Dano Milk on Friday in Lagos entered into the Guinness book of World Records after successfully organising the longest drinks-pouring relay. The event which involved 700 Nigerian youths pouring milk drink was organised to celebrate the 2018 World Milk Day in Nigeria. Their successful effort broke the existing record for a similar feat carried out by 550 participants on Nov. 9, 2013 in Caracas, Venezuela, organised by the Coca-Cola Group. The Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs Idiat Adebule, said the World Milk Day had been celebrated on June 1 since 2001 to focus attention on milk. Adebule said it was…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Vatican will host executives of the world’s top oil companies for a conference on June 8 and June 9 on climate change and the transition away from fossil fuels, a Vatican source said on Friday. Pope Francis, who wrote a major document on protection of the environment from global warming in 2015, is expected to address the group during the conference. The spurce said the conference, organised by Notre Dame University in the United States, is expected to be attended by the heads or senior executives of companies including ExxonMobil, Eni, BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Pemex. The oil…
World Health Organisation (WHO) says it commenced campaign to eliminate Yellow fever in the country in February and has vaccinated two million people in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Borno and surrounding communities since then. The organisation’s Communications Officer, Ms Charity Warigon, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Friday. She stated that the campaign, which would run through 2018, was aimed at vaccinating 25 million Nigerians in different parts of the country, while immunisation would continue in the coming years. She noted that the campaign was in response to yellow fever cases reported in the country since…
Environmental groups on Friday warned that Cameroon could face worsening urban flooding and droughts, due to the cutting of thousands of hectares of forest to build stadiums, hotels, roads and housing to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Environment experts, criticised the decision to build on forested areas, saying urban trees must be protected if the country is to avoid worsening impacts of climate change, including flooding and droughts. “Forests are very important in regulating city climate, thus their loss or degradation is a major source of emissions of carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change and is a big threat…
Indian farmers on Friday embarked on a 10-day nationwide strike, demanding better prices of produce, complete loan waiver, and payouts to small farmers to match their income, among others. United under the banner of Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh (National Farmers’ Union), farmers of western states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan, northern states of Punjab and Haryana, and central state of Madhya Pradesh began the strike by launching village blockade agitation. Local TV channels showed footage of farmers beginning their strike in several parts of Maharashtra, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh by spilling milk and wasting vegetables on the roads. In Madhya Pradesh,…
An international study led by an Australian university has discovered that walking at a faster pace can translate into a significant reduction in premature mortality risk. The University of Sydney study analysed the data of 50,000 walkers to identify the link between a person’s walking pace and their risk to all-cause mortality. Results showed that walking at an average pace or faster can lower the risk of mortality by 20 to 24 percent compared to those who walk more slowly, according to the study published Friday. Among people over 60 years old, the effect is even more compelling with a…
Chinese researchers on Thursday announced a new type of bioactive material that may help treat spinal injuries. “Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe medical condition often leading to permanent loss of sensory, motor, and autonomic functions, currently with no cure,’’ Li Xiaoguang, professor of Beihang University and Capital Medical University, said. After research lasting over 20 years, Li has developed a type of bioactive and biodegradable material, NT3-chitosan. “In rhesus monkeys, the material elicited robust de novo neural regeneration, sensory and motor functional recovery. “The method is likely translatable to human SCI repair,’’ Li said. The results are published…
An incredible 155 million children around the world are chronically undernourished, despite dramatic improvements in recent decades. In view of this, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals include Zero Hunger. But what do we understand by the word hunger? It may refer to lack of food or widespread food shortages caused by war, drought, crop failure or government policies. But as researchers, we are particularly interested in a different kind of hunger – one that is less visible but equally devastating. Micronutrient deficiencies, also known as hidden hunger, occurs when there is a lack of essential vitamins and minerals in a person’s diet. This condition…
African Swine Fever, a severe haemorrhagic disease of pigs, has been reported in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province, the department of agriculture said on Thursday. The virus can result in “a great number of the death of pigs in a short span of time”. The virus is also transmitted by contact with infected pigs, ticks or feeding of infected swill, the department said in a statement. It is not transmitted to humans. (Reuters)
Sri Lanka’s Health Officials on Thursday said 14 children had died from a viral fever which was spreading in Southern Sri Lanka. They urged the public to take safety health measures to prevent its spread. Director of the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in southern Sri Lanka, Dr Jayampathi Senanayake told Xinhua that out of the 14 deaths, 13 were reported in Karapitiya while one was reported in Colombo. All children who had died were below 2 years of age. According to doctors, the symptoms of the virus included fever, cough, cold and headache. The patients then developed breathing problems which led…