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News_Naija

NMA Gives FG 21-day Ultimatum, Threatens Strike Over Pay, Others

The Nigerian Medical Association has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its demands in order to avert industrial action in the health sector. The association, which made this known at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, expressed disappointment and condemned the circular on the consequential adjustment of allowances under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for medical and dental practitioners in Nigeria. A copy of the speech of the NMA President, Bala Audu, made available to our correspondent, noted that the association rejects the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission’s circular (SWC/5/04/5.218/III/646), dated June 27, 2025, on the review of allowances for medical and dental officers in the Federal Public Service. Audu said the circular from the NSIWC violates previous Collective Bargaining Agreements with the government, adding that the recent development has worsened already existing tension among doctors who remain committed to serving in Nigeria despite ongoing challenges. “The Nigerian Medical Association expresses grave disappointment and unequivocally condemns the circular purportedly issued to address the consequential adjustment of allowances under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for medical and dental practitioners in Nigeria. “The circular is grossly inadequate, misleading and constitutes a flagrant violation of the spirit and letter of the agreements painstakingly reached during the collective bargaining process between the NMA and the Federal Government of Nigeria. “We want to bring this to the attention of Mr President, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), the National Assembly and the general public whom we are under oath to always protect and promote their wellbeing. “We reject this new circular in its entirety and demand a new circular that reflects previous agreements reached,” Audu said. He stressed that the principles of fairness and justice must guide the adjustment of allowances as previously agreed. He further noted that while the association had submitted the correct salary structure table as requested by the relevant government bodies, it was disappointed to find it was disregarded. “Our demands include but are not limited to the immediate withdrawal of the circular on review of allowances for medical/dental officers in the federal public service dated 27th June, 2025; immediate correction of consequential adjustments in line with the agreements of 2001, 2009, and 2014 CBAs; immediate correction of the relativity agreed between CONMESS and Consolidated Health Salary Structure and compliance with relativity in all professional allowances in accordance with the 2001 CBA, particularly regarding call duty allowances, and the payment of all accrued backlogs. “The immediate settlement of all outstanding arrears of 25/35 per cent CONMESS, clinical duty and accoutrement allowances owed to medical and dental practitioners; the immediate payment of Medical Residency Training Fund for 2025, and review of the MRTF to reflect prevailing economic realities; the immediate convocation of the long-overdue Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations on CONMESS; the immediate Release of the Circular on Clinical Duty and other allowances for honorary consultants as agreed in January 2024. “The implementation of scarce skills allowances for medical consultants; approval of specialist allowances for all doctors; approval of excess workload allowances for all doctors; adoption of relativity in all professional allowances in accordance with the 2001 CBA, particularly regarding call duty allowances; compliance with CBA of 2021 on hazard allowances; implementation of subsisting CONMESS circular of 2024 for house officers; and universal application of the CONMESS across all Federal and State Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to combat internal brain drain.” Other demands include the provision of comprehensive health insurance coverage for all medical and dental practitioners; the immediate constitution of management boards for federal hospitals to improve governance and operational efficiency as stipulated in the Acts for Federal Tertiary Institutions; issuance of a circular implementing the reviewed retirement age for medical and dental practitioners; and the implementation of robust welfare and well-being packages, including comprehensive health and social support for healthcare workers. They also demand the immediate reversal of the appointment of other healthcare professionals as consultants in hospitals, citing patient safety and the need to maintain medical care standards. The NMA President emphasised that the association has consistently engaged in dialogue with relevant government agencies and the Federal Ministry of Health in good faith, and remains committed to continued dialogue as long as their rightful entitlements are appropriately addressed. “As a responsible and responsive association that understands and respects values, we have painstakingly and repeatedly engaged in dialogue with the relevant agencies of government and the Federal Ministry of Health. “We have exhibited so much goodwill and intend to continue the same as long as we get our appropriate and timely dues. “We hereby expect that attention will be given to our demands within the next 21 days to avert disruption in the health services rendered to the Nigerian people,” he added.

