A Kenyan court has suspended a government order to prevent those who are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from accessing services and entering public places such as national parks, bars and restaurants.

The East African country announced last month that it will require people to show vaccination certificates from December 21 to access government services, including hospitals, schools, tax and immigration offices.

But High Court judge Antony Mrima on Tuesday suspended the order pending a hearing of the case filed by a businessman who termed the directive “tyrannical” and a gross violation of the constitution.

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Campaigners including Human Rights Watch (HRW) have criticised the directive as discriminatory and urged the government to abandon the plan, which also requires visitors from Europe to provide proof of full vaccination.

“While the government has an obligation to protect its people from serious public health threats, the measures must be reasonable and proportional,” HRW said on Tuesday.

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The watchdog added that there was not enough stock to vaccinate all adults before the deadline.

Kenya has fully vaccinated only 3.2 million people, or 12 percent of the adult population, according to official figures, well below the government target of 27 million by the end of 2022.

But health minister Mutahi Kagwe defended the order on Sunday, saying it was the government’s duty to protect the rights of the vaccinated from exposure to infection.

“This is even more critical with the emergence of the Omicron variant. Experts have warned that it is more infectious than previous forms of the virus,” Kagwe said.

Kenya has recorded a total of 256,484 coronavirus cases, of which 5,349 have been fatal.

Kenyan Court Suspends Mandatory Vaccination Order

The EU and Britain failed to reach agreement on how to divvy up post-Brexit fish quotas in shared waters from next year, officials said Tuesday, meaning provisional quotas will apply.

“Unfortunately, and despite our best efforts to conclude in a timely manner, consultations with the UK on fishing opportunities for 2022 are still ongoing,” EU fishing commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius told a news conference.

European Union fishing ministers had approved quotas from January 1, 2022 in EU waters extending into the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the North Sea and the Black Sea, he announced.

But Brussels and London still remain apart on how to share fish stocks in areas plied by both EU and British trawlers, reflecting broader EU-UK tensions that have festered since Britain left the bloc nearly two years ago.

“We haven’t reached an agreement with the UK. We’re remaining optimistic and we do hope it will be possible to reach it by the 20th of December,” Slovenian Fishing Minister Joze Podgorsek said.

He said that “provisional quotas” with the UK on shared fishing stocks would remain in force until a new agreement was hammered out.

Sinkevicius said the “contingency proposal” being applied would last for three months on the pro-rata basis of 2021 catch limits, with allowances for seasonal catches.

Podgorsek was speaking on behalf of Slovenia’s role as outgoing holder of the EU presidency — a rotating status that from January 1 will be held by France, which has taken a robust position against Britain overfishing and other post-Brexit disputes.

Britain, under pressure from the EU and threats from French fishermen to block British imports, has been progressively issuing dozens of licences for French fishing boats to work in its waters and those of its Jersey and Guernsey dependencies in the Channel.

That issue, along with the separate one of quotas, was addressed but not fully resolved in a Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed by Brussels and London that was meant to outline post-Brexit relations.

France’s Europe minister, Clement Beaune, said as he arrived for another Brussels meeting with EU counterparts that “we have now obtained 1,000 licences out of a little more than 1,100 that were applied for in total”.

That, he said, was thanks to “the pressure we exerted — we, France, and collectively with the European Union”.

He added there remained 80 licence applications outstanding.

Every year, the EU works out fishing quotas to balance economic livelihoods and fair distribution against the sustainability of fish stocks.

The talks include non-EU member Norway and, now, Britain, as fish populations straddle those waters.

Last Friday, the EU, Norway and Britain reached an agreement on catch limits for six fish stocks exploited in the North Sea, but not those in other areas fished by EU and British boats.

On the intra-EU catch limits agreed, NGOs campaigning against overfishing lamented the quotas that were fixed, viewing them as unsustainable.

The EU fishing ministers “decided to continue overfishing of over one-third of stocks, in disregard for both science and EU law,” two of them, Our Fish and Seas at Risk, said in a joint statement.

They also said the temporary holding catch limits for EU-UK shared stocks were “high-risk” and “non-transparent”.

