Liverpool sign Hoffenheim's Firmino

LONDON


Liverpool have signed Brazilian international forward Roberto Firmino, the Premier League club said on Wednesday, with the BBC reporting the fee would be £29 million (41 million euros, $46 million).


The striker, currently on duty for Brazil in the Copa America in Chile, will join from Bundesliga club Hoffenheim.


"Liverpool Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim, subject to a medical which will take place immediately following the player's participation in Copa America 2015 for Brazil," the club said in a statement on its website.


"The 23-year-old has agreed a long-term contract with the club," it added.


The BBC said that the contract was for five years and was the second highest ever paid by Liverpool after it shelled out £35 million for Andy Carroll in 2011.


Firmino scored 47 goals in 151 appearances during his four and a half years in Germany.

He has scored four times in nine appearances for his country, including Sunday's Copa America winner against Venezuela

Plans for 53km JKIA road finally released

Plans to construct a 53-kilometre Jomo Kenyatta International Airport-Rironi road to ease congestion in the city have been announced.


The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) said in a statement on Tuesday funding for the project will be provided by the World Bank while the designs were funded by the government.


The road is divided into three sections: JKIA-Likoni Road Junction at the Southern Bypass Interchange; Likoni Road Junction-James Gichuru Road Junction near ABC Place on Waiyaki Way and the James Gichuru Road Junction-Rironi section.


KeNHA said tenders to build sections of the road had already been advertised and procurement was ongoing.


“We had to find a better way of moving people through a well-organised bus system using dedicated lanes, and thus we came up with the Rapid Bus Transit system, a faster and efficient way of moving people,” KeNHA General Manager David Muchilwa said.


The project entails building a dual carriageway from JKIA, passing through Likoni Road and linking James Gichuru Road to Rironi on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.


The road will have a dedicated Rapid Bus Transit lane from JKIA to Kikuyu.


Mr Muchilwa says construction of the service lanes will begin before the contractor moves in to build the inner lanes.


The JKIA turnoff to Likoni Road junction will have an additional lane on either side between JKIA terminal and Likoni Road junction while service lanes will be built on both sides between Likoni Road junction and the start of the flight path.


ELEVATED DUAL CARRIAGEWAY


Feeder roads at the Likoni and James Gichuru junction will have an elevated dual carriageway over the median between the road-over-rail bridge just before Haile Selassie Intersection up to the KBC headquarters.


Rapid Bus Transit lanes will also be included alongside interchanges at intersections on Popo-Kapiti, Langata-Lusaka, Bunyala road, Rhapta and James Gichuru road.


The final stretch from James Gichuru to Rironi will have additional lanes on both sides and space will be left in the middle of the road for a future bus rapid transit system.


The road expansion is expected to spur industrial expansion in the area by easing access to the Industrial Area.

Gap between rich, poor countries remains wide'

International Labour Organisation (ILO)

The latest edition of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s World of Work report 2013 has revealed that the gap between rich and poor in most low and middle-income countries remains wide.

Many families which have managed to rise above the poverty line are at risk of lapsing back.

According to the report that was made available to the Guardian yesterday, by contrast, income inequalities have increased in advanced economies over the past two years, against the backdrop of increasing global unemployment – predicted to rise from the current 200 million to nearly 208 million by 2015.

The world work report 2013 states “repairing the economic and social fabric”, income inequalities rose between 2010 and 2011 in 14 of the 26 advanced economies surveyed, including France, Denmark, Spain and the US.

Inequality levels in seven of the remaining 12 countries were still higher than before the start of the crisis.

It states that although the economy was encouraging, but there were still-fragile signs of improvement in emerging and developing economies, while many advanced economies continue to face high or even rising unemployment and increasing inequalities.

As the global economy continues a slow recovery from the financial crisis, most emerging and developing countries are experiencing rising employment and narrowing income inequalities compared to their high-income counterparts.

Economic inequalities are also on the rise, as small firms lag behind their larger counterparts in terms of profits and productive investment.

While most large enterprises have regained access to capital markets, start-ups and small enterprises are disproportionately affected by bank credit conditions. This is a problem for job recovery now and affects economic prospects over the longer term.

“These figures present a positive development in many parts of the developing world, but paint a disturbing picture in many high income countries, despite the economic recovery.

The situation in some European countries in particular is beginning to strain their economic and social fabric. We need a global recovery focussed on jobs and productive investment, combined with better social protection for the poorest and most vulnerable groups.

And we need to pay serious attention to closing the inequality gap that is widening in so many parts of the world,” said ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder.

The report shows that middle-income groups in many advanced economies are shrinking, fuelled in part, by long-term unemployment, weakening job quality and workers dropping out of the labour market altogether.

By contrast, the report provides evidence that pay of chief executive officers in many of those countries has once again soared, following a short pause in the immediate aftermath of the global crisis.

“The shrinking size of middle-income groups in advanced economies is a matter of concern, not only for the inclusiveness of those societies but also for economic reasons.

