A community based health insurance program has been launched in four districts of the Somali regional state.
State Minister of Health, Sahrela Abdulahi, and Director of the Ethiopian Health Insurance Agency Frehiwot Abebe attended the launching ceremony held in Awbere district.
The State Minister assured the residents of government’s commitment to expand the program and urged them to do their parts to make the program a success.
Health Insurance program launched in four districts of Somali Region
UAE significantly increases indoor wireless network speeds
In line with the vision of TRA to enhance the regional and global leadership of the United Arab Emirates in the field of communications and information technology, the country’s regulatory authority has designated an additional 500 MHz radio spectrum of 6 GHz band (specifically 5925-6425 MHz) to Wi-Fi for indoor use at an EIRP of 250 mW under class authorization.
As a regional leader in ICT, the UAE’s TRA is one of the world’s most forward-looking regulators. With this latest addition, the UAE has become the first country in the MENA region to release additional 500 MHz of radio spectrum frequency in the 6 GHz band to the total spectrum of approximately 11.5 GHz (in 2.4, 5, 5.8 & 60 GHz bands) already available for Wi-Fi. This will significantly boost the speed of indoor wireless networks in the UAE, helping to keep up with the increasing use of wireless services by individuals, companies and different business sectors for day-to-day activities, and to accommodate new applications which drive demand for faster speeds and greater reliability. Today, Wi-Fi is a critical investment that connects people to workplaces, businesses, education and healthcare.
ATA, partners to deliver Livestock and COVID-19 information to farmers
The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Ethio Telecom and Ethiopian Public Health Institute, has incorporated and deployed livestock advisory and COVID 19 health advisory contents on its 8028 Farmers Hotline. The new contents are currently available in five local languages (Amharic, Afan Oromo, Tigrigna, Wolaytigna and Sidamigna).
According to United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO, 2018), the livestock sector where about 1.3 billion people are dependent on for their livelihood contributes to 40 percent of Global agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Ethiopia’s livestock is one of the largest in Africa, contributing nearly 20 percent of the country’s GDP, and 15 percent of export earnings (FAO, 2019). The livestock sub-sector supports the livelihoods of about 80 percent of rural people in Ethiopia.
“Farmers across Ethiopia should have easy access to crucial and relevant information for them to make informed decisions regardless of their locations. Moreover, they should also have updates regarding the current pandemic that is challenging the world so that they can protect themselves, their families as well as their community. Hence, we have decided to team up with our partners to ensure delivery of important and up-to-date livestock and COVID-19 information to our smallholder farmers using 8028 farmers toll-free hotline services in a way they can easily access it.” ATA CEO Khalid Bomba said.
Sudanese bury man apparently tortured during detention
Thousands of Sudanese on Tuesday attended the funeral service of a man who was apparently tortured to death this month at a detention center run by a paramilitary force whose members once belonged to a militia that rights groups say committed war crimes in Darfur. Bahaa el-Din Nouri, 45, was snatched on December 16 while sitting at a coffee shop in Khartoum by men wearing plain clothes and riding in a vehicle without license plates. His death sparked outrage across Sudan. Five days later, his body appeared at a hospital morgue in the city of Omdurman, just across the Blue Nile River from Khartoum. The family refused to take the body for immediate burial after seeing signs of apparent beating and torture, and asked for an autopsy to reveal the cause of death. Culture and Information Minister Faisal Mohammed Saleh said Nouri died while being interrogated by the Rapid Support Forces, a force comprised of former Janjaweed militiamen who executed a brutal crackdown in Sudan’s Darfur region in 2000s.
