of them have better dreams than petty trading.
I saw depression written on the faces of hundreds of traders and shoppers. I saw pretty girls and handsome boys struggling for survival and JAMB reported today that there is no space for 340, 000 successful UTME candidates and lest we forget hundreds of thousands of graduates and millions of secondary school leavers are jobless.
I returned to the office feeling depressed, because of the bleak future of the poor masses and their children.
If we sack the ruling megalomaniac party and set up a government without a National Assembly, we are going to save trillions of naira to invest in human capital development and develop a 21st century economy to provide better living wages for majority of Nigerians.
It is possible.
Do you know that thousands of secondary school leavers who cannot gain admission into higher institutions need jobs and many of them are paid as little as N5,000 monthly salaries in Lagos and other places? My friend pays his receptionist N8, 000 monthly and thank God her residence is not far from the office.
Majority of the civil servants in Nigeria are going to depend on the minimum wage and those with families will have no choice but to use their children and other dependants to hawk goods on the street.
Monday night on the way home from work at about 10.33 pm, I saw children still hawking at the Maryland bus near Ikeja and I told an elderly woman hawking with them to go home and sleep. She looked at me and continued with her work.
Today I went to the Tejuoso market in Yaba and I saw hundreds of boys and girls selling petty goods and the Igbo boys engaged in their rag trade of second hand clothes and other goods. I was heartbroken, because many of them have better dreams than petty trading.
I saw depression written on the faces of hundreds of traders and shoppers. I saw pretty girls and handsome boys struggling for survival and JAMB reported today that there is no space for 340, 000 successful UTME candidates and lest we forget hundreds of thousands of graduates and millions of secondary school leavers are jobless.
I returned to the office feeling depressed, because of the bleak future of the poor masses and their children.
If we sack the ruling megalomaniac party and set up a government without a National Assembly, we are going to save trillions of naira to invest in human capital development and develop a 21st century economy to provide better living wages for majority of Nigerians.
It is possible.
IFJ Condemns kidnapping of Nigerian Journalists' Union Officials
13 Jul 2010 17:59 Africa/Lagos
IFJ Condemns kidnapping of Nigerian Journalists' Union Officials
ABUJA, July 13, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the kidnapping of four officials of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), following an armed attack on two NUJ vehicles yesterday.
Wahaab Oba, Chariman of NUJ Lagos State council, Adolphus Oknokwo, NUJ Secretary Zone G, Sylvester Okereke, NUJ Assistant Secretary Lagos State, Shola Oyeyipo of NUJ Lagos State Council and their driver Azeez Yekini were abducted by gunmen who ambushed the two vehicles outside the Eastern city of Aba. Seven union members occupying the other car escaped unharmed.
"We are shocked by this brutal attack against our Nigerian colleagues and deeply worried for their immediate safety," said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa. "We demand the authorities do everything they can to ensure they are released quickly and unharmed."
The NUJ members were returning from a meeting of the national executive in the Southern city of Uyo when they were caught in the ambush. Initial reports suggest the victims remain unharmed while the kidnappers have issued their ransom demands.
Source: International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
14 Jul 2010
11:30
$43 Billion in Upstream Oil & Gas Deals Announced in the Second Quarter of 2010
13 Jul 2010
22:21
Equatorial Guinea Malaria Program Reduces Infant Mortality by One Third
21:43
General Maritime Corporation Announces Amendment to Credit Facility
21:19
Activeion's Ionator EXP(TM) Wins AFIDAMP Green Clean Award
17:59
IFJ Condemns kidnapping of Nigerian Journalists' Union Officials
17:54
5th Annual Connecting Rural Communities Africa 2010 Forum
17:55
Orphans & Vulnerable Children in Africa Conference 2010
17:54
OECD Economic Survey of South Africa to be released 19 July 2010
17:21
FIFA.com Attracts Over a Quarter of a Billion Visits as the World Engages Online With the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM)
16:50
Pennsylvania Treasury Investments In Clean Energy Fueled By Rockefeller Foundation Grant
16:28
International Paper Declares Dividends
15:00
Shutterstock Turns Seven
14:35
South Africa- IOM and Partners Plan Response to Potential Xenophobic Violence
14:34
Twin attacks perpetrated in kampala, uganda
14:30
Dehaier Medical Systems Acquires Emergency Ventilator Series to Extend Product Line
14:30
Verizon FiOS TV Launches Fox International Channels' Utilisima U.S.
14:11
Mercuria Energy Group Supports the First Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Project in Guinea
13:00
Marketo Helps QlikTech Implement Global, Multi-Touch Lead Generation Campaign during 2010 World Soccer Finals
12:56
Kenya: A Preventable Childbirth Injury That Ruins Lives / Provide Adequate Health Services, Accountability to Prevent, Treat Obstetric Fistula
12:56
Deadly Uganda blasts condemned
IFJ Condemns kidnapping of Nigerian Journalists' Union Officials
ABUJA, July 13, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the kidnapping of four officials of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), following an armed attack on two NUJ vehicles yesterday.
Wahaab Oba, Chariman of NUJ Lagos State council, Adolphus Oknokwo, NUJ Secretary Zone G, Sylvester Okereke, NUJ Assistant Secretary Lagos State, Shola Oyeyipo of NUJ Lagos State Council and their driver Azeez Yekini were abducted by gunmen who ambushed the two vehicles outside the Eastern city of Aba. Seven union members occupying the other car escaped unharmed.
"We are shocked by this brutal attack against our Nigerian colleagues and deeply worried for their immediate safety," said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa. "We demand the authorities do everything they can to ensure they are released quickly and unharmed."
The NUJ members were returning from a meeting of the national executive in the Southern city of Uyo when they were caught in the ambush. Initial reports suggest the victims remain unharmed while the kidnappers have issued their ransom demands.
Source: International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
14 Jul 2010
11:30
$43 Billion in Upstream Oil & Gas Deals Announced in the Second Quarter of 2010
13 Jul 2010
22:21
Equatorial Guinea Malaria Program Reduces Infant Mortality by One Third
21:43
General Maritime Corporation Announces Amendment to Credit Facility
21:19
Activeion's Ionator EXP(TM) Wins AFIDAMP Green Clean Award
17:59
IFJ Condemns kidnapping of Nigerian Journalists' Union Officials
17:54
5th Annual Connecting Rural Communities Africa 2010 Forum
17:55
Orphans & Vulnerable Children in Africa Conference 2010
17:54
OECD Economic Survey of South Africa to be released 19 July 2010
17:21
FIFA.com Attracts Over a Quarter of a Billion Visits as the World Engages Online With the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM)
16:50
Pennsylvania Treasury Investments In Clean Energy Fueled By Rockefeller Foundation Grant
16:28
International Paper Declares Dividends
15:00
Shutterstock Turns Seven
14:35
South Africa- IOM and Partners Plan Response to Potential Xenophobic Violence
14:34
Twin attacks perpetrated in kampala, uganda
14:30
Dehaier Medical Systems Acquires Emergency Ventilator Series to Extend Product Line
14:30
Verizon FiOS TV Launches Fox International Channels' Utilisima U.S.
14:11
Mercuria Energy Group Supports the First Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Project in Guinea
13:00
Marketo Helps QlikTech Implement Global, Multi-Touch Lead Generation Campaign during 2010 World Soccer Finals
12:56
Kenya: A Preventable Childbirth Injury That Ruins Lives / Provide Adequate Health Services, Accountability to Prevent, Treat Obstetric Fistula
12:56
Deadly Uganda blasts condemned
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