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Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Job Vacancy For Consultant Paediatrician at the Ikoyi Medical Clinic


The Ikoyi Clinic - A rapidly expanding Specialist Medical Clinic located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant Paediatrician

Location:
Ikoyi, Lagos

Requirements
  • Minimum qualification is a first Degree from a recognised university or relevant professional certification.
  • Education, professional training and/or work experience abroad shall be an added advantage.
Application Closing Date
17th July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their detailed CV's and Covering Letter and copies of Credentials to the "Human Resources Manager, The Ikoyi Clinic", via: Careers@ipsnigeria.com

Job Vacancy For Hospital Administrator at the Ikoyi Medical Clinic

The Ikoyi Clinic - A rapidly expanding Specialist Medical Clinic located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Hospital Administrator

Location:
Ikoyi, Lagos

Requirements
  • Minimum of five years experience in similar position.
  • Minimum qualification is a first Degree from a recognised university or relevant professional certification.
  • Education, professional training and/or work experience abroad shall be an added advantage.
Application Closing Date
17th July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their detailed CV's and Covering Letter and copies of Credentials to the "Human Resources Manager, The Ikoyi Clinic", via: Careers@ipsnigeria.com

Job Vacancy For Consultant Radiologist at the Ikoyi Medical Clinic

The Ikoyi Clinic - A rapidly expanding Specialist Medical Clinic located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant Radiologist

Location:
Ikoyi, Lagos

Requirements
  • Minimum qualification is a first Degree from a recognised university or relevant professional certification.
  • Education, professional training and/or work experience abroad shall be an added advantage.
Application Closing Date
17th July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their detailed CV's and Covering Letter and copies of Credentials to the "Human Resources Manager, The Ikoyi Clinic", via: Careers@ipsnigeria.com

Job Vacancy For Medical Officer at the Ikoyi Medical Clinic

The Ikoyi Clinic - A rapidly expanding Specialist Medical Clinic located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Medical Officer

Location:
Ikoyi, Lagos

Requirements
  • Minimum 5 years experience.
  • Minimum qualification is a first Degree from a recognised university or relevant professional certification.
  • Education, professional training and/or work experience abroad shall be an added advantage.
Application Closing Date
17th July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their detailed CV's and Covering Letter and copies of Credentials to the "Human Resources Manager, The Ikoyi Clinic", via: Careers@ipsnigeria.com

Job Vacancy For Consultant Physician / GP at the Ikoyi Medical Clinic

The Ikoyi Clinic - A rapidly expanding Specialist Medical Clinic located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant Physician / GP

Location:
Ikoyi, Lagos

Requirements
  • Minimum qualification is a first Degree from a recognised university or relevant professional certification.
  • Education, professional training and/or work experience abroad shall be an added advantage.
Application Closing Date
17th July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their detailed CV's and Covering Letter and copies of Credentials to the "Human Resources Manager, The Ikoyi Clinic", via: Careers@ipsnigeria.com

Job Vacancy For Laboratory Scientist at the Ikoyi Medical Clinic

The Ikoyi Clinic - A rapidly expanding Specialist Medical Clinic located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Laboratory Scientist

Location:
Ikoyi, Lagos

Requirements
  • Minimum three years experience.
  • Minimum qualification is a first Degree from a recognised university or relevant professional certification.
  • Education, professional training and/or work experience abroad shall be an added advantage.
Application Closing Date
17th July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their detailed CV's and Covering Letter and copies of Credentials to the "Human Resources Manager, The Ikoyi Clinic", via: Careers@ipsnigeria.com

Job Vacancy For Accountant at the Ikoyi Medical Clinic


The Ikoyi Clinic - A rapidly expanding Specialist Medical Clinic located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Accountant

Location:
Ikoyi, Lagos

Requirements
  • Minimum 5 years experience. ACCA or ICAN.
  • Minimum qualification is a first Degree from a recognised university or relevant professional certification.
  • Education, professional training and/or work experience abroad shall be an added advantage.
Application Closing Date
17th July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their detailed CV's and Covering Letter and copies of Credentials to the "Human Resources Manager, The Ikoyi Clinic", via: Careers@ipsnigeria.com

Job Vacancy For Personal Assistant to the Medical Director at the Ikoyi Medical Clinic

The Ikoyi Clinic - A rapidly expanding Specialist Medical Clinic located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Personal Assistant to the Medical Director

Location:
Ikoyi, Lagos

Requirements
  • Minimum qualification is a first Degree from a recognised university or relevant professional certification.
  • Education, professional training and/or work experience abroad shall be an added advantage.
Application Closing Date
17th July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their detailed CV's and Covering Letter and copies of Credentials to the "Human Resources Manager, The Ikoyi Clinic", via: Careers@ipsnigeria.com

Customer Care Officer at the Ikoyi Medical Clinic

The Ikoyi Clinic - A rapidly expanding Specialist Medical Clinic located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Customer Care Officer

Location:
Ikoyi, Lagos

Requirements
  • Minimum qualification is a first Degree from a recognised university or relevant professional certification.
  • Education, professional training and/or work experience abroad shall be an added advantage.
  • With demonstrable numeracy skills.
Application Closing Date
17th July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their detailed CV's and Covering Letter and copies of Credentials to the "Human Resources Manager, The Ikoyi Clinic", via: Careers@ipsnigeria.com

Job Vacancy For Accounts Clerk at the Ikoyi Medical Clinic

The Ikoyi Clinic - A rapidly expanding Specialist Medical Clinic located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Accounts Clerk

Location:
Ikoyi, Lagos

Requirements
  • Minimum qualification is a first Degree from a recognised university or relevant professional certification.
  • Education, professional training and/or work experience abroad shall be an added advantage.
Application Closing Date
17th July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their detailed CV's and Covering Letter and copies of Credentials to the "Human Resources Manager, The Ikoyi Clinic", via: Careers@ipsnigeria.com

