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Tag: Prime Minister

  • UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson apologises, takes full responsibility as COVID-19 deaths surpass 100,000

    UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson apologises, takes full responsibility as COVID-19 deaths surpass 100,000

    United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Boris Johnson has offered his condolences to families bereaved by Coronavirus and said he took “full responsibility”, after the nation passed the grim milestone of 100,000 COVID-19 deaths.

    “It’s hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic, the years of life lost, the family gatherings not attended, and, for so many relatives, the missed chance even to say goodbye,” the PM said during a coronavirus news briefing yesterday.

    “I am deeply sorry for every life that has been lost and, of course, as prime minister, I take full responsibility for everything that the government has done.”

    On Tuesday, the UK death toll during the pandemic crept above 100,000 within 28 days of a positive test, as the government reported another 1,631 fatalities. It also registered 20,089 new cases of the virus.

    Labour leader Keir Starmer described the figure of 100,000 deaths as a “national tragedy”, while Liberal Democrat Ed Davey called for an immediate public inquiry.

    The PM was joined at the briefing by England’s Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, who warned the UK would see “quite a lot more deaths over the next few weeks” before the effects of the country’s vaccine rollout would start being felt.

    As of Tuesday, more than 6.8 million people in the UK had received a first dose of one of the country’s three authorised COVID-19 vaccines, while 400,000 have received a second dose.

    Whitty also stressed that the new, more infectious B117 strain of the virus discovered in the UK last year had “changed the situation we’re in very substantially”.

    The variant has rapidly replaced old forms of the virus in the UK, and the government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Patrick Vallance, said last week it may be 30 per cent more transmissible.

    The numbers of new Covid-19 infections in the UK are falling, but the country’s healthcare system remains strained, with more than 37,000 people hospitalised with the virus, according to the latest government data, published on Sunday.

    The UK’s COVID-19 death toll is the worst in Europe and the fifth-worst in the world after the U.S., Brazil, India and Mexico, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, in the United States.

  • Togo prime minister, cabinet resign

    Togo prime minister, cabinet resign

    Togolese Prime Minister Komi Selom Klassou and his government tendered their resignation on Friday, the presidency said in a statement, congratulating the Cabinet for its work in office.

    A governmental change has been anticipated since President Faure Gnassingbe won re-election in March, extending his 15-year-old rule and a family dynasty that began when his father took power in a 1967 coup.

    The presidency did not say when a new prime minister would be appointed.

    Ahead of the February election, a fractured opposition struggled to launch a concerted campaign to unseat Gnassingbe despite widespread disaffection with his leadership of the small West African country of 8 million people.

  • Yoshihide Suga to take office as Japan’s new premier

    Yoshihide Suga to take office as Japan’s new premier

    Yoshihide Suga, the new leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is set to take office as the couñtry’s prime minister on Wednesday following the resignation of Shinzo Abe over ill-health, and amid the coronavirus pandemic.

    Suga, who won a resounding victory in the LDP leadership race on Monday, is expected to be nominated to succeed outgoing premier, Abe at an extraordinary parliamentary session on Wednesday, as the LDP and junior coalition partner Komeito control the powerful lower house.

    Suga, who has pledged to continue Abe’s policies, will then form a cabinet by reappointing many members such as Finance Minister Taro Aso and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, local media reported.

    “I will create a cabinet that works for people,” the 71-year-old said.

    Suga, who had served as chief cabinet secretary since Abe took office in late 2012, said Japan was facing an “unprecedented national crisis,” referring to the pandemic.

    He vowed to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus while protecting jobs and restoring the economy, which has been battered by the pandemic.

    The economy shrank a record annualized 28.1 per cent in the April-to-June period, marking the third straight quarterly contraction.

    In late August, Abe announced that he was stepping down after he was diagnosed with a recurrence of an intestinal illness called ulcerative colitis.

    In July 2007, the disease forced Abe to abruptly quit as prime minister only one year into the job.

    He returned to power in 2012.

  • Japan’s longest serving Prime Minister resigns

    Japan’s longest serving Prime Minister resigns

    Japan’s longest serving prime minister Shinzo Abe has resigned. He quit today over health concerns.

    The 65 year-old Prime Minister is said to be suffering from an inflammatory bowel condition.

