Photo of a 15-year-old Somali boy who 'stabbed to death' Swedish social worker

Six-foot tall, the 'child' accused of murdering a Swedish aid worker appeared in court today.

Somali-born Youssaf Khaliif Nuur, ‎charged with murdering Alexandra Mezher, 22, towered over his translator as he walked into the courtroom in Gothenburg. 

She was knifed to death as she tried to break up a fight at the shelter for unaccompanied child refugees where she worked alone in charge of ten youths. 

She died saving the life of another resident whom allegedly knife-wielding Khaliif Nuur was trying to kill, police sources said. Swedish prosecutors admit they do not know if Somalian Khaliif Nuur, supposedly aged 15, is his true identity. 

Psychology graduate Miss Mezher had warned her mother she ‎was caring for 'big powerful guys' aged up to 24 in the shelter for children aged 14 to 17. 

Children's asylum applications are fast-tracked ‎in Sweden, prompting some grown men to lie and say they are teenagers. ‎Handcuffed Khaliif Nuur, looking older than his supposed 15 years, was ushered into court wearing a blanket over his head, a white T-shirt, light blue shirt and jeans.‎

Judge Henrik Andersson asked him: 'Are you Youssaf Khaliif Nuur?' and he nodded and said yes. 

He asked if he wanted to make a statement regarding the charges of murder and attempted murder, and his lawyer Nicklas Unger said: 'My client does not want to express himself in any way regarding the charges.'

He said his client objected to being held in custody, but prosecutor Linda Viking argued he might abscond or interfere with evidence if he was bailed.

The hearing then continued behind closed doors, and the alleged killer was ‎later remanded into custody until February 11. 

Killed: Miss Mezher (left and right), 22, described as an 'angel' by her mother (left), was fatally stabbed in the back and thigh at the asylum centre for young, unaccompanied migrants in Molndal, Sweden, on Monday morning. She died saving the life of another resident whom allegedly knife-wielding Khaliif Nuur was trying to kill, police sources said

Celebrations as a town welcomes first baby in almost 30 years

The alpine town of Ostana, in the Italian region of Piedmont, welcomes its first baby in 28 years

A tiny alpine town in northern Italy has welcomed its first baby in 28 years.

Born a week ago, little Pablo is the youngest resident of Ostana in the Piedmont region; when his parents brought him home from the hospital in Turin where he was born, their fellow residents celebrated the arrival of only the town's 85th inhabitant.

"At first I couldn't believe it was true," Giacomo Lombardo, the town's mayor, told CNN. 

"The news almost shocked me. It's a dream come true."

Since only about half of the population lives there year round, Pablo and his family, father Josè Berdugo Vallelago, mother Silvia Rovere and sisters Clara and Alice, make up about 10% of Ostana's "permanent" residents.

"We love challenges," said Josè, 36-year-old physiotherapist originally from Madrid, Spain. "Five years ago, we decided to leave Turin and change our life."

The couple planned to move to Reunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, but their life took an unexpected turn when they got the chance to manage an alpine refuge.

"When the city selected our project, we moved to Ostana, and we have never regretted our decision," said Josè. "We love the quality of the life here. Ostana is a safe place for our daughters, and we feel part of this community."

Silvia Rovere about to register her son Pablo at local registry office

Home to more 1,000 people a century ago, Ostana has seen its population slump in recent decades; in the 1980s only five people lived there permanently.

"The decline accelerated during the 1970s, and the last baby was born in 1987," said Lombardo, who has been mayor for 20 of the past 30 years.

For two decades, the community has tried to reverse the trend, investing in cultural activities and tourism to create new jobs and attract young people.

Ostana is not alone in its fight against depopulation. It is estimated that the number of Italian ghost towns already tops 6,000.

Small towns throughout the country have seen their population dwindling, as young people leave to study and chase better job opportunities elsewhere.

A variety of solutions have been tried: The Sicilian city of Gangi has offered abandoned houses for free, demanding only that their new owners renovate them; in other cases, entire villages have been put up for sale.

People in Ostana hope that the model stork carrying a blue bundle built to celebrate Pablo's arrival will soon welcome even more babies.

"We broke the ice," said Josè, "and I hope other people will come here."

Consfusion as explosion hits pipeline in Bayelsa

Explosion has again rocked a major pipeline in the Niger Delta region, a few days after an attack on oil and gas pipelines in the Gbaramatu kingdom Delta state, dealt a deadly blow on the economy, according to The Nation.

This time the attack occurred on a pipeline owned by the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

‎Persons suspected to be unrepentant militants were said to have attacked the pipeline located along Orukari, Golubokiri and Kpongbokiri communities in Brass

Panic was said to have gripped the communities following the disposition of the government against acts capable of worsening the bleeding economy.

It was learnt that the attackers committed the heinous economic crime on Thursday night.

The incident caused massive spillage of crude oil not the waterways and fishing camps.