EU, UK Fail To Agree Post-Brexit Fishing Quotas

Uk Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said at least one person infected with Omicron had died, as the country began an ambitious booster program against the variant.

“Sadly, at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron,” Johnson, who on Sunday warned of a “tidal wave” of infection from the mutation, told reporters

Visiting a vaccination center in London, Johnson congratulated those getting shots and handed out stickers before telling reporters that a patient had died from Omicron which he said could overcome those inoculated with two shots.

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"Sadly at least one patient has now been confirmed to have died with Omicron," Johnson said.

"So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus - I think that's something we need to set on one side - and just recognize the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population."

Asked repeatedly if he could rule out tougher restrictions in England before Christmas, Johnson meandered away from giving a direct answer.

Johnson said there was a spike in Omicron cases in London, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid saying the variant was spreading at a "phenomenal rate".

Johnson, who is grappling with a rebellion in his party over measures to curb Omicron and an outcry over parties at his Downing Street office during last year's lockdowns, said people should rush to get booster vaccines to protect "our freedoms and our way of life".

After COVID-19 was first detected in China in late 2019, he faced criticism for initially resisting lockdown.

He has also been criticized for overseeing mistakes in transferring patients into care homes, and for building a costly test-and-trace system that failed to stop a deadly second wave.

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Johnson has repeatedly said that while mistakes were made, the government was making decisions swiftly in the biggest public health crisis for generations and that his government was quick to roll out vaccines.

More than 146,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.

UK Confirms First Death From Omicron COVID-19 Variant

UEFA stated that the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League is to be “entirely redone” because the initial draw was plagued by technical error

UEFA blamed a “material error” due to a “technical problem with the software of an external service provider” as it announced that the draw for the first knockout round of its flagship competition would be redone at 1400 GMT.

With the draw being streamed live from UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, the problem was made evident when Manchester United’s name was drawn to face Villarreal, despite the fact the two clubs could not have played one another having been in the same group.

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Manchester City were drawn to play the Spanish side, but the ball containing United’s name did not then appear to be replaced correctly and so they were not included as possible opponents for Atletico Madrid in the next tie.

With the whole draw compromised, a red-faced UEFA was left with little choice but to start again from scratch.

Champions League Draw To Be ‘Entirely Redone’ After Error

The Defence Headquarters has said that troops have eliminated more than 62 bandits in the Northwest and North Central geo-political zones in the past two weeks.

Giving an update on military operations between November 25 and December 9 in Abuja on Thursday, Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brigadier-Geneneral Bernard Onyeuko, said 192 terrorists, including children, also surrendered in the two regions within the period.

According to the military spokesman, the 192 who surrendered were mostly relatives of the terrorists and they include 51 adult males, 67 adult females and 74 children.

General Onyeuko further noted that Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa, Rann/Rumirgo villages and Biu, Bama, Mafa and Dikwa Local Government Areas of Borno were where some of the terrorists surrendered to troops.

He said that those who surrendered were properly profiled and handed to appropriate authorities for necessary actions.

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Onyeuko said 28 terrorists were also arrested, while 54 assorted arms and 144 rounds of different calibre of ammunitions were recovered.

“A total of 101 rustled livestock were recovered and 20 kidnapped Nigeria Police Force personnel, who were abducted when terrorists attacked the Police Division at Buni Yadi, were rescued by the troops.

“Additionally, troops’ kinetic and non-kinetic operations have continued to drive the terrorists out of their camps into surrendering,’’ he said.

The military spokesman said troops of Operation Hadarin Daji repelled BHT/ISWAP terrorists’ attack in a fierce gun battle in Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno on Dec 3.

He added that during the encounter, troops subdued the terrorists with superior firepower and neutralised no fewer than 26 of them.

The military spokesman explained that troops either destroyed or captured several fighting equipment and vehicles owned by the terrorists.

According to Onyeuko, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have also recovered arms and ammunition and rescue of kidnapped civilians.

“Operations were conducted at Atinyogo, Gbise and Gbor towns in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area and at Tyotsar Mbacher village in Shitile, Ukum Local Government Area and Igumale community in Ado Local Government Area of Benue.

“Other locations where operations held were Kayio village in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba, Kutara and Ruga Ahmadu Rufai community in Abaji Area Council of the FCT.