    “For eight years I controlled my disease, now the disease has surfaced again. I need to have continuous drug administered now, and I can’t lose focus,” he said during a television address.

    “I need to fight against the disease and concentrate. I have to make a political decision.”

    “I can’t make any mistake in decision-making, and have decided to step down as PM,” Abe declared.

    Shinzō Abe became prime minister in 2012 as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party.

    He previously served as Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2005 to 2006.

    He also once served as Prime Minister from 2006 to 2007.

  • Ivory Coast Prime Minister, Gon Coulibaly dies after attending cabinet meeting

    Ivory Coast Prime Minister, Gon Coulibaly dies after attending cabinet meeting

    Amadou Gon Coulibaly, Ivory Coast’s prime minister and the ruling party’s candidate for the next presidential election, has died at the age of 61.

    He reportedly died after attending a cabinet meeting. Officials said Coulibaly was unwell during a ministerial meeting at the presidential palace in Abidjan and was rushed to a hospital where he passed away.

    President Alassane Ouattara announced his death late Wednesday, July 8.

    He said; “Fellow compatriots, Ivory Coast is mourning. It is with deep pain that I announce to you that Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly has left us,” Ouattara said in a statement read on national television by the presidency’s secretary-general.

    “I salute the memory of a statesman, a man of great loyalty, dedication and love for his homeland,” added Ouattara.

    Meanwhile, he was expected to be RHDP presidential candidate in March after president Ouattara announced that he would not seek a third term.

    Coulibaly served as the prime minister since January 2017 after serving as secretary-general of the presidency for six years.

  • JUST IN: Ireland elects new Prime Minister

    Micheal Martin, leader of Fianna Fail, has been elected Ireland’s prime minister, or Taoiseach, as part of a coalition deal struck involving a rotating premiership.

    Martin was voted in by 93 votes to 63 at a special parliamentary sitting in Dublin on Saturday.

    He will lead an unprecedented coalition government between arch-rivals Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, both on the center to center-right of the political spectrum, plus the smaller Green Party.

    The political alliance, which was struck on Friday, will bring together incumbent two parties that have dominated Irish politics since independence a century ago.

    Incumbent prime minister Varadkar, who is from Fine Gael, will return to the prime minister’s office in December 2022.

    Meanwhile, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, both from Finn Gael, are expected to keep their jobs as Martin announces his new cabinet.

    The Green Party, which won 12 seats in February’s parliamentary election, emerged as the kingmaker. It secured significant concessions, including a commitment to a 7% average annual cut in greenhouse gas emission as opposed to the current 2%.

    As part of the bargain, the new government will also stop issuing new licenses for the exploration and extraction of gas and focus on public transport infrastructure. “There’s work to be done, and we’re the ones to try and help make it happen,” said Greens leader Eamon Ryan.

    The coalition deal was first approved by Varadkar’s Fine Gael after it won the support of 80% of its members. “Fine Gael is going to enter a third term in government and this new coalition is united and strong, and up to the challenge,” Varadkar told reporters.

    Fianna Fail, which won the most seats in the 160-seat parliament, approved the deal with 74% approval. “We have chosen this route, it has many challenges,” said Martin, ahead of the vote. “But on the other hand, it’s also a moment of opportunity and a moment of hope for our people.”

  • Russian Prime Minister tests positive for coronavirus

    Russian Prime Minister tests positive for coronavirus

    Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has announced that he had contracted the coronavirus and requested that his first deputy be appointed as acting prime minister

    Mishustin made the announcement during an online conference with President Vladimir Putin.

    He said that he would remain in self-isolation for the time being, but added that his cabinet would continue to operate and that he would stay in touch.

    “In light of this situation, I would like to address all Russian citizens to take the threat of the coronavirus infection and its spread seriously.

    “We have the May celebrations ahead of us and I urge all of you to stay home [during them] and follow all safety rules to prevent the spreading of the disease,” Mishustin said.

    The PM also suggested that his first deputy, Andrey Belousov, be appointed as acting prime minister until he gets well and is able to fully return to work.

    Putin has accepted Belousov’s candidacy and wished Mishustin to get well as soon as possible.

