Latest news with #ECHO
Zawya
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Zawya
European Union Commits €1.5m for Victims of Yelwata Crises and Other IDPs in Benue State and Supports Nigeria in Addressing the Nutrition Emergnecy Situation Particularly in the North-West and North-East
The European Union (EU) has committed 1.5 million Euros (€1.5m) to support victims of the recent Benue State conflict. The envelope is composed by the rapid humanitarian response from EU Humanitarian Office ECHO (€0.5m) and a repurposing of EU funded SIDPIN project for durable solutions (€1m). IOM, UNHCR UNICEF, and UN-HABITAT as other international NGOs are among the agencies dealing with the response. The European Union (EU) has committed 1.5 million Euros (€1.5m) to support victims of the recent Benue State conflict. The envelope is composed by the rapid humanitarian response from EU Humanitarian Office ECHO (€0.5m) and a repurposing of EU funded SIDPIN project for durable solutions (€1m). IOM, UNHCR UNICEF, and UN-HABITAT as other international NGOs are among the agencies dealing with the response. This was disclosed by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E Gautier Mignot during a meeting between the EU delegation with the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, Honourable Minister of State Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, Permanent Secretary Dr Yakubu Adam Kofarmata and Directors of the Ministry, held in the Minister's Office in Abuja on 14th July 2025. The delegation was in the Ministry to follow up on the visit to Benue State (24-25 June 2025) and explore ways of support to the victims in the IDP camps in the State as well as discuss on high level of severe malnutrition and food crisis affecting the North East and North West and other emerging hot spots in the country in particular during the ongoing lean season. Through ECHO, the EU has already brought 35 M€ of humanitarian assistance to Nigeria, mainly focused on nutrition, in 2025 and a possible top-up is being considered, in addition to the assistance also provided by several EU Member States. The Minister, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's appreciation of the continuous support of the International Community for vulnerable persons in the country. He said he recently visited Borno and Benue States and the communities are in dare need of humanitarian support 'We are in acute need of nutrition for children under five years and lactating mothers' he said. He acknowledged EU contributions and Presidential commitment to leaving no one behind and confirmed ongoing food support mobilization and validated needs assessments, especially in Benue state. He stated plans to establish a pooled funding mechanism with Federal, State and donor contributions, advocacy engagement with the Nigerian Governors Forum and commitment to declare malnutrition an emergency. The two parties agreed to establish a task force to define roles and accelerate interventions in relation to the current nutrition emergency situation in the northern regions and collaborate on joint food security assessment, streamline supply chain processes and convene a collaborative platform with partners to coordinate humanitarian response to address the high level of malnutrition and food insecurity. Finally, on 19-20 July, Minister Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and Ambassador Gautier Mignot went for a joint visit to Sokoto State together with humanitarian partners (UNICEF, ACF, MSF). They paid a courtesy call to the Executive Governor of Sokoto H.E Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto and visited nutrition stabilization centers for children under 5 operated by ACF and MSF and with the support of UNICEF, to get a first-hand knowledge of the situation and discuss urgent next steps to face the crisis. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Delegation of the European Union to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS.