Job Vacancy For ICT Administrator at the Ikoyi Medical Clinic

The Ikoyi Clinic - A rapidly expanding Specialist Medical Clinic located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: ICT Administrator

Location:
Ikoyi, Lagos

Requirements
  • Minimum qualification is a first Degree from a recognised university or relevant professional certification.
  • Education, professional training and/or work experience abroad shall be an added advantage.
  • With experience in hardware and software.
Application Closing Date
17th July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their detailed CV's and Covering Letter and copies of Credentials to the "Human Resources Manager, The Ikoyi Clinic", via: Careers@ipsnigeria.com

THE NEWS: EU starts legal action against Poland over Supreme Court reform


EU starts legal action against Poland over Supreme Court reform



 AFP/File / Janek SKARZYNSKI People take part in demonstration in front of the Polish Supreme Court in Warsaw on July 23, 2017 to protest against a bill changing the judiciary system

The EU on Monday launched legal action against Poland over its controversial Supreme Court reforms, in the latest round of a bitter spat between Brussels and the right-wing government in Warsaw.

The European Commission, the bloc's powerful executive arm, said a move to reduce the age at which Supreme Court judges must retire from 70 to 65 would undermine judicial independence, breaching Poland's obligations under EU law.

The commission has been in talks with Warsaw about several judicial reforms that the EU says threaten the rule of law in Poland, but they said swift action was needed on the Supreme Court issue.

"While the Polish Supreme Court law has already been discussed in the context of the rule of law dialogue between the commission and the Polish authorities, it has not been satisfactorily addressed through this process," European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told reporters.

The new retirement age, introduced by Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) government, comes into force on Tuesday and would force more than a third of current Supreme Court judges to step down.

"Given the lack of progress and the imminent implementation of the new retirement regime for SC judges, the commission decided to launch the infringement procedure today as a matter of urgency."

In a separate statement, the commission said it took the view "that these measures undermine the principle of judicial independence, including the irremovability of judges".

The PiS government insists the changes are needed to tackle corruption and overhaul a judicial system still haunted by the communist era, but critics including the EU argue they undermine the division of powers and therefore threaten democracy and the rule of law.

In December Brussels triggered unprecedented Article 7 proceedings against Poland over "systemic threats" to the rule of law, which could eventually see Warsaw's EU voting rights suspended.

Poland has a month to respond to the commission's formal announcement, the first stage of a procedure that could end up in the European Court of Justice, the bloc's top tribunal.

Several dozen Polish Supreme Court judges last week vowed to defy the reforms and stay in office after Tuesday, arguing that the government reforms were unconstitutional.

THE NEWS: China firm develops 'laser gun'


China firm develops 'laser gun'
source: AFP

AFP/File / Greg Baker The weapon is 'mainly expected to be for Chinese police use'

A Chinese firm has developed a laser gun designed for police use that can set fire to protesters' hair or banners from a range of almost one kilometre.

The general manager of the ZKZM fiber laser company, who asked to remain anonymous, said the weapon would "immediately" produce a "strong pain response" in the target but stressed it was designed to be "non-lethal".

"The weapon is designed to do things such as setting fire to illegal banners at a protest or setting fire to the hair or clothing of a protester," he told AFP.

"It is not designed explicitly for killing like a gun that uses bullets and cannot cause the 'instant carbonisation' of human skin and tissues," he added.

The 15-mm calibre weapon weighs three kilogrammes (6.6 pounds), has a range of 800 metres (2,600 feet) and can pass through glass and other transparent obstacles.

It can be mounted on cars, boats and planes, the firm said, adding that it was "seeking a partner that has a weapons production licence or a partner in the security or defence industry to start large-scale production".

It is "mainly expected to be for Chinese police use", the manager told AFP.

He said it would need to be upgraded to a "laser cannon" -- with increased power -- to become lethal and confirmed his firm was working on such a weapon.

But he noted there was an international agreement not to develop killer lasers and said any such weapons would be "inhumane... the pain would be unimaginable".

Some experts were sceptical of the unveiling, saying laser weaponry was still a matter of science fiction.

Specialist website Techcrunch noted that "laser weaponry capable of real harm has eluded the eager boffins of the world's militaries for several reasons".

"The power required to set a person aflame instantly from half a mile away is truly huge," the website stressed.

"The idea of one that weighs a handful of pounds and fires hundreds of instantly skin-searing shots is just infeasible today."

Development of such laser weapons is not limited to China, with all the big defence players in the US working on prototypes for the Pentagon.

Last year, Lockheed Martin announced a 60-kilowatt laser weapon that is invisible to the naked eye and will be deployed against mortars and small drones

THE NEWS: Australian archbishop gets 12 months for concealing child abuse

Australian archbishop gets 12 months for concealing child abuse
source: AFP

AFP / Gal ROMA Child abuse scandals surrounding the Catholic Church

One of the highest-ranked church officials convicted of covering up child sex abuse was Tuesday sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, but Philip Wilson could avoid jail after a court ordered he be assessed for home detention.

The Adelaide archbishop, 67, was found guilty in May of concealing abuse by notorious paedophile priest Jim Fletcher in the Hunter region of New South Wales state during the 1970s by failing to report allegations against him.

He denied the charges and his legal team made four attempts to have the case thrown out, arguing Wilson suffered from Alzheimer's and so should avoid trial -- even though the diagnosis did not prevent him retaining his position in the church.

Newcastle Local Court magistrate Robert Stone found him guilty of concealing a serious indictable offence of another person, concluding his primary motive was to protect the church.

The same court on Tuesday sentenced him to 12 months' imprisonment with a non-parole period of six months.

But Stone adjourned the matter until August 14 to assess whether Wilson was suitable to serve the sentence at his sister's home. The maximum sentence for the crime was two years in jail.

In sentencing, Stone said "there is no remorse or contrition showed by the offender".

