Soludo renames Ministry of Commerce, Industry, takes charge
Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has renamed the state’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry to the Ministry of Industry.
The change of name was approved at the Executive Council Meeting of the State Government.
According to NAN, this was announced in a statement signed by Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, the Secretary to the Anambra State Government, on Tuesday.
The statement said that the Trade and Commerce aspect of the ministry would, until further notice, be domiciled in the governor’s office.
The SSG said the reorganisation was effective immediately.
According to him, the commissioner for commerce and industry will henceforth be addressed as the Commissioner for Industry.
“By implication, all activities relating to trade and commerce should be channelled to the governor’s office.”
“This decision is to enable the Ministry of Industry to focus on the industrialization agenda of the governor and for greater performance,” it said.
Onitsha Fire explosion: Police yet to know casualty rate—PPRO
DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, Police Public Relations Officer, Anambra Command, says the police were yet to be furnished with the casualty rate at the fire explosion in the chemical market in Onitsha.
According to NAN, Ikenga stated this on Tuesday while reacting to a fire explosion that razed down the chemical market.
When contacted to give the information about the casualties from the inferno, he responded by saying that he didn’t have any information about that.
“But I can confirm to you that there was a fire explosion at the chemical market, and our operatives led by DCP Operations, John Ogbodaga, are on the ground.
“The area has been cordoned off, the fire service is also on the ground, and the situation is under control,” he said.
It was earlier reported that no fewer than four people were reportedly confirmed dead and about 20 sustained various degrees of injuries.
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Court asks striking Kenya Airways pilots to resume work
The industrial dispute that grounded activities at Kenya airports and left thousands of passengers stranded came to an end after a labour court on Tuesday ordered pilots at Kenya Airways to resume work by Wednesday.
Members of the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA), which represents about 400 pilots at the carrier, went on strike on Saturday after failing to resolve a dispute over pension contributions and the settlement of deferred pay.
On Tuesday, a labour and employment court judge ordered the pilots to resume their duties “unconditionally” at 6 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) on Wednesday.
The court also stopped the airline’s management from taking disciplinary actions against pilots who took part in the industrial action.
The court had restrained the union from embarking on the strike, and the airline sought to cite the union’s officials for contempt of court after the strike started. The court will continue hearing the dispute, Judge Anne Mwaure said.
Kenya Airways welcomed the court’s directions and said it would comply.
The union said in a statement that it had asked its members to report to work on Wednesday as ordered by the court. This is according to Reuters.
UK minister Gavin Williamson resigns from post following bullying allegations
Gavin Williamson, the British cabinet office minister, resigned his appointment on Tuesday following recent allegation of bullying. The minister complained that the allegation had been too disturbing and affected his ability to perform his job.
“As you know, there is an ongoing complaints process concerning text messages I sent to a colleague,” Williamson said in his resignation letter, addressed to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“I am complying with this process, and I have apologised to the recipient for those messages. Since then, there have been other allegations made about my past conduct. “I refute the characterization of these claims, but I recognise that they are becoming a distraction from the good work this government is doing for the British people,” he added in the letter.
“I have therefore decided to step back from government so that I can comply fully with the complaints process that is underway and clear my name of any wrongdoing,” Williamson said.
Sunak accepted his resignation “with great sadness,” according to the PA news agency. “I would like to thank you for your personal support and loyalty,” Sunak said.
Trump gears up to run after midterms
The ex-US president, Donald Trump, has said that he will throw his hat into next year’s presidential election, suggesting that his announcement would come after the US midterm elections.
“I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida,” Trump told supporters at a rally for Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance.
Reuters, however, reported that in a national polling survey and in interviews, voters in three battleground states on Tuesday expressed concerns about the 76-year-old Republican former president’s age, his polarizing personality, and his ability to compete in a general election.
“I will do anything I can to keep him from running,” said Gordon Nelson, 77, who cast an all-Republican ballot on Tuesday in Birmingham, Michigan. Nelson voted for Trump twice but now blames him for the nation’s tense political climate and the Democrats’ majority in Congress.
“He’s divisive. “I don’t like him,” he said.