Long-term investment decisions by enterprises also depend on the proximity of large and stable middle-income groups which are in a position to consume,” said Raymond Torres, Director of the International Institute for Labour Studies, the research arm of the ILO.

In Spain, the size of middle-income group declined from 50 per cent in 2007, to 46 per cent by the end of 2010. In the United States, the richest seven per cent of the population saw their average net worth increase during the first two years of the recovery from 56 per cent in 2009 to 63 per cent in 2011. The remaining 93 per cent of Americans saw their net worth decline.

“More and better jobs are needed so there can be a more balanced distribution of income in both advanced and developing economies,” Torres stressed.
The size of the middle-income group in developing and emerging economies has increased from 263 million in 1999 to 694 million in 2010.

This is a major achievement of a growing number of Latin American and Asian countries, which spread more recently to some countries in Africa and the Arab region

10 dead, 30 injured in suicide blast in NE Nigeria village

Ten people were killed at a market in northeast Nigeria on Tuesday when a girl thought to be aged just 12 detonated explosives she was carrying, a relative of one of the injured victims and a health worker told AFP.


The blast happened at about 11:00 am (1000 GMT) at the weekly market in Wagir, in the Gujba district south of the Yobe state capital Damaturu.


"It was a suicide attack by a girl of around 12 years," said Hussaini Aisami, whose relative was among at least 30 people injured by the blast.


"She went into the market and headed straight to the grain section. She detonated her explosives in the middle of traders and customers.


"Ten people died from the explosion. We brought 30 people to the hospital," said Aisami.


Tuesday's attack bore all the hallmarks of Boko Haram Islamists, who have used young women and girls in the past as human bombs and regularly attacked "soft" civilian targets such as markets.


On Monday, a girl thought to be aged about 17 killed at least 20 at a bus station near a fish market in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, when the explosives she was carrying went off.


A girl about the same age was also killed nearby when she blew up but there were no other casualties.


DEAD BODIES


Security analysts studying the phenomenon have suggested that younger girls may have their explosives detonated remotely by a third party.


The injured from Wagir were taken to the Sani Abachi Specialist Hospital in Damaturu for treatment but others with less serious injuries were released.


A nurse at the hospital, who asked not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed Aisami's account after speaking to other relatives.


"We received 30 people with various grievous injuries from Wagir this afternoon. We have not received any dead bodies. Residents from the village said the dead were taken out for burial from the scene after the blast at the market ," the nurse said.


The latest deaths are another reminder of the threat posed by Boko Haram, despite the group being pushed out of captured territory by a four-nation military offensive since February.


Suicide attacks, raids and shelling have increased since new President Muhammadu Buhari took power on May 29 vowing to crush the militants.


In all, some 208 people have been killed since then, according to AFP reporting.

Will Tanzania meet 2016 deadline on child, maternal mortality?

Investing in girls and women's health is not just the best thing to do, it is the smartest thing to do. (File photo)

Between January and March, nine mothers lost their lives giving birth at Makole Health Centre in Dodoma district. The number is three times the deaths recorded at the centre between October and December last year where three women died.

Harriet Kidayi, the Reproductive and Child Health Coordinator in Dodoma district based at the health centre blames this on late referrals to hospital. 

To some, the number of women who died giving birth at the health centre, may not seem to be a big deal. But the reality is no woman should die giving birth. No woman should die giving life.

Globally, almost every minute a woman dies of complications related to pregnancy and child birth. And 99 per cent of these deaths occur in developing countries. Experts say the likelihood of a motherless child dying prematurely is ten times more than that with a mother. Every year, more than one million children are left motherless.

The late referrals that Kidayi, the reproductive and child health coordinator in Dodoma district says caused the deaths of mothers at Makole health centre this year are just one among many causes of maternal deaths in Tanzania. And there are various reasons why expectant mothers get to the hospital late and many are beyond their control. 

Things like lack of transport to the nearest health facility. This is a big problem in rural areas. There are areas where expectant mothers walk for two days to get to hospital for delivery. Because of poverty, they can’t afford to hire a vehicle to the hospital. And the list of reasons for late referrals is long. 

With only 18 months left before the 2015 Millennium Development Goals deadline, the Tanzanian government and other stakeholders in the health sector are fighting to see to it that the country attains goals number four on reducing child mortality by two thirds and number five on maternal mortality reduction by three quarters by 2015.

The government has been promoting family planning as part of the national reproductive health strategy. This is because 20- 25 per cent of maternal deaths could be avoided through prevention of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. 

Also mothers and children can become healthier and families can better provide for the care and upbringing of their children. Girls will not be forced to drop out of school because of unexpected pregnancies. Moreover, family planning is good for the overall development of the country.

Tanzania’s target is to have 60 per cent of women and girls using contraceptives by 2015 in a bid to reduce child and maternal mortality rates and improve women’s health. However, this is a challenge given that only 34 per cent of all women use family planning today. But we can get there if we want and this year’s health budget allocation of 1bn/- for reproduction health is a good move. 