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Worldnews

Tunisian Court Hands Lengthy Prison Sentences To Ex-officials

Opposition leader Ghannouchi, ex-prime minister and former presidential aide sentenced amid President Saied’s crackdown on dissent. A Tunisian court has handed jail terms to 21 high-profile politicians and former top officials, including opposition leader and ex-Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, the Tunis Afrique Press (TAP) news agency reports. The rulings on Tuesday are the latest move in President Kais Saied’s widening crackdown on critics and political opponents. Ghannouchi, the leader of the Ennahdha party who has been in jail since 2023, was sentenced to up to 14 years in jail. Several others, including former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs Rafik Abdessalem Bouchlaka, were sentenced in absentia to 35 years. Nadia Akacha, Saied’s former chief of staff, who was considered a close and influential aide to the president, was also handed a 35-year prison sentence in absentia, according to the TAP. The charges against the defendants cover a wide range of alleged offences, including forming and joining a “terrorist” organisation and conspiring against internal state security. On Tuesday, Bouchlaka, the former foreign minister, dismissed the sentences as unserious, saying that the Tunisian government has become a “mockery in front of the world with its immaturity, recklessness and craziness”. “Sooner or later, this lying, deceptive coup regime will leave like the dictators, tyrants and fraudsters that left before it,” Bouchlaka wrote in a social media post. Many opposition leaders, some journalists and critics of Saied have been imprisoned since he suspended the elected parliament and began ruling by decree in 2021 – moves the opposition has described as a coup. Critics have accused Saied of using the judiciary and police to target his political opponents. Many warn that democratic gains in the birthplace of the Arab Spring in the years since the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali are being steadily rolled back. Saied rejects the accusations and says his actions are legal and aimed at ending years of chaos and rampant corruption. Ennahdha denies allegations against the group. The party had emerged as one of Tunisia’s largest after the 2011 uprising, and Ghannouchi led a power-sharing agreement with late President Beji Caid Essebsi to transition the country to democracy. Last year, the Tunisian government closed down Ennahda’s headquarters in Tunis. Ghannouchi, 84, is already serving other jail sentences for charges that his supporters say are political. In February, he was given a 22-year sentence for “plotting against state security”. Ennahdha called the ruling “a blatant assault on the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and a blatant politicisation of its procedures and rulings”. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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P7as2

Alia Bhatts Former Assistant Gets Arrested For 77 Lakh Scam: A Story Of Betrayal, Chase, And Devastating Deception

