2015-01-22 14:56
Pangkalan Bun -
Indonesian divers Thursday recovered six bodies, some still belted into
their seats, near the main section of an AirAsia plane that crashed
into the Java Sea last month, but failed again to reach the fuselage.
Flight
QZ8501 went down on December 28 in stormy weather with 162 people on
board as it flew from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. A
total of 59 bodies have so far been recovered.
"We have found six
bodies, four of whom were females and two males, all adults," S.B.
Supriyadi, a rescue agency official coordinating the search, told AFP.
He said they were found among debris, with some still strapped into their seats, not far from the jet's main section.
They had been flown to Pangkalan Bun town on Borneo island, the search headquarters.
The
main body of the Airbus A320-200 was spotted on the seabed by a
military vessel last week following an arduous search in shallow
Indonesian waters, but strong underwater currents and rough seas have
prevented divers from reaching it.
Search and rescue teams again failed to reach the fuselage on Thursday, Supriyadi said.
The
jet's black boxes -- the cockpit voice recorder and flight data
recorder -- were recovered last week, and investigators are analysing
them.
Indonesian Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan said this week
that the plane climbed abnormally fast before stalling and plunging into
the sea.
Just moments before the plane disappeared off the
radar, the pilot had asked to climb to avoid a major storm but was not
immediately granted permission due to heavy air traffic.
Thursday, 22 January 2015
Ebola ebbing in West Africa but vigilance needed -WHO
2015-01-22 16:11
Geneva - The Ebola epidemic in West Africa appears to be ebbing, with fewer than 150 cases reported in the past week, but efforts must be pursued to stamp out the deadly disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
Sierra Leone remains hardest-hit, accounting for 117 of the 145 new confirmed cases, against 184 there the previous week and 248 the week before that, the WHO said in its latest update.
"Case incidence continues to fall in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone," the United Nations agency said, adding that disease surveillance was being stepped up in border districts of Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal.
Every 10 days the number of new cases is halving in Guinea -- where, at 20, the figure was the lowest since early August, it said. In Liberia, where confirmed cases last week fell to 8 from a peak of more than 300 per week in August and September, it takes two weeks to halve, and in Sierra Leone nearly 20 days.
In
all, there have been 21,724 cases of Ebola reported in nine countries
in the past year since the epidemic began in Guinea, including 8,641
deaths, the WHO said.
The virus has been stamped out in Mali, Nigeria and Senegal, and there have been no further cases among foreign health workers returning to Britain, Spain or the United States, although a British nurse is recovering in hospital in London.
To date, 828 health care workers have been infected in the three worst-hit countries, including 499 who died, it said.
Geneva - The Ebola epidemic in West Africa appears to be ebbing, with fewer than 150 cases reported in the past week, but efforts must be pursued to stamp out the deadly disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
Sierra Leone remains hardest-hit, accounting for 117 of the 145 new confirmed cases, against 184 there the previous week and 248 the week before that, the WHO said in its latest update.
"Case incidence continues to fall in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone," the United Nations agency said, adding that disease surveillance was being stepped up in border districts of Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal.
Every 10 days the number of new cases is halving in Guinea -- where, at 20, the figure was the lowest since early August, it said. In Liberia, where confirmed cases last week fell to 8 from a peak of more than 300 per week in August and September, it takes two weeks to halve, and in Sierra Leone nearly 20 days.
The virus has been stamped out in Mali, Nigeria and Senegal, and there have been no further cases among foreign health workers returning to Britain, Spain or the United States, although a British nurse is recovering in hospital in London.
To date, 828 health care workers have been infected in the three worst-hit countries, including 499 who died, it said.
Obasanjo opens up on Buhari’s certificate saga
Abeokuta - Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has added his voice to the
raging controversy over the school certificate of the presidential
candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari,
reports NewsDay.
He noted that the issue of Buhari’s certificate came up in the run-up to the 2007 presidential election.
He said the case was investigated and it was discovered that Buhari's WASC certificate is with the military.
He said people championing the case against Buhari are afraid of him because of his anti-corruption stand.
Read more at NewsDay.
He noted that the issue of Buhari’s certificate came up in the run-up to the 2007 presidential election.
He said the case was investigated and it was discovered that Buhari's WASC certificate is with the military.
He said people championing the case against Buhari are afraid of him because of his anti-corruption stand.
Read more at NewsDay.
NHRC to sanction Fayose over Buhari death advert
The commission said the advert amounted to hate speech, reports Vanguard.
Professor Chidi Odinkalu, Chairman of the NHRC,, said the advert offended public decency and violated all known norms of decorum.
He noted that the governor, who is a member of the National Council of States did not exhibit statesmanship before sending out the message.
He stated that the commission might recommend Gov. Fayose for appropriate sanctions.
Read more at Vanguard.
Nigerians ask for Jonathan’s doctorate certificate
Lagos - Following the release of the WASC school certificate result of Muhammadu Buhari by his alma mater, Government College Katsina, Nigerians are now asking President Goodluck Jonathan to also make public his doctorate thesis, reports City People.
Many Nigerians immediately after Buhari’s result became public knowledge, Twitted on their twitter handles, asking President Jonathan to also published his thesis and the degree he obtained from the University of Port Harcourt
Here are some of the tweets:
@YMRigasa: We have just passed this bridge now. The next is Jonathan’s thesis if it exists. Show it for us o ye educated!!!
@9jaobserver: Operation Show your Credentials: We want to see Jonathan’s thesis o
@homoakeen: Jonathan should pls produce evidence of his thesis. The animals he worked on must still be alive
@princeazeez13: Does anyone knows a way I could Access The Ph.d Research Thesis of “Dr. Goodluck Jonathan” Because Google is not responding.
Read more at City People.
Bomb scare at Buhari’s campaign rally in Sokoto
This follows a bomb scare at the initial venue.
A man on a motorcycle was seen making suspicious movements at the stadium in the early hours of Thursday.
He was then accosted by the security agents who discovered two bombs on him and promptly arrested him.
Read more at Cable News
Political advertisements to be screened before publication
APCON’s registrar, Garba Kankarofi, in a statement, appealed to all mass media owners and managers to comply with the directive in order to checkmate any unfounded attacks against personalities through campaign messages.
“Like every other form of advertisement, political advertisements are required to be submitted for pre-exposure approval by the Advertising Standards Panel.
“What we see today is a clear manifestation of mindless abuse of freedom of speech and flagrant breach of these regulations, which, if unchecked, is capable of plunging our country into an orgy of violence and anarchy,” the statement read.
He said the directive became necessary following recent political advertisements in some national newspapers which generated controversies.
Kankarofi expressed disappointment about the choice of "combative, provocative and insensitive'' messages used by political marketers, who sometimes "undermine social harmony and well-being'' for their own interest.
He said that henceforth, political advertisements must observe all rules and regulations on design and publication/ broadcast of political advertisements.
He said such advertisements must “avoid the use of foul or abusive language as well as false, distorted or unsubstantiated claims or misrepresentations of facts.
He added that they “should not exploit or incite ethnic, religious or other sectional interests.
He stressed that they should clearly indicate the identity of the sponsor of the advertisements as anonymous or unidentifiable advertisers were not allowed to place advertisements in the media.
He warned that the peace and stability of Nigeria must not be undermined by any personal political interest or the business interest of media owners and managers.
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