Imo State: Lassa fever kills two in Owerri

Dr. Angela Uwakwem, the Imo State Health Commissioner, has confirmed the death of two residents in Owerri owing to the rebirth of the deadly lassa fever in the state.

Speaking to a Punch correspondent on Wednesday in Owerri she said; “Lassa fever is in Owerri. It is confirmed.”

Dr. Angela said the virus had claimed the lives of two persons after they were “referred out of” the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri.

“We have seven suspected cases of Lassa fever. Two are confirmed.”

“The Imo State Government is working hard to establish the point of first contact. The media should also help us to enlighten our people.”

“People should stop unnecessary shaking of hands. People should also stop eating exposed foods. The virus is caused by rats, so people should be encouraged to make use of rat poison in their homes.”

The Anambra State Government has prohibited the drinking of garri in the state as a measure to prevent the contraction of Lassa fever.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Akabuike, announced the ban while educating residents of the state on measures to prevent the disease, which is spreading in parts of the country.

He said, “The garri you see spread along the highway while you’re travelling is very risky to consume, especially when you drink it. It is better and surer consuming the ones you prepared yourself. We are by this enlightenment prohibiting the drinking of garri in the state.

“Like any other form of disease, good hygiene practices and taking precautions over all forms of symptoms among family members and friends will go a long way to curb the spread of diseases.

“Hand washing remains an effective way of preventing diseases. Families as well as corporate organisations should re-adopt the use of tip taps and hand sanitisers placed in public places.”

Meanwhile, medical doctors across Kogi State on Tuesday gathered in Lokoja to pay their last respects to their colleague, who died of Lassa fever on Sunday.

Ahmed died in Irrua, Edo State at the age of 30 after attending to a seven-month-old baby, who died a day after it was admitted.

At a procession held at the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja on Tuesday, doctors expressed their grief in songs.

They ended their procession at the administrative block of the FMC where the Chief Medical Director, Dr Olatunde Alabi, addressed them.

Alabi said, “Actually, the late Dr Idowu Ahmed is one of our new doctors that we have here and he has been very hardworking and dedicated to his duties. We are aware that there is an epidemic in the country and we are trying to put our own measures in place so that we don’t have further spread of the disease.”

The Kogi State Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Godwin Tijani, told one of our correspondents that persons, who had contact with the deceased, had been quarantined.

“We feel saddened by the death of one of our colleagues.  He is a young chap and after two months, he is no more. We will forever miss him.

“As I speak to you, some of his colleagues who had contact with him have been quarantined and some of them had started taking drugs to ensure the effect is not felt,” he said.

British Army chief Sir Nick Carter warns British forces must 'keep up' to counter Russia threat

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a Russian Academy of Strategic Rocket Troops in December. Credit: PA

The head of the British Army will warn the country's ability to respond to Russian threats will erode if the UK does not keep up with its enemies.

General Sir Nick Carter will use a speech to the Royal United Services Institute to highlight how Moscow is building an increasingly aggressive and expeditionary force that already boasts capabilities that outmatch UK forces.

It comes amid widespread speculation about possible cuts to personnel and equipment amid major pressure on the defence budget.

There have been calls to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP from some MPs, and reports there are plans to cut the armed forces' strength by more than 14,000, as well as the combination of elite units of paratroopers and Royal Marines to save cash.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, who has approved General Carter's speech, last week claimed "hard work" is taking place across Government to give the "right resources" to the armed forces.

General Carter will also highlight how last year Russia undertook simulated attacks across Northern Europe.

Last month the chief of the defence staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach also addressed the threat of Russia, and said the UK's military has prioritised the protection of undersea cables from the Kremlin, because if they are cut or disrupted there would be an immediate and "potentially catastrophic" hit to the economy.

And using her address at the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London, Prime Minister Theresa May also said last year that Russia had "mounted a sustained campaign of cyber espionage and disruption" against other countries.