North Wales Live
2 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Live
'I would only get out of bed to see a dealer before going home to sniff'
A woman has bravely opened up about her battle with ketamine addiction, which had gripped her life to the extent that she only left her bed to purchase drugs. Emily Trueman started using ketamine at 16 after falling in with a new crowd. By 19, Emily, from Hoylake, was snorting up to 14 grams of ketamine daily, spending roughly £60 to feed her habit, leading her to abandon her education. Now five months sober, she's sharing her story to highlight the drug's prevalence among the youth, describing its use as "the norm". Speaking to the ECHO, Emily recounted: "I went to school and got my 10 GCSEs. When I left, I became friends with a new group, and that's just what they were into. "It got to a point where I was taking it every day. I've got ADHD and I was undiagnosed at the time. My mind runs so quickly. When I took ket everything slowed down. "I felt like a failure with every step I went through in life. I was clever in school, but I could never sustain it when I got to exams. I couldn't keep up with education, I couldn't keep up with work, and I was having run-ins with the police. I was so depressed, I honestly thought I'd never escape it and I'd never be happy without it. "The last few months before rehab were getting out of bed to see a dealer and then coming back home and sniffing in my room. That was it." In April 2024, Emily dropped out of sixth form so ketamine could become "more accessible". She said: "Drugs weren't really a thing in sixth form. I ended up going to a [different college] with a friend who also used. "I dropped out a few months in because I couldn't afford to feed my addiction. I started working full-time, swapping jobs, and then I went on sick leave for a couple of months. "Eventually I went back to work because sick pay wasn't cutting it and I couldn't afford my drugs anymore." Despite suffering from an array of health issues, including a shrunken bladder, limited liver functioning, and even being told she was at risk of kidney failure, Emily continued to use, sniffing a daily dose of up to half an ounce of ketamine. However, the teenager never thought she had a problem. She said: "I thought it's what everyone does. When you're an addict, your brain does anything to tell you you're not an addict. "If you're sitting in a room full of people who are also addicts, and you keep behaving like you don't have a problem by using together, you'll never realise that you actually do have a problem. And people also don't realise they have a problem because literally everyone does it. It's normal. "I only started realising I had a problem the last time I went on sick pay, a month before I went to rehab. I realised I wasn't able to maintain any kind of normal life while being addicted to ket. "Nothing was conducive to a normal lifestyle. I didn't sleep in the night; I slept in the day. I was living in my bed; I wouldn't shower, wouldn't get dressed. I wouldn't want to speak to anyone unless they were other users. "My life was just a big mess. I just knew I couldn't live like that anymore. But it was difficult because I couldn't go to one of my friends and tell them I had a problem. They were all addicts too." Emily said the streets of Liverpool are heavily infiltrated with ketamine. "It definitely is a crisis," she said. "The price has gone so much cheaper; you don't know what it's being bashed with. "It's everywhere. If I walked into Liverpool, I'd be able to spot numerous people who are on ket or people I used to use with. That's just the way it is right now." In February this year, Emily began a rehabilitation program at Birchwood Rehab in Heswall, which she says has been "amazing". Now five months clean, Emily wants to help other young people who are in the grip of an addiction. When asked what advice she would give to other young addicts, Emily said: "I think it's important for people to understand that when you're an addict, you can't just put down a drug and stay clean; it doesn't work like that. "You have to change every aspect of your life. It's about looking at your spirituality and learning to do these small things, which will boost your mood. That's what helps you stay in recovery. I'd really recommend fellowship groups and engagement services. "Try to distance yourself from people who use. I've cut contact with people I know who used. There is some kind of hope out there. I'm sitting here, and I'm nearly five months clean. I never thought I would see that day. I thought I'd be using it until I die, or until I end my life. That's where I was at; I was just miserable. It sucked all the life out of me." In Liverpool, councillors have said the region is in the grip of a 'ketamine crisis'. According to the Office for National Statistics, 2.9% of 16 to 24-year-olds reported using ketamine between April 2023 and March 2024. This was down slightly from the previous year, when usage levels hit a record 3.8% for the age group. In January, the Home Office said it would seek expert advice on reclassifying the drug from its current controlled Class B status to the more serious Class A. Currently, the maximum penalty for supplying and producing ketamine is up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