A member representing Brass Constituency 1 in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Mr. Isreal Sunny-Igoli confirmed the explosion in a statement he signed in Yenagoa.

Igoli said that ‎preliminary investigations into the incident showed that it was an act of sabotage carried out to hurt the economic interests of Bayelsa and Nigeria.

He said the latest explosion coming after bombing of pipelines recently in the same axis was worrisome and capable of forcing oil companies out of operation and adversely affecting the Nigeria’s economy.

Sunny- Goli called on security agencies to beef up security around oil facilities to prevent future attacks adding that economic saboteurs were bent on crippling Nigeria’s economy.

He said: “I want to condemn the latest attack on Agip pipeline at Kpongbokiri. This is a clear sabotage by economic saboteurs. Recently they blasted pipeline at Orukari and Golubokiri.

“I condemned this latest attack on Agip pipeline at Kpongbokiri in its entirety. It is sabotage against Nigeria in a bid to cripple the economy at a time the Nation is struggling with decline in revenue due to the fall in oil prices.

“It is common knowledge that because of the low price of oil which is our main source of revenue, many states can hardly pay workers salaries. This sabotage is capable of crippling the economy if not urgently curbed.

“If these attacks are not checked and the perpetrators brought to book and Agip decides to pull out of Bayelsa state it would be disastrous for us as a people.

“Bayelsa state is an oil producing state and our revenue from the federal government is based on our quota of production but this would be reduced if Agip decides to pull out because incessant attacks on its facilities are not stopped.

“I want to urge security agencies to probe the attack on Agip pipeline and ensure that the perpetrators are arrested and brought to book. Bayelsans especially those that have oil facilities around them should also be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to security agencies to prevent further attacks.”

Soldiers arrest suspected Boko Haram member in Delta

A 35-year old man, suspected to be a member of the Boko Haram sect has been arrested by officers of the 19 Battalion of the Nigeria Army in Sapele, Delta State, according to The Punch.

The suspect, Bukar Abacha from Borno State, was arrested some hours after arrival at Hausa quarters in Sapele, following intelligence report given to the ‘Operation Polo Shield’ by members of the Arewa community in the area.
He was later handed over to the army headquarters in Abuja.

Commenting on the arrest, Col. Samuel Umara senior army officer who spoke to newsmen in Sapele also informed the people about a list of wanted Boko Haram suspects by the Nigerian Army.
The community leaders who notified security agents of Abacha’s arrival said they started suspecting him because he was looking strange and uncomfortable in their midst.

Col. Umar asserted that many of the terrorists migrated from the North-eastern part of the country to the South East, following hot chase given to them by the army in the recent times.
He added that all hands are on deck by the military to arrest them all, The Punch reported.

While informing inhabitants of the locality about what the army called, “show of force, confidence building patrol” the army vowed that efforts to stop all criminal activities such as kidnapping, vandalism, illegal oil bunkering and killing of innocent citizens in its area of operation shall be met with zero tolerance, as this is the mandate of operation polo shield.

The military men also pasted names of 100 wanted Boko Haram suspects in some strategic places in Sapele metropolis. They said the aim is to let everyone in the community know that enemies may be hiding among them.

Containing diarrhea in Nigeria

Vice President Osinbajo (Right); the Managing Director Reckitt Benckiser(RB) West Africa , Rahul Murgai; the Chairman of the Company, Chief Olu Falomo and Deputy Head , Political Section British High Commission , Mr. Andrew Fleming during the visit of the company to Presidential Villa, Abuja …recently

At Dalori camp in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State, women with long faces were seated outside a two-room clinic that serve about 19,000 Internally Displaced People (IDP), holding their dying children tenaciously. The children looked weak from severe diarrhea triggered by cholera epidemic in the camp.  That was in August last year.

By September, 16 people have died of diarrhea and vomiting at three camps in the city while 172 were left in critical condition, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

Cholera is a fast-developing, highly contagious infection that causes diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration and possible death.
The disease remains a leading cause of death among children in Sub-Saharan Africa, where proper sanitation is a serious issue.
According to the United Nations Children Education Fund, UNICEF, the diarrhea prevalence rate in Nigeria is 18.8 percent and is one of the worst in sub-Sahara Africa and above the average of 16 percent.

In Nigeria, diarrhea accounts for an estimated 150,000 deaths every year mainly amongst children under five due to unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene practice, UNICEF report stated.

The loss, according to UNICEF, is equivalent to the number of people lost by a big passenger aircraft crashing every day.
According to the Director of Project, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria –Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health,  Remi Adeseun, no fewer than 195,000 children died of pneumonia while 120,000 of them lost their lives as result  of diarrhea in Nigeria annually.

Expressing concern over the high incident of diarrhea in Nigeria, Chief Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) UNICEF Nigeria, Kannan Nadar, noted that the deaths could be prevented if more   basic sanitation facilities are established and awareness on proper hygiene and sanitation practices are improved. Nadar particularly emphasized the importance of good hygiene practices such as hand washing.

Sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest child mortality rates globally, also has particularly low levels of hand washing, according to UNICEF and WHO report. Recall that the UN General Assembly declared the year 2008 the International Year of Sanitation.

In Nigeria, diarrhea accounts for an estimated 150,000 deaths every year mainly amongst children under five due to unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene practice, UNICEF report stated

Here in Nigeria, the Hand Washing Campaign is one of three targets outlined in the Action Plan developed by stakeholders for commemoration of the 2008 International Year of Sanitation (IYS).

The two other targets are creating enabling environments to sustainably expand sanitation and hygiene programmes and construction of one million latrines.

There are a lot of scientific evidences showing the significance of hand washing at critical moments to reduction in diarrhea, which is the second leading cause of death amongst Nigerian Children (after malaria). A report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that improved hand washing likely played an important role in reducing the incidence of diarrhea.

A recent study indicates that hand washing can reduce diarrhea episodes by about 30 percent and up to 47 percent reduction has been achieved in some cases.

Globally, UNICEF is supporting 50 countries including Nigeria to implement Community Approaches to Total Sanitation (CATS) such as Community Led Total Sanitation. This is aimed at empowering communities to identify their sanitation challenges and take necessary actions to end open defecation

Likewise, the Nigerian government and several corporate bodies are also collaborating to fight the epidemic.
Recently, Reckitt Benckiser, RB, the world’s leading consumer health and hygiene company upped its commitment to the eradication of diarrhea among Nigerian children. During a visit to Nigeria on Tuesday 19th January, RB announced a multi-billion partnership with federal government to fight the scourge of diarrhea among Nigerian children.

This fact was revealed when officials of the company paid a courtesy visit to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo where they presented the ‘Save a Child a Minute’ N7.2bn program to him. Under the programme, Nigeria will receive N1.2bn towards creating what the company called, a “Healthier and Prosperous Nation.”

The RB delegation included Managing Director, RB West Africa, Rahul Murgai; Deputy Head of Political Section, British High Commissioner, Andrew Fleming and RB Global Head of External Communications & Affairs, Patty O’ Hayer.
Others are Chairman RB Nigeria Chief Olu Falomo; Marketing Director RB West Africa, Oguzhan Silivrili and Chief Financial Officer RB West Africa Alasdair Peach; Deputy Country Director, Save the Children, Kwame S. Boate, Ph D, and Director of Advocacy and Media, Save the Children, Dr. David Olayemi.

Murgai said the RB’s global vision is to provide their consumers with innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes.
He said RB which has been operating in Nigeria for over 50 years is working to create a culture of health and hygiene, and is present in the country with its portfolio of trusted brands like Dettol, Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Durex, Harpic, Mortein and Air Wick.

He said the company is not looking at Nigerian opportunity over short term but see a longer term potential and that Nigeria will remain the epicenter for African growth and plays an important strategic role in serving and developing other key markets in West Africa.

According to him, Dettol, a trusted brand name among Nigerian households and mothers has been partnering with Ministry of Health, Nigerian Medical Association, Save The Children and other NGOs to create awareness around good health and hygiene. The company has already reached 5 million mothers and 3.9 million school children over last 6 years to improve maternal health and reduced infant mortality in line with Nigeria commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals.

He said the interventions however need much greater participation and scale from other corporate organisations, NGOs and government, if they must build a truly healthier and prosperous nation.
We believe that the implementation of National Health Act, Rota-Virus and Wash Policy will all contribute to making Nigeria healthier, Murgai said.

The impact, according to the RB boss, is startling in human terms- as ‘one child dies every minute’ under the age of 5 from preventable diseases, specifically diarrhea.

He disclosed that RB would soon launch ‘Save a Child a Minute’ programme in partnership with Save The Children, and the pilot scheme will commence in Shomolu LGA where they plan to reduce prevalence and incidence of diarrhea by 50 percent and mortality by 80 percent.

“What makes the program ground-breaking is that for the first time, a holistic approach on the WHO Seven point plan is being implemented in Africa. The knowledge is being shared with the Federal government in anticipation of creating a national movement to fast scale the program,” Murgai added.

Speaking specifically on Dettol’s commitment to increase awareness around the importance of adopting healthy hand washing habits among children, Murgai revealed that the Dettol School Hygiene Programme (SHP), which was launched in 2009, has reached more than 3.9 million children since inception with various education materials and school visits to enlighten the pupils on the importance of personal hygiene.

“Every year Dettol reaches over 1million new moms in hospitals and 1million school children through hand washing programmes in schools to reduce infant deaths and improve maternal health through its Dettol grassroots hygiene programmes,” he said.
The joint interventions appear more crucial as the Water and Sanitation Programme Research reports that Nigeria loses N455bn annually which is 1.3 percent of the Nigeria’s GDP to poor sanitation and hygiene, a condition that increases the risk of disease and malnutrition.

With The Guardian