During his speech General Carter will stress that Britain "must take notice of what is going on around us" or that the ability by the UK to take action will be "massively constrained".

"Speed of decision making, speed of deployment and modern capability are essential if we wish to provide realistic deterrence," he will add.

The time to address these threats is now - we cannot afford to sit back."

He will add: "Our ability to pre-empt or respond to threats will be eroded if we don't keep up with our adversaries.

"State-based competition is now being employed in more novel and increasingly integrated ways and we must be ready to deal with them.

"The threats we face are not thousands of miles away but are now on Europe's doorstep - we have seen how cyber warfare can be both waged on the battlefield and to disrupt normal people's lives. We in the UK are not immune from that."

Black Snow Troubles Pollution-Weary 🇰🇿Kazakhstan in Temirtau

Black ⚫Snow Troubles 🌫Pollution-Weary 🇰🇿Kazakhstan in Temirtau

Much of the snow in the city of Temirtau in central Kazakhstan is black. Instead of the usual white powder that children love to play with, the snow looks more like coal after a mysterious dark dust settled on the city in the beginning of January. Many residents, worried about their health, took to social media to call on the government to investigate the incident. "We can't live like this. We're suffocating here," wrote one user.

A special group of scientists, made up of both independent ecologists and government experts, is working to identify the causes. Temirtau is the centre of Kazakhstan's iron industry and the home to the country's biggest steel production plant - Karaganda Metallurgical Combine, owned by ArcelorMittal Temirtau, a subsidiary of the global industrial giant ArcelorMittal.

Many in Temirtau believe that pollution from this metallurgical complex is what has turned the snow black. Angry residents started collecting signatures for a petition addressed to Aliya Nazarbayeva, the youngest daughter of President Nursultan Nazarbayev and the head of the Association of Ecological Organisations of Kazakhstan.

Wife walks free after killing husband

A former councillor who killed her sick husband of 50 years because she believed he wanted her to help him die has walked free from court.

Susanne Wilson smothered Henry, 70, with a cushion at their home in Ayr, South Ayrshire.

But at the High Court in Glasgow Lady Rae admonished Mrs Wilson, 72, due to "exceptional circumstances."

At the time the retired nurse was struggling to come to terms with sex abuse allegations against her husband.

Mr Wilson was housebound and suffered from chronic heart disease at the time of his death in September 2016.

'Tragic case'

Lady Rae told Mrs Wilson: "This was a very tragic case.

"There are exceptional circumstances and punishment would not be in the interests of justice.

"The main reason was your mental health at the time of the death of your husband.

"There is no reason to suggest that you are any risk whatsoever to the public."

The judge admonished Mrs Wilson and added: "I hope you get on with the rest of your life."

The court heard she killed her husband shortly after he spoke to one of his accusers.

'Diminished responsibility'

Mrs Wilson - who once faced a murder accusation - admitted the lesser charge of culpable homicide.

Prosecutors accepted the plea on the basis of her "diminished responsibility" at the time due to the strain she was under.

The court heard that Mr Wilson, a retired Butlins shop manager, who was in poor health, had previously tried to take his own life.

His wife was a Labour councillor in Troon, South Ayrshire in the late 1990s.

The couple were married for 50 years and had three children.

Prosecutor Bill McVicar said: "Mrs Wilson accepted the accusations against her husband were true, but continued to live in the same house to provide constant care."

Others who had helped share the care of Mr Wilson stopped visiting due to the sex abuse claims.

'Very angry'

On September 3, 2016 Mr Wilson suddenly asked his wife to contact one of the people who had accused him.

He went on to speak to the individual on the phone but this caused "anxiety" to Mrs Wilson.

After the call, she was described as "very angry" and went on to hit her husband with a plastic jug, leaving him bleeding.

Mr Wilson then spoke about ending his life with drugs.

She left out medication she had previously been prescribed and left the house to visit a neighbour.