This is the first time that the government is allocating its own money for the purpose. The minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Hussein Mwinyi said when tabling the health budget in parliament last month that this is a big step that signals to development partners that Tanzania is serious about the matter. However, some Members of Parliament were not convinced 1bn/- was enough. This year’s budget allocation for health is 753.9bn/-.

Family planning is one of the most powerful ways of improving the health of women and children and of controlling population growth of a country. This is a fact that is yet to be known by many people especially those living in the rural areas of developing countries like Tanzania. 

It is because of this high level of illiteracy that the US-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) recently organised a one-week workshop in Dar Es Salaam for health journalists who can be good ambassadors in spreading the message. 

The journalists were equipped with information on maternal and reproductive health. They also discussed how the press can play a vital role in addressing reproductive health and fertility issues and how these can cause socioeconomic development.

PRB is a non-partisan and evidence based organization with a mandate of informing people around the world about population, health and the environment and at the same time empowering them to use that information to advance their well being and that of generations to come.

Presenting the Tanzania MDGs progress report at the journalists’ workshop, the Director of Advanced Family Planning, Halima Shariff said infant mortality rates have declined by more than a half in the last decade. According to 2010 statistics, the rate stands at 51 per every 1,000 live births. This therefore is a green light that the set target of reducing infant mortality rate to 31 out of every 1000 births by 2015 is achievable.

On the other hand, reducing maternal mortality ratio remains a challenge. In 1990, the maternal mortality ratio stood at 529 per every 100,000 live births and after 10 years, in 2010 that is, the ratio was 454 women per every 100,000 live births. At this slow pace, the efforts of decreasing this to 133 by 2015 may clearly not be achieved. 

Access to family planning services is one key component in achieving the above. Both men and women need to know the importance of child spacing and how this greatly contributes to improving the health of both the mother and the child. They also need to know the importance of giving birth in a health facility.

2010 statistics show that only 51 per cent of births in Tanzania are attended to by a skilled personnel. It therefore becomes difficult for the 90 per cent target to be attained in less than two years. This is given the country’s serious shortage of skilled workforce among other reasons. 

To curb the shortage, the government has promised to increase the number of medical personnel and also to create a user-friendly environment for family planning services especially for youths since most are denied access to the services. 

Harriet Kidayi, the Dodoma Reproductive and Child Health Coordinator says there has been an improvement in accessibility and use of family planning in Dodoma. She says most women prefer modern methods like the injectable method.

In 2011 62 per cent (84,804) of the targeted women were using contraceptives out of the targeted 136,004. In 2012, the percentage rose to 77 per cent (110,234) out of the targeted 142,596. 

She however says that there is still more to be done in the peri-urban areas to have more women enlightened on the matter. 

“Men’s involvement in family planning issues should be enhanced to help the current situation. Though as a district we have never received serious complaints of men battering their wives due to decisions they take on family planning as is the case in some regions,” Harriet says.

On maternal deaths, Harriet says; “to address this, the government has increased the number of health centres in the region by introducing Hombolo and Kikombo facilities. It has also introduced clean delivery packs containing all the necessities needed by women during labour and this is given to every woman at 39 weeks of pregnancy to help in case of emergencies.” 

She also added that the number of mothers dying during delivery had greatly gone down in Dodoma district. A total 66 deaths were recorded in 2012 compared to 129 in 2011. 

To attain the target goals by 2015, more efforts are needed and these include channeling more funds in the sector. The government needs to stop depending entirely on donors since delay of funds usually causes shortages. For years, family planning budget has been dependent on donor funds. 

Another area of concern is addressing high fertility rates especially in the lake zone regions. Women in rural areas still have a high rate of seven children while those in urban areas have four children per woman. Lack of access to family planning services in rural areas, lack of willingness to use them and teenage pregnancies are cited as major factors contributing to the high fertility rates. 

Dr. Muzdalifat Abeid, Head of Maternal Unit at Temeke Hospital says women are not willing to use family planning due to myths and misconceptions, low understanding of family planning by men thus discouraging their wives, religious beliefs and inadequate resources to sensitize people and facilitate delivery of the services.

All these are vices to fight if we want to see changes in infant and maternal mortality rates.

Speaking at the opening of the recently concluded high level global meeting on girls’ and women’s rights in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Women Deliver President, Jill Sheffield said investing in the health and reproductive rights of women and girls has benefits for both the families and the country at large.

“When we invest in girls and women’s health, it’s not just the best thing to do, it is the smartest thing to do,” said Ms Sheffield. She explained that sexual and reproductive health should be looked at as a human rights issue.

“We should look at it as a human right to have access to contraceptives and give it a central place in our work. All these commitments are in place and governments only need to implement them,” she said.

World leaders attending the meeting called on governments to invest more in the wellbeing of mothers and girls. Having been represented at the conference, we hope Tanzania will heed the call and thus meet the MDGs on maternal and child mortality come year 2015