About a third of pregnant women in the US lack sufficient vitamin D to support healthy pregnancies − new research
Children whose mothers had higher vitamin D levels during pregnancy scored better on tests of memory, attention and problem-solving skills at ages 7 to 12 compared with those whose mothers had lower levels. That is a key finding of a new peer-reviewed study that my colleagues and I published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. While vitamin D has long been known for its role in maintaining bone health, scientists have since uncovered its importance in regulating immune function, reducing inflammation and protecting the nervous system. Now, growing evidence – including our new findings – suggest it may also support brain development beginning in the womb. My team and I found that the link between prenatal vitamin D levels and childhood cognition was strongest among Black families, who also face higher rates of vitamin D deficiency. This suggests that vitamin D supplementation may be a promising, low-cost strategy to support brain development while reducing racial disparities. Our study also suggested that vitamin D levels early in pregnancy may be most important for childhood cognitive development, highlighting the importance of early action by health care providers. We analyzed more than 900 mother-child pairs across the U.S. who participated in a large national study called ECHO, short for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes. We measured vitamin D in the mothers' blood during pregnancy and assessed children's cognitive abilities using a standardized test battery. We also accounted for other important factors that shape childhood development such as the mother's education, neighborhood conditions and the child's age and sex. This new study builds on our earlier findings that higher vitamin D levels during pregnancy are linked to higher IQ in early childhood and with reduced behavioral problems in middle childhood. Collectively, these studies suggest that vitamin D plays a crucial role in brain development during pregnancy, with lasting benefits for children's cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Why it matters Vitamin D deficiency is a common global problem. In the U.S., about 42% of adults have vitamin D levels below 20 nanograms per milliliter, or ng/ml, a commonly used cutoff for deficiency. About a third of U.S. pregnant women are deficient, and the rates are even higher among Black pregnant women, with 80% found to be deficient. This racial difference is partly due to differences in skin pigmentation, as melanin pigment reduces the skin's ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight. Although we can get vitamin D both from sun exposure and our diets, deficiency is common because these sources don't meet everyone's needs. Sunlight isn't always a reliable source, especially for people with darker skin, those living in northern climates or those who often wear sunscreen or sun-protective clothing. Natural food sources such as fatty fish, egg yolks and certain mushrooms contain some vitamin D, and fortified products such as milk and breakfast cereals help, but not everyone eats enough of these foods to maintain healthy vitamin D levels. That's why supplements are often necessary and are recommended in many cases by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Although current guidelines recommend that pregnant women consume 600 international units, or IUs, of vitamin D daily, higher doses of at least 1,000 to 2,000 IU are often needed to correct deficiency. On average, U.S. women consume only 168 IU from food and beverages, and many prenatal vitamins provide just 400 IU. This highlights an important opportunity for clinicians to improve screening and support around vitamin D supplementation both before and during pregnancy. If a simple, low-cost strategy such as prenatal vitamin D supplementation can help support brain development, it may yield lasting benefits for children. Long-term studies have shown that higher cognitive scores in childhood are linked to better memory and reasoning in older age, as well as longer lifespan. What still isn't known While our studies have linked higher vitamin D levels in pregnancy to improved cognitive and behavioral development in children, we cannot yet prove that vitamin D is the direct cause. Therefore, studies called randomized controlled trials – the gold standard of research – are needed to confirm these findings and determine how best to translate them into clinical practice. These studies will be essential for determining the optimal target levels for vitamin D to support brain development in pregnancy. The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Melissa Melough, University of Delaware Read more: Prenatal supplements fall woefully short in providing crucial nutrition during pregnancy – and most women don't even know it Prenatal supplements largely lack the recommended amount of omega-3 fatty acids to help prevent preterm birth − new research Dietary supplements and protein powders fall under a 'wild west' of products that necessitate caveats and caution Melissa Melough receives funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Solve the daily Crossword