"I am of the opinion the sentence should not be suspended. It does not support the terms of general deterrence," he added.

"On that basis, the only available remaining option is full-time imprisonment or home detention."

He justified the home detention option due to Wilson's age, prior good record and that he was unlikely to reoffend.

There was no dispute during the trial that Fletcher, who is now dead, sexually abused an altar boy, with the hearing focused on whether Wilson, then a junior priest, was told about it.

Wilson served as a priest in New South Wales before Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Wollongong in 1996. Five years later he became the Archbishop of Adelaide.

Following his conviction, Wilson stood down from his church duties pending sentencing, but did not resign.

- 'Shameful history' -

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, a national body used by bishops to address issues of national significance, said it hoped the sentencing could "bring some sense of peace" to those abused by Fletcher.

"It takes great courage for survivors to come forward to tell their stories," it added in a statement.

"Survivors have been vital in helping us learn the lesson of our shameful history of abuse and concealment.

"The church has made substantial changes to ensure that abuse and cover-up are not part of Catholic life and that children are safe in our communities."

Like elsewhere in the world, Australia has been plagued by accusations that the Catholic Church ignored and covered up child abuse.

A national inquiry into the issue was ordered in 2012 after a decade of pressure to investigate widespread allegations of institutional paedophilia.

The royal commission -- which ran for five years -- spoke to thousands of victims and heard claims of abuse involving churches, orphanages, sporting clubs, youth groups and schools.

Last month, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull agreed to deliver a formal apology to victims of institutional child sex abuse -- one of the inquiry's key recommendations.

Another recommendation was that a redress scheme be set up to support victims with counselling, psychological care and financial payments.

All of Australia's state governments have now signed up to the programme, which came into effect on Sunday and offers victims up to Aus$150,000 (US$113,000) in compensation.

THE NEWS: Libyan navy says 63 missing in new Mediterranean shipwreck

Libyan navy says 63 missing in new Mediterranean shipwreck
source: AFP

 AFP/File / Mahmud TURKIA Observers say there has been an 'alarming' increase in the number of deaths off the Libyan coast as migrants rush to beat expected crackdowns in Europe

A new shipwreck off the Libyan coast has left 63 people missing in the latest disaster to hit migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean.

The group are feared drowned after the inflatable boat they were on sank, a spokesman for Libya's navy General Ayoub Kacem told AFP, citing eyewitness accounts from survivors.

Kacem said that 41 people wearing life jackets were rescued.

"The coast guards did not find bodies in the area," he said.

According to survivors, there were 104 people on board the vessel, which sank off Garaboulli, east of Tripoli.

In the last few months, this area has become the main point of departure for inflatable boats overloaded with migrants seeking to make the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean to Italy.

In addition to the 41 people rescued, a Libyan coastguard boat returned to Tripoli Monday with another 235 migrants, including 54 infants and 29 women, rescued in two other operations in the same area.

The boat's return to shore was delayed 24 hours due to a breakdown, Kacem said.

- 'Desperation'-

Including the latest shipwreck, some 170 migrants have gone missing in the Mediterranean between Friday and Sunday.

On Friday, three babies died off the coast of Libya while 100 people remained missing in another Mediterranean shipwreck.

Just 16 were rescued, all young men, while the missing included two babies and three children under the age of 12.

More than 1,000 people have died in the Mediterranean so far this year, according to International Organization for Migration figures.


AFP/File / Mahmud TURKIA On Friday, three babies died off the coast of Libya while 100 people remained missing in another Mediterranean shipwreck


"There is an alarming increase in deaths at sea off Libya Coast," said IOM Libya Chief of Mission Othman Belbeisi.

"Smugglers are exploiting the desperation of migrants to leave before there are further crackdowns on Mediterranean crossings by Europe," he said in a statement.

Last week, Kacem warned of an increase in departures ahead of a feared closure of European borders, after Rome closed Italian ports to NGO rescue ships.

More than 1,000 migrants have been rescued or intercepted by Libyan coastguards since Friday.

Once they are back on dry land, the migrants are transferred by Libyan authorities to detention centers.

IOM's director general, William Lacy Swing, said he was travelling to Tripoli this week to "see firsthand the conditions of migrants who have been rescued as well as those returned to shore by the Libya Coast Guard."

"IOM is determined to ensure that the human rights of all migrants are respected as together we all make efforts to stop the people smuggling trade, which is so exploitative of migrants," he said in a statement.

- Libya situation -

Libya is a key transit point for thousands of African migrants trying to reach European shores.

When Moamer Kadhafi ran Libya, before he was overthrown and killed in 2011, thousands of migrants would cross Libya's long southern border in a bid to make it to the coast and cross the Mediterranean to Europe.


 AFP/File / Alessio Paduano In the last few months, the area around Garaboulli, east of Tripoli, has become the main point of departure for inflatable boats overloaded with migrants seeking to make the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean to Italy

The situation has deteriorated since Kadhafi's fall, with traffickers exploiting the chaos that engulfed the country and tens of thousands of migrants seeking to make the crossing to Italy, which is 300 kilometers from the Libyan coast.

Hundreds of migrants die every year on the journey.

On Friday, after weeks of high tensions over the issue, the European Union's 28 members hammered out a hard-fought deal to tackle migration and avert a crisis that has threatened the very fabric of the bloc.

At a summit in Brussels, leaders agreed to consider setting up "disembarkation platforms" outside the EU, most likely in North Africa, in a bid to discourage migrants and refugees boarding EU-bound smuggler boats.

But analysts warn that the accord is more of a face-saving move for leaders on the front line of the migration crisis, but details are unclear and the resource needed to really tackle the issue appear lacking.

THE NEWS: Poland's Supreme Court justice vows to defy retirement order

Poland's Supreme Court justice vows to defy retirement order
source: AFP

 AFP/File / JANEK SKARZYNSKI Demonstrations took place in Warsaw last year over the controversial judicial reforms

Poland's Supreme Court chief justice was set for a showdown with the EU country's president on Tuesday, vowing to defy controversial reforms pushed through by the right-wing government forcing top judges to retire early.