'Compassion'

When she got back, she noticed her husband had taken some of the medication and was struggling to breathe.

She helped him to bed and as his breathing worsened he said to her: "Help me."

Mr McVicar said: "She took that as a request that she should help him to die.

"She describes feeling only compassion for him and thinking that this had to stop.

"She then smothered him by placing a cushion over his face and holding it there with some degree of force restricting his breathing until he died."

Afterwards Mrs Wilson dialled 999 and confessed to police.

World's longest glass bridge opens in Hebei, China

 Because walking across a glass-bottomed suspension bridge just isn't scary enough, China is finding new ways to bring the fear.

The country's latest -- billed as the world's longest -- opened at the end of 2017 in Hebei Province's Hongyagu Scenic Area.

 And just in case the 488 meter span (1,600 feet) over a vertical drop of 218 meters (715 feet) doesn't bring visitors to their trembling knees, there's an added sway to test the nerves at this destination.

"Hongyagu glass suspension bridge marks the 2.0 era for China's glass-bottomed bridge," says Yang Minghua, the chairman of Hebei's Bailu Group, which created the span linking two peaks in the mountainous region of northeastern China.

The three-year construction project has given birth to several record-breaking claims -- some more objective than others.

These, Yang told local media, include the largest span, the greatest transparency and "the most spectacular pedestrian glass suspension bridge."

The bridge is 4 meters wide (13 feet) and made of 1,077 glass panels that are four centimeters thick (almost 1.6 inches).

Opened to the public on December 24, 2017, the bridge can accommodate up to 2,000 people, but only 500 to 600 visitors will be allowed to walk on it at the same time.

Staff will be stationed along the bridge to help the fainthearted get back on their feet.

Visitors must wear special provided "shoe gloves" to protect the glass surface -- a necessary precaution given other bridges suffered broken glass panels not long after opening.

Hongyagu's swaying suspension bridge isn't the first glass walkway with a nerve-jangling extra.

The 266-meter aerial path in East Taihang Scenic Area, also in Hebei, looks and sounds like it's about to shatter when visitors walk on it.

While Hongyagu's glass bridge might have stolen the "longest" crown from another Chinese structure, it's predecessor -- which spans the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon -- can still claim to be the highest, at 300 meters.

Freemasons reject claims they blocked police reforms

The leader of the Freemasons in England has rejected claims the organisation is blocking reform in the police service.

Dave Staples, chief executive of the United Grand Lodge of England, said it was "laughable" to suggest Freemasons were interfering with its culture.

Earlier this week, former leader of the Police Federation Steve White accused Freemasons of preventing women and minority groups from progressing.

Dr Staples insisted Freemasons had a history of treating people "as equals".

He wrote to The Times and Guardian to deny allegations the organisation was blocking reforms intended to encourage women, black people and those from ethnic minority groups to become national representatives in the federation, which represents rank-and-file officers in England and Wales.

He said Freemasons themselves were "quite openly discriminated against" and insisted it was for that reason alone that many Freemasons kept their membership a secret.

In his letter Dr Staples, who is an NHS clinical director, said Freemasons were "quietly proud" of welcoming people "as equals".

Secret ceremonies and rituals of female FreemasonsWould you want to be a Freemason?

He said: "The idea that reform within the Police Federation or anywhere else is being actively thwarted by an organised body of Freemasons is laughable".

He said there was "absolutely no reason" police officers, or people from other walks of life, should not belong to the Freemasons.

Earlier Mr White, who served as chairman from 2014 to 2017, remarked to the BBC and Guardian that a "small pocket of people" had been opposed to the reforms.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Whether it was coincidence or not, I don't know, but certainly a fairly high proportion - that isn't reflective of policing - seem to be Freemasons."

He added: "Even if it wasn't the case, the perception was damaging."

In 2014, Theresa May had told the federation to "turn itself around" when she was home secretary, amid accusations of bullying and a lack of transparency in its accounts.