North Wales Live
15-07-2025
- North Wales Live
Man who sold pirated subscriptions to stream Premier League and Champions League matches jailed
A man was sentenced to five years in jail for selling pirated subscriptions to stream Premier League and Champions League matches. A judge told Mark Brockley "nice to see you" when he returned to face justice having previously fled the country with his dog. Brockley pocketed hundreds of thousands of pounds by selling pirated subscriptions which enabled his customers to stream football matches, a court heard. Having left with his profits, he spent years on the run in France and Spain. But eventually, he was tracked down on the continent and is now beginning his lengthy prison sentence following extradition back to the UK, reports the ECHO. A trial at Liverpool Crown Court previously heard Brockley, formerly of John Bagot Close in Everton, was involved in a "pyramid selling scheme" alongside an unidentified man, known only as "Freddie", who sat at the top of the operation. The 56-year-old advertised the services of the illicit Infinity IPTV platform on social media and "recruited and controlled others below him". Dominic Hockley, prosecuting, described how he also failed to disclose his unlawful income for tax purposes after generating an estimated £312,000 through his involvement, evidenced by transfers directly into his PayPal and bank accounts. It was estimated that his actions caused a loss in revenue in the region of £3million to BT, this being the sum which would have been generated if his clientele had instead subscribed to the legal service for one year. Investigators believe Brockley then travelled to France in the company of his dog in order to evade justice, with his whereabouts remaining unknown for several years. However, he was ultimately arrested in Spain earlier this year and returned to the UK after unsuccessfully attempting to fight extradition proceedings. A probe was launched in November 2018 when the broadcaster reported a Twitter account using the handle @Infinity_IPTV, which was "advertising the sale of premium film, television and sports content to its followers". Subscribers could purchase a month's subscription for £15, with Brockley found to have made a total of 5,251 sales between October 2014 and May 2019. It was also discovered he had not declared any income to HM Revenue and Customs since December 2018. His home was raided by police in July 2019, when officers seized £1,200 in cash, as well as a laptop and a mobile phone which linked him to the profile on the social media platform now known as X. But, despite the involvement of the law, he received a further 10 payments for his services after this date. Daniel Travers, defending, told the court in his client's absence during his original sentencing hearing in 2023: "It is disappointing, to say the least, that the defendant did not attend his trial and is not here today. That limits much of what we maybe would have hoped to discuss with him and recite. "Realistically, now, the court will not consider suspending any sentence. There are clearly those operating above him. There are many, many people above him. In my submission, Mr Brockley performed more of a management role. I ask him to be treated as effectively of good character. Undoubtedly, this will have a devastating impact on him." Brockley was found guilty of distributing articles infringing on copyright and fraudulently evading income tax by a jury in his absence. The dock remained empty as he was ultimately jailed for five years, with a warrant being issued for his arrest. But he was brought before the court yesterday afternoon, Monday, for execution of this warrant. Appearing via video link to HMP Onley in Northamptonshire wearing a grey Under Armour t-shirt and glasses and sporting greying hair and a beard, Judge David Swinnerton told him: "Nice to see you. "We did not see you throughout your trial, which is why I sentenced you in your absence. I passed a sentence of five years, so you are now serving your five-year sentence. I would have passed a consecutive sentence for a breach of bail but I am unable to do so because of the way your extradition has proceeded, so you are lucky." Judge Swinnerton previously said in his sentencing remarks two years ago: "This is not a victimless crime. This was a sophisticated enterprise on a large scale. It was well-planned and carried out over a long period of time. While not at the very pinnacle, I do find that Mr Brockley played a leading role. He made a substantial profit and caused a substantial loss." Detective Constable Geoffrey Holbrook, from the City of London Police's intellectual property crime unit, said following the sentencing: "Brockley made tens of thousands of pounds from an illegal activity and used the money to fund his lifestyle. Despite being interviewed by PIPCU officers and knowing that his actions were against the law, he continued to sell IPTV subscriptions and then left the country in an attempt to avoid the consequences of his actions."