The European Union on Monday launched legal action against Poland, the latest salvo in a bitter battle over sweeping judicial changes that critics have decried as unconstitutional.

Chief Justice Malgorzata Gersdorf has branded the move a "purge" and vowed to reject any retirement notice that would cut short her constitutionally guaranteed six-year term.

She said she is due to meet President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday before the legislation comes into effect at midnight.

"What will I do? I won't accept it. I feel I'm the Supreme Court chief justice until 2020," Gersdorf told commercial broadcaster TVN24.

"Tomorrow there will be a purge of the Supreme Court conducted under the guise of retirement reform," she later told law students.

Demonstrations in support of Gersdorf and other defiant judges are due to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday around the court's offices in Warsaw.

Twenty-seven of the top court's 73 judges are affected by the reform pushed through by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government that brings down the retirement age from 70 to 65.

- 'Irreparable damage' -

The government has refused to back down despite the EU action, insisting the changes are needed to tackle corruption and overhaul a judicial system still haunted by the communist era

Supreme Court justices last Thursday endorsed Gersdorf's right to keep her post in line with a constitutional provision mandating a six-year term for the chief justice.

They also said that any justice who took up their duties before the day the new reform comes into force "should remain in their post until the age of 70, without meeting any additional conditions".

Under the law, the affected judges can ask Duda to prolong their terms but he can accept or deny their requests without giving a reason. Sixteen judges have done so, according to Polish media reports.

The European Commission, the bloc's powerful executive arm, said Monday that the changes would undermine judicial independence in Poland, breaching the country's obligations under EU law.

Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said swift action was needed to "avoid irreparable damage to the independence of the Supreme Court".

The Commission also said it took the view "that these measures undermine the principle of judicial independence, including the irremovability of judges".

- 'Systemic threats' -

Poland has a month to respond to the commission's formal announcement, the first stage of a procedure that could end up in the European Court of Justice (EJC), the bloc's top tribunal.

Deputy foreign minister Konrad Szymanski said Monday the government would respond "in detail" within 30 days and warned that the ECJ would face a "very difficult task".

"Its decision will be very important for the EU because it will define the extent to which EU law can interfere in the autonomy of member states in the way they organise their judicial systems," Szymanski told AFP.

"All member states will follow (this case) with a lot of attention because we will be moving into unknown territory."

The row comes after the EU launched hearings last week focused on Poland's alleged violation of judicial independence over reforms to both the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans has been leading discussions with Warsaw to try to find a solution but has said there has been no progress.

Brussels in December triggered so-called Article Seven proceedings against Poland over "systemic threats" to the rule of law, which could eventually see Warsaw's EU voting rights suspended.

According to a nationwide survey carried out last month by Ariadna pollsters, 44 percent of Poles believe the PiS judicial reforms will increase political influence on the courts, while just 14 percent of respondents thought the contrary.

Tens of thousands of Poles have poured out onto the streets since the PiS took power in late 2015 to protest at the reforms.

THE NEWS: Trump, Mexico president-elect get off to 'great' start


Trump, Mexico president-elect get off to 'great' start
source: AFP
AFP / PEDRO PARDO Mexico's president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (C) cheers his supporters at the Zocalo Square in Mexico City after winning general elections

US President Donald Trump and Mexican president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday they had had a "great" first phone call, with the Latin American leftist offering to reduce US-bound migration.

Lopez Obrador, a fiery leftist who represents a clean break with Mexico's political establishment, won a sweeping election victory Sunday -- raising questions about the future of Mexico's crucial relationship with its giant northern neighbor.

The politician known as "AMLO" had vowed during the campaign to "put (Trump) in his place," at a time when the Republican president's anti-trade, anti-immigration policies have infuriated Mexico.

But the two men appear to have hit it off in their first phone call after Lopez Obrador's victory.


 AFP / Guillermo Arias Supporters of the presidential candidate for Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, celebrate his landslide victory


"I received a phone call from Donald Trump and we spoke for half an hour," Lopez Obrador wrote on Twitter, in one of his first messages as president-elect.

"I proposed exploring a universal deal (involving) development projects that would create jobs in Mexico and, by doing so, reduce migration and improve security," he added.

"The tone was respectful and our teams will be holding talks."

- 'Mexican Trump'? -

Trump also mentioned the phone call as he addressed reporters in the Oval Office.


AFP / ULISES RUIZ Thousands of ecstatic Lopez Obrador supporters flooded the capital's central district, chanting "Yes we did!" and partying to mariachi music

"I think the relationship is going to be a very good one. We had a great talk," he said.

"I think he is going to try and help us with the border."

US-Mexican relations have been strained since Trump won election in 2016 after a campaign laced with anti-Mexican insults, attacks on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and promises to build a wall on the two countries' border and make Mexico pay for it.

That rhetoric fired up his supporters, but caused alarm in Mexico, which sends 80 percent of its exports to the United States and is deeply intertwined with its neighbor thanks to the 11.4 million Mexicans who live there.

US tariffs on Mexican steel and aluminum, Trump's "zero-tolerance" policy on undocumented immigrants, separation of migrant families and two abruptly canceled visits to Washington by current Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto have only added to the tension.


AFP / PEDRO PARDO Newly elected Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (R) next to his wife Beatriz Gutierrez Muller


Some in Mexico fear Lopez Obrador's combative style will increase the strains. But others are holding out hope a change in leadership will help.

Commentators have drawn parallels between the two leaders: both are free-trade skeptics with populist tendencies who mobilized a disgruntled base with anti-establishment campaigns.

"AMLO is not going to pay for the wall, that's for sure," said Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington.

"But he has made it clear that he wants good relations with the US."

