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News_Naija

Senate Gives Conditions For Natashas Return After Court Judgement

The Senate has given conditions for the reinstatement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, after a Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the six-month suspension handed down on her by the Senate. Justice Binta Nyako, in her judgment on Friday, ordered the Senate to reinstate the Kogi Central senator, describing her suspension as excessive. In March, Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Red Chamber for six months for alleged gross misconduct, following her face-off with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over the sitting arrangement. Tensions intensified when Akpoti-Uduaghan, on national television, accused Akpabio of punishing her for rejecting his alleged sexual advances. The Peoples Democratic Party senator submitted a petition to the Senate, alleging that she was sexually harassed by Akpabio, an allegation the Senate President had since denied. Akpoti-Uduaghan, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025, challenged her suspension in court. Delivering her judgment on the matter, Justice Nyako faulted the provision of Chapter Eight of the Senate Standing Rules as well as Section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers & Privileges Act, declaring both as overreaching. The court stressed that the two legislations failed to specify the maximum period that a serving lawmaker could be suspended from office. Justice Nyako stated that while the Senate had the authority to discipline its members, such disciplinary actions must not strip citizens of representation in the National Assembly. She noted that since the Senate was constitutionally required to sit for only 181 days in a legislative year, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s 180-day suspension amounted to denying the people of Kogi Central effective participation in national governance. “The court is not saying that the Senate lacks the power to sanction a member. However, such sanctions must not negate the constitutional right of constituents to be represented in parliament,” Justice Nyako ruled. The court, however, found Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of contempt over a satirical apology she posted on her Facebook page on April 27. Justice Nyako held that after reviewing the post and the application before her instituted by the third respondent, she was satisfied that it was linked to the suspension matter before the court and therefore found the plaintiff guilty of contempt. The judge ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan to publish an apology in two national dailies and on her Facebook page within seven days. She also imposed a fine of N5m. Reacting to the judgment, the Senate Spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, said the Red Chamber would not immediately reinstate the embattled senator. Adaramodu stated that the court judgment did not override the Senate’s constitutional powers to discipline its members. “Which judgment are we appealing when they (the court) said the Senate has the right to discipline its erring members? The court has not ousted the Senate’s statutory right to punish any erring senator. “It was established that the senator in question erred. The court has already told her to go and do some things, like restitution, so after the restitution, the Senate will now sit again and consider the content of that restitution, and that will inform our next line of action,” Adaramodu said. The Senate, he explained, would only reconvene to deliberate on the matter after Akpoti-Uduaghan had complied with the court’s directives. “The onus is no more on us now; it is already on her doorstep to go and apologise. Once she does that, then the Senate will sit and determine how to deal with her matter. “The first reaction now will not be from us, the court has ruled, so once she takes the step to redress and does what the court has directed her to do, then the Senate will sit and look at the content of her reaction as prescribed by the court,” Adaramodu added. Addressing journalists after the judgment, the Senate counsel, Paul Dauda, SAN, described the ruling as a partial victory for the Senate, particularly on the issue of civil contempt arising from social media posts made during the case. Dauda said, “The first application filed by the Senate, that no social media posts should have been made, was decided in our favour. The court directed that the satirical apology be taken down and that a proper apology be published in two national dailies. Additionally, damages of five million naira were awarded to be paid to the court.” On the substantive ruling regarding the suspension, Dauda noted that the Senate’s authority to discipline its members was not in dispute. “It appears the court affirmed that the Senate, as an institution, has the right to discipline its members. While members are elected to represent constituencies, they are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the Senate’s standing rules,” he said. He explained that the court did not order Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reinstatement but merely suggested that the Senate could consider recalling her. “There was no relief asking for the suspension to be lifted. The judge only made what we call an obiter dictum, a non-binding remark, that the suspension may have been excessive. We will consult with our colleagues, read the full judgment, and respond accordingly,” he added. Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has commended Justice Nyako for lifting the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan. In a post shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, Atiku also praised Akpoti-Uduaghan for seeking redress in court. “I commend Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, for the courage in lifting the obnoxious suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central),” he wrote. “I also hail Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan for challenging the illegality of her suspension by not sleeping on her rights in a chamber where women are already vulnerable.” He added that no price should be too high to pay in the pursuit of justice and the assertion of one’s rights.

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Healthwatch

Wildfires: How To Cope When Smoke Affects Air Quality And Health

Smoke from regional wildfires endangers health even for those not directly in the path of fire.

How does wildfire smoke affect air quality?

How does wildfire smoke affect our health?

Who needs to be especially careful?

