The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed 4.7 million more people into extreme poverty in South-East Asia in 2021, reversing gains made in fighting poverty. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in a report on Wednesday. According to the report, before the pandemic, the number of people living in extreme poverty or those living on less than 1.90 dollars a day in the region had been declining, and was down to 14.2 million in 2019 from 21.2 million in 2017. “Without COVID, those living under extreme poverty would have fallen by another 1.1 million to 13.1 million,” said James Villafuerte, a senior…
Author: Newsdesk
The Consul- General of Nigeria in New York, Amb. Lot Egopija, said the Consulate would commence 2022 passport intervention in Minnesota by April to meet the consular needs of its nationals in the state. Egopija disclosed this when he received some officials of National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA), City College of New York (CCNY), and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre (MSKCC) at Nigeria House in New York. The CCNY-MSKCC in partnership with NANNNA met with Egopija to discuss possible areas of collaboration on health-based community outreach initiatives. NANNNA is a united organisation of all the Nigerian…
The U.S. government announced it would provide an additional $186 million in humanitarian aid for refugees that have fled the war in Ukraine. “The additional humanitarian assistance for refugees in Ukraine’s neighboring countries supports the provision of food, safe drinking water, protection, accessible shelter, and emergency health care. “Through the support of our international and non-governmental partners,” a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Blinken noted the U.S. has provided nearly $293 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and in the region since Russia started its invasion in late February. He said that makes it the largest…
Vaccine maker Pfizer Inc. said on that it will continue to supply of medicine to Russia despite its opposition to the country’s attack on Ukraine. The company said that implementing a voluntary pause in the flow of our medicines to Russia would be in direct violation of our foundational principle of putting patients first. The company said that it would not stop the delivery of critical medicines, like cancer or cardiovascular therapies as it would result in significant patient suffering and potential loss of life, particularly among children and elderly people. Pfizer said that its business in Russia would be…
The number of COVID-19 infections reported weekly across the globe has increased for the first time since the end of January, the World Health Organisation said. In the second week of March, reported infections were eight per cent higher than in the preceding week. More than 11 million new coronavirus cases and 43,000 deaths from or with COVID-19 were counted between March 7 and 13. Climbing case numbers were noted particularly in the western Pacific and Africa regions compared to the previous week, with increases of 29 per cent and 12 per cent respectively. In Europe there was a weekly increase…
Russia has lost up to 40 per cent of the units it sent into Ukraine when Moscow invaded its neighbour in February, the Ukrainian military’s general staff said on Wednesday. The troops were either completely destroyed or have lost their combat capabilities, he said at the daily bulletin, but did not give concrete numbers. The information could not be verified independently. The area surrounding embattled Mariupol continued to face the most serious situation. The Russian army was attempting a blockade of the city from the western and eastern fringes of the port city, but was suffering “significant losses,” according to…
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, says the food economy in the West Africa and Sahel sub-region is projected to reach 480 billion dollars in 2030. Schmale said this at the 13th Multidisciplinary Team Meeting of 15 West African countries and Sahel sub-region in Abuja to brainstorm on the way forward to the food and nutrition situation in the region. The meeting is with the theme “Joining Efforts to Build Resilient Agrifood Systems in West Africa and Sahel”. He said the expected growth would be attributed to systemic approach undertaken by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)…
President of UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid says violence against women in politics is increasing, describing the challenge as moral and ethical failure in the society. Shahid said this at an event organised by his office on the sideline of the ongoing Commission on the Status of Women in New York. The objective of the event is aimed at drawing attention to the scourge of violence against women worldwide who are involved in politics. “As a former parliamentarian, and a lifelong politician, violence against women in politics is an issue dear to my heart. It is a moral and ethical…
Fire has destroyed an unconfirmed number of trucks parked at a facility of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. The incident occurred on Monday morning at an exhibit dump of the anti-graft agency located at Iriebi in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of the state. EFCC’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this on Tuesday in a statement in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). “There was a fire incident at the exhibit dump of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, located at Iriebi, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Monday, March 14, 2022,” he…
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), says it has been included into the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), as a fourth gateway for public health emergencies to push the Universal Health Coverage agenda in the country. The Director-General, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja, while addressing a World Press Conference to herald the upcoming Primary Health Care Summit, scheduled to take place on March 24 and 25, 2022, in Abuja. Only 1 per cent of the Federal Government Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) is being allocated to the BHCPF in the annual budget since 2018. However,…