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COVID-19: Okonjo-Iweala warns of dire consequences of low vaccines production on Nigeria, Africa

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The Director-General, World Trade Organisation ( WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has reiterated the need for Nigeria and the African continent to produce their own COVID-19 vaccines as unequal distribution continues to have adverse effect on the continent.

She made the call at this year’s National Diaspora Day celebration with the theme “Diaspora Integration for National Peace and Development” organized by Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) in Abuja, Sunday to celebrate the achievements of Nigerians who have contributed immensely to the development of the country.

Speaking virtually as one of the special guests, Okonjo-Iweala, reiterated her call for Africa to create a “roadmap” for boosting the continent’s capacity to produce COVID-19 vaccines, saying it was worry some that the continent relies 99 percent on importation for her vaccines and 90 percent for her pharmaceuticals.

The WTO DG said: “I am quite worried and that is why we tried to bring these CEOs of the major manufacturing companies from Moderna to Pfizer to AstraZeneca, J& J; the Chinese ones and now Russia own also, they have told us all the numbers and how they are trying to increase production.

“The vaccine volume is actually increasing. In June, they had 1.1 billion doses more vaccines produced in the world, 45 per cent more than the amount in May. That’s the good news. The bad news is that most of those doses ended up in the develop countries and the vaccine inequity continues and that is why we are trying to work with them (vaccines producers) to change the story.

“We understand that COVAX where I was one of the founding members is being to do better. It will be able to send more vaccines. It has already sent 130 million doses to developing countries but it was supposed to have done about 500 million by now. So hopefully this will happen this summer, July-August, so that will improve things a little. But what we are trying to do is to say let us not be dependent on other people all the time. We cannot as a continent continue to import 99 percent of our vaccines and 90 percent of our pharmaceuticals. What we are now pushing is for house to develop that industry in African. And the AU ACDC is working very hard and in our country the minister of health, the CDC have been working very hard to also see that we can attract some of these companies. We can even develop our own vaccines, two Nigerians in the diaspora I hear have developed vaccines which they are experimenting now. So that is the right direction.”

Senate Committee on Health as well as the Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Diaspora/NGOs, Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, speaking in the same vain, assured that Nigeria was working on producing its own vaccines.

He said he was a member of the Taskforce headed by the minister of health, Dr. Osagie Enahire, to look at the issue of Nigeria manufacturing her own vaccines. The committee is made up of Okonjo-Iweala, the Deputy Secretary General of United Nations, Amina Mohammed, Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina and Dr. Mohammed Pate.

Oloriegbe said: “I want to assure everyone that we have worked on the issue of Nigeria manufacturing it’s own vaccines. I want to assure us that as National Assembly we have provided all the necessary support for that to become a reality. In the COVID-19 budget in the 2020 budget we had provided N10 billion for local production of vaccine. That money was provided for in the 2020 budget which shows that Nigeria has actually prepared as said by the WTO DG, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala. I am also in that committee she talked about. We are in competition as South Africa, Rwanda. What we have done now is that that money will become seed money together with other investments that the federal government has spent for the production of vaccine. In very near future, Nigeria will produce not just Covid-19 vaccine but other vaccines.

“We can see that Nigerians in diaspora together with us are putting the necessary measure so that we will be able to to achieve that very essential and necessary life saving measures.”

Meanwhile, The DG of WTO has joined the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada and the Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Abike Dabiri- Erewa to advocate for Nigerians in the Diaspora to participate in the voting process in the country’s subsequent elections.

Okonjo-Iweala noted that the contributions of Nigerians abroad warrant that they should be given the opportunity to decide who will occupy leadership positions in the country.

“Nigerians in the Diaspora must be allowed to vote, they are contributing a lot, and if they are sending over 20 billion as remittances every one why can’t we vote?. Even if we are not sending anything we are still Nigerians and we deserve to vote”, she said.

The occasion also marked the presentation of the National Diaspora Policy (NDP) the framework for the coordination and harnessing of the talents, energies and resources of the Nigerians in the Diaspora for national development.

In his key note address, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dada, who lauded the efforts of the Nigerians in the Diaspora urged them to do more as the government, is ready to create enabling environment for them to thrive.

He said, “This country belongs to all of us and we must work together to ensure its growth and peace as we all have a role to play. All relevant parties are working to ensure that Diaspora Voting Rights are attained, as we believe that Nigerians in the Diaspora have the same rights and duties as Nigerians who reside in Nigeria and thus should be granted the same opportunity to decide the governance process in the Country. We may not get a perfect output at first but little by little, we would achieve our goals and objectives.’’

He also called on the Nigerians in the Diaspora deploy expertise in diverse fields especially in technology to assist in the development of the country.
In her opening remarks Dabiri-Erewa said

“As part of the mandate of NiDCOM, the leadership and team of the Commission is putting its best at ensuing that the issue of Diaspora Voting tops the agenda of the current Constitutional Review by the National Assembly, I assure you that both Committees on Diaspora and our Civil Society Organizations are strongly supporting Diaspora Voting to be actualized in Nigeria in the shortest possible time, especially with the contributions of the Nigerians in Diaspora to national development.”

Culled from the Sun News Nigeria

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Body of O.J. Simpson to be cremated this week; brain will not be studied for CTE

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April 15 (UPI) — The body of O.J. Simpson, who died last week at the age of 76, is to be cremated, a lawyer representing the ex-football superstar’s estate said, adding his brain will not be donated for research.

Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s longtime attorney and executor, told the New York Post that his client’s body is to be cremated Tuesday in Las Vegas.

He said Simpson’s family also gave a “hard no” to scientists seeking to examine the former running back’s brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is better known as CTE.

CTE is a rare and little understood brain disorder that is likely caused by repeated blows to the head. According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE results in the death of nerve cells in the brain and the only way to definitively diagnose it is with an autopsy of the organ after death.

Memory and thinking problems, confusion, personality changes and erratic behavior, including aggression, depression and suicidal ideation, are among CTE’s symptoms, the Alzheimer’s Association said.

The disease has been found in those who play contact sports, including football and hockey.

LaVergne confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that at least one person has called seeking Simpson’s brain.

“His entire body, including his brain, will be cremated,” he said.

Simpson died Wednesday following a battle with cancer.

Known by the nickname “The Juice,” Simpson was a NFL superstar during the 1970s, which made him a household name that propelled him into film and television during the next decade.

But his stardom would come crashing down in the mid-1990s when he was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

His high-profile trial lasted months, but ended with his acquittal.

In 2008, he was found guilty on a dozen charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, and was paroled in 2017 after serving nine years of his 33-year sentence.

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Houston’s Urban South Brewery Celebrates Fourth Anniversary

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Urban South Brewery Houston will host its upcoming Anniversary Party from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, in the HTX Taproom, starting at 11 AM, celebrating four years of crafting exceptional brews and fostering community culture. This milestone event will be an exciting day featuring live music, food, activities, and a vendor market.

Beer enthusiasts are also in for a treat with the release of four exclusive anniversary specialty beers. Highlights include “Press Start,” a crafted Czech Pale Lager brewed in collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab. Additionally, beer fans can indulge in “Level Up,” an Old-Fashioned Cocktail Sour Ale infused with orange peel, Luxardo cherry syrup, and subtle bourbon barrel notes. The offerings continue with “High Score,” a robust Double IPA bursting with flavors of Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops, and “Game Over,” a decadent Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout layered with strawberry fruit, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk chocolate.

To make the celebration even more memorable, fans can pre-order an Exclusive 8-Bit Beer Box featuring the four-anniversary specialty beers (Press Start, Level Up, High Score, Game Over), a 16oz can-shaped Silipint with discounted refills, and 2 tokens redeemable for draft beer.

The Anniversary Party is open to the public, welcoming families and furry friends. Urban South Brewery invites everyone to join in the festivities and toast to four years of brewing excellence.

For more information on Urban South’s Anniversary Celebration, follow the Houston taproom on Instagram and Facebook.

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$600 Million Showdown: Michael Jackson’s Estate Executors Refusing to Pay Pop Star’s Mom $500k Legal Bill

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Now She is Fighting to Block Music Catalog Sale

The war between Michael Jackson ’ s mother Katherine and the two executors running his estate has heated up. According to court documents, lawyers for the executors, John Branca and John McClain , asked the court to shut down Katherine’s recent demand for $500k.

As we first reported, Katherine filed a motion asking that she be reimbursed $561,548. She said she spent the amount on a team of lawyers to fight the executors over the sale of Michael’s music catalog .

The executors asked the court to approve the music catalog sale in 2022. Katherine quickly opposed the deal. The parties went back and forth in court for months until a hearing was held on the matter.

At the hearing, Katherine testified that Michael did not want the music catalog sold and that he considered it a lifeline. Michael’s children Paris and Blanket told the court they opposed the deal too. Blanket said he opposed on emotional grounds.

The executors fired back claiming Katherine has a pattern of objecting to lucrative deals. They argued the market was hot for the music catalog sale and they needed to take advantage of it.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=20oBOm_0rpVCYR600
The estate said it had every right to make the deal. 

“The Estate was teetering on the verge of collapse, with more than $400 million in debt that encumbered Michael’s most significant assets and little or no liquidity or means to service that debt. Through creative thinking, hard work and business savvy—and, of course, Michael’s extraordinary creative legacy—the Executors transformed the MJJ Business into a profitable enterprise,” the executors said as they argued for the deal to be approved.

Despite the family’s plea, the judge approved the executors’ deal and allowed them to move forward with the sale.

Within weeks, Katherine had filed an appeal of the decision. She argued the executors did not have the authority to sell Michael’s assets.

Recently, the executors argued that Katherine’s appeal should be dismissed. They said they had every right to sell the catalog. No decision has been reached on the appeal.

On February 9, 2024, the estate announced they sold one half of Jackson’s music to Sony for $600 million — a deal that Katherine said should not have gone through.

As part of the appeal, Katherine won a couple of small victories against the estate. As a result, she asked the court to award her the $561k in legal fees.

Now, the executors asked the court to deny the motion for legal fees. In their motion, they argued, “The Petition does not indicate the source from which Mrs. Jackson’s counsel seeks to have the requested attorney’s fees and expenses paid. It is not clear whether she is seeking payment from the probate estate or from the Trust.”

Further, the executors argued, “To the extents Mrs. Jackson seeks payment from the probate estate, the Petition lacks merit because it relies on provisions of the Trust, claiming that payment of legal fees is required by provisions of the Trust authorizing the Trustees to make payments “in [their] absolute discretion, for [Mrs. Jackson’s] care, support, maintenance, comfort and well-being.”

A judge has yet to rule.

Culled from Rada online

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