What can you do to prepare for wildfire emergencies?

Create an evacuation plan for your family before a wildfire occurs.

Make sure that you have several days on hand of medications, water, and food that doesn’t need to be cooked. This will help if you need to leave suddenly due to a wildfire or another natural disaster.

Regularly check this fire and smoke map, which shows current wildfire conditions and has links to state advisories.

Follow alerts from local officials if you are in the region of an active fire.

What steps can you take to lower health risks during poor air quality days?

Stay aware of air quality.AirNow.gov shares real-time air quality risk category for your area accompanied by activity guidance. When recommended, stay indoors, close doors, windows, and any outdoor air intake vents.

Consider buying an air purifier. This is also important even when there are no regional wildfires if you live in a building that is in poor condition. The EPA recommends avoiding air cleaners that generate ozone, which is also a pollutant.

Understand your HVAC system if you have one. The quality and cleanliness of your filters counts, so choose high-efficiency filters if possible, and replace these as needed. It’s also important to know if your system has outdoor air intake vents.

Avoid creating indoor pollution. That means no smoking, no vacuuming, and no burning of products like candles or incense. Avoid frying foods or using gas stoves, especially if your stove is not well ventilated.

Make a “clean room.” Choose a room with fewer doors and windows. Run an air purifier that is the appropriate size for this room, especially if you are not using central AC to keep cool.

Minimize outdoor time and wear a mask outside. Again, ensuring that you have several days of medications and food that doesn’t need to be cooked will help. If you must go outdoors, minimize time and level of activity. A well-fitted N95 or KN95 mask or P100 respirator can help keep you from breathing in small particles floating in smoky air.

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Instablog9ja

I Am Not Dating But Im Talking To People. May The Best Man Win DJ Cuppy

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Worldnews

Texas Flash Floods Kill At Least 24 People, 23 Girl Campers Missing

Among the missing were dozens of people listed as unaccounted for at an all-girls Christian summer camp located on the banks of Guadalupe, authorities said. Deadly Texas floods: Search efforts underway for missing children Torrential rains unleashed flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States, killing at least 24 people as rescue teams scrambled to save dozens of victims trapped by high water or reported missing in the disaster, local officials said. Among the missing were 23 to 25 people listed as unaccounted for on Friday at an all-girls Christian summer camp located on the banks of the rain-engorged Guadalupe, authorities said. The death toll appears certain to rise further. Texas parents frantically posted photos of their young daughters on social media with pleas for information. Searchers used helicopters and drones through the night to look for victims and rescue people stranded. The danger was not over as more heavy rains were expected on Saturday and flash flood warnings and flood watches remained in effect for parts of central Texas. “What I can confirm at this point, we’re at about 24 fatalities,” Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha told an evening news conference on Friday, later confirming 24 people had died. The destructive fast-moving waters along the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet (eight metres) in just 45 minutes before dawn Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. There were hundreds of rescues around Kerr County implementing a massive search and rescue operation, including at least 167 by helicopter, authorities said. The US National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for parts of Kerr County, located in south-central Texas Hill Country, about 105km (65 miles) northwest of San Antonio, following heavy downpours measuring up to 300mm (12 inches) of rain. Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerville, the county seat, told reporters the extreme flooding struck before dawn with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing any evacuation orders. “The camp was completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.” Earlier in the day, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said somewhere between six and 10 bodies had been found so far in the frantic search for victims. During a news conference conducted at the same time as Patrick’s update, Sheriff Leitha reported that there were 13 deaths from the flooding. Patrick said 23 girls were listed as unaccounted for among more than 700 children who were at the summer camp when it was swept by floodwaters at about 4am local time (09:00 GMT). “That does not mean they’ve been lost; they could be in a tree, they could be out of communication,” he said. “Some are adults, some are children,” Patrick said. “Again, we don’t know where those bodies came from.” Patrick read out a message from the director of the summer camp, which had some 750 campers over the long July 4 weekend, reporting that it had “sustained catastrophic level of flooding”. “We have no power, water or Wi-Fi,” the message said. State and local officials warned against residents travelling to the area, which includes campgrounds dotted along the river, with dozens of roads “impassable”. Videos on social media showed houses and trees swept away by the overnight flash flood caused by heavy overnight rainfall of 300mm – one-third of Kerr County’s average annual rainfall. “It’s terrible, the floods,” US President Donald Trump told reporters Friday night. “It’s shocking.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration to hasten emergency assistance to Kerr and a cluster of additional counties hardest hit by the floods. Follow Al Jazeera English:...