- Political shift -


 AFP / Anella RETA Factfile on Mexico

Lopez Obrador, a sharp-tongued, silver-haired former Mexico City mayor who was making his third run for president, won with more than 53 percent of the vote, with nearly 64 percent of ballots counted, according to the latest official results.

It is the first time in Mexico's modern democracy that a candidate has won more than half the vote, and a resounding rejection of the two parties that have governed the country for nearly a century.

Lopez Obrador, 64, will be the country's first leftist president in recent history when he takes office on December 1.

His coalition -- led by the party he launched in 2014, Morena -- also won a majority in the lower house of Congress, and was within striking distance of doing the same in the Senate, according to exit polls.

And it was on track to win at least five of the nine governorships being decided.

Lopez Obrador successfully tapped voters' anger over a seemingly never-ending series of corruption scandals and violent crime that left a record 25,000 murders last year.

But he is a divisive figure in Mexico.

For his many critics, there was fear about what his promise of "deep change" will mean.

Some opponents have branded him a "tropical Messiah" who will install Venezuela-style policies that could wreck Latin America's second-largest economy.

There are lingering market jitters over a politician who clashed openly with the business sector during the campaign.

The Mexican stock market's key index lost 2.12 percent Monday, while the peso closed down 0.9 percent against the dollar.

THE NEWS: Merkel last-ditch migrant deal faces EU headwinds

Merkel last-ditch migrant deal faces EU headwinds
source: AFP

AFP / John MACDOUGALL Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel praised the 'very good compromise' with Interior Minister Horst Seehofer

An 11th hour deal clinched by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to rescue her fragile government by limiting migrant arrivals immediately ran into European resistance Tuesday, with neighbouring Austria vowing to "protect" its borders.

In high-stakes crisis talks overnight, Merkel put to rest for now a dangerous row with a longtime rival, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, that had threatened the survival of her shaky 100-day-old coalition.

A relieved-looking Merkel, who has been in power since 2005, emerged from the late-night negotiations hailing a "very good compromise" that would "control" new arrivals of migrants and asylum seekers while upholding EU cooperation and values.

However criticism from Vienna and her junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats, threatened to throw a spanner in the works just as Germany hoped to emerge from a crippling weeks-long political standstill.

If the agreement reached Monday evening is approved by the German government as a whole, "we will be obliged to take measures to avoid disadvantages for Austria and its people," the right-wing Austrian government said in a statement.


 AFP / Thorsten EBERDING Monthly asylum requests in Germany since 2014


It added it would be "ready to take measures to protect our southern borders in particular," those with Italy and Slovenia.

The remarks raised the spectre of a domino effect in Europe, with member states taking increasingly restrictive measures to shut out refugees.

- 'Mass internment camps' -

Under the pact both sides hailed as a victory, Merkel and Seehofer agreed to tighten border controls and set up closed "transit centres" to allow the speedy processing of asylum seekers and the repatriation of those who are rejected.

They said would either be sent back to EU countries that previously registered them or, in case arrival countries reject this -- likely including frontline state Italy -- be sent back to Austria, pending a now questionable agreement with Vienna.

CSU general secretary Markus Blume called the hardening policy proposal the last building block "in a turn-around on asylum policy" after a mass influx brought over one million migrants and refugees.

But doubts were voiced quickly by other parties and groups, accusing Merkel of bidding a final farewell to her welcoming stance toward asylum seekers taken at the height of the influx in 2015.


AFP / Adam BERRY In a pact both sides hailed as a victory, Merkel and Seehofer agreed to tighten border controls and set up closed holding centres to allow the speedy processing of asylum seekers and the repatriations of those who are rejected

Refugee support group Pro Asyl slammed what it labelled "detention centres in no-man's land" and charged that German power politics were being played out "on the backs of those in need of protection".

Annalena Baerbock of the opposition Greens party spoke of "internment camps", accusing the conservatives of "bidding goodbye to our country's moral compass". She urged Merkel's other coalition ally, the Social Democrats (SPD), to reject the plan.

SPD leader Andrea Nahles said Tuesday after a party meeting that it still had "has significant questions" on the deal. The Social Democrats are to hold joint party meeting with the CDU/CSU bloc at 1600 GMT Tuesday.

"We will take the time we need to take a decision," she said.

One of the SPD's migration experts, Aziz Bozkurt, was withering, charging that the proposed holding centres would be "impractical and fully on track with the AfD" -- the far-right party that has railed most loudly against immigrants.

- 'Toxic mood' -

The deal announced overnight ended Merkel's worst crisis after she faced down an unprecedented mutiny by Seehofer, head of her party's traditional Bavarian allies the CSU.

A failure to defuse the open conflict would have threatened an end to their 70-year party alliance, a scenario which would have forced Merkel to find new partners or call fresh elections.


AFP/File / Olmo Calvo Under the new deal, migrants would be sent back to EU countries that previously registered them or, if arrival countries reject this, be sent back to Austria, pending an agreement with Vienna


Top-circulation Bild daily -- which had called the weeks-long battle "Merkel's endgame" after 12 years in power -- gave a lukewarm welcome to the face-saving agreement.

"The CDU and CSU have now struck a deal they could have reached three years ago," it said.

"It's possible that this solution will work," Bild said in its commentary. "But it's certain that the mood in a coalition has never been as toxic as in this one."

The daily Berliner Zeitung said the government for Merkel's fourth term formed in March had barely started work before it lurched into vicious infighting.

"This government isn't governing, regardless of whether Horst Seehofer stays or goes," it said.

"It has actually not even governed over the last few months -- it is mainly running in circles over migration."

THE NEWS: Glencore shares slump 12% on US corruption probe


Glencore shares slump 12% on US corruption probe
source: AFP

AFP/File / FABRICE COFFRINI Shares in Swiss miner Glencore tumbled more than 12 percent in London trading after the group revealed a US probe into alleged corruption

Shares in Swiss miner Glencore tumbled more than 12 percent in London trading Tuesday after the group revealed a US probe into alleged corruption.