What comes to mind when you hear Alia Bhatt is likely her effortless charm, blockbuster performances, and her consistent rise to one of Bollywood’s most prominent stars. But behind all the glitz, this week placed a very personal and ominous chapter into the headlines, one that includes betrayal, financial deceit, and a fugitive former employee. Alia’s former personal assistant, Vedika Prakash Shetty, has been arrested after allegedly cheating the actress to the tune of a staggering ₹76.9 lakh. And the best part? Vedika was not just another staffer; she was someone who was entrusted with personal duties and privy to Alia’s daily life and work. Vedika served Alia from 2021 to 2024, managing her personal finances, organizing her travel and meetings, and additionally looking after some of the backend of Alia’s production company, Eternal Sunshine Productions, which was started in 2021. She was, in a sense, a part of the close inner circle. But from May 2022 to August 2024, according to the police, Vedika stealthily started abusing her position. She supposedly forged bills, informed Alia that they were for business travel and meetings, and obtained signatures on them. When sanctioned, the payments were made not to the suppliers, but to the bank account of a friend of Vedika’s. The money would then flow back into her account. It was a well-hidden fraud, but one that could not remain so for eternity. The whole thing came to light when Soni Razdan, Alia’s mother and a director-actor herself, detected some financial discrepancies and approached the Juhu Police on January 23, 2025, with the complaint. After the complaint was lodged, the police began investigating, and what they unearthed was shocking. Vedika had allegedly been forging documents, routing money through a third party, and systematically draining funds from both Alia’s personal and production accounts, all under the pretense of work-related expenses. What made things even more dramatic? Right after the complaint was filed, Vedika vanished. As police began tracking her, Vedika changed cities from Rajasthan to Karnataka, then Pune, and finally Bengaluru. Each time, she managed to stay ahead of the cops, constantly moving to avoid being caught. But after nearly five months on the run, the Juhu Police finally nabbed her in Bengaluru, bringing her back to Mumbai on a transit warrant. Police sources confirmed they’re currently reviewing her financial records, going through her bank statements, and looking into whether anyone else may have been involved in helping her carry out the fraud. Interestingly, Alia Bhatt has not issued a statement yet. Given how close Vedika was to her personal and professional life, it’s not hard to imagine how deeply upsetting this experience must be. When trust is broken so brutally and by someone who worked beside you daily, it’s more than just a legal matter. It hits on a human level. Friends and fans of Alia have expressed disbelief and support, many calling it a “huge betrayal” and hoping justice is served soon. Industry insiders are also talking about how important it is to have strong financial safeguards even with people you trust implicitly. With Vedika in custody and a full-scale investigation under way, further information should come to light over the next few weeks. Whether she was acting alone or if there were others who took part is still unknown. But one thing’s for sure: celebrity or not, betrayal by someone you trust always hurts. For Alia, it’s a bitter reminder that even in a society with teams and assistants galore, one has to remain vigilant when it comes to money. As fans, we wish Alia strength and hope that the issue is resolved soon. Meanwhile, the industry watches closely, and so does the public as the plot unfolds.

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Worldnews

Israeli Strike Kills At Least Three People In Northern Lebanon

Israel claims it targeted a ‘key figure’ from the Palestinian group Hamas near the coastal Lebanese city of Tripoli. An Israeli strike on a vehicle near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has killed at least three people and injured 13 others, Lebanon’s Health Ministry says, in the latest breach of a ceasefire between the two countries. The attack in the Ayrounieh area on Tuesday came as Israel intensifies its strikes in Lebanon amid Hezbollah’s weakened position, the Lebanese army’s inability to fight back and the international community’s failure to pressure Israel to abide by the truce. The strike near Lebanon’s northernmost major city – more than 180km (110 miles) from the Israeli border – highlights Israel’s willingness to launch assaults across the country, not just in the south. The Israeli military claimed that it struck a “key” figure from the Palestinian group Hamas without identifying the target. A Hamas source in Lebanon told Al Araby TV that no senior official from the group was killed in the strike. Lebanon’s Annahar newspaper reported that initial reports indicated that the assassination attempt might have failed. Hamas and other Palestinian groups maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in refugee camps that have housed Palestinians for decades. Tripoli is home to the large Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Israel has carried out attacks against the Lebanese group Hezbollah and members of Palestinian factions in Lebanon. Hamas’s deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an Israeli air strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs in early 2024. While the ceasefire last year ended the conflict, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on what it says are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, mostly in southern Lebanon. Israeli attacks have also targeted homes, municipal workers and civilian infrastructure. On Monday, at least one person was killed in a suspected Israeli air attack on a van in the town of Deir Kifa in southern Lebanon. The recent attacks were launched as United States envoy Thomas Barrack was in Lebanon for a two-day visit to discuss disarming Hezbollah. On Monday after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Barrack told reporters he was “unbelievably satisfied” with Lebanon’s reply to a US proposal on taking away Hezbollah’s weapons. Barrack, a longtime adviser to US President Donald Trump who also serves as US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, said he believed “the Israelis do not want war with Lebanon”. “Both countries are trying to give the same thing – the notion of a stand-down agreement, of the cessation of hostilities and a road to peace,” he said. On Sunday, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem ruled out giving up the group’s weapons before Israel withdraws from the areas it still occupies in southern Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire. Follow Al Jazeera English:...