    “What happens to you right now can happen to any of us, I have always said that. […] You, your cabinet, presidential administration are in the zone of high risk [of infection],” Putin told the prime minister.

    The president also announced that all crucial decisions on supporting the Russian economy during the pandemic will be cleared with Mishustin before being signed.

    He also thanked the prime minister for all the work he and his cabinet have done so far and expressed hope that he will be able to continue to take an active part in the cabinet’s activities, despite his illness.

  • Just in: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Wife Tests Positive

    Just in: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Wife Tests Positive

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Gregoire, has tested positive for COVID-19.

    “Following medical advice, she will remain in isolation for the time being. She is feeling well, is taking all the recommended precautions and her symptoms remain mild,” according to a statement tweeted by Cameron Ahmad, the prime minister’s communications director.

    Health professionals are set to reach out to people who have been in close contact with Gregoire Trudeau. The prime minister himself is in “good health with no symptoms,” Ahmad said.

    “As a precautionary measure and following the advice of doctors, he will be in isolation for a planned period of 14 days,” the statement added. “Also on the advice of doctors, he will not be tested at this stage since he has no symptoms.”

    Trudeau will address Canadians on Friday, the statement said.

    Gregoire Trudeau thanked people in a personal statement that Ahmad shared on Twitter. She said although she is experiencing “uncomfortable symptoms of the virus, I will be back on my feet soon,” and noted that other Canadian families and patients may be facing more serious health concerns.

  • Wife of Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa is dead

    Wife of Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa is dead

    …Buhari mourns, sends presidential jet to evacuate her remains

    The only surviving wife of Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, is dead.

    Hajiya Jummai Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, died of cardiac arrest on Sunday in Lagos.

    It was learnt that she was taken to India to seek medical attention for her heart disease before she was later discharged some days ago.

    It was further learnt the late Hajiya Jummai died in Lagos in the early hours of Sunday after a protracted illness.

    Granddaughter of the late Prime Minister, Hajiya Hajara Yakubu Wanka, confirmed the development, saying she died of cardiac arrest.

    Wanka in an interview confirmed that the deceased had stopped over in Lagos to rest before returning to Bauchi.

    According to her, she passed away in the early hours of Sunday after she went into a coma.

    Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with the family of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the late Prime Minister, on the loss of Hajiya Jummai Abubakar, Balewa’s last surviving wife, who died on Sunday at the age of 85, even as the president approved presidential jet for her evacuation from Lagos to Bauchi.

    The President’s condolence message is communicated through a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday.

    In the message sent through the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, President Buhari said: “It was with the deepest sense of sorrow that I have learnt of the tragic demise of Hajiya Jummai Tafawa Balewa.

    “In her sad demise, Nigeria has lost an outstanding political figure, who was passionately committed to the cause of the family and the legacies of her late husband.

    “I convey my heartfelt condolences to members of the bereaved family, the government and people of Bauchi State and the entire people of our dear country. May Allah repose her soul.”

    Meanwhile, President Buhari has directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, to make an aircraft from the Presidential fleet available for the evacuation of the remains of the deceased from Lagos, where she died in a private hospital, to Bauchi.

    The remains of the late prime minister’s wife, who died at the age of 85, will be committed to mother earth in Bauchi on Monday.

  • New British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson appoints 39-year-old Nigerian as Minister

    39-year-old Kemi Badenoch has been appointed as the minister of children by British prime minister, Boris Johnson.
    Born in Wimbledon by Nigerian parents, she spent part of her childhood in Lagos and left for UK at age 16, where she did her A levels in an FE college in London.
    She was an engineering apprentice before she went ahead to study systems engineering at the University of Sussex. She is a member of of the British Computer Society and also studied law at Birkbeck, University of London.
    She was elected to parliament in 2017, having previously served for the conservatives in the London assembly.
    At the parliament, Badenoch talked about her experiences of poverty in Nigeria, including living without electricity or functioning water supply.
    She also narrated how she had to do her homework using candles.
    In a tweet, she said her appointment is a huge privilege to make a positive difference.
    “I’m humbled to have been appointed a junior minister at the DfE. A huge privilege to be able to serve and make a positive difference on a number of issues close to my heart. I look forward to working with the ministerial team and everyone at @educationgovuk,” she tweeted.