Glencore shares were down at 306.50 pence around 0920 GMT on London's rising stock market, after the company said it was being investigated by US authorities over its business in Nigeria, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Metals giant Glencore is under pressure as news broke that the company, which is headquartered in Switzerland but has operations on most continents, has been subpoenaed by the US Department of Justice," said Fiona Cincotta, senior market analyst at trading firm City Index.

"The DoJ is taking a magnifying glass to Glencore's operations in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Venezuela over the last ten years and is asking to see all documents required to prove compliance with US anti-bribery and anti-money laundering regulations," she added.

Jordan Hiscott, chief trader at Ayondo Markets, said that the shock news was "clearly negative" for the mining giant.

THE NEWS: Former Malaysian PM Najib arrested for corruption: officials


Former Malaysian PM Najib arrested for corruption: officials
source: AFP

AFP/File / Manan VATSYAYANA Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was arrested by anti-corruption investigators, officials said, the latest dramatic development in a widening graft probe that has engulfed the ex-leader

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was arrested by anti-corruption investigators Tuesday, officials said, the latest dramatic development in a widening graft probe that has engulfed the ex-leader.

Najib will be charged Wednesday, a taskforce set up to investigate corruption involving Malaysian state fund 1MDB said in a statement.

"1MDB's Task Force confirmed the arrest of Datuk Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak," it said.

It said the arrest "was made at his home" in the upmarket Jalan Langgak Duta district in Kuala Lumpur.

He will be "charged on July 4, 2018 at 8:30 am at the Kuala Lumpur Court," it added.

Earlier, a security source said that agents from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission arrested Najib.

"They came in three to four unmarked cars," the source, a senior security official familiar with the arrest, told AFP.

THE NEWS: UK to ban gay 'conversion therapy' after massive survey


UK to ban gay 'conversion therapy' after massive survey
source: AFP

AFP/File / BEN STANSALL Just over a half of those receiving conversion therapy said it was conducted by a faith group

Britain on Tuesday unveiled its "action plan" to tackle discrimination against the gay community, which includes bringing forward legislation to ban the practice of conversion therapy.

The plan was drawn up using data from an online survey that received 108,000 responses, making it the largest ever national survey of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people anywhere in the world.

Around two percent of respondents said they had received some form of conversion therapy, while another five percent had had it offered to them but refused.

LGBT rights group Stonewall defines conversion therapy as "any form of treatment or psychotherapy which aims to reduce or stop same-sex attraction," although the survey did not provide a definition.

"These activities are wrong, and we are not willing to let them continue," said the government plan.

"We will fully consider all legislative and non-legislative options to prohibit promoting, offering or conducting conversion therapy."

Just over a half of those receiving conversion therapy said it was conducted by a faith group, 19 percent by a healthcare professional and 16 percent by a parent or family member.

"We are not trying to prevent LGBT people from seeking legitimate medical support or spiritual support from their faith leader in the exploration of their sexual orientation or gender identity," added the report.

- 'Lasting change' -

More than two thirds of LGBT respondents said they had avoided holding hands with a same-sex partner for fear of a negative reaction.

"I was struck by just how many respondents said they cannot be open about their sexual orientation or avoid holding hands with their partner in public for fear of a negative reaction," said Prime Minister Theresa May.

"No one should ever have to hide who they are or who they love.

"This LGBT action plan will set out concrete steps to deliver real and lasting change across society," she added.

Some 40 percent of respondents had experienced incidents such as verbal harassment or physical violence in the 12 months preceding the survey, but more than 90 percent of them went unreported, with respondents explaining "it happens all the time".

The government plan includes appointing a national LGBT health adviser, extending an anti-homophobic bullying programme in schools and improving the recording and reporting of LGBT hate crimes.

It also establishes a £4.5 million ($5.9 million, 5 million euros) "LGBT Implementation Fund" to help deliver the plan.

Of the respondents, 61 percent identified as gay or lesbian and a quarter identified as bisexual. Four percent identified as pansexual.

Younger respondents identified in larger numbers as bisexual, asexual, pansexual, queer or 'other', and 13 percent of the respondents were transgender, with seven percent identifying as "non-binary" -- having a gender that was neither exclusively that of a man nor a woman.

THE LATEST: How To Start Plantain Chips Business In Nigeria: The Complete Guide

How To Start Plantain Chips Business In Nigeria: The Complete Guide

How To Start Plantain Chips Business In Nigeria
How To Start Plantain Chips Business In Nigeria | Image Source: Eatwell101
Plantain chips, also known as sweet banana chips, are popular snacks that are sold in almost every traffic and street corner in Nigeria, especially Lagos. They’re a very tasty snack and are mostly made from unripe plantains, packaged, and sold through distributors who go around traffic centres to spot hungry buyers looking for a quick snack or two to consume.
The plantain chips market is vast and highly profitable for entrants, as they can start with as little as 20,000 Naira and build a profitable business quickly that generates a recurring monthly revenue.
With a large motorist market and people buying form kiosks in marketplaces, schools, and more, venturing into the plantain chips business in Nigeria is a great small business move to make for people with little startup capital.

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What Is The Plantain Chips Business In Nigeria About?

The plantain chips business involves the production of plantain chips from largely unripe plantains for sale to motorists, individuals, and very busy people in marketplaces.
 Business Opportunities In The Plantain Chips Business Around The World
The primary business opportunity in the plantain chips business is its retail value for food as a quick snack that can be consumed in any location; making it a hot selling commodity.