Daily Mirror
14-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Drug baron lived champagne lifestyle alongside celebrities before life crumbled
Well-spoken drug lord Keith Shea and his wife Sara, from Wallasey, were found to have earned at least £4,089,545 - with much more frittered away on their lavish lifestyle - by selling cocaine A drug baron lived a champagne lifestyle and rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous after making millions peddling cocaine. University-educated Keith Shea and his wife Sara - who helped him launder the dirty cash - enjoyed a lavish lifestyle after earning £4,089,545 while people's lives were ruined through his supply of the addictive Class A drug. However, they earned far more and blew most of it on a jet set lifestyle - splashing out thousands on luxury holidays, expensive jewellery and designer clothes. They spent £12,000 on flights to Barbados, where they tied the knot, before dropping another £6,000 for a party at the luxury Hillbark Hotel in Wirral. Police eventually raided their home in Wallasey, where they found £12,000 worth of handbags, £100,000 his-and-hers Chopard watches, and a Skorpion sub machine gun. A £110,000 Aston Martin was parked on their driveway, alongside a £76,000 Porsche and a £46,500 BMW. Moreover, Shea would have a chauffeur drive him from their grand detached house in Wallasey all the way to London to dine at the most exclusive and fashionable restaurants. He was also frequently spotted in front row seats and corporate hospitality boxes at major sporting events worldwide - including the favourite of the super-rich, the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix. When police examined the accounts, forensic accountants determined that Keith Shea had profited by £3,971,660 from his crimes, while his wife had gained an additional £117,885. However, their facade of a perfect life crumbled when the seemingly respectable baron was spotted by police leaving a lock-up garage. The officers swooped in on the garage where Shea would stash and package class A drugs. Upon his arrest, police discovered 3,128 ecstasy tablets inside a toolbox, alongside amphetamine paste, a significant amount of cocaine, the cutting agent benzocaine, scales, food mixers, and a hydraulic press, as reported by the ECHO. After Shea's apprehension in January 2007, Liverpool Crown Court was told that the street value of his drug cache was a staggering £4.4 million. A subsequent search of Shea's Wirral residence led to suspicions he was planning an upscale move to "footballer's row" with an £800,000 mansion in Caldy – a neighbourhood favoured by Merseyside's Premier League footballers – after an estate agent's brochure was found on his coffee table. Police also uncovered photos of Shea and his cronies enjoying corporate hospitality at the 2006 Open Golf Championship in Hoylake, and family tickets for the Cricket World Cup in Barbados. Shea had forked out £30,000 in cash for the Barbados trip but was arrested before he could take flight. Court hearings later disclosed that Shea utilised various locations for drug packaging and distribution, including a Wallasey flat on Sandringham Drive where a wardrobe concealed an array of firearms. His lethal collection included a loaded Skorpion sub-machine gun, revolvers, a silencer, and a magazine. Found alongside the firearms were hollow bullets, designed to expand on impact. Shea admitted to conspiracy to supply cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamine. He also entered guilty pleas for six counts of possessing prohibited firearms and four counts of having ammunition without a certificate, resulting in a 15-year prison sentence. Julian Nutter, defending, informed the court that Shea had been drawn into the drug trade after becoming a user himself. He mentioned Shea's remorse and the fact that his wife was divorcing him due to his criminal activities. His wife was subsequently imprisoned for two-and-a-half years for her role in laundering his illicit earnings. Insp Ian Shaw, from Merseyside Police, commented at the sentencing: "Shea is one of those characters that really sticks in the public's throat. He lived this extravagant lifestyle with all the trimmings yet had no visible means of support. "He had the cars, the house and was at any sporting event you care to mention. His extravagances show exactly the kind of cash Shea had to throw around. "We found evidence linking his drugs network right across the UK, from Merseyside to Devon and Cornwall. And from our investigations, he had dealt in at least 100 kilos of cocaine – worth in the region of £5m. "Shea is university educated and well-spoken but along with dealing in drugs there was a much more sinister side to him. We recovered numerous firearms during our investigations, including a Scorpion machine pistol with silencer, which is a very nasty piece of kit." Shea most recently emerged when he was photographed at a charity gala held at Wirral's upmarket Thornton Hall Hotel in 2015. Sporting black tie attire, Shea beamed for cameras at the £720-per-table, three-course fundraising event.