“Cumulatively, a total of five criminals were neutralised and 19 others arrested, while 15 different arms and 62 different calibres of ammunition were recovered.
“Three kidnapped civilians were also rescued in the period under review.

“Troops also held peace and security meeting with critical stakeholders as non-kinetic means of tackling insecurity.

“One of these meetings was held at the Force Headquarters of Operation Whirl Stroke in Makurdi and issues discussed at the meeting centered on how to find lasting solutions to insecurity,” he asserted.

The General, however, said he regretted that some gallant officers and soldiers paid the supreme prize during engagements within the period under review.

Troops Kill 62 Terrorists, As 192 Surrender In Two Weeks

Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has written to the Nigerian Telecommunications Commission (NCC) requesting it to restore telephone services in 10 of the 17 local government areas affected by the ban on telecoms services about four months ago.

In a statement by the state’s spokesman, Abdu Labaran Malumfashi, the decision to suspend the ban in the ten local governments is due to the return to near normalcy.

Mr Malumfashi assured that efforts have remained on the front burner to ensure maximum return of peace in every part of the state.

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The affected ten local government areas are Kurfi, Dutsinma, Matazu, Musawa, Malumfashi, and Dandume.  Others are Bakori, Funtua, Kafur and Danja.

Those unaffected by the planned restoration of the services are Faskari, Sabuwa, Batsari, Safana, Kankara, Danmusa, and Jibia.

It would be recalled that the Katsina State government had passed a crime prevention order, which, in addition to suspending telephone services in 17 local government areas, also prohibited the use of some roads in the affected areas.

Also affected was the transportation of firewood within the state, sale of all categories of animals in, and the total closure of some major markets in the affected places, as well as the sale of motorcycles in the affected markets and the restriction of the use of commercial motorcycles and tricycles from 10.00 pm to 5.30, am throughout the state, among others.

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India and its neighbours should fully reopen schools to address the interrupted education of more than 400 million children whose classrooms were shut by the coronavirus pandemic, UNICEF said Thursday, with a top official warning the consequences could last decades.

Schools in Bangladesh were closed for almost 18 months, one of the longest closures in the world, the UN children’s agency said, while schools in other South Asian countries were shut for an average of 31.5 weeks between March 2020 and August this year.

“This happened in a region where there were no strong conditions for remote learning,” George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF’s regional director for South Asia, told AFP.

“Access to internet and devices was very uneven. And we see a severe learning deficiency, especially among poor communities and girls — because often boys are more trusted with technology.”

One study in India, cited in the report, showed that the proportion of grade 3 children who could read a grade 1 level text fell from around 42 percent in 2018 to just 24 percent in 2020.

Being out of school also led to students experiencing psychosocial distress, poor mental health and increased risk of violence. Girls were at a high risk of early marriage.

The UNICEF report called on governments in South Asia to safely resume in-person learning and ensure that students catch up, as well as improving connectivity.

“The cost of inaction would be a weaker labour force in a few years, it is going to show,” said Laryea-Adjei. “The consequences will be long term.”

According to a UNESCO database, schools in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan remain only partially open, while those in Pakistan and Sri Lanka are fully open.

The report also warned that child mortality is projected to rise as pandemic disruptions to health services have left millions of children without lifesaving vaccines.

UN Urges Full Opening Of South Asia Schools

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday became a father again, after his wife, Carrie, gave birth to a girl, Downing Street said.

,The “healthy baby girl” was born at a London hospital in the early hours and “both mother and daughter are doing very well”, a spokeswoman for the couple said.

“The couple would like to thank the brilliant NHS (National Health Service) maternity team for all their care and support,” she added.

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The announcement comes as Johnson faces a backlash over the imposition of new coronavirus restrictions designed to curb the spread of the new Omicron variant.

He is also under pressure from the public after claims that Downing Street staff held a Christmas party last year in defiance of restrictions on social gatherings.

Thrice-married Johnson, 57, has four children from his second marriage to the lawyer Marina Wheeler, and now two with Carrie, 33, a former Conservative Party media adviser whom he wed in May.