Facts And Benefits Of The Plantain Chips Business In Nigeria

  • Plantain chips are a great source of quick food.
  • A source of employment.
  • The plantain chips business requires very little startup capital.
  • Plantain chips production involves the use of very little equipment.
  • You can start plantain chips business in your home kitchen.
  • Plantain chips have an extremely large market in Nigeria.
  • You don’t need to be the manufacturer to sell your own branded plantain chips.
 How To Make Plantain Chips In Nigeria
Making plantain chips is very cost effective, causing the margins to be higher than many other small-scale businesses as long as you can sell a certain number of units daily. Starting with just 20,000 Naira, you can eventually make about 1,000 packs of plantain chips to be sold at 100 Naira each. The faster they sell out, the better it is for your business.

So What Do You Need To Make Plantain Chips?

  • Ripe or unripe Plaintain
  • Salt
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Pepper (this is optional)
  • Banana (this is optional)
  • Ginger (this is optional)
  • Garlic (this is optional)
The optional ingredients above are only present to give the plantain chips a unique taste or flavour, so you can sell them in separate types of nylons.

How To Make Plantain Chips: Step By Step Guide

  • Step One: Wash, peel, and slice the plantains into a bowl of water — When you do this, you should use a slicer to make the plantains equal.
  • Step Two: Add salt and any other ingredient to the peeled plantains and stir them for even circulation, then sieve out the water.
  • Step Three: The next step is to heat up the vegetable oil and fry the plantains, but with caution to ensure they don’t get too brownish.
  • Step Four: Package and brand your plantain chips in various sizes to be sold per flavour and/or size.
 How To Market Your Plantain Chips Business In Nigeria
While there are a wide plethora of ways to market your plantain chips business in Nigeria, the most effective are listed below:
  • Distribute your branded plantain chips on credit basis to small and large supermarkets or grocery stores.
  • Sell the branded plantain chips at schools.
  • Sell the branded plantain chips through traders in traffic.
  • Sell the branded plantain chips through kiosks.
It is important that you brand your plantain chips so that if people love the way it tastes, they’d always look out to buy the plantain chips that carry your brand pack.

Challenges Of The Plantain Chips Business In Nigeria

Some of the challenges of the plantain chips business in Nigeria and many parts of Africa include:
  1. Lack of experience.
  2. Unstable government policies affecting the sale of FMCGs.
  3. Financial challenges.
  4. Marketing challenges.
  5. Poorly managed supply chain.
 Conclusion
The plantain chips business in Nigeria can be a Lucrative and profitable venture, due to its vast market demands and on your own ability to build a wide supply chain network. If you’re looking for a business to venture into, the plantain chips business in Nigeria is another option to explore.

THE LATEST: How to Make Money As A Stay-At-Home Mom


How to Make Money As A Stay-At-Home Mom

How to Make Money As A Stay-At-Home Mom In Nigeria, Africa, or Anywhere Around The World
How to Make Money As A Stay-At-Home Mom | Image Source: Pexels
So many women tend to stay back at home when they give birth to a baby. They do this for a period of about 4 to 6 months to have enough time to nurse the child till he or she is old enough to either attend a daycare or have someone else come home to care for the child when the mother is back to work.
On the other hand, some women are largely housewives, and so, have little to no means of income since they’re always at home while their spouses are off to work.
While being a stay-at-home mom isn’t entirely bad, most long to earn some form of income one way or the other, and can’t achieve that because they have no clue on what to do from home.
If you’re a stay-at-home mom and are looking for a business to start up, here are 11 business ideas a stay-at-home mum can start today.
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1). Virtual Assistance:

A virtual assistance service involves been able to help an individual or organisation to handle some services virtually over the internet. It could mean playing the role of a customer service professional, preparing professional documents, reading and responding to emails, and much more.
To start up a virtual assistance service, you could first set up a website, build up a social media brand, and market your services to organisations, executives, and even individuals for a fee.

2). Bookkeeping Services:

Most people have problems keeping records of their daily business transactions. This poor record keeping goes on to affect their profit and losscalculationss, their tax declarations, and much more, which could lead to them getting into trouble with the Inland Revenue Service (IRS).
If you have some accounting knowledge, you could start up a bookkeeping service for small businesses that have an online presence, and market your service to them for a small fee.
The more businesses you help manage their accounting records, the more income you’ll generate.

3). Assign Your Car To A Driver On Uber Or Taxify:

If you’re a stay-at-home mom, own a car, and need a source of income, you could sign up your car up on Uber or Taxify and assign a driver to it.
On these car-pooling services, owners who assign their cars to drivers could earn as much as 40,000 Naira weekly in remitance from the driver, based on your agreement.
Instead of just having the car parked around, you could earn some considerable income from it.

4). Start A Vlog:

Vlogging involves posting videos on Youtube or other video streaming services, where you either talk about something or curate interesting video contents for people to watch.
Many individuals—including stay-at-home moms—around the world have gone on to start and grow successful Vlogs that are now worth millions of dollars.
You could be next!

5). Start A Daycare At Home:

Since you’re a stay-at-home mom, you could as well just start up a daycare or babysitting service in your home, where mothers would bring their kids over at the beginning of every morning and return later in the day to pick them up when they’re done at the office.
This is probably one of the easiest business ideas a stay-at-home mom could startup because it leverages your home-based status.
You could start by marketing your daycare services to other mothers and families in the same neighbourhood where you live.

6). Social Media Management:

Most stay-at-home moms spend a lot of their time on social media checking out the latest photos posted by people, what’s trending on twitter, and much more. They do this so much, failing to realise that they could literally build a business around this service.
As a stay-at-home mom that’s always on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and much more, you could start a social media mangement service and build up a successful business from there.

7). Become An Online Fitness Trainer:

Online fitness training is getting increasingly popular, and has already blown up in countries in Europe and America. In Nigeria on the other hand, it is still new and upcoming, and as such, there’s room for many who want to play a lead role in the online fitness industry.
If you spend so much time at home, you could start frequenting the gym, get your body into shape, and start an online fitness training service. While doing this, you could also contribute articles to popular fitness blogs, start one of your own, and also provide short-time fitness training services to people who reach out to you online.

8). Make And Sell Handmade Jewellery And Beads:

Stay-at-home moms could spend a lot of their free time making and selling handmade jewellery and beads. People have a higher preference for hand made products because it is assumed that so much more time, precision, and effort was put into it, thus making it much more expensive and socially valuable.
You could make these jewelleries and sell them to businesses who resell, or you could even market them yourself on the internet via social media, online marketplaces, and much more.

9). Start A Corporate Lunch-Supply Business:

All organisations go on lunch breaks daily. For some, the employees leave the office to find food to eat. For some others, the organisation has a kitchen that cooks their daily meals. And for many others, the employees order in food from businesses who prepare corporate lunches and supply them to organisations on a daily basis.
You could start a corporate lunch-supply business, get a dispatch bike rider or two, 5 to 6 organisations close to your home with employees, and supply them their corporate lunches on a daily basis.
For a stay-at-home mom who enjoys cooking, you could start up this business once you have clients who want meals delivered to them daily at work.

10). Sell Products Online:

Selling products like fashion items, electronics, home and decors, cosmetics and much more is one business stay-at-home moms could venture into.
You could sign up on online marketplaces, study what sells the most, and start marketing those types of products whether as the direct seller or as a broker.

11).  Find a Work-From-Home Job:

While a stay-at-home mom is largely considered to be unemployed, there are many organisations who have employees that work from home.
As a stay-at-home mom, you could search out these organisations, apply for a job there, and consistently deliver on your daily targets while working for them.

 source: http://startuptipsdaily.com

What are your thoughts on how to make money as a stay-at-home mom? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

THE LATEST How To Start A Lucrative Food Processing And Packaging Business In Nigeria: The Complete Guide


How To Start Food Processing And Packaging In Nigeria
How To Start Food Processing And Packaging In Nigeria | Image Source: Pexels
The food processing industry is a multi-billion dollar industry where raw ingredients are transformed into food for human consumption. Generally, the food processing involves the processing of clean and harvested crops into marketable food products.

This industry is highly vibrant in Nigeria, Africa, and the rest of the world because asides the fact that multi-billion dollar revenues are generated in it, processed food is now an integral part of almost every meal as it is used in food preparation one way or the other.
With processed meals like tomato pastes, instant noodles, and much more now the norm in the society for people looking to purchase food items they can easily and more quickly cook, venturing into a well-managed food processing and packaging business can help you build a successful business that could someday grow into a conglomerate.

What Is The Food Processing And Packaging Business About?

The food processing and packaging business is the preparation and packaging of edible food items in forms that cause them to have a far lesser spoilage period for human and animal consumption. They’re faster to use in meal preparations since they’re already processed, and in the process, saves the chef a lot of time and money.
 Business Opportunities In The Food Processing And Packaging Business Around The World
Here are some types of food processing and packaging businesses you can start in Nigeria, Africa, India, or anywhere around the world:
  • Bakery
  • Cashewnut processing
  • Meat packaging
  • Chocolate production
  • Tomato paste production
  • Condensed milk production
  • Coconut oil production
  • Custard powder production
  • Flour production
  • Natural fresh fruit juice production
  • Grape wine production
  • Groundnut oil production
  • Honey processing
  • Ice block manufacturing
  • Lemonade production
  • Noodles production
  • Palm oil production
  • Sachet and bottle water packaging
  • Plantain chips production
  • Potato chips production
And much more.
These are just a few of a large number of food processing and packaging business ideas and opportunities in Nigeria, Africa, India, and many places around the world. You could either start out as the manufacturer packaging the processed food items or you could be a retailer who purchases to resell. 

Facts And Benefits Of The Food Processing And Packaging Business

  • To start a food processing and packaging business as a manufacturer in Nigeria, you must be registered with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and the Federal & State Ministries of Health
  • The food processing and packaging industry has hundreds of business ideas and opportunities within it to not just aid a savvy entrepreneur to grow a successful business but to also create thousands of jobs in the process.
  • Nigeria’s food processing industry is valued at over $10 billion.
  • The food processing industry in Nigeria provides an estimated minimum of 10 million direct jobs.

How To Start A Food Processing And Packaging Business: Step By Step Guide

1). Select The Right Type of Food Processing And Packaging Business You Want To Start:

The first step is to do a feasibility study and determine the right food processing and packaging business for you to start up. By doing this, you can determine the most cost-effective and prospectively profitable business to venture into that has a very large market you can easily serve.

2). Register Your Business With The Required Bodies:

If you’ll be processing and packaging your food items yourself, you’re required to register your business with these mandatory bodies which include NAFDAC, SON, CAC, and also the ministries of health. If you’re not going to be processing and packaging but only distributing, you can go ahead to start up your business, but essentially, when you get a large and very noticeable distributor or retail chain, you’d be required to register with those bodies.

3). Setup The Facility And Purchase The Required Equipment:

Every processing facility has a set of standards it must adhere to and also has a set of items it must have. Some things to set up next are:
  • Processing Plant.
  • Equipment and machinery like grinders, boilers, deep fryers, cutters, mixers and much more.
  • Food items based on what products you intend to start processing.
  • Packaging raw materials that would be used to produce the packs the processed food items would be put into.

4). Market Your Products:

There are many ways to market your food items, but amongst them, distributing to stores, selling in schools, traffic, bus parks, and many other public places through agents and distributors are the most effective.

Challenges Of The Food Processing And Packaging Business

Some of the challenges of food processing and packaging in Nigeria and many parts of Africa include:
  • Lack of experience
  • Low and unstable investment in agricultural research
  • Financial Constraints
  • Storage Constraints
  • Farm Inputs Constraints
  • Infrastructural Constraints
  • Marketing Constraints

Conclusion

The food processing and packaging business in Nigeria can be a Lucrative and profitable venture, due to its vast market demands and on your own ability to build a wide supply chain network. If you’re looking for a business to venture into, the food processing and packaging business in Nigeria is another option to explore.

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