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The couple’s first child, Wilfred, was born in April last year, not long after Johnson was treated in hospital intensive care for Covid.

The prime minister has another child, a daughter, from an extra-marital affair.

In September, after years of speculation about how many children he had, he told NBC in an interview that he had six.

Boris Johnson Welcomes Second Child With Partner

Brazilian football legend Pele has been hospitalized for treatment of a previously identified colon tumor, his doctors said Wednesday, the latest health problem for the 81-year-old icon.

The three-time world champion was admitted to Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo “for follow-up treatment of the colon tumor identified in September this year,” his medical team said in a statement.

“The patient is stable, and is expected to be released in the coming days.”

Pele underwent surgery for the tumor on September 4, spending a month in the hospital before being released to continue chemotherapy from home.

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Considered by many the greatest footballer of all time, Edson Arantes do Nascimento — Pele’s real name — has been in poor health in recent years, and has spent various stints in the hospital.

The only player in history to win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970), he burst onto the global stage at just 17 with dazzling goals, including two in the final against hosts Sweden, as Brazil won the World Cup for the first time in 1958.

“O Rei” (The King) went on to have one of the most storied careers in sport, scoring more than 1,000 goals before retiring in 1977.

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Bolaji Rosiji, a former president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), is dead.

Rosiji’s death was announced by one of his friends and colleague, renowned flutist Tee Mac Omatsola Iseli.

Until his death, he was the founder and brain behind Guarapad Charities.

In a statement by Olayemi Esan, the Public Relations Officer, Gaurapad Charities, Rosiji died in Lagos on Sunday after a brief illness.

He said burial arrangements will be announced in coming days.

The late Rosiji founded Gaurapad Charities in 2004, and was the former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGO).

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BREAKING: Former PMAN president Bolaji Rosiji is dead

South Africa’s economy shrank for the first time in a year in the third quarter as the country was hit by riots and tighter Covid restrictions, official statistics showed Tuesday.

After four consecutive quarters of growth, the economy contracted by 1.5 percent between July and September compared to the previous three-month period, the Stats SA agency said.

The contraction eroded “some of the economic gains the country has made since the severe impact of Covid-19 in the second quarter of 2020,” Stats SA said in a statement.

The economy underperformed “under the twin pressures of tighter Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and a spate of civil disorder in July, as well as several other headwinds”, the agency said.

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A spree of arson and looting rocked parts of South Africa in July following the jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma for contempt.

The country, worst-hit by Covid in Africa also tightened coronavirus restrictions that month to tackle a third wave of infections.

Trade, catering and accommodation industries fell by 5.5 per cent.

Manufacturing shrank by 4.2 per cent, while agricultural activity plunged by 13.6 percent, its biggest drop in five years.

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Africa’s most industrialised country was in recession when the pandemic hit.

A hard lockdown imposed in March last year brought many industries to a standstill, and rolling restrictions have continued to stifle business.

The economy contracted by a record 6.4 per cent in 2020, but rebounded faster than expected during the first half of this year.

It was predicted to grow by 5.1 per cent in 2021 last month.

S.Africa Economy Shrinks After Riots, COVID-19 Measures

The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has condemned travel bans placed on African countries over the latest variant of COVID-19, Omicron.

“Now that omicron has been found in many non-African and developed countries, why are travels from those countries not banned? Why single out African countries? Singling out African countries is very unfair, non-scientific, and discriminatory. Lift bans on African countries!” Adesina said in a statement.

“Global vaccines’ and travel apartheid against Africa are endangering lives, hurting economies, lives, jobs and livelihoods, from a pandemic Africa did not cause. End the apartheid. Respect Africa!”

Nigeria on Monday became the latest African country to be banned by the United Kingdom over the virus’ spread.

The country joins its Southern African counterparts – South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia – on the list of restricted countries.

Announcing the ban of travellers from Nigeria on Saturday, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said most “a significant number” of Omicron cases have been linked to travel with Nigeria.

“There are 27 cases already in England and that’s growing and Nigeria now is second only to South Africa in terms of linked cases to Omicron,” he said.

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president of Africa development bank group 

Adesina Decries Travel Ban On African Countries Over Omicron

Nigerian newspapers,on one page.